Ch.172Arba (7)

After emerging from the abandoned building that was once—or perhaps never was—a brothel, Luvellin staggered for quite some time before finally managing to collect himself.

Of course, that didn’t mean his mind was at ease.

Luvellin sat in the back alley, catching his breath.

His mind was unstable.

Even with his head buried between his palms, he couldn’t easily calm down.

What he had experienced was affecting him deeply.

It was inevitable. Luvellin had been deliberately avoiding terms like “illusion” and “dream.”

What terrified him most was the fact that he had been completely deceived by such an illusion, trapped without realizing it.

Luvellin was horrified by the fact that he had fallen victim to such an illusion without noticing anything.

Of course, he had resolved to do his best even if it was a dream. Even if all of this was fake.

But that resolve had gradually faded after meeting his sister.

When his sister disappeared, it had felt like an illusion or dream too. He had barely survived each day with the terror of someone vanishing like in a dream.

Though he wouldn’t go so far as to say he was living only because he couldn’t die.

Deep down, that’s what he thought. With his sister gone, what was he supposed to do with his life?

When his sister was around, he could work hard at anything with the goal of becoming successful and giving her a comfortable life.

But after losing even his purpose in life, he couldn’t maintain that drive. That’s when Luvellin’s grades began to decline.

Luvellin, or Yoon Se-jin, wasn’t blessed with exceptional memory like his friend, nor did he have remarkable comprehension skills.

Naturally, his grades worsened. His attitude deteriorated too, and after realizing he could never find his sister, he occasionally skipped school to work part-time jobs.

Someone had to pay the rent. Someone had to earn money for food.

His sister wasn’t there to bear the weight of reality. It was a kind of pain he hadn’t felt before, the kind his sister had endured.

That’s why Luvellin feared illusions. He feared the possibility that he was just a brain in a vat, that everything he had experienced was fake.

Though moving forward despite fear was Yoon Se-jin’s strength, that resolve had blurred since meeting his sister again.

If he could meet his sister again like this, only to lose her once more.

So Luvellin sat in the back alley, suffering, and though his elegant attire and refined face drew attention in such a place.

No one actually approached him. Those who intended to rob him retreated hesitantly, unable to overcome the aura emanating from the seated man, often fleeing altogether.

It was because he was a homunculus.

No matter how well they mimicked humans, homunculi were beings that instilled a sense of intimidation in ordinary humans at first sight.

Because their very essence differed from humans, and because they “perfectly” imitated humans.

They instilled hesitation and fear in the humans they faced. Eye contact caused bodies to freeze. It was like facing a predator.

That’s why Luvellin could sit alone in peace. Whenever he briefly raised his head at approaching footsteps and made eye contact, he was alone again.

Though he himself was unaware of this.

Because of this, the number of humans who could remain around Luvellin was limited.

Either those of the Three Races who perceived his presence as appealing, or the strong who had built up their own aura to match his.

Or…

“…Why are you sitting there like that?”

Luvellin raised his head. His dazed gaze met jade-colored eyes.

Between that jade color were bright yellow pupils, vertically split like those of a dragon, snake, or cat.

Her skin was snow-white, and her face was small. Even though Luvellin’s face wasn’t particularly large, hers was small enough to be easily lifted in one’s palm.

Additionally, she had horns hidden under a hood. Her already small face appeared even smaller.

She looked young because of it. Even by Luvellin’s standards, she hardly seemed like an adult.

But Luvellin knew the woman’s position and character. He buried his face between his knees.

“Ortemilia.”

Despite his muffled voice, Ortemilia understood and tilted her head curiously. As she crouched down slightly, her skirt brushed the ground.

“Are you ill? I can’t provide professional treatment, but I can take a look.”

Intrigued, Luvellin slightly raised his head but after some consideration, shook it.

It was his nature. He didn’t like showing weakness. His sister had been the exception, but even with her, he had hidden such vulnerability after puberty.

Especially after their non-fight, really just a one-sided outburst, following repeated treatment as a child.

That’s why Lucilla would sometimes massage Luvellin’s skin, rub his shoulders, or stroke his hair, only to startle herself.

She believed her brother would get angry someday. That’s how these siblings were.

Unaware of this, Ortemilia gazed at Luvellin with her bright yellow pupils and reached out her hand.

Body heat felt on skin. With vision blocked, his sense of touch responded to her approach. His sensitive senses felt Ortemilia’s extending hand, but.

Luvellin couldn’t stop her. Or rather, he chose not to stop her.

A gentle hand stroking his hair. Not stopping there, it softly worked its way through his hair, combing it.

Despite having sharp nails, it didn’t hurt. Not because Luvellin was tough.

Rather, it was because Ortemilia was stroking with care. Luvellin knew this and raised his head, trying to hide his gloomy expression.

“Do you feel a bit better?”

Luvellin couldn’t answer. Whether because he was being comforted by Ortemilia who looked younger than him, or because the comfort was effective.

Luvellin felt his mind stabilizing. He couldn’t simply dismiss this feeling of comfort with indifference.

His mind was still dizzy, and his insides still churned.

But he couldn’t just sit here forever. Luvellin tried to stand up.

His intention didn’t translate into action. Ortemilia’s gently extended hand pulled Luvellin’s head into an embrace.

