Netori Harem: New life as a hunter and gatherer

There were seven ingredients required to brew a basic healing potion.

A potion capable of healing minor wounds, neutralizing weaker poisons, and restoring stamina.

Out of those seven ingredients, five were herbs commonly found around the village. It almost felt intentionally arranged so that he could gather most of the materials without wandering too far.

The remaining two, however, were considerably more troublesome.

Tusk powder extracted from a specific beast he had in mind.

And Grade 2 poison.

Finding poison itself wouldn’t be difficult. With his special eyes, distinguishing between poison grades had become fairly easy.

The real problem lay elsewhere.

Brewing the potion.

Every ingredient had to be ground into an extremely fine paste before being boiled together for an exact duration. Too little time and the medicinal properties wouldn’t fully release. Too much, and the mixture would destabilize entirely.

The ingredients also needed to blend together perfectly while thickening at the right pace.

In other words...

Gathering the materials was only half the challenge.

Actually creating the potion would be the difficult part.

"Will you be returning late?"

Monica asked the moment she approached him from inside the house.

After speaking with Ginna earlier, she had already learned that the two of them were heading toward the forest.

Luke nodded casually.

"We should be back by evening." Then he glanced at her and added, "Want me to bring you something?"

Monica gently shook her head.

"There’s nothing I need right now..."

She hesitated briefly before calling out again.

"Umm... Luke."

The slight redness spreading across her face immediately caught the green-haired man’s attention.

His brows lifted slightly.

"What happened?"

Monica looked visibly awkward before finally speaking.

"Laila... hasn’t left the room since this morning."

Luke frowned faintly.

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

Monica immediately shook her head.

"No, I’ll handle it somehow."

A soft sigh escaped her lips.

She already knew exactly what would happen if Luke entered that room.

He would probably drag Laila out without the slightest hesitation.

But unlike him, Monica could understand what Laila was feeling right now.

After everything that had happened, embarrassment alone was probably keeping the girl trapped inside that room.

Last night...they both had seen each other in such a compromising state. It all happened in heat and Monica doesn’t regret it.

However, it was becoming difficult for her daughter to face her.

Luke pulled Monica close suddenly, rested his hands on her waist before he whispered, "You didn’t like it...doing it with Laila? If not, I would refrain from involving her."

He didn’t want to make things difficult for his mate. Her feelings came first.

However, "It’s not like I am averse to it...but...let me talk about this with Laila first."

Luke sighed internally.

Why did Laila’s opinion even matter this much?

Then again, the way he viewed that woman was entirely different from Monica’s perspective.

After a moment, he simply nodded.

"Do whatever you want."

Leaning forward, he gently kissed Monica on the lips—

Only for Ginna to walk out at that exact moment and freeze upon seeing the two locked in such intimate closeness.

Luke noticed her immediately.

But he didn’t pull away right away either. If anything, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, hearing a sweet moan from his woman.

Ginna stood there completely flustered, unsure whether she should quietly leave or awkwardly remain in place.

Thankfully, the kiss didn’t last long.

Luke finally pulled back before casually turning toward her.

"Ready to go?"

Only then did Monica realize someone had witnessed everything.

Her face instantly turned crimson red as she glanced toward Ginna standing nearby.

Meanwhile, Ginna slowly nodded, still visibly embarrassed.

"Y-Yes... we can leave now."

Monica’s entire face remained flushed red, far too embarrassed to even form proper words.

Luke merely gave her a playful wink before leaving alongside Ginna.

Once the door closed behind them, Monica finally released a long breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

She knew it was only a matter of time before everyone found out about their relationship.

Still...

Knowing that didn’t make the embarrassment any easier to handle.

’Haah... I should go talk to Laila.’

She remained standing there for another minute, allowing her racing heart to settle before finally making her way toward Luke’s room.

Stopping outside the door, she knocked gently.

"Laila... it’s me. I’m coming in."

No response came from inside.

So Monica quietly opened the door and entered anyway.

Inside the room, Laila sat silently on the bed, facing the opposite direction.

Monica slowly approached before sitting down on the other side of the bed.

"Are you still thinking about it, dear?" she asked softly.

Laila visibly flinched.

That reaction alone gave Monica her answer.

With a quiet sigh, Monica turned her gaze toward the door ahead and spoke gently,

"If you’re going to keep acting like this... then I’ll start feeling guilty , Laila."

Laila groaned, "Why would you feel guilty? If anyone, I should have pretended to not hear anything and remained asleep."

Monica shook her head, "Then isn’t it our fault for being all over the place when you were sleeping just beside us?"

Laila turned toward her mother, "But I intruded on you by sleeping in this room."

Monica also turned, "Can we stop blaming ourselves now, dear. I just want to talk about it rather than calling it a mistake."

Laila turned silent, her shoulders falling. Then, in a quiet voice, she asked, "Why...are you so casual about it? Or am I overreacting?"

Monica shook her head, "I am...not casual about it either, Laila. Talking about this with my own child could never be easy. We shared the same man just last night...so yes, it’s difficult for me too."

"But..." Monica drew closer and held her daughter’s hand, "...this won’t be the first time he would need us both. He has taken us as his partners so it’s our duty to fulfill his needs."

Laila lowered her head...what she said was true. Since they both were in a relationship with Luke, there might be a high chance he would desire them both...sometimes on the same bed. He really seemed to be enjoying himself a lot last night too.

Monica squeezed her hand and said, "I won’t force you to just get comfortable about it however, we can try and forget about our relationship when we are occupying this bed...all naked." She hesitated to say that word before adding, "Forget I am your mother and the same goes for me. Let’s just focus on the man we both have chosen for ourselves, okay?"

Laila slowly nodded in understanding.

That’s right. Her focus should be on pleasing Luke. He has already been providing everything he promised.

She has been eating well. She doesn’t have to worry about rotation fees. And he even protected her, and this whole village from that giant monster as well.

So in return, she needed to fulfill whatever he needs when he returns home.

"I understand, mother. I won’t overreact anymore..." She lowered her gaze, her cheeks turning red, "Though...let me know in advance if you two are planning on going at it with me involved. I will prepare myself."

Monica giggled, "That’s the exciting part with Luke. He could demand our attention just any time. So always remain prepared."