Noticing Nero approaching the white fence, Carlos stood by the door, welcoming him home.
"I saw how hectic it was at the temple in the evening and thought you would arrive much later. Hope you didn't burn yourself out," Carlos said, gesturing for him to get inside.
"It was more lively than usual, but I'm fine. Honestly, I'm just there as a helping hand on the side. Granny is at the helm doing it all, so it wouldn't be cool if I acted all washed out when the old lady was nonchalant. Wait, am I barging in at a bad time?"
"No, it's just that I took them all out in the field and got back half an hour ago. So if you are on an empty stomach, I'm sorry, dinner won't be on the table right now. But don't worry, Sharron's already whipping it through in the kitchen." Carlos said with an apologetic face.
"Oh, don't worry about it. If it means I get to spend more time with you guys, I'm more than happy. Besides, I brought something to keep us occupied until then," Nero said, showing the gift box in his hands.
Before Carlos could ask what it was, Jacob popped up from his room and beat him to it.
"Big bro, what is in the gift box?"
When both father and son duo looked curiously at him, eyeing the gift box, Nero smiled.
"It's a gift for Uncle Carlos."
"Ah, you didn't have to, Nero. I already said it, didn't I? You helping my little boy get a recommendation is more than anything I could ask for," Carlos said gratefully.
"This is different, Uncle Carlos. This is a farewell gift," he said, standing there in the hallway with a smile.
"Farewell? where-Wait, let's sit down first." Carlos motioned for him to join him at the table.
When Nero pulled a chair to sit, he noticed the empty clean glass on the table. Well, I caught up to him when he was about to start.
"So, where are you going?" Carlos asked, taking a seat across from him.
"Craft Woods. Granny asked Alvin and Rafaella to take me under their wing and help me expand my combat and potion-brewing skills."
"That's fantastic. Getting a Guardian and Apothecary to train you in their field will help you out a lot. How long will you be there?"
"Well, I'll be with them until I enter an academy. Maybe the entire year?" Nero answered unsurely.
"Oh, that's fine. It's only a day's travel to Craft Woods, and you can always visit Agroville with the Guardian when he comes for patrol," Carlos reassured him, trying to uplift his spirits.
Before Nero could reply, Jacob cut in their conversation peering over at the gift box, "Big bro, aren't you going to tell us what is in the box already?"
"This," He said, handing over the gift box to Carlos, "is something I brought from the tavern. I am sure Uncle Carlos would love it."
Jacob wasted no time and started playfully taunting his father with, 'Open it. ' Carlos had a vague notion of what was inside the box. Amid his little son's incessant rambling, he slowly unwrapped the gift box and took out the bottle.
"Ambrosia! Holy, I can't believe you got me something so expensive." Carlos said, his eyes admiring the sleek bottle with an elegant design in astonishment.
"You know the brand?"
"I had the fortune to come across it once in a prestigious gathering. This must have made a hole in your pockets." his words came out as a slight reprimand, but his pleased face told a different story. Then he casually put the bottle on the table without bothering to uncap it and asked Nero with a silly smile, "You know there is no reason for you to buy such an expensive gift for a simple dinner, right?"
"No, Uncle Carlos, this isn't just for a simple dinner. I want you to see it as a token of our future collaboration. I can't think of anyone more trustworthy than you to help me put my foot down the alchemist path." He said, steeping in as much sincerity as in his words.
"Hmm, my friend, with my networks I can get you the materials and set up you with clients. But if you want to carve out a space for yourself in the market as a newcomer, it will depend on your skills and your ability to deliver a steady supply of what you are promising. I'm more than happy to help you out if you get my boy a recommendation. However, it's important to understand that there is an enormous difference between what I can provide and the opportunities I can help you secure with backers if you show potential."
Nero mulled over his words while Carlos glanced at the exotic drink on the table and then at his little boy, who was eyeing the bottle with curiosity. "Why don't you play with the toy we bought today, Jacob? Big brother Nero and I need to discuss some work," Carlos suggested.
Jacob suspected he was being sent away so they could have drinks without him. Since he wasn't old enough to join them, he decided it would be more fun to play with his new toy than to be a bystander.
"See, I knew it was a good idea to buy him that toy," Carlos remarked, seeing Jacob leave the hall. He then focused his attention on the bottle and slowly uncapped it.
