Chapter 124: 124 Gift
After we showered, we changed our clothes. Fiora, who was sitting on the bed looking at me, blushed. Like a maiden.
"I’m sorry, Lucian. It’s been a while since I saw you, and, well, I got excited."
"It’s okay. That just means it was good, right? I enjoyed it too!"
"Really?"
"Yes! Anything I do with Fiora is sweet!"
Fiora’s eyes widened in surprise. Soon, she nodded.
"I, me too...♥"
Shyly, yet gently, Fiora took my hand. Perhaps this was a glimpse into how warm a woman she truly was. Her appearance was so lovely. Now was the time. Shouldn’t I show her the gift I prepared?
Swooosh.
I summoned the Basic Alchemy Kit with my ring. Seeing it, Fiora was surprised.
"Oh...?"
"Fiora, don’t you want to try it again? Alchemy."
"This is a Basic Alchemy Kit from my family, isn’t it? How did you...?"
"Fiora, you used to love alchemy. I happened to hear about it in the capital."
Fiora lowered her head as if a secret had been exposed. She let out a short sigh.
"I did love it. But I had to give it up because I had no talent."
"But isn’t it a waste to just give up on it like that? You truly loved it. You clung to it."
"Even so, what can I do? That’s how things are for people; if you don’t have the talent, some things just won’t work out at all."
Unconsciously, I clenched my fist. What she said was definitely true. Why do so many people fail in reality? It’s not as if they wanted to fail. But I wanted her, at least, to try again. Even if it was just starting small.
"I like Fiora the woman, but I’m curious what Fiora the alchemist would look like!"
"No, no. It’s meaningless without talent. Did I make you go through all that trouble for nothing?"
I shook my head. Pointing to the basic kit, I spoke with sincerity.
"No, talent doesn’t matter. You already have a good teacher like the Butler nearby, don’t you? It’s not a competition, so I hope you can use this basic kit to do what you couldn’t do in the past."
"Lucian, really...?"
"You understand now why I bought this, right? Don’t worry about talent, just do what you want to do. If you can’t even try what you’re capable of just because you think you lack talent, how much will you regret it later? It’ll drive you crazy, really."
I chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"Go ahead and do whatever you want here! I’ll cheer you on, Fiora!"
"Heuk, Lucian. Thank you...!"
Her eyes welled up with tears. Even as she wiped her tears with her hand, she didn’t let go of my hand.
"For Lucian’s sake, I’ll try my best now. Haa, where should I even start...!"
"Start with something simple. Alchemy is a difficult subject, so it’s good to get used to it gradually, right? Like swimming!"
Of course, I’ve never learned it. I do want to learn to swim, though. They say it broadens your shoulders, right?
"Are you good at swimming?"
"No, I might not be...."
As I scratched my head, Fiora laughed as if she knew I’d say that.
"Huhu, let’s go to the sea together later and play. I’ll teach you how to swim then."
"Yes,..."
Learn to swim from my Milf Fiora? I can’t resist that. Maybe we’ll even have sex underwater while learning to swim? Hehehe, I’m so fucking excited!
"Alright, then."
I watched Fiora perform basic alchemy. She first made reagents one by one, then mixed them one by one to turn them into ’aqueous solutions for spell formulas’. It was always fascinating to watch. Reagents are reagents, and aqueous solutions are aqueous solutions.
"Science is brutal, I tell you."
While my mind was in a state of confusion, Fiora looked very happy. As if she was finally fulfilling a long-held wish, a smile never left her lips.
"Okay, this goes like this... What was this spell formula again? Ah, right!"
It took quite some time, but Fiora managed well without any major mishaps. She said she had no talent? No. Perhaps a talent she herself didn’t know about had yet to be discovered. That’s why I wanted to watch her for a long time. I wanted to cheer her on more often, by her side. I had failed in the past, but she still had a chance.
Seeing Fiora’s face, happy like a child, I couldn’t stop smiling.
"She’s like someone who studied late in life and went to college. I’m glad she looks happy."
I watched with a pleased smile. I hoped Fiora wouldn’t give up on alchemy. Because it must have been her dream.
Then I realized there was something I hadn’t told her. How silly of me.
"Oh, right.Fiora."
"Hm? Why?"
I told her about what happened in the capital, about becoming the Lord of the Weaverpool Territory. Then Fiora, holding a reagent bottle, laughed brightly.
"Really? Oh my!"
Fiora was happy as if it were her own achievement. She put down the reagent bottle and began to hug me tightly. Her chest compression started again, but I was even happier. Her fragrant and cozy scent, her firm and bouncy touch, and Fiora’s captivating voice. Everything was good.
"You’ve really accomplished something big, Lucian! You’ve become the best Hero! Should I call you Lord now?"
"Ehehe, just call me Lucian."
"Huhu, I stepped down from Acting Lord, but Lucian, the Hero, actually became a Lord. How interesting."
"It’s amazing for me to become a noble too. Ah, speaking of which...."
Now, let’s talk about what I need to say. It’s quite important.
Fiora tilted her head.
"What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?"
