Ultimate Spin System: Ero Spin?-Chapter 118 - Boring, But Safe

Before Lucas could respond, Lena snorted beside him, cutting through the heavy atmosphere with an amused grin.

"Wow," she said, eyes glinting with mischief. "That’s quite the title. Do you introduce yourself like that every time, or is this just for special occasions?"

Siraye shot her a sharp glance, but Lena remained unfazed, casually folding her arms.

Lucas sighed. "Lena..."

"What?" Lena smirked. "I mean, if you’ve got a badass title, you might as well own it."

Siraye ignored her, focusing entirely on Lucas. "The child claims you wielded magic she has never seen before. I would confirm this myself."

Lucas resisted the urge to rub his temples. Of course. Just his luck.

"I wouldn’t call it magic," he muttered. "Just... technique."

Siraye tilted her head slightly, clearly not buying it. "Technique alone does not make a child of Solmara speak in awe. Demonstrate."

Lucas exhaled sharply. "Not really interested in putting on a show."

Siraye’s eyes narrowed. "Then tell me, are you a practitioner of the old arts?"

Lucas blinked. "The what now?"

Siraye studied him for a long moment, then—suddenly—she smirked.

Lucas tensed. He did not like that look.

"You’re an interesting one," she said, almost as if she were testing the words herself. "Very well. I will not press you—yet."

Yet? That’s not ominous at all.

Before Lucas could decide how to respond, Siraye turned her attention to Lena. "And you. Are you his partner?"

Lena blinked, then grinned. "Depends. Do you mean partner in crime or—"

Siraye cut her off. "His combat partner."

Lena pouted. "Boring. But yeah, I guess. We stick together."

Siraye gave a slow nod, as if making some internal calculation. Then, she turned and strode toward the guild’s mission board.

Lucas let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

"That," Lena whispered, "was terrifyingly close to being recruited into a war."

"Tell me about it," Lucas muttered.

But before they could take another step, Siraye called over her shoulder, "Do not run too far, Lucas."

Lucas froze.

Lena immediately smirked. "Dude."

Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose. "I hate everything."

Klee, who had been quietly watching the whole exchange, suddenly beamed. "You’re so cool, big bro Lucas!"

Lena cackled.

Lucas groaned.

This day just kept getting worse.

---

As they walked away from the board, Sarah—who had witnessed the entire exchange—chuckled behind her counter. "She’s got her eye on you."

Lucas scowled. "Yeah, I noticed."

Sarah leaned forward, voice dropping slightly. "You should be careful with that one. Siraye isn’t just some high-ranking adventurer. She’s one of the strongest warriors in Velmoria."

Lucas crossed his arms. "Great. That makes me feel so much better."

Sarah smirked. "I didn’t say that to scare you. Just... be mindful. People like her don’t take interest in others lightly."

Lucas didn’t like the sound of that.

He turned to Lena. "Alright, let’s just grab a commission and get out of here before something else happens."

Lena was still grinning. "Before we do that—" she turned to Sarah, voice dripping with mock innocence. "Hey, do you think Siraye would be mad if she found out Lucas already has a girlfriend?"

Lucas stiffened. "Lena."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Does he?"

Before Lucas could speak, another voice cut in.

"Yes," Lena said quickly, without hesitation.

Lucas turned, ready to glare at her—except it wasn’t Lena who had spoken.

It was Lena.

Wait.

What?

Even Sarah blinked in surprise. "Wait. Really?"

Lena turned to the other girl, expression caught somewhere between amusement and betrayal. "Lena. You’re not supposed to sell the bit that fast."

Lucas, meanwhile, just stared at her, still trying to process what had just happened. "You—what?"

Lena (his Lena) sighed dramatically. "Oh, come on, Lucas. Just go with it."

Sarah, clearly entertained, rested her chin on her palm. "So. Not only are you two pretending to be step-siblings, but you’re actually together?"

Lena (the first one) crossed her arms. "Oh, we are step-siblings. But that’s just a convenient cover."

Lucas groaned. "Why are we even having this conversation?"

Sarah chuckled. "I have to admit, it’s a creative disguise. But it does beg the question—why the act?"

Lena (Lucas’s Lena, who was now way too entertained by this) winked. "Oh, you know. Keeps people from asking the wrong questions."

Sarah smirked. "Or the right ones."

Lucas sighed, giving up entirely. "Can we please just pick a commission now?"

Sarah, still amused, slid a few parchment sheets across the counter. "Sure. Here’s what’s available."

Lucas barely glanced at them before grabbing the first one that didn’t involve fighting cultists, bounty hunting, or tracking unknown threats.

