Chapter 164
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Aftermath
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The white elf and black elf who had taken positions on either side of me stared with such ferocity it was like beams of light were shooting from their eyes, inching closer and closer, causing cold sweat to trickle down my back.
If it came down to whether it felt good or bad, it was definitely good.
The fresh, invigorating scent of nature wafting from both sides naturally uplifted my spirits, and the warmth of their body heat along with the soft touch of their skin made my heart pound.
But when the intensity in their eyes crossed a certain line, making me worry for my personal safety, that changed things a bit.
It felt like they might actually devour me, so without thinking, I gently pushed them away.
"...Staring like that makes me uncomfortable."
"S-Sorry. Lord Han-gil's beauty is just so dazzling..."
"Latipi's right. The more I look, the more I'm amazed at how handsome you are."
"Th-Thanks...?"
I had no idea how to respond to such overtly exaggerated compliments on my appearance, so I gave an awkward smile and reached for the large hunk of meat in front of me.
Its perfect sear and the mouthwatering aroma that had been teasing my nose made it impossible to resist.
It had to be Belterger meat.
"Ah, Lord Han-gil! Let me feed you..."
Crunch!Gulp!
"...Huh?"
Silence fell in an instant.
As everyone stared at me in shock, I touched my mouth in surprise as well.
"Huh? Did I really just eat that?"
What I'd swallowed was a whole, uncut piece of meat that had only been grilled.
I'd chewed it once and gulped it down whole.
It was an astonishing feat that would shock anyone watching—even me.
Though for me, it barely registered, so I just tilted my head.
"...Lord Han-gil. Are you alright?"
As everyone gawked blankly, Murel quickly approached to check on me.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. No pain or anything stuck..."
"Really? That was way too big to swallow like that."
"I know, but I really am fine... See? No issues, right?"
I opened my mouth wide to show my throat, and she stared intently before swallowing hard for no reason and nodding.
With my enhanced senses, I could see her pulse quickening, her body temperature rising, and a faint blush on her cheeks.
...Was she reacting like that just because I showed her my uvula?
Nah, no way.
At least, the Murel I knew wasn't that vulgar or lewd.
"......"
Or was she? Thinking about it, she had done quite a few vulgar and lewd things...
"Ahem, anyway, this must be because my body's changed..."
"Body change doesn't work like that, does it? We've got several masters here who've gone through body change ourselves."
I glanced at Nemess, Wendy, Kachiora, and the others at Weller's words.
They too were staring at me with wide, surprised eyes.
Oh, and for reference, "body change" in this world refers to a complete physical transformation, like shedding one's mortal shell.
"...Maybe it's a bit different from a typical body change? I didn't awaken through enlightenment or anything—I went through it via shamanic tattoos and divinity."
"Hm... Yeah, that makes sense. I haven't heard of cases like that."
Weller scanned me up and down before flicking out her tongue slightly.
"I wanna dissect you... Can I just cut open your stomach once?"
"Haha, you'd have to pay a price fitting for slicing open my gut."
"Not saying no? Like what kind of price?"
"...Don't seriously consider it. Let's keep jokes as jokes."
"Not a joke?"
I glared at her mischievous grin before sighing and waving it off.
"Let's eat first. Eating that one piece suddenly ramped up my appetite."
"'One piece' is a stretch—it was huge."
"Yeah, but it didn't even register. Looks like my stomach's expanded massively."
And probably my digestive abilities had evolved tremendously too.
I could feel my stomach bubbling like a furnace, melting the meat in real time, so I patted it lightly and smacked my lips.
"Murel. Alcohol."
"...I was wondering when you'd ask. I was a bit worried, but this confirms it's really you, Lord Han-gil."
"What? You doubted me?"
"No, I was just concerned that your consciousness might have changed along with your appearance."
"Oh? Hm... Well, some things have changed."
"True enough. You did escape that narrow, dark prison, even if only halfway."
"...You understand my feelings too well. It's a little unsettling."
"Hehe, that just means I'm paying close attention to you, Lord Han-gil."
I couldn't meet her seductive smile head-on, so I averted my gaze.
"Whatever. Pour me a drink."
"Yes."
Murel subtly nudged Nemess aside to claim the spot next to me and poured with a graceful, demure posture.
"Grr...! Can't hold back anymore."
I downed the glass in one go, and my appetite truly exploded, so I grabbed whatever food was within reach.
Meat, some unknown greens, booze, meat, meat.
Everything went down smooth as soon as it hit my mouth, and the food vanished in no time.
"...Hey, do you even taste it eating like that?"
"Hm?"
I gulped down a fist-sized chunk of meat whole, chugged an entire bottle, and nodded at Weller's question.
"I can taste and smell it more delicately and precisely than before the body change."
"...Amazing. Now I really wanna dissect you."
Ignoring Weller's nonsense, I reached for the next bite but froze under the stares from all around.
Glancing back, everyone seated was gawking at me like I was some exotic animal.
"Why's everyone staring? Aren't you eating?"
"If you had a freak show like this in front of you, could you eat? Here, try this too."
"...Sure, thanks. I'll dig in."
I inhaled the chunk Weller offered like feeding an animal, and soon others started passing me their plates one by one.
