Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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As I stepped out of the warp case, Armonia greeted me with her usual blank expression.
"Good work out there."
"Phew... It's been a while."
We chatted every day at all hours, but seeing her face in person still filled me with joy.
No matter how I looked at her, Armonia was beautiful.
You can't help but feel happy seeing a pretty girl.
"I'll fill you in on the important details later. Ms. Viola is waiting."
"Ooooooh!"
I bolted out of the warp room the moment I heard her say that.
I hurried down the ship's long corridor and arrived at Viola's quarters.
An electronic sign hung above the mechanical door.
[Viola's Private Quarters]
Whoosh.
The door slid aside with a hiss of pressurized air as I pressed the button.
Inside, Viola was glued to the TV, watching intently.
"Oh? Ah~!"
"Viola!"
"Suho!"
I rushed straight to her and pulled her into a tight embrace...
"Kyaaah!"
"Let's do it!"
(XX: Is this guy insane? Every damn day... Wait, it's me. Let's do it!)
I dragged Viola to the bed and dove right into savoring her sweetness.
..
..
Only after going at it like animals with Viola did I finally come back to my senses.
We lay cuddled up on the bed, chatting about this and that.
Viola didn't mind me jumping her at all—in fact, she seemed impressed.
"Suho, ever since you got back... you're, um, really good at it!"
"Haha, maybe it's just 'cause it's been so long?"
After finishing with Luna, the level had gone up by one more.
Each little level seemed to make a bigger difference than I'd thought.
"Hee hee... That was really good! And..."
Viola pressed her nose to my chest, sniffing curiously like it was the most fascinating thing.
"You smell so nice!"
She'd been sniffing me all over like a kid in a candy store.
Her brown hair and blue eyes were as captivating as ever.
Brother-in-law, wherever you are, thanks, man.
Viola's eating well, thanks to you.
Come to think of it, I still didn't even know the hero's name.
Not that I cared...
I grabbed one of Viola's breasts and squeezed it like I was milking her.
"Hngh... That's weird... It never feels like this when I touch them myself, but when you do, it feels so good."
"Ooh... like this?"
"W-Wait! Hnng! Haaang!"
I kneaded her breasts with both hands like dough, and Viola shuddered, convulsing in little spasms.
A few more squeezes, and she flushed hot, climaxing again.
"Hnnngh!! ...Haa... Haa..."
I let go and teased her with a grin.
"Heh, feel good?"
"Hnn... You're so mean..."
"Sorry, sorry. How've you been while I was gone?"
I asked out of politeness. I'd set her up with a TV and plenty to do, so I hadn't been too worried.
Plus, Armonia was there.
But Viola's answer caught me off guard.
"Um... I was bored."
"Huh? Isn't the TV fun?"
"It was at first, but being alone..."
"Eh? Armonia's here too."
"Ms. Armonia hasn't come out of there once since you left."
"...? Not even once?"
That was weird.
I'd figured they'd at least run into each other for bedtime or meals.
But she hadn't seen her face even once?
"She told me not to go in—it might disturb her—so I just stayed put."
"..."
I stroked Viola's hair and apologized.
"Sorry. I left you alone again."
"It's okay!"
Viola smiled brightly, but there was a hint of strain behind it.
I need to figure something out...
I figured I'd nap with Viola, then talk it over with Armonia.
I chatted with Viola until she drifted off to sleep.
Her machine-gun chatter never got old, no matter how much I heard it.
Honestly, it was more surprising she hadn't cracked mentally yet.
"...This isn't much better than before, is it?"
Looking at her sleeping face, a twinge of guilt crept in.
Sure, it was way better than her old life—or so I thought. But that was just my perspective.
I gently slid my arm out from under her head and rested it on the pillow.
Changed clothes, then headed to Armonia's office.
Three steps away.
Last time Viola was here, Armonia hadn't batted an eye even when Viola and I went at it like beasts.
If it were me, I'd have grabbed a shotgun.
No shotguns in Korea, but I'd have found one somehow and blasted away.
Noisy neighbors? Talking won't cut it. Gotta show 'em lead.
I shook off the random thoughts and stood before Armonia's office.
I pondered for a sec.
Viola and I had been together about four hours. She should still be inside, right?
No need to knock.
Heh heh heh. Hope she's changing again—that'd be gold.
I quietly opened the office door.
Whoosh.
The room came into view, lit up bright, as the door hissed open softly.
Hard to believe it belonged to the CEO— the furniture was even plainer than mine.
Mine had all been flashy and new-looking, but hers screamed "worn-out old crap."
And Armonia...
...Zzz... Zzz.
She was asleep on the small bed in the corner.
Wearing pajamas...
Pajamas must be regulation too, huh?
I pulled out my notepad and jotted something down.
Scribble scribble.
I was a little shocked inside.
Oh my god, her wearing that...
But the real shocker was the pajamas themselves.
