Chapter 11
Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as I woke up in the morning, yesterday's events sprang to mind.
(Come to the village chief's house backyard when the sun sets tomorrow. I'll come to greet you!)
Yesterday, Viola had looked absolutely floating with joy at the thought of having her first-ever guest at home.
But now, the problem was me.
"Ah, palm reading is such a hassle..."
Armonia was right.
But the real issue wasn't the palm reading—it was the women.
A woman would come, get her palm read, marvel at it, leave... then another would line up for the same thing, and this cycle would repeat endlessly.
Even the exact same lines would make them swoon...
But after a few days of that, it was annoying as hell.
I headed to the living room for breakfast.
Unlike yesterday, the village chief was there, grumbling.
"Eying..."
"Something wrong?"
"...The woman who handled the housework here quit suddenly for some urgent business. Damn it, she should've at least made breakfast before leaving..."
The village chief explained that the hired woman had grabbed her things and bolted first thing in the morning.
There'd been no sign of it yesterday, so this sudden departure was a real hassle.
I hadn't expected her to bail after just one day, either.
"Well, that's how it is, so we'll have to fend for ourselves with meals. ...Any objections?"
He was eyeing the Crystal Pearl, clearly with no intention of giving it back.
Not that I wanted the fake anyway...
'What an outrageously shameless old man.'
'No, hold on a sec.'
I called out to the old man as he turned to leave with his hands behind his back.
"Hey."
"Hm? What is it?"
"If it's okay, I can make breakfast for you."
"Eh? You?"
I said something along the lines of knowing how to cook since I lived alone.
"I'm not great with housework as an outsider... but I can handle cooking."
"Hm... Well, then, I'll leave it to you. Call me when it's ready."
"Yes, it won't take long."
The village chief headed up to the second floor.
Kiiik, tak.
Once I heard him enter his room, I spoke to Armonia.
"Armonia, how much Enel to make something like yesterday's meal?"
"Only 2 Enel for making food? That's wild."
Even crossing the desert had only cost 10 Enel.
That covered basic water, food, and summoning a tent.
"Courtesy?"
Armonia explained.
NTL Corporation had once donated so much Enel that it rivaled the Holy Order and Zodiac.
While it was obligatory back then, the massive contributions earned them minimal perks in return.
Like accepting Armonia on the brink of ruin...
And providing us tightrope-walkers with basics like food, clothing, and shelter almost for free.
...Or so Armonia theorized.
"Yeah, maybe they want to build back up like the old days."
Thanks to NTL Corporation scouring for talents, they'd mined a ton of Enel.
"Anyway, make the food in 20 minutes."
"It's just us two in the house now. If he gets uneasy about me and lets a militia member in, that'll be a headache... So, I'm showing him I'm a decent guy."
I summoned the food all at once and showed it to the village chief. He was thrilled, we ate together, and then headed out.
Dark night.
Nothing was visible around me.
Today, like the day before, I'd read palms for the women.
Then, at night, I pretended to sleep in the village chief's house, slipped out the window, and headed to the backyard.
"This should be the spot..."
Viola had said there'd be a ribbon-tied tree in the village chief's backyard.
"Ah, here it is."
A long ribbon wrapped around a massive tree, tied in a bow.
Suddenly, a person slid out from inside the tree.
"Ah! You came."
"Jeez, you scared me!"
"Surprised? Hehe."
I couldn't help but jump.
Lately, I'd been dreaming of the hero popping up out of nowhere, saying, "Hi, I'm the hero. Time to die," and slashing at me.
Viola grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside the tree.
The tree let me pass through like a 3D hologram.
When I'd first heard "secret passage," I'd imagined some underground mine tunnel.
But this was totally different.
Stepping inside the tree revealed a long corridor straight out of a lavish palace.
It was so brightly lit inside, I could've sworn it was broad daylight.
But right now, no corridor caught my eye.
Viola.
She was wearing a blue dress.
The off-shoulder top exposed her shoulders, with her collarbone elegantly leading up to her neck. Delicate white lace barely covered her chest, accentuating her graceful figure.
On the left breast, a large flower served as the centerpiece, with floral embroidery lining the entire dress.
It was the kind of outfit you'd only see in comics or movies.
As I stared blankly, Viola fidgeted shyly and spoke.
"Um... is it weird...?"
"No... you look stunning."
"Hehe, thank you... This way!"
Viola fluttered her dress as she grabbed my wrist and led me along.
She was clearly excited. Not sexually.
