The Acolyte of Spirits and Curses

*swoosh*

Klein returned to the Spirit Realm with a quiet shimmer of spatial energy.

The wooden house was still, and Orpheus’s presence lingered faintly in the air, but she was nowhere inside.

"Hm? Where is she?"

He stepped back out and followed the soft pull of her spirit signature through the forested paths.

The Spirit Realm was beautiful as ever, and since he is at the center of the realm right now, the spirit energy here is dense.

A soft breath escaped his lips as he felt the spirit energy ’is this because I am half-spirit now...? I feel very comfortable.’

He continued walking, and after a short walk, the trees opened onto a secluded lake.

The water was clear and faintly luminous, its surface swelling with soft ripples in the water. And in it, Orpheus was bathing.

She stood waist-deep in the water, completely naked, and her long green hair was clinging to her back and shoulders.

Water ran down the curves of her body as she cupped it in her hands and let it spill over her skin.

The earlier marks he had left on her had faded further, leaving only the natural softness of her body visible in the open light of the realm.

She was not alone.

Several other female spirits shared the lake with her.

A pale-haired water spirit floated lazily on her back nearby.

Another with soft brown hair rinsed her arms near the rocks.

A third spirit woman swam slow circles around Orpheus, occasionally flicking water at her with a playful motion that drew a quiet laugh from the Mother of Spirits.

Soft conversation and light laughter drifted across the surface of the lake.

Klein stopped at the edge of the treeline.

For a moment he simply stood there, watching.

Orpheus tilted her head back, letting water run through her hair, and the motion made her breasts rise and fall softly in the light.

One of the nearby spirits said something that made her smile and respond in an amused voice.

Then Klein stepped out from the trees and approached the edge of the lake.

The three spirits were startled to see him and gazed at him in amazement.

Orpheus tilted her head to look at him and a soft smile appeared on her lips "...Irakiel."

The three spirits were awestruck looking at the creature standing in front of them.

To ordinary spirits, the Mother of Spirits was already a being of immense presence.

But they felt the same kind of presence from the man standing in front of them.

Slowly they made their way toward him through the shallows, and water rippled around their naked bodies as they approached the shore where he stood.

None of them spoke at first. They simply looked at him with wide, luminous eyes, as if trying to understand what kind of existence was standing in front of him.

The pale-haired water spirit raised both hands and cupped his face, and her wet palms were cool against his cheeks as she gently tilted his head from one side to the other.

Almost at the same time, the second spirit stepped in from the side and nuzzled into him.

Her cheek pressed against his shoulder, then higher against the side of his neck, breathing him in as if confirming his presence through scent and contact alone.

Klein stood frozen "...Huh?"

Before he could step back or properly react, the third spirit closed the remaining distance.

In the next moment all three of them were on him.

Soft, wet bodies pressed in from every side as their bare breasts flattened against his chest and arms.

One of them buried her face against his collarbone while another continued holding his face between her hands, and the third clung to his side with her entire body flush against him.

The warmth of the lake water still clung to their skin, soaking into his shirt as they hugged him tightly without the slightest sense of personal boundaries.

Klein remained completely dumbfounded with his arms half-raised in the middle of the sudden hug, unsure where to put his hands.

From the water, Orpheus stared at the scene in confusion "...Um. What are you three doing?"

She expected them to be curious, but she did not expect her subordinate spirits to immediately latch onto her husband like this.

The pale-haired spirit finally turned her head slightly, "Mother... who is this creature?"

The brown-haired one, still nuzzled against his neck, muttered in a soft, wondering tone,

"He feels like you... but different. Warm."

The third simply tightened her arms around him, pressing her wet, naked body more firmly against his side as if that alone were answer enough.

Orpheus floated a little closer through the water in secondhand embarrassment as she realized that the half-spirit and the King of Spirits title were already affecting the lesser spirits more strongly than she had anticipated.

Klein, still trapped in the middle of three clinging, naked spirit women, looked over their heads toward his wife with a flat, helpless expression.

"...Orpheus."

Orpheus walked to them and shook her head helplessly "I will meet you three later."

She raised her hand and gave a small, dismissive wave.

Soft spirit light wrapped around the three lesser spirits at once and teleported them away.

Orpheus stepped closer with droplets running down her skin as she rose onto her toes and pecked his lips in a light, affectionate kiss.

"Do you want to take a bath with me?" she asked softly.

Klein glanced down at himself.

His shirt clung heavily to his chest and shoulders, and his pants were soaked through.

"My clothes are already finished, so..."

Orpheus’s smile widened slightly. She reached out and lightly pulled the front of his wet shirt, "Then take them off and come in."

She stepped back toward the lake and glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Unless you plan to stand there dripping until you dry off on your own?"

As she walked, she deliberately swayed her hips, which made the soft curves of her ass move in a teasing rhythm.

Klein’s eyes followed her ass without thinking ’This woman knows how to seduce me very well.’

He didn’t waste any more time.

He pulled the soaked shirt up over his head and tossed it aside onto the grass.

His pants and the rest of his clothes followed just as quickly as he stepped forward without hesitation.

The water wrapped around his skin. It rose to his calves, then his thighs, then his waist as he waded out to where she waited.

When he reached her, Orpheus’s hands came up to rest lightly against his chest, "...Much better, husband."

Klein’s hands settled on her waist beneath the water, pulling her closer until their bodies met.

Orpheus tilted her head up and kissed him "...Did you enjoy that?" she murmured against his mouth.

"Getting smothered by those women... and cheating right in front of me?"

"That’s-"

She pecked his lips once more, then again, not giving him much room to answer immediately.

Her arms slid up around his neck, and between the kisses, she spoke "...They must have felt the half-spirit energy coming from you."

"Everything in the Spirit Realm is born from the yin energy... and all of it takes female form. When something carries a presence close to mine of course they would react."

She kissed him again, "To them, you felt familia and attractive. Something they wanted to get closer to."

Orpheus pulled back just enough for her green eyes to meet his and her lips were still close enough that each word brushed against his mouth.

"So... it wasn’t ordinary curiosity. They were drawn to you because of what you are now."

A faint, wry smile touched her lips. "Which means my husband is going to keep causing problems with the other spirits if he keeps walking around like this."

Hugging her in his arms, he whispered "That means I can also get in contract with many other powerful spirits."

Hm? Orpheus frowned slightly "...Is that so? You want other female spirits now?"

"You should be careful what you say while you’re in my arms. I might start thinking my husband is already looking past me."

Eh? Klein couldn’t help but chuckle and replied "No, dear. I didn’t mean it like that."

"I just thought that I could get powerful spirits who could help me in battle like the Gale spirit I have."

"...Ah."

Orpheus realized her misunderstanding, and a faint blush colored her cheeks in embarrassment.

’Since those three women smothered him, I thought he wanted them as spirits.’

Her gaze drifted slightly to the side "I-I see..."

Klein’s smile widened a little. He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.

"My jealous wife is also cute."

Orpheus’s flush deepened, and she immediately tried to turn her face further away, "I-I am not jealous."

"You’re not?"

"...No."

Klein kissed her cheek again, then the corner of her mouth, clearly enjoying the rare sight of the Mother of Spirits looking flustered.

Orpheus let out a small, frustrated breath and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Husband, stop making fun of me; it’s embarrassing. If you keep doing this, no sex for you today."

Klein tilted his head slightly toward her, "...No sex for the whole day? That’s a serious punishment."

Orpheus’s fingers curled lightly against his back "I mean it. Keep teasing me and you’ll regret it, Husband."

"Alright, alright, I won’t tease my jealous wife anymore."

"HUSBAND!"