9 I went herb picking with a goddess and now there's goblins?

The next day.

It was night already.

I casually strolled through the mansion.

The ballroom was still being cleaned up, the party yesterday-- quite eventful.

Genny spotted me and beamed. "Lumiere, did you see the amazing gifts I got? I can't wait to show you!"

I couldn't help but smile at Genny's excitement, even though her constant chatter could be exhausting at times.

"Of course, I can't wait to see them." (Lumiere)

Just as Genevieve was about to start telling me all about her gifts, a young maid approached us. "Excuse me, Sir Lumiere, Lady Pasiphae has instructed me to inform you that she needs to see you immediately in her chambers."

I groaned internally at the thought of having to deal with Lady Pasiphae's endless list of requests, but I didn't have a choice in the matter.

"I'm sorry, Genny, duty calls. I'll see you later." (Lumiere)

Giving her a quick hug, I planned to head for said chambers.

Genny pouted and grabbed onto my arm.

"Must you go so soon, Lumi? Can't you stay just a little longer?" (Genevieve)

I tried to extricate myself from her grip, feeling a bit uncomfortable with how clingy she was being. "I'm sorry, Genny, but Lady Pasiphae's orders are urgent. I really have to go," I said, trying to gently pry her fingers off my arm.

"But we were having such a lovely chat! Can't you spare just a few more minutes?" she whined, still holding onto me tightly.

I sighed, feeling slightly irritated. "I wish I could, Genny, but I really can't. Lady Pasiphae's requests must be attended to immediately."

Genny's lower lip quivered, and she looked up at me with big, pleading eyes. "Please, Lumiere. Just a few more moments?"

I felt a pang of guilt for leaving her, but I knew that my duty to Lady Pasiphae came first. "I promise I'll make it up to you later, Genny. We can have a proper chat then," I said, trying to reason with her.

She finally released me, looking sad and dejected. "Alright, Lumi. Go then. But I'll be waiting for you," she said, giving me a small smile before turning and walking away.

I watched her go, feeling a little bit confused about the strong attachment she seemed to have towards me.

It was clear that Genny had very strong feelings towards me- but I couldn't help but wonder if they were entirely sisterly.

As I hurried to Lady Pasiphae's chambers, I felt a sense of dread creeping up on me. I had a feeling that her requests were going to be more complicated than usual, and I knew that I would be in for a long night.

- - - - - - - - -

When I arrived at Lady Pasiphae's chambers, I was immediately ushered in by her personal maid.

Lady Pasiphae was sitting at her vanity table, dressed in an elegant silk robe, with her hair elegantly styled.

"Ah, Lumiere, there you are," she said, turning to face me. "I have a task for you."

I braced myself for whatever Lady Pasiphae had in store for me. As the unwelcome illegitimate son, I was used to doing her bidding, no matter how dreadful it was.

"I need you to run an errand for me," she said, thrusting a piece of paper into my hand.

I sighed internally, knowing that her errands were always time-consuming and draining. "Of course, Lady Pasiphae. What can I assist you with?" I asked, trying to mask my irritation.

"It's a special night tonight, and I need this particular ingredient for my potion. It can only be found in the forest near the castle, and I need it before midnight," she said, her voice rising with urgency.

I knew that disobeying her requests wasn't an option, so I nodded obediently and set off, hoping to return before the night's end.

As I turned to leave, Lady Pasiphae called out to me, "Oh, and boy? Don't dawdle. The contents of that paper could mean the difference between life and death, so make haste."

Wasn't it just an ingredient?

I couldn't help but feel a sense of curiosity about the contents of the envelope. It seemed that things were becoming more and more complicated in the world of the royalty and nobility, and I wondered what kind of secrets were hidden behind the "ingredient."

- - - - - - - -

Outside.

As I walked to the deeper parts of the forest, I felt a slight tingle in my pocket. I knew it could only mean one thing; Serena was contacting me.

