Ready... Puppet
I faced the two women who had been greeting me inside the Myth Motel, the place I'd been visiting frequently lately. Hyemi noona nodded with vacant jade-green eyes, along with her mother. I lifted my hands from their heads and let out a heavy sigh.
"...You really don't have to go that far..."
"No. These two were ordinary people, unlike you or Isabelle. Leaving them alone would be too dangerous, so I'll have to call Yunsol later and take care of it."
I placed a hand on my still-bandaged head, and Noa gently supported my back. I gave a light wave to her narrowed, worried eyes and steadied my legs.
The compulsory command I'd given this mother and daughter was Do not perceive Choi Woo-joo's existence. The two of them stared blankly into space as that command etched itself into their minds. In their current perception, I was simply "down at grandmother's house and not in Seoul."
"Still, this should keep noona's family safe for now."
If anything happened to the Master, the Saintesses would instinctively try to protect him. It was one of the traits Noa and Isabelle had told me about. That was exactly why I'd had no choice but to alter their memories.
The two women I'd seen at the hospital earlier were agents from the Japanese branch, according to Noa. They'd come here not because of the mask but due to some internal matter within the Japanese branch. Still, they'd run into people from the same organization as Isabelle and Noa far too quickly.
Of course, it didn't seem like they'd discovered I was the mask's owner... but there was no harm in being careful. I could hide myself in the Chamber of Desire for the time being, and I planned to modify the memories of every Saintess except Noa and Isabelle, who were capable of fighting.
"...I'm still a little dizzy."
"Are you truly all right, Master?"
"The doctor said I'm fine, so I am. It's just some dizziness. Don't worry about it."
Even as I spoke, my skull still throbbed. The metallic taste I'd felt in my mouth when I first got hit lingered on my tongue.
"...When did you say those Japanese agents were leaving the country?"
"The morning after tomorrow. It looks like both their arrival in Korea and the delayed departure were because of the coming-of-age ceremony."
The morning after tomorrow. That meant I wouldn't have to stay locked inside the Chamber of Desire for the entire break. I breathed a sigh of relief and walked away, leaving the pair still staring blankly ahead.
"Huh? Master, the elevator is over there...?"
"No need for the elevator. We can use this door. I don't like using it if I can help it, but..."
I pulled the card key for the Chamber of Desire from my wallet. It was another function of the card I'd played with during exam season when I had nothing better to do. I didn't have to use room 402 specifically. Simply swiping this card key on any door would turn that entrance into the Chamber of Desire, room 402.
As long as it was a door that could open, it was an insane ability for a hideout that let me conceal myself anytime, anywhere.
Yeah. With something this convenient, why hadn't I used it until now? I'd show them the reason right here.
I pressed the card—black and white marble swirled together like it had been carved from stone—against the steel emergency exit door. A lie-like beep rang out.
An electronic door-lock sound coming from a handle with no mechanism at all. Along with it, a faint jade-colored light bloomed outward.
Now, if I opened the door—
"...Huh? Wait... How is this possible?!"
"...Hoo. Give me a second to breathe..."
Beyond the door where stairs and a landing should have been lay a luxurious, spacious family room. Room 402.
Leaving Noa stunned by yet another function of the Chamber of Desire, I hopped lightly and exhaled. After steeling myself in every way I could, I held my breath, stepped forward forcefully, and crossed the shimmering threshold into 402—
"Urk."
My vision spun. A nauseating sensation flooded my skull. My stomach bubbled and churned. Was it because of the head injury? It felt worse than the first time... Ah, I couldn't hold it.
"Uweeeek..."
I collapsed onto the floor and vomited everything out.
"M-Master?! Are you all right?!"
Noa crossed the chamber's boundary at the sudden sight of me emptying my stomach. But unlike me, she was completely fine. Right—Saintesses crossed space through the Master's call. I was just an ordinary human body. There were obvious side effects to spatial movement that defied physical laws.
It was the same vicious hangover you'd get the morning after chugging a bottle of 50-proof soju. Severe motion-sickness-level nausea. I'd tested whether the intensity changed with distance, but...
"Gueeeeek..."
Screw it. I'd just walk everywhere from now on.
"...Are the uncomfortable parts feeling better now?"
"It seems okay as long as I stay lying down."
As I lay on the soft bed quietly staring at the ceiling, Noa approached and sat beside me.
The Chamber of Desire truly was an incredibly convenient hideout. The vomit that had soiled the floor vanished cleanly the moment I closed and reopened the door. The fridge was packed with food, and the room stayed cool without even turning on the air conditioner. If not for the absolute darkness beyond the curtains where not a single ray of sunlight reached, I could easily endure a whole month here.
