Chapter 258 – The Homunculus

“Thank you for always taking care of me.”

Before I knew it, there was a warm atmosphere between Wendy and I. Feeling embarrassed, I scratched my cheek and looked at Wendy. She had something she wanted to ask Wendy, who was sick with a cold.

“Apart from being thankful, aren’t you overdoing yourselves with spirit magic? I heard you practiced magic until dawn every day. You’ll grow as an elementalist if you don’t fret and take classes. Why is Wendy so eager to learn magic? “

The reason I caught a cold was because Wendy worked too hard. As an instructor, this is something you should be aware of. She was also in trouble if she was overexerted by herself and she collapsed. But, as if Wendy had something to say, she cautiously opened her mouth.

“Because I want to quickly get a means to protect myself.”
“Means of protection? Rather, right now magic is harming Wendy’s health.”
“I admit that I overdid it… But I want to learn magic quickly anyway. When I go back to Yoensuu, I will be living alone with Mary again. It’s a tough world to live with my daughter. I feel it. If I can command strong spirits, at least I won’t get seriously hurt.”

Mmm.
A mother-daughter family living with her daughter is very precarious. In particular, it is not an exaggeration to say that in a different world where public security is nothing short of shit, you are always exposed to danger. Wendy let out a heavy sigh and added her words.

“Luke-sama knows it well, but it’s not the first time or two that I’ve been plagued by a stalker. If I feel someone following me from behind, I’m paranoid. There was a time when Mary almost got kidnapped. She said she needed strength to live safely. “

I know very well that Wendy is struggling with a man. Because of her outstanding beauty, she was a woman who attracted people’s attention wherever she went. However, unlike her beauty, Wendy’s men’s clothing was extremely bad. She’s always haunted by stalkers like Pervert. There was even a kidnapper who tried to kidnap her daughter. She said that Wendy was also living a very eventful life.

“Whoa… If I had learned spirit magic early on, etch! I could have finished them off with my own hands.

There was no sign of Wendy’s enthusiasm diminishing. If she stays like this, won’t she be overpowered when she wakes up again to recover her health? She tries to learn magic, but the vicious cycle of falling ill again continues. Well, although she will take care of her self as well as Wendy is her grownup. I wanted to ease her Wendy’s anxiety.

What should she say to comfort her?
As she pondered, a good idea came to her.

“Don’t be too impatient.”
“Yes?”
“It’s that you don’t have to worry about being powerless. She remembers what I said when I first arrived at the inn? What I said to Mr. Wendy after making a bet with Rebecca.”

The day I first arrived at the spring water inn.
I once made a bet with Rebecca and put the work on Wendy. It was a bet that if she succeeded in seducing Wendy, she would give up her herbivore title. Her seduction failed, but she still remembers the words she uttered at the time.

Wendy thought it over and said with a puzzled expression.

“A bet? Aah… You mean the weird work comment that Luke joked about? What does it have to do with her playing a joke?”
“It has a lot to do with it.”

Atmosphere was important here.
I took a deep breath and held Wendy’s hand as she lay on her bed. The moment she suddenly touched her hand, Wendy looked slightly startled. She did not miss the moment when a gap opened in the heart of the widow who always hit the iron wall.

“It’s true that I made a bet, but what I said then was no joke. I had no intention of lying from the beginning. I always treat Wendy with sincerity.”
“What are you trying to say right now…?”

I saw Wendy, trembling in embarrassment. I lifted her head and met her eyes with Wendy’s. The wall could still be felt in her gestures. The wall I built myself after suffering from trashy men all this time. A deep-rooted wound that remains in the heart. As much as I received her grace, I wanted to heal her wounds myself.

Because it’s an incubus.
I can do something to soothe the heart of a girl I’m close with. I believed in my ability as an incubus.

“I’m going to take responsibility for Wendy for the rest of my life. She may not be reliable as she has three women to take care of, but I still want to protect you with my own hands. It’s Wendy, not anyone else.”
“Ah…”

A blush bloomed on Wendy’s cheeks as she lay in her bed. In front of me speaking with all my heart, the wall in my heart was slowly breaking down.

Promise to protect you.
These are the words I really wanted to tell Wendy someday. Even if I hadn’t mastered magic and remained an ordinary dreamer, my intentions wouldn’t have changed. Regardless of her abilities, it was the same that Wendy was a precious person to me.

Because it’s my first love

Because I was the first woman I ever loved in this world. It’s not just about repaying the favor. She spoke out without hesitation the words she wanted to hear.

