The Truth Behind Lisa
It didn't take long to figure out why Lisa had entered the room.
"Please eat slowly. I'll get ready."
I hurriedly stopped her as she started to undress.
"Wait! Hold on!"
"Yes?"
Lisa's innocent expression was utterly pure. Could I really have sex with a girl like this? And with someone I wasn't even sure was truly human to begin with?
The door opened again, and another person entered, carrying a tray. Truth be told, the amount Lisa had brought wasn't enough. I was starving like mad, and ever since becoming a hunter, my appetite had only grown.
"Whew..."
Valentina sighed as she set her tray down on the floor.
"I really thought I was gonna die. Women's jealousy never gets any easier to handle."
Hearing her say that in my room made me think she might not be as shameless as I'd assumed.
"The best thing in situations like this is to play dumb, act like it's got nothing to do with you. You think I've only dealt with this once or twice?"
Her words made sense. She was a sorceress revered as a saintess in Brazil, and she must have had plenty of disciples. From what I'd gathered so far, it seemed unlikely she saw them merely as students. Even if I didn't know much about the world of women loving women, it was easy to imagine plenty of scenes like today's revolving around Valentina.
'And she just played it off every time?'
I got it, honestly. These days, whenever I sensed weird vibes among the women, I'd clam up too. What could I even do about it?
But there was a clear difference between her situation and mine. I'd been thrown into this mess without any choice in the matter, while Valentina clearly had agency. If she didn't want it, she could change her behavior anytime.
'But she's not the type.'
I recalled how she'd pushed me to my absolute limits just yesterday. It felt like ancient history now, almost like a dream, even though it hadn't been that long.
'Gotta be careful.'
I'd have to stay on guard around Valentina, especially at night when I slept. But no matter how careful I was, I couldn't stop her from sneaking in. What power did I have to block a world-class sorceress? In the end, it all depended on her restraining herself—and she was hardly the type.
My only reliable fallback was Kang A-jin. Even Valentina seemed to care about not earning her ire.
"So, what happened?"
My stomach was growling fiercely, but I wouldn't feel comfortable eating until Valentina left the room.
"Hmm, Lisa?"
"Yeah."
"I explained it to her. She wants to cooperate fully, so no worries."
"Cooperate, huh..."
Since I'd told Lisa not to undress, she was now lying demurely on the bed, hands neatly folded over her navel, staring at the ceiling. Seeing her like that only deepened my guilt. It felt impossible to sleep with her in my right mind.
"That's not what I mean."
I brought up the more pressing issue.
"How was Lisa even born?"
"Well, by gathering mana from nineteen people..."
"I already heard that part."
"Sigh..."
Valentina crossed her arms, her face twisting as if dredging up a painful, complicated memory.
Sensing the conversation turning serious, I asked,
"Is this something we can talk about with Lisa right here?"
"Yeah, she knows the whole story. Lisa was my disciple's little sister."
"What?"
I'd already suspected Lisa wasn't entirely artificial. No sorceress, no matter how skilled—not even a Frankenstein—could craft a perfect human form that breathed and had a heartbeat.
"There's an organization in South America that runs cruel experiments. Lisa was an experimental tool they used and discarded."
"Ah..."
"I infused her with mana from nineteen souls because that was the only way to save her. Gathering it wasn't easy."
"How the hell did you even collect that much mana?"
"Ever heard of soul sorcerers?"
"Soul sorcerers?"
Honestly, before meeting Kang A-jin, even the concept of a sorceress had been foreign to me. Everyone knew about hunters, but the idea of more specialized classes wasn't common knowledge.
"They mostly collect monster souls to perform necromancy. But the corrupt ones among them harvest human souls too."
Valentina's story was shocking to me. But since it was outside my expertise, I just listened quietly.
"Hunter souls are especially rare. They fetch a high price. It was tough for me to get them."
"Didn't you say one was your disciple's soul?"
"Mm..."
She grimaced, as if it pained her to recall.
"It was Lisa's sister's. She dug into what happened to her little sister and ended up losing her life. Her dying wish was to save her sibling."
"......"
"Truth is, I didn't have the skill to revive Lisa. Even for me, it was impossible. But in gathering souls and dealing with those soul sorcerers, I reached a new realm. They had connections in politics, and they wielded real power in Brazil. Taking them down wasn't easy."
"You took them all out?"
"If it'd just been about money, I'd have paid up. But they knew I was after souls and tried to leverage my reputation. Once you're tangled with them, things get messy forever. So I handled it."
It felt like there was a lot more to that curt explanation. The rare weariness on Valentina's face said as much.
"I see..."
I glanced at Lisa. She lay there straight-backed, eyes closed, oblivious to our talk. Clearly preparing her body for the deed with me. Thinking of her past life as a human with her own sense of self, and the ordeals she'd endured, left a bitter taste.
Reading my expression, Valentina said,
"Don't worry. Lisa barely has anything you'd call emotions now. I figured that was for the best—if she had them, it would've been unbearable. She just accepts facts as facts. And besides..."
She scratched her cheek.
"Because I stripped her emotions, I've always felt guilty toward her. Sure, they can get in the way sometimes, but so much happiness and joy only come with feelings. I felt that acutely yesterday, having sex with you."
"......"
Her mention of sex made my lower belly ache.
"That's when I realized—you could fix Sara. If you can cure someone like me, who never gave men a second glance her whole life? My darling, you can absolutely awaken rich emotions in her too."
As she spoke, Valentina slyly stroked my thigh. I pulled back and said,
"Isn't that a huge leap? My abilities don't cover anything like that."
"Darling, you're underselling yourself. Your power already overrode even mine. Rank doesn't matter. I've seen plenty of skills that make hunters grow. I'm certain the day you conquer the world is coming soon."
"I don't need to conquer the world or anything..."
"How to put it? Just like I had to tangle with those soul sorcerers, you'll get dragged into conflicts you can't avoid. It's like powerful forces demand it. Imagine your skill has a will of its own—wouldn't it push to grow itself? To expand the vessel holding it—you."
Her words carried profound weight. Looking back, every encounter with these women had happened beyond my control. Maybe that's why it only hooked up with the strongest ones? For the skill to evolve itself—and me along with it.
"Ah, I think you're getting it."
Valentina smiled, satisfied.
"Sex with Sara will be the catalyst for your growth. And it'll help her too. Everyone wins—what reason is there not to?"
Strictly speaking, not everyone would win. The tension at the dinner table today proved that.
'Or maybe not?'
If I grew even more—if I hit S-rank—I could sleep with any woman without limits. If sex with Sara paved the way, then as Valentina said, I should embrace it.
I looked at Sara lying on the bed again. She seemed different now—not an artificial being, but like a cute girl.