Chapter 169: The Taste of Subjugation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 169: The Taste of Subjugation
The sign was unnecessarily high-quality, but the dragon carved into it was a rather ridiculous-looking Black Dragon.
Justina looked up at the sign and furrowed her brows in disapproval.
"You there, human. Stop staring, will you? I am not a spectacle for a lower lifeform like you."
The man, who had been stealing glances at her out of curiosity because she was an elf, hurriedly turned his head away. Justina continued walking with a haughty expression.
"Shunya, let us go inside."
Though Justina acted overbearing toward others, she was quite friendly with Shunya, who had joined the Magic Research Club with her. In Yggdrasil, she spent most of her time with the girl.
Even if her behavior often resembled someone doting on a beloved pet, there was currently no student closer to Justina than Shunya.
As the two stepped inside, Owen, who looked busy, approached them with a smile.
"Oh, Miss Elf. I didn't expect to see you here."
"And what is that supposed to mean? Are you saying it is an honor for someone as noble as I to visit such a humble establishment?"
"Uh... something like that."
It was an awkward response, but Justina sat in the seat he provided, satisfied that Owen seemed to know his place.
"Enough flattery. Bring that man out."
"That man?"
"Seo Yeon-woo. I thought he was a human with some modicum of wit, but it seems he's lacking."
As Justina crossed her arms and maintained her arrogant attitude, Takeo scowled and started to approach. Owen secretly signaled him to stop and replied.
"Yeon-woo isn't here today."
"What? I heard all students are required to participate in the festival. Is that vulgar man incapable of following even a simple rule?"
Justina herself had been forced to work at the hamburger shop Akito planned because of that very rule.
It was infuriating enough that she, a noble elf, had to wear a vulgar outfit that exposed her thighs while serving humans. Hearing that someone like Seo Yeon-woo had managed to skip out made her fine eyebrows twitch in anger.
"Ah, well, there was an accident at his house."
"An accident?"
"Yeah. Apparently, his house exploded."
"......Forgive me, but I have yet to fully grasp the low-class idioms of humans. Could you speak plainly instead of using metaphors?"
"...No, it really exploded. Literally. Like, boom."
"Boom?"
"Yeah. Boom."
How many times in one's life would they experience their house exploding?
City A, surrounded by the Barrier and other cities, was the definition of safety itself. Yet, a house had exploded.
"Was he performing some strange magic experiment? It sounds like the kind of crude mistake a foolish man like him would make."
"I don't know the details. He's being questioned, so he might not be here tomorrow either."
"Sigh... What a fool."
She had come to mock him because he was supposedly popular among humans with unrefined palates, but Yeon-woo was nowhere to be found.
As Justina clicked her tongue, her plans ruined from the start, Owen asked, "Want some coffee? Or did you only come to see Yeon-woo?"
"Is there even coffee if that man isn't here?"
"Oh, Yukina and Jade learned the recipe. They're making it right now."
She had come to ridicule Yeon-woo, not to harass others.
Justina contemplated leaving until she saw Shunya’s sparkling eyes.
The desserts were all purchased from outside, but the patissiers Yeon-woo’s wealth had secured provided quality worthy of the price. Seeing Shunya staring at the attractive desserts as if she were dying to eat them, Justina decided to grant her wish since they were already there.
"This and this. And for the drink... No. Don't look at me like that, Shunya. A lady does not eat everything at once. One treat per cup of tea. No matter how much you want it, you must maintain your dignity."
As Justina ordered from the menu, Shunya, who had been watching with shimmering eyes, let her ears droop in disappointment.
"The desserts are all quite cheap compared to the coffee."
"That's because the coffee is the main attraction."
"Coffee is just coffee. Do you have no black tea?"
"Unfortunately, we only serve Magic Coffee in the ladies-only hall. Do you not like coffee?"
"Coffee... I tried it once. I poured the whole thing down the sink after a single sip."
"Haha, you won't be pouring this one out."
Owen took the order and headed inside.
Seeing his overflowing confidence, Justina let out a mocking smirk.
People said it was delicious, but how good could something made by that man really be?
Justina was someone who regularly consumed what was classified as high-class cuisine. She had tasted countless dishes and delicacies prepared by master chefs throughout her life.
She was the one who had drastically improved the taste of Akito’s hamburger shop, and she took pride in the fact that her palate was second to none.
"Hmph. The tea set is acceptable. To think they'd use Hermesh... at least they have some eye for quality."
"I don't know much about that, but Yeon-woo said it was expensive."
