He Became the Only Ally of the Abandoned Warrior-Chapter 57

"Wow!"

Lin couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.

Seeing how happy Lin was, Lucy stifled a laugh.

When he’s happy, she’s happy too.

"Should we make something to eat while we’re here?"

Seeing how timid Lucy had become, almost as much as Naidrian, Lin decided to treat her with his cooking skills.

However, Lucy’s request was surprisingly simple.

"A sandwich. The one you made in Valtorcroix."

"Just mashed potatoes and jam? There are better ingredients here; I could make something even tastier."

"But I really like that one."

She was sincere.

Lin smiled slightly when Ravin and Lucy had said it was delicious the first time they ate the sandwich in Valtorcroix.

That smile, along with the taste of the sandwich, had been deeply imprinted in Lucy’s memory.

"But I’d like you to make a lot of them."

For the record, Lucy has a big appetite.

When her limbs were severed, she was so depressed that she lost the will to live, and later, seeing how much Lin worried about expenses, she was careful with her eating.

"Shall I add some bacon to make it less bland?"

"No, it’s fine."

Growl.

At that moment, Lucy’s stomach rumbled, betraying her words.

It dawned on her that she hadn’t eaten anything since morning.

Embarrassed by her stomach’s reaction to the mention of bacon, Lucy felt miserable, but Lin calmly picked up a piece of bacon.

"The saltiness will add flavor."

"...Please."

Lin calmly took his place and began cooking.

He trimmed the edges of the bread and mashed the potatoes.

As he placed the bacon on the heated pan, Lin asked Lucy,

"Crispy? Or just soft?"

"Crispy."

Like a baby bird waiting to be fed, Lucy watched Lin’s cooking, swallowing her saliva.

Suddenly, she realized she had never properly watched him cook before.

During the campaign against the Demon King, she had only asked to be called when the food was ready, focusing on her own tasks, and after he saved her, she was too weak to do anything but sip on honey.

If she had known she would have to rejoin the Hero’s party, she would have taken the opportunity to sit by the campfire, watching him cook, helping with the ingredients, and discussing how to cook the bacon.

Instead of just thinking about it, she decided to take action.

"Lin, can I help with something…?"

"This is my domain. I can’t let anyone else take over."

Lin firmly rejected her offer of help and handed her a plate with two crispy fried eggs and three slices of bacon, fried in the bacon grease.

The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

"Was I too harsh? Sorry, but if I lose control of the kitchen, I feel completely useless."

Lin quickly added, watching to see if Lucy was disappointed.

He grabbed a ketchup bottle and skillfully wrote a message in the empty space on the plate.

[Cheer up, thank you.]

Seeing the message, Lucy suddenly burst into tears.

She hated herself for crying over something that shouldn’t be so sad, but she couldn’t stop.

"There, there, it’s okay."

Lin gently patted her back and then wiped her tears with a soft cloth.

Seeing how embarrassed she was, Lin cut the bacon and eggs into small pieces and handed her a fork.

"Tastes good?"

"Yeah…."

"I’m glad."

"Lin."

"Yes?"

"Thank you… for everything."

With a heartfelt look of gratitude, Lin smiled slightly.

Yes, even the smallest things can warm someone’s heart.

Clank!

One of the chains burned red, melted away, and the warmth filled Lin’s heart for a while.

The sun had set.

Lin watched Lucy devour the sandwiches as they returned to the room.

"You’re eating well; that’s good to see."

"Mmm…."

"I’m not teasing you."

Lucy, with her cheeks puffed out, was about to set the sandwich down, but Lin handed her another one instead, encouraging her.

"You barely ate anything before you recovered, and it was tough."

When Lin said "before you recovered," he was referring to the time when her limbs were shattered.

Lucy remembered how she had once been angry, asking him why he saved her, and now she was looking away, chewing on the sandwich.

"Your hair is in your mouth."

Lin appeared in front of her again, gently pulling out the strand of hair that had gotten into her mouth.

Finally, Lucy put the sandwich down.

"Why?"

"I feel like such a pig…."

"Pig? You’re eating well."

"‘Eating well’ isn’t exactly a compliment…."

It doesn’t sound quite as flattering as "pretty."

"You asked me before about my ideal type, didn’t you?"

"Yeah, I did."

