Chapter 580 – Venice (1)

“Completely given, a gift from the heavens.”

After an impassioned night with the once-virgin Saku, a voice echoed.

My erotic vessel.
Venice chuckled and nestled beside Saku.
Then, she skimmed her hand over the milky substance coating Saku’s sex, smearing it lightly. Casting a glance at the gathered pools around them, she laughed with an unadulterated carnality.

“How many times did we do this? Ten times?”
“Around a dozen times.”

Gasp. Venice stifles a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Just a dozen times? Feels like we’ve gone at it almost forty times. Look at this. And the puddles… Oh heavens, is your womb filled to the brim? Look at your belly, swollen like a balloon! Explain yourself.”
“My body is a bit peculiar. The quantity varies with my mood.”
“It makes you less of a male. More like a… seed bank for females.”
“Could you phrase it more elegantly, please…?”

Seeing me shrug as if I’d said nothing amiss, it appeared that the common sense of the fairies had completely shattered.
The pristine elves one would expect from fantasy seemed to have been utterly supplanted.

“Well, when it comes down to it, I am a spirit. So, I am fundamentally different from an elf~ So, did you enjoy it?”

If she hadn’t enjoyed it, I wouldn’t have made her feel this way.

“Hmph. Show me.”

She wipes the sweat from my forehead and graces me with a tender smile.

“Now, we only have the final step.”
“What’s with that melancholic tone?”
“It’s not melancholic at all.”

Venice places the scroll from her bosom into my hand.
The dungeon exploration is drawing to a close. I, unaware of the outside world’s state, am compelled to hasten my actions.

First, let’s tidy up Saku.

– Humm!

I channel my magic, methodically restoring Saku’s body.
Her buttocks, the opening that was used throughout the night, and so on.

“My… husband…”

Each time Saku, warmed by the tender heat, murmured as if sleep-talking, Venice couldn’t help but titter.

“So. How are your memories coming along?”
“Memories?”
“You remember the spell you cast last night, don’t you?”

As I was tidying up, I was reminded of the magic I had activated the previous night.

“Ah, that… It seems the family had fallen into ruin without anyone noticing, and she lost her parents as well. I simply lessened the shock she would experience later on.”
“Is that possible?”
“That’s my specialty. Especially concerning emotions and memories… I’ve devoted much study to restoring the nymphs’ memories in any way I can.”

Indeed, having been incarcerated for such a lengthy span, there must have been ample time to delve into magic research.
Even I cannot match Venice’s specific magical prowess.

– Whoomp!

A considerable amount of slick fluid spurts from her sex.
As the white waterfall ebbs, Saku’s distended abdomen slowly deflates.

A phenomenon impossible to observe in a human body.

Woodkin share resemblances with humans but possess a different anatomical structure. Aside from an elasticity that dwarfs human comparison, Saku exhibited a tendency to store as much of the male seed she received as possible.

The tendencies vary among individuals. If Lee Se-Young were to be the most human-like, her conspicuously pink hair accentuates this point.

One significant manifestation of these differences is that, when aroused, the womb descends, opening a gateway, allowing male genitalia to enter.

– Glurp.

The method involves drawing in the ejaculate, preventing its expulsion, and subsequently storing it.

Not that it’s spoken of. Among the women who have frequented the brothels until now, some demonstrated characteristics far more extreme.

Within the vagina, soft roots protrude, acting as stimulants, and I’ve observed what might not seem out of place on a beast, rather than a human. Have you ever seen a sight akin to opening a fig to reveal thousands of writhing tentacles inside?

“That’s why the birth rate in Korea was so high.”

It was a stark departure from the Korea I knew, and the revelation was startling.

As such, Saku’s womb would swell like a balloon. Even during intercourse, there was a periodic need to extract the accumulated substance. It was the answer to the mystery of the stagnant puddles scattered across the fields.

– Thud.

The task concluded with dressing Saku. The beasts could not approach this far, so it was safe to depart.

I rose from my spot and unfurled the scroll given to me by Venice. Thanks to Venice’s overnight diligence, there was no need for me to decode its contents.

