Goddess Tricked Me into a Breeding Mission (And I Love It)

Chapter 189: Connections

Lys walked toward Vessa and Rhuvia’s way, passing by the other adventurers in the guild hall. The air was very thick with the smell of sweat, blood, and cheap healing potions. His boots stuck slightly to the wooden floor where someone had dripped blood earlier.

Rhuvia was standing there with that small smug smile playing on her lips like all of this was just a game for her, and Lys was one of her pawns in it.

He stopped a few steps away from her and Vessa. The noise in the hall had dropped again, as adventurers stared at the three of them. Rhuvia waved her hand at the others nearby. "Give us a minute, guys. I need to talk to him."

The adventurers and staff moved back without argument, giving them space to talk.

Once there was a little space, Lys crossed his arms and looked her dead in the eye. "Where do I have to come with you? You’ve got a whole guild full of people. What do you need me for?"

Rhuvia tilted her head, her shiny mage robe shifting with the movement. Up close, she looked even younger than he expected, but her eyes were sharp as hell.

She didn’t waste time. "Because I already know you’re engaged to Priest John’s daughter, Selene. And Sara, the one running the weapons shop across the street? She’s tight with you, too, right? And I hear both of them sit on the village council."

She gave a shrewd smile while saying, "For a young rookie adventurer, you’ve got some serious connections, heh..."

Lys’s stomach dropped. He shot a quick look at Vessa.

The woman just gave a small, unbothered shrug, arms still loose at her sides. "What, I work for her. I just reported everything relevant when she asked. You know how I work."

Hearing her say that, he couldn’t even get mad. From the first time he met her, Vessa had always been straight like that. Professional to the bone.

Still, it felt weird hearing his personal shit laid out so casually from a person who literally just came into this village today. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the tension there. ’Of course, she’d dig into this stuff the second she got here. I should’ve guessed she knew these when she mentioned Lord Valtor vouched for me. Obviously, she investigated me more just after coming here.’

"Alright," Lys said, turning back to Rhuvia. "What exactly do you need me for then?"

Rhuvia stepped a little closer, lowering her voice so only the three of them could hear properly. "I want you as our anchor in the council meeting. Having people already trusted by them inside that room is an advantage I need right now. We can’t waste time arguing with them while monsters are crawling out of the forest, can we?"

Lys frowned. He uncrossed his arms and took half a step back. "Whoa there. Aren’t you just assuming I’m on the guild’s side here? What if I’m just looking out for myself and my people when this shit hits? Why would I get into village politics just because you asked?"

The question hung between all three of them. Rhuvia went quiet. She studied him for a long moment, eyes narrowing slightly like she was reading every little twitch on his face. The hall around them felt distant now, just background noise.

Then she asked, flat and direct, "From what Vessa told me, you’re the type who would jump in to save people no matter their status. Was I wrong about that?"

Another moment of silence stretched between them. Lys felt the weight of her words settle in his chest. He thought about the outer settlement, about Tresta. About all the people who didn’t have fancy houses or connections inside the walls.

He let out a slow breath. "Fine. I’ll hear what you have to say. But I’m not promising anything until I talk to Sara."

Rhuvia nodded once, like she’d expected exactly that answer. "Yeah, good enough for me. Let Priest John and Sara know ahead of time what we’ll be discussing in the council meeting. The outer settlement needs to be evacuated inside the walls as fast as we can before the break hits. We can’t do any of that without the council’s agreement. That’s why I need your cooperation. You’ve got two of the core members already leaning your way."

Lys felt a small twist in his gut. If it were another time, he would have felt proud of the connection he made in just a couple of days. But with a dungeon break approaching, he knew evacuating the outer settlement wasn’t going to be simple. People have their lives out there after all.

So, he knew she was right. If lower-floor monsters like that Death Knight were already showing up, leaving a single person outside the walls was basically a death sentence for them. So, he can’t, with a conscious mind, hold this connection against her and ask for anything for his own profit. Not when lives were literally at stake.

"I understand, you can expect at least Sara to be on our side for the whole settlement’s evacuation inside the village wall," he said.

Rhuvia clapped him lightly on the shoulder. Her touch was surprisingly firm for her size, which shocked Lys a little. "Don’t take too long. We need to call the meeting soon."

Saying her piece to him, she already turned back to Vessa and started giving more orders in that calm, efficient tone, already moving on to other things. It was as if she were way too used to handling situations as chaotic as this.

Lys stood there for a second, mind spinning. The weight of everything was pressing down harder now, the more he thought about it.

He turned and headed for the door, pushing it open, feeling like he needed a breather right now.

The afternoon sunlight hit him square in the face, warm and bright like the world hadn’t just gotten a whole lot more dangerous.

Behind him, he could still hear Rhuvia and Vessa talking, voices carrying faintly as they planned many other things, ordering adventurers to be prepared.

Standing in the road right in front of the guild, he took a big breath, the village air smelling like dust, fresh bread from nearby stalls, and that faint hint of blood from the injured people still lingering near the guild.

Then he crossed the main street, dodging a couple of worried-looking villagers who were starting to gather and whisper. As he had already guessed what they might be whispering about, he paid no mind to them.

Sara’s shop was right there, the door slightly open like always. He pushed inside. The bell above the door chimed as he stepped inside.

Inside, Sara was sitting on a chair and wiping a gauntlet with a rag.