At the time, Lucy had described traits that reminded her of Lin, only to realize they fit Reinhold even better, causing her to panic.

"I like a girl who eats well. I’m sure of that."

"Who likes a girl who eats a lot?"

As a fallen noble, Lucy had been scolded by her parents for eating too much when she was young.

Because of that, she believed that eating a lot made her less attractive as a woman.

But she didn’t realize that all the food she consumed was needed to sustain her body, including her rather ample chest, and Lin felt a pang of sympathy.

As he brushed away the stray hairs, Lucy’s face flushed, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

"And I saw you eat well every day during the campaign against the Demon King."

Flinch.

There he goes again.

No matter how much she wanted to stay calm, whenever Lin mentioned those times, memories of her wrongdoings resurfaced.

The gluttonous Hero who ate even Lin’s portion and handed him the empty pot.

Lin realized he had made a mistake.

He had tried to lighten the mood, but instead, he had dug up the past.

On the other hand, he wondered if this was the right dynamic.

He was the victim, yet the perpetrator was now so burdened with guilt that Lin had to comfort her.

Of course, it was far better than her being shameless, but Lin recognized once again how tangled his relationship with Lucy had become.

Apologizing and accepting apologies had become so complicated that neither could untangle this knot easily.

However, it didn’t feel like the right time to forgive her completely.

"Lucy, I told you it’s okay. The past is already gone. If we don’t focus on the present based on the past, the future will only be dark."

No matter how many times they repeated this conversation, no progress was made.

Lucy hesitated before finally voicing her thoughts.

"Even if that’s true, I don’t think I’m the one who should be saying it."

Her tear-filled eyes stared at Lin’s mask.

"I don’t deserve to say that."

The sun had set, and the only light in the room was the soft glow of the moon.

Caught between his desire not to forgive her too easily and his pity for Lucy, who was trapped in regret, Lin finally spoke.

"Then let’s look at just today."

"Today?"

"Today, you protected me all day."

He stroked her head as a reward.

"You even got angry on my behalf at the archer."

He let her lean on his shoulder as a sign of how proud he was of her.

"And you caught the spy hiding in the ceiling."

He consciously smiled at her in gratitude.

Only then did Lucy’s tears subside, and she was able to relax.

"If we just look at today, Lucy, you didn’t hurt me at all. You only helped me."

Lucy exhaled deeply.

Even her breathing was trembling.

This wasn’t good.

Lin made a firm decision and whispered to Lucy,

"See, Lucy, you did well today."

"I’m so glad."

"So you deserve a reward."

"A reward?"

"I’ve noticed that every time you listen to my heartbeat, your breathing gets really heavy."

Understanding his words, Lucy felt goosebumps all over her arms.

Her entire body flushed with heat as she struggled to figure out what to do, and Lin, remaining calm, reassured her.

"You’ve been under a lot of stress lately, and you’ve always done your best by my side, so… I’ll grant you one wish."

"Really?"

Her voice was barely audible.

"Really."

"But it’s a weird wish. I can’t…."

He had already prepared himself for that.

Normally, he would never agree, but considering what was to come, he needed to take care of Lucy’s mental health.

"It’s okay."

"R-really?"

"Unless you don’t want to."

"No, I do! But…."

Blushing deeply, Lucy stammered several times before finally voicing her wish.

"I want to lick your sweat, Lin."

To hold the essence of the one she loved in her mouth.

The Hero’s wish was filled with dark, obsessive affection.

For a moment, Lin’s mind went blank.

"That’s not allowed, right…?"

"No, it’s not that…."

He closed his eyes tightly.

"Just don’t leave any marks, okay?"

"Okay…."

"Uh… what should I do?"

"Just lie down on the bed."

I’ll take care of the rest.

Lin obediently lay down as Lucy instructed.

Slowly, Lucy unbuttoned his shirt.

As his bare skin was exposed, the scent of his body filled the air.

The smell made Lucy’s eyes glaze over.

Gulp.

A soft, indecent sound came from the Hero’s throat, and as her nose followed the line of his abs downward, her small, round tongue gently poked out from her lips.

Chuup.

The sensation, like a bird pecking at seeds, was quite ticklish.

As Lucy ran her tongue along the contours of his abs, she gradually moved lower, below his navel.

Pant… Pant…!

