SWNOVELXO Ch51 - The golden monster returns.
Chapter 51: The golden monster returns.
His shimmering golden hair was wet and glossy, droplets of water dripping from the clumped strands, creating ripples in the spring.
His shirt was carelessly tossed onto a rock, his bare white skin gleaming beautifully in the darkness.
For the record, he was wearing pants.
He turned back to look at Lena and the others, his eyes a noble amethyst purple.
“What are you doing in a forest like this, Luca…?”
Unexpectedly, it was a reunion with their old fugitive companion.
Lena approached the spring, her voice stunned. Her legs were tired from desperately chasing the wind.
“I think that’s my line.
…I never thought I’d run into you so deep in this forest.”
Lucas stared back at Lena, his purple eyes narrowing. He used his [Magic Eye] to confirm their souls…then relaxed his shoulders, a soft smile appearing on his face as if relieved. Lena’s soul, as always, was very pure, which seemed to naturally bring a smile to his face.
Lena and the others, who had felt Luca’s aura sharpen slightly, finally seemed to relax at the sight of his smile. Master and servants alike approached him boisterously.
“Wow, it’s been a while! Mr. Rukatath!”
“You bit your tongue. …Wow, this feels so nostalgic.”
“Heeey! Lucaaa!”
“Nostalgic, huh? Right? Right? You missed us, didn’t you!?”
“You were secretly crying, weren’t you!? Crybaby!”
“Well, a little.”
“Really…！?”
“Hey…long time no see, Luca…!”
Lily proudly blew a kiss and winked!
“That tone, are you imitating me? I’d give it a 2 out of 100…It’s been a while, Lily.”
Chuckle chuckle chuckle!
Completely unconcerned that her playful imitation was poorly received, Lily giggled happily.
Bright laughter echoed through the quiet twilight forest. Let’s just say the two with special eyes were keeping a good lookout.
After exchanging greetings with everyone, Luca chuckled, wrung the water from his hair, and stepped out of the spring. He took a step forward. …Oh? Contrary to him, someone took a step back. The shapely golden eyebrows of the former prince twitched.
“Hello. It’s been a while, Hamal.”
“…How do you know my name? …I didn’t tell you!”
“I saw it.”
It was Hamal, the Golden Sheep, who had been backing away. He stared at Luca’s “hand” with distrust. Luca’s lips curved upwards.
“Do you want this that much?”
“N-no way! …Ugh, I haven’t forgiven you for pawing me all over before!”
Luca, who had been disliked by slimes for reading their minds and scolded by Hamal for his past groping, was unfortunately the type of person who was initially kept at a distance. It was worse because, even though he was aware of it, he didn’t particularly care.
“Huh? Har-kun, you looked like you were enjoying it so much when you were being petted.
Let Mr. Luca pet you again.”
“Eh. L-Lena-sama…!?
…Uu, if you say so…as you command….
But, but, I like being petted by Lena-sama the most. Please pet me lots later to overwrite it!”
“Fufu, yes, yes! Oh my, my child is so cute!”
“You’re still spoiling him, aren’t you?”
Luca happily accepted the plushie-sized Hamal from Lena. He smiled at Hamal, who glared up at him, and scratched the base of his ears. Then, burying his palm in the fluffy wool, he stroked the back of his head, neck, cheeks… all the good spots.
▽Luca’s Fingertips of Pleasure Attack!
“Fmyaaaah…”
▽Hamal has fallen!
The reason he was wary of Luca was because he had been similarly charmed when he was petted on the plains before. He didn’t want to be seen being manipulated by someone else in front of his absolute master, Lena! …Well, he was being sent to pleasure heaven by that very queen herself. Indecent sounds were escaping him. In beast language, it would be something like “Meeeh!”
The sheep with the [Insensitivity] gift was extremely resistant to pain, but he couldn’t resist pleasure. Luca’s petting, with his [Magic Eye] cheating to pinpoint all the pleasure points, was invincible!
Lena and the others watched the playing young man and sheep with warm smiles.
“Mr. Luca must have been really stressed…”
Lena murmured.
…It must have been difficult to survive alone in the wilderness. He couldn’t even take turns keeping watch at night and was probably constantly sleep-deprived. He might not have been able to cook his food properly either. On top of that, there was the risk of being attacked by monsters.
She didn’t know why he was still alone in the depths of the forest, instead of in a town…
He must have also kept his Magic Eye activated for self-defense. Luca’s purple eyes were slightly bloodshot, tinged with red. He had lost some weight, probably from not eating properly, and his complexion wasn’t good.
