Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 130: Curse Resistance Enhancement Event

Deep within an alleyway, far from the prying eyes of the public.

In the middle of the shadow-drenched path, the Villainesses revealed themselves.

—You rotten bastard! How dare you refuse to talk to me! I was dying to speak with you!

The grey-haired evil spirit, her eyes wrapped in bandages, bared her teeth and threatened me.

The sinister energy overflowing from her body brushed against my skin like a blade. Or was it? It felt somewhat... sticky.

—You spent all night shagging some woman, and only now you want to talk to us? Are we always an afterthought to you?

—Die. Just die, you philandering prick. How many women do you need?! Snap his cock and kill him!

The black spirit and the red spirit flanked me, radiating fury, jealousy, and a blatant craving for my manhood.

All three were in a state of extreme agitation. Provoking them further would likely lead to a disastrous outcome.

All I could do was stand still and take the brunt of their resentment.

Soon after, Helena, who resided within me, released ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her magical power to try and nudge the Villainesses' malicious thoughts away, but it didn't work.

Even with Helena’s strength, shaking off the Villainesses was impossible. If anything, it only served to provoke them further.

—Something's clinging to you. Shall I obliterate it for good?

—Don't get cocky just because you're a familiar. I'm itching to tear you apart.

—You son of a bitch. You piece of trash. You left us standing at the door all night!

The Three Villainesses could not easily suppress their rage.

Did they truly intend to kill me? Probably not. However, they might try to impose some sort of penalty.

I could only hope the conversation would end on a positive note.

—Hooo... Fine. Leaving us neglected... let's say we can overlook that. But you. I heard you were planning to summon us into the Labyrinth.

—You dare try to shove us into the Labyrinth? Without even consulting us? What were you planning to do, locking us in a Labyrinth with no exit! Were you going to suck out our yin energy?! You filthy lecher!

—Did you think you could fool us? You want to die after having all your essence drained, don't you? Did you think we wouldn't notice your shameless scheme to summon us into the Labyrinth without a word just to fulfill your dirty desires?

That wasn't my intention at all, but regardless, the fact that I tried to summon them into the Labyrinth without consulting them was clearly why they were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so angry.

Yes, I had tried to drag the Three Villainesses into the Labyrinth on my own whim. To be honest, I was planning to just do it and ask for forgiveness later. It’s easier to get forgiveness than permission, after all.

But there were no secrets. It was indeed impossible to deceive these spirits who watched my every move.

I expected something like this, but their reaction was far more violent than I imagined, which was a bit terrifying.

—Above all else, we can't enter the Labyrinth! That means if we're dragged in, we can't get out!

"I have a way to handle that. Please, just calm down..."

—Calm down?! For all we know, that 'way' of yours is just a trick to trap us in there!

—Exactly. How can we trust any human other than you? We don't trust anyone but you! We don't trust that Tower Lord person, and we trust that rotten bitch Lafnel even less! Tell the Saintess to piss off too! There are too many women around you!

—Suspicious. Extremely suspicious. You're planning to lock us in the Labyrinth and run away. You're trying to abandon us... Sisters, what should I do? I feel like I'm going to turn black with grief.

—Hey, hey! Calm down!

The Three Villainesses shot me looks of deep suspicion. I really had to persuade them. If they didn't help, it would be forever impossible to bring the underground city into the realm of human survival.

"It's the truth. This is a very important matter. Please, help me. We only need to go down to the 5th floor."

—Sure, we know it's important. But why should we trust you and go down there?

—How do we know this isn't a ploy to forcibly shove us into a Labyrinth we can't enter and then ditch us?

—Yeah. You've made a lot of money, and you've got plenty of women. There's a 90% chance you've got other ideas. If I were you, having built up wealth and a harem of men, I'd want to abandon my duties too.

—This rotten bastard. I have to rip his dick off! Sister! Don't stop me!

Finally, the youngest sister tried to lung at me, and the other two had to grab her to hold her back.

—Haaaa... Dammit. You are our slave. Go down to the end of the Labyrinth, kill the Labyrinth Lord, and set us free!

—Yeah! Do you want to see the youngest go insane?!

—Why do you keep having other thoughts! Die!

The Three Villainesses screamed for me to kill the Labyrinth Lord, spitting ectoplasm as they spoke.

It felt like they were actually about to beat me up.

—Sister! Stop! You'll kill the boy!

—Let go! I'm going to turn this bastard into a bitch!

—Yeah! Let's make him a eunuch! Let's curse him with impotence and blackmail him!

—You crazy hags!

It was chaos.

