## Chapter 1137 – Elven Forest

“Ah!”

The elven handmaiden, startled by my scolding, stumbled and sat down hard, her legs splayed in a wide “M” shape as she was about to dip her foot into the spring. The clearly visible cleft between her legs was the least of my concerns right now.

I don’t care if she has a bleached starfish or not!

“I let the bizarre outfits slide without a word…!”

Rage boiling over!
What the hell is going on here?!

“Now you dare approach me naked!!!”

They all came rushing in naked while I was washing in the spring! It’s not like they wanted to wash with me, so what kind of game is this?! This is absolutely unacceptable!

No!

I won’t accept this!

ㅡGRAAAH!

And so, I had no choice but to fiercely berate the handmaidens.

I had thought of their strange attire as some kind of cultural thing and let it pass. But coming in naked while I’m washing crosses the line way too much.

How dare they!!!!

Coming in here without a word while I’m washing!

I’m not the kind of person who can tolerate this!

This isn’t basic etiquette or hospitality. It’s practically mocking me, a guest! Doing this kind of crazy shit without a word deserves a mouthful of curses.

“Get out of here right now and cover yourselves!!!”

I pointed at each and every one of the seventeen handmaidens as I shouted. The elf who fell on her butt with her legs splayed in an “M” was the one who came to my room earlier to inform me about the audience schedule.

She opened the door without permission then, and now she’s just running wild!

Even if she’s showing off that great body and that split, I have no intention of forgiving her. When I was invited to the women’s bath earlier, they were all wearing gowns, not in this state.

I will severely scold them and reform their thinking.

“I said get out!”

But the handmaidens didn’t move.

“…?”

The handmaiden with her legs splayed just stood there, looking bewildered.

“…!”

The other handmaidens standing behind her also hesitated, remaining in place.

“Are these bitches for real?”

What’s going on?

This is the first time I’ve seen people not even react to my loud scolding as a Heavenly Demon. Are they fearless, or are their guts swollen?

Could it be that they don’t realize they’re about to get hit and are pretending not to understand?

If so, I have no choice but to assault these handmaidens.

Luring me into the spring and then rushing in naked like this. They really deserve to be hit. It’s like they were deliberately targeting my body. I’m not someone who tolerates this.

“Why are the handmaidens ignoring my words!”

ㅡSlam!

I raised my fist and gave a final warning.

“…”
“…”

The handmaidens just stared blankly at me.

Are these bitches serious?
Still not saying anything?

Before I threw a punch.

“…What?”

I noticed that the situation was turning a bit strange.

This is a bit weird… what should I say? The handmaidens’ attitude. It was the attitude of someone who thought it was natural to come into the spring naked.

They even looked like they didn’t know why I was shouting like this.

Are they really clueless?

“…”

The handmaidens didn’t even think about covering themselves, just awkwardly glancing at each other.

They didn’t seem to care at all that they were showing me their naked bodies. That they were exposing their breasts. That they were showing me their clean, hairless starfish and the cleft between their legs.

They just didn’t seem to attach much meaning to being naked.

“Dare to ignore my words! If you don’t want to taste my powerful, fierce, and destructive fist, get out of here right now! If you want to wash, wash after I leave! What kind of manners is it to come in here without a word!”

When it occurred to me that they might be working in this specialized profession because they lacked intelligence, I felt like hitting them might not be a good idea.

As I was thinking that.

“…Please calm down.”

The handmaiden who had been sitting with her legs splayed in front of me for a while slowly got up.

And then, in a very calm and polite manner.

ㅡSmooth.

She brought her hands together over her lower abdomen, slightly bowed her waist and head, and greeted me.

“Do I look like I’m going to calm down right now?”
“I don’t know why you’re so angry, but…”
“Didn’t you all rush in here naked while I was washing? I don’t know what you’re thinking, but coming in without a word like this is something to be angry about. Don’t you know that?”
“…”

At my words, the handmaiden stared at my face.

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you angry.”

She bowed again, politely apologizing.

“…”

At her words, the other handmaidens behind her also bowed in the same posture, conveying their apologies to me.

This… they seem to be sincerely apologizing now.
What kind of attitude is this?

Anyway, I didn’t think they had any malicious or strange intentions, and I had no choice but to retract the fist I was holding, as if putting it back in my pocket.

What’s going on?

“…I should hear them out.”

Then I should hear them out.
But first, I need to get them dressed.

Seventeen elven handmaidens with outstanding beauty were standing naked in front of me, and there was no way I could hold back my bodily functions. I had been hard since a while ago, so I had no choice but to bend my knees slightly in the spring to hide my dick, which was sticking to my abdomen.

“Put on some clothes first.”
“We can’t do that.”
“Hey, you fucking bitch. Are you really going to keep this up?”

These fucking bitches really don’t understand unless you talk nicely.

“Then are we all going to talk naked like this?”
“W-wait a moment.”

Just as I was about to grab her ear.

“I’ll explain everything.”
“So you’re saying you’ll explain everything naked?”
“…There’s a reason.”
“Spit it out. If it doesn’t make sense, I’m really going to beat you.”
“That’s…”

ㅡHoo.