Lena hoped that Hamal’s fluffy touch would soothe him a little.
“Har-kun gets to feel good, and Luca gets to refresh himself with fluffiness, it’s a win-win!”
“…But it looks like Har-kun is about to reach his limit…?”
“Fufu, yeah, that’s right. You’re exhausted, aren’t you?
Time to throw you a lifeline.
Luca! You’ll catch a cold if you don’t get dressed!”
“Come to think of it, I took my shirt off, didn’t I?”
“Don’t forget. And your pants are soaking wet, so take them off too.”
“Kyaaah! Lena’s being naughty!”
“Ha fuuuu…”
Ignoring the slimes’ words, Lena, the mother of the group, said, “Oh my, what’s a fluffy bathrobe doing here?” and offered him a bathrobe from the Succubus Inn ♡.
Tilting his head and muttering, “Why do you have this…?” Luca obediently accepted and put it on.
He also took off his wet pants and underwear, wrapping himself in the loose bathrobe and leaning against the giant sheep. A golden monster.
Turning off his Magic Eye for the first time in a while, Luca let out a blissful sigh.
This might be the first time in his life he had accepted someone’s kindness so readily and let his guard down so completely. That’s how much he trusted Lena and the others, and he recognized their current combat power. Needless to say, he knew their strength thanks to his Magic Eye.
The reason Hamal had enlarged himself to become a cushion for his nemesis was because Lena had asked him to, worried about her former traveling companion.
It might seem like a rather cruel request, but for the sheep, S-like orders were a reward, so there was no problem.
“Why are you so deep in the forest? …Is it okay to ask?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind. Well, it’s not a very pleasant story.
I have some things I want to ask you too…”
Leaning against the fluffy Hamal, they decided to talk about their journeys so far.
After parting ways with Lena and the others on the Zeluru Plains, Luca traveled in the opposite direction of the Garalajure Kingdom. Taking short naps, he used his trusty Magic Eye to defeat monsters in surprise attacks and single-handedly crossed the monster-infested plains.
The first place he visited was a small town near the small cities of Toilia and Rachelle. He intentionally avoided larger cities like Toilia because they were more likely to have government officials who might recognize him as Prince Rukatath.
Then, when he tried to buy food at a store…he messed up.
“Oh…I made the same mistake…”
“Did anyone think it was strange?”
“They did. The store manager invited me to his home and taught me about the common sense of general prices.”
“…You’re lucky you met a nice person.”
Unlike Lena, who was reminiscing fondly about meeting her family, Luca had a distant look in his eyes as he recalled the incident.
Back to the story.
Luca, who had inadvertently paid the shopkeeper with a high-value coin, immediately realized his mistake. The shopkeeper’s eyes widened slightly, and he began rummaging through the box containing his change. Luca felt something was off about his attitude.
Reading his mind, he discovered the shopkeeper was thinking, “What’s a clueless rich kid doing in a place like this? He’s easy prey!”
Surprised, Luca continued to read his mind and demanded the correct amount of change when the young man tried to give him a smaller amount.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance at the suspicious blue-robed figure who seemed to have magically learned the prices, the young man tossed him the original 5000 ril coin.
“Hey, kid! A small-town shop like this doesn’t normally have change for such a large coin.
If you’re just here to mess around, get lost!”
He hadn’t intended to cause trouble…but since the young man didn’t seem willing to sell him anything anymore, and he had attracted attention from the surrounding people because of the shouting, Luca left the town without being able to buy any supplies.
“…Luca is…”
“Really unlucky, huh.”
“…I can’t argue with that.”
The slimes’ words stung.
Luca continued his journey and finally arrived in the city of Rachelle. He managed to stave off his hunger with unappetizing portable food.
In Rachelle, he stayed at the most expensive inn, finally managing to use his 5000 ril coin. Since that was the only type of currency he had, he felt relieved, for the time being.
Deciding to make Rachelle his base of operations for a while, he visited the Adventurers’ Guild to earn some small change for everyday use. The inn had refused to exchange his money.
And then…he caught the eye of the newbie guild receptionist.
“Whoa…”
“Whoa…”
“Ah, so you guys met her too. …That girl, of all things, has a [Clairvoyance] Magic Eye.
I was hiding my face with a hood, but she saw through it, and apparently she liked my looks, so she was quite persistent…”
“You’ve been through a lot…”
“Yeah…”
The lovestruck rookie receptionist was relentless. A handsome man who looked like a prince had appeared before her, the likes of which she had never seen before. Confident in her own cuteness, she had no intention of letting him go.
