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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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Before closing the window, I looked around.
No one was there. No one would have seen us entering.
Clank. Clatter!
I closed the window with magic so that no one could see inside even if they peeked, and drew the long curtains.
Shortly after, a red candle light flickered as the moonlight was blocked and the room darkened.
The dim crimson light drove away the darkness in the room.
I shifted my gaze to the three girls huddled on my wide bed.
“Wow, a spacious bed. And it’s as fluffy as a cloud! Do you always sleep here, Young Lord?”
Elena, who had been pressing the fluffy bed with both hands, asked.
Elena’s silver hair, reflected in the crimson candlelight, shone like the faintly burning moonlight.
“Isn’t that obvious?”
I said bluntly as I placed the candle on the table.
“This is my room.”
Elena looked around as if it was fascinating.
“I travel to various temples to train, but I’ve never seen a room as nice as this anywhere. They’re all simple and modest… Hehe, this is my first time doing something mischievous like this.”
“Is this really something to call mischievous?”
“Of course. The priests will be very worried if I don’t return…”
Elena, who had seemed excited until a moment ago, became gloomy and nodded.
In the novel’s setting, Elena is a character who is not directly mentioned.
Of course, she had never appeared in the novel’s development either.
Maybe she was set up, but how detailed would the setting be?
Probably the bare minimum?
The setting of being a good saintess candidate would be the maximum.
‘Is that why?’
That’s why the inner thoughts of that girl named Elena seemed surprisingly transparent and pure.
Like white snow, even whiter snow existed beneath when you turned the snow over.
A purity that no one had invaded.
That girl seemed to possess pure goodness.
“For now, sleep here tonight.”
“Tonight… you mean?”
“Yeah. When morning comes, go back. Then even if you get scolded a bit, it’ll be okay. It’s safer for you to be at the temple. I don’t know about her though.”
I looked at Elin.
Elin flinched when she noticed my gaze and turned her eyes elsewhere.
It seemed like she had no intention of talking to me.
That was good enough.
My purpose wasn’t to build a friendship with Elin.
My goal was to save Elena’s life and clear the route normally.
‘Rather, it’s better if she has no interest in me.’
I recalled Elin’s setting.
The saintess of Yuan, the evil god of poison.
Her body was made of poison, and her lips and saliva were literally poison itself.
If I were to kiss Elin or have any mucosal contact, the poison would accumulate in my body, and I would definitely lose a few years of my lifespan.
A long life was vital for me, who longed for lasting peace.
Losing 3 years of lifespan from a single kiss, damn, wasn’t it worse than smoking?
‘But there’s something that bothers me.’
I glanced sideways and called up the system.
While flying back to the mansion, a concerning notification popped up.
It was a message I had never seen before.
Empty space in the setting…?
What was that?
The identity of the Red Snake?
Could it be referring to what I had said earlier?
There are empty spaces in any setting.
This world seemed to automatically fill in the empty spaces in the setting and roll with it.
No matter how extensive the settings of a novel were, they couldn’t set up every single type of situation, could they?
This world naturally filled those empty spaces, and I understood it as the world’s fundamental law.
‘But can I fill in some of the empty spaces in the setting? Does 1/3 mean there are 3 empty spaces for the Red Snake?’
I felt momentarily perplexed by this new system that had never existed before.
Then, what I had just said might have made the Red Snake…
It meant that they might have really become a terrorist group against religion.
The words I had spoken to avoid that situation had become a reality.
In other words, Elena and Elin were indeed in a dangerous situation!
If used well, it could be helpful, but this could also be poison if you think about it the other way around.
And right now, it was poison.
‘What a blunder… How do I deal with this?’
At that moment, I was startled by Nias’ bright voice and quickly closed the system window.
“Are you all hungry? Let’s eat the lunchbox!”
Nias was placing the basket containing the lunchbox with the hypnotic drug on my bed.
“Wow. Everything looks really delicious!”
Elena exclaimed as she looked inside the lunchbox.
Elin also sniffed the aroma wafting from the lunchbox and went over, her eyes sparkling silently.
“It looks delicious…”
Perhaps they were starving, as saliva seemed to gather in the mouths of the two saintesses.
But they didn’t know.
The main ingredient of that food was…
A hypnotic drug!
“Please try it! I originally intended to give it to the Young Master… but the Young Master said he wouldn’t eat it.”
“Wait, wait a moment!”
I quickly ran to the bed.
Then I slapped away the bread that Elena and Elin were picking up one by one.
“Eek!”
“Ugh…?!”
The two of them looked up at me simultaneously as if asking what in the world I was doing.
Without hesitation, I picked up the lunchbox basket and threw it off the bed.
Swish, the flying basket collided with the floor and spilled its contents.
