Summoned and Unwanted

605 A vague riddle starts to spread

“I also want to express the deep gratitude we three have for proving a burial such as this to mere slaves like us. Your generosity has touched our hearts.” Rafa said while trying to express how much Vincent had done compared to any other ordinary horrible slave owner.

“~Horg~” “Than... thank you...” Holger and Mera said.

*Grumble* The sound of three bellies rumbling almost simultaneously as if it was a short tune caught the attention of Vincent.

So many things happened all at once that Vincent forgot Mera, Holger, and Rafa didn’t eat anything. They cleaned themselves, wore clean clothes, and helped to bury Shana’s parents. Yet, Vincent forgot to tell Sakura to offer them something good to eat.

“I know that look, Vincent. I gave them something small to eat to keep them satiated until dinner.” Said Sakura, knowing Vincent’s shocked expression like the back of her hand.

[Why did you look shocked for forgetting about their bad conditions?]

“...” Vincent remained silent and didn’t answer KAzumi nor respond to Sakura.

“Vincent. Maid Xu told me she would send Zefine with Eliara to order more beds. Maid Xu also sent Grace and Fliara to Fabio’s fabric shop to order a kind of special water-resistant fabric.” Sakura revealed a conflicted expression before continuing, “However...” *Cough* “Maid Xu said she will need to be paid for the expenses later.”

[Sigh. At least the food is free for now. But we will definitely need to find more ways to make money after the academy ends, or we will go broke.]

.....

Sakura went behind Mera. She grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and said, “Holger. Rafa. Follow me to the kitchen. I will give you guys something healthy to snack on before dinner.”

Sakura soon left, pushing Mera while Holger and Rafa followed her.

“I feel sad I haven’t gotten used to his place and lifestyle yet. I wanted to help too.” Mimi said while gazing at his bandaged wounds. She had the urge to take a light snack from Vincent, yet she had to resist. Vincent had lost enough blood for the day.

“Don’t worry, Mimi, but can I ask you a favor?” Vincent asked.

Mimi smiled and winked at him. “I am listening, hehe.” She teasingly said before a seductive giggle.

“Could you spread a rumor among the lizardfolk?”

“I can track the scent of lizardman blood and start spreading the rumor you wish. But what is it? I am intrigued.”

“Tell them the Shah Rak Tan has been discovered. At the den where the heart of the lion can be found, the greenest child ever born can be found. Do not give up your lives to acquire the greenest child as only one can exist.”

[And here I thought your mind was still clouded with guilt. Your way of putting the information in riddles has interested me in the art of riddles.]

“Huh? What kind of rumor is that? I don’t understand anything other than the lion’s heart part. It is this place, right?” Mimi questioned while scratching her head. She believed a vague riddle such as this made no sense to spread.

“I understand it is confusing, but that is my intention to those who do not know what Shah Rak Tan means.” Vincent moved his head and looked at the resting place of Shana’s parents. “They called me their Shah Rak Tan.”

“Shah Rak Tan? I have heard that name before, but I do not know what it means.” Mimi questioned, showing how tight-lipped the lizardman race was about the Shah Rak Tan subject.

“They believed in a prophecy that a person was fated to help birth a baby lizardman with mutated scales. Based on what I heard and understood, the lizardfolk keep trying to have children even if they die for the chance to find their fated one...”

“Doesn’t that mean the prophecy was real, and they spent decades searching for you to use your blood?” Mimi interrupted Vincent after the thought of her mutated blood allowance being used somewhere else frightened her.

[Haha. I bet Mimi is scared she will not be able to enjoy drinking your blood. Your agreement is only for the vampire race and not for the lizardman race.]

“Are you worried I will not have time to feed you my blood?” Vincent asked while holding himself for letting out a chuckle.

Mimi blushed slightly and nodded.

“Aren’t you my girl?” Vincent smiled warmly and continued, “I will not let you go hungry and thirsty.”

“I love you!” Mimi hugged Vincent and leaned her head. *Chu* her fang briefly bit Vincent’s neck. *Lick* “Thanks for the snack. No, I am energized to spread the vague rumor.”

