Chapter 466: Lust
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 466: Lust
I didn’t know why Isaac had suddenly come to mind.
I wasn't as busy as before, but I couldn't say I had much free time either. The Land of Glory and the Brother's Land were bustling with preparations for the coming-of-age ceremony for Kim Yoora, Nicole, and the rest of the Blood Dagger Clan's second generation. Within the clan, voices were growing louder, demanding that a successor be chosen soon.
The successor to the Blood Dagger Clan.
A long time had passed since I'd acquired the quest, but this highly sensitive issue of succession had yet to see any progress. Truthfully, I already had someone in mind, but it was a matter that required careful consideration of the tribe's security and its future direction.
The Black Spear Clan had already designated Shakara as their successor, and while Goff seemed reluctant, he had also named his son as his heir. It wasn't that I didn't understand why the mothers of the clan were raising their voices.
‘Hmm…’
In a situation like this, it was utterly baffling why the image of Isaac kept popping into my head. And it wasn't just a fleeting thought.
My dreams lately had also become a problem.
For several days now, I'd been having a recurring dream of having dinner with Isaac in a room with a pleasant atmosphere before heading to bed together. In the dream, she felt incredibly alluring and sexy.
It was the same after I woke up in the morning. I would see illusions of Isaac seducing me, and I found myself spacing out and thinking about her more often.
“This is strange…”
No matter how I thought about it, it was strange.
I even checked to see if I'd been put under some kind of spell and had Alisha perform a mental evaluation, but nothing came up.
“How long has it been since I last saw her…”
“Honey?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Were you thinking about something else?”
“Not really… I was just suddenly curious about what Isaac is up to.”
“Come to think of it, you have left her on her own for quite a while since giving her that task, haven't you?”
At my words, I saw Choi Eunju nod.
“It’s more than just leaving her on her own for a while…”
“Yes… that’s certainly true.”
It was more than just leaving her on her own. The most accurate description was that I'd stuck her in the Magic Tower and then completely ignored her. The first reason was that we had to build a new Magic Tower after her old one was destroyed in the war against the undead.
At the time, I had just become the Great Tribe Leader and tensions with the West were rising, so I had no time to meet her. The fact that she was a staff, not a weapon, was another reason I hadn't sought her out. I had assumed she was having a good time with her fellow mages and the occasional visitors, but she was still one of my armaments, one of the people I had brought in.
I was starting to realize just how neglectful I'd been.
“You were a bit neglectful. You know that the damage from the Northern War would have been much greater without Lady Isaac.”
“That’s true. Have you heard any news about her?”
“Yes. I don't know what kind of research she's conducting, but it seems she's holed herself up in her room again recently, running various experiments. She specializes in that sort of thing… so I'm sure she'll have some results soon.”
“Hmm…”
The relationship between Choi Eunju and Isaac was a bit ambiguous. To be more precise, Choi Eunju would occasionally show her respect for Isaac. If you consider magic a field of study, it was a natural reaction, but it was still amusing to see the mages who actually expressed their reverence for Isaac.
As someone ignorant of magic, I only had a vague sense of how talented she was, but the mages working in the Magic Tower were busy singing Isaac's praises.
This was a world where magic took precedence over science.
In reality, Isaac was benefiting the world in many ways with her magical items, and enthusiasts went wild whenever she released a new product. She herself didn't seem to care much about it, but the brand stamped with the 'Made by Isaac' logo had created a race of 'early adopters' on this continent.
“Hmph…”
“If it's bothering you, why don't you go see her? Setting the mages aside, I'm sure the Green Skins at the Magic Tower would be delighted.”
“................”
It wasn't that I had no time. I could spare a day or two, and since I was more or less free from the constraints of travel distance, it was simple for me to move. The fact that I hadn't visited her until now was also starting to make me feel a little guilty. I had no choice but to slowly nod my head.
“Since it's on my mind, I should go right away.”
“Yes. I'll take you there.”
“No, there's no need for that.”
“Ah…”
She looked a little disappointed.
“I was just thinking I need to get more used to it.”
“Ah. Right.”
As we spoke, I walked outside and spread my wings. Choi Eunju gave a small smile and waved. Since I still wasn't used to flying, I tried to avoid borrowing Choi Eunju's help for any distance I could manage on my own.
She seemed disappointed, but it was right for her to get some rest, as the continued use of her abilities had left her fatigued.
I spread my wings and focused my energy. With a powerful beat, dust flew from the ground as my body slowly began to rise. When I had risen high enough to see the entire Land of Glory at a glance, I caught sight of Storm Shadow's somewhat vacant expression.
He wore a look that said, ‘There he goes, leaving the Land of Glory again.’
“.......................”
“..................”
Of course, I did my best to avoid the retired Great Tribe Leader's gaze and quickly flew off.