"O-Oppa...! Try this too...!"
"Sir Alzen, this is delicious."
"Don't just eat meat—have some fruit too."
"Wow... She eats better than our kids. Honey! Try this!"
I devoured every bit of food and drink handed to me like a vacuum, and only when my stomach felt somewhat full did the platters finally empty.
"Whoa... How much can you eat? Is that even human?"
I sipped my drink amid Weller's mix of bewilderment and awe.
"Phew... Now I feel alive."
"Are you full?"
"Nah, not full. Just satisfied for now."
"...That's astounding."
I nodded at Murel's genuinely shocked expression, a rare sight.
"Honestly, even I'm surprised. Who knew I could eat this much... Though, it's weird how I barely get drunk."
I've been downing whole bottles, but no buzz at all. Kinda frustrating.
"That's surprising too."
"Well, I do feel it creeping up a little, so if I keep going, I'll get there eventually."
"No option to just not get drunk?"
"Nope."
"Figured. You're hopeless."
Her sigh felt cheeky, so I wrapped an arm around the waist of the kneeling Murel and pulled her close.
"...Appetite next, now lust?"
"No, just punishing an insolent maid."
"Pardon?"
Smack!
I swatted her plump, moon-like butt without warning.
The taut, smooth texture wrapping around my palm felt incredible.
"Eeeek...!?"
The shock rippled from her rear up her tailbone and spine, making her moan lewdly as her back arched and she shuddered.
"...Sorry. Couldn't control my strength."
I had no gauge on my current power, so I thought I'd hit lightly, but it was apparently way too hard.
"Ahhn...! It's so... thrilling..."
"You seem to like it?"
"...The unexpected impact feels good, somehow."
"Jeez, you..."
I chuckled and shook my head, then noticed the stares and gave a wry smile.
"Staring without a word is kinda pressuring, you know?"
Even my playful remark was met with heavy silence.
"Hey. Alzen. Food's about done, so..."
"...Sigh."
Realizing they'd been waiting for me to bring it up, I sighed and raised my glass.
"Yeah... Time to get serious, huh? Fair enough—I got carried away enjoying myself."
Gulp!
I drained the glass and fixed my gaze on Charhela.
"Alright, lay it out. First, I want the situation report. What happened after I passed out?"
"We won the war. No way to turn the werewolves back, so we had to slaughter them all."
She clenched her fist with a fierce, anger-laced smile.
"That's it. The culprit who turned the 'Glorious Hoof' warriors into filthy monsters—the Demon King—never showed his face, and the Glorious Hoof was annihilated. Nothing worth salvaging in the village, so we burned it down and came back."
"Got it... Any follow-up oracle?"
"No."
"Alright. That issue's closed then?"
"Yeah. Clean sweep. Now I just need to subjugate the remaining tribes and unify the barbarians."
"Handle that yourself... Next issue."
This time, I stared at Weller.
"What about Beric and Lira?"
"...Subdued and imprisoned for now."
"Ha. Maybe Beric, but imprisoning Lira? You think that's possible with a master?"
"I know that much. But since Lira's cooperating, I'm treating her accordingly."
"...Are you on Lira's side, sis?"
"More like neutral. For now."
"Hm."
I exchanged glances with her before downing the drink Latipi had slyly poured.
"Phew... Why not kill them?"
"Beric? Or Lira?"
"Both."
"Not that simple. Beric has some justification, but Lira's even more ambiguous."
"Ambiguous? Doesn't seem that way to me."
"...Don't think emotionally."
"Why?"
"Why?!"
Her forehead vein bulged, looking annoyed.
"Wanna go right now?"
"Not like I can't."
"......"
"......"
After staring her down for a while, I washed away my frustration with a big swig.
"Phew... Just checking—you don't really wanna fight me for real, right, sis?"
"...No."
"Then hear me out a bit? Beric or Lira, they both deserve summary execution. Right?"
"......"
Weller clamped her mouth shut and stayed silent.
After watching her a moment, my eyes drifted to fidgeting Vivian.
"...Vivian. What do you think?"
"Huh!? M-Me!?"
"Yeah. You get a say too."
"...I... don't know."
"I see."
Well, it's too heavy for a kid anyway.
Beric's blood to her, and she'd bonded with Lira on travels... Expecting cold judgment is unrealistic.
"While we're at it, we should sort out our relationship too... What do you think, Vivian?"
"Th-That... Um..."
She hung her head, then glanced sideways before speaking haltingly.
"I... still don't know about that either. Give me a bit more time to think."
"Alright... Can't be helped."
I looked up at the ceiling of Ger's tent, then surveyed the others.
"Arpe. Your thoughts?"
"Beric can die for all I care, but Lira's a waste. And after talking a bit, she's not worth killing."
"...Cecilia."
"I think... Beric betrayed humanity for the demons, so he deserves death. But Lira sis... uh... doesn't deserve to die."
"......"
I gave no reply to their opinions and slowly stood.
"For now, let's go see the prisoners."
"What're you planning?"
"Summary execution if possible. Talk if not."
"......"
Weller glared disapprovingly but stood too, and the others followed suit one by one.