How to Steal the Hero's Woman - 310: Yggdrasil (3-19)
I was still drifting in dreamland, struggling, until Han Bom woke up first and shook me awake.
"Mister, it's about time to get up."
"Ah..."
After waking up like that, I stepped outside and saw Han Yeoreum lying in a distant corner.
At least she's got some sense now. I figured she'd just ignore everything and sleep here.
[She's not sleeping now either.]
Huh? For real.
Even with her hands and feet bound, Han Yeoreum was wriggling around.
At first, I thought she was just twitching in her sleep, but it was actually her reacting to the sounds of people moving nearby.
Even though she had a blindfold on, she must have sensed the noise because she started glaring in my direction.
After that, Yang Ji-hyeon came out of her tent and began packing up.
She seemed to have pieced together what happened last night from the noises. She glanced at my face for a moment, then blushed and stammered incoherently.
"L-let's eat first and then get moving."
"Sure."
A woman like Yang Ji-hyeon wouldn't have slept through all that racket without noticing.
After replying to her, I removed the blindfold covering Han Yeoreum's eyes.
And sure enough...
"Hngh...!"
"I don't like that look in your eyes... Don't wanna eat?"
Didn't she know that glaring like that at the person about to feed her would kill any pity I might have left?
But I couldn't just act purely on my whims either.
If this idiot broke down too much, it would reflect badly on my image.
No matter that all the women here were under subordination, if I went too far, they'd inevitably feel uncomfortable.
Anything but making them feel sorry for Han Yeoreum.
As soon as I untied her hands and feet completely, Han Yeoreum staggered to her feet and removed the gag from her own mouth.
Honestly, I was looking forward to it.
I wonder what she'd say...
But her reaction was the opposite of what I'd expected.
"..."
Her pupils weren't focusing properly as she glared at me, then she shuffled off to a corner by herself and started eating.
Aw, boring.
[Still, you need to be careful. With the atmosphere shifting so suddenly, we can't predict what she might do.]
Armonia was right—calling it boring didn't mean I could let my guard down.
It would just make things annoying if she deviated from my plans...
As I watched Han Yeoreum disappointingly, Han Bom approached and spoke to me.
"Mister, eat up."
"Sure."
"..."
Han Bom, who had been smiling sweetly while offering me food, made a sulky face after my reply and fell silent.
Wondering what was up, I asked.
"What's wrong? Did I do something bad?"
"...No. It's just... you don't need to keep using formal speech."
Now I got it.
Taking last night as a turning point, Han Bom's body had returned to normal, and it seemed like memories from before the regression were resurfacing.
Back then, we'd talked casually, like we had no walls between us.
It was ironic.
We hadn't had sex, but what do you call a relationship where we slept together with her top off and me teasing her nipples?
Even though we'd spent nearly a month together during the regression loop, we'd had to act like we barely knew each other, stealing glances.
I didn't mind that sort of thing much, but it looked like Han Bom did.
I patted her shoulder and said,
"Once things settle down a bit more, we can get closer then."
"..."
"Rushing to get too close might cause problems."
"...Yeah."
Han Bom replied to my words but wore a dissatisfied expression, clearly uncomfortable.
But what could she do about it? As she thought about having to face Min Hayeon again soon, worry clouded her face once more.
We finished our meal like that and resumed exploring the dungeon.
Fortunately, though her worries weren't gone, her pain had eased, and Han Bom followed with much lighter steps.
Yang Ji-hyeon blushed while stealing glances at me and Han Bom, but I ignored it and silently checked the rear as we went.
But the one who'd changed the most was Han Yeoreum.
"..."
She'd already looked haggard since entering the dungeon, but today she was like a walking corpse, head bowed and shuffling along.
More than that, her restraints were different too.
Yesterday I tied her too tight, so today I only bound her wrists loosely, but she's still like that.
I'd kept her outside all night to wear her down, but worried she might break, so today I only loosely tied her wrists before moving.
Even so, Han Yeoreum's face looked like a slave who'd spent years on a slave ship.
Seeing her broken state filled me with satisfaction, but also worry.
This time, how would I get Han Bom to take the drug?
Thinking she'd just trash everything again with her "it resets anyway" mindset filled me with disgust.
We walked for a while like that before regrouping with Min Hayeon's party.
"..."
Min Hayeon glanced worriedly at Han Bom for a moment, then, noticing my gaze, whipped her head away to stare into the cave depths.
Once everyone gathered, we held another meeting.
The conclusion was simple.
"Let's eat and head out right after."
Yang Ji-hyeon already knew that going forward would teleport us to a village or remote area.
But some who didn't voiced concerns.
"Will it be okay? What if we push too hard and no safe zone appears?"
