Chapter 8: Goshujin-sama to Yuku Isekai Survival! Chapter 8
Hereâs another one sponsored by Patreon, enjoy~
After finishing the iron refining process with the small furnace, I am once again in Sylphyâs home. Judging from the slope of the sun, it must be evening soon. The lightâs color has not yet turned red, but the sunlight seems to be getting weaker somehow.
The interior of the room, which doesnât have so many windows, is somewhat dim, but I donât feel a sense of desolation or creepiness. But the air is somehow languid; perhaps it is because Iâm tired.
âBy the way, where should I sleep? Can I put a hammock in a suitable spot in this living room?â
I asked as we walked back into the house from the garden. Sylphy quickly sat down on the wicker couch and stretched out on it, showing off his toned limbs. Yeah, truly. This woman has a really good body.
âI donât mind, but⊠you can sleep with me in my bed, you know?â
âSeriously? That kind of bothers me.â
Sylphy smiles charmingly and sends me a flirtatious glance. Iâm too scared to accept it on par. This person is likely able to twist off my neck even with her bare hands.
âIâm scared, so Iâll refrain from doing so. When we understand each other a little better, Iâll appreciate that sort of thing.â
âWhat do you mean by scared?â
Sylphyâs lips quirked up in frustration. You have a look like that, huh? Itâs much cuter than that smirk on your face.
âI still donât understand you very well. At first, I thought what a violent woman you are, but when I talked to you, I found you to be a very perceptive person, and for whatever reason, you helped me out. I donât know why, but you seem to be a person of considerable standing in this village, and as far as I can see from the disturbing spoils of war in the storage room, youâre someone who doesnât hesitate to use violence. And yet, there are times when you also appear to be somewhat innocent. I donât understand it, and I canât figure it out. I mean, Iâm afraid to lay my hands on someone like that suddenly.â
ââŠ..â
I decided to speak my mind in good earnest, not hiding any of my feelings. It may have been a little teasing for her, but for me, itâs a choice that affects my life. Sylphy is a knowledgeable personâor rather, an elf? Or a dark elf? Iâm not that good to express my feelings without words or gestures, so it would be useless for me to try to deceive people by hiding my innermost thoughts. Iâve decided that itâs more effective to reveal my feelings without hiding them openly.
âWell, I donât know what it is, and Iâd like to know better. Iâm sure some things will come to light when we get under each otherâs skin, but I think itâs better to talk about things first, donât you think? As for me, yeah, I donât have a single complaint about being that way with Sylphy; Iâm more of a happy or patient person.â
âFor all your long-winded mouthing off about how scared you are, youâre finally lusting after me, arenât you?â
âThey say itâs a manâs shame not to eat a meal prepared on the table, so maybe a little.â
âPrepared meal on the table? What does that mean?â
Sylphy tilted her head in puzzlement. Yes, you should show gestures and expressions like that. If I look closely at her, she has a cute face rather than a beautiful one.
âItâs an old saying in my country that says itâs a shame for a man not to accept a womanâs call.â
âOh, you mean, when the furnace is ready, itâs time to put the dough in the furnace?â
âI guess there are similar sayings and idioms in every country and every world.â
Itâs so funny that I canât help but laugh. After all, even if we live in different places and even if we live in different worlds, what we do and what we say is the same.
âHmm, then, letâs discuss this carefully. Fortunately, I just need to eat dinner and go to bed now.â
âOkay. Well, letâs talk about my worldâs view of chastity and love first. That is the topic now.â
Sylphy grinned as if she was looking forward to hearing about the other world, no matter what it is. I donât see any feelings of embarrassment or anything at all from her, even though itâs a relatively sensitive topic!
âNot so bad. But, you see, whatâs that love thingy? I know what chastity is, though.â
âEh? Itâs love, you know? Love. Donât elves have a love story or stuff like that?â
Sylphy only made a dubious expression at my question. Eh, seriously? Doesnât the concept of love exist in this world? Are you kidding me?