"Hoo... So you'll be staying in this room until the Japanese branch agents return home, Master? The fridge only has fruit and bottled water, and the cupboard has maybe two packs of instant ramen. Which is why I was thinking..."
"...Yeah?"
Noa twirled her black hair around her finger, spinning it round and round while glancing at me sideways. Her cheeks and earlobes were flushed red for some reason as she pushed her hips toward me.
"Until then, shall I attend to you by your side, Master...? I'll pack lunches and buy anything you need!"
"I'd be grateful, but don't you need to return to headquarters?"
"Ah, aah~! No need to worry about that! The one-month surveillance period is already over, and the vacation I requested before my last mission should come through soon, so there's no need to concern yourself with that side... It's fine."
Thud. Noa's hip brushed my fingertips. The smooth fabric of her suit skirt, the plump flesh swelling beneath it. It wasn't an accident. The way she quietly stared at me with eyes drenched in expectation made it clear it was absolutely not an accident.
"Besides, I committed an unforgivable sin against you before, Master, and right now I'm the only one who can stay by your side, so there's no other choice..."
"...So?"
I slowly stroked upward along the hip of Noa, who continued speaking as if she couldn't feel my touch.
"Eut. I-I definitely didn't think of this as a chance to monopolize Master or anything... Yes. This is simply the natural duty I must carry out as your Saintess..."
Even while gently wiggling her hips, Noa's feigned ignorance continued as she kept stealing glances at me. She grew bolder, lifting the hip that filled my palm and pressing my hand down firmly between her legs.
The room was cool, but the hand trapped beneath Noa's ass, right under her pussy, burned hot. Kwon Noa. I'd already figured out exactly what she wanted.
"Yeah. If you're fine with it, Noa, then go ahead. Do as you like."
"...Yes? Ah, yes... B-But Master... that is..."
I continued pretending not to notice, brushing off Noa's seduction. Her plan crumbling visibly flustered her. She was currently under a punishment from me—the punishment of being unable to satisfy her own desires through her own will. Noa, whose body could no longer climax without my cock, had put that brilliant mind of hers to work quickly.
Until the visitors from Japan left the country, the only Saintesses who could remain by my side were Isabelle and Noa herself. But with my enhanced libido, I needed to ejaculate at least ten times a day. The Saintesses' service was essential even while I remained hidden. Therefore, it can't be helped. Even though she was being punished, taking care of the Master's sexual needs was a critical matter.
Isabelle seemed busy handling minor missions in England, so there was only "me" left for the Master.
—She must have been thinking exactly that. The sticky wetness I could feel even through her suit skirt and stockings told the whole story. Come to me first. Push me down. The Master's demands are "force majeure." It's absolutely not what she wanted herself. My body began heating up for this impudent woman and her shamelessly presented pussy.
"...Kwon Noa."
"Ah, yes..."
I carefully unzipped my pants. The rustle of fabric echoed in the silent room. From within, my cock sprang out, throbbing and radiating heat.
"...Hic, gulp...♡ M-Master...? What is..."
Noa stared at my cock, drooling saliva that spilled from the corner of her mouth even after she swallowed. She was still pretending not to understand. The joy in her smiling eyes that practically screamed I did it!—to think she could be this shameless. I wasn't without ideas of my own. This impudent woman who still didn't know her place clearly needed a lesson in manners.
I fumbled beneath the blanket for the mask I'd hidden there and rubbed one of the characters. A faint jade light shimmered. The moment the character I'd rubbed rose onto the mask's forehead—
"...Even though Master is injured, this part is still perfectly healthy...♡ I'll definitely... take care of—mmph—?!"
I instantly lifted the mask and pressed it onto Noa's face. Her flailing arms tried to pull the mask away from her vision, but...
"......................."
Her hands fell limply downward. The character engraved on her forehead flashed once, then slowly faded away.
Keyword Engraved
"...This is my first time using this too, but it has a completely different flavor from the compulsory commands. I'll fix that bad habit of yours properly with this, Noa, so wait a moment. I'm still deciding."
The mask that had covered Noa's face settled onto the blanket. The jade eyes now revealed had lost all vitality and turned a murky teal. In contrast, the new character I'd engraved on her forehead flashed brightly in vivid jade.
Puppet
"Now then... where should I start adjusting?"
I slowly reached out toward Noa, who hung limp like a cold wooden doll. To move a puppet, you had to connect the threads first.
It would probably take some time. But the puppet show itself was sure to be entertaining.