29. Poison Soup
Jo Su-min's attitude was clearly strange.
No matter how much I never turned away a woman who came to me, I wasn't about to drink poisoned soup without any caution.
'It's not like I'm trapped in a room I can't escape unless I drink the poison soup.'
If it were a cute little act like Son Yu-ju pushing her friend forward and playing games with it, that would be one thing.
But even without drinking it, I could probably identify what kind of poison it was.
'It's certain that Song Ji-yu is the one who arranged this.'
If so, working backward was simple. I just had to figure out what Song Ji-yu could gain from this.
More precisely, what Song Ji-yu thought she could gain from this.
'Let's think from Song Ji-yu's perspective.'
I was a man who lusted after women and had no hesitation about touching them.
I had gone independent with Tia at my side, seemed to have advanced my relationship with Yu-na, the class president, and was even touching Kwon Chae-a in return for looking after them.
And I was generous to my women.
I had said I was looking after Song Ji-yu's party because of Lee Se-rin's party and Kwon Chae-a.
Lastly, I had been soloing since level 1, and judging by my performance in the party yesterday, I was extremely capable.
'At minimum, that was how much I knew Song Ji-yu had figured out about me.'
Rumors or things she'd heard from others could only have told her more, not less.
Conversely, what I had figured out about Song Ji-yu was based on what I experienced in the party today.
Song Ji-yu exerted strong influence over the party, and she was extremely reluctant to have that influence infringed upon.
So much so that even a trivial instruction had to go through her.
Putting it all together, what Jo Su-min wanted wasn't me as an instructor who kept ordering her around,
'but a combatant who would make things comfortable for them.'
As a means to that end, she had used Jo Su-min to draw in a man who took care of his women—me.
Seeing Jo Su-min follow Song Ji-yu's orders even though she clearly didn't want to, Song Ji-yu's influence was practically domination.
'Could she have been gaslit?'
Anyway, the conclusion was reached.
This was poisoned soup.
'But is there a rule that says I absolutely must not eat poison soup?'
Since I had already identified what kind of poison it was, I could drink it as much as I wanted if I neutralized it.
And if I could also devour the assassin who had added the poison afterward, that would be the best possible result.
***
Having organized my thoughts, I spoke to Jo Su-min, who was unbuttoning her shirt.
No, I spoke to her while simultaneously casting a spell.
Unvoiced Suggestion. A spell that planted a suggestion.
"Jo Su-min, tell me honestly."
I felt the spell bounce off. Jo Su-min's class, Druid, was strong against Wisdom saves, so I had braced for this.
"Uh, huh?"
But the advantage of this spell was that when used without verbal components, it left no trace.
Still, perhaps because a spell had been cast, she sensed something was off and looked around, but she couldn't easily detect it.
In that case, there was a second chance.
"Jo Su-min, don't be afraid of Song Ji-yu. Tell me honestly."
This time the spell worked properly.
"Ah, no. Ji-yu told me not to say."
At the moment she said that, Jo Su-min opened her mouth without realizing she was already spilling the truth.
"It's okay. It's just you and me here. If you speak quietly, she won't hear."
"B-but still,"
"You don't actually want to do it with me, do you?"
"Of course not!"
Jo Su-min raised her voice without realizing it.
"Quietly."
At my warning, she covered her own mouth.
If Song Ji-yu had had her ear to the door, she might have heard.
But even so, it would have been hard to grasp the context.
"Then was it Song Ji-yu who sent you here?"
"N-no. I decided it myself."
Jo Su-min shook her head, denying my words.
"By yourself?"
"......No, Ji-yu explained it to me."
This time she hesitated for a moment, then revealed the inside story.
"I'm not even helping the party, so I have to at least bring someone who can help, right?"
Jo Su-min wasn't helping the party?
The Druid spell Entangle was a spell that bound the feet of monsters within a 3-meter square area, making it extremely advantageous in combat.
She was helping her allies with such a powerful spell, and she didn't recognize her own value?
