Volume 7 Chapter 18 The First Cry of Steam, and the Golden Stirring (Part ①)
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The night air caressed his heated skin as he stepped out of the changing room. The lingering warmth of the household’s lips and touch—still fresh upon his flesh—turned cool in the night breeze, a fleeting sensation of chill and pleasure before drying away.
The sun had long since set. Above, through the gaps in the World Tree’s canopy, stars spilled like scattered jewels. The vast stone bath was lit by the soft silver-white glow of lightstones embedded in the rocky walls. Their light rippled across the water’s surface, painting the rising steam in pale, milky hues.
He stepped into the water.
Smooth heat wrapped around his ankles, climbing his calves. As he sank to his waist, a deep, soothing warmth spread through his core.
He settled against the edge, his back against the stone—his usual spot. The rock was still cool, and the contrast between the hot water and cold stone slowly melted into comfort.
A deep exhale.
The mineral scent of stone. The pure, untainted smell of water heated to perfection. And mingled with it, the faint fragrance of the household’s warm skin, softened by the steam.
”Ah… this is the life,” Ryuichi murmured.
Sylvia leaned gently against his right arm. Her soft breast pressed against his bicep, and the sweet fragrance of her platinum hair mingled with the steam, brushing past his nose.
Close by, Liana and Mina soaked in the water around him, attending him. A little further off, in the shadow of a rock, Erika and Anna huddled together, submerged to their necks.
Erika’s cheeks were still flushed. Anna kept her eyes closed, letting out small breaths as if savoring the water’s warmth.
From beyond the rocks, he heard Rene and Mimi’s laughter.
Silver-white light. Milky steam. The murmur of water. And the soft sighs of the household.
In this other world, the bath alone brought his soul a little closer to Japan.
”Oh, what a bath, oh what a treat~ Though parting from it, bittersweet~”
Before he knew it, an old song ingrained in him from long ago slipped from his lips.
”Fufu. There goes Ryuichi-sama again, with that strange song of his,” Sylvia said, her eyes narrowing. In the silver-white light, her platinum lashes, damp with steam, trembled faintly.
”Whenever I get into a bath, it just comes out,” Ryuichi replied.
”It’s such a lovely melody. So gentle, like a lullaby… and yet, somehow a little sad…”
”That’s just how it was back home.”
When he answered vaguely, Sylvia laughed softly and leaned a little more of her weight against his right arm—a tender, unspoken gesture.
He noticed the sound of water approaching.
A golden figure slipped through the steam toward him. Lara. Her long, wet golden hair clung to her back, and her fox ears twitched in the steam. Her thick tail, rising from her slender waist, caught the silver-white light and swept lazily across the water’s surface.
”Your Majesty, Sister. You must both be tired. May Lara join you?” she inquired, her voice carrying that refined, aristocratic lilt.
”Yeah. Come on in,” Ryuichi said.
Lara’s eyes narrowed with pleasure. She first nestled against Sylvia, her golden hair intertwining with her sister’s platinum locks across the water.
”Lara. Are things all right back in your homeland? I’d think your people must be worried about you by now,” Ryuichi asked casually.
At his question, Lara’s fox ears shot straight up.
”…Is Lara being told to go home?” she asked, her refined tone sharpening.
”I didn’t say that. But you can’t just stay away forever,” Ryuichi replied.
Lara clung to Sylvia’s arm, her lips forming a slight pout. Her golden tail swished in the water.
”Lara has already given herself to Your Majesty~ And she’s decided to serve at Sister’s side. Please don’t say such lonely things so casually…” she said, her aristocratic speech softening with vulnerability.
”Heh. Sorry about that,” Ryuichi said with a shrug in the water. “Well, I’ll visit your homeland eventually. Wouldn’t sit right with me to have taken you away without even greeting your people.”
At those words, Lara’s golden eyes widened in disbelief.
”…Truly?” she breathed.