"Price is irrelevant. Money does not represent the true value of an object."
"Ah... right. Anyway, enjoy."
Even the good-natured Owen found Justina difficult to deal with, so he quickly retreated after serving the coffee.
Shunya immediately popped a dessert into her mouth, and Justina let out a small sigh.
"Goodness, you should enjoy the aroma of the tea first. I have much to teach you."
"This is super delicious!"
"It looks it. It seems he managed to source these from actual craftsmen."
She didn't see any equipment capable of making such desserts, nor did she smell the scent of baking.
Even if the festival was run by amateurs, once you put up a sign, you should have the pride to make the food yourself. To think they'd serve food bought from outside.
Justina shook her head and lifted her cup.
She was a hardcore black tea enthusiast. She considered coffee to be nothing more than dirty water made from seed dregs, while black tea was the queen of all drinks.
"You should have some tea as well, Shunya. It is rude to dismiss even trash without tasting it."
"Um... I actually don't like coffee that much. It's too bitter."
"Indeed. Black tea is the only true tea."
Swallowing the fact that she disliked black tea as well, Shunya followed Justina’s lead and lifted her cup.
Justina personally corrected Shunya’s hand positioning, and Shunya carefully brought the cup to her lips.
Watching her with a satisfied gaze, Justina touched the 'dirty water' to her own lips.
As she said, it was rude to insult something without tasting it—no, not an insult, an evaluation.
With that fleeting thought, the Magic Coffee entered Justina’s mouth.
In an instant, a massive storm of flavor surged through Justina’s body via the taste buds on her tongue.
She didn't want to admit it, but the flavor forced her to submit, ravaging her body at will.
The advance of flavor that began on her tongue spread in all directions, striking her brain, making her fingertips tingle, and flowing down to her legs—forcibly prying open the thighs she had been holding tight to maintain a dignified posture.
"Haaah..."
Justina, nearly letting something leak from her weakened legs, snapped back to her senses in shock and squeezed her thighs and groin tight.
Watching her reaction from afar, Owen and Takeo simply turned back to their work with expressions that said, 'Figures.'
Everyone reacted like that when they tasted Magic Coffee.
Whether you liked coffee, were a connoisseur, or hated it, it didn't matter. It was a devilish brew that forced you to find it delicious.
Feeling an inexplicable dampness between her tightly pressed thighs, Justina endured the humiliation and tried her best to act calm.
Although Owen and Takeo had already witnessed her initial reaction, Justina, who had briefly lost her mind, didn't notice and believed she was maintaining her dignity perfectly.
"......Shunya?"
"Hwah?"
When Justina finally looked over, she saw Shunya lying on the floor with her legs spread wide.
It was a stroke of luck that Justina had made Shunya change before coming here, as she couldn't let her walk around in that vulgar and embarrassing hamburger uniform.
If she had been wearing the short uniform instead of pants, Shunya’s private parts might have been exposed to everyone in that splayed-leg position.
Justina didn't recognize the posture for what it was, but Shunya, who had instinctively taken a submissive pose, belatedly snapped out of it and scrambled back into her chair.
"Ah, that... the co-co-co-coffee was just... so delicious..."
"I-Indeed. It is... somewhat passable. For a human, it is quite decent."
Shunya sipped her coffee with a bright red face and her head bowed, while Justina remained preoccupied with the dampness between her legs.
The two enjoyed their Magic Coffee with awkward expressions.
* * *
"Yawn~"
Dammit. Everyone else is enjoying the festival, youth, and sex, so what the hell am I doing here?
Despite Erin and Frey’s pursuit, those Mastermind bastards managed to escape.
I took the stance of 'I don't know anything,' but... that won't be enough to get me out of their sight, will it?
Was that Shisa-whatever marble really that important?
Still, those Mastermind types are pathologically obsessed with keeping their identities secret. Since they caused such a huge scene this time, they'll probably lay low for a while.
And they'll have to worry about the Zboni too, so it should be fine... right?
The game didn't give much info on the Masterminds, so I'm uneasy, but if I remember correctly, all their executives are deployed around this time to accelerate the Whitening Phenomenon in the Zboni world.
It was a ritual to spread the Whitening Phenomenon—magic like that can't be easy.
That's why they were quiet when the war between humans and Zboni broke out.
If they're busy looking for me instead, does that mean the damage to the Zboni decreases? Is that a win?
I'm not a fan of winning at the cost of my own life, though.
But what can I do? It's already happened, so I just have to be more careful.
