Chapter: 462
The forest’s master and the fox who manipulates smoke, Lina, was led by Erin to find the bathroom.
“Ugh. That Lucy is way too finicky with the main lady.”
“Here I am trying to do a good deed by helping that child, and all I get back is the stench of some disgusting man.”
“Ugh!”
Suppressing the nausea welling up inside her, she frowned and tapped Erin’s wrist.
“Quickly conjure some water. I can’t stand this foul smell any longer.”
“Just a moment, please.”
As Erin swiftly filled the bathtub with water, Lina leapt into it and expertly began washing her fur.
Even if she could have been described as beastly in the past, with a quarter of her strength she had brought along, she was very particular about her cleanliness.
How could Lina, who was endlessly picky about others’ beauty, not be the same about her own?
So, Erin’s role was simply to assist her by her side.
After washing her fur and using fire magic to dry it, Lina entrusted the grooming to Erin.
Originally, Lina was stubborn about doing everything herself, but Erin was the exception.
Having gone through extensive training determined to become worthy of Lucy, Erin possessed skills that could surpass Lina’s finicky standards.
“Hmm. Your touch is nice. I thought you were skilled before, but you’ve improved after the goddess lent you her strength.”
As Lina wagged her tail in joy from the pleasant brushing, her voice melted into a blissful tone, causing Erin to momentarily stop brushing.
“…Goddess?”
“Yes. The Goddess of Beauty and Art. I’m sure she’s been watching you since the last time you visited the Art Guild.”
Lina, who had been speaking slowly out of habit, sensed Erin’s bewilderment and slowly stopped wagging her tail.
“Are you telling me you haven’t heard anything?”
“No. No way.”
“She’s not the type to be shy about things.”
As Lina pondered thoughtfully, she soon grasped the goddess’s intentions.
She probably didn’t want her traces to be discovered by Lucy.
Well, if she were caught following her, she might be despised just like the main lady.
She really hasn’t learned yet. How exhilarating is it to be gazed upon with disdain by Lucy?
Recalling past memories, Lina stood up and offered advice to Erin.
“When you find the time, try offering a prayer. If you seek guidance from the goddess, she’ll be willing to respond. At least as long as you remain Lucy’s maid.”
Stretching her body, she turned in a circle, and with a wisp of smoke, Lina transformed into her human shape.
The phrase “bewitching beauty” suited her too well, as she turned to glance at the door and chuckled softly before opening it.
Outside was a gathering of Lucy’s friends.
“If you’re here to see Lucy, turn back. She hasn’t returned yet.”
The first to respond to Lina’s statement was Arthur, who stood at the front.
“No, ma’am Lina, we…”
But Lina didn’t give a single glance in Arthur’s direction, as if he didn’t exist at all.
“…Um, Ma’am Lina?”
As Arthur blinked in confusion, Joy quietly voiced her thoughts, causing Lina to raise her lips in a smirk.
“I said you aren’t here to see Lucy, right?”
“…Yes. That’s correct.”
Arthur answered once again, but this time, Lina ignored him entirely.
Such behavior clearly conveyed a message.
To Lina, who cherished beauty above all, Arthur was unworthy of conversation.
Arthur, biting his lips at the blunt reaction, took a step back and signaled to Joy.
“Yes. That is right.”
“Then whom do you wish to meet?”
“It’s you, Lady Lina. We wanted to ask for your help.”
“Hm. You wish to personally ask the main lady for help. How amusing. Then come inside.”
As powerful figures who could receive hospitality anywhere entered the room, Erin immediately prepared to attend to the guests.
While Erin set up the place and prepared tea and snacks, Joy explained the current situation to Lina.
“Indeed. I see why you’re here. Crafting new magic is quite a burden for you.”
The master of the forest, having lived for a long time, easily understood the plight Lucy’s friends found themselves in.
“However, what does that have to do with me?”
“…What?”
“I am merely a fool enchanted by Lucy’s beauty. Whether you are in trouble or not has nothing to do with me.”
In short, Lina had no interest in anyone but Lucy.
