Chapter 224. Why Only Me (4)
"Ah, wait a second. I just had a revelation."
"That's good enough. Give me your child!"
Rebecca had been clinging to me ever since we left the training ground.
I wanted to squeeze more out of the Rune Barrier before having sex....
There was more potential in it I wanted to extract.
I was still hungry.
"Good genes. Handsome face. A perfect baby daddy. Our kids are blessed. I can't believe I found someone like you!"
Rebecca leaned in excitedly.
"We haven't even made them yet…."
"If we have twins right off the bat, they can play catch. And when we're old, I want to see our kids play soccer inside the Rune Barrier."
"…."
Is she seriously thinking about grandkids before we've even held hands?
It's honestly terrifying in person.
Ring ring ring ring—
Just when I was considering giving in once, my smartwatch started blaring.
"Huh?"
That sound came from the magic array I installed at the dorm.
The original magic stone was garbage, so I replaced it with a good one.
'It's never gone off before…?'
And this array isn't triggered by common thieves.
It only activates when unregistered S-rank or higher mana is detected.
"...I have to go."
I immediately moved.
There's no time to waste.
"What was that? A call?"
"Hold on, Rebecca. Something big's going on at my place. I need to check it."
"You're just trying to run away."
Rebecca pouted and grabbed me.
Her face said, "I even taught you magic, and now you're leaving?"
"No, seriously. This is a defense magic array. It only activates for S-rank or higher."
"...That bad?"
"Yeah. I need to go fast."
"Hmph… then I'm coming with you."
"Uh…."
Not bad, actually?
Liliana and Nam Daeun wouldn't care if another girl joined.
And if the enemy's too strong, she'd help….
Damn it. This isn't the time to be thinking like that.
"Alright. Let's go. Fast. As fast as we can."
"Okay. Let's move instantly."
*
"This is the place?"
The boys' dorm at Victoria Academy.
A demon wearing a skull mask hid in the shadow of a tree.
The target, Lee Hoyeon, was currently out.
He wanted to finish quickly and go cuddle with a woman, but oh well.
He'd already taken payment in advance.
He had to get the job done properly.
The best way to handle this quietly was to wait inside until Lee Hoyeon returned.
'So damn boring. Tch.'
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
He sensed something strange.
A delivery arrived in front of the target's dorm.
Since Lee Hoyeon lived alone, a delivery wasn't unusual.
But the problem was that the dorm door cracked open.
'He lives alone, right?'
The skull mask furrowed his brow and focused mana into his ears.
He heard young women's voices through the door.
- Oh, it's finally here. I ordered this. It's so delicious….
- Liliana, I told you not to open the door before Hoyeon comes back….
- It's fine, it's fine. I've done it plenty of times….
'Who are they?'
The skull mask stared harder at the door.
A moment later, a woman peeked out, glanced around, and took the package.
She wasn't listed in the intel.
Technically, he should halt the mission and re-collect information… but that brief glimpse awakened the demon's instincts.
"...Punk's got girls hanging around him already?"
Lucky bastard.
Some of us are sweating under the sun for hours.
'Wait a sec.'
Since they're here, they're also targets.
To assassinate Lee Hoyeon, they'll have to be eliminated too.
So wouldn't it be better to deal with them now?
They might get in the way.
All threats must be removed.
And most importantly—
'...If they're gonna die anyway, might as well taste them first.'
He'd get to satisfy his desire.
Decision made, the skull mask slipped into the dorm through the shadows.
*
Meanwhile, Liliana hummed as she opened the package.
Inside were snacks and frozen foods that looked genuinely tasty.
"Looks good, right? I told you."
"Yeah, it does. But Liliana, you…?"
Nam Daeun had been replying cheerfully but suddenly sensed something.
After repeated training, she had become more sensitive to her surroundings.
And now she sensed unfamiliar hostility near the window.
"…."
"Unni, unni. Look at this."
"Dahee."
