The Nymphs and the Hero of the Demon King's Castle! # 2
The moment Oinoi stepped into the hotel room, she dropped to her knees and began rummaging under the bed and through the drawers.
Was she hunting for the mysterious coin known as the Whispering Coin of Patronage, as she always did?
"Oinoi, is there any coin around here?"
"So there is indeed a coin to be found…! But this Oinoi was not searching for coins — this Oinoi was searching for traces of nymphs, and that is what this Oinoi was doing…!"
"Traces of nymphs?"
"Where nymphs have lived or lingered, traces of nymphs are always left behind, and that is the way of it…! For nymphs are nature-friendly fairies…! The air itself comes to carry the breath of fairies…!"
I couldn't feel anything myself, but apparently nymphs shared some kind of special wavelength that let them sense one another's existence. If a nymph had stayed somewhere for long, or if another nymph happened to be nearby, some internal sensor would start ringing — or so it seemed.
"In this Oinoi's judgment, there is most certainly a nymph dwelling on this 'Paradise Island,' and that is most certainly the truth of it…! This Oinoi is already in high spirits at the thought of meeting another nymph sister…!"
Shh—.
Oinoi pulled out a large clear glass jar she had packed in her bag. Inside it lived the typhoon cloud she had been cherishing and raising with such tender devotion for days now.
━Ing-ing-yah-ing.
The typhoon cloud made a sound we could actually make sense of these days. I had no idea how it produced such a cry, but its body looked impossibly fluffy — like someone had stuffed cotton candy into a glass jar.
"This Oinoi is already tingling with excitement at the prospect of showing off this typhoon cloud to the nymph sister we are about to meet, and that is simply what it is…! This Oinoi wants to meet her right away…!"
Oinoi was a nymph who loved showing off one thing or another.
Soon Coris, who had been listening to the conversation beside her while poking around under the drawers and the bed, spoke up as well.
"This Coris doesn't really know what's what, but if there are plenty of nymph sisters around, then that alone is fun, and that is what it is…! It's a shame that we couldn't meet Tyrenol, the Nymph of Poison, and that is the regret of it…!"
I see how it is.
Anyway, judging by what the nymphs were saying, there was no doubt that a nymph really did live on this "Paradise Island." And at the same time, a flicker of worry crept into my heart.
According to Lee Jina and Yu Ari, this island's other name was Hell Island — because Ma Wangjun, the de facto master of the island, was a terrifying and cruel man.
A nymph, living on an island like that?
What if she was being exploited through nymph-phobic forced labor?
What if she was being made to brew miracle elixirs against her will, or something of the sort?
"We nymph sisters would like to investigate this island on our own, and that is what we wish to do…! We want to follow the nymph's aura and track down the nymph sister, and that is the plan…!"
Oinoi and Coris declared that they would act independently.
A sliver of worry did cross my mind, but Oinoi and Coris were hardly the kind of friends who could be pushed around easily, so after much agonizing, I decided to give them my blessing.
"There sure are a lot of unsavory-looking people around. Who could even relax and wander about in a place like this?"
Lee Jina looked around with a scrunched-up face. The people strolling along the beach were, as a rule, covered in tattoos — bold, aggressive patterns that practically shouted stay out of my way on purpose.
To Lee Jina, the atmosphere was fairly familiar territory. Yu Ari, on the other hand, found it utterly distasteful that Jina fit in so naturally.
"Jina, honestly? I don't like you standing next to Senior Ildo. Our Ildo is a person like clear, clean ditch water, you know."
In Yu Ari's estimation, Ha Ildo was pure and good-hearted. Which was why she believed he needed to be careful about who he kept close. A single loach can muddy an entire stream, after all.
"Jina, from what I can see, your past was quite the colorful one? Word is you even dated Ma Wangjun. And you yourself have ties to gangs, don't you? Frankly, I don't see you in a very flattering light."
"You're not exactly spotless yourself, Ari. I can't tell what kind of person you really are, but I can tell you've got a lot of walls up around your heart. Plenty of things you'd rather keep hidden, hm?"