"As you know, even though I’ve become a Lord, my main duty is still being a Hero, right? I have to go around handling various matters, and there are many places to protect. Haha."
"That’s true. If you’ve been recognized by His Imperial Majesty, the surrounding nobles won’t leave you alone either."
Ah, that too. The head of the Ravenscoft family was trying to get involved with me somehow. Other nobles wouldn’t be any different.
I was once again impressed by her insight. I hadn’t even thought of that.
"So, I need an Acting Lord to look after the Weaverpool Territory in my stead."
I stared intently at Fiora. Honestly, she could refuse. If Fiora didn’t want to do it, I could just bring in another suitable person, or kidnap them. But there was a reason I really wanted her to do it. The Weaverpool Territory was precious to me too. So, it would be even better if a woman precious to me took charge.
Fiora chuckled. She gently pinched my cheek.
"Ugh!"
"That suitable person is me?"
"Yes, you can refuse."
"How could I refuse? It’s our Lucian’s request! Huhu."
Fiora smiled refreshingly. She looked down at the basic kit and stretched. Feeling lighthearted.
"I was just thinking of going somewhere. Weaverpool would be suitable. If you go a little further from Weaverpool, you’ll even reach the coast."
"Are you really accepting?"
"Yes. It means Lucian cherishes me that much. If anything, I’m the one who’s grateful!"
Fiora looked at me with burning eyes. The feeling is mutual, Fiora. It must be a difficult request, yet you accepted it so coolly.
I swallowed dryly and approached her. Our lips met again.
"Hngh ..slurpp."
Fiora licked my lips, then gradually entered my mouth. Like a snake searching for prey, she frantically swirled her tongue, rinsing my mouth. I, too, gently bit her tongue and didn’t let go, or lightly scratched the underside to stimulate her. We were about to become hot and sticky again.
"Oh my!"
"Hmm...."
One of the aqueous solutions emitted smoke. I scratched my head, watching Fiora clean up. Fiora gave an awkward laugh.
"It’s fun doing this after a long time, huhu."
"I’ll help you."
I helped her finish cleaning up. Once everything was tidy, Fiora asked.
"So, are you going to the Weaverpool Territory?"
"Now?"
"It’s probably a direct order from the Emperor, so the command must have already reached the Weaverpool Territory by now."
"Ah, I see. Then let’s go together!"
Then we had to hurry. Whoever the temporary Lord was, they must be cursing me out right now. Asking why I haven’t relieved them yet.
"Then what about this?"
Fiora pointed to the basic kit.
"We can do this!"
I sent the basic kit into the ring. Fiora and I left the manor. Before leaving, she only left one letter. That was enough.
"Alright, let’s go together, Fiora."
"But we don’t have a horse, do we? Are we walking?"
"Why wouldn’t we have a horse?"
Swooosh.
"Kihhihihing!"
I summoned Lynn with my ring. Fiora looked at my ring with admiration.
"That ring is truly amazing. I know Selena used to carry it around as a family heirloom. It truly is a treasure...!"
"It’s an incredible heirloom. Let’s ride!"
Fiora and I mounted Lynn. We rode at a moderate speed.
Feeling the cool breeze, we rode joyfully. Lynn’s occasional roars seemed to blow away the stifling reality. Thanks to that, we arrived at the Weaverpool Territory in an instant.
Riding that momentum, we arrived at the Lord’s Manor, where an unexpected person was standing. It was Kelsas Comstrider.
"Oh? You’re...?"
"You’ve finally arrived, esteemed official Lord."
Kelsas cursed me with his eyes, as if asking why I was only just arriving. He handed me a document. As I was about to ask, he answered on his own.
"This is your letter of appointment."
"You were the temporary Lord?"
"Yes, unfortunately. The nation sent me to this nearby territory, saying I had rendered great service."
"Wow, you must’ve been raking in the benefits."
Kelsas’s expression twisted even more. As if it were utterly absurd. Watching Kelsas like that was a lot of fun. Super fun, indeed!
"Easy benefits, my ass. Just get on with the inauguration ceremony. I’m busy, so I’ll be going."
"What’s so busy about it? Didn’t you get promoted for what happened last time?"
"I got promoted, which is why I’m even busier. These days, with the Black Army and all, there’s chaos everywhere, isn’t there?"
"Inspectors do that too?"
"Unfortunately, my workload has increased. Though it’s good to be able to work hard for the nation."
"You worked hard, and thanks for taking care of it!"
He lives such a busy life. As if he weren’t a public servant.
Fiora shook her head, watching Kelsas suddenly depart.
"That man, isn’t he an Inspector? They say he kills people without batting an eye."
"Well, he did beat people up. Though I fixed him a bit."
"You, you did...?"
We entered the Lord’s Manor together. Not only the manor itself, but everything had changed a little from before. Still, it was manageable to adapt to. There were signs that Kelsas had done a pretty good job. The neat interior and well-stacked documents were prime examples.
Fiora smiled and asked.
"When will you have the inauguration ceremony?"
"Right now, right now!"
I answered energetically. If I’m going to do it, I should do it now. Given the current situation. With that, I turned my head towards the outside of the Lord’s Manor.
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