Nam Daeun smiled and spoke to Nam Dahee, who was approaching with a chip in hand.
"Hm?"
"Shall we wash up before eating?"
"Out of nowhere?"
"Yeah. Gotta eat clean. I'll get ready. You go first."
"Hmm, okay!"
"Scrub properly, got it?"
"Okay okay!"
Once Nam Dahee entered the bathroom—
Nam Daeun picked up the sword in the living room.
A sword Lee Hoyeon prepared for her when he was discharged.
"...Liliana, you're not expecting anyone, right?"
Liliana, who had been excited about snacks, had already changed expression.
She scratched her head lazily and gathered her mana.
"This guy's got a lot of enemies. If we're gonna live with him, you'll have to understand."
"If it's Hoyeon, I can handle that much."
"Right? A guy like Lee Hoyeon needs enemies to balance it out."
The two girls smiled faintly and looked toward the window.
"Can't help it. Butterflies flock to flowers."
"Tch. I wanted snacks, though."
Just as Liliana clicked her tongue and set the box down, mana burst into the dorm.
Crack—Splinter—
Clang!
The window exploded from the torrent of mana, showering glass shards over Liliana and Nam Daeun.
"No!"
Shhhk—
"It's okay."
Nam Daeun slashed away the flying shards with a swift horizontal strike.
"If that breaks, it'll be cold!"
"Think Hoyeon'll fix it for us?"
Step, step—
A man in a skull mask walked in through the broken window.
"...Who are you?"
"Sorry, ladies. Someone wants your boyfriend dead."
The skull mask ogled their faces, unable to hide his excitement.
"Ah, I set up a barrier. Scream all you want—no one's coming~."
"Seriously, Hoyeon's the problem. Who pissed off this time?"
"Should've picked a better man. You wanna come with me instead? I'll spare whoever's best at sucking."
"...Trash mana. You're a demon."
"Heh, guess you figured it out."
The skull mask was relaxed.
Sure, they'd noticed he was a demon and even blocked his earlier attack. They had some skill.
But they were still no match for an S-rank demon like him.
The quiet one's mana was weak, and the one with the twitchy tail barely had any.
"Tch. Pretty. I wonder if your moans are just as pretty? Hope you last long. It's been a while since I had top-tier girls like this."
"Hmm…"
Nam Daeun quietly stared at him.
Looking for an opening.
"What? Don't like me? Then you'll have to die."
"My body's not mine to give…."
Swish—
"What are you—huh?"
Nam Daeun swung her sword in the air.
At that moment—
Thud—
The sound of something wet hitting the floor.
Looking down, the skull mask saw his torn shoulder and a severed left arm.
"...What?"
Space Slash.
A cut that traverses space.
A technique powered by Nam Daeun's Authority.
"I don't care if you insult me—but don't insult Hoyeon."
"Ghhheeaah?!"
The pain hit as soon as he noticed the missing arm, and he clutched the stump.
"Wow, you're really strong."
Clap, clap.
Liliana applauded, completely unfazed.
"Support, please. Keep the damage from leaking outside."
"Okay."
She could do at least that much.
She didn't want to get caught still living here.
"You fucking bitches… guh?!"
Liliana's dark mana coiled around his legs.
"Who you calling a bitch, you ugly bastard? Only Hoyeon gets to do dirty talk."
Because of the hell contract, Liliana's mana is kept slightly below Lee Hoyeon's.
But as Hoyeon grows stronger, so does her available mana.
That's why her power increases with his.
"Weird… Why am I so strong now?"
Seeing the demon flustered by her casual spell cheered her up.
"What the hell… sluts like you…"
The skull mask looked around, stunned.
An S-rank demon getting overwhelmed by just two women?
"Being called a slut like this… kinda nice, actually."
"In our business, that's a compliment~."
Shing—
"Let's end this quickly, Liliana."
Vmmm—
Nam Daeun prepared to slice space again, her sword charged with dark mana.
"We have to finish before Dahee comes out."