Volume 7 Chapter 13 The Spirit King’s Lunch and the Lust of Midday
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The moment I pushed open the heavy door, the afternoon light touched my cheeks. The scent of moss and tree sap that had clung to the meeting room faded into the air outside. The cold of the stone that had stuck to my back was pushed away by the warm breeze falling from the canopy of the World Tree (the great tree that sustains the village).
I took a few steps away from the Elder’s Manor, then stopped to stretch my neck. My joints popped with a sharp click. The hardness of the stone chair still lingered in my bottom.
”I’m hungry. Shall we eat?” I asked.
”Yes. Let us pass through the Square and head to the kitchen,” Sylvia replied.
The narrow path extending south from the back ran like it was weaving through the thick roots of the World Tree. The moss growing in the gaps between the roots softly sank under my soles, and a damp bounce returned with every step.
Above us was a canopy of branches and leaves. The sky was barely visible. Instead, thin threads of sunlight fell here and there, sliding across our feet as if leading the way.
The 小径1 (small path) was behind us, and the moment we passed through, our view opened up suddenly.
The Square.
Giant trees stood in a circle, and a large circle of white cobblestones lay at its center. It must have been more than a hundred meters across. The stones had rounded corners, covered in a thin layer of moss, with patches of sunlight dotting their surface.
Despite its size, it was quiet.
”There must have been more people here in the past,” I said.
”…According to Serafina-sama, thousands of Elves once lived here,” Sylvia replied, her voice calm and steady. “That they are now so few is a tragedy.”
Sylvia’s voice was quiet. But standing on this giant circle, the difference in numbers pressed against my skin whether I liked it or not. The white cobblestones clearly showed the empty seats of those who had been lost.
”By the way, where does the name ‘Silver Moon Village (the elf village)’ come from?” I asked.
Sylvia paused for a beat, then lifted her hair with her fingertips. The platinum hair caught the dappled sunlight, reflecting a small, shiny metallic look.
”Many Elves have hair of platinum or silver that seems to hold the moonlight,” she said. “When we gathered in this Square on nights of the full moon to offer prayers, everyone’s hair would reflect the moonlight at once… shining like a silver wave.”
”I see. If thousands were shining at once, that must have been an amazing sight,” I said.
”Indeed,” she answered. “Back then, some could talk to the great eagles and protect the forest from the skies. If one were to look down from above, it was said that another ‘silver moon’ seemed to have fallen into the forest.”
Having finished speaking, Sylvia let her eyes move over the white circle of the Square. She wasn’t dazzled by the light. Her face was sad, as if she were squinting, looking for a view she would never see again.
”But now… the great eagles have left for the Spirit Peak (a mountain of spirits),” she said sadly.
”The Spirit Peak? The magic energy must be thick there. Why go out of their way?” I asked.
”…Originally, the great eagles are proud birds of prey that live at the Spirit Peak,” she continued. “It is said that the Elves of the past used the dense Spirit energy born from the World Tree to calm their wildness and connect their hearts with them……”
Her words trailed off. Sylvia’s gaze turned to the sky. All that spread there was a thick green tree cover.
I walked two or three steps in silence and stood next to her. Still looking up at the canopy, I said, almost spitting the words out.
”The great eagles are smart, aren’t they? Then, they’ll come back eventually. If they’re proud… the only place for them to return to is here.”
I pointed at the giant tree towering in the center of the village. Sylvia looked at my finger, and then at the World Tree beyond it.
”…That is right,” she whispered. “This forest is no longer freezing, is it.”
Sylvia’s shoulders trembled slightly, and she drew in a deep breath of air.
A deep nod was enough of an answer. I just have to fill the empty seats that were lost.
As I walked forward, the sound of water, splash, splash, grew closer.
Slightly to the west of the center of the Square was a stone circular basin. It was the basin where the algae had disappeared after I coated the inner walls with glass.
An elderly couple sat side-by-side on the edge. In the sunlight, Herbert’s hand rested on Winifred’s thin hand.
”Spirit King-sama. And Sylvia-sama too,” Winifred said warmly. “It’s a nice breeze today, isn’t it?”
Noticing us, Winifred’s face broke into a smile.
