It’s common for a bachelor’s home to have a distinct ‘bachelor’ smell, as they say. In fact, not only men but most places where adults live alone are like this.
So we use air fresheners, ventilate the room, or take a shower every day to get rid of that smell. I’m also someone who dislikes that smell, so I frequently ventilate the place.
However, now there’s no need for that. A delightful lilac fragrance emanates from my body, and all I need to do is ventilate appropriately.
Even if I briefly go outside and return, my room is filled with the lingering scent of flowers, which is nice, but it’s not without its problems.
“Hey, did you happen to spray perfume?”
“No.”
“Then why does this smell emanate from you?”
Immediate reactions from those around me, especially as I am a teaching assistant who often has to visit the lab. The lab was filled with the fragrant scent of flowers.
“It’s a nice smell… better than the musty smell of books…”
“It’s not about whether it’s nice. My nose feels bothered.”
“Professor doesn’t know about it… How fragrant can flowers be…”
While Cindy liked the lilac fragrance, Elena wrinkled her nose to block my smell. It seems that Elena, unlike Cindy, has a sensitive sense of smell.
Nevertheless, the sense of smell was the fastest to become accustomed among bodily senses, so it didn’t take long for her to adapt. I had to open the window for ventilation, though.
These reactions were the same when I met with other people after class.
Sniff Sniff Sniff
“Isaac, did you put on perfume?”
“No?”
“But there’s a pleasant smell coming from you. Sniff Sniff.”
When I was on a date with Marie after a long time, she playfully nuzzled her nose into various parts of my body and sniffed. I chuckled at the subtle feeling but remained still because Marie’s actions were cute. Marie has always liked the scent that emanates from me, so this situation was familiar. It’s a bit of a problem that she doesn’t care even if people passing by give her strange looks though.
“You didn’t change your soap… Did you really put on perfume?”
“No, I didn’t. I just received holy power from Luminous.” “Holy power? Ah, that makes sense. So, is this the scent of lilac flowers then?”
Marie also knew about the myths well, so she noticed that the scent coming from my body was that of lilac flowers. However, she continued to press her face against my body to smell it.
With a warm smile, I carefully stroked her white hair, as if she were a puppy trying to recognize her owner’s scent. Coincidentally, as Marie, who had her face pressed against my chest, received my gentle touch on her head, she pulled her head away and met my gaze exactly. Her clear blue eyes were truly adorable.
“It’s not too strong, is it?”
“Yeah! I really like it. How long will this last?”
“Well, I’m not sure. Probably for a while. I plan to go to the temple every weekend.”
The method that Luminous told me is very simple. After receiving enough holy power for the lilac scent to emanate, all you have to do is exercise more vigorously than usual. Since holy power relieves the burden on the body, physical strength can be increased dramatically, and the amount of holy power consumed increased as the intensity did.
It’s a very simple principle, but are knights really just knights for nothing? Since sincerity and patience are important, it may seem simple but is a difficult task.
“Why a temple? Even if it’s bothersome?”
“… …”
I heard that question and stared at Marie. A woman who receives love is beautiful in itself, but Marie has become more and more beautiful as the days went by.
Her snow-white hair gleamed as if light were reflecting off it, and her skin, despite not receiving any special care, was incredibly elastic.
Perhaps it was because of her growth phase, or maybe there was another reason, but her figure was also improving rapidly.
She was completely transforming from the appearance of a young girl into a full-fledged adult.
“Huh?”
“Yeah, why am I so tired because of someone else?”
When I pinched her cheek, she made a cute sound for a moment, then blinked at the words that followed.
Afterward, she herself smiled, seemingly embarrassed by something.
“Anyway, it’s better than being a bachelor. I’ve been more careful lately.”
My cute girlfriend defended herself with pronunciation that was all wrinkled up due to the pinching of her cheek.
I indulged in stroking her cheek to my heart’s content, enjoying the taut and springy feeling, and it was worth seeing Marie’s face getting messed up here and there.
