Chapter 227: Why are you doing this to me? (2)

Emperor of the Night.

The one who reigns like the One True God among assassins.

'If he speaks, do it.'

That is the rule of the Iris Guild, and the rule of all assassins.

That very Isaac was right in front of her eyes.

Scarlet swallowed hard as she looked at Isaac, who had naturally taken a seat on the sofa.

It doesn't matter when or how he entered.

Because he can enter anywhere he wants.

Isaac was completely leaning back on the sofa with his body relaxed... but that didn't mean he showed any openings.

After a brief moment, Isaac spoke first.

"Is Alice doing well? I came straight here without stopping by, so I haven't seen her face."

"She should be resting at the mansion right now. Shall I contact her?"

Why on earth did he come?

For Isaac, a famously Doting Father, to visit her without even telling Alice, there must be a reason.

"No, no. It's not that. I came because I have something to ask. You know Lee Ho-yeon, right?"

"...Yes."

Scarlet barely hid her panic.

It was because an unimaginable name popped out of Isaac's mouth.

"I heard he signed a Massage Contract with Alice... Is that right?"

"That is correct."

"A 20-year-old man, and Alice's classmate?"

"Yes."

"Hmm..."

Isaac nodded his head slightly and let out a low groan.

"What do you think? Are you sure there isn't another intention besides the massage in the contract?"

'So he suspects that after all.'

In truth, if her own daughter was paying an exorbitant amount of money to get massages from a 20-year-old man with zero massage experience, Scarlet would have had a similar reaction.

Adding Lee Ho-yeon's looks and the rumors surrounding him on top of that, he must be truly anxious.

Of course, that's if it were her own business. Right now, it's someone else's.

Scarlet had to defend Lee Ho-yeon.

"Only the Young Lady would know the truth... but from what I've seen, she is not the type to do such things."

"Ah, yeah. That's right. You're right. Alice is smart... there's no way."

Isaac frowned again and began to ponder.

There was no way his beloved daughter would do that.

Then what was the reason?

Naturally, the only one at the end of his train of thought was Lee Ho-yeon.

"Scarlet. Do you think that guy is better than the advanced-rank masseuses I found?"

"..."

Scarlet couldn't say a word.

She didn't know much about the previous mana masseurs, but they were probably renowned worldwide.

Comparing Lee Ho-yeon to those people was absurd.

Besides, she tried to defend Lee Ho-yeon somehow, but that man's aura was too terrifying.

It felt like she would suffer a strange fate herself if she misspoke even a single word.

"That massage thing. Does it seem to have an effect?"

"Lady Alice says it has an effect. A tremendous effect, at that..."

"Really? Was there no other ulterior motive during the massage? Tell me your opinion, not Alice's words."

"...I'm not too sure about that."

"...Not too sure?"

Isaac, who had been conversing with Scarlet while staring into the empty air, slowly turned his head. Swish-

And he made eye contact with the tense Scarlet.

"You don't know? Scarlet?"

"...First of all, she said the massage had an effect, and also..."

"Scarlet."

"...Yes."

'It really won't work, huh.'

In fact, Scarlet had expected things to turn out this way the moment he told her to give her opinion instead of Alice's.

She tried to deceive him somehow, but as expected, he wasn't a man who would fall for such a thing.

The moment Isaac sought her out personally, she couldn't stop him from meeting Lee Ho-yeon.

"Are you lying to me right now?"

"...I am not."

Emperor of the Night.

He can discern lies.

Not just lies, but he can also detect any words spoken to him with malice.

It was truly an ability optimized for an information guild.

Knowing this, Scarlet beat around the bush as much as possible... but of course, it wouldn't work.

"Speak clearly. Did Lee Ho-yeon not have an ulterior motive?"

She thought about risking her life to lie, but doing so would only make him more suspicious.

It wouldn't work whether she said, "I don't know," or "No."

She could avoid lying by beating around the bush, but he wasn't a man who would fail to notice that much.

She didn't even have time to prepare a huge trick.

If her relationship with Lee Ho-yeon was discovered for nothing, it would be an even bigger problem.

In the end, Scarlet spoke while showing as much tension as possible.