”Yeah, I guess so,” I replied. “I can hear the water well.”
”Yes, yes,” she chirped. “When I sit on this edge and listen to the sound of the water… it is exactly as it was four hundred years ago. It is a blessing that some things do not change.”
Next to her, Herbert was dozing off, not even reacting to his wife’s voice. The weight of the long years sat as if becoming part of the stone itself.
The moment that voice cut off, another raspy voice interrupted. On the other side of the basin, at the base of the giant trees surrounding the Square.
”……Listen here, if you misread the wind direction, that’s it—your lungs turn black in a single night,” Bartholomew said gruffly. “The poisonous mist of the Rotting Sea (a poisonous swamp) doesn’t seep in from the bottom, but from the top.”
Bartholomew. His scarred, rugged arms were moving widely as if cutting through the air.
There was only one listener. A young woman with fresh, tanned skin, wearing well-worn deer-leather hunter’s clothes……Reaf. She was resting her chin on her hand, listening to the lecture with a half-bored expression.
At a glance, it looked like the gesture of a girl bored with her time, but my eyes couldn’t be fooled.
For a while now, she had kept her inner thighs unnaturally tight, and kept shifting her center of gravity slightly as if to hide the ache deep in her hips.
”Yeah, yeah, I gotcha! I’ve heard it a million times already…… Oh, Spirit King-sama! Sylvia-sama!” Reaf said, her tone bright and casual.
As soon as she spotted me, Reaf stood up as if pulled. She put on a bright smile on her face.
”Oh, it’s Reaf,” I said. “You’d better listen well to the old man’s valuable stories.”
”Spirit King-sama! Even if I am old, I won’t lose to the youngsters yet!” Bartholomew laughed, his chest puffing out.
The countless scars carved into his whole body backed up the weight of those words.
When I laughed in return, Reaf came jogging over.
”Geez, more importantly, Spirit King-sama… when are you going to call me next?” she whispered, dropping hot breath against my ear, her voice barely a hush.
Even though her voice was hushed, the desire pushed to its limit was exposed in the eyes looking up at me.
”You’ve only had two days off, and your stance is already full of openings,” I murmured. “…Didn’t you hunt some quite thick prey all by yourself last night?”
When I pointed it out in a low voice, mixing in secret words, Reaf’s eyes went round, and then the cheeks of her tan skin flushed bright red.
”…Because, it’s been two whole days? My insides have been throbbing like crazy the whole time,” she pouted, glaring at me.
I had perfectly seen through the fact that she was soothing the ache inside with a wood-carved toy. Even having that secret exposed seemed to be a sweet, shameful pleasure for this girl.
”Hmph. Next time,” I said. “Just wait, I’ll call you soon.”
”Yay! That’s a promise!” she squealed.
She jumped lightly. The lightness, on the other hand, couldn’t hide the heavy desire in her lower half. The gap between the recklessness of her youth and a body completely shaped by me created this girl’s strong appeal.
From beside me, a faint sigh came from Sylvia, as if she were exasperated, yet somehow looking at something she was familiar with.
I followed the back of the jumping Reaf with my eyes.
On the north side of the Square, a semicircular stone podium entered the edge of my vision. Moss-covered stones and the roots of the World Tree that had split the ground and were exposed.
”It was there that you inspired everyone, My Lord,” Sylvia said.
”Yeah. I might have asked for something a bit unreasonable back then,” I admitted.
”It was not unreasonable. On that day, everyone in the village chose to live.”
Before, I had stood up there. It was the Corrosive Dragon (a dragon that melts everything) attack, when the village was sinking into despair. My voice at that time… did it stay in the stones, or did it reach the roots?
Suddenly, the scent of cooking reached my nose. The green smell of herbs, the sweetness of nectar. The scent slid over the silence of the Square, changing the sense of loss in the too-large space just a little bit.
When I turned toward the east, a one-story building of stone and wood came into view just outside the edge of the Square. Part of the wall was open, and the roof was high. White steam was rising from it, and laughter was spilling out.
The moment I stepped onto the covered terrace, the steam and the scent touched my face all at once. The damp heat of the boiling Soup, the savory aroma of deer meat fat burning, the sweet smell of baked bread.