I'd figured Armonia for black or plain white pajamas, even in bed.
Instead, she was in pink ones covered head-to-toe in cute little animals peeking out.
Can't miss a rare sight like this...
I crept quietly toward the soundly sleeping Armonia.
Zzz... Zzz...
Her defenseless face was a total contrast to her usual self.
But up close like this, there wasn't much I could do anyway.
No camera to snap a pic...
I poked her cheek lightly.
...Zzz... Zzz.
No reaction.
She must've been out cold.
Bored, so once more~
Poke poke.
Pop.
"Eh!?"
Armonia snatched my hand in an instant, gripping it tight.
I thought she'd woken up.
But with her eyes still closed, she clutched my hand and mumbled,
"Don't go..."
"..."
No idea what she was dreaming, but my gut screamed "get out now."
Problem was, she wouldn't let go no matter how I tugged.
"Hey, let go for a sec..."
"Don't go..."
This'd wake her for real.
I used my other hand to pry her fingers open one by one.
Her slender fingers had nails trimmed neat as her personality.
So thin and alluring, it almost sparked some handjob urges.
Focusing hard, I finally freed my hand.
But when I looked up— hawk-like eyes were glaring right at me.
Armonia was propped up on the bed, staring daggers.
"...What is it?"
"Got something to ask..."
She sat up fully, her face blank as she bored holes into me.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is my office?"
"...Yeah."
"Can I consider this trespassing?"
"S-Sorry..."
Her icy tone said it all about her mood.
I pretended to chicken out and head for the door.
"I'll come back later then..."
"Hold on."
"Huh?"
Armonia got up, straightened the bed, then...
"...What're you doing?"
"You wanted to talk, so I'm changing."
She started suiting up out of nowhere.
She was incomprehensible sometimes.
Watching her, a creepy thought flashed through my mind.
...If you're really a cyborg...
I hated bullshit twist endings most of all.
Those assholes who cram dumb stories into your brain at the last second? They need to die.
Fully suited up, Armonia stood tall before me.
"State your business."
Our talk wasn't small chit-chat—it felt more like a full-on meeting.
I kicked things off by voicing one of my concerns.
"...Do you even sleep during missions?"
"I check on you every minute while you're asleep, so no need to worry."
"...So you don't sleep."
That wasn't sleep by any stretch.
"Shouldn't you hand off to Viola sometimes and rest?"
"No offense to Ms. Viola, but she's not suited for this."
"..."
Couldn't argue there.
But ignoring it wasn't an option either.
"When I'm asleep, you sleep too. No exceptions."
"Unnecessary."
"What if you crash at a critical moment?"
"...I'll manage. Don't worry."
I tried reasoning with Armonia, but no dice.
We tabled that issue for now.
"Oh, and you mentioned time dilation—what's that about?"
"The flow of time in this space can be arbitrarily adjusted by the gods' agents."
According to her, there was a speed multiplier system.
Anywhere from 10x to 0.1x.
Say I hit up planets A, B, and C for missions.
Bust my ass on A, set it to 0.1x, spend 10 months on B, then back to A—and only 1 month passed there.
"Note that multipliers are Zodiac's authority, not ours. But since they assigned the mission, they'll support us—use it freely."
"Can it be changed mid-mission?"
"Explain the situation, and they'll likely adjust it."
Handy as hell.
But a few things didn't add up.
"Doesn't that mean the Holy Order has it too? What if they flip it to normal while I'm away?"
Plan for 10 months elsewhere, slacking off, then return to Schutra expelled and Luna heartbroken and broken? Nightmare.
"The Holy Order can't use the multiplier system."
"...Huh? Why? Aren't they raking in Enel and super capable?"
"They overused it."
"..."
Microtransactions, speed boosts.
Holy Order maxed everything out to explosively grow their protagonists.
Enel-pumping was fine, but multipliers were different.
Each planet had usage limits, and Holy Order cranks it to max right away for their protags.
Zodiac prefers slow growth, so they don't bother.
Slow growth or just plain stupid?
Basically, Holy Order burned through so much that Zodiac got priority on most planets.
Thanks to those impatient bastards, missions were smoother.
"Got it, time lag makes sense now."
"While you're here, there's something I need to discuss."
Her turn to lead.
"What is it?"
"Regarding your break."
Thanks to my magic golem's "bean bullet," she recommended a week off.
And the break spot was...
"The planet where Ms. Viola lived."
"Don't tell me the hero..."
Had that punk gone wild while I was away?
Not asking for after-service, right?
"No need to worry. It's resolved."
"...? Resolved how?"
"The Demon King's army won. All nations have submitted."
"...How? In just a month?"
One measly month away?
"Zodiac used the multiplier during the gap to fully conquer."
"Ah... Badass."
They cranked it to 10x...
"We set the break on Ilunia Continent because of an invitation."
"Invitation?"
"Yes. That Demon King has invited you, Suho."