Ch.272Just the Two of Us Snack Time

Despite spending an intimate night with four women, for some reason I woke up at 5 AM.

The women who shared last night’s pleasures had returned to their own rooms to sleep.

It couldn’t be helped since each room in the residential area only had a single-sized bed.

“This shows a lack of consideration for marriage and child-rearing. At least a family of three should be able to sleep together.”

I don’t know what ancient dwarven life was like, but this efficiency-obsessed building layout makes me think it’s the consequence of having only engineering nerds involved in the architecture.

Anyway, I was completely awake now, and lying in bed would be pointless. It was too early to intrude on any of the women’s rooms and disturb their sleep.

After hesitating briefly, I got out of bed and decided to grab a light snack.

“Let’s see. The dining hall should be this way… Ah, here it is.”

The residential area has a communal dining hall on each floor, with storage rooms filled with food grown inside the Technopolis.

Even though the residents had been wiped out, food production and maintenance had continued.

Although the available items are currently limited to wheat, corn, and a few types of vegetables, once more residents move in and the Technopolis reaches 100% of its potential, meat production through livestock facilities and hatcheries will become possible.

The kitchen at the back of the dining hall is equipped with magical ranges and ovens that use flame magic, along with clean pans, pots, and various cooking utensils.

Of course, I could use the crafting tablet instead of cooking in the kitchen, but…

‘The tablet is in Iris’s bag right now.’

I didn’t want to go in and risk waking her up, and it didn’t seem right to sneak into Iris’s room at this hour.

Fortunately, I had the Cup of Glory with me, so I would only need to use some cooking oil from the dining hall’s supplies.

‘Whoosh’

Following the instructions posted on the kitchen wall, I ignited the magical range, placed a frying pan on it, and added a drop of cooking oil.

While the pan was heating up, I filled the Cup of Glory with today’s snack ingredient: “pancake batter.”

Unlike noodles or bread, pancake batter is a viscous liquid, making it possible to summon with the Cup of Glory.

I’d only recently realized that it could serve as an unlimited emergency food supply as long as I had fire and a frying pan.

‘Sizzle~’

“Mmm~ smells good.”

While it’s convenient to make things instantly with the crafting tablet, occasionally making things by hand isn’t bad either.

These freshly made pancakes become even more perfect when paired with butter and honey.

“As if I knew this would happen~ I deserve a round of applause~ for carrying honey and butter in my pouch~”

“Wow~ clap, clap, clap, clap.”

“Whoa! You startled me!?”

As I came out humming a self-congratulatory tune while carrying the plate of pancakes, Iris greeted me with applause.

When did she enter the dining hall? I hadn’t heard any footsteps or the door opening!

“Weren’t you sleeping?”

“My room is right across from here. I woke up a bit early and caught the delicious smell wafting in.”

“…Want to eat together?”

“Is that okay?”

“Sure, I still have plenty of batter left.”

A heartwarming scene unfolds as we sit across from each other at the table, amicably sharing pancakes.

Being alone with my girlfriend’s older sister, especially when everyone else is asleep, creates a somewhat awkward situation…

“This is actually perfect timing. Since we have a chance to talk alone, there’s something I want to ask.”

“My, if you’re looking for a fling, I’m always available?”

“Yeah, about that.”

“Huh?”

“Answer me honestly. How much of your flirtatious behavior toward me is genuine?”

Iris, who had been maintaining her usual light-hearted attitude of being ‘available for intimacy,’ seemed slightly taken aback by my serious tone.

“Come to think of it, you’ve been unusually friendly toward me since we first met. I could understand if it was gratitude for saving you from the Dark Elves, but even then, willingly offering yourself to a man you just met… especially one who’s involved with several women, including your own sister, was difficult to comprehend.”

“Don’t you have enough self-confidence to believe you’re attractive enough to charm women of any race?”

“Unfortunately, my self-esteem isn’t quite that high. I doubt I’m worth throwing away the mission of a woman who can only have one man’s child in her lifetime and who carries the fate of her clan.”