The handmaiden, stroking her chest and exhaling, slowly opened her mouth.

“Paladin-nim will be directly receiving the World Tree tomorrow. Such an order has been given…”

Directly receiving the World Tree.

“So.”
“Therefore… you must receive a ritual to purify your body…”
“That’s why I came to the spring.”
“Coming to the spring alone is not enough to complete the ritual. You must receive a ritual performed directly by us.”
“A ritual performed directly by you?”

What is that?

“It is a ritual where we properly bless Paladin-nim, wash your body, wipe your body, and purify you while washing away all the filth. Only such a clean being can receive our great World Tree.”

In other words.

It seemed like I had to be attended to by the handmaidens. That was the ritual to cleanse the body, and only those who received it could receive the World Tree.

“Then, have you always done this? Do you do this every time someone comes to meet the Queen?”

That’s a bit strange.

“If it’s just to have an audience with the Queen, this ritual is not necessary. It’s only because you’re going to directly receive the World Tree.”
“Ah.”

I understood.

“So, having an audience with the Queen and receiving the World Tree are completely different levels.”
“That’s right.”

I roughly understood.
In fact, the World Tree would be higher than the Queen.

That’s why they’re doing this.

“But then, does everyone who goes to meet the World Tree receive this ritual?”
“That’s right.”

The handmaiden nodded.

“It’s not a common occurrence. There aren’t that many people who go to directly receive the World Tree… so it’s a very rare and unusual event. Even I… it’s been quite a while since I last performed this ritual.”
“Hmm.”

So, receiving.

It didn’t seem to mean just going and looking around.

Even high-ranking elves couldn’t just receive the World Tree. It seemed to be a very special event, and I had become the person in charge.

“What is receiving?”
“It is said that you go into the World Tree’s… split and directly face the World Tree. That’s all I know. I don’t know more than that.”

A split… that’s a bit suspicious.

Still, it’s definitely a special event.

“Well, let’s move on.”

Anyway, since I was going to meet the elves’ god, the handmaidens had come in naked to perform the ritual. It seemed natural for them to do this.

“I understand, but you could do it with clothes on.”

Why naked?

“…It would be faster to show you directly.”

In an instant, the handmaiden closed her eyes with her hands together.

ㅡSwish.

Aura… no.
The light of mana was slowly emanating from her skin.

“Like this, with the energy of blessing surrounding the body.”

It was like covering the whole body with aura, but the feeling was different.

“Using the whole body to cleanse the body directly…”
“Ah, fuck.”

Is that it?

Well, yeah. If the handmaidens are beings who perform rituals, they could be called shamans. They are such beings, so they can do that.

“Okay, I understand. But then you should have said so first. That you might have to do the ritual naked like this. But why didn’t you tell me that first and just came in like this? Don’t you think that’s rude?”
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be a problem. There’s never been such a case before… I sincerely apologize.”

As the handmaiden said that and apologized to me again, the other women did the same.

“Okay.”

Well.

“Since you say so, I’ll forgive you this once. But if something like this happens again, it would be good to get consent from the person involved in advance. This is a matter of basic etiquette and morality.”
“I understand.”
“Anyway, if I have to do the ritual, I have to receive it. Go and put on proper clothes.”
“Clothes…”
“Hands.”

There’s no need to be naked.

I see that energy is coming out of your hands too. There’s no reason to make full body contact. Well, it might be a bit late in terms of time.

It’s natural to demand this much.

“You can just use your hands. There’s no need to use your whole body. Don’t touch me excessively.”
“…I understand.”

I have to compromise here.

“Then start.”

The handmaiden nodded, and they all returned to the temple. The women who went to the temple came back wearing white capes that covered their bodies. I don’t like it a bit, but if they covered their bodies this much, it would be enough.

ㅡSplash.

The handmaidens who wore those clothes stepped into the spring where I was. There were a total of seventeen of them. The small spring became cramped in an instant.

ㅡTss.
ㅡTss.

Along with unknown prayers, the energy of mana spread from the handmaidens’ bodies.

The handmaidens who were surrounded by that energy.

ㅡSmooth.

After soaking their hands in the water of the spring, they gently touched my body and applied the spring water as if applying lotion.

“…”

The energy emanating from the handmaidens’ bodies and the pouring moonlight. It created a rather dreamy atmosphere. The handmaidens put water in a small pot made with a religious design, poured it on my head, and even stroked my hair.

I could feel a magical energy emanating from the surroundings.

But it was different from what I knew.

Maybe this elven handmaiden… no. It would be more appropriate to call them shamans. It must be a kind of magic that they use. I received their touch while maintaining vigilance.

The ritual didn’t last long.

It ended in about 30 minutes, and when the ritual was over, the handmaidens entered the temple first. I waited for a while, looking at their backs.

I had to wait until my erection subsided.

“Hmm.”

This… I don’t feel like I’ve been purified that much.

I just washed well.
That’s all I think.

But my erection won’t go down.

“Damn it!”

ㅡSplash!

I was annoyed, so I just came out of the spring while maintaining my erection. They say I have to do the ritual to wipe the water off my body at the end, but fuck it, I’ll just have to receive it.