âLove, I know what you mean by that, well, I understand it as a concept. Iâve never been in love with anyone. So I donât really understand what love actually means. What on earth is that?â
âEeh⊠itâs hard to tell what it is again. Itâs the stage before reaching love, or something like that? The opposite sexâmaybe not necessarily the opposite sex in some cases, but a state of mind where all you can think about is the other person, and you canât get anything out of them anyway?â
ââŠIsnât that simply lusting after that person?â
âThatâs actually a bullâs eye! That sounds like something a platonic, romantic supremacist would attack you with a weapon! Well, okay, itâs a pain in the ass to explain any more, so tell me about chastity and love in this world. I might be able to explain a lot more after I hear you talk about it.â
âWell, thatâs okay.â
With that, Sylphy began to talk about the relationship between men and women in this world.
To summarize, polygamy is the basic principle. The death rate is high because men often work in dangerous jobs, and women are less likely to do so. This means that many women are widowed, and those women are often welcomed as second and third wives. Furthermore, people in this world are basically childless because of the lack of entertainment available about that kind of stuff.
Daughters of first marriages are generally stable, but widows who have lost their husbands are not so firm. Not many women able to have sexual intercourse because of the husbandâs death, and they usually marry a new man. Apparently, men who provide for many such widows tend to be respected in the world.
âHmm, thatâs quite⊠no, thatâs considerably far off from my common sense.â
âIn your world, you said itâs a virtue to be with just one person. Even royalty and aristocrats donât live like that today, huh?â
âU-umu.â
As for me, I canât help but groan. It is said that you should follow the land rules, but it is still hard to violate the common sense that I have developed so far.
âFor the time being, Iâm going to ask you based on that common sense⊠Youâre a virgin, arenât you? Isnât it hard for you to carry yourself?â
I donât know if âVirginâ in this case simply means first marriage or if it means that Sylphy is a virgin, but I wonder if itâs a good idea to casually permitting oneâs body to call oneself a maiden.
âDoes it take logic for a man to want a woman and a woman to want a man?â
âWhat kind of animal is that?â
âThereâs not much difference between humans and animals anyway.â
âYouâre so philosophical! Okay, okay, Iâm done talking about this! Letâs talk about something else!â
Sylphy smirked at me. I feel like Iâm slowly being cornered. Itâs dangerous; I have to get away! But thereâs nowhere to run, even if I wanted to! Is it a dead end? Yeah, letâs talk about it as much as we can in a moderate direction. Itâs the least I can do.
âIt canât be helped, can it? Well, how about some foreign countries? The situation in neighboring countries is a topic that directly affects you as well, right?â
âYes, thatâs right. Iâve heard it lightly, but Iâd like to hear more about it.â
âYes⊠I mentioned that the Holy Kingdom and the Empire are fighting each other, didnât I?â
âYeah, I heard that. I heard that the Holy Kingdom is a human supremacy country, and the empire is a multi-ethnic country. And theyâre fighting over the fertile land on their borders, and they have a quagmire with internal worries of rebellion and stuff; I think it was something like that.â
âUmu, thereâs no mistake in that perception. Letâs start with the Holy Kingdomââ.â
Sylphy gave me a brief overview of the Holy Kingdom. To summarize, the Holy Kingdom is a barbaric religious country. It is headed by the Holy King who believes in Adol, the absolute only God, and who was given the kingship by Adol.
Adol creates Sub-humans as servants of humans, so it is only natural for them to obey humans as slaves. Long live human supremacy! And so on.
âAccording to them, beings like us, who are not purely human, are the servants that God created to serve humans.â
âThatâs pretty spectacular, isnât it? What do they base that on, anyway?â
âHumans can have children with any sub-human. Sub-humans can only have children with other sub-humans of the same species. In other words, humans are the ancestors of all sub-humans. Conversely, the gods created sub-humans after they created humans, which is why they made sub-humans to serve humans or something like that.â
âHmm? It doesnât seem to make senseâŠâ
I think the position could be reversed, depending on how one interprets it. It could be said that the sub-humans are the evolutionary lineage of humans.
This human/subhuman origin story has a kind of science fiction feel to it. It sounds like sub-humans are genetically modified based on humans, or something like that. If their claims are valid, then it sounds like a being like Adol has advanced genetic improvement technology.