The Villainesses began to seriously debate how to ruin me.

In particular, the suggestion to curse me with impotence until I killed the Labyrinth Lord was gaining a lot of traction. If I just stood there, I really was going to become a eunuch. Seriously, that would be horrific.

What could be more terrible than being impotent in front of Yuria and Leah?

"Wait a minute!"

—What! Stay still! We're just about to cast the curse!

"No, what do you mean, curse?! Just listen to me!"

—Phew. The kid looks like he's about to cry. Sisters, let's at least hear him out.

—If you can't convince us right now, you're finished. Crying won't help.

I had no intention of crying, but I was glad I got the pity vote.

But just how afraid were they of being dragged down into the Labyrinth? They were fighting tooth and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nail not to go. Well, I suppose I was trying to put them somewhere they weren't supposed to be able to enter in the first place.

It made sense to be afraid of never being able to leave once they entered.

‘But if I can't get the Villainesses into the underground city...’

The Labyrinth conquest would end in failure. The Three Villainesses were the only ones who could serve as a countermeasure against the Labyrinth Eruption and prevent the random spawning of monsters.

If I couldn't persuade them, reclaiming the underground city would be forever impossible.

"To get straight to the point, in my current state, I can't explore the Labyrinth below the 7th floor. It's not a matter of personal effort. There are almost no adventurers who can even reach the 7th floor. In an era of peace like this, how can I descend to the deepest part alone? My judgment is that it's realistically impossible."

—I'm sure they gave you the job precisely because of those difficulties.

—As for the companion issue, can't you just use your Spiritual Eye to capture the souls wandering the Labyrinth?

—So, because Labyrinth exploration is hard, you're going to drag us down there? Who's to say you won't just leave us there and run away?

—Don't make excuses, you piece of trash! You're just trying to trap us in the Labyrinth and flee because you have no way to clear it, right? Isn't that it?! Graaaah!

I could certainly understand the Villainesses' suspicion.

They were likely terrified. These were beings who had struggled desperately because they couldn't leave the Labyrinth City. Telling them to enter the Labyrinth must have sounded like telling a tiger, already dying because its zoo enclosure was too small, to get into an even smaller cage.

"I'm not trying to trap you in the Labyrinth and abandon you. I couldn't abandon you even if I wanted to."

—What do you mean?

"I've obtained a clue about what lies at the end of the Labyrinth. As a result, I realized that I have no choice but to go all the way down."

—What's at the end of the Labyrinth? Isn't it just the Labyrinth Lord?

"No. I believe the Labyrinth Lord... hasn't even woken up yet."

—What?

What Helena had seen was a nightmare that had not yet awakened.

However, I couldn't tell the Villainesses the truth exactly as it was.

‘What the Villainesses want is liberation from the city. If the Labyrinth Lord wakes up and all the nightmares are released, the Villainesses will naturally be liberated as well. In other words...’

They would have no reason to help me.

They could just sit back and wait to be freed.

‘Helena said there are Roahs on the 8th floor.’

In short, the Villainesses were also likely one of the nightmares that had been released. It's just that they weren't bound to the 8th floor and had made it up to the city.

In the current era, Roahs didn't openly exist.

‘This is the era of the Goddess.’

The Voodoo Shamans had also mentioned that this was an era where it had become difficult to see Roahs.

It was safe to assume most Roahs were crammed into the 8th floor of the Labyrinth. There were almost no Roahs wandering around.

Inferring from this, the Villainesses were also beings who had been released from the Labyrinth's nightmare.

They weren't beings who had been wandering freely and got stuck in this city; they were beings who had been released but not fully, becoming the city's earthbound spirits.

Yes, the fact that I had awakened my Spiritual Eye at this point.

And the fact that the Villainesses had found me and forced a contract.

Perhaps it was all fate.

‘The Villainesses would have been freed eventually even if they did nothing.’

If I had been transferred to this world just ten years later, the Villainesses would have already been released from the shackles of the Labyrinth City.

To put it more simply, this very moment was the only chance to get the Villainesses' help.

While they were still not fully aware of the Labyrinth's collapse and the liberation it would bring, this was the moment I could best make use of them.

"The Labyrinth Lord isn't the culprit."

—Stop just dropping hints and speak plainly!

My knees shook slightly at the fierce aura, but I had to endure.

I had to accurately distinguish between the information I should share and the information I should hide.

I had to deceive the Villainesses.

"Have you ever actually seen the Labyrinth Lord?"

—The Labyrinth Lord... exists.

—He's definitely there.

"How can you be so sure?"

