The Fraudulent Character Coveted the Fraudulent Protagonist (2)

Ju Joyeon momentarily lost his words at Lily Cubus's insane proposal before forcing himself to snap back to his senses and shout.

"D-Do you think I'm some kind of woman-crazed lunatic?"

Of course, he hadn't fully regained his composure, so the slight stutter was unavoidable.

"I know for certain that you don't dislike women. On the contrary, you're a healthy man who greatly enjoys beautiful women."

"What the hell are you talking about~?"

"There's no need to deny it. I possess a skill that lets me know these things. The woman who's with you—Arty, was it? You have feelings ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for her, don't you?"

"......"

Lily revealed even her skill, something she should never disclose to others, without hesitation as she tried to persuade him.

"And for whatever reason, I also know that the two of you are keeping your distance more than necessary... So, I'll comfort you instead."

Standing before the captive Ju Joyeon, Lily slowly removed her priestess robes. Moments later, now clad only in pure white undergarments, she whispered while naturally running her hand across his chest, showing no trace of shame.

"Just like you said before, I look a lot like Arty, don't I? You can think of me as a substitute."

"......"

"No matter what preferences you have, it doesn't matter. If it's you, I'll accept anything..."

"Ptooey."

Spit flew straight onto Lily Cubus's face as she looked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up at him. Because they were so close and she hadn't expected such an action, Lily couldn't react at all.

Moreover, because the inside of the prison was so dark, Lily failed to notice The Reaper rising behind Ju Joyeon and remained exposed to its gaze.

"Cut the vulgar nonsense. I hate women like you the most. You get pampered by everyone around you, so you become arrogant with zero humility. On top of that, you only think about using others with that attitude. Don't spout bullshit about looking similar to Arty."

Ju Joyeon glared at Lily with eyes full of disgust. The Reaper behind him also stared directly at Lily Cubus. The gaze of The Reaper, said to be the strongest skill against a single target.

"..?!"

Yet Lily's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bizarre madness resisted The Reaper's gaze.

Slurp.

Lily licked Ju Joyeon's saliva off her face with her pink tongue and smiled brightly. Ju ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Joyeon felt a chill run down his spine at her unimaginable action. Still wearing her mad smile, Lily lightly stroked his chest.

"You're a little mistaken. I never become arrogant. I simply make use of everything I can. And that includes my own body. If it's to obtain you, I can do anything. Whatever you desire. I can accept any desire of yours. Your appearance, your personality, any kind of play—truly anything... I want you that much. I'll ask one more time. Won't you join hands with me?"

It was a proposal filled with nothing but pure goodwill, devoid of any hostility or schemes. An unparalleled beauty who would embrace anything for his sake alone—a miraculous opportunity that any man might have dreamed of at least once.

...However, Ju Joyeon's instincts screamed that he must never get close to Lily, no matter how much he looked at her.

"...Get lost. I have no intention of associating with a crazy bitch like you."

In the end, what came out of Ju Joyeon's mouth was rejection. Upon hearing his answer, Lily's mood completely plummeted, as if she were truly saddened. But she quickly regained her energy, took a step back from him, and pleaded again.

"....... I don't want you to hate me. Please stay with me. I have no intention of getting in your way. You can even think of me as a toy that's fun to play with."

"Get lost. I said it clearly. There's no way I'm staying with you."

"Is that... so."

At Ju Joyeon's firm voice, Lily seemed to have truly given up and became completely dejected. At the same time, The Reaper behind him slowly disappeared as well. The mana he had barely gathered was beginning to run dry again.

Ju Joyeon forced himself to hold onto his fraying consciousness, took a deep breath, and maintained the minimum amount of mana. And then—

Click.

"...Huh?"

"How unfortunate... If you had helped me, we could have accomplished so much more..."

Lily approached the breathing Ju Joyeon and placed a silver metal choker she had taken out of her inventory around his neck. Ju Joyeon was startled by the cold metallic sensation on his neck.

"...What is this."

"It's nothing special. It's an artifact that maintains the status quo. It won't cause you any harm."

"Artifact?"

The silver choker Lily placed around Ju Joyeon's neck emitted a faint light before dimming again as if nothing had happened.

"Since you won't cooperate with me, I have no choice... But don't worry. I have no intention of harming you. That said, I have no intention of letting you go either. Please wait quietly here until everything is over."

"What the hell are you... Ugh..."

Ju Joyeon realized that the dizziness he had been suppressing wasn't going away and was continuing, and that his mana, which had been slowly recovering naturally, had stopped recovering altogether.

"Gah! My mana..! Take this off!!"

"I'll remove it. After I've dealt with Neveiria. Let's finish this first and talk again later."