"Don't overthink it, Nero. I would recommend focusing your time on perfecting your first product and gaining admission to the academy. Just look at the recipes and tell me what ingredients and how much you need for practice." Carlos said, pouring the booze into the glass.
"Ahem, Uncle Carlos, you haven't given me those—" Nero reminded him, appearing puzzled.
"Oh, oops. My bad, I forgot about that when I saw the bottle. We also need a glass for you... what? You can't use your granny's name to weasel out like yesterday. I won't allow you to turn me into a selfish person who won't even share such an expensive drink with a future colleague," Carlos replied.
"Alright then, why don't you grab the potion recipes? I'll get a glass from the kitchen. No need to disturb Mrs. Sharron while she's working," Nero suggested.
Carlos nodded and headed into his room.
Seeing Carlos walk away, Nero slowly stood up from his seat and walked towards the kitchen in the opposite direction.
He paused at the doorway, watching Carlos's wife, deeply engrossed in her work with her back turned to him.
Her hair was twisted into a bun, held in place by a cute butterfly claw clip, and he could make out faint beads of sweat dotting her slender neck as she stirred the steamy pot on the stove.
Wearing an ocean blue floral wrap dress that hugged her curves, and a white apron tightened at her slim waist, she hummed a faint tune, creating a soft melody in the room.
When she swayed her hips matching the rhythm of her hum, her fine ass wiggled in the dress, provoking anyone who lay eyes on them.
He waited patiently as she removed the pot from the stove before tiptoeing to sneak up on her silently. Up close, Nero took a moment to appreciate the sight of her round and supple bottom filling tightly in her clothes before giving them a tight smack.
"Ouch," Startled, Sharron jerked forward with a soft gasp.
Before she had a chance to face her unexpected assailant, he abruptly seized the married woman by the waist, pressed his crotch against her ass, and teasingly rubbed his hardened bulge along her butt crack.
She squirmed in an attempt to free herself, unintentionally rubbing her soft ass against his crotch, arousing him even more. Nestling his face into the curve of her nape, Nero lightly traced his tongue along her slender neck and gently nibbled on it, coaxing a soft moan of pleasure from her.
Overwhelmed by his advances, Sharron felt her body grow hot and her knees weaken, but the thought of her husband and son on the other side of the wall forced her to summon every ounce of willpower and push him away.
"Are you insane? Carlos is right outside!" She exclaimed, struggling to catch her breath.
Despite the forceful shove, he chose not to react and seized the opportunity to admire her from the front.
Her face was mostly natural with minimal makeup, but her lips stood out with bold lipstick. A delicate blush adorned her soft cheeks, highlighting her slender nose and charming face. Cute earrings dangled from her ears, and her eyes were decorated with meticulously drawn eyeliner.
The golden chained wedding necklace, featuring her husband's name, usually tucked away from his eyes when they get dirty in bed, now graced her slender neck.
Though her knee-length wrap dress was conservative, it tightly clung to her curves and perfectly outlined her hourglass shape, just like from behind. Now with her quick, heavy breaths, the dress did a lot more service, showcasing her breasts, heaving up and down.
That was all he could take in before Sharron's angry voice shook him off.
"Nero!"
He looked up at her face, which was not amused by his actions. Her eyes were piercing deeply into his, asking for an explanation.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist when I knew today would be the last time I could hold you," he said, trying to inject a sense of melodrama.
"Last time? Speak more clearly so I can understand you," Sharron asked her face in confusion.
"Granny, she knows. She wants me to leave the village tomorrow first thing in the morning."
"What!? How, how did she find out? Would she do something now?" Sharron's voice trembled, losing her calm and panic setting into her face. Imagining the potential fallout if Granny Orias decided to make this an issue filled her with dread. Sharron felt her marriage was crumbling right in front of her eyes.
"Relax Sharron, while I'm not sure how she found out, there's nothing to be afraid of. She probably wants to keep everything under the rug and will keep me grounded in Crafts Wood until you guys move to the city. We'll be kept apart, ensuring we never see eye to eye again," Nero said to soothe her, sensing where her worries lay.
His words brought some calmness in her as he made sense.
If Granny wanted to make trouble, she would be knocking on her doors already. Since making things go public will be the equivalent of damaging her child's future, chances were high, she will resort to dealing with things cleanly without anyone knowing. Maybe I have to endure under her only until we move to the city. If Granny takes things far, I can always reverse the situation and threaten her to drag both sides into the mud by going public. With that thought, she felt some relief. The problem at hand didn't seem so big anymore.
