Chapter 258: Long-Lived vs. Short-Lived (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 258: Long-Lived vs. Short-Lived (1)
Can a person change so drastically overnight?
Without some monumental event, it's highly unlikely. But the Alfia before her eyes had changed.
Narsha was dumbfounded watching Alfia grin like a fool all day long. It was hard to even remember the woman who had been wasting away without Karami.
“Are you that happy?”
“Yes!”
For Alfia, the previous night had been the best time of her life.
She had finally made the thousand-year vow she so desperately craved. It wasn't just in her heart; she had carved a mark on her body, irrefutable proof that she belonged to Karami.
She was happier than she'd ever been.
So happy she could die without any regrets.
Elize, still inexperienced, showed interest in Alfia’s situation.
“Did it hurt a lot?”
“It hurt at first, but even the pain felt good.”
She’d asked the wrong question.
Her conversation partner was an extreme masochist.
“But that thing on your neck... it's not what I think it is, is it?”
“Yes, it is. A one-of-a-kind shackle, carved by my darling's own hands.”
“I don't understand what's so good about that...”
“Hmm~ Elize, you just don't get it, do you?”
Karami never treats his slaves poorly. He never uses violence, nor does he demand sexual favors.
That's why she wanted to see it.
To see him treat a slave roughly. Gentle during the day, but manly and violent at night.
The base thrill of wanting to defile his goodwill, his constant concern for his slaves. The perverse pleasure and satisfaction of drawing out his cruelty, a complete one-eighty from his usual self.
The fact that she was used not as ‘a person’ but as ‘a thing’—a slave—heightened her satisfaction in serving her master.
“But still... even if it's the Master, choking is a bit...”
“I wouldn't recommend it. Once you experience it, you get addicted and can't escape.”
The natural act of breathing, essential for any living creature, is restricted by another's hands.
At the master's command, the body cannot move, nor can it breathe freely. All the slave is permitted to do is beg for her life, tears and saliva streaming down her face.
Even knowing it's a form of play, a sliver of anxiety—the 'what if'—colors the brain. She gasps for air, mouth hanging open indecently, tongue lolling out, only for Karami's mouth to cover hers.
The agony feels like death, consciousness slowly fading into a haze.
The moment stimulation from her erogenous zones floods her brain with pleasure chemicals, even the pain transforms into ecstasy, and she feels a happiness unattainable through ordinary acts.
Once captivated by the thrill—the feeling of becoming a fool, of crossing a river of no return—there is no escape.
“Now do you understand what I'm saying?”
“No. And it's a world I have no desire to understand. Also, please don't act so friendly with me from now on. I'm worried your masochism might rub off on me.”
“Hmph, do as you please. More for me to enjoy for the rest of my life, then.”
Elize looked at Alfia as if she were something disgusting, but Alfia paid her no mind.
Narsha, feeling dizzy just listening to this twisted sexual preference, pressed a hand to her forehead, while Azyeth had long since covered Mirabelle's ears.
Alfia stretched languidly, like a flower in full bloom.
“A thousand years, ten thousand years... I wish every day for the rest of my life could be like yesterday~”
“Though 'the rest of your life' won't even be a hundred years.”
“Huh?”
Alfia stared at Narsha as if to ask what she meant by that casual remark. Narsha's expression seemed to say, Are you only just realizing this now?
“Alfia, you are an elf, and the Master is human. The time you can spend together is, at most, another seventy years. By then, the Master will be an old man. As will I.”
Alfia blinked her eyes, once, twice. Overcome with happiness, it took her a moment to understand. When Narsha's meaning finally dawned on her, it was like a lightning bolt struck her mind.
“This is a disaaaaster!”
*
Alfia bit her fingertips in anxiety.
She had briefly considered it before, but her recent day-to-day happiness had made her completely forget the issue.
“What will I do if my darling dies?”
What would she do if Karami died?
First of all, he would never be assassinated or die from illness. Before anyone could even threaten Karami's life, the slaves would catch them and tear them apart, soul and all.
Even if he fell ill, as long as he was still breathing, Elize or Mirabelle would find a way to save him, no matter what it took.
But even a Saint like Elize couldn't do anything about lifespan. She couldn't stop Karami from dying of old age.
Karami will grow old and die.
