Chapter 257 – The Homunculus

“Did you know Luke could cook?

Looking at the steaming mushroom stew, Wendy reacted in surprise. That’s because I’ve never shown off my cooking skills in front of Wendy. When she was a rookie adventurer in need, she was always in a position to get something to eat from Wendy.

Or a sandwich.
Like Wendy’s homemade bread.

Every time I went on a quest, this receptionist lady would poke me one bite of her stuff. It was all thanks to Wendy that she was able to eat the least amount of food in her rookie adventurer days. She should think that making mushroom stew for her now is reciprocating back then. I am not one who forgets grace.

“I’ve made a lot of things while living alone. If you eat only rice at an inn, you won’t get thorns in your mouth. I made mushroom stew with lots of healthy ingredients. Try it.”

I confidently held out a bowl of mushroom stew to Wendy. I have many memories of cooking when I was living on Earth. At least it wasn’t at the level of making food that people couldn’t eat. Wendy stood still as she took the bowl of stew.

“…Luke-sama.”
“What is it?”

Why don’t you eat stew?
Are you doubting my cooking skills? When I took a bite earlier, I was satisfied with the taste. Or maybe even a vegetarian. It’s not like you can’t eat it because it’s a stew with meat in it.

“Why are you calling me?”
“Just thank you.”

Tears welled up in Wendy’s eyes as she took the bowl with both hands. Only then did she realize why Wendy had called me. She said she was impressed by the homemade cuisine.

“Oh, I’m suddenly crying. Why am I doing this?”

Wendy sniffled as she stared at her mushroom stew. There is nothing that makes her feel more grateful than taking care of her when she is sick. The moment she saw the tears welling up in Wendy’s eyes, she knew that she had made a good health food. I took her handkerchief from under my robe and handed it to Wendy.

“I’ll lend you a handkerchief.”
“Huh! Thank you… I’ll enjoy the mushroom stew. What’s this like when I’m old?”

Wendy quickly stopped crying, wiping her tears with her handkerchief. She seems to think it’s embarrassing to cry in front of a guy younger than her. To be honest, she wouldn’t have cared at all if I cried out loud. I wanted Wendy to rely on me a little more.

“I can cry when it hurts. What are you ashamed of?”
“…I always want to act upright in front of Luke-sama. Think of it as the pride of an adult.”

It’s the pride of an adult.
It’s not like pride feeds you.
She was tempted to tackle, but held back. Because she wanted Wendy to taste the mushroom stew. I was curious to hear what impressions she would have.

Wendy got out of bed and sat down at the table in her guest room. She then scooped out the mushroom remnants and broth from the stew with a spoon and tasted her. I watched the stew enter through her thick lips.

Gulp.

Do you want to show a great reaction like a cooking cartoon? Get up right away and stand on your hands. Like transforming into Darsim and saving the world. I had a strange feeling of anticipation, but a cartoon is just a cartoon. Wendy tasted her mushroom stew and gave me a thumbs up.

“It’s delicious!”
“Is that just the impression?”
“It feels so energized. I’m not kidding, really.”

It wasn’t a lie to say I was energized. As she ate the stew, Wendy’s pale face gradually turned red. It is not a waste at all for her to buy mushrooms, a specialty of Great Forest, at a high price. Even though she was a patient with no appetite, Wendy neatly emptied a bowl of her stew in front of me.

‘Good.’

Is this what it feels like to be full just by watching you eat? I feel like I’ve repaid the favor I had in my days as a rookie adventurer. But it wasn’t just this much that all the debts in his heart had disappeared. I want to give a bigger reward.

Like the magpie that repaid the favor in a traditional fairy tale.
I want to repay you by burning my own body.
If there was a bell in front of me right now, it would have been enough to headbutt right away.

“Thanks to you, I ate well. Are you hungry, Luke?”
“I ate a lot while making the stew. Get some rest now. I’ll be with you.”
“Whoa, Luke-nim looks trustworthy today. … Etch!”
“I’ve always been a dependable dreamer. Others just didn’t trust me.”

Wendy lay down on the bed with a smile on her face. Her complexion has improved, but judging by the occasional cough, her cold energy still lingers. I dragged her chair and set it beside her bed and sat down to take care of Wendy. She wets a towel and puts it on her forehead.

Quite a bit of time has passed since then.
I was sitting in her chair when I suddenly heard Wendy’s voice.

“Luke-sama, do you remember the first time we met? It snowed then, just like today.”
“It’s an unforgettable memory.”