I pressed her cheeks like steamed buns and then let go as I opened my mouth.
“Yeah, thankfully, you’ve been more self-controlled lately. Just before the break, it seemed like there was no sign of the burning firewood going out.”
“That’s the old days. Besides, the fire goes out if there’s no fuel. I also felt like it suddenly went out at some point.”
“Are you saying that you like me less than before?”
“Oh, come on. I was just using a metaphor, my desire is the same, and I still like Isaac. Isn’t it enough that you’re right here?”
Marie grabbed my arm while speaking in an affectionate tone, even rubbing her cheek against me like a puppy. Until recently, Marie had been becoming more demanding, but nowadays, she was showing more affection. In contrast, Cecily, as before, was becoming more demanding, just as Marie used to be.
Though our bodies were tired, our hearts were at peace, radiating different charms. Honestly, compared to my previous life, I could say that I was living a blessed life.
Sniff-sniff sniff
“Can you please stop sniffing me?”
“Just a little longer. It’s quite addictive.”
“Didn’t you say the same thing before?”
“Did I? Well, maybe you’re just that appealing. Is it the scent coming from your body, or is it coming from somewhere else? I suddenly became curious.”
“…”
Today, it’s confirmed that I’m heading straight to the inn once again. There was no desire in Marie’s gaze, but on the contrary, it was filled with curiosity.
I think we might go to the inn to satisfy that curiosity. I forced a smile and changed the subject. There’s a question I wanted to ask Marie.
“By the way, Marie, do you happen to know anything about Leona?”
“Huh? Ah, that girl with the reddish-brown hair? Of course, I know her.”
The reason Marie knows Leona is simple. Leona has an exemplary image among students of the same grade. She’s always diligent in class and participates in almost every class. Her passion for knowledge was exceptional, earning her the favor of many professors. Moreover, her beauty was outstanding, and her lion-like mane of hair made her easily recognizable among her peers.
“That girl didn’t attend this class. I’m curious if she attended any other classes apart from history.”
“Well… no? She didn’t attend any other classes either. Maybe there’s some reason.”
“Hmm…”
The fact that Leona, who used to attend all classes, is absent from all of them… It’s undoubtedly related to the Animers. Perhaps she went outside the Halo Academy to avoid being noticed by others. I also feel concerned indirectly because I might have some responsibility in this.
From the very beginning, Leona had concealed his identity to gain knowledge and had entered the Halo Academy. Given her complex family background, it was highly likely that complicated circumstances were at play, much like Adelia.
“By the way, what about Leona?”
“The professor asked about her. Well, everyone has personal reasons, you know.”
“That’s true.”
Isaac thought deeply about how he could help Leona, but he couldn’t find any suitable way. During the similar incident with the Half-Blood Crisis, Arwen could have asked for his help, but the conditions were entirely different. Arwen knew that he was Xenon and, besides, she was an elf. She could request help anytime, anywhere.
On the other hand, Leona had no idea that he was Xenon. It was a very ambiguous situation for her to request help from his side.
“Isaac.”
“Yeah?”
“What do you think about the Animers situation? It’s been quite chaotic lately.”
I was momentarily lost in thought, but when Marie asked such a question, I couldn’t help but feel surprised. I hesitated for a moment and then regained my composure.
The current situation with Animer was so serious that it wouldn’t be surprising if a civil war broke out at any moment. Knowing that a major disaster could occur if they fought each other, they remained silent, like a powder keg. So, it was likely that the world was watching closely.
A king who adheres to tradition, and on the contrary, vassals who believe tradition should be discarded. From a distance, it may seem like a battle between the two, but fundamentally, it’s a fight over the identity of the beastmen.
Due to the sacred duel, doubts began to arise about the tradition and culture that had united the beastmen into one.
“Well… it’s more complicated than I thought. Tradition is something that beastmen cannot easily let go of. Do you know about Hick?”
“No. I don’t. Who is he?”