“Yo- you’re too much! Young Master! Earlier…”
“That’s right! Wasting precious food like that…!”
“Too much.”
Even the quiet Elin joined in condemning me.
Sorrowful tears were gathering in Nias’ eyes.
However, those kids eating Nias’ food?
It was no different from helping the beginning of Nias’ world domination plan.
The thought of two saintesses falling under hypnosis and becoming Nias’ subordinates was terrifying.
“Even if I don’t eat it, I can’t give it to others. Everything of Nias’ is mine. Even if I throw it away.”
I spoke bluntly.
*Ding!*
Nias stared blankly at the food falling on the floor, then looked up at me.
“Really…?”
She seemed a bit touched.
There were even slight tears welling up in her eyes.
On the other hand,
“You’re really mean-spirited! I thought you were a kinder person since you helped earlier…”
Elena spoke as if disappointed in me.
I rescued you before you became a slave under the Demon King’s hypnosis.
It was a bit unfair to be hated.
Moreover, Nias liked it too.
“I’ll clean it up…”
Meanwhile, Nias got up and started cleaning up the food.
I looked at Nias and nonchalantly threw out a remark.
“Clean it all up and go to the kitchen to bring some of the prepared food. Don’t touch anything. Bring it as it is.”
Nias nodded.
“I’ll do that. Young Master!”
Nias picked up the basket with the food she couldn’t serve and went outside.
“I feel sorry for Lady Nias.”
Elena spoke bluntly.
Did that girl really have nothing but kindness?
“Everyone has their own circumstances.”
I said as I approached Elena.
“Circumstances. Are you saying there’s a reason to torment someone?”
Elena refuted.
Of course, there is. Moreover, I’m preventing a massive conspiracy by tormenting Nias.
Would she believe me if I told her?
Of course, she wouldn’t, so I had no intention of telling her.
“Is that important? Tell me about your circumstances first.”
“My circumstances?”
Elena widened her eyes as if she didn’t know what I meant.
“Yeah. Why were you out there at that late hour?”
“…Ah, that’s…”
Elena seemed reluctant to speak, merely fiddling with the blanket’s hem with her fingers.
“Then what about you, Young Lord? For what reason were you secretly patrolling the village at night?”
Is this a give-and-take?
“You didn’t say it either, so I don’t need to tell you.”
At my words, Elena laughed softly.
“Fair enough.”
Fair, huh.
I scoffed.
While doing so, I glanced at Elin for a moment.
She had been persistently staring at Elena from the beginning.
Every time she looked at me briefly, I could feel a slight tingling of murderous intent detected by the danger detection skill. Still, it seemed like Elena was her main target.
‘I didn’t want to buy it because it was a waste, but…’
‘Store’
I purchased the Danger Detection Skill Level Up.
I had diligently saved my precious plot points for buying Resurrection since last time.
It was a waste to spend a large sum of 3000 points at once.
But I didn’t regret buying it.
Because the effect appeared immediately.
I could feel Elin’s murderous intent directed at Elena like an electric current flowing through my body.
A very persistent murderous intent was fluctuating.
It was a madness-like murderous intent, even more than when Nias tried to kill me.
‘She’s full of intention to kill.’
It was enough to make me break out in a cold sweat.
However, at least in the current situation where I was present, she couldn’t kill her.
It was good that I didn’t let them go alone under that moonlight.
Elena also seemed to have felt that intense gaze as she touched Elin’s.
“Don’t worry. It will be alright now.”
Elin flinched and tried to pull her hand away.
But Elena didn’t let go of that hand, instead wrapping it more warmly.
“I’ll do my best so that you won’t get hurt anymore.”
Smiling kindly, Elena even grabbed Elin’s remaining hand.
“…You don’t… need to care… that much.”
Elin greatly hunched her shoulders.
And she was forcibly pushing out her words.
“No! I will care! This is also fate. Hehe. It feels like I’ve met my destined partner.”
Elena smiled as if she was delighted.
Towards the person who was trying to kill her without knowing anything.
‘How ironic.’
I thought as I watched that sight.
About the fate those two girls had.
“I’m back.”
At that moment, Nias returned to the room with food in her hands.
Considering the time it took, it wasn’t enough time for her to do anything to the food.
Elin finally took her eyes off Elena and looked at the food.
Elena also seemed hungry as she began to eat the meat and bread Nias had brought.
“It’s delicious! The Duke has such delicious food…”
“Mmm… mmm.”
The two girls stuffed the food into their mouths, their minds preoccupied.
“I’m so glad! Ehehe…”
Nias rejoiced as if she had been complimented and clapped her hands slightly.
Seeing that harmonious sight, the murderous intent flowing in this space felt like a lie.
‘But it’s not.’
