Netori Harem: New life as a hunter and gatherer-Chapter 103: Help me

"What? When?" Monica panicked when she heard from Ginna that Gustav had brought Luke outside the house.

"Not long ago. Gustav looked a little tense." Ginna informed her as she stirred the soup in the pot.

Monica’s heart sank. Things had been shifting for two days now. Gustav had been asking questions, looking at them with suspicion. And now, he had finally decided to take it out on Luke.

"I will go look for them."

"You shouldn’t, Monica." Ginna suddenly stopped her. "I think it’s best for the two men to settle this between themselves."

Monica was taken aback. "But Gustav has been acting so strange these days. Who knows how things might escalate?"

"Don’t you trust Luke to handle it?" Ginna asked calmly. "I am not sure what the situation is between you three, but Luke seems like a mature young man to me. And Gustav is a family man. He would hesitate a hundred times before doing something that could harm Luke."

Monica fell silent. Ginna had struck every point cleanly. Both of them were calm-headed men, bound by a close relationship.

Yes, things had changed recently, but surely they would not end up fighting over her... would they?

"Ah, Luke." Monica called out in surprise as she heard her son enter the house, Gustav following behind him.

The two men looked unscathed, except for Luke’s chin, which was slightly reddened. "What happened to you?" she asked.

"Just a bee sting. Don’t worry about it." He brushed off her concern. Naturally, Luke had no intention of telling her what had happened between him and Gustav earlier.

Gustav hummed. "Yeah, quite a big bug it was. It almost had him."

Luke narrowed his gaze at the old man. Despite asking him to stay silent, he was the one hinting at it now.

Thankfully, Monica was too busy tending to him to notice the jab.

Soon, Ginna stepped out and asked, "Would you like to eat now or wait for the others?"

Gustav shook his head. "Nah, Luke needs to get to work. The others don’t. Serve us first."

Ginna smiled faintly at the fatherly warmth in his tone. Whatever had been brewing between them, it seemed they had managed to sort it out.

Not long after, Ginna brought the food and ushered Monica to eat with them. Usually, she and Ginna remained standing so they could serve others, but since it was just the two, Ginna wanted the family to eat together.

Monica did not resist for long and took a seat beside Luke, with Gustav across from them.

In a low whisper, she asked, "What exactly happened?"

Luke secretly held her hand under the table and told her, "Don’t worry. Everything is fine."

Monica studied his expression, his eyes warm and reassuring.

She let out a long breath and decided not to ask any further. If he said it was fine, she would believe him.

....

After finishing breakfast, Luke turned to his mother at the doorstep and said, "I will be out hunting a few monsters. Do you want me to bring something back home?"

Monica thought for a moment before replying, "Tender meat is about to run out, and so are the herbs. I have heard that there are many herb bushes within the perimeter. Can you bring me some?"

Luke nodded, then leaned down and pecked her lips. "Understood. See you later."

Monica stood there, her fingers brushing her lips as a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.

Then, with a small smile, she shook her head and stepped back inside.

.....

Luke made his way toward the barter hub, wanting to see if there were any quests waiting for him.

The system had made it clear that his body was not functioning properly. His Gamma Pod and the amount of Gamma he possessed were not compatible. So now, his focus was simple. Hunt more, grow stronger, accumulate more magical power.

There were still more than ten hours before he could use the dungeons. He was excited, undoubtedly, but more than that, he was hungry to grind.

He refused to let his incompetence become the reason for his downfall, especially now, when he had someone to protect.

"Umm, Luke."

A voice called from behind.

Luke hummed as he turned and found a violet-haired girl standing there, fidgeting slightly.

"Nadia? What happened?" This was the first time he had seen her outside the house.

Though, seeing her almost milky white skin, he understood why she avoided the sun. She looked delicate, almost fragile, yet quietly adorable in that black dress.

"Can we talk for a moment? But not here..." She glanced around. A few passersby kept stealing looks at her. Just like Luke, they were probably seeing Nadia outside for the first time.

Luke nodded slowly. "How about behind the well house?"

Nadia nodded and followed him in silence.

"How is Dart?" Luke asked after a brief pause, kicking aside a fallen branch from the old tree.

"He... is a little disheartened. But he went to work today." Her soft voice reached him.

Luke nodded in understanding. He could tell how deeply the reports must have affected him. The two of them were a loving couple, and they had always dreamed of completing their family with a child.

And now... things had taken a bitter turn.

Luke knew that if the problem had been with Nadia, she would not have hesitated to urge Dart to take another partner, simply because of how much Dart longed for a child of his own.

However...

They soon reached the well house. No one lingered there, especially not behind it.

Luke finally turned to her. "So? What’s the trouble?"

He had expected her to ask for financial help, perhaps so she could convince Dart to stop working and take care of himself.

But what she said next caught him completely off guard.

"Luke... please help me become a mother."

Luke stood there, stunned for a few seconds before letting out a confused, "Huh?"

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A/N:- Two straight short Chapters, I am ashamed of myself. Will try to make the next one longer.