Lee Ho-yeon's Harem Plan! (6)

"What the hell's wrong with you."

The succubus who'd been clinging to me begging for sex just moments ago was gone, replaced by none other than trembling, total-loser Liliana.

"Ugh, you crazy bitch…."

"…No, forget crazy bitch—didn't you and Rebecca figure anything out?"

Even at my question, Liliana just kept trembling, her lips quivering.

"Hey. Liliana?"

"N-Nothing… Th-that woman just forcibly drained my mana…."

"…."

Liliana wore the expression of someone who'd just seen a serial killer. What the hell had she gone through to end up like this?

'Milking?'

Good thing it wasn't anything serious. I'd thought maybe she'd been forced into something awful.

So, draining a succubus's mana was what they called "milking," huh.

"Hmm…."

That said, this could be a problem. Come to think of it, Rebecca hadn't said much either, so maybe they really hadn't found anything.

We were heading out to find the centaur, but if we actually ran into him with no countermeasures, that'd be bad.

To ease the terrified Liliana's tension, I reached out and groped her trembling breasts.

Squeeze, squeeze—

Liliana quickly calmed down!

"Liliana. You know a lot about hell's magic, right?"

Unlike your typical shut-in succubus, Liliana had a surprising amount of trivia knowledge. Especially about hell.

"I know the basics. Looks can be deceiving—I was an elite succubus back in the day."

Liliana puffed out her chest proudly.

"Didn't you say you don't remember your childhood well?"

"Uh, w-well… Anyway, I was elite."

"Sure, sure. Anyway, if you saw hell's magic up close, could you recognize it?"

"Probably?"

I'd decided not to rely on her anymore, but I figured I'd ask this time too. She was the only one who knew anything about hell's magic.

"But is there magic that lets you escape hell without leaving mana traces?"

"Not that I know of… But maybe it's hell's mana, so it can't be detected. If I saw it, I'd know. Or maybe even you could tell if you looked directly."

"Huh. But Rebecca spotted the similarities between your mana and the centaur's the moment she saw you."

Isaac was part of the tracking team too—wouldn't he be able to trace it? The power he'd shown in person seemed like it could do anything. Hard to say if he outmatched Rebecca.

"There are plenty of spells that minimize traces while escaping. Like the one I use to turn into a necklace—same principle. If Rebecca had shown up then, she wouldn't have noticed."

"Oh, really?"

What the—why was she being so helpful today? This succubus.

"Guess hell really is your home turf."

"Duh… But how long are we gonna talk about this? I'm sleepy~."

The moment the conversation wrapped up, Liliana started rubbing her face against my chest.

"Ha. That what you want?"

"Obviously…. Master~."

Her eyes were full-on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠succubus mode now. If I pushed her away in that state, she'd throw a full tantrum.

"Fine. When we get to France, we'll hit up some nice spots together. We promised, remember?"

I'd have to bring her along as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a necklace anyway. The whole point of the trip was meeting her and the centaur.

We'd definitely promised a date when the time came, so I had to make it happen.

"D-Date… with Master…."

"We can hit some good restaurants or whatever. Oh, but where'd Scarlett go?"

There'd been two when we came in, but now only one was left.

Scarlett's status window had popped up too, so if she was conquerable, I should go for it.

"Scarlett? She was here until just now… Huh? Where'd she go? She was there while I was lying down."

"Hmm… Whatever."

That girl was impossible to read. Did she like me or was she just testing the waters? No clue.

It wasn't life-or-death urgent anyway… Things would work out eventually.

I stopped talking, slipped my hand under Liliana's clothes, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pulled her toward me.

"Alright. Come here."

"Y-Yeah… Master…."

*

The next morning.

I woke naturally to sunlight streaming through the window. A quick check—6:30 a.m.

Old academy habits meant I always woke around then, no matter how late I crashed. Probably 'cause my body's so healthy now.

Back when I was a broke singleton, late nights meant late mornings.

I poked the cheek of the cute succubus sleeping on my chest.

"Wake up. Wake up. Hide, quick."

7 a.m. was medical check time. My condition was basically fine, but they'd admitted me for just one day in case of delayed backlash.

They'd said no night checks 'cause I was a light sleeper, but I had no excuse for mornings.

So I had to get this succubus off me and hidden ASAP.

