I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 195: Favors & Authority

"But you can’t do that in front of her boyfriend!" Victor is almost yelling.

Jonathan clenches his jaw.

"I couldn’t stand it, Victor. Maeve is my apprentice. Mine!"

"Have you lost your damn mind, Jon? No one is disputing that. She is your apprentice and she still is!"

Victor shakes his head, fuming.

"You should thank all gods that she’s still willing to stay."

"Being a Teacher doesn’t mean you own her life! She has the right to live the way she wants!"

"But I raised her!" Jonathan yells.

Victor lets out a sharp, sarcastic laugh.

"So what? Raising her means you own her? Is that it?"

He shakes Jonathan hard.

"Jon, even biological parents don’t own their kids’ lives."

He exhales sharply, trying to rein himself in.

"Listen to me. She is still willing to be your Apprentice. She hasn’t abandoned you. She is still working to get us heartstones. And because of her, her team is still willing to make a deal with us. Everything is still according to plan. What more do you want?"

Jonathan doesn’t answer.

He isn’t even sure what he wants. He only knows that seeing Maeve walk away with Arthur hurt.

"I..." His voice falters.

He swallows.

"I don’t know what to say."

Victor releases him and sighs.

"Then tell me what you’re feeling. It doesn’t matter how ridiculous it sounds."

Jonathan looks away.

"I don’t know what I’m feeling. Just..."

He pauses, searching.

"I was..."

He tries again.

"I... it hurt when she left with him."

He can’t bring himself to say Arthur’s name.

Victor blinks.

Slowly, disbelief spreads across his face.

"Don’t tell me you’re in love with Maeve."

Jonathan’s breath hitches.

"Oh my God," Victor mutters, throwing his hands up.

"You are, aren’t you?"

"Jon! What the hell are you thinking? She’s young enough to be your daughter. You’re old enough to be her father. And you have been a father figure to her. You said it yourself. You raised her!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Victor takes a step back, voice lowering.

"I hope that’s not true. For your sake."

He meets Jonathan’s eyes.

"And if it is true, you don’t act on it. You understand?"

Jonathan looks down, saying nothing.

Silence stretches, heavy and uncomfortable.

"I don’t think I am," Jonathan finally whispers.

He lifts his head slightly.

"In love with her, I mean. I don’t think I am."

He exhales, shoulders sagging.

"I think... I’m just afraid of being left alone."

Victor blinks, watching his colleague.

He has never really thought about the Custodians’ feelings. Never wanted to. He always believed that part of their lives was private, irrelevant.

Only now does it sink in.

They are still human.

And even the most solitary person in the world still needs at least one other person.

To connect.

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Alicia Lutherford is a beautiful woman. She’s in her mid-thirties, but looks like she’s still in her mid-twenties. She has curly, fiery red hair and honey-hazel, almond-shaped eyes. Her eyebrows are perfectly shaped, framing her oval face.

Her skin is unblemished, though she has freckles she doesn’t like. She tries to hide them with makeup, but never quite succeeds.

She has a body to die for, and she’s very proud of it. She works hard to maintain it, exercising every day without fail.

Right now, she’s sweating like a pig in the Solarys DEU gym.

This is her daily workout time. No matter how busy she is, she always makes time to exercise for at least two hours a day.

She’s been tied up all morning and had to squeeze it in late.

Chirp. Chirp.

Her phone rings.

She picks it up and checks the screen.

"Hm. Rhaenas is here. Good."

She dials immediately.

"I’m coming. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Don’t let them leave."

------------------------------

"On behalf of the Solarys Dungeon Emergency Unit, we officially thank Rhaenas."

The three DEU officers bow to Rhaenas, causing them to scramble to their feet and return the bow before awkwardly sitting back down.

"As Captain Chambers has already said, this is a friendly information gathering," Lt. Kerr says.

"Could you please tell us what happened inside the dungeon, especially how the explosion crossed into the outside world?"

Arthur recounts the incident concisely.

The three officers nod when he finishes.

"As expected of the Aegis from Montrose Corporation," Lt. Kerr comments.

"Thanks to that, there were no casualties."

Captain Chambers’ phone vibrates.

"Excuse me," he says after glancing at the caller ID. "I have to take this."

"Chambers."

He listens.

"Yes, Chief."

He ends the call and turns back.

"My apologies for the interruption. That was our chief. Please continue."

Lt. Kerr proceeds, asking a few more clarifying questions. Rhaenas answers them without issue.

About ten minutes later, Julian speaks up.

"Is there enough data to determine why the explosion was able to cross the barrier?"

Captain Chambers shakes his head.

"Unfortunately, no."

"Would it be possible for you to give me the data?" Julian asks.

"I might be able to help identify the cause."

"Only if you install your hologram system for us."

The voice comes from the doorway.

Everyone turns.

Chief Alicia Lutherford stands at the entrance, already in uniform. Her curly hair is tied neatly back. She walks in with confident strides.

The three officers immediately stand.

Lt. Kerr pulls out a chair for her as Captain Chambers introduces her.

"This is the chief of the Solarys Dungeon Emergency Unit. Chief Alicia Lutherford."

"Chief, this is Rhaenas."

She moves down the line, shaking hands.

"Arthur Montrose."

"Liam Monfort."

"Julian Montrose."

"Claudia Monfort."

"Thea Montrose."

"Maeve Collins."

She meets each of them with sharp eyes and a polite smile.

"It’s an honor to meet you all. Please, take your seats."

She sits.

"I apologize for being late," she says, offering no explanation.

"Captain Chambers is more than capable of leading today’s interview," she continues,

"but I wanted to personally welcome Rhaenas to the dungeon clearing industry."

She gestures to Captain Chambers.

He produces an envelope and hands it to her.

Chief Lutherford opens it and removes five badges.

She hands them to Arthur.

"Congratulations. Rhaenas is now officially registered as a dungeon clearing team."

Arthur accepts the badges, confusion clear on his face. The others look equally surprised.

"I thought our submission wasn’t complete," he says, glancing at Claudia.

"It wasn’t," Claudia confirms.

"Captain Chambers helped me with the forms, but we still needed at least one recommendation letter."

"Yes," Captain Chambers says proudly,

"and I informed Chief Lutherford, who immediately contacted the Concordia Dungeon Council to expedite the process."

He grins.

"She even provided a handwritten recommendation letter herself."

Arthur turns back to Chief Lutherford.

"Thank you very much for your help, Chief. We truly appreciate it."

She smiles back.

"You’re welcome," she says smoothly.

"But I do expect something in return."

"Chief," Captain Chambers warns.

Arthur’s eyes cool instantly.

"What do you want?" His tone sharpens, cold and controlled.

Chief Lutherford’s smile widens, clearly pleased to have provoked that reaction.

"Free hologram battle system installation," she says lightly.

"And when we hire Rhaenas to clear a dungeon, you’ll prioritize us."