I remember when I first met Wendy.
It’s been quite a while, but I still can’t forget that day. It was a day when I was very hungry. As a boy, I wandered aimlessly across the continent and went to Joensuu in search of work. I heard that it is a city with little discrimination against people of different races. But even in Yoensuu, my way to live was far away.

-You want to work in the store? If we hire a dream horse as a clerk, our store will go bankrupt.
-Blonde Tanning Incubus?! What kind of terrible hybrid is this? It’s just a look I can’t trust.

I met several store owners, but none hired me. Even in Yoensu, where different races live in harmony, dream horses were treated like garbage. In the end, I just wasted my time and spent all the money I had on hand.

A cold winter day when it snowed.

I couldn’t even pay for the inn, so I wandered the streets. Of course, there is no money to eat. It seemed to be the end of the city that I had been looking for with hope. Being in an extreme situation, I did my best to survive. Like tearing off the bark and chewing it.

However, due to the cold winter wind, I caught a bad cold before I knew it. It was when I collapsed in the middle of the street from the fever and lost consciousness. Suddenly, I heard someone’s voice calling me.

—-If you sleep in a place like this, you’ll freeze to death!

She looked up and saw a brown-haired woman in her coat. As other passers-by passed by, she didn’t ignore me as much as she did. I still couldn’t forget the way she looked at me with her worried face.

First meet.
That was the first time I met Wendy.

-Are you okay?

At first, she didn’t respond to Wendy, who was talking to her. After all, women tend to feel uncomfortable with me as an incubus. I’m sure I’ll pass by after talking to her a few times out of sympathy. I lost consciousness due to the heat and eventually passed out. When I woke up again, I firmly believed that I had arrived in heaven.

But when time passed and I opened my eyes, I was alive.
I saw myself lying in bed under an unfamiliar ceiling. Wendy took me to her house after I was lying on the side of the road. Seeing me awake, Wendy smiled brightly as if she was glad.

-Now you have opened your eyes. I couldn’t leave it alone, so I brought it home. What is your name?
-Lu, this is Luke.
– I am Wendy. So why was she lying on the side of the road? You’re young, but don’t you live with your parents?
-I don’t have parents.
-Ah…

Because he is an orphan, he has no guardian to take care of him.
Being an incubus, it is difficult to find work.

– I think I asked something stupid.

When she found out about my circumstances, Wendy responded with pity. Of course, she allowed her to rest at home until she felt better. It was the first time she had ever received pure warmth from another person. To the extent that she doubted that I might be dreaming.

But it was a dream, not a reality.
After a few days, her condition improved. I was about to leave Wendy’s house as I was sorry to owe her any more. She noticed that Wendy had a young daughter and she kept taking care of me.

The day you leave home.
Wendy abruptly held out a piece of paper to me.
It is a piece of paper on which writing is written in pencil.

-What is this?
-It’s a letter of recommendation. A letter of recommendation to help you join the Adventurer’s Guild. There is a guild called Galarhorn in Joensuu. I also work there as a receptionist. It wouldn’t hurt to try the entrance exam once.

Wendy put the rolled-up letter of recommendation in my hand.

– Why do you keep caring about me? Not even family
-Because I can’t just leave it alone. Every time I see your depressed eyes, I keep getting nervous.

Sad looking eyes.
Because at the time, I was pessimistic about everything in the world. As an incubus, I thought that no matter what I did, there would be no hope. If you simply earn a day and extend your life, it is a life that is satisfied with that. That attitude was also evident on his face.

– I don’t know what kind of years I spent…

Wendy’s voice echoed behind me as I left the house.

-Have hope, Mr. Luke! I hope you have a happy smile when we meet again.

Words of encouragement filled with kindness lingered in my ears. It gave me energy, which had always been stricken with a sense of defeat. I went to Galarhorn immediately that day, passed the entrance exam and became an adventurer. It’s not that my difficult life has changed, but at least I can put glue on my mouth.

This was the memory of my first meeting with Wendy.
Thinking back on it, I feel like I owe a lot of money. Maybe if I hadn’t met Wendy then, my life in another world would have ended that day.

Me and Wendy recalled memories of the first time we met and had a conversation.

“Whoops. When Luke woke up at my house. I still remember his confused expression.”
“At that time, I thought I was completely dead. I woke up not in heaven, but in a family house, so I can’t help but be embarrassed.”

Wendy looked at me with her smile on her face.

“I was a child when I first met you… But you’ve grown up without realizing it. I’m glad you’ve grown into a great adult.”

The snub-nosed dreamer who was babbling when he was a boy is no longer there.
What was here now was a dream horse capable of taking responsibility for itself.
Now is the time for me to take care of her.