The Aftermath
Flanked on either side by a high elf and a dark elf who were staring so intensely they might as well have been firing laser beams from their eyes, I felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down my neck as they pressed closer and closer.
If you asked whether I liked it, the answer was an unequivocal yes.
The refreshing, crisp scent of nature wafting from both women was naturally invigorating, and the warmth radiating through their soft skin against mine set my heart racing. Still, when their gazes crossed a certain threshold and made me genuinely fear for my personal safety, the situation took a very different turn.
They looked like predators sizing up a meal they intended to devour whole. Unable to help myself, I gently nudged them back.
"...It's a little overwhelming when you stare like that."
"I-I apologize. It is merely that your beauty is so dazzling, Lord Han-gil..."
"Latipi speaks the truth. The longer I gaze upon you, the more breathless your handsomeness leaves me."
"R-Right, thanks... I guess?"
Unsure how to handle such shameless, heavy-handed praise, I offered an awkward smile and reached for the massive cut of meat sitting before me. Its color was magnificent, and the mouthwatering aroma that had been tickling my nose had already driven my appetite into overdrive. It was, without a doubt, Belteogeo meat.
"Ah, Lord Han-gil! Allow me to feed—"
Crunch! Gulp!
"...Huh?"
A sudden hush fell over the room.
While everyone stared at me in stunned disbelief, I touched my own lips in equal astonishment.
"Wait, did I seriously just eat that?"
What I had just swallowed was a whole, uncut slab of roast meat. And I had chewed it once before gulping it straight down. It was a feat absurd enough to shock not only the onlookers, but myself as well. Yet strangely, I felt almost nothing out of the ordinary, leaving me tilting my head in confusion.
"...Lord Han-gil. Are you all right?"
As the others looked on blankly, Muriel stepped forward quickly to inspect my condition.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. No pain, nothing caught in my throat..."
"Truly? That was not a portion one could simply swallow whole."
"I know it sounds crazy, but I really am fine... Look. See? Nothing wrong."
I opened my mouth wide to show her my throat. She stared intently down into it, her own throat bobbing with an involuntary swallow before she nodded. Through my heightened senses, I could perceive her blood flow accelerating, her body temperature spiking, and a faint flush rising in her cheeks.
...Don't tell me showing her my uvula actually turned her on?
No way. Not a chance. At least, the Muriel I knew wasn't the kind of vulgar, lewd person who would get off on something like that.
......
Or was she? Come to think of it, hadn't she done plenty of vulgar, shameless things in the past...?
"Ahem. Anyway, I guess this is just another side effect of my body changing, right?"
"A Body Change doesn't normally work like that, you know. There are several Masters sitting right here who have undergone the process."
At Weller's remark, I glanced toward Nemeth, Wendy, and Cacciola. They were all staring back at me with wide, bewildered eyes.
As a side note, the term "Body Change" in this world was the equivalent of completely shedding one's mortal frame and rebuilding the marrow and sinew from scratch.
"...Maybe mine wasn't a standard Body Change? It's not like I attained enlightenment and awakened through sheer martial insight. It was forced upon me by Shamanic Ritual Tattoos and raw divinity."
"Hmm... Fair point. I've certainly never heard of a precedent like that."
Weller looked me up and down, flicking her tongue across her lips.
"I really want to dissect you... Can I just slice open your stomach once?"
"Haha. If you want to cut open my belly, you'd better be ready to pay the price."
"Notice how you didn't say no? What kind of price are we talking about?"
"...Don't actually consider it. Let's keep the jokes as jokes."
"Who said I was joking?"
I glared flatly at her mischievous smirk, then sighed and waved my hand dismissively.
"First, let's finish the meal. Eating that one piece just woke up a massive appetite."
"Calling that 'one piece' is a bit of an understatement."
"Maybe, but it didn't even touch the sides. It feels like my stomach has expanded exponentially."
On top of that, my digestive capacity seemed to have undergone a terrifying evolution of its own. I stroked my stomach, which felt like a raging furnace melting down the meat in real time, and smacked my lips.
"Muriel. Wine."
"...I was wondering when you would ask for it. I was a bit uneasy, but you truly are Lord Han-gil."