No, I had to assume she was being deliberately criticized.
"So?"
"You like women, so if I persuaded you one-on-one, you'd come around,"
She didn't say it directly, but it meant offering her body.
Even if that wasn't the case, Jo Su-min, who had never even talked with me, had no proper way to persuade me through conversation.
And if she actually offered her body and came back with no results,
'Song Ji-yu would criticize her, saying she told her to talk, not to use her body.'
Song Ji-yu had narrowed Jo Su-min's thinking so much that she could no longer make even that ordinary judgment.
If she succeeded, Song Ji-yu's own life improved.
If she failed, Song Ji-yu could pressure Jo Su-min.
Song Ji-yu was truly enjoying herself while holding all the winning cards.
'But it seems she underestimated my desires.'
I was a rake who lusted not only after the woman in front of me but also the woman hiding behind her.
I made a move to land a blow on Song Ji-yu.
"Is that so? Then Jo Su-min, you currently have two options."
Saying there were options meant narrowing the other person's options.
On the other hand, if you said this to someone who felt they had no options, it meant you intended to control them as you pleased.
Jo Su-min took the words literally, missing the latter implication, and answered.
"Two?"
"Yes. The first is to button up just like this and walk out of the room."
"B-but if I do that,"
"I'll explain it well to Song Ji-yu."
"Really?!"
To Jo Su-min, whose hope had returned, I told her the second option.
"The other option is to keep unbuttoning just like this."
At those words, Jo Su-min's expression hardened.
"Then in return, I'll give you a chance to get revenge on Song Ji-yu."
"Revenge."
Jo Su-min was momentarily captivated by those words, but she quickly shook it off.
"Revenge? What would I have to get revenge on Ji-yu for?"
There seemed to be mountains of reasons, but she herself was denying it.
She was refusing the path of becoming an active agent rather than a mere victim. But how long could she keep that up?
Even if it didn't work at this stage, I steadily laid groundwork for the future as I spoke to Jo Su-min.
"Then button up. Let's go out together."
"Okay."
I released the concentration maintaining the Suggestion spell. It was so that Song Ji-yu wouldn't notice Jo Su-min's newly honest state.
Since I didn't know how the two of them normally interacted, I had to avoid anything that might arouse suspicion.
***
"What, you came out already?"
As soon as I stepped out of the room, Song Ji-yu was there, leaning against the wall next to the door.
She wore a look that seemed faintly contemptuous of me.
'Did she think I was a premature ejaculator?'
Before Jo Su-min, who was fidgeting as if unsure how to interpret those words, could open her mouth, I spoke first.
"I came out because I said we should stop."
"Heh~. You did?"
Song Ji-yu said that while leaning close and looking up at me.
"I get what you're trying to say, but even I don't touch just any woman."
"Really? And yet you touched Yu-na and the teacher?"
"Those two came because they wanted it themselves."
Of course, Tia hadn't seemed to want it, but Song Ji-yu wouldn't know about my first time with Tia.
"Su-min wanted to be there too, you know? What's wrong with that? Someone like you would even make a decent boyfriend."
A rake like me would make a good boyfriend? I could practically hear the omitted words: "for Su-min."
What on earth did she think of Jo Su-min?
"Well, I get the feeling the one who wants something isn't Jo Su-min, but you."
In that case, the person who should have come isn't Jo Su-min, but you, Song Ji-yu. If you want something, you should seize it with your own hands.
"Me? What on earth would I get?"
Whatever I said here, she would deny it.
"Forget it. Anyway, I'm leaving."
"Yeah? Take care. Su-min, what happened in there?"
Song Ji-yu went straight to Jo Su-min without sparing another thought for my departure.
But I didn't think that woman would give up easily.
She would probably dress it up more convincingly next time and push Jo Su-min at me again.
And that time would be my opportunity to target Song Ji-yu as well.
***
Day 15 since falling into the labyrinth.
Today, the day after inspecting Song Ji-yu's party, I was looking after Kwon Chae-a's party.