The dry sound of bowls hitting wooden tables, laughter, and the sound of slurping soup were buzzing together. The long table was already full. Heat rose from the gaps between shoulders, and the voices of the Elves went back and forth like waves.
”Oh my, Spirit King-sama. Is the meeting over already?” Margaret asked, her tone gentle and welcoming.
Margaret stopped her wooden spatula in front of the large pot. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm and gave a gentle smile, the kind that suited a head cook.
”Yeah. I’m hungry,” I replied.
Her gaze fell from my face down to… and lingered slowly around my crotch, before returning as if nothing had happened.
”We have some good meat for tonight, you know,” she added.
She dropped the words—which could be taken as talking about the prey or my stiffness—into the pot with the tone of a normal greeting. Someone laughed quietly from beyond the steam, and the sound of someone tearing bread echoed.
”King! Thank you for your hard work!” Gael shouted from the back.
Gael’s thick voice flew from the back. The wooden cup he gripped in his hand shook overhead, and laughter erupted only in that area. I returned it by just raising one hand and sat down in an empty seat.
The moment I sat down, heat and gazes surrounded me. The ears, fingers, and gazes moving in the corner of my vision. All of them were pretending to be eating, while watching every single move I made.
”Spirit King-sama, please have this,” Rosetta said, placing a steaming bowl on the table… and in doing so, she openly pressed the softness of her chest, bending over, against my shoulder.
”…It has already been seven days,” she whispered. “I, along with my mother, have been waiting the whole time.”
The scent of honey drifted from her flaxen hair, and her breath, grazing my ear, mixed into the sound of the dishes. From beneath the mask of the daytime, the feeling of the night bedroom overflowed all at once.
While that whisper remained in my ear, the sound of plates overlapped. As if to snuggle up to the daughter’s sweet pestering, her mother, Lumina, put a plate of freshly baked bread and deer meat on the table.
”Spirit King-sama. …We are already at our limit,” Lumina sighed.
Her voice was calm, but only her eyes were full of desire. She stayed in the motions of serving, and did not lower her gaze. Even so, under the table, cold fingertips moved up my thighs, slowly stroking and checking the outline of my crotch through the cloth.
With the spoon in my hand, I let the heat of the Soup and the cold fingers moving through the cloth wash over me.
Rosetta and Lumina. The sight of the mother and daughter together made them look so young that it was impossible to tell which was the older sister or the younger, and their matching flaxen hair was glossy, dampened by the steam.
In broad daylight, their breathing matched from left and right, sandwiching me. The strangeness of it was very strong.
While reaching for the Soup bowl, I replied in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
”Soon. I will spoil you both together again.”
A heavy silence fell there for an instant. The two of them trembled as if they had planned it, and after bowing deeply, they returned to the serving table with graceful steps. Their backs, as they returned, were deliberately, almost unnaturally, calm.
”…Spirit King-sama.”
As if swapping places, Serena, who had her black hair tied loosely, approached.
Her moist, heavy black hair made the whiteness of the back of her neck stand out as she hung her head. Both her hands were held neatly in front of her body, and her walk was careful in every way.
”When you call for us next time… I would ask that my husband join us as well…”
In the corner of my vision, a thin man took his mouth away from his bowl and was watching us, holding his breath. It was Nils. I brought my face close to Serena’s ear and whispered, at a volume that became part of the surrounding noise.
”…You prefer me over Nils, don’t you?”
Serena’s shoulder jumped, and the pure mask she had been wearing broke in an instant.
”That, is… but, I… I love… my husband…”
Her high-pitched voice trailed off, and her black eyes swam, filled with wetness. More than the words she tried to put together, that wet agitation clearly showed the twisted desire at her core.
”…Forgive me, dear…”
In a voice so small that no one else could hear, she let out an apology to her distant husband. But the moment she spoke that apology, her thighs rubbed together slightly, and I did not miss the sign that her wetness was leaking through.
When I laughed without making a sound, Serena returned to her husband’s side, as if running away, yet with an awkwardness that hid the heat between her legs.
