I overdid it.
Maybe I got a bit excited by the mention that Elven liquor was good for men. Over the last few days, I drank like a madman, practically using it as a substitute for water.
Of course, I wasn’t drinking mindlessly. I could dispel the intoxication with mana manipulation, and even if not, my body would get stronger, so I thought it wouldn’t be a problem.
To make a slight excuse, since I could use the Dragon Transformation, it felt like several limiters were released.
In old tales, don’t dragons always do things to excess?
Piling up treasures like mountains, abducting a country’s princess after chasing women, or building the world’s largest library out of a love for knowledge.
I was exactly like that.
I didn’t get drunk thanks to frequently using mana, but I got intoxicated by the unexpectedly potent effects, one might say.
No exaggeration; it was truly like a magic elixir, specifically in terms of stamina.
It wasn’t that I was lacking before, but more strength in such matters is always better, right? Considering how many women I had…
…At least, I should be able to handle six consecutive rounds.
Now, here was the problem.
I was satisfied with the effects, and I didn’t fail to do what I needed to even if I was heavily drunk. So, what exactly was overdone?
The problem arose from a pletely unexpected place.
“My erection won’t go down…”
“Shall I take care of it for you, Master?”
“I was just with Faye, yet it’s still like this. A few more rounds won’t cut it.”
Letting out a deep sigh, Iona, who was listening nearby, giggled and patted my butt.
“See? You should have drunk in moderation! It’s not like you were lacking anything, why drink so greedily?”
“When I had my last enlightenment, I experienced post-nut clarity after a long while, so I felt the need…”
“Yandel, that’s normal. Anyway, since we’re almost at Yggdrasil, you want to deal with this quickly, right?”
“Yes. It’s one thing to meet the Chancellor with a tent in my pants.”
“Okay! Okay! Leave it to Professor Iona! I can figure out the cause, at least!”
Saying so, Iona flicked her fingers. Reacting to the familiar gesture, I reflexively offered my neck, and she bit down without hesitation.
Nom.
Iona sucked just one long gulp of blood.
Licking her now blood-stained tongue, she savored the taste for a while before nodding confidently.
“This should be manageable! It’s a temporary fix, but the effect will be certain!”
“As expected of Professor Iona! I trusted you! What was the problem?”
“Huh? Huh? It’s nothing big. You just consumed too much, so the effects weren’t fully absorbed, leaving some in your system causing side effects. It’ll go away with time, but I can take care of it until then.” ʀаɴỘʙƐṩ
“Oh! How?”
“Simple. Just by sucking blood from down there…”
“I’ll live with it until I die.”
When I said it with a straight face, Iona laughed heartily.
“Just kidding! Kidding! All I need to do is suck a lot of blood from somewhere else! Your body will focus on recovering the lost blood, so it won’t send any down there for a while!”
“What? That’s all? Then, when we arrive at Yggdrasil, I’ll ask for your help.”
“Ah, if it’s okay, could you…”
“You want to drink while I’m in dragon form? No problem.”
I nodded cheerfully, and Iona jumped up, shouting.
“Iona’s great victory!”
It was kind of cute.
A few hours later.
After arriving at Yggdrasil, we returned Nidhogg to its original state and descended with the carriage.
Naturally, I had Iona suck my blood to temporarily suppress the unexpected side effects.
With a sigh of relief, stepping out of Nidhogg, there were elves who appeared to work under Chancellor Milone waiting to greet us.
Perhaps the expected arrival time was municated when we set off from Nidhogg?
Interestingly, they were all dressed in something akin to suits, and among them, the man at the forefront, wearing particularly ornate clothing, bowed respectfully.
“Wele, Count Lindelheit. It is truly an honor that you have e to Alfheim.”
“…Ah, thank you for the wele.”
For a moment, I was startled, wondering who Count Lindelheit was. Realizing it was me a beat later, I was about to bow back, but…
“You honor me too much. Please, lower your speech. Though we handle Alfheim’s public affairs, we are but mere moners.”
“…”
With him bowing even deeper and more sincerely than I, I barely managed to nod in acknowledgment.
Instead, I spoke with a slightly lowered, solemn voice.
“So be it.”