I just have to hope the two who escaped report that I don't know anything about the marble and lose interest.
Anyway, thanks to those Mastermind bastards, I've been suffering since last night.
First, my house was blown to bits, so I came to Yggdrasil, and I've been under investigation ever since.
Can't they just organize their questions and send one person?
Safety measures? This department, that rank... they're taking turns investigating and interrogating me. It's driving me crazy.
I can't exactly say, "There's a group called the Masterminds, go kill them all," so I've been struggling to make up stories.
If it weren't for the Whitening Phenomenon, I'd run to a broadcasting station and expose everything.
But as the story progresses, Akito needs to gain the power to solve the Whitening Phenomenon because of the Masterminds' actions, so I have to maintain the status quo to some extent.
Can't they just give him the power all at once? Unsealing Lilia, needing Tyran energy, weird items for the poison in his body, magic formulas, and then the Source and enlightenment.
Why is it so complicated? Those damn developers... they should have made it easier. Why is the story so reliant on coincidences?
Because of that, I'm the one doing all the hard work.
I was interrogated until dawn, slept for a few hours, got interrogated again, and I have another session scheduled soon.
And of all places, I'm in Yggdrasil, so hearing the sounds of people enjoying the festival in the distance is even more annoying.
The festival is just one block away.
I'm technically here for protection, but I'm basically under house arrest and can't leave.
I have to cooperate faithfully for the government to let me go.
The waiting room is on the first floor, so the view outside the window is perfectly peaceful.
As I leaned my head against the window frame, passing the time in boredom, someone walked toward me.
They weren't aiming for me; it looked like they were just looking for a quiet spot because the main festival street was too crowded. But since I'm here, this is a restricted area they shouldn't enter.
Brown hair and a cute face—it’s the Pauper.
That orange hamburger shop uniform really stands out everywhere.
The Pauper looked around cautiously and then opened a small box she was carrying.
Is that takoyaki?
With an expression that looked like she was about to drool, the Pauper looked at the food in the box, carefully picked one up, put it in her mouth, and then stomped her feet in joy.
That stuff is good. I know because I bought some once.
The Pauper hopped around with joy after every bite.
If someone ate the food I made like that, it would be such a cute reaction that I couldn't help but be happy.
The price was only 1 Wit, so it wasn't a burden to buy, but for the Pauper, it was probably a major purchase she had to steel herself for.
But... why is she alone?
Come to think of it, even though she joined Akito’s follower group, I haven't seen the Pauper much.
She wasn't there when we went on the Shrine Maiden Clan request either, right?
This is the problem when things become reality.
Since there's a limit on the number of people for requests, it doesn't feel like much when the Magic Research Club gets bigger, but since there are so few members now, the sense of isolation from being left out of the party must be insane.
Is that why she can't get along with the others?
Whether she was trying to savor it or not, the Pauper chewed each bite thoroughly before picking up the last one and gulping.
Are you defusing a bomb? Why so serious?
Taking a deep breath, the Pauper slowly moved the takoyaki toward her mouth, but perhaps because she had been holding it on the toothpick for too long, it fell.
"Ah! Ugh! Aaah! Haaah!!!"
Wow... she’s a gag character among the heroines, but just watching her from the side is entertaining.
The Pauper performed all sorts of slapstick to keep the takoyaki from hitting the ground, only to end up sprawled pitifully on the floor as the takoyaki landed right in front of her.
"Nooooo..."
She stared at it in despair, looking as if a lover had just died. After a moment, she pushed herself up and looked around.
Hey, do you not see me right next to you?
She was sitting down and I was looking down from above her head at the window, so I guess I wasn't in her line of sight.
After checking her surroundings, the Pauper looked at the fallen takoyaki with eyes full of greed.
...No way, right? The 3-second rule is long over.
Watching the Pauper creep toward it while checking her surroundings again, I let out a sigh.
By the way, what was her name? I only ever called her 'Pauper' when playing the game, so I can't remember.
"Hey, Pauper."
"Hyaak!"
Startled, the Pauper jumped and stared at me blankly.
I toyed with the stack of Wit on the windowsill and smiled at her.
"Do me a favor."
"Pardon?"
"I'll give you 5 Wit if you do."
1 Wit is 100G.
Roughly a thousand won. Last year, a bottled elephant sold at the festival was 10 Wit, so you can guess how cheap the festival goods are.
It was only 500G, but the Pauper, still staring at me blankly, nodded her head automatically.
Just how broke is this girl?