Chapter 1 – It’s Delicious
Saliroza Chapter 1 – It’s Delicious
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I’m hungryー……
I return my spoon to the emptied bowl, while occasionally scattering away the bread crumbs above the table, I, haa……, breath out a sigh.
The soup which had a large amount of root vegetables and meat thrown in that was originally in the bowl, all of it had immediately settled into my stomach.
I also ate three soft white breads the size of an adult male’s clenched fist, two brown breads soaked with soup, and a fresh orange too that I earnestly skinned.1
My stomach is certainly filled.
However, ……aー, I’m hungryー……
「If you’re done eating, then move out of the way.」
I heard a voice from behind me that was motionlessly looking down on my empty soup.
The reason why that deep voice could be heard so clearly, was because the dining hall had become quiet.
I should’ve noticed the unusual atmosphere.
「Did you hear me, Saliroza Sennet.」
「……」
Tsk, I held back clicking my tongue and turned around.
The surrounding people had disappeared during the time I was slowly eating.
Although the dining hall is usually crowded there are many vacant seats right now so why does man intentionally show up at my spot and always complain at me even though you could’ve sat in any spot you liked ne, in the first place with your social status you shouldn’t be at these tables back here but the upper tables at the interior or like your big office so go have your meals over there and be lonely by yourself!2
……I slowly raised my eyes while thinking that.
「My apologies, Captain Judius.」
Judius Ellara Evi? Eva? ……Something.
Long names signifies the handful of upper cla.s.s in central city, but I don’t remember them since I’m not particularly interested in those upper cla.s.ses.
A man with golden hair without dullness tied up in a bundle hanging down his back, it’s clear he’s in a bad mood, he has blue eyes that make me think ‘if gouge them out then sell them, how much would they cost?’.3
Although he’s bony for a man, his features are separated elegantly on his beautiful face, and tanned by this remote region’s sunlight.
His tall toned figure is dressed in a black knee length sleeveless dougi and trousers, and a dark blue sleeveless coat on top4. He has a pair of rough black leather boots on his feet.
Although he’s wearing a stylish gold decorated belt around his waist above his coat, he has a simple general use long sword attached to his hip.
A bronze necklace indicating his social status shined above his chest. It has a design with three swords intersecting within a pair of wings which indicates the members of the border defence, a small round ruby glitters at the centre of the three swords which represents the highest position in this fort.
The highest position. Captain of the 5th fort in the district.
……Uーmm, what was that other one, something like belonging to the at Central City, he has a position but it’s obvious it’s just a t.i.tle.
Other than his blond hair and blue eyes, on both sides of the Captain’s beautiful face, there’s a spot near his ears that’s been covered with his long hair, that’s because there are pure white feathers there.
Feathers you know?
Feathers.
They’re tightly folded up along the temporal region.5
Although they’re the size of a child’s palm, they occasionally move restlessly showing they’re not fake.
What would happen to his ears……! Is what I occasionally get curious about, but they don’t get in the way.
Then, what would happen if they grew……! That’s because they don’t.
Those feathers are a symbol of descendants of a that live on the top floor of the .
Yes, yes, you have no idea what this witch underling is saying ne.6
But heyー, why is this sort of Divine in this sort of place ne!?7
「Since I’m leaving now, by all means……」
I politely stood up, the feelings on my face were concealed under a dark green hood that I had also worn during my meal.
The dining hall had three long frame tables lined up side by side. Because there are benches placed on each side of the tables, I can’t pa.s.s unless I step across it.
Although I usually sit at the ends so I can move in and out with ease, I sat right at the centre because it was crowded today.
Just like the time I sat down, underneath the cloak my hood was attached to, I lifted up my blackish dress that covered my whole body down to my ankles by the hem, yosh, I steadied my mind, lifted up one leg and stepped over the bench.
Although the calf skin boots I’m wearing have lapels attached by the ankles, it can’t be helped that the pale skin on my calf appear for an instant.
――mu.
When I gazed up, Captain Judius, who was holding onto a soup bowl, quickly turned his face away.
Since he usually fixedly looks into my eyes when we talk (mainly complaining), this is quite unusual―― while I was thinking that, I realized. My leg when I stepped over the bench. He saw it ne! I hurriedly put back my leg and stood on the aisle, then sternly glared at the Captain.
He saw it right?
「Make sure to put away your bowl as well.」
With his face turned, the Captain coldly said that with his pretty gem-like eyes firmly shut.
‘I understand already’, I answered as I mumbled those words in my mouth, I then reached my hand towards the bowl on the table…… and I noticed it.
With a fuwan.
A presence similar to the inki emitted by the Sennet Witches’ representative, Meriland, who is my sister and partner.
……Mmm, it’s completely different from Meriland’s.
Similar to an expensive and unreachable candy…… it seems irresistibly delicious.
Seems delicious……!
While in a posture with my hand half way extended towards the table, I snapped my head around.
Fast, he turned his face away again.
But.
I saw it.
His pure white feathers vaguely shook, from the top of this blond haired head, a golden inki appeared with a fuwa~n sensation.
