Chapter 175: A few moments of your time

"Did something happen?"

It was truly a curious sight. A well-built former mercenary in his currently best years was standing above Fen with a wet knife in his hand as he spoke. But instead of wearing the armour, he wore an apron. Instead of readying himself for a fight, he was readying the table for the dinner. 

That was the reality of the home that Fen got to live in Gauna.

After dealing with the matter regarding Cleo, his daughter, this former mercenary was originally going to buy a different home for Fen, but that plan ended up getting scrapped. Given how Fen had to pay Cleo relatively regular visits in order to reverse the effects of her constitution, both sides agreed to just facilitate the entire residence together.

"Not really. It just feels strange to have even a second for myself right now. Back in the north… Even if we had nothing pressing to do, the anxiety from not doing the other stuff would eat away at us either way. That's why I can't really get used to this feeling that I have an entire afternoon to myself."

Taking a sip of the luxurious beverage that Fen used half of his savings on, the young man could feel how his body is relaxing along with the wave of gentle heat that spread from his throat down. 

A drink was truly worth its own price. 

"I know what you mean. During the mission, you never know if your efforts so far will suffice to achieve your target. Be it surviving the march, seeing the light of the day after the battle or gathering resources, every task that one needs to fulfil needs to be taken care off perfectly. That's something we don't experience all that much in normal, civilian life."

Contrary to talking with Cloe who was mostly clueless about the hardships of the military life, her father, despite starting off as an enemy to Fen, ultimately ended up being his best partner to share the experiences from the front. 

Because compared to the girl, he understood what kind of plights did the young man went through. Not because he was a man. Orsha was the perfect example of a female being a mercenary as well. Not because he was older. One's worth as mercenary was judged not by his age, but years of experience. One's achievement spoke more than how long ago someone was born. Because he went through the same hell that Fen did. That was the sole but sufficient reason for the thread of connection to appear between the two, otherwise starkly different men.

'But I'm not going to lie, now that Orsha left me, having a clueless Cleo just sharing her warmth has a value in itself.'

Thinking to himself, Fen immersed his thoughts with yet another sip of the expensive beverage. Yet even the luxurious product couldn't tear his thoughts away from the strange relationship that he had with the girl.

From one side, he just fulfilled the quest that her father gave to him. While the events that happened in the meantime complicated the situation quite a lot, ultimately that was the axis of what the girl knew about Fen. That this young man was directly responsible for saving her life from the instant threat of her constitution.

Bu just like Fen explained it to Cleo's father all the way back then, the girl's constitution was simply too intricate for a single fire flower to cure it. While it softened the symptoms and lessened the burden on the girl, she was nowhere near being completely cured.

And that's where the problem of their relationship appeared. 

As nice as it was to have a young and obedient girl like her fawn over him, Fen surprisingly was scared of the moment when he would have to fill her with energy for the first time. While it was only a rough guess, Fen could tell that the effects of the medicine made from the fire flower were slowly wearing off. That meant, no matter how much he dreaded that moment, he would soon be forced to bed the cute girl, possibly burying the pleasant and casual relationship that they had right now.

"Are you guys done talking now?"

Not even bothering to raise up from Fen's lap, Cleo brought her fingers to his free hand before putting it between the young arcanist thigh and her own head, turning his hand into a pillow.

"We are not really talking in the first place… Just letting the reins of our nostalgia free."

Caressing the delicate flesh of Cleo's exposed ear, Fen couldn't help but see her as this cute little animal that always sought cuddles and games. Given how intrusive she was in terms of Fen's personal space, the young man expected it to be her own way to cope with what would inevitably happen between the two of them.

"So just finish that drink of yours already…"

For some reason, Cleo turned out to be quite upset. Ignorant as to what could be the cause of her unusual mood, Fen's eyes moved towards his cup.

"Ah, do you want to have a taste?"

Shooting randomly, Fen instantly moved his eyes downwards towards his lap, where Cleo was currently resting her head. Thankfully, while it obviously wasn't the reason for her foul mood, Fen's proposition managed to force her out of her annoying state. 

Pushing with her delicate hands against Fen's thighs, Cleo quickly moved back to a straightened position… Only to pull herself over, right back on top of Fen's lap. Only after moving her soft ass covered with just a simple skirt to find the most comfortable position did the girl slowly reached forward with her hands.

But instead of just grabbing the cup and taking a sip, her hands slowed down, as if she was worried about something.

"I… I don't want to spill it. Can you help me drink it?"

Angling her head to the side, Cleo threw a mischievous look to the back. While the meaning of her words was pretty obvious, Fen wasn't willing to surrender to her advances so easily. If she wanted to play, then he was game!

"Sure, if you are worried about such silly things…"

Instead of following what was most likely Cleo's intent, Fen brushed his hands past her waist as he reached for the cup himself. Leaning forward a bit, he had no other choice but to hug his front to Cleo's back, totally enclosing her within his reach. But instead of doing anything else, the young man simply caught the cup in his hands before bringing it up to Cleo's mouth.

"No… Wait, not like…"

Hearing the protests that he expected from the surprised girl, Fen could feel her body twitching on top of his lap. With her silly reaction only pushing the young man's mind further away from his senses, he moved his other hand up, catching and pinching at Cleo's nose.

'GASP!"

Opening her mouth wide in order to catch some of the precious air, Cleo had no other choice. Cornered by the man behind her, she had to gulp the entirety of the rich liquid that remained in the cup.

Feeling how her body was shaking in rhythm with how she continued to swallow, Fen finally lowered down the cup back on the table, only to instantly move his hands to support the girl.

"Impfh shooo hippy"

Momentarily losing her ability to speak properly, Cleo simply hung on Fen's hold, all the while her father observed the scene with a conflicted look on his face.

"Don't worry about her. This drink is not an alcoholic. It's just easy to get overwhelmed by how relaxing it is when you first try it."

Fixing his hold over Cleo's body, Fen raised up from his seat, quickly moving the girl's arm above his shoulders, using his entire body to pull the barely conscious girl up.

"I will get her to bed. Would you mind getting me another portion in the meantime? I need to start working soon."

As great as it was to let himself loose for a moment and relax with a hot cup of this magical drink, Fen didn't dare to get completely lazy. Starting tomorrow, he would rush to the academy the very first thing in the morning, looking for his old acquaintances that he could poach for his plans. While it was only a guess, Latiel's face continued to appear in his mind whenever he thought about the actions he would have to take in the near future. 

"Hey…"

Clearly regaining her ability to live for herself, Cleo started to rustle about a bit in Fen's hold.

"What's up? Feeling better already?"

Given the situation, Fen had no other choice but to push the thoughts of his tasks aside for a moment, focusing on the girl by his side instead.

"I want… Would you mind giving me a few moments of your time?"