LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 42 - Reward 3
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As soon as the World Tree contingent arrived at the lord’s castle, Doyun set off for the guild house. Eloah’s condition upon seeing him seemed unstable.
She was forcibly suppressing emotions threatening to spill over. Doyun didn’t wish to subject Eloah to further turmoil.
Only Doyun and Eloah shared a carriage on the way, while the others took separate ones.
Inside, Eloah clung to Doyun’s embrace once more, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Hic… Hic…”
“Don’t cry, Eloah, our little chick. I’m sorry, okay?”
“Hic…”
As before, Doyun silently patted her back in consolation. He felt guilty for the needless anguish caused by leaving for ‘a gift.’
In his past life, Enoch had once appeared covered in blood before Eloah after battling assassins right outside the city.
From the next day onward, whenever he mentioned leaving, the chick would throw a tantrum insisting he stay home – lasting around a week and quite the headache. That sight had clearly left a deep impact on her childish mind.
‘Some things never change.’
Watching her emerge from his embrace, despite feeling apologetic and sympathetic, an inexplicable sense of tenderness brought a smile to Doyun’s face. Her current self overlapped with her chick days.
As Eloah’s sobs subsided, she slowly lifted her face from Doyun’s chest. Their eyes met, and she noticed the faint smile he unknowingly wore.
She flinched, her face flushing red. Now that she saw it, the Hero’s new physical form was…
‘Quite handsome…’
The Hero from 100 years ago hadn’t been unsightly either. But rather than conventional good looks, an intense charm had emanated from his very aura and presence itself.
But now… she found it hard to avert her gaze.
He was truly handsome. Not to the level of the continent’s greatest beauty, of course.
Yet the Hero possessed a distinctly matured masculine allure and restrained charisma that had stood out even in his past life.
In another dimension, the phrase ‘hero’s charm’ apparently exists. But upon hearing it, Eloah immediately knew it was inaccurate.
Having witnessed Enoch, she knew – it wasn’t the hero captivating women, but women falling for the hero.
Enoch in his past life hadn’t been particularly good-looking. Yet the guild’s charming, strong older sisters, beauties of various races, even noblewomen and royals – women constantly vied for his attention.
A hero abandoning all else to solely pursue the world’s salvation, ever advancing. Enoch inspired women with the urge to admire him, be protected by him, monopolize him, cherish him.
To fall for him, to love him – unintentionally on his part, but they did.
It wasn’t a mere matter of aura or charm – it was an almost chemically pheromonal, densely concentrated force that compelled the opposite sex to love him. The very essence of masculine ‘appeal’ itself.
With an exotic, handsome appearance by this world’s standards and ruggedly chiseled features, coupled with the Hero’s distinctive presence and aura, how could he not be utterly captivating?
Previously too preoccupied to notice, but seeing him up close now, she felt it acutely.
Eloah felt a throbbing tightness in her lower abdomen. A scorching heat between her legs.
A wholly new sensation, unfelt by her immature body and mind as a chick 100 years ago.
“All cried out?”
Doyun stroked Eloah’s head, his touch sending shivers through her body in a way vastly different from before.
“Y, Yes…”
Eloah buried her face in Doyun’s chest again, afraid he would notice her trembling pupils and flushed cheeks.
And unconsciously, she squeezed her thighs together. The unfamiliar dampness between her legs left her feeling embarrassed and guilty before him, as if exposed naked. The slick sensation was too novel.
“Once we reach the house, let’s share the tales we couldn’t over Uncle’s special tea blend. And you can unwrap the gift I’ve prepared too.”
“A gift?”
Eloah’s eyes widened as she looked up at him again.
Now that she recalled, the Hero’s trip to Lockenmeyer had been for a gift.
“What kind of gift?”
“One that has been universally acclaimed as the finest, transcending all racial preferences since ancient times. It’s quite sizeable, so we’ll unwrap it at the house vault.”
“Heheh. Okay!”
Eloah beamed, forgetting she had been crying moments ago.
She didn’t dwell on the Hero mentioning a ‘vault’ – he must have misspoken, referring to the storage.
