A Brand New Sense
It was hard to tell whether she was joking or serious... No, knowing Muriel, she was undoubtedly being completely sincere. Regardless, having thoroughly shattered the sentimental mood with those words, she stared intently at my face for quite a while.
"What are you staring at? Still not used to it?"
"There is that, of course... but to be frank, it is simply because you are handsome."
Hearing something so breathtakingly blunt had a way of short-circuiting a man's brain.
"Uh, well... I appreciate the honesty, but..."
"Not that I disliked your previous appearance, but it was one of the things that brought you so much suffering, so I harbored a bit of resentment toward it. Seeing your true face now pleases me even more. What is more, you are so handsome you practically glow. My heart swells just looking at you. Truly, it seems I picked an exceptional man. Ah, for the record, my teeth are already sunk deep into you, and I have no intention of ever letting go."
"......"
Delivering lines like that with a deadpan expression was a talent in its own right. At a total loss for how to react, I let out a deep, defeated sigh.
"Right, well... do whatever you want. Where is everyone else?"
"They are having dinner."
"Do they all know I changed like this?"
"Yes."
"I see... Ah, but what the hell were you thinking, leaving me alone with Tsarkhella? If I hadn't woken up right when I did, she would have had her way with me."
"Pardon?"
Tilting her head, Muriel narrowed her eyes at Tsarkhella, who was standing behind me, as if only just noticing her presence.
"...Lady Tsarkhella. You claimed you were going to the latrine, yet here you are."
"W-Well, you see..."
"Was that ulterior motive behind forcing everyone together for a banquet as well?"
"Uh, ah, hahaha... Ahem. In any case! This is no time to be standing around! We have to let everyone know Han-gil is awake!"
As Tsarkhella raised her voice in an awkward fluster, Muriel gave her head a small, disapproving shake, a faint smile gracing her lips as she took my hand. Pulled along by that soft, mesmerizing warmth, I looked squarely down into her eyes.
...Wait. Looking down at her felt noticeably higher than before. It seemed I had grown a bit taller as well.
"We should indeed. Lord Han-gil, are you not hungry?"
"Not starving, but... I feel like I could eat if food were put in front of me."
"Is that so? You seem remarkably well for someone who has been unconscious for an entire week."
"...What? Hold on. A week?"
At my question, Muriel tilted her head again, then cast another look at Tsarkhella.
"Did you not inform him?"
"Ah, well, you know..."
"Just what were you doing that you failed to convey even such basic information...? No. Never mind. I can reasonably guess."
"Urgh...!"
Tsarkhella's fists trembled in a mix of shame and mortification, but having no defense, she clamped her mouth shut and averted her gaze.
"Let us go, Lord Han-gil."
"Yeah."
Turning briskly, Muriel tugged firmly at my hand.
"......"
The moment she turned, however, the flutter of her hair unleashed a complex, intoxicating scent that rushed straight into my nostrils.
"...Muriel, did you put on perfume or something?"
"Perfume? I wear no such thing. Do I smell strange?"
"No, it's not that, but..."
Sniffing as I followed the scent, I stepped closer and unthinkingly buried my nose against the nape of her slender, porcelain neck.
"Lord Han-gil?"
"Mmm... No, Muriel. You smell insanely good..."
"I smell no different than usual... Though perhaps your senses have simply sharpened."
"Ah, is that it? Senses heightened to the extreme... No, but this feels like something else..."
Tilting my head, I burrowed deeper, tracing along the line of her neck.
"Mmm, definitely. It's not just that. It's like I can smell so many more distinct things all at once..."
Curiously enough, the scents of earth, fresh grass, roasting fat, pungent spices, alcohol, and even the lingering traces of passersby registered clearly in my nose without missing a single beat, each one distinct and cataloged. It felt as if I had turned into a hound.
"Inhale... Exhale..."
Yet through it all, the most prominent scent remained Muriel's natural musk. Sweet, yet somehow intensely provocative... A sultry fragrance that sent blood rushing straight to my groin with every breath.
...Is this Kubel's influence too?
Driven by sheer instinct, I wrapped my arms tightly around her and drew in dazed, ragged breaths—only to snap back to reality after sinking my teeth right into her shoulder.