"Given the situation, one should appear. Plus, with four of us, even if it's tiring, we can keep watch without a safe zone."
No one liked pulling night watches, but it was unavoidable.
We couldn't waste time here during lunch hour.
With that agreement, we started eating.
"...I'm not hungry, so I'll rest over there for a bit. Let me know when you're done."
But in the midst of it, Min Hayeon said she wasn't hungry and headed to a cave corner to rest.
Han Bom let out a deep sigh at the sight, her appetite vanishing.
As I pitied Han Bom, I looked for Han Yeoreum.
Guess I should feed her first?
But...
Huh? Where'd she go?
[Sorry. She didn't enter my field of vision either.]
If even Armonia hadn't spotted her, she'd slipped away while I was distracted.
What? Did she go to the bathroom?
No way she could with her hands tied...
That thought made me start worrying about her sudden disappearance.
And right then—
A loud noise echoed from somewhere in the cave.
"—__!!"
"—_——!!"
The sound bounced everywhere, so I couldn't pinpoint it, but it sounded like people talking.
"Isn't that where Min Hayeon went?"
"What is it?"
As everyone strained to listen—
"Cut it out, you fucking bastard!!!"
"!"
Min Hayeon's shout reverberated through the cave, making everyone drop their spoons and jump up.
Not just me and Han Bom—the others rushed toward the source of her voice.
And there...
"H-Ha-yeon! I-I mean! What I was saying!"
"Why the hell are you telling me that?!"
Min Hayeon was yelling one-sidedly at Han Yeoreum, fuming.
"Haa... haa... Seong Su-ho... fuck, this time I'll definitely kill you..."
While the others were in their meeting, Han Yeoreum quietly slipped to a corner of the cave and checked her inventory.
Inside were the hallucinogen and cursed dagger, safely stored just like before.
"Fuck... mix them first. Whew... at least only my wrists are tied this time."
Up until now, all her fingers had been bound, but luckily on the last day, only her wrists were.
"Stupid bitch... useful at times like this. Alright, mix quick... wait!"
After mixing all the water and hallucinogen from her inventory, Han Yeoreum realized her mistake and panicked.
"Fuck! I should've mixed it with milk!"
She knew Han Bom preferred milk over water, but in her bound and frantic state, she'd mixed it with water by mistake.
"Fuck... what now? If I mix in milk again... no... that'd ruin the effect..."
As she struggled with her bound arms, grimacing, footsteps approached from somewhere.
Splash, splash, splash.
"Hngh!"
Thud!
Startled, Han Yeoreum dropped the water bottle by accident.
Fortunately, the plastic bottle didn't break—it just rolled away.
"Ah! Ahh!"
Panicking that it might fall into the sewer grate, she chased after it clumsily with her bound hands.
But luckily, the bottle got caught on something and stopped. Han Yeoreum lifted her head slightly to see what it was.
"Ah... H-Ha-yeon..."
"What? Why are you here?"
"Ah... j-just... g-getting some air! Haha!"
"...Here?"
Min Hayeon gave her an incredulous look at the idea of "getting air" in the underground sewer.
She picked up the bottle, stopped by her own shoe, and said,
"Hurry back and eat. Don't dawdle and do something that'll get you suspected again."
"S-something suspicious?! You know too! Why would I rape a bitch like her for...!"
"Haa... anyway, go eat. I need some time alone to think."
As Min Hayeon stared at the water bottle—
No, don't! If she checks the info!
Summoners could view basic item info unless it was a special item.
She might not know the exact ingredients, but the info window would reveal if it was a healing potion or something that inflicted status ailments.
In her shock, Han Yeoreum clung to Min Hayeon desperately.
"F-first, untie this! We're eating anyway!"
"Haa... fine, just back off a bit?"
"Urgh... h-hurry and untie me."
Fortunately, Min Hayeon lost interest in the water and started removing the cable ties from Han Yeoreum's wrists.
Snip, snip.
As the ties binding her wrists loosened, Han Yeoreum felt a rush of freedom—and pleasure.
Haa... fuck, next loop, I won't even talk to that bitch... Huh...?
Right as she rubbed her hands, reveling in her freedom—
"H-Ha... Ha-yeon...?"
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Without giving her a moment to think, Min Hayeon chugged the water after untying her.
Han Yeoreum screamed internally that she had to stop her physically, but her body froze like a mouse before a snake, unable to move, just watching.
Min Hayeon drained every drop, then tossed the empty bottle toward the sewer flow.
"Puha... Alright, hurry back..."
"H-Ha... Hayeon... th-that water..."
The bottle that had held her gaze floated away on the current, confirming to him it was empty.