But that thought didn't last long.
"Sharron," Nero clasped her hands gently and continued looking at her in the eyes. "Today is the last day we'll see each other. By morning we'll start living in different villages, and in a year, miles away from each other in a different city. It seems fate wants us to drift apart with the flow of time. Why don't we enjoy this night as our last moments to share love?"
His words almost made her heart leap out of her mouth, and she looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
"My husband is just outside. Imagine what he'll do to us if he finds out?" She quickly pulled her hands away from his grasp and warned him gravely, hoping it would bring some sense into him.
Nero, as if he had none of it, swiftly pulled something from his pockets and placed it in her hands. Before Sharron could see it, he cupped her hands and brought them to their eye level.
"This is the same sedative we usually use. Put this in the food and they both can't bother us till tomorrow morning."
Sharron didn't respond to him, but her silent glare into his eyes was an answer. She attempted to shake off his hands, but couldn't free herself from his strong grip.
Realizing he wasn't doing a good job at convincing her he changed his approach.
He loosened his grip on her hands and let his right hand slide down her arm. Reaching her thin waist, he pulled her close against his chest while his left hand gently cradled her face.
"I have arranged booze for Carlos as a smoke screen and when he wakes up in the morning, no one will know or suspect a thing. Sharron, my love, did the past few months mean nothing to you? Think about the time we've enjoyed together. This is our last chance before we go back to our boring life. Tonight, just for this night, can you indulge with me? I know I am asking a lot, but please?" Nero looked into her eyes and said in a mushy voice, pleading with her.
Noticing her eyes fluttering slightly, he realized his words were influencing her. To seal the deal, he determined to strike the iron while it was hot.
Nero gently traced his left thumb along her plump lower lip, watching it hang delicately, revealing the light pink interior and pearly white teeth. He didn't hold back and slowly leaned in closer. Tilting his head slightly to the right, he locked her rosy lower lip between his.
He became ecstatic when he realized she wasn't pushing him away with her hands on his chest. Encouraged by her lack of resistance, Nero's right hand came alive and slowly slithered down to grab her tender bottom. He kneaded her ass gently like a dough and pushed his hardened bulge onto her midriff, dry-humping her.
He felt her body tremble with every new move he made and sensed her defenses slowly melting away. He was about to add his tongue into the mix when a shout broke them apart.
"Nero, I got the recipes." Carlos' shout from the hall was like a bolt of lightning that struck them both.
Sharron immediately shoved him away from her and Nero started spewing curses nonstop in his mind.
He looked at her with longing, but she only glared at him and pointed to the door, silently demanding him to leave.
Bending down, he picked up the dropped packet of sedative from the floor and placed it in her hand. When she refused to take it, he forcefully pushed it into her hand and closed her fist with his own. He gave her a pleading look before trying to rush outside, as he didn't want to give Carlos even the slightest hint of suspicion.
However, Sharon yanked him back before he could take a second step.
When he looked at her questioningly, she grabbed the hem of her white apron and gently wiped his lips. Then she carefully ran her hands through his hair and straightened his shirt to ensure he was presentable.
Nero stood there like an obedient child, letting her do whatever she needed while his eyes feasted on the beautiful married woman's face.
Up close, the sheen of sweat on her forehead was more pronounced and her face had gained additional redness from their earlier tussle. She was just like a ripe strawberry, ready to eat. The more he looked at her the more he felt himself itching again to make a move.
Humph. Her voice broke off his musings. Sharron's eyes were still shooting daggers at him and pointing them down, she commanded him in a serious tone, "Fix that."
Following her line of sight, he looked down and noticed his bulge tenting against his pants.
Looking back at her, he gave a sheepish grin. Then pushing hands down in his pants, he adjusted his hard dick by pressing it against his stomach.
Not exactly much of a difference but a little less obvious.
Sharron facepalmed, wordlessly muttering 'pervert' under her breath.
"I'll manage it," Nero said, feeling embarrassed.
"Alright go. Don't make him come here," her expression showed that she didn't find his words reassuring.
"Sharron," realizing this was the best time to pressure her, he pleaded with her like a puppy.
"Sigh, let me think. Now go away, shoo shoo," Giving a deep sigh, she gently pushed him out of the kitchen.
