Volume 5 Chapter 7 The Siren Call Echoing in the Silver Forest – Rune
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The morning at the mansion at the roots of the World Tree was refreshingly crisp. Pale blue starlight filtered through the window, bathing the luxurious interior in a soft, ethereal glow. I lifted my heavy eyelids, inhaling the pure air that filled my lungs. The exhausting “combat”—or rather, the mana-transfer sessions—with Serafina the night before had been completely wiped away by sleep and my own self-regeneration skills.
As I sat up, two young elven women waiting by the bedside rushed over, as if they had been anticipating the exact moment I’d stir.
”Good morning, Spirit King Ryuichi,” Liana said, her voice dripping with Victorian deference. “Did you sleep well?”
The cool beauty, her long, silver hair braided with meticulous care, bowed respectfully. This was Liana, the elder of the two sisters assigned as my personal attendants. Her elven maid outfit was designed for functional beauty—modest, yet it eloquently emphasized the efficient, model-like physique beneath.
”We’ve prepared hot water for your face, Spirit King Ryuichi!” Mina chirped in her bubbly idol-style English. “This morning’s fruit water has been blended with nectar that’s particularly high in sugar content!”
Mina, the younger sister, offered the chilled glass with a bright, energetic smile. She was the polar opposite of her sister: short, with a bobbed brown haircut. As she leaned forward, the soft weight of her chest swayed noticeably. I narrowed my eyes, caught off guard by the sudden view. The two of them immediately set to work, attending to me with devoted, almost mechanical, efficiency.
Liana carefully wiped my face with a warm towel. Her movements were flawless, precise as a machine. Yet, I noticed that every time her touch grazed my neck, the wings of her nose would flutter ever so slightly behind that cool facade. Her fingertips traced behind my ears. For a fleeting second, she leaned in close, and I heard the faint sniff as she inhaled. She was scenting me.
The lingering musk of last night’s encounter, or perhaps the sweat from my sleep—the body odor of another that most would find off-putting—she was breathing it in as if it were an expensive perfume. When our eyes met, Liana blushed for a heartbeat before she recovered her mask, collecting the towel as if nothing had happened. (I see, I thought. So that’s your game.) Behind the mask of the perfect attendant, a fetish for her master’s scent lurked.
Mina, meanwhile, was far more direct. She remained on her knees, holding the glass to my lips, watching me drink with an ecstatic, bubbly intensity. As she took the empty glass, her fingers lingered, intentionally tangling with mine. Her skin was hot; the heat traveled from where we touched. At the mere contact, Mina’s shoulders shivered, and she looked up at me with moist, upturned eyes. If the older sister was olfactory, the younger was tactile. Both were excellent interfaces.
”…Not a bad way to wake up,” I muttered.
”An honor, Spirit King Ryuichi!” Mina squealed. “Now, let’s get you dressed. We shall ensure you are perfectly refreshed for tonight.”
I didn’t even need to dress myself. As if toyed with by those four hands, I slipped into robes made of the finest fabric. A life fit for a king, where everything was optimized. This was a level of luxury I could never have imagined back in my days as a corporate slave, but now, I had the strength and the standing to claim it.
Just as I turned to leave, the heavy bedroom door opened soundlessly, and a woman appeared.
”Good morning, my King,” Serafina said, her voice possessing an elegant, aristocratic restraint. “…Liana, Mina. I trust there were no lapses in your care for the Spirit King this morning?”
The voice was dignified, yet carried a hint of languid moisture. It was Serafina, the High Priestess who had accepted everything I offered last night, restarting her entire race in the process. At the appearance of the woman who bore the weight of a millennium of history, Liana and Mina dropped to their knees as if struck, bowing their heads low.
”Yes, High Priestess Serafina! We have attended to him without issue, at once!” Liana replied deferentially.
”…Very well,” Serafina said with aristocratic finality. “You are dismissed. I shall oversee the King’s condition personally from here on.”
At her quiet command, the two bowed and left the room, looking back with lingering reluctance. The air in the room was now filled with the cool, sacred oil scent Serafina wore, mingled with the lewd, floral aroma that recalled last night’s passion. Her pure silver hair shimmered mysteriously in the light from the window. Her skin looked even more radiant than it had yesterday.
”Serafina,” I said. “A High Priestess shouldn’t need to handle chores like this first thing in the morning. Don’t you have work with the Elders?”
Serafina offered a soft smile and stepped closer to my chest. With practiced grace, she adjusted my collar, then laid her palm against my heart. It was a gesture of checking my pulse—or perhaps, my mana output.
