Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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Late that evening, men were raising a ruckus outside the dormitory building, shouting their heads off.
"It won't come off! It won't fucking come off!!"
"Goddamn it, bring that moron here quick!"
The men were straining desperately to remove the metal lumps locked onto their crotches.
The ones who had overheard Berius earlier had anxiously agreed to wear them for just one day.
They weren't supposed to mess with items from the Demon King's castle warehouse, but their own bodies came first, so they'd put them on in secret.
But when evening came and they headed to the outhouse to take care of business, the unyielding chastity belts left them stripping their pants off right in front of it, striking ridiculous poses.
"Hurry! It's fucking urgent! ...Who's that?"
Two figures—a man and a woman—were approaching from the dormitory building.
It was Patricia and Berius.
She wrinkled her nose at the sight of the men frozen in their comical stances in front of the outhouse.
"What the hell are you idiots doing...? Why are you all stripped naked out here?"
"W-well..."
The men fumbled in panic to pull their pants back on, but before they could, Patricia's eyes caught the chastity belts.
'They actually put them on...'
While she'd been by Seong Suho's side, she'd overheard his plan to force them on these guys.
She also already knew that the one she wore was different from theirs.
'Hehe... for my sake... He'll definitely take me with him next time he visits, right?'
Patricia lost herself in delusions, mistaking Suho's reason for locking the belts on the men as some protective measure for her.
She eyed their chastity belts and spoke up.
"You guys put those on too?"
"Yeah! What... you too?"
"Yeah. All the women did."
Patricia spoke cautiously about Seong Suho at first, then openly bragged about receiving it as a gift.
"...The world's a rough place these days. He gave me a good item as a present, so I gratefully accepted."
The men, hearing this, immediately clamored and demanded to know how to unlock them.
"How the hell do you take this off? Tell us quick!"
"Well... it's simple... but let me handle mine first, then I'll tell you. Come on in."
"Ugh... let go! I'll walk myself..."
Patricia grabbed Berius by the collar and started dragging him into the outhouse.
"Wh-what! Why are you two going in together?"
"Shut up! I'm pissed off too..."
Patricia felt a rush of superiority from her chastity belt, but going into the men's outhouse with a guy still felt awkward.
She lifted her skirt in front of Berius.
"Haa... haa..."
"..."
Berius slipped his hand under her skirt, unable to tear his eyes away from her thighs and lower belly.
'A guy like this is a prince...'
Patricia scoffed at the sight of him.
Berius unlocked the chastity belt in the outhouse and just stood there blankly.
His gaze was fixed on Patricia's privates.
He wasn't even aware she was watching him.
'Ah... what a real clown.'
Patricia scoffed again and scolded him.
"Perverted bastard... Turn around!"
"Ah, got it..."
Berius turned his back sulkily, still holding the chastity belt.
'Ah, but having a guy like this around does lift my mood.'
It was embarrassing, but knowing there was someone who idolized her made Patricia feel refreshed.
Throughout her business, Berius kept sneaking peeks over his shoulder without realizing it.
Once she finished, she stood before him with her skirt still hiked up and said,
"Lock it back on."
"Ughhh..."
Berius grumbled but couldn't pull his eyes from her crotch.
Patricia flashed a cynical smile as she dragged him back out.
She explained everything to the men.
Only Berius could unlock them, and if left off for too long, their dicks would explode.
"W-what the hell! You saying we live like this forever!?"
"Yeah. So who told you to put them on without asking? They weren't made for you anyway."
"That's bullshit! Hey!"
Lorian yelled at Berius.
The already cowed Berius replied in startled panic.
"Why... why?"
"Get in here quick! Unlock it!"
"P-put that down!"
Lorian dragged Berius into the outhouse and forced him to unlock it.
Berius felt nausea surging from Lorian's menacing attitude but undid the belt anyway.
"Phew, it's off! That's it!"
"Wait, just a sec! If you go like that—"
"Shut it! You think I'd buy that crap?"
Lorian yanked his pants on and bolted out of the outhouse.
Patricia watched his retreating back with a venomous smirk.
'Bye-bye, moron.'
A short while later, Lorian was found in the middle of the dormitory hallway, blood gushing from between his legs.
"How about it? Sounds good, right?"
"..."
The moment I returned to my room, I called Beatrice over and proposed that she come with us.
But Beatrice wasn't reacting the way I'd expected.
It wasn't outright refusal—just a sulky expression, like all the energy had drained out of her.
'What's this? I figured she'd be thrilled.'
I gently prodded Beatrice, who had her head hung low.
"Ah, you don't wanna go with us?"
"...It's not that, nyang."
"Then?"
"I've always been alone, nyang. Even here, where everyone hates me, I finally wasn't alone anymore, nyang."
Beatrice said she'd never properly talked with anyone except her parents.
She'd been scorned by beastkin and shunned by succubi alike.
