Chapter 66: New job

Thankfully, Ginna had a horse of her own, one she had caught in the forest. From what Luke could tell, it had once belonged to someone else, given how well trained it was.

At the moment, he rode alone while she and her daughter shared the other horse, chatting all the way back to the village.

Luke didn’t mind. Their pace was slow, making it easy to follow, and truth be told, watching two beautiful women laugh and talk was a refreshing change for this otherwise dull journey. Of course, he would have preferred having Dalia close, so he could pull her into a hug now and then, but this wasn’t so bad.

’Haah… System, it’s been fifteen days since I woke up in this world, hasn’t it?’

[Indeed, Host. And the system is very proud to say that the host has made quite significant progress in such a short time.]

True. Luke had once been a wimpy kid, someone who had never hunted anything bigger than a squirrel before his rebirth.

He used to be bullied regularly by his brother and sister. No one respected him, and because of him, his mother had to endure the taunts of others.

Things had changed, but Luke was far from satisfied. He needed more.

He didn’t dream of becoming the strongest in the world or conquering it, but he did want enough wealth and power to live a safe, comfortable life with the people he cared about.

And for that, he was going to use every resource at his disposal.

“By the way, Luke,” Ginna suddenly called out. “Have you thought about your mate? I have a few women in mind who would make great partners.”

Luke gave a wry smile. He felt like he had been asked this question recently. Still, his answer remained the same. “I want to live freely. Having a mate would force me to be more responsible and disciplined. Let me enjoy my life for now.”

Dalia huffed, clearly not agreeing, while Ginna giggled softly beside her. “That’s not the first time I’ve heard a man say that. But trust me, having a partner waiting at home always pushes you to try harder in battle. It gives you a reason not to give up.”

“I already have a reason,” Luke replied calmly. “My mother. Just for her, I know I can’t give up. I have to do my best so I can return to her safe and sound.”

Dalia couldn’t help but feel a little strange hearing that. Somehow, she felt like she finally understood what made the two of them so close.

Last night, when she was…with Luke, she was making noises which Monica does these days. Dalia had heard it clearly. Then does it mean…Monica was cheating on her mate as well? And with no one but her son?

It sounded absurd but…who could explain the sudden closeness those two have been showing lately?

Luke going out of his way to pay his father so he could keep Monica by his side every night…now that Dalia thought about it, the intimacy Monica and Luke shared goes beyond familial connection.

Were they…actually doing those things behind closed doors?

“Dalia? What happened? Your face looks red.”

Her mother’s voice broke her thoughts, making Dalia flinch in surprise.

She glanced at Luke, only to grow more flustered when she saw that lazy smirk on his lips.

He knows…

Clearing her throat, the blue-haired woman shook her head. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry.”

Forget it. What they did had nothing to do with her. What Dalia was certain of was that what happened last night would never happen again.

She wasn’t going to betray her mate again.

….

It took them half a day, and by afternoon, they finally reached the village.

“You two go ahead. I’ll return the horse to Gary,” Luke said as he turned off near the entrance.

Dalia nodded and began guiding her mother through the village, showing her the different shops and everything it had to offer.

Luke headed toward the barter hub and was surprised to see a panting Dart standing there, or rather, barely standing as he trembled in exhaustion.

“Damn, dude. How big of a haul did you score to be this out of breath?”

Dart gave a weak smile at the approaching figure. “I was training for the guard post. It was more difficult than I thought.”

Luke hummed in surprise before getting off the horse. “You’re pretty serious about it, huh?”

Dart nodded. “Of course I am. More than money, this is about personal gain.”

Luke tilted his head, prompting him to explain.

The brown-haired man sighed before lowering his voice. “You must have already noticed that I’m not very liked in this village. Because of that, people don’t treat my mate kindly either.” His eyes softened as he glanced to the side. “By becoming a guardian, I can earn what matters most to a man… respect.”

Luke could understand his stance, but at the same time, he couldn’t agree with it.

He didn’t give a damn about how the world saw him. He valued comfort over people’s opinions. If they didn’t want to talk, fine. But he wasn’t the type to accept disrespect in silence either.

Dart, however, saw things differently. He wanted to earn their respect by working himself to the bone.

Well, good for him.

“Oh, you are back.” Just then, the familiar voice of the hub’s chief resonated before the two young men turned and saw the familiar short man with straight hair that framed his face approaching them.

Unlike usual, there wasn’t a frown on his face as Gary said, “Perfect timing. I was thinking of handing this job to someone trustworthy and then you appeared.”

Luke hummed in curiosity, “What’s the job?”

Gary faintly smiled before revealing, “Tomorrow, you are going to be the hunting companion of young lady Rhea.”

“…?”

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