Lucy stared intensely at the area beneath his navel.

Her eyes were as bloodshot as her red hair, showing she had completely lost her reason.

She wanted to bury her face in that space.

Was Lin reacting to her?

She wanted to know.

She wanted to know if a woman as lowly as her could arouse him.

Gasp…!

Like a vampire holding back her thirst for blood, Lucy breathed heavily and then pressed her tongue against his abs again.

This time, she moved upward, gradually making her way to his collarbone.

When she reached his neck, she lightly kissed under his chin and rested her ear against his chest.

His heartbeat was faster than usual.

Listening to his heartbeat, Lucy made a vow.

"I won’t do anything Lin doesn’t allow."

His heartbeat gradually calmed down.

As his large hand stroked her head, Lucy buried her face in his chest and smiled.

Lin’s sweat was heavenly.

In addition to the sound of his heartbeat and the red string of fate, this was an achievement Lucy had earned, something Lin had allowed her to do.

The two of them yawned as they basked in the drowsiness of the moment.

"Lucy."

"Yes."

Lucy barely managed to lift her eyelids as she responded to Lin.

"If I’m right, we’ll be separated soon."

"What?"

All her drowsiness vanished, and Lucy shot up, staring at Lin.

"Are you leaving me? Is that why you let me do this?"

"It’s not like that."

"I’m sorry, Lin! I won’t ask for anything like this again. I’m sorry, Lin. Please, please…!"

Lucy’s desperate plea as she knelt on the floor was heartbreaking.

Lin quickly hugged her as she seemed on the verge of breaking down.

"Lucy, it’s not like that. It’s necessary."

"For what? I can’t live without you, Lin. You know that. I’ll do better. So please…!"

"Shhh…."

He held her tighter and waited until she calmed down.

When her trembling subsided, Lucy hugged him back.

"Lucy, do you remember what I said to Ravin earlier today?"

"You told him to provoke the Crown Princess…."

"And to prevent Reinhold from interfering."

"Yes, you did say that."

Lin decided to be honest with her.

He believed Lucy would understand.

"We’ll be apart for a while because of that."

"To stop Reinhold from interfering?"

"Exactly…."

Lin whispered in her ear.

"We’re going to beat him within an inch of his life so he can’t rejoin the Hero’s party."

The plan was to retire Reinhold from the Hero’s party.

This was Lin’s plan.

"I hate that guy."

"Yeah, I hate him too. I really hate him!"

Lucy agreed fervently.

She had planned to kill that traitor from the start.

"Lin, when you say ‘within an inch of his life,’ does that mean I can kill him?"

"Not exactly. If we kill him outright, the aftermath will be messy."

"So I’ll have to be careful with my strength?"

"Even if you don’t go all out, make sure you hit hard enough that it seems like he’ll die. He’s pretty tough."

"Right. I’ll do that. I’ll do exactly as you say."

If Arsil had seen Lin scheming to harm someone, she would have found him unrecognizable.

But that was because Lin had only devised plans that considered Arsil’s straightforward nature.

When he was under Lina Sien, even his worst strategies were still enough to survive.

In Filthy Alley, if you weren’t cunning, you wouldn’t survive.

"So it’s okay. Since we’ll be apart for a while, you can ask for wishes like this as much as you want until then."

"…Then can I lick you a bit more?"

"As much as you want."

"No, now that I know you’re not abandoning me, I’m relieved… I’ll just listen to your heartbeat and sleep tonight."

"Alright, let’s do that."

Before long, Lucy’s breathing became steady as she fell asleep.

She still couldn’t sleep properly without Lin by her side.

"I’m not too happy about this either, but it has to be done."

Despite his deep dislike for Reinhold, Lin wasn’t cruel enough to kill him.

But there was still a reason why Reinhold needed to be retired.

If the shield knight remained with the Hero’s party and they started a new journey, it would lead to a game over.

Unlike Lina Sien, Reinhold was meticulous and would eventually find an opportunity to take Lin hostage and use him to blackmail Lucy.

To ensure Lin’s safety, Lucy would be forced to disarm, leaving her vulnerable to attacks from other party members, leading to her death.

And once Lin’s usefulness ran out, he would be killed as well, in a very gruesome manner.

Only Lin knew this, and he was taking steps to prevent this bad ending.

For now, this was all they needed to know.