He knew that going overboard with acting needy would backfire, so he gave up persuading her and walked towards Carlos.
Luckily for Nero, the poor husband was engrossed in the sheets of paper he gathered to notice anything suspicious about him.
"I tried to lend a hand to help, but she refused," Nero said as he took the seat.
"Hehe, I tried the same, but the clean freak didn't like my work and kicked me out saying I messed up her kitchen," raising his head from the sheets of paper Carlos whispered with a laugh.
"Nah, Mrs. Sharron would love my work, but she's uncomfortable with Uncle Carlos being here. She can't just expect me to work with her hubby in the house," Nero said with a sneaky grin.
Thinking that the young man was bragging about his housework skills, Carlos chose not to confront him and turn it into a competition. Instead, he responded with a smile, admitting it, and handed over the potion recipes.
Nero carefully glanced through the recipes and was surprised by their number and level of detail.
The papers contained two highly potent aphrodisiacs—one with no side effects but expensive to make, and another with long-term side effects but cheaper to produce. They were further divided based on ingredients and preparation methods. The papers outlined the steps of preparation, what to expect if anything went wrong, and how to improve from there.
As someone no stranger to potion brewing, Nero could sense the countless trials and experiments that had gone into perfecting the scribblings of steps described in the paper. Each perfected recipe like these was not only costly but also hard to get hands-on. People wouldn't willingly share their perfected recipes unless they were desperate for money, as it was equivalent to killing the golden goose. The only way for a budding potion brewer to get such recipes was to be lucky enough to come across opportunities to purchase them or be a relative or apprentice of an experienced brewer who is most likely raising you to help them in the family or organization.
"Uncle Carlos, aren't you giving too much to me?" Nero asked Carlos, who was slowly uncapping the bottle of booze.
His first guess was that Carlos was recruiting him for his secret smuggling organization and this was the bait.
"Haha, you have a poor eye for the prices. While I'm glad you recognize the price of the potion recipe in your hands, you still don't seem to know the price of a recommendation or… a fine drink," Carlos laughed and said as he slowly poured booze into Nero's glass.
"A recommendation isn't something even a noble can use or get willy-nilly, and I truly appreciate you securing one for me. As for the recipes, you're fortunate that a friend of mine who is a skilled potion brewer is currently in the trading caravan. When I mentioned your case, he was willing to help as long as you promised to repay his favor."
Wow, he is not even going to give me a name, huh? Do his backers have such deep pockets that they can freely give away a potion recipe to a nobody from a small town based on a promise?
Am I jumping into trouble? Should I back out?
Well, as long as no contract is involved, I can back out from any agreements made on mere words. If they ever pester me or force my hand, I can always fall back towards Granny for help.
Although Nero wasn't fond of people from the temple, he had to admit that they were a powerful deterrent against anyone with ill intentions towards one of their own. Having someone like Granny, who could pull strings for him, always gave Nero peace of mind. Hearing what she could do was something even a noble can't pull off easily, especially from Carlos's mouth, reassured him even more.
Let's hope he remembers that and won't bother pulling any stupid stuff on me.
Besides, maybe this is just their organization's way of operating. They throw in big benefits upfront to cement the image of a reliable organization with a deep foundation. Once the mule is hooked on the taste of carrots, they slowly introduce more demanding tasks and start using sticks.
Hmm, My role here is to eat every carrot thrown in my way while dodging all the work without ever facing the stick.
"Thank you, Uncle Carlos. I promise never to forget your and your friends' kindness. I hope I'll have a chance to repay the favor," Nero said as if he was grateful.
"No need for such formality between us, Nero. I know that helping you now will ultimately benefit me in the future. From now on, focus on improving your potion brewing skills and perfecting your first product. After that, leave all the boring parts to me," Carlos said warmly, handing Nero the glass filled with booze.
Nero accepted the glass and examined its contents, brimming with the elegant drink, before raising it, "Here's to a bright future!" he exclaimed.
"For a bright future!" Carlos mirrored his cheerful toast and the clinking sound of glass meeting glass resonated in the room.
"Damn, that is such a fine drink. It hits all the right spots," Carlos downed the entire drink in one go and bellowed with a burst of satisfied laughter. He didn't even wait a second and immediately started refilling his glass.
Meanwhile, Nero savored his drink in sips, observing Carlos with a sly smile.