For long-lived species like Alfia the elf, Elize the vampire, and Rin the gumiho, that was no different from the end of the world.
To them, who would live for over a thousand years, Karami's lifespan of less than a century was far too short.
“I have to find a way to extend my darling's life.”
Thus began the great “Operation: Extend Karami's Lifespan.” To live happily for a thousand, ten thousand years, extending Karami's life was absolutely essential.
Ironically, however, not everyone agreed. Narsha, who had been listening quietly, shared her thoughts.
“Why must we do that?”
“...What do you mean by that, Narsha? My darling could die, and you're asking why we should do this?”
“I mean exactly what I said. I do not understand why we must extend the Master's life.”
Azyeth and Mirabelle also sided with Narsha.
Because the three of them were human, just like Karami.
They lived on the same timeline as Karami. From their perspective, there was no need to extend his life.
They could simply grow old together and die together.
A romantic ending with a loved one.
At this selfish thought from the three humans, Rin spoke bluntly.
“What does it matter if we extend the Master's life? You can live your lives and die when you get old. We'll just keep living happily with the Master after you're gone.”
“I don't want to...”
“Why not?”
“...I just don't.”
Azyeth couldn't explain exactly why she didn't want it; she wasn't good at thinking about things seriously. But the feeling of opposition was clear.
Narsha filled in the flimsy reasoning on Azyeth's behalf.
“We humans consider growing old with someone to be a form of happiness. If the Master had been born a long-lived species, it might be different, but as it stands, we cannot accept it. It goes against the laws of nature.”
It was an instinctive desire for humans.
Don't people often vow to live happily together until their hair turns white when they marry? It was for that same reason.
“And you, Saint.”
Narsha's somber gaze turned to Elize.
“I can understand the other two, but you were once human, Saint. Surely you understand how we feel?”
“I understand how you feel, but my situation has changed. I've become a vampire, and I need the Master. If he passes away, I'll be left to wander again. A future where I can't drink his blood... I won't allow that to happen.”
Elize, too, strongly asserted her position.
And so, they were divided: the long-lived faction, who insisted on extending Karami's life, and the short-lived faction, who would never allow it.
It was three against three.
“Do you even have a way to extend the Master's life in the first place?”
Mirabelle’s pointed question silenced the three of them.
The bickering trio put their heads together. They looked at each other, but no one could answer with confidence.
“What do we do? I don't have one.”
“If we turned the Master into a vampire, it might be possible...”
“The Master smelling of blood? Rin is absolutely against it. I'd rather have him live in the Dream Garden, where time flows slower.”
“How could he live his whole life there? Be realistic.”
“Then suggest another alternative. You have plenty of complaints for someone with no ideas.”
They had the idea, but no plan.
Even if they turned him into a vampire, Karami wasn't a clergy member like Elize, so he'd have to live his entire life without seeing the sun.
He wouldn't be able to eat garlic, and what's more, he might develop a physiological aversion to Elize, a Saint. The thought of him hating her was more terrifying to Elize than death.
Elize didn't want to turn Karami into a vampire either. She wanted him to remain human forever.
No suitable method came to mind. Of course, that was only true for the three of them; it wasn't as if there were no methods at all in this world.
Alfia pleaded with Mirabelle.
“Mirabelle, please, won't you help us?”
It might be possible with Mirabelle's magic. Witches traditionally belong to the human race, but they possess long lifespans through certain methods.
In fact, Morgana, an elder of the Magic Tower, was also an ordinary human who had extended her life with magic.
If Morgana could do it, then Mirabelle, the Master of the Magic Tower, surely could as well.
“If you're worried about being the only ones growing old, we can just extend your lifespans too while we're at it. Then we can all live long, fun lives together!”
Alfia said excitedly, as if it were a brilliant idea.
Mirabelle couldn't answer readily. It was certainly a solution, but her visceral aversion to it was no different from the others'.
“What's the point of us debating this amongst ourselves? If the Master doesn't approve, none of it matters.”
She was right. No matter what they decided, it was a pointless discussion unless Karami gave his permission.
So, they decided to ask Karami for his opinion.
The slaves swarmed over to him.
After hearing both sides, Karami seemed to ponder it seriously before cautiously sharing his thoughts.
“Extending my lifespan... that feels a little wrong, don't you think?”
He sided with the short-lived faction.