"What's that supposed to mean? Were you doubting me?"
"No. I was merely worried that your consciousness might have shifted along with your altered form."
"Is that so? Hmm... Well, it's not like nothing changed."
"Indeed, that makes sense. You have escaped, at least by half, from that cramped and dreary prison."
"...It's a little unsettling how well you understand what I'm feeling."
"Fufu, it simply means I watch over you with the utmost devotion, Lord Han-gil."
Unable to meet her alluring smile, I averted my gaze.
"Whatever. Just pour the drink."
"Right away."
Slyly edging Nemeth aside, Muriel settled into the spot next to me and poured the wine with modest, graceful poise.
"Khaaah...! Man, I needed that."
Draining the cup in a single draught only caused my hunger to erupt further. I reached for whatever food was within arm's reach.
Meat, some unidentified greens, wine, meat, and more meat.
The moment anything entered my mouth, it slipped down my throat in seconds, and the spread rapidly began to vanish.
"...Hey, can you even taste anything eating like that?"
"Hm?"
In response to Weller's question, I swallowed a fist-sized chunk of meat whole, emptied an entire bottle of liquor, and nodded.
"Actually, I can taste and smell things far more delicately and precisely than before the Body Change."
"...Fascinating. Now I really want to dissect you."
Ignoring Weller's nonsense, I moved to grab the next dish, only to freeze under the weight of countless eyes fixed on me. Glancing around, I saw that every single person seated was staring at me as if I were a rare, exotic beast at an exhibition.
"Why is everyone looking at me like that? Aren't you going to eat?"
"Do you think anyone could eat with such a bizarre spectacle right in front of them? Here, try this one too."
"...Sure, why not. Thanks for the food."
When I swallowed the mass of meat Weller offered as if feeding an animal, the others took it as their cue to begin passing their own plates forward one after another.
"B-Brother...! Please, try this as well...!"
"Sir Alzen, this one is quite delicious."
"You should not consume only meat. Have some fruit as well."
"Whoa... He eats more than my warriors. Husband! Try this too!"
For a good while, I inhaled every scrap of food and drop of alcohol passed my way. By the time my stomach finally felt somewhat satisfied, every platter on the banquet spread had been scraped bare.
"Wow... Just how much can you shovel down? Are you even human?"
Listening to Weller's voice, a mixture of disbelief and awe, I took another sip of wine.
"Phew... Now I feel like I'm finally living."
"Are you full?"
"No, not full. Just reasonably satisfied."
"...That is genuinely terrifying."
Seeing Muriel wear an expression of genuine, rare astonishment, I gave a wry nod.
"Honestly, I'm surprised myself. I never imagined I could pack away this much... Though it's a bit disappointing that the alcohol isn't hitting me at all."
I had been chugging wine straight from the bottles for a while now, yet feeling utterly stone-cold sober was frankly irritating.
"That is astonishing in its own right."
"Well, I do feel a tiny buzz starting to creep in, so if I keep drinking, I'll probably get drunk eventually."
"Is not getting drunk simply not an option?"
"Nope."
"Of course not. You truly are hopeless."
Finding Muriel's sigh a little too cheekily familiar, I reached out, wrapped an arm around the kneeling maid's waist, and pulled her flush against me.
"...Is lust next on the agenda after gluttony?"
"No, just punishing a cheeky maid."
"Pardon?"
Smack!
Without warning, I delivered a firm swat across her round backside. The taut, velvety contour that filled my palm felt magnificent.
"Nnngh...!?"
Whether the shock had traveled from her hips straight up her tailbone and along her spine, she let out an illicit moan, her back arching stiff as she trembled.
"...Sorry. Guess I haven't dialed in my strength yet."
Not yet having a firm grasp on my current physical power, I had tried to pull my punch, but it seemed even a restrained strike packed an absurd punch.
"Ah, ahn...! T-That was... quite tingling..."
"You sound like you enjoyed that."
"...An unexpected jolt can be oddly pleasurable."
"Good grief. You really are something..."
Laughing, I shook my head, only to catch sight of the silent stares directed at us from around the room. A self-deprecating smile touched my lips.
"It's a little uncomfortable when all of you just stare without saying a word."
Despite my light tone, a heavy silence settled over the assembly.