”Yeah. Eventually,” Ryuichi confirmed.
The next moment, Lara surged through the water toward him, crashing into his chest. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pressed against him, her golden tail coiling around his waist beneath the surface.
”I’m so happy… Your Majesty will come to Lara’s homeland…” she murmured against his shoulder.
”I said eventually,” Ryuichi reminded her.
”Yes. Lara will wait for that day,” she said, her voice dreamy.
For a while, Lara rested her cheek against his shoulder, basking in the closeness. Then, abruptly, she stilled.
Her golden eyes were drawn to Sylvia’s left hand.
”…Sister. That ring…” Lara said, her playful tone vanishing.
”Oh my… how beautiful. From His Majesty, is it?” Lara asked, her voice now hushed.
”…Yes. Ryuichi-sama gave it to me,” Sylvia replied, raising her left hand slightly above the water. The vine-and-leaf ornament, still damp, glimmered faintly in the lightstone’s silver glow.
”Ryuichi-sama said it was just a convenient tool,” Sylvia continued, her gaze meeting his—not accusatory, not teasing. Just quiet. Eyes that offered no escape. “That might not have been your intention. …But that doesn’t matter. My spirit had already pledged itself long before I received it.”
”…Sister,” Lara breathed.
Lara’s fox ears went still. Her tail, which had been stirring the water, fell motionless. Her golden eyes fixed on Sylvia’s left hand.
”That’s… not just a gift anymore, is it,” Lara said softly.
”Fufu. …For me, it is,” Sylvia replied, her voice gentle yet unyielding as a blade.
Lara rested her head softly against her sister’s shoulder. Her golden tail began to sway again, slowly—not with the lighthearted motion from before, but deep and quiet.
Her golden eyes still hadn’t left Sylvia’s ring.
A short distance away, Erika let out a small sigh.
”…It’s so warm. It feels like I’m melting from the inside…” she murmured.
”…Yes. It’s different from the imperial baths. The stone, the water, the air… everything,” Anna replied with her eyes still closed. All the tension had left her shoulders, and her slender throat, submerged in the water, rose and fell slowly.
”It’s almost frighteningly quiet… like a dream…” Erika said, her voice still carrying a trace of heat—not just from the water. The lingering haze from the changing room colored her cheeks.
”Ah… I’m getting thirsty,” Ryuichi murmured.
The moment he spoke, Liana was already at his back without a sound. Before he could turn, her perfectly manicured fingers tilted his chin upward.
”Lord Spirit King. Some chilled fruit water for you,” she said, her voice the very model of servant’s deference.
With those words, her soft lips met his.
Through Liana’s tongue, cold, sweet liquid flowed directly into his mouth. The tartness of fruit, and the warmth of Liana’s tongue—which had been denied him in the changing room—grazed his own for just a moment before sliding down his throat. He swallowed. A single thread of coolness pierced the heat that had built in his core.
Her lips parted reluctantly.
Liana bowed as if nothing had happened and returned to her place. In the silver-white light, her profile remained perfectly composed.
Beneath the water, Mina was kneading his calves with her small palms.
”Master~ shall I wash your back?” she asked, her childish voice bright.
”Yeah. Later,” Ryuichi said.
”Okay!” Mina’s face lit up just from that reply. Her chestnut hair, damp with steam, clung to her cheeks, and her round eyes looked up at him.
Liana’s stillness. Mina’s warmth. Both were right beside him.
He heard familiar voices approaching from the changing room—laughter, calls back and forth. The women of the household, finished with the day’s work, came in groups to the bath.
The first to appear were Lumi and Elza.
From within the steam, a small silver silhouette emerged first: Lumi. Her long, flaxen hair swayed over her shoulders, and her slender waist and toned legs—honed by the curved blade—glided through the silver-white light.
Elza followed close behind. Her back, shaped by years of drawing a bow, was slim and supple, with not an ounce of waste from shoulder to hip. The lightstone’s white glow settled on her dewy skin, and with each step, her firm hips swayed quietly.
