Chapter 40 Fully Adapted (End)
"Have you really had sex with Lady Valeria?"
"Yeah. Is that really shocking?"
"Of course! It's just... Wow. I don't even know what to say."
"Then shut your hole, bitch. You are annoying me."
Millonia and I have just dressed ourselves, and now we are on our way to my hut. She keeps pestering me about the detail of that day's happening, but I, of course, will never spill the beans.
My private life will always remain private, and no one can have the right to know it.
It is still annoying however, since Millonia is really resilient. She seems like she is irked for some reason, but also extremely curious at the same time.
I have a guess of what causes her to be that worked up, but I am not pretty sure if it is true. I don't know that much about this world's barbaric culture yet, so I am not sure if homosexuality is a thing.
Yes, I am guessing that the reason Millonia is that worked up is because she has a crush on Valeria. She wouldn't be that worked up if I didn't "steal" her precious Lady Valeria, right?
'Ku-ku-ku. My years of reading cringeworthy light novels has paid well. I am too experienced to miss that shitty development!'
As eventually a smirk has managed to creep up my face without my knowledge, Millonia is now looking at me like a creep. I would normally say she was creepier for loving someone she could never get, but I let it slide this time.
My mood is surprisingly good after learning the fact that I am going to learn Magic tomorrow.
A few minutes passed, and we have finally arrived at my hut. Millonia has been having her dinner with me for the past week, and she is also going to have her dinner with me this time.
Ever since I caught her in her maid outfit, she has slightly become more attentive to me. I don't know if it has been Valeria's order, but for the past two weeks of Valeria changing places with Ilschevar, Millonia has been a good company.
Valeria has been the only person who keeps me company for all this time, so when she stopped visiting my hut in the afternoon two weeks ago, I felt like I was alone in this world.
Though annoying she is, Millonia has been the one who kept me company for the past two weeks. She managed to keep me sane from all the shit I have been through, while also being the perpetrator of the shit I have been through.
As I have come to realize what she has been doing to me for all this time is for my development however, my feeling on her is ambivalent. I am grateful of her for the great things she has taught me, but I hate her for her way of doing things.
She has been practically torturing me for 27 days straight, using training as an excuse!
Thanks to her though, I am extremely tolerant with pain now. I can now even let a Tigris—the bastard of a tiger that chases my ass every morning—eat my hand, and I won't feel a thing.
"You are thinking something?"
"Yeah... I was thinking about how good it would be if you weren't such a bitch."
"Hoh? Have you finally fallen for me? Just so you know, I am not that—"
"Just shut up, bitch. I don't stick my dick to crazy."
I immediately enter my hut after my sharp comment that I have uttered many times to Millonia, while turning a deaf ear to her complaint.
The moment I enter my hut, I am immediately greeted with the scene I haven't seen for a quite some time: Valeria sitting on my bed while looking at me with a small smile.
I am a little bit surprised by her appearance, but I am quick to adjust to situation, so I can immediately bow at her as a greeting.
"It has been a while, Miss. Valeria."
"It really has been a while, Layland."
"Ah, Lady Valeria! Pardon for the intrusion!"
Millonia has just entered the hut and she is surprised upon finding Valeria inside. I am, however, still preoccupied with what has possibly caused Valeria to call my name correctly, so I don't pay much attention to Millonia's flustered face.
After all, even before she left me with Ilschevar in disguise two weeks ago, she had never called my name correctly, unless when she didn't mean it. Shortly, I am just equally baffled and happy she has just called my name right.
"It seems the three of us are going to have a dinner together."
"Ah, I will excuse myself then, Lady Valeria. I don't want to bother you."
"Who says you are bothering me? Come eat with us, Millonia. I believe Layland also doesn't mind with it."
"The thing is... I have only prepared one extra portion, so—"
"Who says I am going to eat your food?"
Millonia can't help but choke at Valeria's words. She is aware that Valeria doesn't mean to degrade her cooking skills or whatsoever, but the way Valeria worded it is kind of aggressive.
Valeria is still unaware of what kind of a mental damage she has given to Millonia, so I, as an ethical man, step up to dilute the atmosphere that is starting to get thicker.
"What about we just have our dinner now? I am pretty hungry honestly—I can't wait to enjoy the dishes Millonia has prepared."
"Did you just confirm you are a masochist or you were just trying to win over Millonia's heart?"
I immediately wave my hand in denial at Valeria's guesses. "None of the things you guessed were spot on, Miss. Valeria. I have been enjoying Millonia's cook for the past week, as my taste buds can finally taste the deliciousness."
"Is that so?" Valeria quirks her eyebrow, then turns toward Millonia. "Have you been cooking him normal foods recently?"
"No, Lady Valeria. I have been increasing the amount of Mana the foods I cook for him contain instead. As you can see however..."
"I have fully adapted to the pain the foods give whenever my body digest them."
Valeria keeps quirking her eyebrow for a couple of seconds as she looks at me, then immediately faintly smiles when she relaxed her eyebrow. I am once again puzzled by her gesture, but I don't have any intention to ask.
We have the dinner not long after, and both of them are so eager to clamp me between them while we are at it. I am honestly irked by their behavior, but they act surprisingly kind the entire time we are having the dinner, so I don't mind.
I don't know what has actually happened today, but being fed by two "unusual" beauties is not that bad of an experience.
...
Morning has come, and I woke an hour before my first training session begins. It is currently 5 AM, so I am going to bathe myself in the river first.
The air is terrifyingly cold around this time, but my body has already gotten used to it. I don't even feel cold when I enter the water, so I can finish my bath quickly without shivering uselessly.
When I return to my hut, instead of finding a tray of food on my table, I find Valeria sitting on my bed. She is not wearing her blind mask, so she greets me with a smile when our eyes meet.
Last night was pretty strange to say the least. The atmosphere between Millonia and Valeria became tense when they left my hut, so I thought they were annoyed at me for some reason.
'Well, I did ask them to feed me many things... In my defense, they seemed willing.'
I am slightly confused at Valeria's warm smile—contrary to what I expected how she would act considering the aura she had last night—but I am glad she is not irked at me.
"Your Magic training will start today, so let us not waste our time anymore." Valeria stands from the bed, and I immediately follow her as she walks out of the hut. "We are going to activate your Mana Pool today, so expect some pain."
"Mana Pool? Haven't I had that thing activated already? I wouldn't be able to store Mana if that wasn't the case, would I?"
"Having a Mana Pool, and activating a Mana Pool are two different things. The current you already have a Mana Pool to store Mana, but it is not activated yet, so you won't be able to use Mana—which is why we are going to activate it."
"But, Ilschevar said that I have been unconsciously using Mana for a quite some time."
"That's right—UNCONSCIOUSLY. We need you to be able to use Mana CONSCIOUSLY. Besides, you weren't really using Mana; your body is just overflowed with Mana so some of it has leaked unintentionally."
To simplify the matter, what Valeria is saying is, my Mana Pool is now just an overfilled tub that spills some of its water, and the process of activating my Mana Pool is akin to putting a faucet on the tub to take the water out without overfilling it.
Valeria is sure the process will be hurt, so when she finds that I don't find it hurt at all, she is pleasantly surprised. I am not that proud of it, because I have fully adapted to the harsh environment of this world.