As I shifted my gaze to Nils, who was sitting at a distant table where she was heading, I saw his thin shoulders jump.
He was watching from afar as his own wife became wet with guilt in front of another man and rubbed her inner thighs together, and he was breathing heavily through his nose. He was a man of such twisted nature. But it wasn’t bad. It was fine for that kind of love to exist.
I took a sip of the water Sylvia had poured and put my fork into the roast deer meat. The green smell of the herbs passed through the back of my nose, and the meat juices burst on my tongue.
”Delicious,” I said.
In front of the large pot, Margaret laughed, “Fufu,” happily. As if to cover that laughter, Gael’s voice shook the terrace from the back again.
”King! Look at this! Ever since she was held by the King, my wife has been getting more beautiful by the day!”
The cup hit the table, and laughter spread. Next to him, Elara stood up and walked over here. Her skin was as white as snow. Her walk was graceful, and even the angle at which she lowered her head was quietly steady.
”King…. I apologize for my husband being so noisy,” Elara said with quiet dignity.
Her voice was calm. It was different from the hunger of the mother and daughter earlier, and different from Serena’s wickedness. Only a quiet, deep respect and love was there.
”Don’t worry about it,” I said. “He’s just proud that you’re becoming so beautiful, I’m sure.”
”…Those are words I am not worthy of. Together with my husband, I am looking forward to your next call.”
Elara bowed deeply one more time, and returned with a calm smile. Gael pulled his wife’s waist to him proudly, and Elara didn’t mind leaning against him. It was a perfect picture of a married couple, sharing a single blessing between the two of them.
On the edge of that noise, there was a quiet corner. Volos and Elysia. I felt as if a different time was flowing only there.
When I turned my gaze to that couple, Volos put down his bowl and quietly straightened his posture.
”King,” Volos said with a short bow.
It was his usual phrase. The loyalty of the moving City Wall (a nickname for a protector) was packed into it. I nodded briefly and shifted my gaze to his wife, who was smiling next to him.
”Elysia, how is the new clothing coming along?” I asked.
When I brought up the topic, she squinted softly and turned a soft smile toward me.
”Yes. Since everyone has become younger and more beautiful thanks to the King’s grace… cutting the fabric and re-measuring the sizes is my daily pleasure.”
Elysia had not been made pregnant by me. Volos and she had chosen to grow a quiet love between husband and wife instead. It was fine for that kind of way to exist, too.
A clear singing voice began to rise from the serving table side. Rosetta hummed an old melody while clearing the plates.
Steam, the scent of meat, the sound of bowls, laughter.
”…It became a lively lunch today as well, didn’t it?” Sylvia said, tearing her bread.
I nodded, and poured the taste of this peaceful little garden into my stomach.
—
Summary:
Ryuichi leaves the meeting room to find a sense of peace in the village’s communal Square. He engages in various interactions with the villagers, highlighting his profound influence on their physical health and emotional state. He observes the complex, often distorted, relationships and devotion they hold for him as they gather for lunch.
—
Trivia:
- The village was once home to thousands of Elves before a decline in population.
- The name Silver Moon Village comes from the collective reflection of moonlight on the Elves’ white/silver hair in the central square.
- The great eagles left for the Spirit Peak because the previous conditions were no longer sustainable or necessary once the World Tree was healed.
- Ryuichi previously glass-coated the interior of the stone water basin to keep it clean of algae.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Man – A roughneck wearing a hat who participated in a group assault. He suffers the loss of his right arm and later his left arm during an experiment by the protagonist before being stored.
• Sylvia – A platinum-haired, jade-eyed Elven commander and advisor of disciplined posture and alluring smile. As Ryuichi’s sharp, devoted partner and liaison, she shares an intimate routine with her master while tormenting others. She ruthlessly deploys white heat rays beside elven archers, holds a sisterly bond with Lara, read Erika’s notebook, and remembers her village when it housed thousands.
• Serafina – An elegant, silver-haired Elf High Priestess and shrine maiden with 1,200 years of history. Clad in white robes with moonlight eyes that captivate the protagonist, she serves Lady Pearl and Ryuichi as a devoted handmaiden managing his household. This calm, powerful sacred mage offers philosophical insights on human greed, yet fears advanced technology while guarding the sealed domain.