Everyone has that desire to show off everything to a new friend.
Viola was overjoyed like a kid at the chance to show her home to her first visitor.
We arrived at a magnificent underground palace.
It truly resembled the interior of a palace.
'What is this, some medieval bunker...'
'Maybe it was built before the village even existed?'
About 20 meters high, with rooms lining both sides. A palace in every sense.
In the center sat a large dining table with exactly two chairs.
Behind it was a platform, and beyond that, a spiral staircase stretching toward the ceiling.
"The left side has my rooms. And this is my bedroom."
Viola's bedroom door stood out from the rest.
The other doors felt luxurious, but this one exuded pure majesty.
Viola opened it casually and stepped in.
To an outsider, it'd look like barging into a king's chambers.
Inside, it was a full-on princess room.
'Mana or something?'
'Damn, it's not gonna impersonate an outsider and slaughter us, right?'
'...'
That seems even more impressive?
Viola showed me every room.
Bathroom, bath, kitchen—nothing lacked splendor.
The crown jewel was the dress room.
Dresses lined both walls the moment we entered.
Traditional outfits from every corner of the world to dazzling gowns—so many, if they weren't here, they weren't anywhere.
"This is the wardrobe..."
"Whoa~"
And the most eye-catching one...
"Wow, this is gorgeous."
"Th-that one..."
A wedding dress in a glass case.
Unlike the others, it was prominently displayed, stealing the show.
"This... my brother brought it for me to wear someday."
"Ah..."
Her expression soured instantly.
To lift her mood, I asked her to show me more.
The more I saw, the more it reminded me of a spaceship.
'Armonia.'
'This place looks better than our ship.'
Tech-wise, the ship dominated, but aesthetics were no contest.
'Don't downplay us that hard. The warp room, our offices, and corridors had tons of doors on both sides. What's in them?'
'Huh? Nothing?'
'Wait, then why are there doors?'
Emergency exits for hyperspace escapes? Exiting there would scatter my atoms...
According to Armonia, the ship once had full facilities, but tough times forced them to scrap everything.
Doors remained, but opening them revealed only dancing tteokbokki in the void.
I summed it up perfectly.
'Just a fish head, tail, and spine...'
No spines on the sides, either.
'Tough times.'
Armonia seemed a bit down, which tugged at me.
I needed to cheer her up.
'Ooh, so the exterior must look like a dick then.'
Real fan, huh...
No! Maybe she's laughing inside?
'Zi... ji?'
'Sorry...'
Damn, no...
The vibe she was giving off made forcing myself on her seem less trashy by comparison.
Ship... don't... touch... memo...
Viola finished the tour and brought me back to her room.
Viola and I sat on the bed, chatting.
"Viola, so what's the house in the village for?"
"Oh, that's for when my brother goes out. The stairs in the center lead up to it."
She pointed to the central structure.
A spiral staircase rose to the ceiling there.
"What about you?"
"He tells me not to go out unless I have to."
"So, what do you do here?"
"Just exist."
...Did I explain wrong?
"No, I mean, don't you usually do something? Read books, draw, make stuff..."
"Ah... He says if I do anything, it'll be bad, so he always tells me to stay still."
"..."
"Normally, I sleep, wake up, eat, sit quietly at the table, sleep again. When he's gone, I sneak out to eavesdrop on people. That's my favorite!"
Seeing Viola beam at me with genuine joy made rage boil inside me.
'Fucking psycho...'
Armonia nailed it.
She didn't have to do anything.
But she couldn't do anything.
No books here. Viola barely grasped the concept of tools.
She didn't even cook or do laundry here.
Villagers brought meals; she'd hand laundry outside, and it'd come back done.
Her life's joy: sneaking listens to passersby and interpreting alone.
And on a rare outing, she found me.
"Meeting you, Suho, is the happiest thing that's ever happened to me..."
"Viola..."
I pushed her onto the bed and kissed her. Lips only, savoring her warmth without parting.
But Viola opened first, tongue slipping in to explore and heighten the heat.
I pulled away deliberately.
Viola, lost in the kiss then cut off, looked up at me with teary eyes.
"Ah... Why..."
"Viola, I want to check something."
"What is it...?"
Her hands wrapped gently around my neck, begging for more with her eyes.
I stroked her flushed right cheek.
"Let's leave together."
"Huh? Mmph..."
I hadn't said it for an answer.
I kissed her again. Viola, unable to reply, dove back into my mouth.