Lumi noticed his gaze and let out a small “Ah.” Her eyes crinkled with pleasure as she cut through the water straight toward him.
She slipped into the spot to his left at the edge, her silver hair brushing his arm as her small breasts pressed against his bicep. Her hardened n**ple grazed his skin beneath the water.
She leaned close to his ear and let out a sweet breath.
”…Tonight, please spoil Elza and me all the way to the very depths,” she whispered, her voice warm and sultry.
”Yeah,” Ryuichi replied shortly.
Lumi’s emerald eyes went liquid with desire. She brushed her lips lightly against his cheek and seemed satisfied, pulling back. As she rose, her firm, small hips broke the water’s surface. For just a moment, the tight entrance that took him so desperately each night glistened in the silver-white light before the steam swallowed it again.
Following her, Elza was watching him.
Her grey-blue eyes pierced him silently. She said nothing—but in them lived a quiet, cold desire, waiting for the night when she too would be laid beneath him alongside Lumi.
The voices of the household women grew around them. Beside him, Sylvia spoke with Lara about Gauz. A little farther away, Erika and Anna murmured about tomorrow’s menu.
He glanced down. Mina, her face flushed, was looking up at him. Her small hands, which had been rubbing his calves, had somehow wrapped around his ankles, pressing her own soft, heated place against his toes.
He closed his eyes quietly and let his breath deepen. He sank his awareness into a single point—and entered meditation.
For now, he was nothing more than a toy. For this moment alone, a single tool was enough. He cast aside his desires one by one, leaving only the sensation of his flesh. The women’s voices, the sound of the water, the steam—they all faded into the distance.
A pleasant breeze brushed his cheek.
Just as he was shedding his worldly desires and approaching enlightenment—splash! A loud burst of water shattered the silence.
The surface heaved, and waves lashed against the stone edge.
”Lord Spirit King~!” Reaf’s excited voice rang out.
Reaf had sprinted in at full speed and launched herself into the water. The spray hit his face. The next moment, wet brown skin collided with his chest, and her firm, upward-tilted breasts—still holding the youthfulness of a young girl—flattened against his pectorals. Thin arms wrapped around his neck.
”Okay so listen! Listen! Today, all the way in the back of the valley, I brought down this huge deer! Its antlers—they split into six points, and they were this big—!” she exclaimed, her childish enthusiasm overflowing.
She tried to spread her hands in the water, then realized one arm was still locked around his neck. In the end, she managed one hand free while the other clung to his shoulder, frantically trying to show him the size of the antlers.
”Alright, alright. Good job. Now calm down,” Ryuichi said.
Every time she moved her arms in excitement, her small, dark brown n**ples ground relentlessly against his own. He’d been casting aside his desires one by one—but each time, something stirred in his gut, and the fading heat began to harden again.
”But it was that deer! The one that’s always gotten away—the big buck from the valley depths!” Reaf insisted, her long ears twitching with excitement. Her cheeks were flushed in the steam, and her deep green eyes sparkled.
”Reaf. Be quiet. If you’re reporting to the Lord, catch your breath first,” a calm voice cut through the water from the left.
Fei had entered the bath soundlessly. She swept her long, dark green hair behind her shoulder and settled beside Reaf. Even with the silver-white light settling on her wet skin, her hunter’s eyes remained sharp.
”Mother! Did you hear that? Lord Spirit King said ‘good job’!” Reaf said excitedly.
”I imagine the whole village heard it, with your voice carrying like that,” Fei replied, her military precision evident in every clipped syllable.
”But…”
”And the innards?” Fei asked.
”…I removed them,” Reaf said.
”You didn’t damage the intestines, did you? A six-antlered buck has good fat. If you rupture the gut, the meat will smell,” Fei stated.
”I didn’t! I did exactly like you taught me, Mother!” Reaf protested.