Various landscapes flashed by below.
It wasn't as fast as Choi Eunju's teleportation, but I figured it wasn't so bad to travel like this sometimes. After what felt like a short while, a towering Magic Tower came into view.
This place was the same as ever.
Perhaps because the first floor was used as an Adventurer's Guild, I could see countless Green Skins and humans mingling together, their chatter constantly reaching my ears. The Adventurer's Guild, which had slowed down for a bit due to the war, was booming once again. A display case selling Isaac's products on one side of the guild had also drawn quite a crowd of onlookers.
As I slowly descended to the ground, a great many eyes fell upon me.
“F-For Blood Dagger!”
“Strength, Wisdom, and Honor…”
“Strength, Wisdom, and Honor.”
“For Blood Dagger.”
The ones who reacted most enthusiastically were, of course, the Green Skins. Naturally, I returned their salute by raising a hand to my chest and clapped them on the shoulder, watching as they grinned from ear to ear.
They weren't Green Skins I knew. Seeing faces I didn't recognize, they were probably new recruits. Seeing their faces full of fighting spirit, I couldn't help but want to cheer them on.
Unlike the Green Skins, the humans didn't dare approach rashly, instead exchanging wary glances with one another. What was interesting was that I occasionally spotted some Westerners. They were people who had come to the Adventurer's Guild after the war had ended.
Thinking that if I lingered here too long, I'd end up greeting every Green Skin in the vicinity, I started to head inside a little more quickly.
“Blood Dagger…”
“Why is he…”
Though I heard some pointless chatter here and there, this place was certainly full of life. Those drinking in broad daylight were raising their voices, and thieves looking for parties were still milling around the larger groups.
“Troll ale really is the best.”
“The liquor humans make is good too. Krrk.”
“Thief skilled with bandages. Will go anywhere.”
“Uwoooooooh! The great Orc thief, I, Galaksh, am looking for humans to go on a monster hunt with!”
“West Continent expedition. Seeking Green Skins to explore the West Continent together.”
“We'll join you!”
As I was about to head upstairs, after returning the salutes of those who nodded silently in respect, an elf administrator quietly approached and spoke to me.
“Lord Blood Dagger.”
“Mm.”
“I-It's really…”
“What is it?”
“Ah, it's nothing. It's just that Lady Isaac mentioned you would likely be coming around today…”
“...............”
So now she was making prophecies. The nameless elf seemed to be trying to hide his astonishment at Isaac's divine skill.
“M-My apologies… Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild, Lord Blood Dagger. I will escort you upstairs immediately.”
“Lead the way.”
After the elf managing the Adventurer's Guild quietly chanted a spell, a door leading to the upper floors opened. It was an elevator powered by magic. In this building, with the Adventurer's Guild on the first floor and the rest serving as the Magic Tower, it was only natural that Isaac lived at the very top.
“Where to…”
“The top floor.”
I watched the elf pour magic into the power source for a moment, and soon I felt my body slowly begin to rise. Strangely, my heart began to pound for no reason.
‘....................’
I was about to meet that Isaac. I didn't know why my heart was racing like this, but I took a deep breath and slowly calmed myself. Just because she'd appeared in my dreams and illusions for a few days didn't mean I'd started to like her. That made no sense. Hilariously, what was shaking my body right now was an unidentifiable lust.
‘What the…’
The closed doors slowly opened, revealing Isaac's room. I remembered having been here exactly once before. It looked a little different from the room I'd seen then. It was somewhat dark. To put it another way, the room's atmosphere felt quite sexy. There wasn't a tacky red mood light or anything, but for some reason, the air inside felt rather risqué.
—Y-You're here?
“It's been a while. Have you been well?”
I could see Isaac peeking her head out with a strange smile. She was still wearing glasses and the same clothes as last time.
And yet, she felt sexy. Her moist lips made me want to kiss her right away, and I wanted to ravage that lewd body of hers. I wanted to grab her neatly tied hair, devour her, and spend the entire night that way. Before my mind could even regain control, my body began to move on its own. Sensing the unusual atmosphere, the elf hastily closed the door as if to say he wouldn't watch what was about to happen, and I grabbed Isaac by the waist.
—W-Wait a minute.
The moment I lightly kissed her neck, I saw a small arm push against my chest.
—I-I'm not ready…
Her face, flushed red, looked up at me. She was grinning, a strange smile on her lips. For some reason, her expression was filled with a peculiar sense of accomplishment.
“.........................”
—Can't you be a little more gentlemanly? Hmph… I'll let it slide, I guess I'm just that charming. F-For now, let's just have a meal together. We still have plenty of time, after all. Right?
Something was definitely wrong.
—I'll go get us something to drink! Hehehehet!
I couldn't help but think so.