Chapter 257: The Thousand-Year Vow
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 257: The Thousand-Year Vow
Alfia strode forward. The rich scent of the forest that wafted from her was proof that she was the real Alfia.
That meant I knew the identity of the one on my bed without even having to check.
“Rin.”
“Tch.”
Rin, still wearing Alfia’s face, scoffed and released her shapeshifting, returning to her original form.
“I almost had you.”
“Close? You were strange from the very beginning.”
“Really? But Rin’s shapeshifting is always perfect.”
“You don’t smell like the forest.”
“Well, that’s not something I can just copy,” Rin grumbled. She could only mimic a voice and appearance; faking a scent was impossible.
She might have been able to trick my sense of smell with an illusion, but casting a spell on Karami required his permission. And Rin wasn’t in the mood for it anymore.
“Why did you do this? It’s your turn tomorrow anyway.”
“But a week is too long~”
“Go on, get out of here. If you don’t, I might just take away your turn tomorrow, too.”
“Tch, fine, I’m going.”
At her master’s urging, Rin pouted and hopped off the bed. She shot Alfia a sidelong glance before brushing past her and leaving the room.
Alfia waited until she had vanished down the hall before closing the door.
“Honestly, the little tricks she plays. I can’t let my guard down for a single moment.”
“Well, thanks to her, it’s never boring. Would you like to come to bed?”
As Alfia approached the bed, she sniffed the air. She wrinkled her nose for a moment at the intense fragrance.
The scent of a gumiho clung heavily to the bed. She had no desire to tumble around with Karami where Rin’s scent lingered.
“Darling, let’s go outside.”
“At this hour?”
“Yes. There’s a place I want to go with you. We don’t have to be here, do we?”
“There were no such conditions.”
Alfia pulled Karami’s arm.
She had been waiting desperately for this day to come.
*
Beneath a night sky glittering with moonlight, Alfia flew with Karami on the wind.
The place she took him was the Great Forest, to the very top of a colossal, ancient tree. The vast expanse of the Great Forest lay beneath their feet, and in the distance, the city looked like a toy.
They were so high it felt as if they could reach out and pluck the stars from the sky.
“Did you want to come to the Great Forest? But you come here every day, don’t you?”
“I do. But the place I want to go now is a little different.”
Once again, Alfia led Karami onward. They passed through giant leaves that formed a canopy like the tent of the sky, venturing deeper inside.
Soon, they arrived at the very heart of the Great Forest. Even in this dense wood packed with giant trees, one stood out for its exceptional size.
They stood before the World Tree.
It wasn’t just its size that was overwhelming. An aura far denser than the Blessing of the World Tree that Karami had received flowed all around them.
A dreamlike green light reflected off a spring, and unidentified, jellyfish-like creatures floated gently around the World Tree.
Spirits that rarely revealed themselves, from the lowest to the highest ranks, all frolicked about boisterously.
It was a sacred place that inspired reverence just by looking at it.
“You’re the first non-elf in all of history to set foot here.”
“Am I allowed in a place like this?”
“Of course. You’re my master, and the queen is your slave. Who would dare stop you?”
With light steps, as if riding the wind, Alfia hopped over the roots of the World Tree that broke through the ground. She seemed incredibly excited.
“Elves born in the Great Forest come here when they reach adulthood to receive the World Tree’s blessing.”
“I suppose you received it, too.”
“No, I didn’t. I caused trouble and was banished to the outskirts when I was much younger. Of course, I’ve snuck in before when I needed its leaves, but this is the first time I’ve entered officially.”
Alfia continued, her voice calm.
“Normally, an elf can only come to the World Tree twice in their life: when they come of age, and when they make the thousand-year vow with their lover. They can also come when they become king or queen, but that only happens once every few centuries, so we can exclude that.”
Karami understood why Alfia had brought him here. No, he’d had a faint inkling even before.
Alfia gave him a radiant smile.
“Darling, please make the thousand-year vow with me.”
It was a vow that the long-lived elves carried with them until the moment they died. In an elf’s entire life, no contract was more important.
From the moment Karami had freed her from her suffering, from the instant he had entered her heart, this was all she had ever wanted.
