Side Story Chapter 55 – Leaf Kingdom… and the Escape…
I never expected to get backstabbed like this after coming to the side story.
The beastmen here were obviously construction workers.
There was an amusement facility, but it barely had the framework up.
The outdoor swimming pool’s scale was ridiculously huge.
And honestly, there was zero deception, making it genuinely freaking annoying.
It seemed like there was a reason for everything.
Especially looking at Caressy’s confident smile deepening.
And her claiming it was just comfortable clothing, not swimsuits.
Even the heroines just laughed silently.
Seeing the heroines swinging shovels as if it were the most natural thing in the world made it painfully clear.
“But why are you making Ayeon and me do this, you damn wives.”
“Work is meant to be shared, and good things are for us to enjoy alone, Shinwoo.”
“This is what they call ‘Family’ in Leaf Kingdom!”
Getting hit in the back of the head after so long was quite shocking.
Naturally, Ayeon was just as shocked as I was.
She started confronting Caressy, the source of this betrayal.
Not caring that the revealing swimsuit was getting dirty.
“This is really too much! I may look like this, but I’m a proper business owner!”
“What’s it to you? The law of the Beastman Kingdom is for me alone! Nyahahaha.”
“…You’ll regret this later…”
“Regret my ass, your name is Chungja from today. Get to work now!”
Of course, Caressy dismissed Ayeon’s protests by swinging her whip into the air.
I thought it was just Karu impersonating her.
But seeing this betrayal, it was definitely something else.
No, at this level, it surpassed being just a variation; it’s a whole new breed.
Well, if I think about it, it’s a natural result.
Karu didn’t just betray once but twice.
So it’s odd for Caressy not to backstab me.
But seriously, this damn Caressy really…
Meanwhile, the kids were just as disheartened by the scene.
Yeonwoo was sulking and kicking at the ground he hadn’t done anything wrong to.
Yumi was sitting down, shedding tears of disappointment.
The outdoor pool was completely out of the question, so they changed back into their original clothes.
But they were casting longing glances at the neatly folded swimsuits beside them.
The bigger the expectations, the larger their feelings of disappointment must have been.
“This is so unfair…”
“Where’s the outdoor swimming pool!!! Uwaaaah!”
Honestly, I thought the heroines were crossing the line this time.
I do joke around with Yumi and Yeonwoo every time.
But did they really have to fool us this much?
Furthermore, it’d be tough to reverse this through regression.
Of course, it’s true that I can regress.
But the one holding the reins is Piece.
If Piece doesn’t allow it, I can’t do it even if I want to.
But seeing regression not working right now,
That damn Piece must have blocked it.
While I was thinking such irritating thoughts, leaning against the wall for a moment of rest…
“Hello. Are you Kim Shinwoo?”
“…Who are you?”
A female fox beastman suddenly approached me.
With glasses and shabby clothes, she seemed like a researcher or a programmer.
Either way, she didn’t fit this bustling construction site.
Why was someone like her approaching me?
“Would you like to try this one?”
“What is it?”
My suspicion was gradually escalating.
Suddenly, the fox beastman poured a liquid from a thermos into a glass and handed it to me.
It was colorless and only faintly sweet-smelling, making it look suspicious.
I’m sorry to her, but I would politely decline drinking a liquid whose identity I didn’t know.
“It’s the special aphrodisiac that the Saintess requested.”
“F*ck, thank you.”
I quickly downed the fluid she called an aphrodisiac in one gulp.
Perhaps it was because I was sweating heavily and felt quite thirsty.
Or maybe being captivated by the word “aphrodisiac” made me do it unknowingly.
Contrary to my worries, it was exceptionally delicious.
The liquid was nearly tasteless and odorless, but its character was different in my mouth.
A rich and heavy sweetness made its presence strongly known on my tongue.
It was so good that only a small sip made me crave more.
I was at a point where I wanted to snatch the thermos and drink it all down.
“Oh, this is delicious. Just a bit more!”
“Wait, wait, you can’t drink that much at once!”
No matter how much she tried to stop me, I poured the entire thermos down my throat.
Anyway, wasn’t it special aphrodisiac made for me?
So, there shouldn’t be any problem if I drank it all.
Her fussing around seemed oddly exaggerated.
Thinking like that, I casually emptied the thermos.
“Dad… I’m bored…”
“Can’t we go to the outdoor swimming pool? Huh?”
At that moment, Yumi and Yeonwoo approached me.
Yeonwoo didn’t specifically voice it but was subtly sending hints.
Yumi, with tears welling up, was gripping my clothes tightly.
The heroines wouldn’t hear what they were saying, so they must have clung to me as a last resort.
Well, to be honest, I wanted to support the kids.
No matter how urgent the construction was, this time was different.
We all came to have fun, so it wouldn’t do to neglect that.
Honestly, saying this might make Caressy upset.
But I even thought that it might be okay if the construction got messed up.
In that moment, a small alarm went off on my mobile phone.
– Ding!
Carrie: [Shinwoonyang, if you work hard, I’ll raise your spending limit.]
That was a sneaky message from Caressy sent to me.
Had she already caught onto my thoughts?
It was short but extremely sharp.
Looking at that proposal, I subtly smiled at the kids.
“Hey kids.”