“You can think of him as the wealthiest of the beastmen and the founding king. He was the hero who gathered the scattered beastmen from all over the world after the tribal war 300 years ago. However, the problem is that when he united the beastmen tribes, he made clever use of tradition.”
Hick was a beastmen who, like the Elven warriors, was incredibly strong among those who fought in the tribal war. Naturally, his fame was not only known among the beastmen but also among the humans who were once his enemies.
However, no matter how powerful an individual with strong military force might be, he could only witness beastmen indiscriminately being slaughtered by humans because they united.
If he were an ordinary beastman, he would have been enraged and would have been a great calamity to others. However, Hick suppressed his ‘anger’ and began by addressing the fundamental issues one by one. As a result, he realized that the beastmen could not unite as one and were scattered.
“Hick applied for the sacred duel to each tribe through an unbelievable show of force. But the interesting thing is that he didn’t apply for the sacred duel recklessly. If you look at the records, 60% were persuaded, 30% passed through the sacred duel, and 10% were others. And even those who lost the sacred duel didn’t lose their life.”
“He didn’t take their lives? If you forcibly bring in people who don’t want to come under you, won’t nine out of ten become rebellious?”
Marie asked with a puzzled expression. In fact, it’s a downside of the sacred duel. The outcome is determined by victory or defeat regardless of the other person’s intentions. In other words, it means you have to follow it no matter what complaints you may have. In the worst case, you could lose your life.
The tradition of the sacred duel is good for enforcing your will, but it comes with countless downsides.
“Yeah, that’s why if you didn’t want to go through with it, he would have to kill you. It’s a kind of choice he gave. He defeated them in the sacred duel, but then gave them the final choice.”
“Wouldn’t that be seen as an insult? In your book, you said that in the sacred duel, you must always follow the winner’s decision.”
“That’s also true. But Hcik never ‘forced’ anyone. He simply gave them a choice. Most of the time, it’s the other side that initiates the sacred duel. Hick respected the other person’s wishes and didn’t shed unnecessary blood.”
“Oh… there was a reason he could become the king. With that kind of inclusiveness, he had no choice but to become a king.”
“Yeah. That’s true, but…”
I looked up at the sky with a perplexed expression. Like Hick’s example, traditions and cultures tend to deteriorate as time goes by. This phenomenon was evident in the current Animers.
For the beastmen, tradition played a crucial role in uniting the community, but that was about it. To maintain it, flexibility was necessary, but tradition was hindering that.
You could say the situation in Alvenheim was similar to the Elder’s Council. Tradition united the race, but it was gradually decaying.
The dilemma Animers faced was similar to wanting to eliminate tradition, which is both the country’s asset and the foundation of its establishment, tarnishing Hick’s reputation. Yet, preserving it jeopardizes the nation’s existence.
Animers found themselves in a precarious situation.
“It’s ironic that this tradition, which is currently dividing the nation, has led to this situation.”
“Hmm… do you have any solutions in mind? We’ve faced similar situations before.”
Marie mentioned, referring to the mixed-blood issue, as she knew about Arwen’s relationship with me.
“The situation is quite different from what it was back then. This isn’t something that can be resolved with a speech. It involves tampering with a tradition that once united the tribes. Moreover, the sacred duel places more importance on pure force than politics or strategy, so they might encounter resistance.”
“It’s more complicated than I thought.”
“Indeed. If I were to suggest a solution… they’d have to adapt the sacred duel tradition to the current circumstances. It’s no longer about tribes; it’s about the nation now. For example…”
“For example?”
“The sacred duel as some kind of tournament… Wait a moment.”
This voice wasn’t Marie’s, and it didn’t come from beside me either. I blinked and turned around to see what was happening.
To my surprise, a copper-haired beastwoman named Leona, whom I couldn’t even tell had come close, was eavesdropping on our conversation from behind.
“Could you please tell me quickly?”
Desperation filled her golden eyes.
Translators note:
