Although Yennefer had only spoken a single sentence, the amount of information revealed within it was already immense.
Before being reincarnated into this other world by fate, in reality, Asa had only played the original game; his knowledge of the characters' backgrounds relied entirely on the game's plot.
As for the novels, they were too long, so he hadn't read them.
However, Asa had taken a special interest in the pasts of certain characters and looked them up, such as Yennefer, Ciri, Triss, and...
A list of names is omitted here.
For example, in the backstory settings before Yennefer became a formal Sorceress, her childhood was extremely miserable.
Due to her innate magical talent, chaotic mana flows caused Yennefer to be born with a very ugly appearance: scoliosis, a natural hunchback, one clubfoot, and birthmarks covering most of her face.
Born into a noble family, her father and mother loathed their hideous daughter, which led to Yennefer's childhood being filled with extreme insecurity and sensitivity.
Right, at that time, Yennefer wasn't called Yennefer yet; her name was Yennefer.
When Yennefer was just sixteen, she was still wallowing in self-pity over her appearance.
It was then that the appearance of a Herbalist inspired Yennefer.
His warm words nourished Yennefer, who hadn't seen light for a long time, like catching a ray of light in the darkness.
In her emotional state, Yennefer wanted to give herself to the Herbalist.
When her father, the Count, found out about this, he flew into a rage and sold Yennefer to Tissaia, the Dean of the Sorceress Academy, for the price of four coins.
The story that followed was how Yennefer used magic to reshape her body, giving her a completely new appearance, and changed her name to Yennefer.
So, I am that Herbalist?
Asa deduced his identity from the information; he hadn't expected the system to assign him this role.
Doesn't that mean his starting favorability is already at max level?
Calculating it this way, after Yennefer changed her name and found him again, wasn't she here to repay his kindness?
Asa felt his guess was likely correct, so he spoke tentatively:
"Yennefer? I haven't seen her in a long time. Her father was practically subhuman. How is she doing now?"
Asa neither denied nor admitted it, simply exploiting a loophole.
It really was him.
But after more than a decade, was his appearance still the same as before?
A trace of complexity flashed in Yennefer's eyes. That young Herbalist had warmed Yennefer's entire bleak childhood with his confident smile.
After entering the magic academy, Yennefer quickly figured out that the cause of her innate ugliness was the magic within her body.
With a quarter-elf bloodline and an innate magical talent far beyond ordinary people, combined with efforts several times greater than others, she eventually became one of the top students of all time.
By using magic to completely reshape her body and fixing her innate mana channeling issues, Yennefer not only became a powerful Sorceress but also gained a brand-new appearance.
However, it seemed there was always a price for becoming a Sorceress: superior abilities and a long lifespan came at the cost of infertility.
One reason for her return to her hometown was an invitation from the King of Aedirn; the other reason was right before her eyes.
Her original plan was simply to give the Herbalist a sum of money so he could become a merchant or...
Yet, over a dozen years, unknown changes had occurred. The Kingdom of Visse, which her family served, had fallen, and the Herbalist's status had changed to that of a prisoner.
After saving Asa without much effort, Yennefer didn't know what to do with him.
Take him to her home?
What would their relationship be? Servant or lover? Or perhaps a plaything to avenge her childhood?
What surprised Yennefer even more was that after seeing Asa in person, the thoughts in her mind kept changing.
For some reason, despite being the same person, the man before her gave Yennefer a completely different feeling; he was even more captivating.
The Herbalist looked exactly as he did in his youth—handsome and dashing—but not to the point where one would be obsessed at first sight.
It shouldn't have been like this, but when the Sorceress looked at Asa, she could feel a profound attraction emanating from the black-haired man.
This attraction wasn't some kind of charm magic, but rather an instinctive impulse.
It was strange, and very mesmerizing...
Thoughts from fifteen years ago resurfaced. Originally, Yennefer hadn't wanted this. She was now a Sorceress; setting aside her magical abilities, she had lost her fertility and could not produce offspring, and their lifespans were unequal.
A Sorceress could easily live to two or three hundred years old, while for ordinary people, fifty was already a ripe old age.
Even if they truly united, the happy times would be brief. In the long life that remained, the other person would spend the rest of their days reminiscing about those happy moments, or even regretting the union in the first place.
Facing the naked Herbalist, the Sorceress once again felt that sensation from her youth.
Insecurity.
What? I'm actually feeling insecure?
The strong-willed Yennefer refused to harbor such emotions. She looked at Asa, the culprit before her, and finally decided to follow her heart.
"My dear," Yennefer continued,
"Do you still want to see her again?"
There was a faint hint of anticipation in her question.
"Yes, I do. Very much."
What else could Asa say?
The person herself was right in front of him; the roleplay would continue.
But why was he stark naked right now?
There were no hints at all; it was truly a headache.
Asa answer satisfied Yennefer.
Since that was the case, she planned to take Asa with her back to Vengerberg.
After the Nilfgaardian War, the territory that originally belonged to the Kingdom of Visse was annexed by the Kingdom of Aedirn, and Yennefer's paternal family had become prisoners.
Yennefer herself didn't want anything to do with them; her childhood had brought her nothing but trauma.
"Very well." Asa answer filled Yennefer with joy. She dismounted, extended a hand, and raised her mature, beautiful face to say, "Come down."
Asa obediently did as told.
"Beautiful lady, may I know your name?" Asa knew this was Yennefer, but he couldn't let on that he knew.
"Lady?" A faint smile played on Yennefer's gorgeous face. "Keep using that title."
So what is my status now?
An exclusive manservant?
The kind that takes care of daily life—personal, intimate care?
No, more intimate than that.
Asa quickly dismissed that judgment because Yennefer pulled him onto the black horse. He sat in front while Yennefer sat behind, her arms wrapped around his waist to hold the reins.
So I've become a kept man?
Instead of feeling insulted, Asa was actually quite excited. Being a "toy boy" was something he had never experienced before.
I've heard you just have to lie back and relax, and the other person does all the work. Is that true?