The Magic City and the Great Detective
"Why? You should've scouted the location more carefully. This is what happens when you try to change clothes in a place like this like an idiot."
At Seong-il's words, Luphtesia immediately shot back.
"Wh-what are you talking about?! I'm Tanya, the maid! There were male officers swarming from my room all the way to the office, so I was just trying to change here! Why are you doing this?!"
"Cut the crap. I changed clothes with a female maid ten minutes ago. You expect me to believe that lame excuse?"
"I-I'm telling the truth! Please believe me."
"Shut up. Liars need a few good whacks to come to their senses."
With that, Seong-il showed her the club he'd pulled from his Inventory along with the rope.
"Eek!!"
The self-proclaimed 'Tanya' froze in terror as Seong-il thrust the menacing-looking club right in front of her face.
Finally getting to use these things!!
Seong-il flashed a satisfied grin as he recalled the two bizarre items he'd gotten from his very first shop draw.
◈ Restraint self-defense tool. Strikes cause no wounds, only pain.
◈ Causes pain without injury. Perfect for pinching annoying people.
If I use the It Hurts Club, I can beat her as much as I want and she'll only feel pain with no visible wounds. I'd like to try the pliers too, but that might take too long. I'll save them for later.
Having made up his mind, Seong-il flipped the bound Luphtesia onto her stomach on the floor and raised the club—
"Ugh?"
A powerful wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over his body.
What the hell? Why am I losing strength all of a sudden...?
Seong-il dropped to one knee, breathing heavily as the sudden lethargy gripped him. Even though her body was tied up, Luphtesia began to struggle desperately. The ropes didn't loosen at first—Seong-il had tied them incredibly tight. But with the nimble hands befitting a renowned phantom thief, she twisted and maneuvered with every trick she knew until the ropes gradually began to slacken.
Damn it all!
Panicking at the sight, Seong-il ignored the fact that there were witnesses and decided to open his Inventory to grab a stamina potion.
"Inventory!"
Inventory opened. A mysterious rift appears before your eyes.
Luphtesia's eyes widened in shock at the sight. She completely forgot about loosening her bonds and simply stared at the rift in stunned silence.
Seong-il gritted his teeth, pulled out a stamina potion from the Inventory, and gulped it down.
Gulp! Gulp!!
After struggling to open the lid and chugging the potion, he soon felt the exhaustion drain from his body as his strength returned to normal.
Whew... the stamina potion worked! Thank god. There must be some issue with the engravings. I'll have to ask Yuna about the aftereffects later!!
When Seong-il's body began to normalize, Luphtesia's face turned deathly pale. She started writhing again, desperately trying to free herself from the ropes.
"Not so fast!"
Seong-il grabbed the It Hurts Club and mercilessly slammed it into her ass.
"Kyaaah!! K-khuk!!"
Luphtesia writhed in agony from the brutal pain. She thrashed violently before coughing up blood.
Did the Mountain Shattering Divine Fist damage her internal organs?
Startled by her sudden vomiting of blood, Seong-il quickly brought a red potion to her lips and poured it into her mouth.
"Ugh... ptoo!!"
Perhaps thinking it was poison meant to harm her, Luphtesia spat out the potion Seong-il was trying to feed her. Seeing this, he tightened the ropes again and began to persuade her.
"Hey, that's an expensive healing potion. You just coughed up blood, so it looks like your insides are injured. Why don't you drink it nicely?"
"Ugh... blech!! Don't give me that bullshit! You beat me half to death and now you want to treat me? Save your lies for someone who'll believe them!"
Sigh... did I hit her too hard?
Seong-il let out a sigh at her words. To convince her, he pulled out the knife he'd stashed in his Inventory and held it in front of her face.
Flinch!
Fear flashed across Luphtesia's face as the blade appeared before her eyes. Just as she was about to beg for mercy, Seong-il did something completely unexpected—he slashed his own forearm.
"What...?"
Luphtesia was stunned by the sight of Seong-il harming himself with the knife.
"Watch carefully."
He then rubbed the wound against the potion she'd spat onto the floor earlier.
"Huh...?"
The moment the spilled liquid touched the wound, it began healing at an astonishing speed. Luphtesia's face filled with shock and disbelief.
"Now do you believe me?"
"..."
"So drink it quietly. It would be inconvenient for me if you died. I finally caught the infamous phantom thief—how annoying would it be if you turned into a corpse like this?"
With those words, Seong-il poured the potion into Luphtesia's mouth. Gulp... gulp!
Perhaps because he'd demonstrated it himself, this time Luphtesia didn't resist. She obediently swallowed the potion he gave her.
The stomach pain and muscle aches vanished rapidly. She looked at Seong-il with wide eyes, and he spoke again.
"Since we're already using it, I'll heal the external injuries too."
He rubbed the potion onto her back and stomach where the palm-shaped bruises remained. Oh... her skin is really nice. She must take good care of it.
Her skin was soft and white with just the right amount of flesh. When he stroked it gently, he could feel a soft layer of fat, but when he pressed a little harder, firm, well-trained muscles met his hand.
Seong-il spent quite a while caressing her soft belly, both to enjoy the sensation and to apply the potion. Before long, the palm prints on her stomach and back disappeared completely.
"!!!"
Luphtesia's eyes widened as she watched the potion heal both her internal and external injuries in an instant. Meeting her gaze, Seong-il picked up the club again and said,
"Well then... now that your body seems fine, shall we continue our conversation? Miss 'Tanya,' the self-proclaimed maid?"
"!!!"