Lena peered over his shoulder. "A simple escort mission to a trade town? Boooring."

"Perfect," Lucas said, rolling up the paper. "Let’s go."

Lena sighed dramatically but followed him anyway.

As they stepped out of the guild, she nudged him. "So... how long do you think before Siraye finds out about your ’girlfriend’?"

Lucas groaned. "Dunno."

Lena just laughed.

And as much as he wanted to ignore it, Lucas couldn’t shake the feeling that this whole mess wasn’t over yet.

Not by a long shot.

The road stretched out before them, lined with rolling hills and the occasional outcropping of trees. The sun hung lazily in the sky, casting long shadows as Lucas, Lena, and their assigned merchant caravan trudged along the well-worn dirt path.

It was exactly as dull as Lucas had hoped.

"Well," Lena sighed dramatically, hands resting behind her head. "This is thrilling."

Lucas didn’t bother responding. He focused on the path ahead, occasionally glancing at the three wagons they were escorting. The merchants—two middle-aged men and a younger apprentice—were quiet, occasionally exchanging words about trade prices or weather patterns. Their oxen moved at a slow, steady pace, and apart from the occasional bird call, the journey was mind-numbingly uneventful.

The journey was exactly as Lucas had expected—long, uneventful, and painfully boring.

The dirt road stretched ahead, flanked by rolling hills and patches of trees. The three wagons they were escorting trundled along at an agonizingly slow pace, the oxen lazily pulling their cargo without a care in the world. The merchants were quiet, talking occasionally about trade routes and price fluctuations, which did nothing to alleviate Lucas’s growing sense of monotony.

He sighed for what felt like the hundredth time.

"This is so boring," he muttered, kicking a stray rock.

From his side, Lena, who had been clinging to his arm like a lifeline, suddenly groaned. "Oh no, not you too."

Lucas shot her a look. "What?"

"You sound like me now," Lena accused, her grip on his sleeve tightening. "You’re the one always telling me to deal with boring stuff, and now you’re the one complaining?"

Lucas exhaled sharply, pulling his arm free—only for Lena to latch onto him again, this time wrapping both arms around his.

"Lena."

"No," she huffed. "You started this. I’m not letting go until you stop whining."

Lucas glared at her, but she was already too comfortable, her head resting against his shoulder as if she were some exhausted noblewoman instead of a supposed adventurer.

He sighed. "This is different."

"How?" Lena shot back, her voice laced with dramatic exasperation. "You literally took this job because it was safe and quiet. This is peak NPC work. We’re walking in a straight line, guarding slow wagons, and nothing is happening. If this isn’t the dream job for someone pretending to be a background character, I don’t know what is."

Lucas didn’t respond immediately, mostly because she was right.

This was exactly what he had wanted. A simple, dull, low-effort commission that would keep them far away from danger.

But knowing that didn’t stop the growing itch of restlessness.

Lena smirked, sensing his hesitation. "See? You complain, but when I say this stuff, you roll your eyes and tell me to suck it up."

Lucas rubbed his temple. "Because you usually complain before we even start."

"Which just means I’m always ahead of you," she said smugly.

Lucas groaned. "That’s not how that works."

Lena just hummed in amusement, still latched onto his arm. "Face it, Lucas. You are bored. You are the problem. Not me."

Lucas exhaled through his nose.

Maybe she was right.

Maybe his patience was wearing thin.

But it wasn’t because of the job itself. It was because he had nothing to do.

His whole deal was preparing—analyzing situations, looking for threats, making sure things wouldn’t spiral out of control. He thrived in high-pressure moments, where strategy and caution mattered.

But here?

There was no danger. No risks.

Just walking.

For hours.

With nothing happening.

It was mind-numbing.

Lena poked his side, pulling him from his thoughts. "Hey. Focus."

Lucas blinked at her. "What?"

She gave him a knowing look. "You were getting that weird look again."

"What weird look?"

"The ’I’m thinking really hard about something I can’t change’ look."

Lucas scowled. "I don’t—"

"You do. And you need to chill." She grinned. "Seriously, just embrace the NPC life. You won this round, Lucas. You got the safest, most uneventful job possible. Stop overthinking."

Lucas sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "Fine."

Lena beamed. "Good. Now, since you’re officially shutting up, I’m not letting go." She tightened her grip, practically hanging off his arm at this point.

Lucas groaned again, but he didn’t try to shake her off this time.

Maybe, for once, she had a point.

Even if this job was excruciatingly boring, at least someone was keeping him entertained.