Of course, the subjugation contract that bound master and slave was important, but didn’t the other slaves have that too?
Alfia was a greedy one.
She wanted a bond that was hers and his alone.
“If that’s what you want, Alfia, then as your master, I can’t refuse.”
“No, that’s not right. Tell me honestly how you feel.”
Alfia’s smile vanished, her tone firm as she asked.
When Alfia had first requested the thousand-year vow, Karami had hesitated. The idea of binding his very soul in a contract had made him uneasy.
He had worried that the vow might remain in effect even if he returned to his original world. But that worry had disappeared the moment he decided to stay here.
“What man could refuse when such a beautiful person offers to love only him for a lifetime? I welcome it with open arms.”
“…That sounds like you’d do it with anyone, as long as they’re pretty.”
“Of course, I only mean you. As far as elves are concerned.”
It was a bold declaration of his intent to be with his other slaves as well. Alfia was dumbfounded, but she couldn’t rebuke him.
Karami was the master, the other five were her equals, and they all had the right. She was satisfied enough with being the only one among the elves.
“Let’s go.”
Taking Karami’s hand, Alfia led him a little deeper.
They entered a large opening between the trees, a place known as the World Tree’s Embrace. Enclosed on all sides by the World Tree’s roots, it felt like a small house.
With every breath, his lungs filled with sacred air.
Splashing through the shallow spring, Alfia shed her clothes, one layer at a time.
“The ritual to make the vow is simple. We become one within the World Tree’s embrace. We show that we are joined as man and woman, and then the woman’s virgin blood is offered to this spring.”
“That’s a rather voyeuristic ritual.”
“Heehee, I think so too. But don’t you think it’s thrilling to imagine someone is watching?”
“Did you know that in Vestia, there’s a culture of walking beastkin on leashes?”
“Really? Such a wonderful culture exists in Vestia? We’ll have to try it sometime.”
“I knew you’d say that,” Karami said with a wry smile.
Soon, Alfia had removed everything but her undergarments. To perform the traditional ritual, she wore the same kind of leafy underwear that Ivrelia had worn before.
Bathed in a brilliant emerald light, Alfia was the very picture of a fairy; no other word could describe her.
Alfia wrapped her arms around Karami’s neck.
“I told you yesterday, didn’t I? That this would be consensual. You know you can’t back out now, right?”
“I also told you. Once I lose control, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“I welcome it all. I’ll take everything you’ve been holding back.”
The two exchanged a deep, meaningful gaze.
Leaning down slowly, Karami’s lips met Alfia’s.
Alfia pulled him in fiercely.
Their bodies entwined, they plunged into the spring.
*
Swish, swish.
Swoosh, swoosh.
Mirabelle was sweeping the garden from early in the morning.
Anyone who knew she was using the Heavenly Covenant—a magic staff coveted by all who walk the path of magic—as a broom would have fainted from shock.
Normally, she would be on her way to wake Karami at this hour, but not today. He and Alfia had gone out last night and still hadn’t returned.
Karami and Alfia had stayed out all night.
For some reason, Mirabelle was the one who felt more nervous.
Just as she was finishing her cleaning, the two of them returned to the merchant group’s headquarters.
“Welcome back, Master!”
“I’m back. Was everything alright while I was gone?”
“Yes, but the two of you…”
Mirabelle’s eyes flickered toward Alfia.
She walked with a certain difficulty, as if her movements were uncomfortable.
Despite that, she radiated an even fresher aura than usual, like a fish back in water or a flower greeting the spring. Her gaze upon Karami was so sweet it was like honey dripping from a flower.
That alone was enough for Mirabelle to guess what the two had been up to all night.
But what caught Mirabelle’s eye more than anything was Alfia’s neck.
Just like Mirabelle’s own shackle, a new one was emblazoned on Alfia’s neck—this one in the shape of a red handprint. Alfia tilted her head, showing off the mark as if it were a trophy.
The moment she registered it, Mirabelle’s cheeks flushed red.
Ah, Lady Alfia must be into some really hardcore stuff….
It was a world of adults, one that Mirabelle knew nothing about.