âWhatâs the Empire like?â
âThereâs not much I can tell you about the Empire; it is too far from here, after all. Itâs going to take three months on foot to get from the Black Forest to the border area between the Holy Kingdom and the Empireâthe very place that is now a battlefield.â
âThatâs quite a distance.â
Iâve heard that the distance a person can walk in a day without difficulty is about 30km. If you walk for three months without resting, it will be 900km in one month and 2700km in three months⊠It doesnât ring a bell, but itâs a considerable distance.
âIâve only heard of it through the grapevine, but Iâve heard that the Empire is governed by an emperor who has many states under his control, and the slave trade is thriving. Iâve heard that the slave trade is rampant and that people from the north and east of the continent of Pence are actively traded. Humans and subhumans alike.â
âIt doesnât feel like human supremacy, does it?â
âUmu, from what Iâve heard, there isnât much discrimination based on being human or subhuman. However, I heard that money and status are very important in everything you do. However, it seems that the treatment of the slave is not so good. Iâve heard that there are many slave rebellions.â
âI wish you wouldnât mistreat me to cause me to revolt. I mean, itâs more economical to treat people a certain way.â
âFumu, thatâs a statement worth considering.â
âIt would be nice if you did.â
I think a win-win relationship is the best way to go, yes.
âI think weâre getting thirsty talking like this.â
With those words, Sylphy pulled out two ceramic bottles from the cupboard near the window and handed me one. When she dropped it down, I could tell that it was filled with a liquid that splashed around inside.
âHoney booze, well, drink it.â
âBooze, huh? Iâm not very strong on booze, you know?â
I take the cork-like cap, following Sylphyâs example, who drinks it straightly from the bottle, while I take a glass to drink the honey wine. Itâs sweet! I was expecting honey, but itâs a completely different kind of sweetness from the sticky, creamy honey. Itâs different from honey. It smells very light and refreshing. It has a refreshing sweetness like the flowerâs nectar. I think the alcohol is quite strong as it goes down the throat. It does not seem to be lower than beer.
âItâs pretty strong. I think Iâm going to drunk if I drink a bottle of this.â
âWhat a weak guy. This is no better than water.â
âSo, youâre a heavy drinker, huh?â
Let me explain! A heavy drinker is a creature with a strong liver and no trouble at all with alcohol consumption! Also known as someone who can drink like a fish. Some of them will push alcoholic drinks on you with their own scale of âIâm okay, so youâll be okay too,â so be careful if you meet them!
âItâs sweet and strong for me, anyway. Let me put some water on it.â
âYou want to add more water?â
That being said, itâs hard to drink as it is. I poured the liquor into the wooden tumbler I had crafted beforehand and used a plastic bottle of water to dilute it. Itâs just right, about twice as much.
âIs that a water bottle?â
âYeah, itâs a common material in my world. Not very tough, but pretty good at taking impacts.â
If you damage it with a blade, it will be torn easily, but it wonât be damaged if you drop it. In this way, the plastic bottle is very useful material.
âHmm, itâs an interesting material. Itâs soft yet strong and transparent. What on earth is it made of?â
âThe material for plastic bottles, huh? âŠI donât know much about it either, but I think the original material was oil. Oil which comes out of the ground.â
âHow could oil become a container like this? Iâm not sure I understand how it works.â
Sylphy smiles as she fiddles with the plastic bottle. Somehow, she seems to be more curious than most people.
âThereâs a lot of them. You can keep some of them or store them in a place where they wonât be exposed to direct sunlight for a long time.â
âReally? Water in a water jug can go bad in three days at the most.â
âThat thing is well sterilized and sealed, so you should be able to store it for six months or a year without any problems. Not once itâs opened, though.â
âYou can store it for that long, huhâŠ? Thatâs fantastic technology.â
Somehow, she has been strangely impressed. But come to think of it, she said it would take ten days to traverse the wilderness on foot. If there are almost no water supply points, is the water that can be preserved quite valuable?