“It appears to be a sort of secret manual left by the Yoshino clan.”
“…A secret manual? And what does it contain?”
“There are two things. Something we don’t require, and something we do. Which would you like to hear about first?”

Please, just proceed swiftly.

Venice, reading my impatient thoughts, extended her tongue, and continued.

“One is a specific remedy for the king cherry tree… That is, a potion only effective on cherry trees.”
“A remedy, you say?”
“Take a closer look at the rolled part of the scroll. There should be a gap.”

Just as Venice had said, upon feeling the part of the scroll where the paper was wound, a small gap became apparent. Inside it was a meticulously crafted, pink-hued remedy.

“Did Haku abandon this?”
“Well… She might have forgotten, but the interpretation might also have been a tad complex. There were strange tales written about the power of spirits.”

Whether it was about a discipline or a sword technique. All those things were mere distractions; the true value lay in that remedy.

If it was only potent on cherry trees, it was of no use to me.

“So that’s why we don’t need it… What about the other thing?”
“That’s in my breastbone.”

Venice stretched out her shoulders broadly and jiggled her chest as if suggesting to look inside it.

“Here.”

– Jiggle, jiggle.

An astonishing sight that one might expect from a neck tube. The aura of a nightclub enthusiast radiated from the figure dancing in the field.

“You’re not an elf.”
“…I’m a spirit, remember?”

Done. Suddenly, he thrust his hand in, extracting a long piece of parchment from within her bosom.

The scroll appeared delicately snipped at the end, yielding a short scrap of paper, roughly 10cm long. Reading its content revealed a series of inscrutable symbols, impossible to decipher. The only legible bit at the very edge was some Japanese, which when translated…

‘Cipher.’

But what was the cipher intended for? As he turned to Venice, the versatile tool, she smiled as if amused and began to explain, raising her index finger.

“You’re thinking correctly. An Imperial cipher, thousands of years old. It’s a script you’re likely unfamiliar with.”
“You’ve lived long, so you know. So, how does one use this cipher?”
“Logically, it’s to access the final entrance of the dungeon. Ordinarily, one would gradually decipher it through numerous trials.”

Thanks to the descendants of the ancient empire, they had the luxury of taking shortcuts.

With that, it was time to depart swiftly. Firstly, after combining the scrolls and inserting the elixir, he placed them gently in Saku’s care, as if presenting her with a token of affection.

It wasn’t guilt or anything of the sort. He didn’t need it, but to Saku, it was valuable, hence the handover.

‘One might argue that it indirectly strengthens the enemy, but alternatively, it could substantially weaken the Flower’s power.’

Such things aren’t variables.

Considering the mess I’m making in the future, what could possibly return as a variable?

“Let’s proceed.”
“Yes~”

Venice clung to him, her arms entwined around his, and they commenced their journey towards the final path.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“So, how did it taste?”
“Reminiscent of cherry blossoms.”
“Wow! Master, excellent shot~ And the pregnancy?”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“…Did you fire blanks again? That’s not a shot, it’s watered down.”

Venice was excessively verbose.

Even while inputting the cipher at the threshold of the fifth gateway, she incessantly babbled.

The all-night tryst with Saku. He recounted every detail, stirring excitement even as it amused her. She responded so vibrantly that he couldn’t resist sharing.

“No, a female’s worth lies in bearing offspring! She’s lost her virginity, having preserved it her whole life as a barren woman, she naturally should bear a child too, right?”
“… Venice.”

Saying such things outside, she could be apprehended at any moment. For gods’ sake, would she please keep her mouth shut?

“Do I speak nonsense? Huh? Lee Si-heon. You’re going to have another child someday, aren’t you? Se-Young, wasn’t it? And with Dal-rae too.”
“I’ll handle the child planning. Besides, we can’t even meet now, can we?”
“You said you’d consider meeting if things went well.”

Yes, that’s true…

‘Why is she so meddlesome?’

The past confession of my worries had unexpectedly boomeranged back to me.

