Chapter: 182
I had known for some time that her competitive spirit was bubbling under the surface.
When we first met, we ended up in a lip-smacking clash during an intense showdown in a carriage. Basically, she’s someone who thrives on competition.
It’s not like she lacks empathy either. I remember when Selvier transformed her heart-fluttering maid café experience into a horror show; I was right there, gasping in shock, trying to stop her.
Going a bit further back, even when I met Selvier in our hometown village, she was quite considerate. That kind heart of hers definitely existed.
Such hatred was enough to scorch that very essence of hers.
Competition and empathy.
If I keep these aspects in mind and press forward, I could quickly become friends with her. So, I began banging on Yuli’s house door with all my acting skills.
“Yuli! Help! Shampoo got in my eyes, and I can’t open them!”
Details are crucial in acting, so I actually washed my hair. It was true that the shampoo got in my eyes and I was struggling to see.
Yuli opened the door, her face all riled up, and shouted, “What the—!”
Young Yuli was quite the emotional one.
“How many times is this?! Just go out and die already…!!”
“When I lost to you in chess yesterday, you promised me a one-time free pass! I’m here to cash it in, so hurry and bring me a bucket of water…!!”
“I never said such a thing!”
“It was written small in the contract!”
“That’s a deceptive contract!”
Well, I should’ve read the contract carefully.
It wasn’t exactly a serious contract. It was more of a playful jab, saying, “You totally suck at chess,” and had countless clauses meant to mock me, like whoever loses becomes a dog.
If it were adult Pinkvalez, she’d have spun around three times and barked with zero shame, but Yuli, blushing with embarrassment, could only mutter “… woof.”
How cute.
So, Pinkvalez also had a taste for teasing? I felt that strange sentiment then. And still do.
Despite her hot-headedness, instead of just slamming the door, she said, “…Fine. I’ll fetch the water then!”
“If I go blind like this… I won’t be able to see your lovely face ever again…?”
“I’m getting the water now!”
Thud, thud. I could hear her hurried footsteps inside, muttering to herself, ‘Where’s the bucket, where’s the bucket…’
Having spent a few days as her next-door neighbor, I was friendly while also proving that I could control my sexual desires quite well.
And not in a way that would make me strip or anything.
Succubi can usually tell at a glance whether someone is aroused or not. Makes sense, right? It’s a necessary skill for choosing prey.
Yuli undoubtedly had that ability as well, making things easier for me.
Due to the Sexual Desire Control Magic, each time we met, she would see my calm, composed demeanor and slowly start to ease up around me.
I seized that opening and dove straight in, and this was the result.
Splash!
Cold water cascaded down my head like a waterfall. I wiped away the shampoo bubbles. Once I had poured all the water out, Yuli asked.
“Should I get another bucket?”
“Ah, I’m pretty rinsed off now. But it would be nice to have at least a bit more water.”
“Then do it yourself!”
Yuli tossed a wooden bucket at me. I staggered while catching it and followed her with a hop.
“Why act so uncaring? Do you have a towel at home?”
“Are you planning to steal it again?”
“I’m not stealing it; I said I’d wash it and return it nicely. Besides, I’m half-soaked. What if I catch a cold?”
“That’s your problem!”
Despite her words, she didn’t seem inclined to kick me out. The results from my tsundere translator indicated that her words implied I could use a towel.
I smiled warmly and made my way into Yuli’s house. Infiltrating at every opportunity had allowed me to grasp its general layout.
There should be dry towels around here. I remember seeing a stack near the bathroom.
Aha! I found one and shook it to get the excess water from my hair. While doing that, I heard Yuli calling from the kitchen.
“Put it gently in the laundry basket! And don’t even think of trying to steal again!”
This time, I had no intention of stealing. My reason for returning the towel was to ensure I had an excuse to visit her again, so I didn’t need two towels.
I leaned closer to put the used towel in the laundry basket and noticed it was more crowded than I thought.
Inside, there was a revealing, poorly-made, completely bland-looking piece of underwear. What a tragedy.
Unable to contain my disappointment from deep within my soul, I rushed to the kitchen holding the underwear.
Yuli seemed to be preparing to cook stew, wearing an apron. I confronted her while holding the offending item.
“What on earth are you doing wearing this kind of underwear?!”
“…Aah, what are you doing with that?!”
Yuli looked taken aback like she had just been hit on the head with a hammer, and then her face flushed passionately. She was attempting to mask her embarrassment with anger.
But I was angry too! How negligent could her fashion sense be?
“Fashion is only complete when you consider the unseen parts! What are you doing wearing such shabby things when you can afford to buy better?!”