“Don’t think of yourself as a loner. I’m asking you to share with me what Wendy is carrying. She will always be by her side.”

Everything I wanted to say is over.
As I silently held her hand, I heard Wendy’s voice.

“Chae, you weren’t joking when you said you were going to take responsibility?”
“Yes, I’m not kidding. So don’t push yourself too hard. Please remember that I am by your side.”
“… I thought it was just a lie to lighten the mood. I thought Luke-sama couldn’t care about a woman like me.”
“I always care.”
“But Luke-sama is a well-known wizard. It doesn’t make sense to continue to pay attention to an ordinary receptionist. There are many young and pretty lovers around you.”
“Wendy is not an ordinary person. She is as precious to me as her family.”
“Boo…”

She pushed through, and eventually Wendy gave up arguing. She groaned as she pulled the blanket up to her neck. It was the first time she had ever seen Wendy, who always looked cool, look so shy. Her pride as an elder sister had long since vanished.

“Okay. I’ll trust Luke and don’t overdo it. Can I ask you a favor instead?”
“What kind of request is it?”
“That…”

Wendy hesitantly opened her mouth.

“Please hold her hand until I leave.”
“Wouldn’t that be inconvenient?”
“Boo, it’s uncomfortable! I feel rather happy.”

Wendy’s warm warmth was transmitted through her clasped hands. Inside her room, the sound of her pounding heart echoed softly. I didn’t let go of Wendy’s hand until the time came and I switched roles of Kate and her caregiver. Somehow, I feel that our relationship, which was nothing more than an adventurer and a receptionist, has changed.

“But you’re going to take responsibility for the rest of your life? If someone hears it, they’ll think you’re confessing and misunderstand.”
“I was just telling the truth.”
“Huuuuuhhhhh. It’s really not a joke to bewitch a woman like an incubus.”

Of course, no matter how she changed, it didn’t change that she was a precious person to me.

Suddenly, Wendy laughed and opened her mouth.

“Maybe she’ll tell Mary the good news when she goes back to Yoensu.”
“What news?”
“Well, whooping.”

The news that she brought her dad?

Good.
It wouldn’t hurt to raise a cute daughter-in-law.

It’s Mary, her dad goes.

*

After about three days passed, Wendy’s body recovered neatly. She no longer makes any coughing noises. It felt like her relationship with Wendy was closer than before, thanks to her relationship with her caregiver. She used to sneak away when her lovers were around her, but now she doesn’t really care.

That’s when she was spending time at an inn.
Tabula’s alchemist, Kellon, came to see me.

“See you again, Mr. Luke. Thank you for allowing me to meet you.”
“Why did you come here again? I can’t tell you how to make a scroll. It’s a secret that will drag you to the grave.”

Tabula’s alchemists hadn’t been hanging around the inn lately. When she kept refusing to tell me how to make a scroll, she got tired of trying and everyone left. Has Kellon not given up yet? She decided that if she brought up the recipe, she’d kick her out right away.

“Actually, I still have lingering attachments to the scroll crafting method. Because Luke is the only one who has figured out a way to drastically shorten the maturation period. But I came to see Luke now for a different reason.”

Kellon cleared her throat and opened her mouth.

“I heard from the warriors guarding the Holy Land. The rune scrolls we keep in Tabula are being targeted by a big player. Aren’t they a group of monsters?”

It seems that Lefiel did well with my request to deliver the news.
Tabula’s alchemists were clearly aware of the true identity of the thief aiming for the rune scroll. It’s convenient because I don’t have to be an explanation junkie and have a long story.

“You know well. The one who is targeting Tabula now is an alchemist with excellent skills. He has a fully-formed homunculus under his command that can change his appearance freely. Have you prepared enough for the attack?”
“We, Tabula, have already strengthened our vigilance. We are collecting blood from everyone who enters the workshop. The surest way to distinguish homunculus is to analyze their blood.”

Although she had prepared for it, Kellon’s expression was uneasy. I can’t help but worry that Trinity’s outstanding talent is aiming for a workshop.

“Beast warriors led by the Grand Master are also stationed in our workshop. But I can’t shake off my anxiety. The leader of Tabula shares the same idea as me. He thinks that more manpower is needed to safely prepare for an attack. Alchemists only know how to experiment, but their fighting skills are lacking.”

I know what you want to say.
He wants to hire my party as an escort.
What Kellon said next didn’t deviate from my prediction.

“I’d like to hire adventurers, including Mr. Luke, as escorts. Please stop the rune scroll from being stolen.”

The time has come to carry out the quest.