Chapter 255 – The Homunculus

I had received a map of the house from the great warrior Lefiel when we first met. He must have handed over the map for the purpose of working while being enchanted, but now the time has come to put it to good use. I left the inn in the dark of the night and went to Lepiel’s house.

A mansion perched on a high hill in the Holy Land.
Looking at the map written on the memo, I followed the road, and what I saw was a huge mansion. It was late at night, but beast warriors were standing guard at the entrance of the mansion. As I got closer, he held a spear and blocked the way.

“Who are you! Reveal your identity.”
“I’m Luke, an adventurer from Galarhorn. I came here because I have business with the great warrior.”

Upon hearing my name, the beastmen warriors let their guard down.

“Luke? Is that the adventurer who beat Grendel?”
“Ah, I’ve seen the face. It must be the blond dreamer who revealed Grendel’s body a few days ago.”
“You’re the hero of Morph!”

The news that we had dealt with Grendel had already spread throughout the Holy Land. Wherever he goes, he draws attention from the beastmen of the Holy Land. It was like being treated as a hero by beastmen in one night from being a silver-haired adventurer. The beast warriors standing guard lowered their spears.

“It’s an honor to meet you. What are you trying to visit, Grand Master?”
“I have something to tell you about the news of a thief who recently entered the country as a morph. I got information about what he was trying to steal.”
“Okay. Grand Master has also given instructions to allow entry if a blonde dreamer comes to visit. I will open the door for you.”

The beast warriors opened the gate. Without being checked, I was able to enter the mansion straight away. I was escorted to the parlor by the servants who worked as servants in the mansion.

“Please wait for a moment. The Great Master is on his way down to the drawing room after finishing preparations. It was meant to be that we met again, so he asked us to have a drink.”
“Alcohol? What kind of alcohol are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“They say they want to treat their precious guests heartily.”

The mansion’s servants brought delicious dishes and bottles of wine to the drawing room out of nowhere. Morph’s specialty, various smoked dishes and dozens of bottles of wine. I was going to leave immediately after providing the information, but it turned out to be a drinking party.

‘Looks like you’re misunderstanding.’

It was a meticulously prepared dinner. It feels like setting a mood by placing soft candles on the table. He must have mistaken my visit to the mansion to mean that he had accepted the work. I say no to Fury. Pony and Teemo have to be torn apart to taste.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting!”

Soon, Lefiel entered the parlor with a smile on his face. Because she belongs to the Uin tribe, she is a Beastwoman with an appearance resembling a cow. Her body covered in hair stood out, with large horns sprouting from either side of her head.

‘Impossible.’

The word impossible rose to her throat. Le Piel sat down at the table in her drawing room and invited me to eat.

“I heard the story from the employees. Did you get information about the thief who hid in Morph? Let’s talk slowly while having a meal. If it’s okay, you can also stay at my mansion for the night. Hehe.”

Le Piel winked at her as he raised her glass. It was a seductive gesture of her own, but she didn’t feel aroused at all. You want to stay overnight at the mansion? Absolutely not. You never know what will happen to this real milk girl in the middle of the night.

‘Hey.’

Cold sweat ran down her back. We need to speak clearly before misunderstandings grow any further. I opened my mouth in a firm voice.

“Impossible!”
“Impossible…?”
“It is said that a beastly woman is impossible. I only came to the Grand Master to provide information about the phantom thief. There is not a single enemy with an impure heart. “
“Hmm.”

No matter how tempted I was, there was no way I would fall for Furry. After making that point clear, Lefiel’s smiling complexion hardened. It’s a little creepy when you stare at it with bulging bull eyes. Surely you’re not angry because your heart was rejected, right?

“I see. Your heart hasn’t changed since the first time we met. You would never have thought that I, who is considered one of the most beautiful among the people of friendship, would have my heart rejected twice. You are the first to say that I am impossible.”

Are you the first to treat me like this?
Don’t suddenly lay a strange double line. That line could only be hit by her sassy noble ladies. Grendel let out a pitiful sigh and snapped her fingers.

Fuck!

The wind that flowed from her flicked fingers extinguished the candles decorating the table. You can create a blast with just a snap of your fingers. Indeed, he was showing off the best warrior skills of the Principality of Morph. The room became dark in an instant, and I became nervous without realizing it.

Do you really intend to turn off the lights and attack me like this? If you are going to attempt reverse rape, I will not stand still. It was the moment when he tried to raise his magic power and prepare for an unexpected attack.

“Relax. I have no intention of doing anything to you. If we don’t like each other, that’s it. Even if you don’t see me as a man, I want to make you my friend. You’re the hero who defeated Grendel.”
“You mean friends? You don’t mean to start with friends, do you?”
“No.”

