Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 793: A Quiet Life – For A Moment

Another day, and Monty was home and not off somewhere, where he goes. Lincy had grown quite comfortable with him staying over for so long, and the girl that he’d brought with her, well, a blind slave she may have been at first to her, but now she too felt like family. Doing chores, making meals together, and even enjoying talks about fiction and fantasy. The only thing that she would’ve changed in the arrangement was the fact that Maryline couldn’t read regular books.

If only she could, she had plenty of options–especially romance and drama that made little sense to most men. To the girls, however, it made them feel giddy. Happy in a way, they often wanted to scream into the pillow. But alas, she had to read to the girl. Often she slept with her head against Lincy’s shoulder during the readings.

Perhaps it was that closeness that made her feel like family, or maybe it was simply the fact that Monty and she were secretly dating, enough for her to accept Maryline as a sort of sister. Either way, she’d given the two her bedroom to stay together during the night. The romance book had taught Lincy enough that a pair of lovers under one roof needs that sort of retreat from prying eyes.

Even so, at times she would tease them for waking up late or coming out of their room together. How was your night? Got enough rest? You must be thirsty... Barely could she hold a smirk, and although it made them both blush, she didn’t want such good times to ever end.

Of course, with another woman in the house, Monty often suggested that his sisters look outward and start dating as well. However, the forgetful puppy didn’t want anyone, for she had her brother and a soon-to-be sister-in-law along with plenty of books for company. The thought, while it didn’t sit well with Monty, he tried not to push the topic. And Lincy preferred it to be so. For fiction was everything that she needed, and for the first time ever, she was writing her own book and had no room for distraction nowhere.

"Writing again?" It had just broken into morning, and Lincy was back on her kitchen table, setting ink to parchment. Her mind was so engrossed in the process that she didn’t notice Maryline sitting next to her, and her question had also gone through one ear and escaped through the other. "I wish I could read it. I heard the holy order can cure blindness; maybe I should seek their help."

Finally, as Maryline moved a teacup in front of Lincy’s notebook, the pup lifted her head and glanced at her.

"Oh...sorry, I didn’t notice you."

"It’s okay..." Smiling Mary turned her head to where she assumed Lincy’s notebook was. "I’m quite surprised that you remember everything about your book, though. Your memory–I’m sorry to say–was sharp, was my sigh when I first came here."

Getting a playful punch to her arm, Mary chuckled alongside Lincy.

"I make notes to remember things, and my memory isn’t that bad, ahaha~" Although Lincy claimed it was so, the cup of tea in front of her notebook, she’d already forgotten about it. The conversation had drawn her away from what she was doing as well, and that’s why she worked mostly during the night with the sound of the crackling lamp keeping her company.

"If you say so," resting her teacup on the table, Maryline turned her head down and blankly stared in the direction of her hands. A smile kept tugging on her lips for she’d gotten far more than she could’ve ever asked for. Yet, as the lark chirped in the distance, her mind wandered back to some sinister thoughts.

"Thank you..." She whispered, grateful that those dark times were far behind her now.

"Hmm?" Tilting her head, Lincy reached for Maryline’s face and made her look at her. "For what?"

Smiling with a heavy throat, Mary let out a chuckle and laughed it off.

"Nothing, I’m just glad that we’re all here together."

"Me too," returning her smile, Lincy pulled her hand away and turned her attention back to her notebook. "I’m glad that we’re all here, too, and maybe someday you two can bring more joy to this house."

Slightly confused by the last part, Maryline squinted her eyes. Staring in Lincy’s direction, she tried to decipher what she meant, but she didn’t have to guess for long.

"You two lock your door every night before you go to sleep." Pointing her pen at Mary, Lincy flashed her a smirk. "See? My memory isn’t that bad. As for you two, it’s only a matter of time before you have kids."

"O-oh..." Flustered by her words, Mary turned away and picked up her cup. Sipping quite loudly, she tried to distract herself from what she’d heard.

"Ahaha~" Laughing her heart off, Lincy placed a hand on Mary’s head and gave her a pat. "Don’t be too embarrassed. It’s natural for couples to do things like that in private. At least if my books are anything to go by."

"Wait..." Slowly turning towards her, Mary folded her hands and asked. "Have you been reading smut?"

"What’s that?" Although she didn’t know what it was called, a great deal of her romance books did include smut. Seeming confused, however, Lincy managed to convince both herself and Maryline that she had no clue what that was. Whether she truly knew or not, even she had no real idea.

"I mean, like sex?"

"Isn’t it in every romance book at some point?"

"Um...maybe you’re right..."

’I guess it does depend upon how raunchy a book is to consider it smut.’ Confusing herself at this point, even Mary was having a tough time determining what could and could not be considered smut.

However, as her mind came back to why she’d woken up so early, she brushed that thought away and finally revealed it to Lincy.

"I almost forgot to tell you, but Monty left last night."

"What?" Leaning back with furrowed brows, Lincy was beyond surprised by the revelation. "When? And why didn’t he tell me!"

"He told me you wouldn’t want him to leave now that he’d been staying here for a while."

"Yes, but–"

Placing a hand over Lincy’s, Mary gave it a gentle squeeze.

"He will be back; he promised me. Besides, he’s working for the hero, remember? Nothing bad will happen to him, that’s what he promised you long ago, didn’t he?"

"Yes...but still, he could’ve at least told me before he left."

"Would you have allowed him to leave if he did?"

There was truth in Mary’s words. In the short time that she’d spent with their family, she’d learned quite a lot about their relationship with each other. Thus, this message, being carried by her to Lincy, was the only way that Monty could get back to work.

"Now, how about you continue with your book, and I will start weaving those sweaters that we need to sell during winter?"

Her head remained dejected for a while, but as Mary gave her a hug, the warmth of another person helped the demi-pup get herself up again. Holding a faint smile on her lips, she looked up at Mary and gave her a nod.

"Fine, but next time he leaves like that, I’m not letting him back into the house!"

"Fair enough." Sharing a laugh over their banter, the girls returned to work, as did Monty and as did the rest of the hero party.

A great adventure awaited them; however, this time, it would be no war against mindless monsters. It would be no tussle against horrors that could barely think for themselves, but rather a different kind of beast entirely, for much like the heroes and the army raised by them, even the nightmares of Nerva were evolving...