Lee Jina was a psychic-type awakener who manipulated emotions.
Seen through her senses, Yu Ari's heart felt as though it had wrapped steel plates around itself like armor. Everyone wants to hide something from the world, of course — but to Jina, Ari's defenses looked less like those of an ordinary public health officer and more like the work of someone who'd been specifically trained.
"I'd say I'm better than someone who can't even be honest about what she does for a living. At least I can hold my head up about who I am right now. Nothing illegal, and I never did anything like that to begin with."
Jina believed she had kept herself within reasonable bounds, taking her own older sister, Lee Seona, as a cautionary tale.
But that remark made Yu Ari bristle a little.
"Look at her, dropping honorifics left and right. I'm older than you, you know? I've noticed this about you for a long time — why is your speech so short?"
"If you want to be treated like an unnie, just say so. Who knew you were so desperate to look older."
"Wh-what is she even saying…?!"
Yu Ari found Lee Jina's presence at this location thoroughly displeasing. This was supposed to have been a mission for her and Ha Ildo alone.
So many things had become tangled up in so many ways that Yu Ari could no longer easily control the situation.
That said, the operation itself was proceeding smoothly.
The fact that they had entered this island without a hitch already meant more than half the mission was accomplished. The plan was to stir up a commotion and tie Ma Wangjun to it.
The details of that commotion were freely ours to decide. All we had to do was raise hell on this "Paradise Island" the way a loach muddies ditch water into a murky bog.
And for that role, Ha Ildo was perfectly suited. He was, after all, the man who had recently been monopolizing public attention through his broadcasts and MeTube appearances.
I post at least one thread featuring Senior's name on the gallery's most-upvoted board every single day…! And I update Senior's entry on the Triwiki daily, too…!
Ari figured that roughly forty percent of Ha Ildo's fame could be credited to her. In other words, she was Ha Ildo's No. 1 sales agent and majority shareholder all in one.
And right now, that Ari's heart was coloring over like muddy water.
…Lee Jina, you displeasing girl! Senior should be with someone far more wonderful and accomplished…! You're only B-rank, and…
Shh—.
Yu Ari swept her gaze over Lee Jina from head to toe.
The bleached-yellow hair. The outfit baring her midriff. The short hot pants. None of it sat well with her at all.
She looks way too much like a street delinquent…! And they say she even ran away from home once…!
In Yu Ari's estimation, the woman suited to stand beside Ha Ildo was a sensible, devoted homemaker — one who would see him off at the door in the morning and have a warm meal waiting when he came home in the evening.
In other words, a woman exactly like Yu Ari herself.
Of course, I will never step forward in front of Senior. I won't reveal that I'm "SupportiveWifeKeongkeongi," either. I'm… happy just watching over Senior, that's all…!
What became, in the end, of the little mermaid who saved the prince's life?
The little mermaid turned to sea foam in the end.
And so Ari had resolved never to step out in front of Ha Ildo of her own accord.
But… what if Senior is so perceptive that he notices all the good deeds and quiet efforts I've made for him, falls head over heels for me, and confesses first? What am I supposed to do then…! Kyaa…!
And so Yu Ari went hehehe—, snickering to herself.
I led Ari and Jina down to the beach.
We laid out the sunbeds they'd be lounging on, set up a parasol, and prepared iced drinks as well.
Shh—.
Ari and Jina stretched languidly after settling onto the sunbeds.
"Hey, Ha Ildo. Rub my shoulders."
Jina said. Somehow, she didn't sound like someone who'd only bossed people around a time or two.
Shh—.
I reached my hands toward Lee Jina's shoulders, and her trapezius muscles turned out to be knotted up more than I expected.
"Hey! You want to die? Who told you to knead like that? Press down hard. Hard! Yeah, yeah, like that. Good, you're getting it. Now rub like that. Get the neck too. Rub it with affection, the way a husband kneads his wife's shoulders with love."
Mmm-nhaaah—.
Lee Jina let out a strange, melting sound.
