CHAPTER 108: MISSION’S FIRST DAY

Lady Syeila snapped right there,

"Remember, you’re twenty-five! People your age already have kids who are walking and talking. But you’re still even a virgin!"

The last comment stung sharply. She had never been one to hold back her words when frustrated about marriage.

Langga, of course, was not a virgin. Memories flooded back—pale skin, watery hazel eyes, movements in perfect rhythm, and the sounds of resistance that had felt more like temptation than defiance.

He couldn’t help it; his adam’s apple moved up and down unconsciously, and for a brief moment, his left eye glimmered red.

Syeila squinted. She had rarely seen her usually composed son in such a dazed state.

Could it be... Could it be that he’s also bothered by his own virginity, but just hasn’t found the right partner yet?

Whatever the case, this half-human might not be a bad choice.

After dinner, Syeila rose to leave. But before stepping out of the dining hall, she glanced back at her son. "Your eye... it turned red earlier."

She didn’t say it as a warning—merely as an observation—and then left.

Langga, on the other hand, panicked. He pressed a hand to his left eye.

"Damn it! Did I lose focus because of that innocent boy?!"

He retrieved a small jar from his pocket and dropped a few drops into his eye. It color was still blue, nothing had changed, but his feelings were much calmer.

...

Wearing his guard uniform, Madha strode purposefully toward the house. Last night had marked his first shift as a guard, and for the next month, he deliberately took the night watch.

Many guards disliked the night shift, wild beasts were more active, and unexpected incidents were far more likely.

So when this new guard volunteered for nights, the others were more than happy to let him take it.

Madha’s real reason was simple: he wanted to be there for Gara as much as possible. But today, he needed to stay home to help Wina look after the triplets.

Inside the house, Gara and Fian were already dressed neatly in their black Liner robes. Gara approached Wina, who was cradling Arion, and pressed a kiss to his second son before bidding farewell.

"We’ll be back as soon as we return from the mountain," he said.

Instead of heading to the Liner camp, they went toward the village gate, where a makeshift guard barracks had been set up.

By the time they arrived, a dozen Liners were already standing in front of the barracks. Two carriages waited, each able to hold four to six people.

"Sorry we’re late. Had a bit of trouble at home," Gara said, slightly out of breath.

"You’re not late," Kian replied evenly. "One of the carriage horses got poisoned by contaminated water, so we had to swap it out."

Kian kept a perfectly normal distance, neither avoiding nor approaching. The heart icon above his head showed just 1%, which had ticked up slightly after Gara’s incident with Narin yesterday.

Though Kian didn’t mind, Gara’s delay was still a hot topic among the other Liners. No one else was late; all the others lived in the dorms. Only Gara and Fian had homes in the village.

Even if it wasn’t Gara’s fault—his mother had moved here—some couldn’t hide their envy. He didn’t struggle to live far from family like the others did.

"They’re lucky. They can still eat home-cooked meals."

"And their beds must be so much more comfortable."

"They probably even have their own rooms, unlike in the dorms."

Gara wasn’t normally one to stay silent when people whispered behind his back, but this time the accusations were baseless.

He hadn’t done anything wrong; they were simply envious. And envy, no matter how explained, never understands.

As long as they didn’t directly cause trouble, Gara saw no reason to waste his energy on them.

But the jabs didn’t stop there. Narin, who had disliked Gara since yesterday, sneered, "Gara, didn’t you say you could produce 200 liters of water? Then why are you coming to the mountain? Don’t tell me..."

She trailed off, leaving everyone to draw their own conclusions. The thought certainly was malicious enough.

She still couldn’t quite believe that a newbie Liner—just a commoner from a remote village—could produce 200 liters of water effortlessly. Surely such a Talent required days, maybe even a week, to recharge before doing it again.

She still felt humiliated by what she considered "an ordinary talent."

"Don’t tell me what?" Gara asked casually, pretending not to notice her insinuation.

That’s when he felt the back of his robe tugged. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Kian looking at him with a pointed expression.

The young man was clearly warning him not to get caught up in Narin’s antics. Gara simply returned a brief, knowing smile.

Meanwhile, Narin spoke with a worried look, "I was worried you overexerted yourself yesterday... and now you can’t even produce a single drop of water."

Her words immediately stirred murmurs among the Liners.

"Makes sense... no wonder he produced so much yesterday."

"In the end, he’s just a fraud."

Among the whispering Liners, Kevio—standing next to Orman—chipped in, "Orman, your friend has no shame. He humiliated our goddess, Narin, because she couldn’t purify contaminated water... but his own actions were just a bluff."

Orman shot him a fierce glare. "What do you know?! Shut your mouth!"

Kevio pouted but stayed silent. This loudmouth was nothing like his father’s other employees, who were always polite. Only Orman dared scold him and command him quiet.

Amidst the Liners’ murmured complaints, Gara responded innocently to Narin, "Narin, are you spreading false rumors about me?"

His words were blunt, conveying exactly what Narin had been thinking.

Of course, Narin denied it. "What do you mean, Gara? I’m not spreading rumors about you. I was just worried," she said, flashing her trademark green-tea smile.

"Worried? I never said I was overexerting myself or struggling. Do I look sick? Weak or low on stamina?"

With a faint smile that only Narin could see, Gara continued, "Are you even a healer?"

...