As if she hadn't wished for this situation.

As if she hated seeing a good-natured cadet take damage.

"...I cannot say that there was no ulterior motive."

"Guide me. Right now."

"...Yes, sir."

Isaac stood up from his seat and walked out of the house.

Only then did Scarlet, her tension slightly eased, take a deep breath.

Phew-

It was a bad situation, but not the worst.

What would have happened if she had continued to stick around Lee Ho-yeon?

If she was caught being a double spy between the Iris Guild and Lee Ho-yeon...

Gulp.

Scarlet swallowed her saliva.

It was because she was amazed by Lee Ho-yeon's intuition.

She thought it was bullshit when he mentioned his beast's sense or whatever... but it seemed those destined to succeed really do.

*

Sunday afternoon.

I opened my notebook and slowly thought about my plans for next week.

"I have to play with Lucy and Rumi. Ah, come to think of it, Ms. A-yeong is returning too."

[Meet Baek A-yeong]

[Play with Lucy and Rumi]

I organized the things I had to do in my notebook as they came to mind.

- Sister. What is this?

- ...! Y-you shouldn't touch that.

- Eh, those are my broadcasting...

I could hear the girls talking among themselves over there, but for now, I looked at my notebook.

"Magic Expo with the professor... This is a confirmation. I don't have plans with Su-rin Nuna... and I'll probably do a massage with Alice at least once."

[Go to the Expo with Professor Im Sol.]

[Massage with Alice (?)]

[Meet with Su-rin Nuna (?)]

It would really be comfortable if I just had about 3 bodies.

Why are there so many things on my schedule.

"I need to meet with Ms. Rebecca too. There's a lot to learn about the rune barrier, after all."

[Learn the Rune Barrier from Rebecca (?)]

- Hey! Hand over my chocolate!

- Sister! Help me!

- ...Ms. Liriana. If you just give it to her...

"Haa."

I let out a sigh and stopped thinking.

It was because I couldn't concentrate at all.

When I got up from my seat and went to the kitchen, the source of the noise, the voices grew even louder.

"Should we eat Fried Chicken?"

"Liriana Unnie. Let's eat something other than Fried Chicken!"

"...I also think we've eaten a bit too much Fried Chicken."

"Gasp, then what about roasted chicken?"

That crazy succubus has gone crazy for Fried Chicken again.

I entered the kitchen and placed my hand on Liriana's shoulder.

"Hey, hey. Order what the kids want to eat."

"Tch. Got it."

"Liriana. And clean up your room a bit. Your broadcasting clothes are rolling around Under the Bed."

"Yep~ Understood!"

"...Hey."

"A-Ah, it hurts. Ang...! I get it, I get it!"

"How bad do you think that is for a kid's emotional education, huh?"

I pinched Liriana's cheek and continued my lecture a bit more.

"Sob, h-hngh..."

I left Liriana, who was sobbing while holding her cheek, alone and pondered.

'Should I really look for a big house?'

I have no space to concentrate, and the kitchen, bathroom, and dining table are all small.

This is all because the house is cramped, isn't it.

There are 4 people now, so we can't live in the dormitory forever.

There's the recent attack too... and it's not like I don't have money, so it would be nice to get a good house like Alice's and live there.

"I should head out while I'm thinking about it."

If I don't go now when I have free time, I'll definitely put it off again.

Because I have a lot of things to do next week.

I've put it off until now and ended up like this, so I need to move quickly.

"Hm? Where are you going?"

"The dormitory feels too small. I'm going to look at some houses."

"I'm coming too!"

"No. Stay home and rest."

Even if Liriana follows me, she won't be of any help and will only be loud.

Based on my experience so far, that's a certainty.

"Ah, why! Take me too!"

I ignored the whining Liriana and got ready to head out.

Liriana kept insisting on tagging along, but thankfully, she calmed down when Nam Da-eun and Nam Da-hee said they would eat Fried Chicken with her.

"Thanks, Da-eun."

"It's nothing. Have a safe trip."

While Liriana played with Da-hee, Nam Da-eun saw me off at the entrance.