• Winifred – An elderly Elf woman who remains optimistic despite the village’s decline.
• Herbert – An elderly Elf man who often dozes off and is the husband of Winifred.
• Ryu – A man with Interdimensional Magic who leads a growing household. He acts as a provider and protector for his slaves, while maintaining a pragmatic and blunt personality.
• Spirit King – The protagonist and absolute ruler is a male who serves as the sole, detached source of mana for an Elf village ritual. Possessing limitless stamina and dominant magical abilities, he can heal others and completely reconstruct the physical forms of those he subdues.
• King – A powerful, authoritative male lead who possesses immense physical strength and magic. He commands absolute loyalty and submission from the inhabitants of the Silver Moon Village.
• Bartholomew – An elderly Elf man covered in scars from past battles who acts as a mentor to younger hunters.
• Reaf – A young elven hunter with tanned skin, this skilled archer fires silent wind arrows to pierce the foreheads of distant targets. While she seamlessly coordinates tactical threats alongside her allies, she harbors intense, suppressed desires towards the Spirit King.
• Margaret – The village’s head cook is a sharp-eyed woman in charge of the communal kitchen. Delighted by the improved quality of her tools, she efficiently manages the space while observing the passing villagers with a knowing, attentive eye.
• Gael – A robust, mud-covered Elf warrior and stonemason from Silver Moon Village. This thick-built, boisterous field foreman wields a warhammer and commands tree roots against enemies. Deeply loyal to the Spirit King who spared him, he is openly proud and protective of his wife, Elara, balancing his military devotion to the Crown with a vigilant pride in his marriage and village duties.
• Rosetta – A young woman with flaxen hair, daughter of Elumina, who is overtly physically affectionate. She takes great pleasure in the newfound cleanliness and comfort of her village.
• Lumina – A Saint of the Holy Pontificate with silver hair and amethyst eyes. Beneath her benevolent facade, she harbors a dark, intense obsession and physical arousal for the unknown energy drain.
• Lumi – An elven warrior and nimble scout who drops from rock walls to dance through enemy lines, using her curved scimitar to deliver logic-defying, bone-severing strikes that gouge abdomens and sever carotid arteries. Alongside Elza, she also excels at high-altitude construction tasks.
• Serena – A voluptuous Japanese-style Elf warrior with lustrous black hair tied at her neck and a loose kimono dress. Married to Nils alongside Elara, she experiences physical manifestations of arousal near him and coordinates ground-based earth magic, firing stone projectiles at immobilized enemies. However, she secretly harbors a deep, hidden longing for the Spirit King.
• Nils – A slender, gaunt, and gentle-looking man who is the husband of Serena. His spirit power has withered, leaving him unable to sire children, and he appears to be aware of his wife’s attraction to the Spirit King.
• Elara – A poised, voluptuous, 120-year-old Elf commander with silver hair, this refined mage uses earth spells to trap foes. Rejuvenated by the Spirit King, she holds a reverent love for him while resisting his manipulative influence. Despite fighting alongside Hugh and being Gael’s wife, deep insecurities over past infertility and intense strain drive her to desperate, emotional outbursts.
• Elysia – A magic-wielding tailor and wife to Volos. Known for caring for the villagers’ appearance, she uses her skills to fire precise ice projectiles, executing targets pinned against her husband’s tower shield.
• Volos – A quiet, stoic muscular giant Elf guard dubbed the “City Wall” for his absolute loyalty. A frontline defender alongside his wife, Elysia, he uses Spirit power for defensive barriers and wields a massive tower shield to absorb kinetic impacts. Despite his immense strength, he is the first crushed by Gauz in the assault, suffering shattered arms and severe internal injuries.
• Ryuichi – A 40-year-old Spirit King with Japanese past-life memories, this towering, muscular man has short dark hair, black eyes, and a beard. Cold and commanding, he ruthlessly rules an elf village, using glass manipulation to reshape villagers’ bodies and desires. Wielding gravity, barrier, and healing magic, he protects his beloved Sylvia while pragmatically valuing companions Anna and Erika.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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