Chapter 202: Book 15(4)
Chapter 202: Book 15(4)
Naturally, a house where a man lives alone tends to develop that distinct, musty bachelor smell. To be fair, it’s not just men; any place where an adult lives alone usually ends up like that.
That’s why people use deodorants, ventilate the room, or shower daily to get rid of it. I’m also the type who hates that smell, so I make sure to air out my place frequently.
But now, there’s no need for that. A fragrant scent of lilacs wafts from my body so strongly that a bit of light ventilation is all I need.
Even after a quick trip outside, the lingering floral scent in my quarters is quite pleasant, though it isn't without its drawbacks.
"Hey. Did you happen to put on perfume?"
"No."
"Then why do you smell like this?"
The reactions of those around me were the main issue. Specifically, as a teaching assistant who has to visit the laboratory often, the room was now filled with the sweet aroma of flowers.
"It smells so goooood... Better than the musty smell of old books..."
"Good, my foot. It’s so strong my nose is tingling."
"That’s just because you don't know any better, Professo-o-or... Do you have any idea how fragrant flowers are?"
While Cindy praised the lilac scent, Elena covered her nose and frowned. It seemed Elena had a much more sensitive sense of smell than Cindy.
Still, the sense of smell is the quickest of the physical senses to fatigue, so she adapted before long—though opening the windows for ventilation was unavoidable.
These reactions continued even after class when I met with others.
"Sniff. Sniff, sniff. Sniff. Isaac, did you put on perfume?"
"No?"
"But you smell so good. Sniff. Sniff."
While on a date with Mari for the first time in a while, she buried her nose in various parts of my body, taking deep whiffs.
I gave a wry smile at the ticklish sensation, but I stayed still because her behavior was adorable.
Mari had always said she liked my natural scent and often clung to me, so I was used to this. The only problem was that she didn't care if passersby gave us strange looks.
"It’s not like you changed your soap... Are you sure you didn't put on perfume?"
"I told you, no. I just received divine power from Lord Luminous."
"Divine power? Ah, that explains it. Then this must be the scent of lilacs?"
Mari was well-versed in mythology, so she quickly realized the scent coming from me was that of lilacs. Even so, she didn't stop burying her face in my chest to sniff me.
Watching her act like a puppy trying to memorize its master's scent, I gave a warm smile and gently stroked her white hair.
Just then, Mari, who had her face pressed against my chest, peeked up the moment I stroked her head and met my eyes. Her clear blue eyes were truly lovely.
"It’s not too strong or anything, is it?"
"Nope! I love it. How long is this going to last?"
"Who knows? Probably for the time being. I plan on visiting the temple every weekend."
The method Luminous taught me was very simple. After receiving enough divine power to make the lilac scent vibrate through me, I just had to exercise more intensely than usual.
Since divine power eases the burden on the body, it allows for a dramatic increase in physical stamina, and the amount of divine power consumed increases as the intensity of the workout rises.
It’s a very simple principle, but Paladins aren't called Paladins for nothing. It requires immense diligence and patience, making it something that looks easy but is actually quite difficult.
"Why the temple? Is something bothering you?"
"... ..."
I stared intently at Mari after hearing her question. A woman who is loved is beautiful by nature, but as the days went by, Mari was becoming increasingly stunning.
Her snow-white hair had a luster that reflected the light, and her skin was overflowing with elasticity despite her not using any special treatments.
Perhaps it was because she was in a growth spurt, or maybe for some other reason, but even her figure was improving by leaps and bounds.
She was completely shedding her image as a fresh young girl and growing into a mature woman.
Squeeze—
"Eing?"
"I wonder. Just whose fault is it that I'm so tired?"
Mari let out a cute sound when I pinched her cheek, but she blinked in surprise at my following words.
Then, as if she had a guilty conscience, she gave an embarrassed smile.
"But I'm better than Cecile. I've been behaving lately."
My adorable girlfriend made excuses with her pronunciation completely muffled because I was pinching her cheek. I rubbed her mochi-like cheeks to my heart's content.