Overcome by Venice’s kindness, I laid bare my inner turmoil, a confession I had never shared with anyone. From my vulnerabilities to my deep-seated issues, I spilled them all.

Thus was born the meddlesome Lee Si-heon.

Suffering from an itch in my ear, Venice laughed softly, hugging me by the neck.

“If you go outside, I can no longer see you.”
“I know, I know. But am I not bleeding?”
“Nope~ Not at all.”

Venice seemed to increasingly revel in laughter, her demeanor becoming brighter. Her personality, apparently, was much more cheerful than I had initially perceived.

‘…’

Perhaps in a past unknown to me, she wasn’t an elder leading the nymphs in the village with a radiant smile.

‘No.’

She was an elder who killed nymphs, so the reality must have been quite the opposite. I wouldn’t know if she was born in a place free from restrictions.

What is certain is that the present Venice is full of brightness and mischief.

“And about Shiba.”
“Enough, let’s drop the discussion about my daughter.”
“You must take good care of Shiba. You can be quite cruel, can’t you?”
“I get it. I said I get it.”
“Here we go again!! Are you just going to brush it off? Beep! Beep!! Beep!!! Why did you abandon me, Dad!!”
“…”

I’m truly sorry.

“Children believe that when their parents leave them… it’s their own fault.”
“…”
“Don’t throw tantrums at Dad. Don’t nag about wanting to meet and date… They grow up regretting it for a lifetime.”
“You know more than I thought…”
“I am quite knowledgeable about psychology. I didn’t age for nothing.”

Venice embraced me, stroking my head.

“And I’m not just saying this.”

It felt like she was saying everything she wanted to say before truly meeting her end.

“You can tell by the emotions.”

Venice explained in a soft, wisdom-laden voice.

“Every time you talk about Shiba, my heart pounds. I can feel how much you care for her… It really resonates with me. The same goes for lovers. I didn’t mention it, but I cried when you were sleeping.”
“You cried?”
“It was because of your emotional wavelength.”

Spirits share emotions with humans. If the bond is deep enough, they come to know even what they do not wish to.

Venice is the only spirit with whom I have bonded. The camaraderie we built in such a short time was not insignificant.

“And as an outsider, I can think from the perspective of your daughter who received your emotions.”
“…”
“If you gave as much love as you think you did. How much would your daughters or lovers have loved you? I can hear it.”

All the codes have been pressed. As the gates opened, the world turned hazy.

“You would think of yourself as simply a lewd rascal… But actually, it might be true. You’re sentimental as well. Your women were naturally drawn to that. No matter how much of a womanizer you are!”

Well, it’s also because you were so good at sex.

Venice’s non-humor humor elicited an empty laugh.

“Let’s proceed, anyway.”

We took one step forward.

-Thump.

The world inverted.

The field on which we stood transformed into a transparent platform, affording us a panoramic view of the sphere-shaped world.

The sky, once vast and unending, now consumed the earth, offering a sensation akin to departing from a planet.

-Whooom!

Simultaneous with the vanishing platform, gravity claimed our bodies. Venice’s flowing locks were thrown skyward, her elongated ears and nape of her neck starkly visible.

-Pwaaah!!

An endless plummet. The ground remained unseen. Amid the peculiar sensation of falling from sky to sky, Venice, with her pretty face, drew near, wrapped her arm around my neck, and hoisted me onto her.

-Whoooooom!!

“Kyaaaaaaaaah!! Heh, heh, heh! This is absolutely exhilarating!!”

Skydiving.

Venice screamed in response to the thrilling sensation of the rushing wind.

Venice, her laugh genuine and happy, clung to me and hollered at the top of her lungs. Seeing my silence, she leaned into me, whispering into my ear.

“You should scream, too.”
“…Why should I?”
“Just do it.”

Unable to resist, I held my breath and let out a scream. A slight hint of unease escaped from my throat.

-!!!!

My voice, inaudible to me. The sound waves radiating into the sky failed to keep pace with our descent. Venice, my only friend here, heard my voice.

“Pfft.”

She burst out laughing.