And then, similar to smoke, the tip extended with a thin trail and approached me.
「……!」
I absorbed it in.
……
Not good.
That absorbed inki, satisfied my appet.i.te unlike any ordinary meal I’ve had.
Rather than my stomach…… my whole body.
How invigorating!
What is this.
That amazing flavour……!!
「Hurry up and step aside.」
Super delicious! The att.i.tude of the man who emitted the inki however, didn’t have any resemblance of the word lewd and gave that order.
「After your meal, make sure to stay in your room as much as possible. Saliroza Sennet.」
「……Yes.」
He said those words just like always, that’s right ne, I can’t do anything by myself since I’m a failure of a witch ne, although I rebelled against (in my mind of course) his arrogant att.i.tude, I merely nodded obediently this time.
I was notified this morning by the familiar spirit’s call, so I’ll deal with it a little longer until Meriland returns.
Without my sister, it’s slightly dangerous to be alone as a female in this fort.
Although I had come to the dining hall because I couldn’t bear the hunger, it should be better for me to refrain from doing that for a while.
However.
「Umm……」
「What.」
Perhaps I’ve gone crazy from absorbing the delicious inki.
「……There’s something I’d like to discuss, so would it be okay if I visit you later?」
Before I realized, I had said those things.
I could feel a sign of Captain Judius holding his breath.
His golden eyelashes slightly trembled, then he nodded while averting his eyes.
「Alright then, come to my office later……, no, it’s fine, I’ll come. Quickly return to your room for now.」
「Yes.」
I carried the bowl in my hands, bowed my head, then pa.s.sed by his overpowering body.
The spoon inside the empty bowl resounded with a kachan as it shook.
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Witch of Sennet.
Is what I am referred to.
The women in my personal family are comprised entirely of my sister and I.
A long time ago, there was an ancient period where G.o.ds, as they were referred to by the people, strode through the lands. A hole was pierced through the other worlds, which should never intersected while overlapping, and made going to and from them possible.
In order for water to flow to the low areas from the high areas, various things need to flow at the beginning. (note: a j.a.panese metaphor, I couldn’t find out what it means but I’m a.s.suming it means things work it’s way down or something, so this world might’ve been a lesser world compared to the other worlds so things flowed down from the other worlds.)
The G.o.ds, while fighting with the living things that came from the other worlds, nicknamed , filled the connection between the worlds.
With a large, Spiral Castle.
However, the weren’t able to return to their own world after it was closed up.
Of course, the majority of them were hostile, but some changed sides, there were even Demons that a.s.sisted in building the Spiral Castle in this world, it was because they wished to live in this world.
Well, even though there were also Demons that remained with reluctance.
Anyway, the ones that have the power to move the castle, are after all the disciples of the G.o.ds that have gone to another world, currently, only the Divines and a small fraction of Demons live on the top floor of the Spiral Castle.
The world accepted the Demons, their blood were mixed, spread, then settled.8
The Spiral Castle is a screw, if it loosens, calories from the other worlds can be gathered.
Calories are necessary for when this world goes cold.
However, there are also cases when they don’t melt well and stiffens, they break into small pieces, then eventually attack people as Demons.9
What those Demons without a sense of self wish for, is to return to their original world―― in other words, until they attain that, they’ll eat up the lives that are surrounding the hole being filled up by the Spiral Castle……
A subjugation organisation was created.
The result.
The people that were descendants of Demons, even though they weren’t told they were obligated to join the garrisons, well, somehow, there was a feeling it couldn’t be declined.
It was natural to resist against the Demons, but the Divines blessed such things like swords and bows and spears and axes and morning stars!10 Because there were those sorts of weapons, ordinary humans also joined the garrisons. As soldiers. Or as a supporting hand.
Humans weren’t just needed for the subjugations, there are other necessities for the organization to function well. Especially something like this fort, precisely because it won’t be able to function if it didn’t have all these life necessities.
So, my sister and I were dispatched to this fort.
The Sennet family’s ancestor, is a succubus.
These days, the power our ancestor-sama left us has allowed us to absorb the inki people emit and use it as our own magic power, a truly convenient mutation.
Inki.
It’s that after all ne, in other words, s.e.xual desire.
Although it’s a temporary method and not permanent, it’s an easy way to make the men (some women too) that return to the fort after a fight, with various things pent up, behave themselves.
The fort requires various things, so a great number of people a.s.semble here.
For their health, the women (some men too) want a safe environment as well……
The Sennet witches that absorb inki, for the higher-ups that have to manage every strong muscular soldier with unmanageable s.e.xual desire, are very helpful to them.
By the way, the reason why only the women of the Sennet family are called witches.
The men of the same Sennet family, they absorb inki better than women but they can’t change it into magic power, although it’s bad to say this, those slovenly and useless men prey on the women, well that’s what society believes.11
I have one elder brother and two younger brothers, I also have several male cousins, but, well, there are many of those sorts of men in the Sennet family that have been abandoned in the name of Sennet.
It ca~n’t be helped ne~.
Nevertheless, onii-chan, where are you right now……