Even her parents, who had stuck by her, were gone, and this place was her last remaining sanctuary.
She knew everyone hated her but was still trying her best to make friends.
'If that stray keeps wandering around everywhere, who wouldn't hate her...'
In the end, the reason she couldn't leave with us was simple.
It was fine if she couldn't adapt with us, but she was anxious about never being able to come back here afterward.
'Ah! Then maybe this'll work?'
'Ask them to run this planet at slow speed for a bit.'
If she went for a month and couldn't adapt at all, we could just send her back.
Activating the speed system meant one month there would only be about three days here.
'Yeah, fair point...'
It'd be pretty ridiculous to ask for a speed-up just to help a beastkin succubus adjust.
I explained to Beatrice how time flowed differently on our ship versus here, then made the proposal once more.
"For real, nyang? You're not lying, nyang?"
"Why the hell would I lie about that? I just want you to... Huh?"
"Sounds good, nyang!"
Beatrice leaped into my arms with sparkling eyes and accepted.
Above all, the one happiest to learn this was Viola.
"..."
Lena stood by the window, staring endlessly at the sky outside.
The cloudless, pristine weather had darkened bit by bit, giving way to a massive full moon rising.
Since returning to her room that morning, she hadn't taken a single step, just gazing out the window like this.
No sip of water, no stray thoughts—just the sky.
Even as noisy clamor erupted around her, she paid it no mind.
Or rather, she didn't register it.
In her maid outfit, not even twitching a finger, she blankly stared outside.
Gazing at the enormous full moon, she murmured softly.
"The last day is passing."
Sadness washed over her with the words.
But she knew.
Happy moments, tough ones, painful ones—they never stopped for anyone...
"I know I shouldn't expect anything, but I..."
Even a broken woman like her had once harbored hope.
But her sharp mind let Lena quickly see how foolish that hope was.
Knowing it so well only deepened her despair.
Waiting for just one person's visit, she could finally be certain.
"...He's not coming."
Lena, gripped by despair, stepped out of her room to wrap up the day.
For the headcount.
It was already quite late.
As she opened the door, Lena wiped her flowing tears with her sleeve.
"As expected... a woman like me..."
"Like you how?"
"..."
She couldn't see ahead.
Her sleeve-covered vision let her hear only the voice.
But she knew instantly.
Whose voice it was...
Lena wiped her tears with her sleeve and turned around, fully alert.
"What brings you here..."
"...Do I need a reason to come see my woman?"
"Hng!"
The man waiting outside kissed Lena and dragged her back into the room.
"..."
Berius lay sprawled on the bed without even changing clothes, staring blankly at the floor with unfocused eyes.
His job starting today was simple yet utterly absurd.
Standing by with chastity belts at the ready.
It was far removed from any dignity befitting a prince, but Berius had no choice but to do it.
(Do a good job, and later when I bring the duchess, I'll make her yours.)
(R-really...? If I just do that, the duchess will...)
(Yeah, I'll make her yours.)
He recalled the man, surrounded by women on the bed, exuding an air of superiority.
"Haa..."
The naked bodies of the women etched into Berius's eyes that afternoon had been plaguing his mind all day.
He'd always made excuses about hating hard work to mooch off Lena.
But this menial task of standby duty with the belts stirred a vulgar excitement in him.
To justify his urge to see her privates, he convinced himself he had to save Lena.
"Duchess... I'll save you..."
The man had clearly said he'd release Lena quicker if Berius performed well.
But while his mouth invoked the duchess, Berius's mind replayed Patricia and the other women's nudes.
"Haa... haa..."
It was the moment Berius started squirming and burrowing into the bed.
A sound came through the wall.
"Master..."
"You're mine—why can't I evaluate you as I please?"
"I'm sorry..."
"Wh-what..."
Still buzzing with arousal in his gut, Berius pressed his ear to the wall.
The man's voice came crystal clear from Lena's room next door.
"Th-this!"
Even Berius couldn't stomach the outrageous things the man was saying to Lena.
The instant he leaped from the bed, Lena's voice halted him in his tracks.
"N-no... There's no way the duchess would say something like..."
The weight of the name Lena de Peron was immense enough to humble even Berius.
For such a duchess to invoke her own name for a man's amusement delivered a massive shock to him.
"Ah... no... D-Duchess would never say..."
Berius slumped in despair, tears streaming, yet unable to pull his ear from the wall.
The man's earlier words flashed through his mind.
(The second I threatened to mess you up, she spread her legs and submitted?)
Self-reproach gripped him at the recollection.
"It's... because of me... the duchess... hng... waaah..."
Fearing his sobs might carry to the next room, Berius clamped both hands over his mouth and began to cry.
"Hic... I... I'll definitely save you... Duchess, I swear... waaah..."
Berius pressed his ear tight to the wall, listening to the couple's coupling sounds as he vowed to rescue Lena.