”And the hide?” Fei pressed.
”Edwin-san’s taking care of it. Margaret-san said it’s for tomorrow’s roast!” Reaf reported.
”I see. That’s good, then,” Fei said with a short nod—not as a mother, but as the stern captain of the hunt. Then she finally turned her gaze to him. “Lord. Thank you for the praise. This one still misreads the wind sometimes, but today she waited well.”
”Took it down in one shot, didn’t she. That’s impressive,” Ryuichi said.
”…Today was just luck,” Fei said, though her mouth relaxed slightly. A hint of the mother who’d been praised for her daughter peeked through.
Beside them, Sylvia spoke. “Fei. The six-antlered buck in the back of the valley—you mean the leader of that herd?”
”Yes. I set out three times and got outrun each time. He was too wary—I couldn’t get within a hundred and fifty meters,” Fei confirmed.
”And Reaf did it?” Sylvia asked.
”She used the valley line from downwind and closed to seventy meters, she says,” Fei replied.
Sylvia looked at Reaf. Her pale green eyes widened slightly.
”…That’s impressive,” Sylvia said.
”Y-yes… I approached from downwind, crawling… when the wind shifted twice, I stopped and waited…” Reaf stammered.
”Stopping there was the right call. That deer senses presence before it hears footfalls,” Sylvia said, nodding quietly. “Even I couldn’t have closed that distance.”
At the praise, Reaf’s face turned blazing red.
”…Hehehehe,” she giggled.
She tried to bury her face in his chest again—but Fei caught the back of her neck.
”Come now. Just because you’ve been praised doesn’t mean you hang off the Lord,” Fei said firmly.
”Muu… I finally got praised, and now…” Reaf whined.
”The deer story can wait until the meat’s roasted,” Fei stated.
Fei pulled Reaf up and moved away through the water. Reaf looked back with reluctant longing, but it seemed she couldn’t disobey her mother’s discipline.
As their backs disappeared into the steam, more laughter and footsteps approached from the changing room.
—
Summary:
Ryuichi enters the stone bath after a tense evening, finding solace in the steam and the presence of his household. Sylvia reveals a ring he gave her as a “convenient tool,” but she has already pledged her spirit to him, causing Lara to realize the gift’s deeper meaning. As the women gather around him, Reaf bursts in with news of hunting a legendary six-antlered buck, momentarily breaking the quiet intimacy of the bath.
—
Trivia:
Ryuichi’s bath song is a real Japanese folk tune about the joy of hot springs, translated here as a folksy English ditty.
Sylvia’s ring is a vine-and-leaf ornament that she has already bonded with spiritually, predating his gift.
Lara’s reaction to the ring is not jealousy but sudden understanding of her sister’s deeper commitment.
Liana feeds Ryuichi chilled fruit water via mouth-to-mouth, a culturally specific act of care (kuchizuke).
Reaf’s six-antlered buck is a legendary beast even Fei failed to catch three times.
Fei confirms Reaf closed to seventy meters downwind, an impressive feat even Sylvia acknowledges.
The lightstones embedded in the bath walls provide the silver-white glow that defines the atmosphere.
Ryuichi’s meditation is interrupted by Reaf, causing his suppressed desires to stir again.
The household women enter the bath in groups, suggesting a communal routine after their day’s work.
Lumi’s curved blade and Elza’s bow are referenced, indicating their combat roles within the household.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Ryuichi – A towering, muscular 40-year-old Spirit King with Japanese past-life memories, short dark hair, black eyes, and a beard. He leads a diverse group and rules an elf village using powerful black, glass, gravity, and barrier magic. Composed yet occasionally teasing, this commanding mentor protects his beloved Sylvia while pragmatically valuing companions Anna and Erika.
• 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.
• Sylvia – A platinum-haired, jade-eyed Elven commander and advisor with a gentle smile and disciplined posture. Ryuichi’s devoted partner and liaison, she shares an intimate, spiritual bond with him. Carrying the Spirit King’s ring, she is an observant protector who deploys white heat rays, holds a sisterly bond with Lara, and fondly remembers her past village while quietly watching over her comrades.