If a snowman thawing in the warm spring air could make a sound, it would sound exactly like Lee Jina.
"Ha Ildo, you seem pretty well-versed in the female body, huh? Mmm… how do you hit it so perfectly…. Ooh, ohh-ohhh…!?"
Did I, now?
Well, I did have deep expertise in the human body. I'd memorized every pressure point for pinning someone down with ease, after all.
And back when I was stuck at D-rank for so long, I'd leaned on every folk remedy under the sun, studying qigong, meditation, yoga, even seated Zen practice — so I was fairly confident in my massage skills.
"Senior, please massage my legs too. I walked along the beach for so long that everything from my feet up to my thighs is exhausted to death. Hurry. Hurry-. This is an island where nobody's watching, so be sure to massage me with lots of affection!"
Flap-flap—.
Ari kicked her legs in the air.
So I massaged Ari's legs as well. Her calves were surprisingly firm and her thighs had not an ounce of excess on them — she may have retired from active duty, but it seemed she hadn't slacked off on her conditioning.
Only, Lee Jina frowned.
"Ari, I was the one who told Ha Ildo to rub my shoulders first. You're supposed to wait your turn until I'm done before asking, aren't you?"
"That's up to Senior's heart, isn't it? Or what — maybe Senior likes massaging my body more than yours? Hohohoht-. Your body just isn't much fun to knead, Jina."
"What? You want to do this right now?"
The women were growling at each other.
The atmosphere was genuinely vicious — like they were about to actually come to blows.
Of course, this was all an act, staged to draw people's attention.
They're both pretty good actresses.
"Hey, look over there."
"Isn't that the Dog-Squirrel Ha Ildo?"
"It really is."
"And he's got women with him, right? Two women at the same time—."
Sure enough, people's gazes snapped toward us in an instant.
Everyone recognized me on sight.
How long had it been since I last felt what it was like to be this famous?
Watching the crowd murmur, I realized the opportunity to cause trouble had finally arrived.
"What are you all looking at?! Never seen a man rest before? If you don't all clear out right now, I'll feed every last one of you a Gale Keong-keong Slash!"
I snarled like a genuinely rotten person.
Just like Ari and Jina, who had started bickering as planned, I was deliberately performing a scene of upheaval.
"The beach is in an uproar."
A man seated in the darkness stretched and rose from his seat. The men waiting on him bowed their heads and reported.
"Um… Boss, a group of awakeners are running wild out there…."
"They're skilled, so we haven't been able to subdue them easily, sir."
The men trembled visibly.
The 'Boss' they served was a genuinely vicious 21st-century gangster. The real deal among real deals.
"Is that so? Awakeners running wild, are they?"
Ma Wangjun, the cruel man, watched the commotion playing out on the CCTV monitor. A young man, along with a Dog-Squirrel, a Honey Ant, a Tiger Owl, and a Ghost Spider, was throwing a tantrum as though he meant to monopolize the entire beach.
"All of you, get out there."
Ma Wangjun kept watching the screen until his men had all vacated the room, then slowly turned his head.
Where his uneasy gaze landed, there was a curtained-off room. A very luxurious curtain it was, and thanks to the dazzling lighting, only the faintest shadow of what lay behind it showed through.
"Mhehehehehehe—."
Soon, someone behind that curtain let out a sinister laugh.
"Mheheh-. I can smell the loach muddying the water — the scent of a muddy bog, that is what it is…! No one can deceive this nymph Moralis's nose…! We must drive them off the island at once…!"
The strange manner of speaking remained as unchanged as ever.
But Moralis's instincts had always been sharp, and it was that very instinct that had lifted Ma Wangjun to his current position. On any ordinary day, he would have ordered his men to drive the troublemakers off the island, exactly as Moralis advised.
"The nymph's butler… Ha Ildo…. Could it be…."
Jingle—.
Ma Wangjun pulled a coin from his pocket.
It was one of the Whispering Coins that Moralis so often fished out from under beds and beneath sofas.
"He might just be hoarding a whole pile of coins."