"Ah, sorry. I lost myself for a second... Did that hurt?"
"No. It did not hurt... but you truly have turned into a puppy."
Though her expression remained calm, she stroked my hair with a faint hint of amusement playing at the corners of her lips, then resumed walking. Yet, beneath that placid exterior, her heart was hammering at an alarming rate. My hearing, having far surpassed human limits, picked up the cadence with crystal clarity. That frantic, racing rhythm betrayed her true feelings far more honestly than her impassive face ever could.
"......"
Now that is seriously a turn-on.
"Hey! Kang Han-gil! Why didn't you do that to me? Is it because my breasts are smaller?"
"Ma'am. Please, just shut your mouth for a second..."
Waving off Tsarkhella's indignant glare, I turned my attention toward the ger where everyone seemed to have gathered.
"...Man, it's noisy in my head."
Sight, hearing, smell, touch... even instinct and a distinct sixth sense. Every single faculty fired on all cylinders, cramming an overwhelming flood of raw information directly into my brain and making me mildly dizzy. Sharpened senses weren't an unmitigated blessing. Getting through day-to-day life was going to be a hassle until I adapted to this.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah... Phew. I'm fine."
"We are entering."
"Right..."
With Muriel still clasping my hand tightly, we stepped inside the ger. The gazes of everyone eating in the quiet room snapped toward us all at once.
"...Ah! Master-ya! You finally woke up?!"
"Lord Han-gil! You've regained consciousness!"
"Lord Han-giiil!"
While Cacciola and Rebecca were the first to greet me with delighted smiles, Lampon Pashtra sprang from her seat and hurled her entire body at me.
"Whoa—?!"
Startled for an instant, I braced myself, only for my body—now endowed with absurd, unfathomable strength—to effortlessly catch her voluptuous frame without budging an inch. ...Then again, catching her weight was something I could have managed even before this rebirth. 'Permanent Flesh' and the 'World Tree's Fruit' weren't lightweight elixirs, after all.
"Inhale...!"
Regardless, that wasn't the issue. Sure enough, a dense, complex wave of scent struck my nasal cavity like a physical bombardment, instantly blowing my rationality away.
"Lord Han-gil! I'm so glad you're safe! I really thought something terrible had happened to you...! Lord Han-gil?"
Her hands flusteredly patted the back of my head as I buried my face straight into her deep, endless cleavage.
"Haaah... Inhale... Exhale...!"
"U-Um... Lord Han-gil? Are you alright? Are you hurt somewhere?"
"...No, I'm fine. Just... just stay still for a moment, would you?"
"Ah, okay-y..."
Even without looking, I could tell she was tilting her head in naive confusion.
"Inhaaaale...!"
I greedily indulged in her scent to a degree that felt borderline disgusting even to myself. Beneath the floral base notes, the overwhelming essence was a rich, sweet, nutty aroma of milk. The milky scent radiating through the skin of her enormous breasts was so potent that I half-expected milk to spout like a fountain if I took a bite.
"......"
"Eek?! Lord Han-gil?! W-Why are you biting me...?!"
Regrettably, no milk came out.
"Ah, sorry. My senses are acting weird right now."
"They are...?"
"Master-ya. How about lifting your head now? How long are you going to keep your face buried in there? The kids are watching."
"Ah..."
At that moment, a firm hand grabbed the scruff of my collar and hoisted me upright. I could have resisted if I wanted to, but I complied obediently. Standing before me was Cacciola, wearing a saucy pout.
"...Cacciola."
"Honestly... The first thing you do after waking up from a week-long coma is dive face-first into cleavage? Why didn't you just head into the other ger and consummate things while you were at it? The rest of us were moping around in gloomy despair, but you, Master..."
"You smell good too."
"Huh? What? Ah, w-wait—?!"
Diving face-first into her cleavage as well, I felt Cacciola freeze stiff in shock. A tangy, deep fruity aroma. If Pashtra's scent was soothing and lulled one to sleep, Cacciola's was a crisp, sharp fragrance that jolted the mind wide awake.