The scent that wafted from her was exotic.

The fragrance tickling his nose was different from any woman he had encountered before.

It wasn’t refreshing like Isla’s, nor soft like Lorian’s or Lucilla’s.

If anything, it was similar to Eshatherna’s yet subtly different.

While Eshatherna’s scent was refreshing yet soft and sweet like flowers.

Ortemilia’s was softly sweet. A scent that evoked the image of milk.

Why milk of all things? Luvellin wondered, confused, but didn’t think of leaving her embrace.

“Hugs have a significant effect on emotional stability. Did you know that?”

“…It seems so.”

It’s just a person’s embrace. Unlike Lucilla, she wasn’t voluptuous, so there was hardly any tactile sensation.

Yet the soft, subtle curve against his cheek.

And the feminine scent emanating from beneath that curve.

It was remarkably quick in stabilizing Luvellin’s mind.

Could this be what a mother—someone he had never seen or longed for—would feel like?

Luvellin leaned into Ortemilia, who willingly knelt on the dirty ground to embrace him.

Shushing him as he tried to speak, she stroked his head, striving to provide comfort.

Luvellin suddenly recalled something he had heard before.

Wasn’t it said that Ortemilia’s charm worked in a way that stimulated maternal instincts?

It seemed to be working that way. Luvellin thought that rather than having all Three Races fall for him, he preferred this kind of familial affection, and closed his eyes.

“Your breathing has returned to its mimicked state, and your heartbeat has stabilized. Do you now have the composure to tell me what happened?”

Ortemilia seemed quite perceptive. She had given Luvellin ample time to stabilize and collect his thoughts.

Luvellin exhaled a long breath, feeling decidedly more comfortable.

As his mind settled, his resolve strengthened and solidified.

The conviction that such a sensation couldn’t possibly be false or an illusion.

A mental victory despite the reality that it could be. Yet necessary for mental stability.

And with that, the resurfacing determination to do his best even if this was an illusion.

Luvellin removed the personal bias from what he had just experienced.

“I think I’ve found the cause of the drug crackdown.”

Ortemilia raised an eyebrow at his words, spoken while still in her embrace. Her downward gaze was snake-like and could have been frightening.

Yet strangely, he felt at ease. Even Luvellin himself took this as evidence that he viewed Ortemilia as a mother figure.

“This city was built on top of an ancient city.”

“Hmm, Lucilla said the same. She briefly left to survey the surroundings from the upper part of the city.”

“I don’t think what we need to see is above. There’s a massive space inside this city… or somewhere.”

“A massive space? What are you trying to say?”

Luvellin acknowledged that it was difficult to explain without context. What he was about to describe were the nightmarish experiences he had gone through.

Perhaps it also touched upon some of Lucilla’s and his past, but Luvellin shared it with Ortemilia without hesitation.

Ortemilia listened to the entire story with patience.

Her eyebrows twitched and her eyes took on a different hue at the core of the story.

Sculptures made of humans.

Renia, the founder of the Structural School, who had guided Luvellin to where these sculptures were located.

And divinity.

“Such a massive space… would surely be underground.”

There was only one place in this city where such an underground facility could be located.

The sewers, which served as the living grounds for mercenaries and were frequented only by the lowest of the low who struggled to maintain a proper life in this city.

Just as Luvellin was about to rise, affirming this.

Someone landed lightly nearby.

Silver eyes blazed through the darkness.

Violent and explosive magical eyes that turned anyone they met into a beast ready for slaughter.

Luvellin flinched and turned his head, facing his sister while still in Ortemilia’s embrace.

“…What are you doing?”

Her voice lacked inflection, which made it even more chilling. Just as Luvellin was about to stammer.

“I was embracing him. He needed comfort.”

“…Why you?”

“Would you like to be embraced too?”

Lucilla’s cold gaze softened as she stared at Ortemilia.

Before her expression could contort with confusion and bewilderment, Ortemilia opened her arms.

Though her embrace wasn’t sized for two people, if positioned carefully, two could just barely fit.

Lucilla froze with a sour expression, about to say something, but.

“Come here.”

Ortemilia didn’t mind.

Seeing Ortemilia beckon, Lucilla approached and fell into her embrace without realizing it.

Ortemilia held both homunculi in her arms, rubbing their backs and sharing her warmth.

In that embrace, Lucilla strangely thought of a mother.

Parents who had abandoned Yoon Se-ah and Yoon Se-jin long ago, whom Luvellin barely even knew the faces of.

At the same time, memories of happier times surfaced, making her eyes redden.

Memories she had kept to herself, afraid to mention in front of her brother lest he think the times without her were happier.

Past events that were difficult to discuss even in passing because they showed such signs.

In the embrace of a girl much smaller than herself, Lucilla recalled such memories and felt a heaviness in her chest, while Luvellin felt both relieved and strangely moved by his sister’s demeanor.

It took quite some time for Lucilla to calm down and leave the embrace.

And Lucilla realized too late that she had information to share after leaving the embrace.

Luvellin and Ortemilia only learned of it when the streets were already filled.

In the crowded streets, humans with closed eyes, as if dreaming, were marching toward the sewers.

They were addicts who had escaped from detention facilities.