Having inadvertently joined the line, thinking that he should probably queue up, Luca was targeted by the receptionist. She calculated how fast her seniors were processing the adventurers so that he would come to her counter, initiating contact.
Then, knowing her inner thoughts, Luca tried to escape quickly, but she skillfully engaged him in conversation, trying to get his contact information. She failed, however.
…Which seemed to further fuel her maiden heart, and she even searched for him in her private time, appearing beside him in town like a lover, appealing to him in every way. This earned Luca the resentment of the other adventurers who thought he was hogging the cute girl. It was a terrible side effect. He couldn’t form a party with anyone.
…In the end, it became difficult for him to stay in Rachelle, so after staying for the week he had paid for at the expensive inn, Luca set out for the forest. He decided to go to another town.
Everyone in Lena’s party was stunned by his sheer bad luck.
“So…you purposely came through the middle of the inconspicuous forest…”
“Yeah. I was running into the guild receptionist way too often… I’d be in real trouble if she ambushed me on the road.
This face always attracts trouble… I even thought about burning it off in a moment of desperation. Hahaha.”
Luca’s eyes were quite serious.
“Luca, don’t do anything rash!
Um, the shape of a person’s face is like wrinkles on a leather bag filled with flesh, blood, and bones! It’ll change shape as you get older, you know.”
“Wow, that’s quite the analogy…!?
…You surprised me. You haven’t changed, Lena.
…It’s kind of reassuring.
Well, since I’d die of exposure if I went blind, I gave up on self-harm.
You guys saved my life, after all.”
Hearing his firm reply, Lena and the others finally relaxed.
Luca, stared at by the five, took a breath and continued.
“And then, in this forest, I met the sylph, Sylphine.”
This might be related to the curse incident.
Realizing this, everyone’s expressions tightened.
Luca seemed to understand, lowering his voice.
“Sylphine was very hurt. …It might be more accurate to say that she was injured by someone.
She desperately called out to me, ‘Help me,’ since I could see her with my [Magic Eye], so I’m staying here to find the source of what’s defiling her.
I seem to be the only one who can hear her voice, so I want to help her.”
“Sylphine…！
Um, was that spirit already injured?”
“Luca met a mythical spirit!? He can even see spirits!”
“I can see most things.
Speaking of which…there’s something I wanted to ask you.
Earlier, there was another Sylphine, different from the one I saw, near you guys. Do you know anything about that?
None of you seemed to notice.”
“Huh!?”
“Whaaat!?”
Lena and the others looked around, searching for Sylphine. Perhaps the wind that stole Mothra’s flute was Sylphine’s doing.
Lena thought back on what had happened since arriving in Rachelle…but nothing much had happened besides being chased by the cursed boar. The fact that she was counting the number of incidents showed that she was finally becoming aware of their uncanny ability to attract trouble.
Seeing Lena shaking her head in confusion, Luca murmured, “I see.”
He told them that the ends of Sylphine’s body had turned a dark black. He was also worried because she hadn’t appeared for the past few days.
When Lena told him about the cursed boar and the possibility of a sorcerer, he frowned deeply.
“…That’s unsettling. Maybe that ‘young’ Sylphine was also affected by the defilement and was asking you for help.
Maybe she brought you to me because she wanted you to translate?
She disappeared pretty quickly, though. I have a feeling she’ll show up again soon.”
“! Will we be able to meet the spirit too…?”
“You already did.
All the Sylphines seem to be weakened, so I don’t think normal people can see them anymore.
I’ve heard there’s a barrier around the Maiden’s Mistletoe…I think that might be the reason.”
“…I see…That’s a shame.”
Lena’s expression clouded over.
It was a shame she couldn’t see the supposedly beautiful Sylphine, but she was more bothered by the contradiction that the barrier protecting the Maiden was weakening the spirits.
Luca replied reassuringly, “I think so. That’s just my guess. Maybe they didn’t anticipate the effects of putting up the barrier.”
The people of the Anes Kingdom treasured Sylphine so much that they even held a Spirit Festival, so they wouldn’t have intentionally trapped the spirit with a barrier out of malice.
It was just that people like Luca, who could “see” that the spirits were weakened, were unusual.
After their travel stories were over, a comfortable silence filled the forest.
The sudden relaxation caused Luca to start dozing off, his eyes half-closed.
