Overwhelming Might
If I had harbored an aversion to elves, it was entirely due to the traits inherent to their whole kind.
A sky-high sense of chosen superiority, breathtakingly arrogant mindsets, towering pride, an unnecessarily languid sense of time, and stubbornness tougher than ox sinew... They were practically a walking collection of everything I loathed, which made liking them an utter impossibility.
However, if those negative traits could be fixed—or better yet, if they turned obedient and deeply affectionate—then there wasn't a single reason left in the world for me to dislike them.
After all, purely on appearance, elves were renowned as a race of sheer beauty. Whether tall or petite, their proportions were statuesque perfection, boasting long, slender limbs, huge eyes that sparkled like clusters of embers, dense eyelashes framing them like delicate curtains, and plush, crimson lips. Just looking at them was a feast for the eyes.
Granted, the women by my side were hardly outmatched in looks, but elves carried a distinct, exotic mystique. Much like when Nazareth Nemeth first revealed her true self, they brought to mind the fresh, untamed aura of a lush, ancient forest.
"Man... talk about an extravagant drinking party."
Truth be told, it wasn't just in my head. A genuinely crisp, invigorating fragrance wafted from an elf's skin, so leaning back into her embrace felt as refreshing as soaking pure phytoncides straight into my pores.
"Haa, haa... Lord Alzen..."
Kneeling half-naked to support my back, Benoite tightened her embrace, burying her face against the nape of my neck. Savoring the ticklish sensation, I took another sip of alcohol, at which point Latipi—who had been waiting attentively in front of me—slipped a piece of some nameless fruit into my mouth. For the record, she was also half-dressed, leaving very little to the imagination.
"Mmm... Sweet. Delicious."
"I am relieved it suits your palate..."
Watching Latipi breathe a sigh of relief triggered a twinge of cognitive dissonance. Just a little while ago, she had been venomous enough to spit nails, yet here she was, blushing shyly and fretting over whether she was serving me devotedly enough. It was almost impossible to get used to.
"...Lord Alzen, you are hardly normal yourself."
"Hm? What's that supposed to mean?"
Turning my head, I found Muriel giving me a deadpan, half-lidded stare.
"Do you truly feel no guilt, forcing elves you treated so harshly into doing such things?"
"Not in the slightest. If anything, it's pretty fun. Feels like I'm using a hypnosis app."
"Haa... A fiend in human form. And what in the world is a hypnosis app?"
"Just something that exists."
Squeeze, squeeze.
As I leaned more of my weight back into Benoite, her soft warmth and plush, voluptuous contours gave way beneath me, accompanied by a fresh, verdant scent. She had always worn thick robes so I hadn't noticed before, but her breasts were significantly larger than I'd thought.
"Ah, ahhn...!"
Benoite let out a pleased gasp, her breath tickling my neck and earlobe while her squished chest pressed tight against me, subtly rubbing up and down.
"......"
"......"
"......"
Muriel, Rebecca, and Nemeth watched on, their eyes narrowing into razor-sharp glares. I could understand Muriel and Rebecca acting like that, but seeing Nemeth join in felt a little bizarre. What in the world had the World Tree planted inside me? Was it literally altering their cognition like some kind of hypnosis app?
"...Look at you, grinning from ear to ear. How vulgar."
"Hm?"
At the sudden barb, I turned toward the voice. Cacciola had regained consciousness before I even realized it, standing with her hands on her hips and an intensely confident smirk across her lips.
"Oh, that was fast. Didn't expect you to be the very first one to clear the trial. So, how was it?"
At my question, Cacciola tipped her chin up haughtily and snorted. That alone told me all I needed to know, prompting a quiet chuckle from me.
"Right... seems you've finally come to your senses. It's been so long since I've seen you act like this that it feels almost unfamiliar. How do you feel?"
"Like I just walked out of a long, dark tunnel and bathed my whole body in light. I'm bursting with energy, and my head is clear and refreshed. I honestly can't fathom why I acted so pathetic all that time."
"Glad to hear it."
"Hmph. Must be a shame for you, though, Master-ya. You secretly enjoyed having a beauty like me clinging to you all the time, didn't you?"
"Who knows. Calling that a shame might be a bit of a stretch..."
"It's fine. No need to worry so much."
"Huh?"
Reaching down, she grabbed the scruff of my neck and effortlessly hoisted me up like a freshly plucked sweet potato, bringing our eyes level.
"Just because I got my head straight doesn't mean I forgot how I feel about you."
"...Meaning?"
"Heheh."
Instead of answering, she offered a sultry smile and smashed her lips against mine.
"Mmph..."
It was a deep, sticky kiss, her mouth devouring mine as she thrust her tongue inside.
"Ah...!"
"W-What a shameless wench...!"
I tuned out Latipi and Benoite's jealousy-riddled outcries and focused on the kiss with Cacciola. Her tongue danced with a hint of awkwardness and latent shyness, but that only made it sweeter.
"Haah..."
When she finally broke the persistent kiss, thick with possessiveness and territorial greed, her eyes gleamed like a predator's.
"You're already mine."
"...Shouldn't that be the other way around?"
"Well, I'll generously allow that too. What do you think? Honored?"
"Pfft. Oh, utterly overwhelmed with honor."