The firm, bouncy texture felt great, thanks to her increased skin elasticity. Watching Mari's face get squished around was also quite a sight.
Finally, I gave both her cheeks a firm press like they were steamed buns before letting go and speaking.
"True. It’s a relief that you've been behaving lately. Before the break, you were like a blazing log that showed no sign of going out."
"That was a long time ago. And even a fire goes out if there's no kindling. At some point, I felt like I just burned out."
"Does that mean you like me less than before?"
"Hey. I was using that as a metaphor for my libido; my feelings for you are the same. Just being by your side makes me happy, you know?"
Mari spoke in a tone full of love as she grabbed my arm. She even started nuzzling her cheek against me like a puppy.
Mari had been getting more and more seductive before, but lately, she had been acting cute more often. Conversely, Cecile was becoming increasingly seductive, just as Mari used to be.
Since they both radiated different charms, my body might be tired, but my heart was at peace. Compared to my past life, this truly was a blessed existence.
"Sniff, sniff. Sniff."
"...Could you stop sniffing me now?"
"Just a little more. I think it's addictive."
"Didn't you say that before?"
"Did I? Then I guess I just like you. Is this the smell of your skin, or is it coming from somewhere else? I'm suddenly curious."
"... ..."
Looks like we're heading straight to the inn today. There was no lust in Mari's eyes, but they were filled with curiosity instead.
I suspected we’d end up at the inn just to satisfy that curiosity. I gave a wry smile and changed the subject.
Coincidentally, there was a question I wanted to ask Mari as well.
"By the way, Mari. Do you happen to know anything about Leona?"
"Huh? Ah. That girl with the auburn hair? Of course I know her."
The reason Mari knew Leona was simple. Leona currently had the image of a model student among their peers.
She was always diligent in class and attended almost every lecture. Her passion for seeking knowledge was so great that she was a favorite among many professors.
Furthermore, though it was somewhat hidden by her bushy, mane-like hairstyle, her beauty was exceptional, making her quite famous among the students.
"She didn't show up for class this time. Do you know if anything happened? I'm curious if she's been attending her other classes besides History."
"Hmm... No? She hasn't been to any of her other classes either. I guess she has some personal business."
"Hmm..."
Leona, who used to attend every single class, was now missing all of them... This surely had a deep connection to Animus.
Perhaps she had left Halo Academy altogether in a way that others wouldn't notice. Since I bore some indirect responsibility, I couldn't help but feel worried.
She was a beastkin who had entered Halo Academy under a false identity just to gain knowledge. Like Adelia, who had a complicated family history, there was a high probability that she was caught up in some complex circumstances.
"But why are you asking about Leona?"
"The professor asked. Well, everyone has their own personal circumstances."
"That's true."
I thought deeply about how I could help Leona, but no good ideas came to mind.
During the Half-blood Incident, which was a similar case, Arwen was able to ask me for help, but the conditions were different then.
Arwen knew I was Xenon, and she was an Elf. She could ask for help whenever and wherever she wanted.
On the other hand, Leona had no idea I was Xenon. It was a very awkward situation for her to reach out for help.
"Isaac."
"Yeah?"
"What do you think about the situation in Animus? It’s been a total mess lately."
I was lost in thought for a moment, so I couldn't help but flinch when Mari asked that. I was momentarily dazed but quickly regained my composure.
The current situation in Animus was so severe that it wouldn't be strange if a civil war broke out right now.
They were only staying quiet because they knew fighting each other would cause massive casualties, but the country was essentially a powder keg. That’s why the whole world was watching.
A King who remained faithful to tradition versus ministers who argued that tradition should be discarded. From a distance, it looked like a fight between these two factions, but fundamentally, it was a struggle over the very identity of the beastkin.
Because of the Holmgang, the Grand Chieftain’s head had been taken, and as a result, questions began to arise regarding the traditions and culture that had once united the beastkin as one.
"Well... it’s more complicated than it looks. For the beastkin, tradition is something they can't just separate themselves from. Do you know about a beastkin named Hik?"