"Hey. Alzen. Knock it off."
"...*Inhale... Exhale...* Sorry."
Snapped out of it by Weller's sharp tone, I finally took a proper look around the circle. Everyone was staring at me with expressions tangled in confusion, anxiety, relief, and joy.
"My body changed so drastically that even my senses went haywire. Not that it's bad, but... I think it'll take a little time to adjust."
"I don't think that's something you should be brushing off so lightly."
"Hm?"
"Hey. Do you have any idea how terrified we were when your body was reconstructing itself? What are you going to do now? Can you even return to the Duke's Castle looking like that?"
"Well... um..."
It seemed she shared the exact same worry. The concerns I had forcibly shoved aside surfaced once more, wrinkling my brow. If I marched into the Duke's Castle with this face, would anyone there welcome me with open arms? ...I'd bet my left nut they wouldn't.
Yet even so.
"...Well, it'll work out somehow. To be honest, shedding that old shell actually feels like a huge relief to me."
"I'm sure it does, you bastard. Sigh... And on top of that, your left arm is still hideous..."
"...Fair point."
I lightly stroked my left arm, which was wrapped tightly in the Silk of Atonement. Even through the fabric, I could feel the rugged, hardened, grotesque texture beneath. I had grown so used to it that I barely paid attention, but despite the complete metamorphosis of my entire body, my left arm remained in its demonified state.
"Hey. This is seriously a major problem. You're going to get mistaken for a demon at this rate."
"...Is it really that bad?"
"It is! Did you forget your promise with Father? The second he even suspects you're a demon, he's going to cleave you clean in two!"
"Ah... Come to think of it, we did make a promise like that."
Nodding, I gave it some thought. A son who was already suspicious—sporting a demonified left arm—leaves for a long journey, only to come home looking like a completely different person? Carrying an ominous, extraordinary power that is neither magic nor aura? ...Yeah, that screams demon. Hell, even I would suspect myself of being a demon.
"Then what should I do?"
"If I knew that, would I be stressing out like this?! Ugh, seriously... you idiot..."
Watching her clutch her head in exasperation, I gave an easy shrug.
"Forget it. I'll figure it out later. Right now, I want to eat. Smelling all this food has my stomach rumbling like crazy."
I deliberately pushed the thought away. Whenever I thought of Stanashila Pitra, an ache throbbed uncomfortably deep in my chest... but hadn't I decided to put myself first? Right now, worrying about my own skin was more than enough.
"P-Please, come this way, Lord Alzen!"
Thwaaam!
With a resounding impact, Latipi sent Muriel flying with a hip check from her petite backside, swiftly ushering me down to sit beside her. Her eyes sparkled with an almost blinding, suffocating intensity, practically overflowing with awe and worship as she fidgeted restlessly.
"......"
More importantly, Muriel, who had been launched like a cannonball by that butt attack, wasn't moving. Did she die...? Ah, she's alive.
"Muriel. Don't draw your daggers. I don't want blood on my food."
"Haaah... Latipi. Step outside. Since it has come to this, it is high time we settled the pecking order."
Muriel glared with murderous intent, but Latipi paid her no heed whatsoever, keeping her eyes fixed solely on me.
"W-What would you like to eat first...? Just choose, and I will feed you personally!"
"Huh...? No, I have hands... Why are you acting like this? Your condition seems even worse than before."
"Pardon? W-Well, that's...!"
"It is due to the divinity and status radiating from you, Lord Han-gil."
Having claimed the seat on my other side without a sound, Nemeth pressed her body flush against mine.
"Divinity and status...?"
"Yes. Even before, the presence you possessed was overwhelmingly wondrous—almost too much for an elf to bear. But now, imbued with such exalted divinity and supreme status, you feel no different from the World Tree itself. And unlike the World Tree, you are right here in the flesh, looking at me at eye level, within arm's reach..."
"Uh... is that so? Don't tell me you're feeling it too?"
"...Yes. It is exceedingly difficult to endure."
Flushing crimson, Nemeth released a heated sigh, her fingers slyly creeping upward to stroke my thigh. Seeing her take the initiative so brazenly was a first, leaving me more than a little flustered.