• Erika – A thin, 23-year-old former Empire mechanic and soldier, she is now Ryuichi’s traumatized, submissive household servant. She features blue eyes, a flushed complexion, and long, unkempt dark-golden hair on an emaciated, scarred body. Deeply affected by the protagonist’s influence, she struggles with composure, often dissociating to suppress terrifying war memories.
• Liana – A refined elf maid and sister attendant who serves the protagonist with quiet, serene movements. Beneath her precise demeanor and impeccably braided, shoulder-length silver hair lies a deep olfactory obsession. Fiercely loyal to her master but cold to others, she disdains corruption and uses high-pressure water magic, archery, and a dagger, calmly wiping away blood while hunting survivors.
• Anna – A serious, quiet attendant and former medic remembered from the Stone Chamber as strong and self-sacrificing. She once offered herself into slavery to save Erika’s life and now shares a deep, unspoken bond with the protagonist. Serving Ryuichi as a slave, she performs household duties like preparing meals while navigating a complex, submissive relationship with her master.
• Mina – A petite, rich-figured Elf sister and devoted attendant who clings affectionately to Ryuichi. She sleeps in his shared bedroom, warms his cold hands, and offers him a canteen inside the barrier. Aside from her overnight processing role and doting nature, she is a skilled garrison archer and mage wielding thermal combat spells that reflect her unusually high body temperature.
• Mimi – A petite, agile white Rabbit-kin tracker from the Hundred-Beast Federation with ruby eyes. Clad in an oversized shirt, her battered body is stained with fluid and blood. She acts as a mana-voice intermediary, tracking heartbeats despite fearing violence. Intensely emotional and reactive to magic, this submissive girl is deeply attached to her master, clutching his clothes.
• Rene – A pure-hearted, fragile Elf archer and energetic child of the household harem. Identifiable by her messy chestnut hair, amber eyes, and a morning bedhead, she is a timid yet lively girl who loves splashing in water. She clings to the protagonist for safety and seeks their attention as a parent figure. While fear triggers raw Mana bursts, intimate rituals designate her as a blissful healing item.
• Lara – An aristocratic Fox-kin strategist with golden hair, a curvaceous body, porcelain skin, and long eyelashes framing a cold, analytical gaze. Once a proud virgin defeated by the protagonist, she is now a submissive servant who calls him King. Sitting legs crossed with her lustrous tail wrapped around her chair, she evaluates threats to calmly orchestrate ruthless strikes with spatial awareness.
• 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.
• Ben – Struan’s son and Torben’s nephew, this young man served as a callous guide at their base, assisting in the family’s slave-trading enterprise. After confessing to his role in Mia’s death, he was bound by Stone Ball magic and drowned by Ryuichi. His corpse was later stored in the Interdimensional Space as a trophy of the protagonist’s retribution.
• Elza – An elven vanguard archer and construction director who blends architectural precision with lethal battlefield coordination. Operating from the barracks, she coordinates teams with absolute teamwork, casting light-based, armor-penetrating magic arrows to strike structural cores and break the spines of fleeing enemies. Despite her blunt military focus, she shows direct concern for Erika.
• 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.
• Gauz – A massive, steel-furred feline commander with a golden mane, brawny arms, and a deep, resonant voice. This battle-hardened, hyper-durable warrior wields the axe Agito, systematically obliterating the despised Empire army with deep tactical experience. Arrogant yet fiercely loyal, he submits only to the protagonist. Tied to a past security failure, he is now a scarred, charred runaway.
• 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.
• Fei – An elven archer who completely unifies himself with the trees to fire lethal arrows at enemy blind spots.
• 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.
• Edwin – A stealthy operative who melts into the yellow spore mist alongside Aaron without a single sound.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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