Ch.100Appointment (1)

Aura is the power of the soul.

More precisely, it’s the power gained when the soul and body achieve unity, but simply put, that’s what it is.

The body is already a complete machine, and most people die without exceeding their originally designed lifespan.

But the soul is both blueprint and factory; when the soul achieves unity with the body, it means gaining the power to repair and maintain the machine that is the body.

That’s why knights who wield aura gain tremendous power beyond human limitations, which is no different from replacing broken parts with new ones manufactured in a factory.

The characteristics of an aura awakener are tremendous enhancement of physical abilities and the manifestation of special powers called aura.

Blow and Maintain.

Blow refers to that blue light commonly overlaid on sword blades or arrowheads, while Maintain means ultra-high-speed regeneration ability and hyper-acceleration ability.

For me, Blow is limited to using it just five or six times in a single battle. But they say that at the Steel rank, one can thinly overlay Blow to achieve maximum power with minimum output.

The same goes for Maintain.

I can only recover my body after a day of exhausting horseback riding, but they say that at the Steel rank, one can see and cut bullets with their eyes.

And so now I was heading to the nearest branch of the Relief Knight Order to become a knight who uses aura.

“When I become a knight, I’ll finally have a surname.”

“What will you choose, sir?”

“Walker.”

I liked the word Walker.

It was a word imbued with the conviction of walking steadily toward or for something.

Not like Runner—a blind pursuit of purpose—but an existence with the leisure to look back at the path traveled.

That’s why I named our party Iron Walker.

“Victor Walker… that’s a good name.”

“Laisha Walker… hehehe…”

Laisha seemed to like it too. She twisted her body in front of me and giggled.

Right now, her surname is Wayne.

Replacing the name passed down from her father with mine was, well…

It felt thrilling.

“Simon? How much further do we have to go?”

“We need to ride for two straight days.”

“Then let’s go as far as that hill over there and rest for today.”

“Agreed.”

I pointed to a low hill visible in the distance, and my companions nodded in agreement.

Soon we rode for six hours to reach it, dismounted, and began setting up camp.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The tent pegs made crisp sounds as they were driven into the ground.

Inside the tautly inflated tent, bedding was set up where two people could sleep comfortably, and I lay down on one of them.

Before long, Laisha came and lay down beside me, tucking my arm between her enormous breasts.

Her behavior, like a human-sized heating pad, was incredibly endearing, and I stroked her head.

She then quietly began to lick my fingers, and I knew this was a gesture showing a wife’s submission to her husband.

Because it was the husband’s hands that provided what went into the wife’s mouth.

Soon the party members would have to prepare their own meals.

Since Laisha would become my wife, it was unthinkable for someone’s wife to prepare meals for non-family members except when entertaining guests.

And naturally, my companions were neither guests nor family.

This was common sense, and demanding something inappropriate to one’s position would be extremely rude.

That’s why everyone understood when Laisha wasn’t preparing meals for them now.

The time when they could get food from my woman had passed; they would have to cook for themselves.

“Ack! That’s sugar, not salt!”

“Damn it… I already put in two spoonfuls…”

“Can’t you use some purification magic?”

“Would you rather drink plain water?”

From beyond the tent, I could hear Simon and the elf sisters cooking.

It didn’t sound like things were going well, but that was no longer my concern.

With so many edible things available, if they managed to make something inedible, that would be a talent in itself.

“Waaah! Fire!”

“Cover it! Cover it with the lid!”

…

What on earth were they making?

Wondering this, I took out some jerky from my spatial storage and put it in my mouth.

Soon Laisha turned her body and bit into the jerky too, and we enjoyed a salty kiss on top of the sleeping bag.

“You said you’d make elven cuisine! You damned pointy-ears!”

“Whatever an elf makes is elven cuisine, old man!”

And until we finished our modest meal, boisterous sounds continued to echo from outside the tent.

*

The next morning.

After packing up the tent and mounting my horse, I approached Simon, who looked haggard.

“What exactly did you make to eat last night?”

I couldn’t contain my curiosity.

“Something that was neither steamed, grilled, stir-fried, nor soup, I’d say.”

Simon answered with a disgusted tone.

“Was it actually food?”

When I grimaced at his explanation-like non-explanation, Simon cleared his throat.

“Ahem! But it tasted good.”

“Sure. At least it definitely had a burnt flavor.”

When I hinted at what I’d heard all night, Simon scratched his head with a caught-in-the-act expression.

“…You heard?”

“Very clearly.”

Lucia, who appeared to be the culprit, avoided my gaze, and Simon awkwardly cleared his throat again.

Casia, the only one meeting my eyes, just smiled sheepishly.

“Anyway… will you hold the wedding right after getting knighted at the Relief Knight Order?”

Simon changed the subject.

“I suppose so.”

“Then ask the knights to perform both ceremonies for you. It’s faster and cheaper that way.”

“Is it easier to bundle them together?”

“Of course—they just need to recite a few more prayers.”

Simon nodded and pointed the tip of his staff toward Laisha.

“Isn’t that much better than making a woman like her wait for three years?”

“Certainly.”

I nodded in agreement with his words.

The Relief Knight Order was a military organization of the Four Gods Faith established since the Era of the Eclipse, but like all military groups, it needed a minimum of non-combat personnel to function.

The most famous among them were the Order’s inquisitors, who traveled around the world burning heretics to death.

These heretics were mainly those who broke their vows, particularly those who deliberately avoided sexual relations despite being married, or lived separately.

Couples bound by secular law might overlook such things, but it was a different matter for those who had sworn eternal love and passion to each other in the name of Medina before the priests of the Relief Knight Order.

To be married under oath to Medina, the Goddess of Love, and then not be faithful to each other was to deceive and insult the deity.

With Medina’s blessing, on the premise of maintaining premarital chastity, one could only find satisfaction through sexual acts with their spouse, and even if extramarital affairs occurred, a blessing prevented the outsider’s essence from defiling the body.

Despite such blessings, not being faithful to each other was a very serious matter. First, they would advise restoring the marital relationship, then suggest recovery through counseling or education.

However, if they judged that the marital relationship had reached an irreversible rupture in any way, only then would they condemn the man and woman who had fallen into heresy.

“From now on, you just need to follow my words. Understand?”

“Yes… Sir Victor…”

She kissed me, and as I rode, I struggled to keep hold of her tongue.

“A pair that Medina will approve of is about to be formed.”

Simon looked at us with a contented smile, like a grandfather watching his grandchildren’s antics. Lucia pouted with an envious expression.

“Ugh… why aren’t there elf men like that?”

“I want to be smooched all over too.”

They envied human passion.

Elves, being an immortal race, had less emotional fluctuation.

Of course, these sisters were young even by elven standards, and having grown up among humans, their way of thinking was more similar to humans.

Men like me—proactive, dynamic, passionate, and capable—would be hard to find among elves.

“I know the reason for that. Want to know?”

When I spoke with a smile, the sisters nodded vigorously.

“Male elves never carry water jugs, that’s why.”

“…”

“So from now on, keep an eye on elf men who climb the World Tree to collect sap.”

The elf sisters silently glared at me.