The Seed Thief

‘Rather, it’s a good thing.’She recalled the time when she washed Er by the stream. If Er became dirty, she would use that as an excuse to wash him by the stream again. Just like back then…“What is it that you want?”Ervandas asked as Lulu continued stroking his penis, reminiscing about their time at the stream. After a brief hesitation, Lulu decided to answer him honestly.“The human seed.”Would Er help her if she was honest? He had lived among humans, so he might know where the human seed was, just like the villagers. He might hand it over and request to be sent home after fulfilling her wish.The moment that thought crossed her mind, Lulu regretted her honesty.‘I wish he could stay here longer.’Since Er arrived, Lulu found each passing day so enjoyable that she lost track of time. Before his arrival, Lulu’s days were always the same.She would wake up when the sun rose high, eat whatever could satisfy her hunger, then read books. Occasionally, she would play with the scarecrow or the bone crow before going to the field behind her house with the stone golem to gather food or collect ores and plants needed for magic and read again until sleep came.When truly bored, she would go near the village to observe the humans.That had been Lulu’s routine for the past few years and likely to remain the same in the future.She fussed about creating a Homunculus because she felt exhausted from her repetitive life. But what had happened after Er came?Waking at dawn, he would carefully carry the fake sleeping Lulu to the bed, then start cleaning.Lying in her room, Lulu could hear the noise of furniture being moved, books carried, rough scrubbing, and occasionally muttering, “What the hell is this?”Who would have thought that someone else’s presence could be this interesting?‘Can’t Er just stay here?’Then, there would be no need to go through the trouble of finding seeds and creating a Homunculus.The thoughts haunting Lulu’s mind for the past week muddled her mind again. With a slightly sad face, Lulu spoke to Ervandas.“Er, do you know where the human seed is?”At Lulu’s question, Ervandas fell silent.Could he not know? Being born as a prince, he had received an early education on matters related to his lineage. The royal men, in particular, were strictly taught not to indulge with those below them.‘But if he answers now…’Ervandas met Lulu’s gaze, still looking at him without a trace of lust.Lulu had no interest in Ervandas’ background. All she wanted was the human seed. So once she had it, she clearly wouldn’t cling to him any further.It was something he should welcome. Then he could leave this place, free from the curse! In that moment, Ervandas imagined what would happen if he left.Strangely, the first thing that came to his mind was Lulu’s room, which he had yet to tidy up.Even though this tiny house represented chaos, Lulu’s room stood out as the pinnacle of disorderliness.The cleanliness of the bed was somehow preserved thanks to the laundered bedsheets he washed daily. But the floor of Lulu’s room and the clutter on her desk were challenges that Ervandas knew someday he must conquer.If he were no longer here, Lulu’s room would remain disarray as if it had been that way for a thousand years. Without realizing it, frown lines formed on Ervandas’ forehead. It wasn’t the only thing weighing on his mind.‘What about the vegetable garden?’Because she needed to feed herself, Lulu frequently cast spells on the vegetable garden. As if to prove the caster’s abilities, the crops in the field grew astonishingly fast, implying there was much to tend to and harvest daily.Ervandas would tend the garden during his cleaning breaks. Since his time in the Holy Knight Order, where they revered the provisions given by God to sustain humans, farming was not a difficult task for him.Pulling weeds and harvesting ripe fruits – he could relish the pleasure of harvesting robust and abundant crops many times more than others, thanks to Lulu’s magic.As he tended to the garden, Lulu would follow along and sit beside him, propping her chin and watching him intently. Then she started bombarding him with questions.“Why pull the weeds? Why remove the stones? Why tie the stems?”Upon hearing those questions, Ervandas touched his forehead. Lulu knew how to grow plants with magic yet did not know how to farm.Ervandas intended to teach Lulu proper farming methods but decided to leave it be. He thought he could handle it himself.However, Ervandas’s thoughts spiraled further.Somehow, cleaning and the vegetable garden came to mind first. But there was another issue.‘What if someone approaches Lulu?’Over the past few weeks, Ervandas had witnessed her casting magic several times as he was by her side. Without a doubt, Lulu was a sorceress with overwhelming power. Despite continuously casting multiple spells, she never showed any signs of fatigue. She had skillfully repaired the scarecrow and the bone crow that his sword had smashed.With such immense abilities, what if a dangerous force tried to coax her to their side? There would be no guarantee that another rebellion like before would not happen.And there was another major issue.