“P-put that down! I swear I’ll kill you!”
“I could die from the embarrassment of seeing you waste such beauty before you kill me! Ugh! It hurts, it truly hurts!”
“Put it down! I demand you put it back on, now!”
Yuli unleashed a barrage of punches to silence my opinion forcefully. My weak avatar found it impossible to fight back.
I had no choice but to yield to her pressure and return the underwear.
“…Even considering functionality, that kind of fabric is junk. I can understand not wanting to dress up, but at least care about the quality! It makes such a difference in comfort!”
“Ugh, seriously—!!”
I was grumbling before getting slapped again.
===============================================================
It was Meal Time. Yuli set the hastily made stew in the center of the table, using a ladle to serve it into wooden bowls for us to eat.
I took a big spoonful, tasted it, and coldly assessed.
“Could’ve used about two and a half pinches more salt.”
“…Then you can make it yourself!”
“Alright, I’ll be the stew chef for breakfast tomorrow. Just leave it to me.”
“If it’s bad, you’ll have to pay for the ingredients!”
Fine by me.
This also gave me a reason to visit again tomorrow. So the unstoppable wheel of friendship was rolling now. I had managed to adequately appeal to my character, and even while Yuli grumbled, she seemed to be somewhat welcoming of my presence.
They say humans are social creatures.
In a life where pesky people constantly asked for things, having someone around to playfully talk and joke with can be quite positive.
As long as I gradually pile up time, restoring our original relationship won’t be a dream.
I could close the awkward distance and perhaps become friends once again. But…
That alone won’t be enough.
I hadn’t forgotten my purpose. I kept reminding myself that I was here to save Pinkvalez and needed to get clues leading to the ‘Underground Second Floor.’
This world, the first underground layer, was reconstructed from Pinkvalez’s mental barrier. It was nothing more than a tightly shut castle door, intending to block anyone trying to descend to the deeper underground level.
So, I speculated that ‘permission’ might be the critical point.
It must be that young Yuli, as the gatekeeper, needed to trust and acknowledge me to open the way to the ‘Underground Second Floor.’ That’s why I was building up intimacy.
I even found a clue that backed up this theory: the presence of the ‘Key’ that Yuli always wore around her neck. It hung from a string, dangling there.
A suspiciously informative object. And it had a synthetic feel to it. It was likely influenced by the Queen’s touch.
Once, when I asked her, “What’s that key for?”
“None of your business.”
Young Yuli had shown extreme defensive behavior. Her wariness toward me was twice as intense compared to our first meeting.
After gently probing for details, I learned that she felt an intense compulsion to protect this ‘Key.’ Memories of people attempting to steal or snatch the ‘Key’ were ingrained in her.
Even a friend who was close in the Elimination Team had tried to steal her ‘Key,’ leading to their eventual falling out.
That moment hit me hard. If I tried to probe deeper about the ‘Key,’ everything I’d built up in our relationship would likely collapse. So I’d been pretending to act indifferent.
I never heard her mention anything about that significant key necklace. While she was secretive about her past… there was certainly a difference between having slight clues and having none at all.
I checked my memory. Pinkvalez showed no signs of wearing a ‘necklace’ in terms of her actions, habits, or fashion.
Thus, this was likely an object deliberately created by the Queen.
The Queen must have consolidated the conditions for clearing the scenario into the clear symbol of the ‘Key’ instead of scattering clues throughout this world.
Hence, to descend to the ‘Underground Second Floor,’ I would need to acquire that ‘Key.’
This premise seemed incredibly valid.
While I was reflecting and secretly smiling as I observed Yuli, she noticed my gaze, looked up with a sullen expression, and snapped.
“…What are you staring at?”
“Watching you eat is really cute.”
Her face flushed bright red. Young Yuli’s defenses were incredibly weak, comparable to that of the Tower Master. She pointed her spoon at me like a knife, pretending to be angry while hiding her embarrassment.
“Are you really impotent?!”
“Want to see?”
As I pretended to pull down my pants, she quickly averted her head.
From the deep core of my being, I felt a sense of victory welling up. I had won. I was overwhelming Pinkvalez…!!
Until now, I had just been getting hit left and right, and now the tables had turned; it felt satisfying.
Well…
While best would be to gradually gain her trust and receive the ‘Key,’ I was also considering a more physical method if necessary.
After sufficiently easing the young Yuli’s wariness, I planned to strike at the decisive moment and snatch the ‘Key.’
In such a case… young Yuli would undoubtedly get hurt, but still, wouldn’t I have to do it? Because I needed to save her.