"Hey, Alzen. Now that the meal is over..."
"...*Sigh*..."
Hearing Weller speak, I finally realized what topic they had all been holding their breath for. I picked up my goblet with a weary sigh.
"Right... Time to get serious, is that it? Fair enough. I was feeling good, so I got a little carried away."
Gulp!
After emptying the cup in one swallow, I turned my gaze directly toward Tsarkhella.
"Let's hear it. First, I need to understand the situation. What happened after I collapsed?"
"We won the war. There was no way to restore the werewolves back into humans, so we had to exterminate them."
After a moment of thought, she clenched her fist, a savage grin edged with fury curling onto her lips.
"That was the end of it. The culprit who turned the warriors of the Glorified Hoof into unholy abominations—the Demon King—never showed his face, and the Glorified Hoof Tribe was wiped out. There was nothing worth looting in their village, so we torched the entire place to ashes and returned."
"Right... Did any further oracles come down?"
"No, none."
"I see. Then can I consider that matter closed?"
"Yes. It ended cleanly. All that's left for me now is to subjugate the remaining scattered tribes and unify the barbarians."
"Do whatever you want with that... Let's move on to the next problem."
This time, I fixed my gaze straight on Weller.
"Berick and Lira. What did you do with them?"
"...For now, they've been subdued and placed under confinement."
"Ha. Berick maybe, but confining Lira? Do you honestly believe that's possible against a Master?"
"I'm well aware of what she is. But Lira was cooperative, so I extended her the courtesy she deserved."
"...Are you taking Lira's side, Sister?"
"Technically, I'm neutral. For now."
"Hmm."
I exchanged a long look with her, then knocked back the wine Latipi had quietly refilled for me.
"*Exhale*... Why haven't you killed them?"
"Berick? Or Lira?"
"Both."
"It's not a decision to be made so lightly. We have clear justification for Berick, but in Lira's case, it's ambiguous."
"Is it? Doesn't seem ambiguous to me at all."
"...Don't let emotion cloud your judgment."
"Why shouldn't I?"
"What do you mean, why—"
Visibly irritated, a vein popped on Weller's forehead.
"Are you picking a fight with me right now?"
"I wouldn't mind."
"......"
"......"
After staring at each other for a tense moment, I took a heavy swig of wine to wash down the frustration rising in my chest.
"*Exhale*... Let me get one thing straight. You don't actually want to fight me seriously either, do you?"
"...No, I don't."
"Then shouldn't you give my opinion at least some weight? Frankly, whether it's Berick or Lira, neither of them would have any right to complain if they were summarily executed on the spot. Am I wrong?"
"......"
Weller pressed her lips tight and remained silent.
Watching her for a moment, my eyes drifted toward Vivian, who was squirming uncomfortably in her seat.
"...Vivian. What do you think?"
"Huh!? Me!? B-Brother, me!?"
"Yes. You're in a position where your opinion matters."
"...I... I don't know."
"Is that so."
To be fair, it was far too heavy a question for a child. No matter what had happened, Berick was her flesh and blood, and she had grown close to Lira throughout their travels... Expecting her to make a cold, decisive judgment was asking too much.
"While we're on the subject, we'll need to settle our own relationship soon... What are your thoughts on that, Vivian?"
"That... that is... um..."
Her head sank low. Stealing a hesitant glance up at me, she barely managed to find her voice.
"I still... don't know that either. Please, give me a little more time to think."
"I see... Fair enough."
I tilted my head back toward the ceiling of the ger, then looked around at the rest of the women.
"Arpe. What do you think?"
"I don't care if Berick dies, but losing Lira would be a waste. And having spoken with her briefly, I don't think her actions warrant execution."
"...Cecilia."
"I... well, Berick betrayed humanity to side with the demons, so I believe he deserves death. But Sister Lira... um... I don't think she deserves to die."
"......"
Offering no reply to their thoughts, I pushed myself slowly to my feet.
"For now, let's go see these prisoners you've locked away."
"What are you planning to do?"
"Summary execution, if possible. If that's off the table, then a brief conversation."
"......"
Weller glared at me with clear dissatisfaction, but stood up as well. One by one, the rest of the retinue followed suit.