“I’m grateful for the Count’s generosity.”
I clearly spoke informally, yet I was thanked for it, an odd situation. Maybe he was grateful I plied with his request?
Now that I thought about it, this was the first time I’d been treated like a Count since receiving the title, having holed up in the Academy right after.
This… is power?
While I was dazed by this newfound power, fortunately, they spoke first.
“I am Eda, the First Secretary under Chancellor Milone. Would you honor me by allowing me to acpany you, Count?”
“I permit it.”
“Yes. Then, regarding the carriage…”
“The treasure of the Church of Righteous Radiance, handle it with utmost respect. Pay special attention to the horses.”
“I will strive to meet your expectations.”
Eda bowed again and signaled to his subordinates behind him.
It was just a slight, casual signal, but the acpanying officers, dressed in uniforms similar to Eda’s, understood perfectly, taking the reins from Helena.
These uniforms matched well with the slender physique of the elves, looking quite fitting.
Since a world where everyone wore school uniforms at the Academy existed, it wasn’t strange for there to be uniforms resembling formal attire.
However, elves, due to their long average lifespan, were less prone to follow trends and preferred a more classical style.
There must be a reason for these elves to wear uniforms.
On Earth, there were stories about H&A developers having a uniform fetish, but here, there was a proper setting attached.
Before the Great War, even though they were children born before being gods, nothing was as sacred to elves as their lineage, which continued the cycle of life.
Hence, the kings and queens of Alfheim were always chosen from among the High Elves, and even those not chosen lived a luxurious life as royalty.
No one questioned or opposed this. It was natural; after all, one was born as a descendant of a god in a world where gods existed.
But the problem arose when the War of the Gods broke out.
It was revealed that while the lineage of High Elves was noble, they were not significantly different from other elves in other respects.
Cowards who fled from enemies, inpetent ones who insisted on flawed tactics leading to needless losses among their own, fools who demanded sacrifices from their subordinates just to save themselves, and so on.
After countless sacrifices, the elves of Alfheim realized that High Elves were not necessarily superior by default.
So, they fervently prayed to the Circulating Life, who was like their mother.
In the midst of the urgent war, the Circulating Life acknowledged the reasonableness of their wishes.
Thus, High Elves lost real power, falling to mere religious symbols, still holding the title of monarchs of Alfheim but only in name.
If High Elves reigned but did not rule, who governed Alfheim?
The answer was simple. The most capable, regardless of origin, became Chancellor and the de facto ruler.
Thanks to this, Alfheim, which was on the brink of destruction, managed to revive itself and had maintained that system until now.
And those uniforms symbolized that one had proven their capability and fought for a better future, attire exclusively for the Chancellor and their officials.
Because of this background, despite being High Elves, Iris and Elisha were shunned by Alfheim as soon as their slave status was confirmed.
In the eyes of modern elves, High Elves were sacred but not inviolable.
I glanced at Iris and Elisha. Fortunately, they showed no signs of disfort, walking behind me, and even smiling when our eyes met.
They must have e to terms with it long ago.
Rather, Pamela’s family was anxiously watching Iris and Elisha.
Well, Elisha was wrongly accused from the start, so she’d be reinstated with this opportunity. That should be fine, but as for Iris…
Um… fighting!
For no reason, I patted Iris’s white hair.
She tilted her head in confusion but then laughed happily at the pat.
Yes, if you’re happy, that’s all that matters…
Anyway, we followed Eda’s group to the surface. We soon reached an exit, and when we stepped out…
“Huh.”
A wide-open space. A vast city filled our view.
Buildings made of wood and grass, much more sophisticated than the theme park at the entrance of the Great Forest.
I had seen this scene in H&A once, but seeing it in person was different. But the real spectacle was something else.
The city had a mystical atmosphere, and at its center stood a single tree, its branches stretching up to the sky and spreading wide as if to envelop the world.
The World Tree.
The avatar of the Circulating Life and the spiritual pillar of the elves was watching us.
…What? If the tree is this big, isn’t it okay to eat one of its leaves?
I touched the leaf of the World Tree in my pocket, tilting my head in wonder.
For some reason, I felt a slight vibration at my fingertips, but it must have been my imagination.
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