At least, that’s what she assumed.
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Eloah and Doyun headed straight for the guild vault. Though Eloah asked why specifically the vault, Doyun brushed it off saying she would understand once they arrived.
And soon, the very chick who had been all smiles had her eyes widening to their limits.
“Wha, what is… all this…”
“Your gift, Eloah.”
Eloah couldn’t close her gaping mouth at the golden mountain filling the guild vault. Ar, are those real gold coins? Really?
“Ho, how much… is it…?”
“Let’s see. Around 40,000 gold coins, I’d wager.”
“40,000…!”
40,000 gold coins.
It was an astronomically immense sum. Enough for even a massive guild like the World Tree to live comfortably without worries for a very long time.
During the recent bidding war over recruiting Han Doyun, each guild had staked everything.
The figures offered then weren’t ‘Han Doyun’s value’ per se, but closer to ‘the absolute maximum each guild could immediately produce’ – just shy of outright bankruptcy, in other words.
For reference, excluding the World Tree’s bid, the highest contract offer had been 6,500 gold coins.
But 40,000 gold coins? 40,000.
Even for Eloah, the World Tree’s Master extensively experienced in handling money, it was a dizzying sum.
“This is… a gift…? You really mean…”
“Yes. It’s all yours, Eloah.”
Unable to continue speaking, Eloah could only tremble with widened pupils. But soon regaining her senses, she looked at Doyun and asked,
“Bu, but… are you really sure it’s okay to give me this much money? This much would be your entire fortune, Hero…”
“Eloah.”
Doyun cut her off.
“Even in my prime, I was renowned as the continent’s most formidable profiteer.”
Doyun spoke with a tone laced with self-assurance.
More than being hailed as the strongest hero, he had always taken greater pride in his immense wealth. Vanquishing monsters and saving the world had been a matter of course for him.
“I left behind over 100,000 gold coins in assets, so spend freely. If you run out, I’ll bring more.”
“Ah…”
Eloah gazed up at Doyun with grateful eyes. Doyun felt sheepish and turned away, exiting the vault.
“Hero…”
So Doyun failed to notice Eloah’s gaze gradually grow hazy, or how she slowly squeezed her thighs together.
Soon after, Eloah followed the Hero out of the vault as well.
Her honey-dripping eyes lingered on the Hero’s broad back, unable to look away.
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In the Skeletonian capital stood a modestly sized, somewhat aged white mansion.
100 years ago, it had served as the residence of history’s peerless swordmaster known as the Sword Saint. And now, it was occupied by his disciple Brudhild, the hero of Skeletonia.
Clad in flowing pure white robes, Brudhild sat with a sword across her lap, eyes closed in meditation.
Unmoving yet serene like a tranquil stream, her posture was as sharp as a blade’s edge.
After a while, the sound of approaching footsteps came from outside.
Soon, someone stood before her door. Without even a knock, Brudhild softly spoke,
“Enter.”
The door slid open, and a neatly dressed maid entered, bowing before Brudhild’s back.
“The World Tree Master who had departed has returned.”
“Hmm.”
Brudhild slowly opened her eyes.
“This invasion was single-handedly repelled by one of the World Tree’s hidden blades, I heard.”
“Yes.”
Brudhild knew he was the Boss Monster Killer newly recruited this intake.
She too had been urged by the royal palace to join the Cradle inspection squad, but had declined by telling her old friend the Headmaster she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
‘Come to think of it, it has been a while.’
Brudhild and Eloah, acquainted for over a century, shared a bond akin to childhood friends. They were among the few remaining who shared memories of the same guild.
But they hadn’t met in quite some time recently. Brudhild had been cloistered at home, concentrating on a faint epiphany she had sensed regarding enlightenment.
However, she had realized this wasn’t an achievement attainable through mere months of immersion. Patient perseverance and discipline were prerequisites for such an epiphany to naturally arise.
‘I am curious about this Boss Monster Killer too…’
Perhaps she should visit after so long.
She rose and sheathed her sword.
“Send word to Eloah.”
“Yes.”
The maid bowed again as Brudhild exited the room.