He Became the Only Ally of the Abandoned Warrior-Chapter 58

Lin tried to greet her as naturally as possible, and Lucy withdrew her tongue from where she had been licking.

"Chuup… Good morning, Lin."

"Did I sweat in my sleep?"

Still groggy, he asked without fully grasping the situation.

Lucy flinched and averted her eyes.

"N-not really?"

"That’s a relief."

Still not fully awake, Lin decided to close his eyes again, hoping to catch a bit more sleep before the grogginess completely faded.

As his breathing slowed, Lucy cautiously extended her tongue again, but before she could proceed, an unfamiliar voice interrupted them.

"Lucyena's statement is not entirely accurate. While it’s true that there wasn’t much sweat in the front, his back is soaked, with the sheets thoroughly wet."

"?!"

Both Lucy and Lin were startled, quickly sitting up in surprise.

The magician Tigrea was standing near the door, watching them.

"What are you doing here?!"

"I heard that the porter wanted to greet me, so I came without delay."

"When did you get here?"

"Not long ago. Since the moment Lucyena was deciding whether or not to continue licking the area around the porter's nipple…."

"Aah! Aaaah!"

Lucy, horrified, had no other way to shut Tigrea up than by yelling even louder.

Meanwhile, Lin pulled the blanket up to cover his chest.

Infuriated, Lucy growled at Tigrea.

"It’s incredibly rude to show up without any notice!"

"My mistake. Lately, I’ve been training my observation subjects to suppress their presence entirely, and it seems to have become a bad habit."

"Get out now!"

"Understood."

Her polite apology only made Lucy angrier.

When Lucy ordered her to leave, the magician nodded.

"If you want to greet me, just come to my room. I plan to stay there all day today."

"I’ll come right away."

"Lin!"

Lucy protested, but when Lin hugged her, she didn’t push further.

"I need to thank her anyway. Let’s finish it quickly so we can be alone together."

"…Alright."

Seeing Lucy calm down, Tigrea’s usually expressionless eyes briefly sparkled.

"By the way, there’s a banquet tonight that only the Hero’s party is supposed to attend."

"I don’t care. I’m not going."

"Understood. I’ll be preparing to receive guests. You can come by anytime."

Tigrea’s figure wavered and then disappeared like a mirage as she waved her hand.

It was a magical clone, created with no physical form.

It made sense why there had been no presence detected and why she could pass through walls.

However, because it required full concentration to control, her true body would still be in her room, protected by defensive measures.

Lucy glared at the spot where Tigrea had stood, seething.

"Lucy, we have to go to the banquet."

"Why? It’s just a bunch of enemies."

"That’s exactly why we need to go."

Lin stretched as he got out of bed.

The shock had fully awakened him.

"Who knows what kind of schemes they might concoct if they’re left alone?"

"I apologize for the rudeness this morning."

"It’s fine. Compared to saving my life on the Zuramon Archipelago, it’s nothing."

Having gotten ready quickly, Lin headed to Tigrea’s room.

However, Lucy was so tense that Lin had to leave her waiting outside the room.

No matter what anyone said, it was only natural for Lucy to react this way, given that the magician was the one who had cut off her legs right after the defeat of the Demon King.

[Impressive restraint. The grudge for losing her limbs seems to be outweighed by the gratitude of getting closer to Lin because of it.]

"Shut up."

Lucy gripped the sword handle as hard as she could, trying to silence the cursed sword’s sneering remarks.

Upon entering Tigrea’s room, Lin was struck by how ordinary it was for a magician’s quarters.

One might expect various magical tools to be strewn about, but aside from a long desk crowded with books, there was nothing particularly remarkable.

‘Romance novels?’

He retracted his earlier impression.

Upon closer inspection, the books turned out to be mostly romance novels chosen for their entertainment value.

The titles alone suggested a wide variety of romance genres.

There was pure love, harem, pure love in a harem, non-virgin pure love, and even NTR (netorare).

‘How can there be pure love in a harem? What’s the concept of non-virgin pure love, and NTR… what?’

"Excuse me."

Tigrea, who had brought tea herself, noticed the NTR book and immediately grabbed it, setting it on fire with a touch.

Despite not uttering a word, the book burned quickly without even producing a smell.

"I bought it as a reference out of curiosity, but it turned out to be trash."

"I see."

"Surrendering one’s dignity and entire life just for lust, like an animal. Rolling in the dirt is only worth it while the woman is still beautiful. It’s obvious she’ll be discarded once she loses her charm, so rushing headlong into such a miserable end is the worst."

"Surprisingly, there are many beasts like that in the world."

Tigrea’s hand, which had been placing the teacup down, paused slightly.