It was true that Lucy’s friends possessed their own charms, but they remained mere mortals.
Even though they had developed in various ways since the first meeting.
The human form, which could be easily replaced by another human, held no thrill for Lina.
Especially the man who looked no different from the one she saw in the forest.
“If Lucy were to ask me, I would gladly help you. Otherwise, I have no desire to extend my hand to your plight.”
Joy and her party blinked in surprise at Lina’s statement, which was delivered as if it were a firm declaration.
While they hadn’t expected her to welcome them, they never imagined she would treat them so coldly.
Arthur, standing a step back, suddenly realized that Lina was a different kind of being.
The master of the forest. A being who prioritized the stability of the forest over her own life.
To them, human connections were not worth worrying about according to the will of nature.
“Um… Lady Lina.”
Even now, amidst the atmosphere tinted with bewilderment, Arthur raised his voice again, but Lina didn’t pay him any mind.
How long had it been since she had faced such blatant disregard?
It had felt similar when people speculated shortly after her mother passed away that she too might die soon.
Ugh. Now that I’m recalling such past grievances, it’s really angering me how I’m being treated in a way that reminds me of that time.
Fine. Let’s see if you don’t react to what I’ll say next.
“Of course, we didn’t wish to ask for your help merely by mouth. How could we be so brazen as to seek the wisdom of the master of the forest without proper intent?”
“…”
“If you help us, we’ll bring you what you desire.”
“…”
“For example, a notebook soaked with drool from Lucy Alrn while she sleeps.”
“…What!?”
No sooner had Arthur’s words ended than Lina stood up, eyes wide open.
For the first time, she glared at Arthur with eyes full of intense desire.
“It would be a problem if you were surprised. We have no shortage of proposals.”
“Oh, how could you. Something so precious?”
“Surely you have not forgotten that we are friends of Lucy Alrn? As those who share life with her, we could bring you whatever you desire.”
Lina’s eyes trembled.
As the master of the forest, she had beliefs built over the long passage of time.
There had been standards to evaluate and test others when they sought to judge them.
Yet, was she really going to fall before such lust and destroy all that with it?
Her mind was not so clouded that she couldn’t think straight, so was she really going to commit such madness?!
Lina scolded herself and braced to stop her own actions, but contrary to her thoughts, her body betrayed her honesty.
Before she knew it, she reached Arthur, gazing at him with bulging veins in her eyes and a trembling voice.
“What must I do to help?”
“No, Lady Lina. What you should be saying is different.”
“…Are you asking me what I can do right now?”
“We could ask someone else besides you for help, but wouldn’t you find it quite troublesome without us?”
The question of whether there was someone with the same level of closeness to Lucy as they had, who Lucy would treat casually, caused Lina to tighten her lips.
It was irritating, but the fool had a point.
No one else aside from these idiots would bring what Lucy sought.
If you excluded these fools, the only ones nearby Lucy would risk losing their lives over to help her would be those too distant from her.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. I hate that I have to bow my head to a lowly punk like this, but it seems there’s no way around it.
“…I will certainly keep my promise. Otherwise, the anger of the master of the forest will rain down upon you.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
At the moment when Arthur and Lina reached an extreme compromise, the expressions of everyone else aside from the two of them grew cold.
Erin, who had brought the tea, seriously contemplated whether to report this to Lucy.
Joy, forgetting to maintain her expression, displayed sincere disgust.
Phoebe was at a loss for words in the profane and irreverent conversation.
“Hey, hey. Prince.”
“…What is it, Frey?”
“Just now, you sounded completely perverted, Your Highness.”
Frey bluntly shared his thoughts.
Realizing the strange atmosphere surrounding him, Arthur’s face flushed red, and he raised his voice.
“We had a prior agreement! We all consented to it, so why am I the only one being made out to be the odd one here?”
“…But Your Highness, what you just said, to be honest, was kind of… well, you know.”
“I should have anticipated it since the moment I made the Young Lady cry.”
“Do you think the prince could end up in a cage? It’s intriguing.”
“You damn brats! Why are you only coming down on me?!”
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