The three planned to hunt in the open grassland labyrinth rather than closed labyrinths like temples or caves, so I had come to watch them.
Literally watching.
"Eldritch Blast!"
Son Yu-ju's spell burst against a wolf running from afar. Even though one fell, the remaining wolves closed the distance.
Kwon Chae-a's arrow struck another wolf, but it kept running, apparently not a fatal wound.
Choi Da-in's javelin missed entirely, perhaps because the distance was too great, and just as they were about to clash with three wolves after reducing the pack by one,
"Darkness!"
Darkness bloomed at the point where the two groups collided.
Kwon Chae-a and Choi Da-in, who had been waiting in the front line, skillfully swung their blades in the darkness.
The wolves relied on smell and lashed out with teeth and claws, only to have the attacks stopped by HP and armor.
A victory won with almost no losses.
I watched from a short distance away, then approached while clapping.
"That was good. Did you practice working together a lot yesterday?"
"Right? The gift Do-hyeon gave us and the spell he recommended worked really well together."
Kwon Chae-a gave me the credit.
"Is there anything I could do better?"
It was unfortunate for Choi Da-in, who was expecting instructions, but her role performance had been too perfect.
Meanwhile, Son Yu-ju, the greatest contributor to the battle just now,
"...Ugh!"
was hiding behind Choi Da-in and glaring at me.
She had been like this ever since I punished her two days ago when she was pretending to sleep.
"All three of you stuck to your roles. You opened with ranged attacks, then switched weapons to protect the rear, and Son Yu-ju used her spell at the right moment."
Even going through it point by point, it was a battle with no mistakes. So what I had to say was,
"Then shall we go a bit deeper today?"
"Is that okay?"
"I'll be standing behind you. It's also important to figure out where your limits are."
Open-type labyrinths were structured so that stronger enemies appeared the deeper you went.
Unlike closed-type labyrinths, having a strong person present didn't make stronger enemies appear.
So conversely, it was important to find an area appropriate for your own level.
If you stayed in an area that was too weak, hunting efficiency dropped, and if you went too deep, your life was threatened.
Therefore, there was no better opportunity to grasp your limits than now, with a protector like me waiting in the rear.
"Then let's rest before entering the next battle."
"Okay, then the tent—"
"No, teacher, come here."
I grabbed the face of Kwon Chae-a, who approached me with a puzzled look, and pressed my lips to hers.
"Mmph, mmph!"
Kwon Chae-a couldn't even stop the tongue that slipped in between, and her eyes darted toward the other students.
Both students were blushing as they watched our kiss.
After sufficient contact, when I pulled my lips away, only a white thread explained what had just happened.
"What do you think you're doing! Do-hyeon!"
Kwon Chae-a was angry. She must have been embarrassed to do that in front of the students. Even though our relationship had already been completely found out.
"It's one of my abilities. I can substitute a short rest with this."
"E-even so, doing something like this,"
"Then next is Choi Da-in."
"Okay!"
"Da-in?!"
Choi Da-in came up beside the startled teacher and closed her eyes.
I grabbed her face and devoured her lips just like that.
Churrrup, slurp, ssuup.
The sounds of flesh tangling and liquid being sucked spread out just like before.
Choi Da-in's body wanted more than this, but unfortunately, now wasn't the time.
I pulled my lips away without dragging it out unnecessarily.
"Ah,"
I felt sorry for Choi Da-in, who looked at me as if disappointed, but let's do the rest next time.
"Seo Do-hyeon?!"
Kwon Chae-a, who hadn't come to her senses while we were kissing, shouted at me.
"It's just that kind of relationship. We're adults, aren't we?"
"W-well, that's true, but."
Leaving Kwon Chae-a muttering that it wasn't her place to interfere in a relationship between adults, I called the last woman's name.
"Son Yu-ju."
"Ee, eek!"
I approached Son Yu-ju, who startled and hid behind Choi Da-in's back.