"Mm, mmm… Master…."

"I said wake up. Hey. Nurses are coming—you'll get caught."

Liliana, who'd been nuzzling my neck, snapped awake at "caught."

"Gasp. Shit—h-hide! Scarlett! Where are you?!"

"Right here, Lady Liliana."

I handed the still-groggy Liliana to Scarlett.

"I'll take Lady Liliana back to the dorms. Let us know when you're discharged."

"Yeah. Should be out today."

Whoosh—

Scarlett hoisted Liliana like a sack of rice and vanished like it was routine.

Where the hell had she been all night, showing up now?

Once Scarlett was fully gone, I remembered my promise with Ellis.

Shit—I'd said "tonight," but then promised to drop by today. Hmm.

"7 p.m. is still night."

I'd go with that. Not wrong. It gets dark around then anyway.

Knock knock—

"Medical check. May I come in?"

"Yes, come on in."

*

They'd said it'd just be a nurse for a quick check, but who showed up was Baek Ayoung.

Busy as she was, she spent over an hour in my room.

"Darling…."

"Sorry. It's training—I can't skip it."

"Don't get scammed abroad. Especially currency swaps…."

"…Got it, darling."

I gave a wry smile as she clung to me, pouting sadly.

She was down about heading to Iris Guild for training. Maybe another hypnosis playdate soon.

No time, though. We'd be apart more often from now on.

Worrying how to handle all these heroines already.

Rebecca the only one I could really count on, huh.

Eventually, a call about piled-up work pulled her away with a sad face.

Paperwork was done—I could discharge whenever.

"Timing's awkward."

Meeting Ellis tonight meant heading home late.

Time to kill till then. I fired up my smartwatch and started browsing.

News, politics, society, economy, magic research… Stuff I didn't care about but should know.

"…They try hard."

Victoria Academy was the world's top school. Tons of news, and those "minor" stories? All incidents I was tangled in.

The S-rank mine skull-masks raiding the dorms? "Mysterious explosion."

Shin Dong-min's mana-blocking barrier terror at the celebration? "Successfully thwarted."

No gritty details—just chairman interviews glossing over the key bits.

I got it, though. Smart handling. Not just a school—tons of stakeholders. Full truth would spark panic, so they dialed it back.

No matter how much damage I took, sweep it under and done. World keeps turning.

Better than my name dragged in unnecessarily, but still left a bitter taste.

I stood by the window, gazing out.

People rushing to early appointments, others staring oddly. Office workers blurred at desks on phones. Street hawkers calling to passersby.

Life everywhere. This wasn't a game—it was real.

Each of those people had their own lives. Time marched on while I fooled around with girls, and Pandemic kept moving.

I'd conquered heroines faster than canon. My power grew quicker too.

Great situation, objectively.

But no room for complacency. To navigate this, I could only trust one thing.

Myself.

Heroines were just support.

I circulated mana in my body. Focused my mind, sharpened senses.

Voices on the street. Music from restaurants. Every visible space felt like it was right beside me.

Combat thoughts had been brewing awhile. My fights so far? Total improv.

Basic spells jury-rigged on instinct. Plus the penalty—no revealing attributes.

All attributes available, but stuck to just ice and fire.

'Screw it, just reveal them.'

It'd be huge news, so no random reveal, but life > that.

Crackle—

I focused mana in my hand, generating electricity.

Never used lightning magic, but it flowed like an old tool.

Talent to manifest any spell as imagined. I'd wasted it chasing heroines.

"…Time for a training ground session."

Relations with the girls were solid. Assuming Rebecca's plan worked—but if it did…

No dismemberment at least.

Now, invest in my growth.

"…."

I stared blankly outside, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠then grabbed my clothes.

Strike while inspired, or I'd forget.

Then it hit me.

'Gotta report to Sulin noona.'

Did I really? But skipping felt like it'd bite me.

Her glare still haunted me.

I'd sent that. "What am I, a kid…."

Embarrassing to report like this, but…

Ding—

Instant reply.

…Cute. Damn, pretty girls really can do no wrong. No anger at all.

If one text swaps messages with a beauty, I'd do it forever.

Skip the sex report, just the errands. Reporting sex would dent a man's pride.

I grabbed my stuff and headed to the training grounds.