—That's...

—Because we have memories. Memories of meeting the Labyrinth Lord...

"Are you sure you met him in the Labyrinth? Can you even be sure that your... memories themselves are being maintained correctly? Above all, how long have you even existed? What were you before the Labyrinth existed? Before the Labyrinth City was built? Do you remember?"

—...

—...Sister. Do you remember?

—...You. What did you find out about us?

"I didn't find out anything about you. But I did learn a bit more about this world. Beings like you, Roahs... they aren't supposed to exist in this day and age. I've concluded that you can only exist because the Labyrinth exists."

—Are you saying we have to protect the Labyrinth?

"Yes. And the Labyrinth Lord is trying to blow the Labyrinth up. The Roahs are being held captive on the 8th floor. He's clearly planning to use them as fuel to blow up the Labyrinth and escape it himself."

It wasn't clear at all. I was just stringing together my own theories to make them sound plausible.

However, making the Labyrinth Lord a common enemy so that the Villainesses would want to kill him was more important than anything else.

The best way to turn an ambiguous entity into an ally is, after all, to create a common enemy.

"I believe you three are also like materials he's saved up to blow up the Labyrinth and regress when he wakes up. It's a scheme to use Roahs as fuel to overturn the world and become a god. We have to stop that and find the clue to your liberation. To do that, you have to help me and enter the Labyrinth."

—Is that true?

—It sounds plausible.

—Sister. Do you believe those words?

—Hmm. What's the source of this information?

"It's the mage I've contracted with. These are things she saw while wandering deep within the Labyrinth. It's not just blind hearsay; I've deduced this based on information from someone who saw it with her own eyes."

—How can we trust that woman's words? What if she's trying to deceive us with false information?

"I have her bound with a Spirit Chain, so I can feel it if she lies."

—Spirit Chain...

—I see. You bastard! You're trying to deceive us and bind us too...!?

—This. This, this! You shameless...! Weren't humans enough for you?

"No! Oh, for heaven's sake."

The Villainesses were starting to play around again.

It seemed they felt my words were likely true, so they started throwing out lewd jokes to cover up the awkwardness of having suspected and been angry with me.

It felt like they were trying to smooth things over with a laugh because they didn't want to apologize. That was exactly the vibe.

—Fine, we get it. Basically, we have to go down to the end of the Labyrinth and shiv the sleeping Labyrinth Lord, right?

—Is that right? I thought I heard something about having to close a door? The Door of Nightmares?

—Huh? Sisters, what on earth did you hear? Didn't this guy say he was going to bind us with chains and imprison us in the Labyrinth?

"No, that's not it. I was asking you to come down to the underground city and help me."

—If we help you, can you liberate us faster?

"Actually, if you sisters didn't help me, there was zero chance of conquering the Labyrinth. But if you help me, the chances go up to about 80%. It becomes doable. That's what I'm saying."

—Hmm. Listening to him, I'm starting to feel convinced. He's got a nice voice, too. Mmm. Isn't it worth a shot?

—Are we really going down? There's no entrance or exit. If we're dragged in, we're finished. We might be trapped and toyed with by this guy until he dies.

—That's true. This won't do. Sisters. Let's put that on him. That.

—That? Ahh. Right. That. We should, shouldn't we?

"What do you mean, that?"

—You see, you're unnecessarily clever. That's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the part of you that's useful, but we still need a safety lock.

—Right. A safety lock is important. Hehehehe.

—The second one is finally smiling.

Soon, they began to mutter some incredibly sinister and horrific incantation.

‘Helena. What is that?’

—I am not sure either. However, it fills me with a bone-chilling dread.

The Villainesses chanted an ancient incantation that even Helena couldn't properly identify.

Then, with wicked smiles, they approached, surrounded me, and thrust their fingers into my chest.

—We've added to the contract.

—If you try to trap us in the Labyrinth and run away, you'll never be able to get an erection for the rest of your life.

—Even if you manage to have children, they will all have horrific disabilities or die of disease. Hehehehe.

The contract had deepened.

The penalty of the contract was certainly horrific, but there was a definite upside.

‘Curse Resistance Enhancement Event.’

The Villainesses had likely strengthened the contract out of pure spite, but the result was an incredible gain.

To be honest, this was too good. It was practically curse immunity.

"Thank you."

—Huh? What are you thankful for?

—We just cursed you, and you're saying thank you?

—You crazy pervert...

"No, it's not that. I'm just thankful that you understood my situation."

Thank you, Villainesses.

You're so easy to use because you're strangely dim-witted.

I felt extremely good.