Whether she was taken aback by Lin’s reaction to her usually ignored words or if his words had struck a nerve, it was hard to tell.

"Lin is right. But still, I cannot tolerate such things."

"I haven’t read it, but I don’t think I could either."

"I hope you never do."

"What kind of book do you like the most?"

After a brief moment of thought, Tigrea pulled out a book with a gray cover.

"This one is my favorite."

"What’s it about?"

"It’s a love story between childhood friends, a boy and a girl. Both are poor, so while the boy goes out to earn money, the girl resists all temptations and waits for him. When he returns, they get married."

It was a typical, clichéd love story.

Nothing special, just a straightforward romance.

However, Tigrea seemed quite excited as she introduced the book.

Even though her voice didn’t change much, Lin, who had lived through countless lifetimes, could tell.

"Love should be like that."

"I see."

"Love the right person, and love them in the right way."

"You’re right."

"If that had been the case… I wouldn’t have had to be born as this puppet…."

Her last words were so quiet they were barely audible.

Lin pretended not to hear them.

"I’m late in saying this, but I heard you saved my life with emergency treatment on the Zuramon Archipelago. Thank you so much."

As Lin bowed deeply, the magician felt something she had never experienced before.

This strange feeling in her chest, warm and tingly.

"I’d like to repay you."

"In that case, I’d like you to spend some time with me."

The violet-eyed magician straightened her posture.

"Do you like Lucyena?"

"As a companion, yes."

Lin drew a clear line with no room for interpretation.

Tigrea felt both disappointment and a strange sense of relief.

Why?

The pen she had picked up to take notes was set down, and she turned her gaze from the notepad to Lin.

"I’m studying love."

"That sounds difficult just hearing about it…."

"It is. It’s very difficult. That’s why I need a sample."

So that’s why she was reading romance novels.

In the game, Tigrea’s personal life was barely touched upon.

Lin had thought her reading romance novels was just a quirky character trait, but it turned out there was a deeper reason.

"The tea has cooled. Let me warm it up."

"Thank you."

There it was again.

Just a simple thank you, but Tigrea’s chest warmed up once more.

Thinking back, the magician had received praise before but had never been thanked.

This strange, heartwarming feeling made her want to keep observing Lin.

But whenever she felt their gazes might meet, she instinctively averted her eyes.

Instead, she found herself looking at his hands, arms, and shoulders.

It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it made her nervous.

"Ah."

She accidentally spilled a bit of tea.

Lin calmly took out a soft cloth and wiped the table.

"The tea is delicious."

"I’m glad."

What was this feeling?

Tigrea, more familiar with hostility than kindness, wanted to know more.

So she decided to test him.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

"Lucyena seems to like you very much."

"Does she?"

"She wouldn’t have been licking your bare skin otherwise."

"……."

Lin had no response to that.

He let out a sigh.

"Lucy has anxiety issues because of your betrayal. That’s why she’s developed an obsession with me."

Lin subtly criticized the magician’s betrayal.

Despite being used to hostility, Tigrea found this one particularly painful.

It shouldn’t have been unfamiliar, but this time, it hurt more than usual.

"I want to confirm if it’s love."

"You want to observe Lucy? Up close?"

"That would be difficult right now. Instead, I want to observe you."

"That might be difficult as well."

"Even from a distance is fine."

Lin made a troubled face.

"There’s nothing to gain from observing me."

But there was.

Tigrea wanted to feel and understand what kindness and affection were.

"There is. I want to understand what actions of yours make Lucyena more obsessed or what causes her affection to fade. It’s valuable information."

"I see. Then it would be more meaningful to have Lucy nearby."

"No. I need to understand what kind of person you are as well."

Tigrea hastily added.

Lin realized it was time to reel in the bait.

"Maybe, when there’s an opportunity, we could have a one-on-one conversation?"

"Just the two of us?"

"Yes. Aren’t you curious how others see you?"

"You could do that with Lucyena as well."

"Lucy… lacks objectivity right now…."

Tigrea accepted Lin’s excuse.

"Understood. But I’m not sure when that opportunity will come."

"Neither am I. But that’s what makes it an opportunity."

It was a promise without a fixed date.

But Tigrea found herself looking forward to that promise, however uncertain it was.

Knock, knock.

"Lin? It’s already evening. A messenger came to tell us to go to the banquet."

"Looks like it’s time to go."

At Lucy’s knock, Lin stood up.

Tigrea felt a sense of regret.

Regret?

Was she feeling regret about a person?

It was strange.

She felt strange today.

"Would you like to come with us?"

Tigrea quickly nodded.

"Please."