Should I call it stealth? I hid my darker intentions behind my smile and continued the mundane conversation.
“By the way, how’ve you been? I heard the Elimination Team’s work has been tangled up. Weren’t you tracking down some dark sorcerers?”
“…It’s been tough. We ambushed places the Defense Bureau tipped us off about, but all we found were small fry. We only got one piece of useful info. Do your job right, Defense Bureau.”
“Well, our folks must have been trying hard. Still, I’m glad to see some intelligence coming in; what is it?”
“It’s info about the hidden bases of the dark magic group, ‘Red Regeneration,’ and their collaborators.”
From what I heard, the ‘Red Regeneration’ group the Elimination Team was tracking at the end of 440 aimed to sacrifice people to obtain new, healthy bodies.
They would approach nobles, offering to fix their ugly faces or transform their frail bodies into muscular ones, luring them in with persuasive pitches to receive backing.
“It’s encrypted, so our seniors have been working day and night on it…, but once the analysis is complete, I think we’ll be able to achieve something.”
“Sounds like a bloodbath is brewing.”
“Good bloodbath.”
Yuli said sharply, expressing her disgust for the dark magic group. She looked like she’d tear anything in her sight apart.
As I rested my chin on my hand, suddenly, a jolt of electricity passed through my mind.
“…”
“…What’s wrong?”
“Ah, I just recalled something I almost forgot. I need to send a report to the royal family.”
“Are you out of your mind? Hurry up and send it!”
With that excuse to Yuli, I made my escape.
===============================================================
I had been feeling constant unease regarding the strangely quiet Queen.
She wasn’t throwing heavy attacks, but the barriers she sent my way were still there, continuing to fly.
Sometimes, the lighter blows would slip through my defenses, but as long as I could withstand them, I figured the Queen knew that too.
She could have picked another time, yet she seemed intent on this specific moment in 440, clearly with some ulterior motive. She likely aimed to use the incidents from this time against me.
In that sense, it appeared the matters concerning the dark magic group ‘Red Regeneration’ formed the main scenario.
I was suspecting that this scenario was meant to lead Yuli to despair, but…
“…This sneaky little brat made a tricky move, huh?”
After glancing at Yuli and returning, I ransacked this location, my home. I dug under carpets and pried at the attic boards.
Then, in a concealed space revealed by sliding a cabinet aside, I found a ritual tool used in dark magic with a bloody palm print on it.
I stared at the palm print with my own hand open. It matched identically.
This body, the avatar prepared for humiliating me by the Queen… belonged to the dark magic group ‘Red Regeneration.’ The one that Yuli was pursuing.
So, this is how we’re playing it?
Fine, then. I’ll entangle myself in this adversarial relationship with Yuli. In that case, I shall adopt the stance of a reformed villain. While I’ve harmed no one during my time here.
I’ll play it cool, stating that I wanted to fix my sickly body before, but seeing her made me regret it. Sorry about that. But since I haven’t committed a crime yet, just let me off this once. I’ll cooperate.
If I approach it in such a manner…
Wait a minute.
Hold on a second.
I mean… I did change my ugly appearance. Before coming here.
I altered the model of the avatar, but changing the world’s very setting would be a different story. Essentially, I transformed from a ‘pig orc’ into a handsome young man.
On the outside, it could appear as if I had desperately rubbed elbows with the ‘Red Regeneration,’ sacrificing others to get my appearance changed.
Did I get caught in my own scheme?!
“If I change the information now…!!”
Not a chance. The Queen was holding tight to that information, readying for her defense. It seems she intended to frame me as the villain. This little brat.
I inadvertently became the villain obsessed with keeping peace in the city…!
===============================================================
The Queen, watching all of this unfold from the ‘Nest,’ finally relaxed and smiled. To her, it looked like he was trapped with no way out.
While her human-like skills were enough to make her sweat, …
With the ‘Key’ needed to access the ‘Underground Second Floor,’ he was pinned against the ‘Red Regeneration’ setting while Yuli Lanster tightly guarded the Key.
Click, click, click.
His fate leaned towards being exposed. Because that’s just how the Queen planned it.
Oh, how the Wizard would feel the pressure! Struggling and thrashing about. Then, at the end of his rope, he would shout for Yuli Lanster, trying to snatch the Key from her.
That moment. When Yuli’s consciousness, filled with betrayal, recognizes the wizard as ‘the enemy’ through her mental barriers…
As this little world turns against him, the Queen would snarl, revealing her claws, hunting him down and tearing him apart to feast on his essence.
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