I glanced at Elin, who still had her gaze fixed on Elena.
After finishing the food, it was time to sleep.
“Nias, you’ll be next to me, and…”
I looked at Elena and Elin.
I couldn’t let them sleep on the floor.
But I couldn’t let them sleep side by side either.
It would be like giving a fish on a plate to a cat.
I placed Elin to my right and Elena to Nias’ left, with Nias and myself in the center.
If Elin tried to kill Elena, she would have to pass by me.
“…Why this arrangement? I want to sleep together with Lady Elin.”
Elena asked, puzzled, but I answered like this.
“In my room, I’m the king.”
“How childish!”
“If you think it’s childish, get off the bed. Sleep on the floor.”
“I don’t want that…”
Elena buried her face in the extra pillow Nias had taken out earlier as if she couldn’t give up the fluffiness.
I laughed softly, finding it absurd.
“Then don’t complain.”
Surprisingly, Elin did not object.
She was just obediently hugging her share of the bedding.
With this, the sleeping arrangement was settled for now.
Everyone fell asleep quickly when we lay on the bed, probably tired.
After that, it seemed like we would have a peaceful night’s sleep.
If there was one problem…
All three girls sleeping together on my bed had terrible sleeping habits.
I was wholly sandwiched between the three of them.
Nias hugged me tightly as if I were a pillow to sleep on. Elena flipped her body upside down and placed her feet on my stomach.
Elin was sleeping with her feet on my lower abdomen, getting along well with Elena.
With me at the center, their legs and bodies were entangled, turning into a mess.
“…No. What is this?”
I couldn’t sleep in the first place because I was watching Elin, but this was a bit too much.
“…I feel like I’m going to die.”
It’s hot…
Even though it was still cold in the evening, with three of them clinging to me, I felt like I would die from the heat.
Moreover, I was curious to know if it was because they were Demon Kings and Saintesses. After all, they exuded an intoxicatingly sweet scent as they slept, tickling my nose.
‘How do I deal with this? I can’t even shake them off.’
I wondered how to untangle this entanglement.
It would be nice if I could at least shake off one of them…
At that moment.
*Ding!*
Unfortunately, in this situation, the system window informed me of my condition.
Ah, damn it.
I felt the drowsiness rapidly creeping up on me.
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When I woke up.
I realized someone was looking down at me.
My eyes opened reflexively.
Silver eyes sparkled subtly in the darkness.
“…”
“…”
I gulped.
Elena? Elin?
I couldn’t tell which one was looking at me in the darkness.
As I held my breath in tension and prepared magic, at that moment…
“…Shh.”
She spoke in a whisper.
Huh?
“Ba- bathroom…”
She was sniffling.
I finally realized it was Elena and sat up.
As I slightly illuminated the surroundings with fire magic, I saw Elena fidgeting and twisting her body.
Her face was flushed red, and tears were welling up at the ends of her long eyelashes.
“Bathroom?”
Elena hesitated a few times before finally speaking in a small voice.
“I want to go to the bathroom, but I don’t know where it is. I usually wake up Lady Nias, but she won’t get up…”
I glanced at Nias.
Nias, who had been hugging me, slept soundly a short distance away, oblivious to the world.
There was no way Nias would wake up.
Once she falls asleep, she doesn’t wake up quickly, even if you shake her to death.
Nias probably didn’t wake up from just Elena calling her a bit.
“Hurry…”
Elena’s voice tugging at my sleeve was desperate.
I sighed.
“…Alright. I’ll guide you. Get up quickly.”
I got up, careful not to wake the two sleeping girls.
One worry was whether Elin would harm Nias, but…
Seeing Elena, who looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment and was tugging at my sleeve, I also became desperate.
I couldn’t let human dignity be shattered.
“Let’s hurry.”
I left the room with Elena.
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Immediately after, the door closed in the dark room.
Elin slowly raised her body and looked at the door where the two had left.
Then, she slowly got up and approached the door.
‘Kill.’
Elin heard that intense, tempting voice coming from her mind.
At the same time, the intense and dark emotion welling up in her heart was definitely something that had to be called murderous intent.
Elin looked at her own hand for a moment.
The hand that Elena had held tightly still seemed to have warmth remaining.
‘I’ll do my best so that you won’t get hurt anymore,’ Elena said with pure goodness and a smile as pure as white.
For a moment, Elin seemed to waver at that memory.
However,
‘Kill.’
Already, Elin’s hatred was not hers alone.
‘Yes.’
Elin clasped her hands together and raised her head.
Just as she had done in the pit where there was nothing but death and despair.
She offered a prayer for her only salvation.
‘God. I will follow your command. Give me happiness.’
Today, Elena must be killed. Without fail.
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What would happen if MC killed evil priestess I wonder?