Mimi released the hug and skipped backward. She winked at Vincent and shapeshifted into a bat. Mimi flew and made a heart pattern before flying away.

“I think I will become anemic soon. I hope Zero doesn’t want to drink my blood today.” Vincent contemplated if he had enough blood to share while touching his neck and feeling faint bite marks slowly healing from his Mutated Vitality trait.

Vincent sighed and decided to plan ahead. He went to the workshop and summoned the Pocket Cabin. He believed if there weren’t enough beds, someone could temporarily sleep on their bed in the mansion.

A while later, Kazumi heard the familiar sound of Blemish trying to attract her attention. She told Vincent the girls had arrived. He hurried to the entrance and saw Ester, Lupa, Iris, Lilith, Jun Ye Rim, and Plow with unhappy expressions.

“Did the twins tell you what they heard from Zefine, Grace, Eliara, and Fliara?” Vincent asked a question he knew the answer to, yet he wanted to be considerate of their feelings.

The five women and little fox thought everything was going to be fine. They arrived at the mansion after an eventful and enjoyable outing, but their good mood didn’t last for long. They found out the newly born baby’s parents had passed away and were respectfully buried in the garden.

“Yes... now I feel bad to have enjoyed myself.” Ester said while looking guilty for having fun while the two lizardmen were at death’s door.

“I had fun fighting, but now I feel sad. I know what it means to lose parents and be alone.” Lupa said while her tail stayed low.

“Fight?” Vincent questioned.

“Ahem.” Lilith cleared her throat. “I will explain what happened later.”

“W-we d-did nothing wrong.” Iris nervously stuttered, proving her conscious felt guilty.

“Plow was a good girl.” *Pho* Plow said while wagging her tails. She was the only one who felt confident about not being scolded because she didn’t do anything wrong.

*Sigh* “Okay, let’s do that. But first.” *Gulp* Vincent blushed, and his heart raced with anxiety. He looked at Ester, Lupa, Iris, and Lilith before continuing, “Then we will go to see your daughter.”

It took a moment for the Lionheart girls to realize what Vincent was trying to mean. Hearing the word ‘Mother’ took them by surprise, even after hearing how Vincent was going to take care of the baby.

“We have an adopted daughter now. I would like to see how cute she is.” Ester said with a pleased expression on her face. It didn’t appear Ester was disliking being called mother.

“My pup is green and scaly, but I will take care of her as if she is of my and my mate’s blood and have white fur. ” Lupa stated while glancing at Vincent’s body to comprehend his reaction to her statement. Afterward, she wagged her tail after believing Vincent liked her statement.

“I will also take care of Shana as if she was m-my c-c-child. ” Iris said while feeling so happy that she started to stutter at the end of the sentence. The idea of being called a mother after previously living a life of self-blame and pushing others away made Iris pleased to the sky.

“After living for ten years knowing I can’t be called a mother is now making my heart racing with excitement. Even though Shana is going to be our adopted daughter, I will take care of her like my sisters have agreed to do.” Lilith smiled a pleasant smile. She looked like the happiest woman out of the four wives in front of Vincent.

*Pho* “Plow will play with the baby.” Plow said before glancing at Lupa with a hidden faint smirk. “Plow will like the baby know foxes are the best.” *Pho?*

Lupa looked at Plow with a frown whole Plow cheekily poked out her tongue. Many things happened today, and it felt like a rollercoaster of emotions, yet the two still had time to compete with one another on who had the better animal race.

[These two really love to make us love wolves or foxes. Watching them and hearing them bicker like usual is making my mood feel better.]

Vincent agreed. He cleared his throat and said, “First of all, let’s head to Shana’s parents’ resting place. There I would like for Iris to plant the seed of a tree so that Shana can talk to her parents.”

*Cough* “Additionally, Shana has merged with many of my mutated blood. I had to make her my retainer to save her life. Thus, I can be called her maternal father.” Vincent waved his hands and continued, “But do not worry, I didn’t see her retainer mark shine. I think it is under her scales.”

Ester, Lupa, Iris, Lilith, Jun Ye Rim, and Plow stared blankly at Vincent. They couldn’t believe his words. Donating blood to a pregnant woman giving birth doesn’t make the blood donor as the baby’s parent.