The Seed Thief

“Uhh…”

Lulu awoke with a soft groan.

Due to all the crying before falling asleep, her swollen eyes were struggling to open. After several attempts, Lulu managed to blink. The blurry surroundings gradually became clearer as time passed, and the previous night’s events resurfaced vividly in her mind.

“……!”

Her drowsiness vanished as her eyes widened in astonishment. Just as she tried to sit up, Lulu felt a tingling pain in her waist, causing her to slump back onto the bed.

The bed shook in response, a warm breath brushed against the back of her neck, and something heavy rested on her waist.

Not too long ago, it would have been unfamiliar to Lulu to fall asleep in someone else’s arms. However, ever since Ervandas appeared, it had become natural.

Lulu looked at Ervandas’s arms tightly wrapped around her waist.

Since coming to her house, his arms had been burnt to a dark hue from toiling under the sun. Red scratches marred his ashen arms.

As Lulu stared at them, her face suddenly reddened. It was because she remembered that all those wounds on his arms were her doing.

“Stop, please, stop…”

Having reached her limit, she had tried to stop him, yet he persisted, pushing inward without satisfaction. The obedient Ervandas was nowhere to be found. He paused his movements and gently kissed Lulu’s forehead, where weariness resided.

Though bearing the burden, Lulu couldn’t help but chuckle softly, enjoying the fleeting tenderness. But before her smile could fade, Ervandas strongly pushed his waist.

“Ah, ah…”

Her head jerked back, her mouth parting to groan, only to find Ervandas’s lips on top of it.

“Wah…….”

Recalling the previous night, Lulu unintentionally exclaimed, reminiscing about the fierceness of her first experience with Er. Suddenly, she pulled her face painfully.

Lulu gazed at Ervandas, deeply asleep, then lowered her gaze as she felt something strange underneath. It was a mess. The bite marks on her shoulders and chest from Ervandas throughout the night had turned into bruises, while the semen he had cum on her stomach and pubic area had dried up.

Staring at her own body, Lulu hesitantly touched the dried remnants with her hand. Even when she had collapsed, struggling to breathe, he still clung to her.

Perhaps he had continued even after she had lost consciousness because there remained some of the sticky, undried semen on her pubic area.

‘This is the human seed.’

At that moment, Lulu’s eyes widened. What she had desired so desperately was now in her hands. Her forgotten goal from the previous night came to mind.

‘I must hurry.’

She recalled the cautionary note written in the book for creating Homunculus. It emphasized the importance of obtaining the freshest possible human seed. It warned that any delay would increase the chances of failure. Thus, it advised using the harvested seed immediately.

Eagerly trying to rise from her spot, Lulu gazed at Ervandas, who still held onto her waist. Then, with utmost caution, she lifted his hand and gently pushed it away.

He had promised to provide the seed, and she had received it as agreed. Henceforth, she did not need to worry about Er’s approval regarding her next actions.

And somehow, she felt she should keep her future actions a secret from him.

Last night, as their bodies entwined, Er repeatedly asked her what this Homunculus was.

Even while their bodies were intertwined and swaying, Lulu answered him earnestly, disclosing everything she knew. His fierceness had eased a bit while she answered.

After answering everything, Lulu thought he would understand her desperate pursuit for the human seed. However, upon hearing it all, Er’s expression only grew stiffer.

Seeing that look, Lulu had a hunch. He did not like the idea of creating a Homunculus.

Until she placed his arm on the bed, Ervandas remained asleep. Lulu breathed a sigh of relief and carefully slipped off the bed.

Just as her feet hit the floor, a sharp pain shot through her lower back, instantly draining her strength.

Frozen in place, Lulu swiftly turned her head to look at Er. Thankfully, his eyes remained closed despite the noise she made.

Lulu gathered her strength again to rise. After several attempts, she stood up, but her legs wobbled like a newborn fawn’s.

Gingerly walking out of the room, tears welled up in her eyes. It wasn’t just her lower back that hurt. Her swollen, teary eyes from crying all night, her parched throat, her back, legs, arms—and even the area between her legs—all ached.

While taking a few steps, she felt something trickling down her leg. Startled, Lulu looked down to find a faint, milky semen that seemed to have pooled somewhere and slowly dribbled down her leg.

Hastily wiping it away with her hand, Lulu continued walking. Her destination was a small wall tucked away in a corner of the living room.

Despite Ervandas’ effort to tidy up the entire house, this was the only place that remained untouched. It was a storeroom where she kept the ingredients for powerful spells.

Even before Ervandas arrived, the entrance had been hidden by magic. It wasn’t intentionally hidden though. Since the forest witch’s presence, magic had been cast to obscure the entrance, and Lulu naturally assumed it would stay concealed.

She hadn’t entered it at all recently. Since Er’s arrival, each day had been so delightful that she completely forgot the things inside.

As a result, Er remained unaware of its existence.

Standing before the wall, Lulu sketched the spell pattern to dispel the magic. Once, she used to draw it swiftly, without hesitation like breathing, but her hand faltered as she drew it for the first time since Ervandas had arrived.

