33 – Unusual request
~Royal Tent inside Eternium~
The rain that started falling a little past noon continued on until night. Raindrops hit the fiber of the tent. Normally spirits do not have the concept of a house. However a very large tent was raised due to the current circumstances.
The light of the candlestick that was placed on the side table swayed, and the shadows of the people in the room danced.
Sasha and Stella were asleep on the bed.
Their complexion was pale, their expression was pained, and their breathing was rough.
"Haa……haa……"
Yuki was watching over them and a snake-like healer spirit also was monitoring their condition. Apparently this spirit was able to make an injured person who was on the verge of death have a complete recovery.
However, the loli's complexion remained poor.
"……"
"How is their condition?"
"Physically they are fine. It seems they are just suffering from mana burnout. I am afraid that Gnome and Undine have gone over the top with the training. They just have to get over this fever and both of them will be good as new."
It's true that their levels have increased significantly in the past week. They are level 90 already and have unlocked many skills. They reached a point where I don't have to babysit them constantly. But taking things too far will eventually harm your body. I didn't anticipate that they wouldn't ask for proper breaks. They're still children at the end of the day.
"In that case, they should get better if they get some sleep. You probably have other things to attend to. Thanks for the support. Yuki can watch over them from here on."
"……Yes."
------
"So, Edel, have you thought about what you wanted to do?" (Remia)
"I'll most likely follow your advice."
"More like you're following your stomach."
I asked Remia a simple question. Where can I find lots of great and unique food? She pointed out the elven kingdom.
"The Duskwood Kingdom is far away after all. Of course we will make sure that Sasha and Stella's physical condition is perfect, but various preparations will probably be needed as well."
"As expected of you……Even though the Elven suzerain state is shut away deep in the Forest of Vanabelt and is said to be an unreachable unexplored region. Of course, that's exaggerated compared to Eternium.
I'm not confident though that you picked the right time for traveling there."
The reason why she put it like that was because the elven king had recently passed away.
"Just to confirm, the king does have an heir, right?"
"Well… yes. A daughter. The Princess. It's… complicated. How should I put it. Although the Queen who is her mother is alive, since she was married in from an outside house and isn’t of royal lineage, she has no inheritance rights.
The Queen also has a sister, but she as well has no rights. Elves value mana and bloodlines so basically, the bloodline is in the hands of the princess."
"That doesn't concern me."
"Haha. I knew you would say that."
"Wouldn't that mean that the princess just has to be crowned Queen and take the throne?"
"Who knows? These aren't legends or rumors. These are customs. I don’t know the Duskwood Kingdom’s finer customs.
Something like an Elven king passing away while only having girls for children, as far as I know, this is the first time this has happened."
"I see. But the elves have no reason to be hostile towards us, am I right."
"True. They should be impressed with the purity of your mana."
"Then that's all I need. Until Sasha and Stella will recover I'll hang around here. And for now I will just indulge in food and books."
After all, I only do something if I perceive something to be useful, of interest, or am given sufficient compensation for it.
"I'm curious though, Edel. With your power you could become a Hero. Someone that can heal the world."
"I don't like the word Hero. What is a hero to begin with, Remia?"
"Umm… I'm not sure how I am supposed to answer that one."
"A hero is nothing more than a tool. When you are a hero you are expected to help people, solve everyone's troubles, win wars. You're just a tool that someone is using. Do Heroes have free will? When was the last time a hero turned down a request?
Justice is one thing, but being blind and following someone else's orders just because everyone is expecting you to do it… that's foolish. When people are hurt they turn their eyes towards a hero. But what happens when a hero is hurt? Who's shoulder can a hero cry on?"
"Okay, okay. I get your point of view, so stop it. You're making me feel depressed."
It's the truth though. At least that's how I see it. No point in sugarcoating it.
“Hey, Edel, before you go, though, can I ask for a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Would you please have sex with me?”
…
I was speechless. I didn’t know how to react to that.
“Please? I couldn’t help but notice your genitals a few days ago when you took a bath in the river. In this day of age, spirits don’t technically mate like humans. So… I would like to try it out.”
“Is this some sort of trick? Or are you actually expecting me to fill your womb so that attempts like those from Legion won’t happen again?”
“Aww come on! No need to act cold like that. I just want to have a little fun. I can assure you that fucking a spirit is a unique experience.”
“Hmph. Well I normally don’t refuse a beautiful woman. Fine, Remia. I must say these past days I’ve been feeling pent up myself. So you got yourself a fuck buddy. However, make sure you don’t regret it.”
“What do you mean?”
Oh, you’re about to find out!