"I have nothing more to talk about with you.. Ugh..."

"I'll be going now. See you later."

"Hey, you..! Take this off! Lily Cubus!!"

Treating Ju Joyeon's screams as a farewell greeting, Lily put her priestess robes back on, gave him a beautiful smile and a wave, then left the abyss. His cries echoed emptily through the abyss.

****

When Lily emerged from the abyss, Lord Richard, who had been waiting, greeted her.

"Priestess, how did the plan go?"

"...Unfortunately, it failed. He turned out to be far more resolute than I expected."

"Heh... To think he would refuse even when the priestess lowered herself to beg like that... I doubt he's even a real man."

Lord Richard grew angry on her behalf, as if it were his own problem, and criticized Ju Joyeon. Lily defended Ju Joyeon even in that situation, telling Lord Richard not to speak so harshly of him.

"Then what do you plan to do now? Will you proceed with the original plan?"

"I have no choice... However, there's something I need you to do first, my lord."

"Of course. If it's your request, Lady Priestess, I, Richard, will do anything. Even if you asked me to pluck a star from the sky."

"Hehe. Thank you for saying that. But it's not that difficult. Just bring Arty Stria Jewel Heroine—the woman who's with Ju Joyeon—before me."

"Ah, you mean that woman who was as beautiful as you, Priestess. Hmm~ Would it be alright if I asked for the reason?"

Since he needed to think about how to capture Arty, Richard asked Lily for confirmation. She glanced once toward the abyss before answering simply.

"Those who fall in love inevitably develop weaknesses they cannot hide. That's why they always stay together to protect those weaknesses. Since Ju Joyeon won't listen to my request, I have no choice but to seize his weakness."

"Aah~ That's an excellent idea. I'll immediately order the guards to arrest her on charges."

"Please do, my lord. I'll go to the bishop and prepare the schedule ahead."

Lord Richard headed straight to the guard post to issue orders, while Lily made her way to the church.

...

Skitter.

And a single roach that had been watching the scene began crawling across the ground at high speed.

****

Left alone after Lily ascended to the surface, Ju Joyeon.

"Ughhh... I'm dizzy..."

The choker around his neck kept the dizziness going, preventing him from staying sane.

Creak. Creak.

Having decided it was fine to come out now, Jack and May emerged from their graves.

Clack.

'Master, are you alright?'

Clack.

'I'll remove your restraints first.'

Jack and May easily snapped the shackles binding Ju Joyeon's limbs. With his hands now free, Ju Joyeon immediately checked the choker around his neck. Made of extremely sturdy metal, unlike the handcuffs it wasn't an ordinary item, so his strength couldn't budge it at all. Moreover, because it was an artifact around his neck, he couldn't bring himself to break it like Delpiari's wrist artifact, not when it risked shattering his bones.

"Aaaagh! This is so annoying~!! What the hell is wrong with that crazy bitch! What the hell was she thinking, pulling this kind of stunt on me?!"

Clack.

'It's because Master is so exceptionally capable...'

Clack.

'It's only natural for women to fall for a wonderful man~'

"She's not fallen for me, she's just full of thoughts about using me. Ugh... I'm dizzy. What's Phon's current state?"

Clack.

'His body remains destroyed down below. Karl and Ron should be able to emerge from their graves if you call for them, Master. Also, House has already informed Lady Arty and Tiasia of your current situation.'

Clack!

'Master, House confirmed that Priestess Lily and the man called the lord are targeting Lady Arty. They plan to use her as leverage to threaten you!'

"Kugh... They're going after Arty...?"

Clack.

'Since House has already relayed the situation, they won't be caught by surprise.'

Clack.

'Shall we head to the surface quickly as well?'

At May's question, Ju Joyeon shook his head while forcibly steadying his spinning vision.

"No use. In this state, I won't be able to do anything even if I go up."

Clack.

'Then shall just the two of us go up?'

Clack.

'Since we're going to annihilate Neveiria using undead anyway, they probably won't notice us if we blend in.'

"We'd have to wait until after the situation breaks out for that. We can't do it right now. If you two go up alone, you'll obviously get attacked by ordinary people, and if I go up, that crazy woman will come to capture me again."

Clack.

'Then what should we do? Lady Arty will be in danger...'

"What are you worried about? Lara's there."

Clack.

'Will Lady Tiasia be alright on her own...?'

"Of course. There's no way any ordinary adventurer could beat Lara. She'll protect Arty just fine on her own. Tell Lara to come here with Arty."

Clack.

'Here, you mean?'

"Yeah. I want to ask that crazy woman a few things."

Ju Joyeon muttered while staring at the ring on his finger.