I quickly excused myself and went to a secluded corner of the forest.

Well it was all secluded but whatever.

I revealed my [Summoning Magic] and invoked my secret S+ rank summon. In a flash of light, Serena appeared before me, wearing her usual serene expression.

She still wore my bedsheets, I hadn't gotten her clothes yet.

It wasn't like I had female dresses lying around.

"Lumiere, darling, I've been waiting for you," she said, her voice soft yet commanding.

I couldn't help but feel a flutter in my chest, even after all this time. Serena was the goddess I had been engaged to within mere minutes of meeting her, all thanks to All-Father's scheming.

"Serena, it's good to see you," I replied, bowing slightly in respect.

As we walked through the forest together, I couldn't help but marvel at how comical our relationship could be at times. Here I was, sneaking around with a goddess while also helping Lady Pasiphae with her potions.

But despite the oddness of our situation, Serena did stay by my side, offering to give me advice and support whenever I needed it.

Would she be unhappy if she found out about Lucretia? I wasn't sure.

"So, um... Se-" (Lumiere)

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. I was under the impression you were engaged to that girl... Lucretia was it?" (Serena)

She knew, figures.

"N-No, not really. W-We only just met yesterday." (Lumiere)

"Oh, I see... you guys talked like you'd known each other for years." (Serena)

"Well... how do you feel about it? Me... talking to other girls." (Lumiere)

"Wait isn't it normal? Well, that's what the books in your room said at least." (Serena)

"(Hah, sometimes I forget marriage in this world is basically business. For someone like Lucretia, her father's a Viscount, so she'd need to marry someone of a higher class or just below... in other words, an Earl or a Baron. That reminds me... Brother Arthur didn't see his wife until he was seventeen.)" (Lumiere)

"Then... okay, I guess." (Lumiere)

"I wouldn't dream of being greedy with my lord, I can picture how elegant you'd look with sixteen wives." (Serena)

"(Sixteen wives?! That's too much!)" (Lumiere)

She genuinely said this with a straight face.

The thought of it caused my face to freeze as we walked through the forest.

Sometimes I wished my mind wasn't as mature as it was.

It almost made me hate being an integrator.

Did Serena like me? Or was she just doing All-Father's bidding?

- - - - - -

In the deeper parts of the forest.

Serena and I found the ingredient Lady Pasiphae wanted. It was called "magicubella," a herb I'd read on before.

We started picking them.

"How many of these will we need?" (Serena)

"As much as we can find, I guess." (Lumiere)

Just then.

We were surrounded by goblins in the deeper parts of the forest.

I knew I was in trouble the moment I stumbled upon those pesky goblins.

One minute I was happily picking some magicubella plants for Lady Pasiphae's potion, and the next I was knee-deep in a fight with five goblins. I cursed my luck - or lack thereof - even though Serena, my summon, was the goddess of fortune.

"Alright! We have to run Serena, now!" (Lumiere)

At that point I didn't even care about the herbs.

But then again...

Why should I run away from them, They were Rank F monsters.

[ Rank F monsters: Weak and easy to defeat]

Conversely, goblins were weak and cowardly creatures, often used as servants by stronger monsters.

"Why are we running?" (Serena)

"Oh nothing really, just that there are seven hungry goblins around us!" (Lumiere)

I was as sarcastic as humanly possible while I pointed at them.

The goblins snarled with saliva pooling out of their mouths as they waited for us to make the first move.

We were cornered.

"I can take them down with just the flick of a finger, but won't it be better if you fought them yourself? It's a good opportunity for you to level up your skills." (Serena)

She wore a nonchalant Iook on her face as she picked the herbs I'd dropped earlier.

In a sense, her words encouraged me.

I was far stronger than the average eight year old, so I could definitely win in a battle against eight measly goblins.

"Alright! Watch me Serena!" (Lumiere)

"I always am.." (Serena)

She smiled warmly.