“Luca, your hair’s still wet. Creha, dry it for him.”
“Roger!”
Creha’s hair dryer made Luca’s golden hair silky smooth.
“I’m…being spoiled…”
Luca somehow resisted the comfort, managing to stay awake at the last minute.
“Fufu, there’s more to come!
I think it’d be best if you just gave in. Please rest well. Come on, Har-kun!”
“Yes! As you command, Lena-sama.
Luca, get ready…Skill [Deep Sleep]~”
“Ugh. ……”
“He fell asleep fast.”
“Goodnight, Luca~!”
…Now then. With Luca asleep, it was time for Lena and her familiars’ strategy meeting.
What strategy? Proposals for taming the golden monster were pouring in from the master and servants. That’s what it was.
The forest night gently deepened for Lena and the others.
With the death throes of the monsters preyed upon by the hungry slimes as their lullaby, they all burrowed into the golden fluff and slept soundly, ready to wake up early the next morning.
And the next morning.
Luca was pampered to the extreme.
His eyes were soothed with Izumi’s Aqua Body Eye Mask, he was given clean, laundered clothes (the slimes had washed his underwear), and as a result of showering a person not used to happiness with pure kindness, the former prince…cried.
At that moment, a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth golden omelet was placed in his mouth. It was the finishing blow.
Lena had used her prized Goo Goo Bird’s golden egg.
Lena and her familiars smiled wryly at Luca, who continued to shed tears. Then, they too ate slightly smaller golden omelets, their eyes shining with wide smiles. It was delicious!
The golden omelet was simple: a large egg mixed with heavy cream, rolled into a half-cooked swirl, and topped with a special tomato sauce. Lena had chosen an easily digestible egg dish, thinking that a heavy meal would be too much for Luca’s stomach after only eating portable food.
Thanks to the double yolk, it was extra nutritious!
After slowly savoring and finishing the omelet, Luca lingered on the exquisite aftertaste before hesitantly bowing his head and asking to rejoin the party.
“Please, let me accompany you to the Demon Kingdom…”
“Yes! Gladly!”
“Yay! We caught Luca!”
“Chuckle chuckle! Welcome back. …You can call me senpai, you know?”
“Fine by me. But…tell me before you pet my fluff, okay?”
Everyone in Lena’s party welcomed him with happy smiles.
They had been inviting him to join the party repeatedly since morning, but he had kept refusing until he finally agreed.
This time, it was Luca who smiled wryly.
Although he had declared that his travel plans were undecided, he hadn’t expected to be invited to travel together again. Of course…he was happy about the invitation, but he had held back because he thought he would be a burden.
Even after hearing his incredibly unlucky story, they still offered him a helping hand, saying, “It’s only natural to help a friend in need.” Seeing their kindness, he felt even more guilty about involving them in his misfortune.
While Luca was aware of the usefulness of his gift, it wasn’t necessary for Lena and the others, whose combat power had increased significantly. Furthermore, if they tamed new monsters, their blind spots would continue to decrease.
He had been thinking negatively, believing that there was no need for them to take on a troublesome person like him. And then, Lily, who seemed to have sensed his thoughts, flicked him on the head.
“Ow!”
“Sorry.”
As if finally giving in, Luca let out a bright laugh.
“Well…it’s not like I wasn’t expecting to become your comrade again.
Still, I think you guys are a little too kind, you know? …Thank you.”
“I just can’t stand to see my friend starving in front of me!
Please let us stay by your side until you’re healthy.
Today’s lunch will be corn cream bread porridge, and dinner will be a vegetable stir-fry with a thick sauce! Do you have any dislikes?”
“Wow, that sounds delicious.
As long as you’re the one making it, I don’t have to worry about being poisoned, and I’ll gratefully enjoy everything.
…Is it okay? I feel so happy. I’m so content.
…You’re saying you’ll help with Sylphine too. Are you sure?”
“We were already involved in the curse incident, so it’s fine!”
“Luca, you’re so gloomy!”
“…Gloom-dispelling kick!”
“I’m sorry!”
“Pfft. Senpai Lily looks like she’s having a lot of fun.”
His rambling excuses and self-deprecation seemed to have been blown away by Lily’s kick.
Thus, Luca decided to join Lena and the others on their journey to the Demon Kingdom after resolving the incident.
After finishing their meal and resting for a while, a gentle breeze blew from somewhere. Along with a refreshing green scent, Lena’s braid swayed gently.
▽Luca has rejoined the party!
▽Next! The Sylph of Wind and Water