"No. Not really. Who is he?"
"You can think of him as the Father of the Nation and the founding King of the beastkin. He was a hero among heroes who gathered the beastkin scattered across the world after the Race War ended 300 years ago. But the problem is that he made great use of tradition when he was uniting the different beastkin tribes."
Hik was a veteran of the Race War and a beastkin as strong as any Elf Warlord. Naturally, his fame was well-known not only among his fellow beastkin but also among his human enemies.
However, no matter how powerful an individual's martial prowess was, he was only one man, and he had to watch as beastkin were indiscriminately slaughtered by humans.
A normal beastkin would have been rightfully enraged by such atrocities, but Hik suppressed his 'Wrath' and addressed the fundamental problems one by one. As a result, he realized that the beastkin were scattered and unable to unite.
"Through his absurdly powerful martial strength, Hik challenged each tribe to a Holmgang to bring them into the fold. But the interesting part is that he didn't just blindly challenge them; he tried to persuade them first. If you look through the history books, 60% were won over through persuasion, 30% through Holmgang, and 10% through other means. And even in those Holmgangs, he didn't take his opponents' lives."
"He didn't take their lives? If you force someone who doesn't want to serve under you to join, wouldn't nine out of ten become dissidents?"
Mari asked with a puzzled expression. This was indeed a drawback of the Holmgang—the outcome was decided by victory or defeat, regardless of the opponent's will.
This meant that no matter what grievances one had, they had to shut up and follow. In the worst-case scenario, they could even lose their lives.
The tradition of Holmgang is effective for enforcement, but it carries an equal number of shadows.
"Exactly. So, if they absolutely refused to join until the end, he just let them go. He gave them a choice, in a way. He would say, 'I beat you in a Holmgang, but I will give you one last choice.'"
"Wouldn't they take that as an insult? You wrote in your book that the loser of a Holmgang must unconditionally follow the winner's decision."
"That's also true. But Hik never 'forced' anyone. He only gave them a choice. Most of the Holmgangs were actually requested by the other party. Hik respected the other person's will and didn't shed unnecessary blood."
"Oh... There was a reason he could become the founding King. With that kind of tolerance, he was bound to become King."
"Yeah. That's true, but..."
I looked up at the sky with a troubled expression. As in Hik's case, traditions and cultures are bound to become distorted as time passes. That phenomenon was now manifesting in Animus.
For the beastkin, tradition played a vital role in uniting them, but that was as far as it went. To maintain that unity, they needed to exercise at least some flexibility, but tradition was preventing that.
It was a similar situation to the Senate in Albenheim. Just as stagnant water rots, a race united through tradition eventually becomes corrupt.
Discarding the tradition would be like tarnishing the reputation of Hik, the Father of the Nation and founding King, but maintaining it would jeopardize the survival of the state.
Animus was essentially facing a dilemma.
"It’s ironic that the very tradition that united them is now tearing the nation apart."
"Hmm... Do you have a solution in mind? There was a similar situation before."
Since we were outside, she spoke in a roundabout way, but Mari was referring to the Half-blood Incident. She also knew what kind of relationship I had with Arwen.
"The situation is very different from back then. This isn't something that can be solved with a speech. This is a matter of touching the very tradition that united the race. Especially since Holmgang prioritizes pure martial strength over politics or strategy, it’s bound to be friction-heavy."
"It’s much more complicated than I thought."
"Right. If I had to pick a solution... the only way would be to change the tradition of Holmgang to be more flexible. They're a nation now, not just a collection of tribes. For example..."
"For example?"
"Turning the Holmgang into a sort of tournament... Wait a second."
That wasn't Mari's voice. Furthermore, it came from behind me, not from my side.
I blinked and turned around, only to be met with a surprise.
Leona, the auburn-haired beastkin girl who had appeared out of nowhere, was standing right there, eavesdropping on our conversation.
"Could you tell me more? Quickly."
Her golden eyes were filled with a sense of urgency.