Feeling amused, I gave her backside a firm smack.
Smack!
"Eek?! I told you not to hit my butt!"
"...It feels like a while since I last saw that reaction, too. Ah, but what about the most important part? What realm did you reach?"
"Ah, not quite yet. The path to Sword Master is a long and rugged one."
"Really? Not disappointed?"
"Not at all. I still have another chance left, don't I?"
"Oho..."
I let out a low whistle, looking at how brimful of confidence she was. Her leisurely, triumphant smile and relaxed poise seemed to radiate light.
"Think you can pass it now?"
"I can. Without a doubt."
"Hmph."
I pulled the Invitation of the Forgotten from my coat and paused in thought.
"What? You don't trust me?"
She scowled fiercely like a villainess noblewoman. I almost shook my head, but instead, I gave a teasing grin and shrugged.
"Well, considering how you've carried yourself up until now, it was pathetic enough to make anyone worried."
"Urgh...!"
At a loss for words, she gritted her teeth, her eyes darting back and forth.
"...I can do it this time. Trust me."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Hrmmm..."
As I rolled the Invitation of the Forgotten in my palm with a sly grin, veins practically started throbbing on her forehead. Chuckling at her rising anger, I shook my head.
"Just kidding. I think I can trust the you of right now. However..."
"However what?"
Having reflexively let her lips quirk up at the word 'trust', she snapped back with an abrasive edge to her voice.
"We have to fight Sukra, a High Demon, practically right this second. If taking the trial takes too long, what good is becoming a Sword Master after the fact?"
"...That is true."
After pondering for a moment, her expression hardened with resolute determination.
"I'll clear it as fast as humanly possible."
"There's no need to rush that hard, is there? You could always challenge it after we kill Sukra."
"Is that Sukra bastard really such an easy pushover?"
"......"
I had to keep my mouth shut, seeing as I wasn't entirely sure either. Assuming one had fully geared and leveled characters, Sukra hadn't been an overly difficult fight in the game outside of his instant-death gimmicks and semi-permanent stat debuffs. Lore-wise, however, he was an apex monster hovering just shy of Demon King rank. If the lore held true here... he wouldn't be a walk in the park.
"You can never have too much combat power, right? So let me do it."
"...Hmph."
When I thought about it coolly, anyone below Master rank would genuinely struggle to be of any help against Sukra anyway. If she couldn't contribute in her current state, getting tucked away inside a trial wouldn't make things any worse.
"...Fine. But you have to clear it fast. Seriously fast."
I activated the Invitation of the Forgotten, and a golden gate manifested in midair.
"Leave it to me."
Flashing a fierce, unrestrained grin, Cacciola leaped into the gate without a shred of hesitation or doubt.
After Cacciola, the others regained their senses one by one: Cecilia, Arpe, Weller, Vivian, Lampon Pashtra, Lira, and finally Wendy.
"Phew..."
Cecilia took a deep, steadying breath, her eyes deeper and more profound than before as a faint aurora of sacred light drifted from her form.
"It was quite a fruitful experience. I caught a glimpse into the depths and possibilities of my power."
Arpe's voice had developed an allure so potent that her mere speech seemed capable of bewitching a person's senses.
"Phew... Tasting one miraculous encounter after another leaves me in a daze."
Weller toyed with the mana under her command, playfully warping the surrounding space.
"Ooh! Orabeoni! Look at this! My aura got even bigger!"
Vivian had stepped into the realm of Aura Mid.
It truly was an absurd pace of growth.
"Whoaaa..."
Lampon Pashtra stared blankly at her aura, which had condensed into a distinctly defined shape, as if she couldn't quite believe she had attained Aura Top-tier.
"...Thank you, Lord Alzen."
"I truly... have no idea how to repay this grace."
Yet the ones who reaped the greatest reward among the entire group were, without question, Wendy and Lira. Having already stood at the very threshold of Aura Top-tier, both of them had fully broken through into Master, unleashing pale, radiant azure Aura Blades.
"...I'm back."
Right on cue, Cacciola returned at that exact moment. Flashing a refreshing grin, she proudly manifested an Aura Blade of her own.
"...Sukra, you are so dead. Poor bastard."
Six warriors of Master Rank.
On top of that, an archmage-tier sorceress.
Plus a peerless Saintess and a Siren bard.
While the composition might lean a bit heavily toward frontliners, this was a force capable of taking down a Demon King for real.
"All right. Shall we get moving?"
"We don't even know where Sukra is, do we? What are you planning to do?"
"Lure him out."
"Lure him out? Things have already escalated to this point. If he has half a brain, wouldn't he just run away?"
Facing Weller's skeptical frown, I gave her a full, mocking sneer.
"...Wipe that face off. I'll kill you."
"Just messing with you. In any case, we hold the upper hand right now. Given his position, he can't retreat even if he wants to."
"...What do you mean he can't retreat?"
"The one who ordered him to corrupt the World Tree and wipe out the elves is Demon King Otiliv. In demonic society, rank carries absolute authority, and considering how Demon Kings swat high-ranking nobles dead like common flies... failure means death. Which means he'll cling on like a rabid dog and come charging in with his life on the line."
Grinning, I rolled my shoulders.
"So all we have to do is sit back, relax, and wait."