Unexpectedly, Lepiel quietly withdrew. He doesn’t seem to have any intention of doing anything to me by force. I’m glad. I heard that among the prisoners, there are those who forcibly boss the men and women they like. It is said to be a barbaric culture that remains among the prisoners. Fortunately, even though he had a savage appearance, Lefiel knew how to keep the line.

Soon the magic light in the drawing room came on.
When the candles were extinguished and lit up brightly, the sleazy mood disappeared.
I then let out a sigh of relief.

“The food that has been prepared will cool down. Let’s start by eating and talking. Things will work out only when we are in a good mood.”

Lefiel took a fork and knife and sliced ​​the steak. It was as if he had just confessed, but it wasn’t particularly gloomy. On the contrary, I must say that I have become more serious than before. I was able to share information about Albert while eating comfortably.

“Did you get information about what the phantom thief was trying to steal?”
“What he’s aiming for is the Rune Scroll kept in Tabula. It’s the first ancient scroll developed on the continent. It’s a treasure that any alchemist can’t help but covet.”
“Rune scroll? An ancient artifact that the alchemists in Tabula obtained. I heard that the thief who entered Morph was also an excellent alchemist, so I can understand it. How did you know that rune scrolls were being targeted?”
“I found out about it a few days ago while carrying out a quest. The thief’s subordinates stole the rune scroll and suppressed it on the spot.”

I told Lepiel the story of the two homunculus I met in the cave. That the homunculus created by the phantom thief Albert were aiming for the rune scroll.

Lepiel, who had been silently listening to the story, also showed a puzzled reaction when he heard the homunculus information.

“Homunculi disguised as beastmen were hiding in the Great Forest. Their shapes were so elaborate that you could only think of them as beastmen just by looking at their appearance. They killed them immediately on the spot, but there might be another homunculus.”
“A homunculus wearing the mask of a beastman? I’ve seen a homunculus created by tabula alchemists. It’s a crude creature that’s ridiculous to treat as a human. I heard that it’s currently impossible to create a homunculus that resembles a human.”

A homunculus that looks perfectly like a beastman.
It is to the extent that it is impossible to determine the identity unless the flesh is cut directly. It would be natural to have doubts about the existence of such a homunculus. Of course, there was a way to convince Lefiel.

“Albert, the phantom thief, belongs to Trinity. Although they are a criminal organization, their technological prowess is the best in the continent. Doesn’t Grand Master know a lot about Trinity?’

Trinity.
It is a group of villains to which the Wiseman family provides technology. There was no way that a person at the level of a morph warrior would not know that Trinity possessed all sorts of mystical skills. I took out the homunculus core from the robe pocket.

“This is the core of the homunculus that Albert was controlling. It was obtained directly from the corpse. If you don’t believe it, let the alchemists in Tabula analyze it.
“Okay. If what you said is true, it’s a headache.”

Lepiel accepted the core of the homunculus and frowned.

“If the appearance is perfectly beast-like. Isn’t there no way to tell if it’s a homunculus? Maybe the homunculus have already hidden inside the holy ground.”
“There is a way to tell them apart if we strengthen the checkpoints. Homunculus blood is not real blood. If we collect blood from the residents of the Holy Land, we can catch the homunculus.”
“Ohhh, is it possible to tell the difference if blood is drawn? Thanks for the advice.”

Here’s everything I’ve been able to find out. If the warriors of the great forest lend their strength, it will be of great help in dealing with Albert.

“Please spread the news to the alchemists in Tabula. If you tell them that the rune scrolls are being targeted, they will raise their guard too.”

It was left to Lepiel to inform Tabula of the news.
It’s no wonder that the alchemists will be annoyed by the scroll crafting method if I go there myself.

“You’ve worked hard. From now on, leave everything to the beast warriors to deal with the phantom thief. There’s no need to worry as long as you know what he’s trying to steal. I’ll put an end to the phantom thief myself.”

Lepiel boasted that he would deal with Albert himself.

I heard that all of Morph’s warriors are first-class fighters. If you look at the realm purely, you could say it’s a higher level than me.
The homunculus, which we had a hard time dealing with, would be easily finished if Luffiel stepped in.

But it was too early to be relieved.

“It would be impossible for the Great Master to deal with the phantom thief himself.”
“Why? You don’t believe in my skills?”
“Skill is not the problem. Gender is the problem.”

Gender is an important issue when dealing with Phantom Thief Albert.
There is a high probability that Lepiel will not be able to use his strength and be beaten by Albert.

“The thief is an incubus like me.”

I said while looking straight at Lefiel.

“Since you were born as a woman, dealing with an incubus is extremely disadvantageous.”

It’s about riding a match.
The incubus is said to be the natural enemy of half the continent’s population.