Fortunately, she hadn’t completely forgotten, and Lulu successfully dispelled the magic. The wall vanished instantly, revealing a staircase leading downward into the underground.

Lulu gathered her strength to steady her trembling legs and descended the stairs slowly. She had never considered the lack of handrails an inconvenience, but now she longed for them. Step by step, Lulu descended further into the depths.

The distinct musty odor of underground, mingled with the smell of earth, enveloped her, along with the cool, damp air. The forgotten scents of neglected things swiftly awakened Lulu’s mind, stirring up the knowledge she had accumulated over time.

“Everything is still here.”

Amidst the cluttered space was the magic formula she had drawn repeatedly long ago.

Lulu had meticulously pieced together the best available pieces of paper. The vast sheet covered half of the underground area, adorned with intricate magical symbols that were dozens of times more complex than ordinary ones.

Lulu swallowed dryly at the grandeur of the most advanced magic in existence.

‘I have all the ingredients.’

She had all the required ingredients except for one: the human seed. And now, she had successfully acquired the final ingredient.

Lulu staggered as she placed the ingredients in their designated spots, then stood in the center of the magic rite.

She had already practiced enough with her many failures.

‘So… it will succeed.’

Lulu looked at the semen that still lingered on her body. Once she cast the spell, a homunculus resembling Ervandas would be created. The thought alone filled her with excitement.

A nagging yet affectionate human. Now, Lulu could have a human similar to him by her side for the rest of her life.

Lulu directed her mana into the magic formation. As the radiant light flowed along the intricately drawn magic symbols, the entire formation began to shimmer brightly.

Sweat suddenly broke out on her forehead. The magic formation quickly drained Lulu’s mana.

‘I must endure.’

Merely channeling mana into the spell wouldn’t guarantee a successful casting. For it to be fully executed, the mana needed to spread evenly throughout the entire formation.

Easier said than done, especially in such a complex ritual, where the slightest distraction could trigger uncontrollable mana surges. It was happening now.

“Ugh!”

As Lulu observed the magic formation, a light vanished from one corner of the formation when she frowned due to the lingering pain in her body. Startled, Lulu redirected her focus.

The light soon stabilized and encompassed the formation again. The ingredients scattered throughout the formation were bathed in the glow of mana, gradually melting and spreading over the formation, absorbed into it.

‘I only have one chance.’

The human seed was now abundant, but the other ingredients were the problem. The ingredients that had taken considerable time to gather were now only sufficient for a single casting. In other words, if she failed, it would be the end.

As time passed, the number of sweat droplets on Lulu’s forehead increased, and the ingredients in the formula disappeared in proportion.

The light that had spread through the entire magic formation emitted a booming sound and intensified further. Lulu bit her lip at that sight.

The intensified light converged around the caster as if demanding the final ingredient. Up until now, she had always failed at this point – the magic dispersed, and the light vanished instantly as if realizing she didn’t have what was needed.

‘But not today.’

She must succeed.

A voice that roused her from slumber. Strong arms and a broad chest that would lift her if she failed to regain her composure. A hand that tossed her into the rushing creek and offered a cozy towel after she emerged, shivering.

Warm and delicious meals, laughter, sighs, and sometimes even tears.

Now that Lulu knew everything given by the person she was with, she had to have the Homunculus no matter what.

The light rushed to Lulu and enveloped her. It felt as if it was groping her body, urging her to reveal the last ingredient she possessed. Once she overcame this hurdle, she would finally obtain the Homunculus she had yearned for so long.

Lulu tried to concentrate, recalling the small Er that she would obtain. However, at that moment, a question arose in her mind.

‘Do I really want a Homunculus?’

She desired someone by her side. So, it didn’t matter who that person was. Once there was a new presence to accompany her, the one she was with would be gone…

“No.”

The question in her head made Lulu’s voice crack.

At that moment, the light that had enveloped Lulu vanished instantly. The room, once bathed in light, began to be consumed by darkness. Her body, struggling to stand amidst the gathering darkness, trembled. She was well aware of this situation – The familiar sight of failure.

‘I failed!’

The moment Lulu realized this fact, she suddenly couldn’t breathe.

Foolishly, stupidly.

Her concentration had been disrupted by unnecessary thoughts at the most crucial moment. The magic had failed. Er would leave. There was nothing left now.

“Ah, ah…”

Her arms flailed like a drowning person. Tears welled up in her eyes.

When her body staggered, on the verge of collapsing to the ground.

A familiar arms pulled her collapsing body close.

“I wondered where you were going.”

Eravandas’ voice came from above, and Lulu strained to raise her head. When she saw his slightly surprised face, her vision blurred even further with tears.

She remembered what in her mind earlier and why the spell had failed.

She didn’t merely want a Homunculus imitating his likeness.

‘I want Er.’

But he would leave once the magic completely unraveled. He was someone who needed to be returned to his family.

Anger and regret towards her foolishness turned into tears, overflowing and streaming down.