"By the way," Alea spoke to Earl as they were on their way to leaving the dungeon.
"Hm?"
"I will be participating in the Spirit Festival Youth Competition."
"I'll go watch, of course."
"Watch me win."
"I like the confidence. If I recall correctly, the age limit of this competition goes to 30?"
Elves were the longest living race. To them, age 30 and below were all of the same level, as strange as that sounds.
"Yes. It's no problem, however. The Expert level is the first major plateau for most people so it's unlikely for there to be someone out there stronger than me."
Earl hummed and asked. "What's this year's reward?"
"The Spirit Tear."
The Spirit Tear is a miraculous item that could only be produced by the Spirit King himself. The history behind this item goes back to the thousand-year tradition between spirits and elves.
Elves were the purest race and one most compatible with spirits who live in the Spirit World. The energy of the Middle World was capable of nourishing spirits and for them to cross over, they must be called over by a person of pure soul or wait for environmental conditions to be fulfilled.
The passive conditions for spirits to cross over without the assistance of a summoner were far and few. As such, the assistance of a summoner was always more reliable.
To have a reliable source of coming over to the Middle World, a tradition between elves and spirits was made. This was the history behind Spirit Magic.
In exchange for staying in the Middle World, spirits fight for their summoners.
During the Spirit Festival, the sheer concentration of pure souls in Artasia was enough for spirits to cross over to the Middle World easily. This concentration of soul was so strong, it was capable of summoning the Spirit King.
Naturally, this benefitted both sides. Spirits would become stronger during their stay in the Middle World and elves would receive the chance to be exposed to strong spirits, opening the door to Spirit Magic. This was the origin of the Spirit Festival.
It was a mutual effort on both sides and as one would expect, it was the biggest event in the Elven Kingdom.
Countless visitors from other nations would come to the Elven Kingdom during this time to marvel at the magnificence of spirits.
"The Spirit Tear... that's a legendary item." Earl was impressed.
"Yes, after I consume it, I will be even better looking." Alea plainly said.
"That's what you're using for..?"
"It's said that the Spirit Tear nourishes the soul with the side effects of improving looks. I say it's the other way around."
Earl was speechless for one moment and impressed the next. He smiled wryly. She was a princess through and through.
They arrived at the exit. Earl was close enough to Alea to know what she was thinking. He showed no resistance as she pushed him against the wall and kissed him lovingly.
"The day seems to be so short when I am with you." She softly smiled.
"I wouldn't be able to hold back if we were together longer than this."
"That sounds like a good thing."
"Our role seems to have reversed. This side of you... it's very lovely."
"I told you, right?" Alea leaned in to whisper. "I'm an honest girl."
"More like a bad one."
"That too. We can do more lewd things tomorrow. You don't have to hold yourself back, I have no limit."
"You are too dangerous." Earl laughed.
That night, Earl thoroughly enjoyed Ari's body to release his pent up lust. Even though Alea had pleasured him with her lips earlier, Ari's body was in a league of its own.
He came in her over and over again, inflating her belly to an oversized degree. Cum trickled out of her tight pussy and stained the clean sheets of their bed. They cuddled and Ari rested her face on his chest with a content expression on her face.
This was interrupted with an unexpected visitor came. Abelis, the prince consort.
Earl took his face away from the hole in the door and let his mother know.
"It looks like the Prince Consort is here for me."
Ari lazily laid on the bed with no desire to get up. Her naked body was laid bare across the bed, lighting up another fire in Earl which he had to hold down.
"He's probably here for Alea."
Earl walked over to put a blanket over Ari. "I'll be back."
She held onto the blanket and pulled it tighter. Her eyes were soft and clear. "Come back soon."
"Yes."
Later, Earl and Abelis walked side by side under the night sky. The former unconsciously brought the latter to a riverbank.
"Your training is going well?" Abelis asked with a friendly smile. He had the demeanour of a kind senior, not intimidating in the slightest.
"It's going very well. Your daughter is helping me a lot."
"That's good. Back in the days, Saryll had to go through similar training and I was the one who accompanied her."
Earl was curious. He asked, "I didn't know that Teacher had such history. How far do you guys go?"
"Ever since I could remember." The prince consort fondly said. "The Old King and Queen were very protective of her. I was the most talented of my generation and was assigned to be her guard even though we were both very young."
They engaged in a series of small talk regarding the dungeon and training. The cool night wind accompanied them along with the sound of the river moving. Overall, the vibe was relaxed.
"Actually... I came here because I heard about you and Alea."
"What questions do you have?"
"You are very straightforward. Do not be worried. I have no say over this. It's just the worries of an overprotective father." Abelis said with a plain face. "I know that you have a very close relationship with your servants. Do you... plan to stay loyal to Alea?"
The eyes of a man could tell many things. While Abelis' golden eyes looked calm, Earl could tell he was worried about many things.
"No."
"I see." Abelis remained calm. "Alea's status is special. You don't plan to change?"
"Alea fell for me because I am me. There is no need to change. It would be unfair to the people who took the time to know me. That is why... I will never change."