âUhm, where was our conversation earlier? Itâs about the empire, right? Are the Holy Kingdom and the Empire the only countries on this continent?â
âNo, thatâs not true. The Holy Kingdom and the Empire are the two most powerful on this continent. Still, there are countless other small countries that are also crowded out. Some of them are so powerful and medium-sized that those two countries have to be concerned about them. In the first place, the other side of the wilderness isnât exactly the territory of the Holy Kingdom, but the territory of its vassal state, the Kingdom of Merinard.â
âKingdom of Merinard. Whatâs it like?â
âOriginally, it was founded by a tribe of elves who left the Black Forest. A tribe that did not appreciate the mere enjoyment of life in the forest left the forest, crossed the wilderness, and beyond that took root and mingled with humans and beastmen to form a nation.â
Visit wuxiaworld.eu for extra chapters.
âSo, it was originally an elven country?â
âOriginally, yeah. Before it was conquered by the powerful Holy Kingdom and made into a vassal state, it was a country inhabited by a wide variety of races, like an empire. The Merinard Kingdom was small, but it had fertile plains and mines that produced good quality rock salt and iron, and it prospered from trade. They had friendly relations with the Black Forest elves, so their trading was very prosperous.â
Sylphy speaks with a lonely light in her eyes. Perhaps Sylphy was one of the elven clans that lived in the Merinard Kingdom.
âIt must have been about twenty years since it was considered a vassal state of the Holy Kingdom. It seems that there was a rebellion about three years ago, but it was put down by an army sent from the mainland. All of the residents in this village, except for the elves, are refugees from the Merinard Kingdom who fled at that time.â
âReally? Thatâs probably why the hostility towards humans is so⊠amazing.â
âThatâs right. But that doesnât mean there wasnât a single human in the Merinard Kingdom, to begin with, either. And I heard there were many human warriors among the rebel army.â
âReally? But there are no other humans in this village but me, right?â
âYes, but when they were defeated, the humans and sub-humans decided to split up and run away. It was decided that the sub-humans would flee the country, and the humans would either hide out inside the country or disappear under the influence of the Holy Kingdom. Itâs not difficult for humans to sneak into areas under the control of the Holy Kingdom.â
Is that really true? Is it possible that no one has ever set foot in these forests after leaving the people they fought with for that reason alone?
âYour question is valid, but itâs true. To be burned out of the place you lived, or to cross the Great Wilderness of Omit unprepared in defeat, is an act of suicide. In fact, many of those men scattered their lives in the wilderness by the time they reached the Black Forest. They were attacked by Gizma day and night with little food and water.â
That being said, I think the refugees were mostly women and children. I see.
âSo, Gizma is the name of the monster lurking in the wilderness?â
âYes. They lurk in packs on the ground and pounce on any prey that passes by. At night, they crawl out from under the ground and prowl, searching for their prey. They are fast, hard, and powerful. They are dangerous monsters. The Holy Kingdom will not show any mercy to sub-humans who plan to rebel. So the sub-humans had no choice but to flee to the Great Wilderness of Omit.â
I see, so the grueling journey was a major factor in the separation of the two sides. I donât want to run away to a place that risky for a human either anyway.
âYeah, that makes sense.â
âThatâs good to hear. Well, I think itâs time for you to start preparing our dinner.â
âWhat? Am I going to make it?â
âAre you going to let your master cook you a meal? Hmm?â
âDamn it⊠I donât know what to make anywaysâŠâ
We had a soup made of salted Lizarf meat and vegetables, a steak of salted and spiced Lizarf meat, and a salad with a mysterious grain flour bread baked like naan for dinner.
âItâs just normal. Arenât you a little lacking?â
âI ainât no chef! Itâs not that I didnât cook for myself, but donât expect me to cook something complicated. Itâs impossible to cook a decent meal with ingredients you donât even know existed.â
I stare at Sylphy while eating a salad made up of vegetables and fruits that are edible. Yeah, this green, unripe tomato-like fruit tastes and textures like a normal, ripe tomato even though itâs green. Maybe I can make a tomato sauce with this one.