Even giving the benefit of the doubt, in Phillis’s case, breaking away from elven society to be with me isn’t a major issue.

Roberta, the former captain, will lead the Guardian unit of the Willow Sanctuary well, and even without the Guardian Captain position, Phillis could always return to help if her homeland faced danger.

But Iris is the Elder successor of the Willow Sanctuary. She’s essentially a princess who’s only awaiting her coronation ceremony.

For someone like that to lose her virginity to a pioneer man, not even as a potential spouse but as a mere slave?

If I were in her position, I’d order Roberta to lead the Guardian unit and bring me that damned scoundrel’s head immediately.

“Aren’t you worrying unnecessarily? Blood relations don’t matter for succeeding as Elder, and being with a man of another race doesn’t disqualify me from becoming Elder. As a man, aren’t you tempted by the opportunity to have both beautiful elven sisters?”

“…It would be a lie to say I’m not tempted at all.”

“Exactly.”

“But that’s only if both beautiful elven sisters genuinely like me.”

When I said that, Iris’s fork, which had been busily traveling between the pancake plate and her mouth, stopped for the first time.

Her face still maintained a carefree smile, but when her behavior revealed so much, I couldn’t pretend not to notice.

“Phillis said you wouldn’t have forgotten your awareness as the Elder successor. She also mentioned you must have given deep thought to choosing a partner. But looking at your recent words and actions, it’s like…”

“Like I’m a woman desperate to sleep with a man?”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but you do seem to be in a hurry. It’s as if you’re prioritizing getting into bed over the feelings of both parties.”

“…If you’ve noticed that much, I can’t keep pretending.”

Iris put down her fork and spoke to me with a serious expression.

“Master… no, I’ll speak now as Iris Eidra, Phillis’s sister and the Elder successor of the Willow Sanctuary. You mentioned having interactions with other elves besides us sisters, correct?”

“Yes. We started searching for Arcane Words because we learned about them from an elf from the Olive Tree Sanctuary, and we also became quite close with the elves from the Chestnut Tree Sanctuary after resolving the incident there.”

“Then have you ever felt that your way of thinking or values don’t align well with those elves, especially their Elders?”

“Well… given our different lifespans and lifestyles, there are aspects that are difficult for humans to relate to.”

Answering Phillis’s question, I recalled what Garia had told me about elven life.

Elves begin to lose their individual identity around the age of 100, gradually assimilating into their sanctuary as part of a spiritual transformation.

As a result, elderly elves are far more conservative and stability-oriented than human elders, showing little interest or passion for anything, simply living quietly as observers.

What must it feel like to spend nearly 100 years in such a state until reaching life’s end?

It’s something difficult to imagine for humans living tumultuous lives.

“I was like most elves until I was kidnapped by Calliope. Perhaps my tendency was even stronger because I had been communing with the World Tree since childhood as part of my Elder training.”

“So you’re saying… your thinking has changed since the kidnapping?”

“Yes. More specifically, because of the magical barrier I used to shield myself from the mind control of Royce Reich, the transcendent Dark Elf.”

This was something I hadn’t heard before, and certainly not something to take lightly.

It was already established that Iris, who had been kidnapped by Calliope’s group, had protected her mind using magical means to avoid Royce Reich’s brainwashing.

But her saying that her thinking had changed—that her mindset and values had shifted—could potentially mean that some subtle influence from the brainwashing remained.

As if reading my thoughts, Iris slowly shook her head to reassure me.

“You don’t need to worry. My mind is perfectly normal. I can assert with certainty that I wasn’t influenced by Royce Reich at all.”

“That’s a relief. Then what caused this change in your outlook?”

Could it be that she felt her youth was too precious to spend growing old as a sanctuary Elder?

Or perhaps jealousy that her younger sister Phillis had found new happiness beyond life in the sanctuary?

While I was mentally running through various possibilities, what came out of Iris’s mouth was far more shocking than any of these trivial speculations.

“Thanks to that magical barrier, I was freed not only from Royce Reich’s influence but also from the World Tree’s brainwashing.”

…What in the world is she talking about?