Chapter 554: Eric Is a Woman and Benjamin Is a Man

"Eric... you’re a woman...?" Benjamin voiced in shock, his voice cracking with disbelief.

His eyes were glued to the crotch of the green-haired elf, staring with, his jaw hanging slightly open as he processed what he was seeing—or rather, what he was not seeing.

Benjamin had run away from the awkwardness of Siberia and Kapil’s bathing area, fleeing the scene of uncomfortable tension, and appeared in Eric’s hot spring side of the secluded mountain.

It was a place of solitude and peace far from the complications he had left behind.

But to Eric himself/herself, who had been enjoying the quiet warmth of the water without any expectation of company, Benjamin’s sudden appearance was startling.

The basin was wide enough for ten people to fit in comfortably, its surface stretching across the rocky floor of the spring, the water steaming gently in the cool mountain air.

The soft crystal lights beneath made bodies seem as though they were glowing, casting an ethereal radiance upward through the liquid, illuminating every curve and contour with a gentle, otherworldly luminescence that made the skin appear translucent and angelic.

The crystals themselves were as well medicinal to the body, and helped ease stress, their warmth seeping into tired muscles and aching joints, their subtle energy working to calm the mind and soothe the spirit, making this spring a haven of restoration and renewal for anyone fortunate enough to bury themselves in it.

"Benjamin?! What are you doing here?!" Eric realized Benjamin had somehow entered his/her private hot spring far in the mountains, a place that should have been inaccessible to anyone without prior knowledge of its location, a sanctuary that Eric had believed was known only to himself/herself. "How did I not notice you coming...?! I was alone just a moment ago, and now you are here, as if you materialized out of thin air!"

Eric was trying to cover himself/herself up from the embarrassment of being seen naked, arms crossing over chest, legs drawing up, hands scrambling for anything that might provide some semblance of modesty, but (okay, let’s just go with "they") they immediately caught something they saw as impossible, something that made their mind rebel against the evidence of their own eyes.

"B... Benjamin..." Eric’s green eyes widened with utter shock as they glanced down at Benjamin’s crotch, their gaze dropping to that region with horror, their mouth falling open as the implications began to sink in, "you are a man...? But that cannot be?"

"Wai— don’t you dare try to change the subject!" Benjamin clicked his tongue, the sound sharp and irritated, as they both stared at their crotch, each of them locked in a moment of mutual revelation that neither had anticipated. "And I’ve told you since the beginning that I was male. I have said it repeatedly, openly, without any attempt to deceive. You just didn’t believe me."

Eric’s face almost went blue, their complexion shifting to a sickly hue that seemed unnatural, their hand going to cover their mouth as if to stifle a sob.

Their big green eyes trembled with the force of their shock, tears threatening to spill from the corners.

"So that time, and that time... and that time too?" Eric entered detective mode, their mind racing as they sifted through memories and interactions, putting pieces together with the frantic energy of someone solving a puzzle that had been hiding in plain sight all along. "You have always been a man...? But that’s impossible. It goes against every common sense in the world."

Having had enough of what felt seriously like mockery, what felt like an endless loop of disbelief and accusation that was wearing on his patience, Benjamin swan over to Eric’s side of the basin, cutting through the warm water with purpose, and splashed water on their face suddenly, a sharp and unexpected assault that caught Eric completely off guard.

"Kyahhh! It got in my eye! It burns!" Eric screamed like a girl, their voice rising to a high-pitched wail, using their arms to shield from the watery assault, rubbing at their eyes with frantic, desperate motions, their composure shattered completely by the sudden attack.

"Where do you get off solving the mystery of my gender like that?" Benjamin demanded, his voice sharp with exasperation, as he grabbed their pointy ears and began to fondle them teasingly, his fingers working the sensitive tips with a gentleness that was at odds with his irritated tone. "Unlike me who unfortunately announce my gender thrice every few hours, and have been nothing but open and honest about who I am, you identify as a man despite having such wonderful boobs!"

"Fine, fine, I will confess!" Eric whimpered against Benjamin’s touch on their ear, their voice breaking into a pitiful plea, their face getting beet red from the ears being touched, the color spreading across their cheeks and down their neck in a flush of overwhelming sensation. "Please, not the ears... I cannot think straight when you do that... please, have mercy..."

Benjamin blushed as well, his own cheeks warming with an unexpected rush of feeling, looking at the teary-eyed face of the ethereal elf, at the vulnerability and helplessness written so plainly across their features.

He gulped and agreed, swimming back to his side of the basin, putting distance between himself and the source of his sudden confusion.

[Huh...? Hey, Sys, don’t I get to have a notification for ear stimulation like this?] Benjamin asked his inner assistant, his thoughts turning inward, seeking clarification from the voice that resided within his consciousness. [A bonding thing. Shouldn’t there be some kind of system prompt, some acknowledgment of what just happened?]

{Affirmative. But Master has no need for the abilities of such a feeble and pitiful—} The inner voice began, its tone dismissive and condescending, already preparing to reject the notion as unworthy of consideration.

[Right. But you once said it was important I bonded with folks so I get to mix and evolve their abilities inside myself.] Benjamin interrupted, his thoughts firm and insistent.

{That is correct. Master does gain partial bond with any lesser individual master spends enough time with. In that frame, I take their measly, unassuming abilities and mix them into something possessing far more value. The abilities inside [Concept Assimilation], [Beast Demi-god], [Magic Nexus], and the other grace and blessings master has obtained, are growing with every small interaction master has with mortals.}