She didn't have to, but she said she felt comfortable doing this, so I let her be.

"I'll be back."

"Yes. Have a safe trip."

"What was that?"

Why is she suddenly using formal language.

"...I just tried it out. To give it a proper send-off feel."

"Pfft."

I grabbed the waist of the slightly blushing Nam Da-eun and pulled her towards me.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Nam Da-eun]

- [ Favorability : 100 ] ( + 0.3)

- [ Libido : 80 ]

- [ Appetite : 35 ]

- [ Fatigue : 45 ]

Current Status : Are these kinds of jokes too unfunny after all...?

How cute.

She's just cute.

It was still awkward, but it was fun watching her change like this.

"Ugh..."

Nam Da-eun, enveloped in my arms, met my eyes.

"Should we do it tonight too?"

"...If you want to."

"Last night was really good. Right?"

"I don't know..."

Yesterday, because Liriana fell asleep, we couldn't do it together, so I just did it alone with Nam Da-eun.

I wonder if we can do it together today.

I planted a light kiss on the embarrassed Nam Da-eun's forehead and left the dormitory.

'This is quite luxurious.'

Even I don't understand my own actions.

To initiate a hug with a woman and kiss her forehead.

I'm living a life that the original me from my world wouldn't even be able to imagine.

I really wouldn't have any regrets even if I died at any moment.

Of course, that's just a saying, and I don't want to die.

I left the academy and entered the shopping district to find a nearby real estate agency.

"Wow~ The fruits are incredibly cheap today."

"They're in season right now. Buy a basket."

The voices of people I could hear around me.

Hearing the sounds of other people living their lives like this makes me feel like I am truly alive, too.

"Real estate agency... It's this way."

Naturally, there were several real estate agencies in the shopping district.

I wasn't just going to visit one anyway, so I decided to start with the closest one.

I followed the route shown by my smartwatch and entered a narrow alleyway.

And at that moment.

The surroundings fell silent.

"...Again?"

I further reinforced the Rune Barrier I had kept open for perception hindrance.

I tried to slip out of the alley like that, but as if blocked by something, I couldn't exit the alley.

'Strong.'

Would I be able to break through if I went all out?

I wasn't sure.

That's how strong this attacker was.

Feeling-wise, slightly weaker than Rebecca?

Thump, thump-

However, it wasn't something to be relieved about just because they were weaker than Rebecca.

Thump, thump-

My heart was racing. It was the omen of [Combat Sense].

'Why does this only happen to me.'

Do other promising prospects get attacked every day like me too? Huh?

Phew.

I took a deep breath and debated whether to wait for an attack or move forward.

'I'm going in.'

When Rebecca attacked.

If Rebecca hadn't revealed herself, I would have continued to be attacked.

And I also had something I could rely on.

This solid Rune Barrier.

It felt like it wouldn't be breached no matter what opponent came.

If I can't run away anyway, I should get closer.

I followed the very faint but perceptible magic power and went further into the alley.

*

"What, he's coming this way? He figured out my location...? They called him a genius mage, and they weren't wrong."

Isaac raised the corners of his mouth slightly as he watched Lee Ho-yeon approaching him.

His face looked as if he had seen an amusing toy.

"...Guild Master. The opponent is a cadet. As I thought, it would be better if you restrained yourself..."

"Surely you don't think I'll kill him? I'm just going to scare him a bit. People usually communicate better once you seize the initiative."

"..."

He sure talks a good game while actually exuding killing intent.

Scarlet was repenting for the situation turning out like this.

Because she thought it wouldn't have come to this if she had been a little more careful.

'...Or not?'

However, looking at the smiling Isaac, she soon changed her mind.

Even if she hadn't said anything, the result would have been the same.

Because there was no way that crazy Guild Master would just sit still.

He would have just bullied Sebastian more for no reason before eventually coming to find him anyway.

'Haa.'

Still, the fortunate thing was that it wasn't night.

It would have been truly dangerous if it were night, but there were no signs of the moon rising yet.

As Scarlet watched Isaac slowly drawing up his magic power, she thought that she must prevent the worst-case scenario at all costs, even if it meant throwing her own body in the way.