‘What if… if she becomes pregnant…with my semen…’Suddenly, an image of a child passed through Ervandas’s mind. A child with red hair and blue eyes.As the child’s face flashed by, Ervandas’s expression grew grave.For some reason, it seemed Lulu would no longer need him if she were to have a child. In that case, she would immediately cast him out of the forest. She may even erase his memories with magic so he wouldn’t be able to find her again.Hadn’t his mind and body already been subjugated by magic? She could use memory-erasing magic without any issues. Then… would that child grow up in an unknown place, not knowing who their father was?When Ervandas’s thoughts reached that point, he suddenly felt the boiling anger rising from deep within his stomach.No! I will never allow that!In that instant, Ervandas almost let out a roar but clutching onto the reins of reason in time as his mouth opened.‘What on earth was I thinking?’He wondered why his delusions suddenly ran amok. Moreover, a child? An existence that he had never imagined before, so why had they abruptly appeared vividly in his mind?Ervandas subdued his racing heart like never before. He was still under Lulu’s magic, so he could only speak the truth in response to her questions.But he didn’t want to say what she wanted to hear. Ervandas took a deep breath and slowly opened his mouth.“I…”He desperately focused his consciousness. Even when facing the direst threats, he had never gathered all of his mental and senses so intensely. He slightly parted trembling lips.Now, he had to lie.“What you’re asking… what is it…?”The magic that bound him was shouting from the depths of his mind, demanding the truth. His tongue stiffened, and his mouth dried up as he struggled against the voice. The magic intended to deviate from Ervandas’s intention.He clenched his fists tighter. In this very moment, he had to overcome Lulu’s magic.A silent battle raged inside his mind. Willpower and magic fiercely fought, selecting the words to emerge next. And finally…“…I have no idea.”His will had won.While he silently celebrated his hard-fought victory in his heart.“I see.”Lulu released her grip on his and suddenly stood up after tidying up his clothes.“Er doesn’t know either. It can’t be helped. I’ll have to find out more.”Lulu’s lifeless words sealed Er’s lips. He now wanted to shout that he knew and could tell her immediately.Did she feel deeply disappointed by the fact that he didn’t know? Lulu turned away, storming back to her room, and slammed the door.In the living room where lustful moans and intimate sounds had filled just a moment ago, now only Ervandas stood stiffly.***Thump.Lulu shut the door behind her and threw herself onto her bed. The smell of sun-dried scent rose from the neatly laundered bedsheet. Usually, she would have buried her face in and laughed cheerfully. But now, tears welled in her eyes, and her jaw clenched as she struggled to hold back her sobs.‘Er lied.’She might be ignorant, but she was not foolish. How could she not know? The way his body suddenly stiffened and shook. The cold sweat. His wavering eyes. And most of all…‘You called me ‘you’.’Until then, he had always called her ‘Master’. But earlier, he referred to her as ‘you’.‘The spell that bound Er is starting to fade.’The instant Lulu grasped that fact, her heart felt like it had dropped to the floor. Ervandas wouldn’t know how desperately she struggled to maintain her composure and not show it.‘You don’t want to give me the seed.’It was clear that he lied about not knowing how to give it.She knew that there was more than one seed. As evidence, weren’t the villagers accompanied by several young humans? When counted, the house with the most children had seven of them.So, it was obvious that there were many seeds. With that many, he could at least share her one.Lulu recalled the villager she had seen. Most were raising young children together. It appeared that the giver and receiver of the seed needed to raise them together.“Er doesn’t want to raise them with me.”Being drawn into this place abruptly by magic, he surely wouldn’t want to be together while raising a child.Once the spell on Er was lifted, he would leave without looking back. But if they were to share the seed, he would have to stay here a bit longer, which he disliked.“…I can do it alone.”After the forest witch died, Lulu had been living alone, handling everything by herself. She believed she could continue to thrive on her own. Although she’d never raised a child before, if she raised them the way the forest witch had done for her, they might grow up well.“Should I get the seed from a different human instead of Er?”The mere thought made Lulu’s shoulders tremble. Tears that had been held back started streaming down her cheeks.‘I still want Er’s seed.’Er had only been here a few weeks, yet now there was no place in the house untouched by his hand. The clean living room and kitchen. Items were neatly organized. Furthermore, while scolding Lulu not to drip water inside after bathing at the stream, he would bring a dry towel from within and seat her by the chair, drying her hair.As Er’s large, long fingers busily messaged through her abundant strands of hair, delving deeper, Lulu would let out a contented sigh. Though his touch was rough, it was meticulous, exploring every inch.Feeling the soothing touch of his hands drying her lengthy hair, Lulu would inevitably be overcome by drowsiness. When her head started to bob, Er would let her lean against him, continuing to move his hands. How many times had she fallen asleep like that, nestled in his warm, generous embrace?