”No, my King,” she replied in her refined, elegant tone. “To me, there is no duty more important than managing your condition and ensuring your high-density spirit power is returned to the village with maximum efficiency. …Look outside.”
Prompted, I turned my gaze toward the window. There, the massive form of the World Tree glowed, scattering golden particles, a far cry from the withered husk it had been just last night. The branches were lush and vibrant, and the air was thick with visible magic elements.
”The seed you poured into me last night… it was filtered through my body, spread through the Holy Tree to every corner of the village, and performed a miracle,” Serafina stated with aristocratic poise. “The women of the village now yearn to receive your seed as a sacred rite that promises the prosperity of our race.”
Serafina pulled a parchment list from her robes. It detailed the names of the village women, their physical condition, their menstrual cycles, and their affinity for spirit power. It looked like a server access log or a production management schedule. Did she make this without sleeping?
”I have hand-selected them. These are the candidates for tonight’s official duties. They have already finished their purification rites, trembling in their dreams of becoming your seedbed. …My King. Your spirit power is the law and order of this village. I shall act as the Gate Guard to bring these women to you.”
The millennium-old priestess was acting as the manager of my personal harem. I felt my desire for conquest comfortably satisfied by that fact. She loved me. But even more than that, she found pleasure in worshipping and managing me as a system. Not bad. Guided by her, I headed toward the grand hall where the banquet awaited.
The World Tree’s grand hall was wrapped in unprecedented heat. For the first time in centuries, a celebration had visited the usually quiet elven village.
However, the stuffy heat and stagnant air characteristic of a space packed with so many people were somewhat unpleasant to a modern man like me. The rise in CO2 levels from exhaled breath, the ambient temperature climbing from body heat, and the mixed odors of food and alcohol—the discomfort index was high. This was no way to govern comfortably.
As I took my seat at the head of the grand hall, Serafina, the High Priestess, leaned against my left side with aristocratic elegance, while Sylvia, the guard, took my right—both positioning themselves to flaunt their closeness to me. Serafina poured golden wine into my cup with the touch of a practiced mistress. Meanwhile, Sylvia never let her guard down, her military discipline evident in her rigid stance. Every time her thigh brushed my knee, the soft sensation of her flesh communicated itself to me.
”…Time to fix the environment,” I declared.
I visualized the air-conditioning system of a modern office building. Using mana to forcibly move the thermal energy in the atmosphere, I circulated cold and warm air. Simultaneously, I applied wind magic to create an “air curtain,” using a barrier like a filter to trap impurities and unpleasant odors.
Air Conditioning.
A precisely controlled flow of air generated by magic instantly fixed the temperature and humidity of the entire hall to comfortable levels. The stagnant air was cleared away, and a cool, refreshing breeze—like something you’d find on a mountain plateau—swept through the hall.
”O-Oh…! What is this refreshing breeze…?” one elf exclaimed.
”The Spirit King has purified the atmosphere!” another cried out.
The elves buzzed with surprise. For them, magic was something triggered through prayer or incantations, but for me, it was nothing more than a command line to rewrite physical elemental manifestation. In the comfortable environment, I began to eat. The table was lined with the bounty of the forest—fruits, precious meat dishes, and the elves’ prized wine.
However, this wine, while deep in flavor, was at room temperature—a pity. I stared at the liquid in the cup and applied the laws of thermodynamics. I wouldn’t freeze the liquid itself; I would pinpoint only the kinetic energy of the water molecules and release that heat externally.
Rapid Cooling.
In an instant, white condensation bloomed on the surface of the glass. I brought it to my lips. The chilled liquid slipped down my throat, and the rich fragrance drifted through my nasal cavity. Perfect.
”…! Ryuichi-sama, what was that? The aroma of the wine has tightened up,” Erland, the Elder, said with an analytical edge.
Erland, leaning over to peer into my cup, widened her eyes at the cool fragrance. I could see her pupils trembling with excitement behind her intelligent, silver-rimmed glasses. Her ample bust sat on the table with a weightiness visible even through her dress.
”Wine tastes better when it’s cold,” I said. “Want me to do yours, too?”
”My, what an honor,” Erland replied with aristocratic superiority. “…Fufu, your magic is as if you are playing with the very principles of the world itself.”
As I cast the magic on her cup as well, the Elder was captivated and drunk on the deliciousness of the chilled wine.
”Long live the Spirit King!”
”Blessings to our savior!”