“Dad! We’re really going to the outdoor swimming pool, right?”
“Please…”
“If it’s too much, we don’t have to go, but can we at least play together? Huh?”
On the other hand, the kids probably took my smile as a sign of positivity.
Their whines grew stronger than before.
The depth of the hope in their eyes increased.
“How about we do something else instead of the outdoor pool for now?”
Of course, when the kids heard that, they lost all light in their eyes.
They weren’t just lacking emotion; they looked like corpses, devoid of feelings.
But this was an unavoidable compromise.
When squeezed, there are no rewards in sight.
So even though my body may be tired, wouldn’t my account get some credit?
Materially, I was living a very rich life.
But my account and finances were suffocating in poverty, drying up day by day.
[You should fill up your verification account better. The amount you keep withdrawing is always short, right?]
‘Don’t highlight weird terms, damn it…’
In the end, it would be best to wrap this up quickly and think about heading to the outdoor swimming pool or some other fun thing.
That doesn’t mean I have no intention of going out to have fun.
In the first place, there was no way I’d ignore what the kids wanted.
Just that finishing the current construction was the priority.
So that’s why I proposed the compromise of doing something else instead of the outdoor pool.
“This is ridiculous…”
“I don’t want to!!!!!!”
Of course, the kids couldn’t accept that compromise at all.
Yeonwoo and Yumi were seriously distraught.
Seeing their sad expressions made me reconsider.
I should retract my previous statement and let’s go have fun as soon as possible.
“It was just a joke, Yumi. We’re going to have fun-”
“Uwaaaaaah!!!!”
– Pababababang!!!
“Oh, f*ck.”
To be honest, I wished I had made that decision a bit quicker.
Yumi’s heightened emotions caused a grand explosion.
It was far beyond anything that had burst at home.
And of all places, the explosion happened right in the middle of the construction site.
The following results were tragic.
Various heavy machinery was pushed aside with great force.
The amusement facility that barely had any framework crumbled rapidly.
Among the workers, chaos spread even faster.
It was the start of a minor disaster.
Meanwhile, Yumi scattered tears and moved away from her position.
Yeonwoo quickly chased after Yumi, albeit a step behind.
Things were getting complicated in many ways.
“I hate all of you!!!!!!”
“Yumi, wait for me!”
Of course, I had no intention of blaming Yumi.
I should have prioritized the kids’ convenience as much as possible.
But rather than that, I was busy securing my own interests.
It was only natural for such a situation to arise.
And was there any reason to hold Yumi accountable?
Although she was a bit more mature than typical kids,
In truth, she was just a child who hadn’t even started elementary school.
It wouldn’t be strange for her to make mistakes at her age.
So this was entirely my fault, and I had to take responsibility.
“Shinwoo, what’s going on here!”
“Sorry… I accidentally made Yumi cry…”
“Ugh… damn it… let’s talk later.”
“I’m really sorry…”
“It’s fine. I wasn’t paying attention either.”
As a parent and an adult.
“I’m sorry, but can you all help clean this up for a bit?”
“Got it, Shinwoo.”
“Leave it to us, Husband!”
I handed the first site of collapse to Hyeji and Elcia.
The scale of the accident seemed quite severe.
So it was necessary to have powerful abilities to offset this.
Thus, Hyeji and Elcia were the most suitable personnel here.
Meanwhile, the other heroines were evacuating the workers.
Even without specific instructions, they were quick to judge the situation.
If things continued like this, it would wrap up without any human damage.
And all I had to do was one thing.
“My dear, where are you going!”
“I’m going to find the kids!”
Just finding the kids.
“Be careful! This place is really vast!”
“Sorry! I’ll be right back!”
I quickly headed in the direction the kids left.
I hadn’t used it for a while, but this time was an exception.
Pouring magical power throughout my body, I dashed out sharply.
“Sh-Shinwoo! It’s dangerous to run suddenly after drinking so much!”
Someone seemed to call my name, but I couldn’t afford to pay any attention.
Finding the kids as quickly as possible was more important than anything else.
For that, I was willing to sacrifice my own body.
Thinking that way, I wrapped my body with magical power even faster.
But suddenly, I fell face-first.
It wasn’t because I tripped.
Only an unbearable sharp pain struck me.
Because of that, I suddenly collapsed.
Despite running a fever, I oddly felt chills as well.
Then I felt a twisted, ominous sensation creeping behind me.
From hands, feet, legs, arms, head, and so on. Every part of my body.
“Ugh… ugh… cough…”
Now I couldn’t even breathe properly.
My consciousness was slipping, breaking off irregularly.
Why?
What part of me is causing the problem?
I was tired but not exhausted.
There shouldn’t have been any troubling factors.
So why was I dying like this?
With my current state of mind, I couldn’t comprehend.
Even if I was perfectly fine, it wouldn’t have been any different.
Then suddenly, one variable popped into my head.
Could it be the aphrodisiac I drank that’s the cause?
If so, what the hell was that? Not an aphrodisiac, but what then?
Is it really okay for a person to drink something like that?
Questions surged as my vision flickered.
[It seems it’s not an aphrodisiac but a pesticide. It’s fatal for you.]
‘Shut up… you damn b*tch…’
At that moment, my eyes closed, and the questions sank into darkness.
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