SHK CH 19: DAILY LIFE

*Clang* *Clang*

The sounds of swords clashing against each other resonated in the hanging garden of the tower of babel. 

In the middle of the clearing, two people were fighting with no hesitation, matching speed, strength and skills.

One of them, a young golden blonde-haired boy, was sweating profusely, but still had an extremely focused expression on his face as he evaded the blows and swings of his opponent and answered with his own.

The other person, a sapphire blue-haired young woman, clearly a little older than the boy, though not by much, had a much more relaxed expression as she continued to spar with the boy.

Outside of what could be called the ring containing their fight— though it was just a circle drawn on the ground— girls wearing maid clothes were observing the fight with a variable range of entranced and enamored expressions.

Normally, such an action would be uncouth as they had their respective work to attend to. But, Sol rarely punished them for such little mistakes.

He believed that an even ratio of stick and carrot tactic should be used to deal with one’s own subordinates.

The maids weren’t entranced by the swordplay, after all, even if they could use mana it did not mean that they could fight or even had any interest in said subject. No, what took away their attention was the sweating and naked, and incredibly toned, upper body of their master.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Sol’s body was the incarnation of perfection. Neither scrawny nor bulky. His muscles were perfectly streamlined and his overall toned figure was the wet dream of many women, most of which were present at the location currently.

Since the day of his orgy with the five maids dedicated to bathing him, those five didn’t stop bragging about how good and attentive he was in the carnal act they shared and enjoyed together.

This brought a great surprise to the more experienced individuals in the castle. The surprise originated from the fact that, in this world, sex was more of an act where a man let out his urge by using a woman for their convenience. It wasn’t quite as animalistic, but the men didn’t see the pleasure of their partners as their first priority or any priority for that matter.

His popularity in the castle went up by several notches after the explanation of his exploits and now, wherever he went out, they stared at him as if he was a piece of fine meat on a chopping block. 

It didn’t help that Lilith promised a rather substantial reward for the girls he would invite to his bed.

Sol, who failed to avoid a hit on his shoulder, gritted his teeth in order to hold back his scream. 

He didn’t mind the way the girls looked at him. Though after having two or three more orgies with some of the other maids, he slowly lost interest in such carnal activities. 

Orgies were good and all, but he preferred the deep connection he could feel while embracing a singular individual over an orgy.

But comparatively the thing he preferred the most would be the moments of passion he shared with his lovers, like the times with Milia and Camelia. He was the happiest when he was with them.

This time, avoiding another blade, he rushed in, deciding to put an end to the match, but the sword stopping close to his throat told him that his movements had already been read and countered.

*Huff* *Huff* *Huff*

Rough sounds of breathing echoed before finally he lowered his blade in defeat. 

“I lost again.”

Setsuna gave out a bitter smile as she ignored the scream of the girls in the background. 

Bitterness because she knew those girls were basically in heat and were waiting to help Sol bath. It was so frustrating for her to not be able to cross the final line with him. Each time she had to remind herself that soon she would be able to forget all restraint.

But it wasn’t the sole reason. Another reason for her bitterness and the primary one at that was the dejected expression hanging on Sol’s face. Each time she saw him sulk she had to hold back the urge to punch him. 

Her skills aside, she was a beast woman from the blue wolf race. Even without using mana, her strength and speed weren’t something a young human should have been able to match in the slightest. 

‘Sooner or later he will understand how much of a monster he is.’

He was growing exponentially at an alarming pace and soon, she would have a hard time holding back against him and would have to use her full power. 

It wasn’t like she didn’t understand why he wasn’t satisfied with his current strength. 

Sol’s common sense was rather skewered because of the way and the environment he was raised in. This made way for the fact that he didn’t have a good understanding of what could be termed as average. 

Even now, because of Lilith’s order, she couldn’t tell him everything and praise him wholeheartedly. After all, she was still officially a slave of the royal family. 

‘It does not matter. Soon, I will only have to answer him.’

She still remembered all those years ago when she reached the very peak of the gladiator arena, how a young blonde-haired boy looked at her with sparkling eyes full of awe and wonder.

He did not have the greedy gaze full of sick lust. But rather only admiration and curiosity brimming in his beautiful sky blue eyes. 

The moment he bought her, and immediately tried to break the slave contract, she opened her heart and became his friend.

The day he stood in front of her trying to protect her, against what they thought at the time to be a monstrous witch while gazing at that small trembling but oh so reliable back that tried to shield her without taking his own safety into account she swore to give her loyalty to him and him alone.

She knew that in the grand scheme of things, he did nothing special. He wasn’t the only one looking at her only with admiration and if the witch had truly been hostile, his spurring act of protection would have simply been useless.

But, did it really matter? She didn’t need more.

When she stood in front of him. She could only feel a fuzzy feeling welling up in her stomach. Her heart would beat erratically and her face would heat up with affection. 

“Hey Setsuna, you are as wonderful as always.”

Watching his dazzling smile as he praised her without the slightest of negative feelings, a simple thought formed once again in her mind, like an endless everlasting echo. An absolute truth that she had already ascertained a few years ago.

‘Ah, I really love him.’

—-

After taking a refreshing bath, though, at the dismay of the maids— a simple one, Sol was currently on his way towards the lower floor since he had some things to discuss with his aunt. 

Despite having been bruised in his last spar, he could already feel his wound slowly healing. 

‘I am changing.’

It had begun not long ago, just after his first time with Camelia. He was slowly becoming stronger, faster, and overall better in all departments. 

Since then, the change would become greater each time he did the act of passion with her, though until now— two weeks had passed after their time together— she still refused to give him her virginity. 

Sol wasn’t dumb, he knew how to connect the dots. Whatever ritual she was going to enact was without a doubt related to the change he was currently undergoing.

‘Well, let’s just wait, she said that today would be the day.’

He was truly curious. What would the ritual entail? Well, he would learn about it soon, so he didn’t let that thought plague his mind anymore and simply discarded it. 

He was in such an absent-minded state, because of his contemplation, that he reached the door directing him to Lilith’s study before he even knew it.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

“Aunt, May I enter?” 

“You may.”

Getting her permission, he opened the door and was once again awed by her beautiful sight. 

‘It would be so much better if she laughed more.’

He rarely saw her give a true heartfelt laugh, they were always smirks or masks she put on as a pretense for lewdness. The most she would give was a small measured smile. 

“Good morning. I hope you slept well.”

While Sol was always awed by her beauty, Lilith’s heart always brimmed with pride whenever she looked at him.

In her life full of grey and monochrome, he and her daughter were the sole sources of joy that would illuminate her surroundings in a kaleidoscope of colors. 

Hearing his question, she ignored the fact that she hadn’t truly had a good night of sleep since a few years ago and always had to use sleeping pills to help her rest. 

“Sol, you should know that your awakening will happen in about two weeks. Do you know the ceremony that the prince must undergo one day before?” 

“Yes. The fight in the coliseum, then the visit to each of the four Duke to get their allegiance.”

“Indeed, the king doesn’t have to be the most powerful, but he must be able to pull his own weight.” As she spoke this line, she couldn’t help but sigh before continuing, “The fight in the coliseum before and after the awakening is a tradition. Before awakening, you must fight at least ten times in a row and win. Nothing will happen if you can’t but your reputation will take a massive hit. After your awakening though, you will have to fight the king or queen of the coliseum.”

Sol didn’t really understand the need for such a display of prowess, but he guessed it had its uses. But it didn’t matter to him. He clenched his fist. 

The fight against the strongest gladiator. Even if he wasn’t expected to win, he still had to win that match. After all, the current strongest gladiator was… 

                                                               Previous/TOC/Next