The moment he healed her wounds, he was already threatening her with the club again. Luphtesia was visibly flustered. When she remained silent, Seong-il silently raised the club and struck her ass.
Smack!!
"Kyaaah!!"
Oh... it really doesn't leave any wounds at all?
Seong-il marveled at the effect of the It Hurts Club. Aside from the pain, there was no sign of any external trauma from the strikes. With his conscience now completely clear, he began spanking her ass with relish.
Slap! Slap! Smack!!
Though called a club, the It Hurts Club looked more like a cricket bat—wide and flat, except for its rounded handle that resembled a baseball bat. Thanks to that shape, Seong-il could deliver incredibly satisfying smacks to Luphtesia's rear.
"Smack! Smack! Smack!! Slap!!"
"Ow!! S-stop it!!"
"Why? If you're really the innocent maid 'Tanya,' you could just scream at the top of your lungs and bring the people outside running, right?"
"..."
"So why are you keeping your voice as low as possible and only letting out these timid moans?"
"..."
"And did you know? Your voice is quieter than the sound of my club slapping against your ass while you're draped over my knee?"
"Th-that's because it's embarrassing...!"
Seong-il let out a small chuckle at her excuse.
"What's so embarrassing about it? You call that an excuse?"
"If you were half-naked and getting your ass beaten by the opposite sex, you'd end up acting just like me!"
At her defense, Seong-il smirked and countered,
"Not at all. If it were me, I'd be screaming my head off to get out of this situation. I'd grit my teeth, swallow a bit of shame, and call for outsiders to ensure my safety and escape danger."
"..."
"But you're not doing that. Why? Could it be that getting caught by the officers would cause you some problems? Maybe you'd be sold at the public slave market and turned into a sex slave?"
"......"
At the mention of the public slave market, Luphtesia's face turned deathly pale. Seong-il didn't miss the change in her expression and pressed his advantage.
"See? That guilty look. You really are the phantom thief Luphtesia. And I've just hit the jackpot. Hehehehe!!"
At Seong-il's words, Luphtesia suddenly composed herself and began trying to persuade him.
"Let me go! If you do, I'll give you half of all my assets! That amount of money would be more than enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life!"
"Oh ho... so you're admitting you're the phantom thief Luphtesia?"
"..."
When she fell silent, Seong-il raised the club again. Her face paled instantly and she answered in a rush.
"Y-yes! I'm her! Could you please stop hitting my ass with that club? Please...!"
"Hmm... so you're the type who only comes to her senses after getting beaten?"
"..."
"Oh? No answer?"
"Eek! Yes, sir! That's exactly the type I am!!"
Terrified, Luphtesia answered obediently. Satisfied with her sudden change in attitude, Seong-il replied,
"There, there. Isn't it so much better when you answer nicely like that? It's easier on both our bodies, don't you think?"
"Y-yes, of course!!"
"In that spirit, let me ask again. You are Luphtesia, correct?"
"Y-yes... I am Luphtesia... sir! Could you please let me go? If you release me, I'll truly give you gold and treasures!!"
Luphtesia begged desperately.
"Huh... I don't get it. The girl who boldly sends advance notices saying she'll steal things is now so innocently begging for her life...?"
"Th-that's because I never expected to get caught so ridiculously easily. And even if I did get caught, I thought I might be able to persuade you, so... hehe..."
Do the people in this world all suffer from some kind of two-percent-short-of-a-full-deck syndrome...?
Hiding his bewilderment, Seong-il began seriously considering her offer.
Hmm... I didn't expect to catch the phantom thief so easily...
What should I do? Hand her over to the officers and take the reward? Or take the treasures from her and actually let her go...?
Luphtesia watched Seong-il as he closed his mouth in deep thought. Thinking her proposal had worked, she desperately tried to persuade him further.
"Sir! If you hand me over to the police station, they'll take all my belongings and arrest me, right? In that case, to survive, I'd have no choice but to confess everything about the items I possess. Isn't that correct?"
"Hmm...?"
"Then the only things you'd gain would be the honor of catching me and a small bounty! Nothing more!"
"Don't call me sir. I'm a detective. And isn't honor enough for a detective...? Money is just a secondary thing that follows honor. Money doesn't mean much to me."
"Th-then! If you let me go, I'll share ancient artifacts with you!!!"
"...Artifacts?"
"Yes!! The reason I have a name for myself in this business is not only because of my outstanding skills, but also because of the ancient artifacts I've acquired from various places!"
"Oh ho..."
"If you hand me over to the police station, the government will try to confiscate all those artifacts! So you'd only get honor and monetary compensation—nothing else!"
"Hmm...."
Seong-il began to ponder as her words started to make sense. Seeing that her proposal seemed to be working, she became even more aggressive in tempting him.
"I can give you the items right away! I'll give you the teleportation ring I use for escape!"
".....A teleportation ring?!"
Seong-il was genuinely shocked at the name of such an incredible treasure. Seeing his expression, Luphtesia flashed a triumphant smile and nodded as she continued her explanation.
"Yes! It's an artifact that allows you to escape anywhere within a 50-kilometer radius! The reason I was able to become a famous phantom thief is precisely because of that ring! Once I break in and get my hands on the goods, I can quickly escape using the ring!"
Seong-il found her words quite tempting. However, he pointed out the obvious flaw hidden in her statement.
"Wait a minute. If that's true, then why are you in this situation right now? Couldn't you have just used the teleportation magic to run away?"
Luphtesia flinched at his question. She quickly composed herself and began to explain.
"Ah! That's... it actually needs about five minutes of warm-up time..."
"Hmm... and what happens after those five minutes?"