The elves remaining in the village prostrated themselves before me, shedding tears as they offered words of welcome. It seemed the “men in the forest” were mostly old men who had lost their reproductive ability due to the depletion of spirit power, with few young people around. Their eyes were not filled with jealousy, but with pure gratitude and expectation. They were looking at the savior who would hold their wives and daughters and leave behind his seed. I looked at the wives and daughters beside them, and my son grew large beneath the table. Could there be a more win-win relationship than this?
”Now, Spirit King Ryuichi,” Erland whispered into my ear, her dress rustling with elegant restraint. “Tonight, there is no need for formalities. Please, nourish your vigor to your heart’s content.”
Her silver hair shone lustrously under the lamp light. Her gaze was fixed feverishly on my crotch.
I drained my cup and grinned.
”Rather than ‘nourishing my vigor,’ isn’t this where the real work begins? Serafina’s list still had plenty of names on it, right?”
”Fufu, indeed,” Erland purred. “…Then, shall we begin? The Rite of Succession.”
”Hey, Erland,” I said. “Surely you aren’t suggesting we do this in front of everyone, are you?”
Spare me from having to do it in front of a crowd. I’m not some sort of hawk.
”Heaven forbid,” Erland replied. “For the maiden who will grace the first campaign, we have prepared a sleeping chamber deep within, protected by the Holy Tree, so that she may receive the Spirit King with a calm heart. …Now, let us go.”
When Erland clapped her hands, the heavy door in the corner of the grand hall opened. I had thought for a moment she meant to do it in the square, but it seemed I was mistaken.
Prompted by Erland, I moved with Sylvia and Serafina to the rear bedchamber, separated from the commotion of the grand hall. The room was illuminated by soft, indirect lighting. Waiting there was the girl from yesterday—Rune. She was trembling violently with nerves, clutching the hem of her thin nightgown.
The night of the banquet had only just begun.
—
Summary:
Ryuichi awakens in the World Tree mansion, attended to by Liana and Mina who reveal their personal fixations. High Priestess Serafina arrives to manage his schedule for the evening and confirms the efficacy of the previous night’s ritual. Later, in the grand hall, Ryuichi uses his magic to improve the atmosphere and wine temperature, further solidifying his position as the village’s savior before being whisked away to the inner chamber to meet Rune.
—
Trivia:
Serafina prepared a detailed list of women in the village based on their physiological cycles.
The elves in the village are predominantly aging males with low reproductive ability.
Ryuichi’s magic operates as a system command over physical properties rather than traditional incantation.
The World Tree responds physically to the presence of Ryuichi’s essence.
Notes:
• Serafina – A subordinate who assists in the management of the Spirit King’s household and encourages the new arrivals. She possesses a millennium of history and manages the King’s spirit power. A silver-haired Elf priestess, once a detached guardian of the World Tree, now devotedly bound to the protagonist as a handmaiden.
• Ryuichi – A pragmatic 40-year-old Spirit King with a plain build, silver hair, and a beard. A cynical, blunt man with immense spiritual energy, he manipulates golden mana, earth, ice, blue fire, and space magic to protect his growing household and newly acquired dependents. Though he acts as a provider and protector, he treats his subordinates with a mix of possessiveness and absolute authority, ruling his elf village with the iron logic of a modern salaryman.
• Liana – An elven woman with long, silver hair braided with care. She serves as a personal attendant and wears a functional elven maid outfit.
• 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.
• Mina – An elven woman with a short, bobbed brown haircut and a petite build. She serves as a personal attendant.
• Priest – An old man with a long white beard who performs detoxification magic at the local church. He wears white robes and maintains a professional, albeit expensive, approach to divine healing.
• Sylvia – Sylvia is a voluptuous, platinum-haired elf adventurer with blue eyes known as “Crimson Lotus,” a Silver-rank warrior who serves the Spirit King with fanatical, submissive devotion. Wielding a longsword and bow in a hooded green coat, she is reverent toward the protagonist—from whom she received essence—and proudly guides them to her declining home village. She travels as Ryu’s servant, tutors John, and works with Nier as a protective companion, standing guard at the King’s side with a strong, alluring scent, present at the sanctuary during the ritual.
• Erland – An elven elder wearing silver-rimmed glasses, known for her intellectual demeanor and status within the village. The aging Elder of the Elf village, deeply pious and emotional in his devotion to the new Spirit King.
• Rune – A shy, chestnut-haired Elf maid of 30 with high magical potential, possessing a frail, undeveloped body. Traumatized by her parents’ death to monsters, she is nervous, easily flustered, and currently trembles in an inner chamber wearing only a thin nightgown.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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