âWell, itâs a matter of course. Youâll get used to it a little at a time.â
âYouâre gonna make me cook food no matter what?â
âYouâre the slave, and Iâm the master, so why shouldnât I be? You were forced to create such a position, so be patient. If you want to change your position, you should work that way, right?â
Sylphy chuckles as she stabs a green tomato in her two-way fork.
âGununuâŠâ
Come to think of it; I havenât been able to ask why Sylphy is trying to get into that kind of relationship with me after all. Damn, I should have questioned her properly at the right time before! No, thereâs always a chance to ask her. If only I had the guts to ask her, I could ask her right now.
All right⊠Iâm going to get my ass kicked then.
âHey, why are you trying to get into this⊠relationship with me?â
âNow, why is that? Why donât you figure it out for yourself?â
Iâm annoyed with Sylphy, who returns a smirk to the serious question. This is an important issue, you know. According to the way of this world, it should be a big problem for Sylphy. So why is this woman grinning like that?
âIâm asking because I donât understand.â
âYou think you can just ask, and youâll get everything you need, but youâre wrong.â
âHow could I know whatâs on your mind except for yourself? Iâm serious about this.â
I canât help but wrinkle my brow. But Sylphy doesnât show any signs of intimidation at the sight of me but only licks the honey wine with a grin and a smile. It seems that she has no intention of exposing her heart to me.
âItâs just a little bit of calculation and curiosity; the rest is just like instinct. Iâm not thinking about it all that much, either.â
âInstinct.â
âWhen you see a woman of your taste, donât you lust after her? Itâs the same thing. Itâs not a theory, though.â
It doesnât make any sense. Itâs not that Iâm good-looking. Thatâs not so much that I think Iâm ugly. Itâs just that I think I look like anyone anywhere. Iâm not fat, but Iâm not muscular either. I think Iâm probably a little taller than average, and I shouldnât have any outwardly noticeable features either.
âI donât know. Am I your kind of manâs favorite appearance?â
âAppearance isnât the only thing that matters.â
âI donât know anymore.â
Whatâs the relationship between Sylphy and me, after being attacked in bed and beaten to a pulp, and after a half-hearted discussion, protection⊠protection? Letâs just call it protection for now, though she did put a collar on me.
I was protected; I was dragged around the village. I even cooked a meal and showed her how to process the iron. Itâs really, really hard to know if sheâs serious or if sheâs teasing me since we arrived home and it was just the two of us.
Is it okay? Can I go? But itâs Sylphy. A master who could kill me with the tip of her finger if she wanted to? Is it okay to rush on her? Will I get punished?
It bothers me; it bothers me a lot. The fact that Sylphy is my type bothers me even more. Sheâs a beautiful brown-skinned elf with big boobs, you know? Thatâs just too much patience.
I canât get an answer, no matter how much I worry about it. If I canât find an answer, I should stop thinking. Itâs a waste of time and mental resources to keep worrying about it. Even if I get punished, itâs all I can hope for. Take a swing at her. Was I disregarding the thought? Very well!
âI donât know, but itâs going to cripple a man if he backs down to that point.â
What, itâs not even worth bothering with in simple terms. A very beautiful woman of my type is asking me out. She has the power of life and death over me, both physically and in terms of position. So letâs just have maximum fun and try to make her like me.
âRight. I was just starting to wonder if youâre just a limp-dick man by now.â
âI donât think itâs nice for a girl to say a limp dick or something like that.â
I gulped the raw, uncracked honey wine directly from the ceramic bottle and wiped my mouth. A strong spirit and cool aroma pierced my nostrils. Itâs sweet.
âWhat manners are prevalent in the elves at times like this?â
âI donât know. Iâm a virgin. I wasnât even close enough to have those kinds of conversations with girls in my position.â
âAll right, weâll do it my way.â
I put my arms behind Sylphyâs back and knees, who was sitting on a wicker couch and held her to the side. This is what is called a princess carry.
âFufu, what are you going to do now?â
âOf course, Iâll take you to bed just like this. Iâll let the experienced man lead you.â
âThatâs going to be fun. Iâm used to the pain, but be gentle with me, okay? I am a virgin, after all.â
âIâll try.â
I donât have a lot of experience, either. Letâs use all the experience and knowledge I have and do my best.