Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: #2 Bustling Alley, Encounter (Dom - Heartthrob) (2)
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There was a commotion right in the middle of the street.
Hmm, a fight? Between a man and a woman—a lovers' quarrel, maybe?
I'm not all that interested in romance, but I love watching fights. Especially lovers' spats that I could never have myself. Fight, fight. Fight even more.
In that mood, I poked through the crowd and drew closer, only to spot an unexpected face.
A woman with a neat brown bob haircut.
And the mansion's maid.
Dom, who hadn't come back to the lodging last night, was here.
'Why is she here...? No, more importantly, who's that guy?'
I didn't recognize the man at all. He looked pretty old, too.
I shouldn't judge by looks, but he didn't seem like someone close to Dom, at least.
Moreover, he appeared to be flying off the handle unilaterally for some reason.
Did she bump into him by chance and get picked on out of nowhere?
'Dom looks pretty relaxed, though....'
I could go help, but violence is the only way I know how to resolve things.
For someone trying to stay under the radar as much as possible, that's a real hassle.
But Dom seemed unfazed even now, and didn't look like she needed any saving.
Maybe I should just leave her to it.
"...!"
Just as that thought crossed my mind, the man pulled something from his pocket.
And shoved it right in front of Dom's eyes.
For some reason, I couldn't make out what it was.
But it felt like a strange warning flashed in my head, telling me it was dangerous.
As if confirming my instinct was spot on, Dom's demeanor turned weird the moment she saw it.
She suddenly went quiet, standing there like a doll—expressionless and silent.
The man casually laid a hand on her and led her into the depths of a nearby alley.
"Oh dear, what to do about that."
I was about to follow them right in.
But then a thought hit me, and I stopped short. "Wait a sec!"
What can I say—it's this nagging feeling I keep getting.
For some reason, every time I look at Dom, something feels... off? Like it's stirring up some vague emotion.
I don't even know how to put it into words, but that hazy feeling hits me every single time I see her.
And now, watching this scene? Hmm.
Somehow, I get the sense it'd be fine to just let it be?
Not like I trust Dom to handle it herself, but more like... wouldn't it be okay if she got thoroughly chewed out as is? Something like that.
Or even better if she got utterly wrecked.
I really can't explain it, but looking at Dom always makes some dark impulse creep up on me.
Like getting stiffed on money I was owed. Exactly that vibe.
"...What kind of thoughts am I even having?"
I get that weird vibe sometimes, sure.
But she's an acquaintance—the Chairman assigned her as my assistant, and she's helped me out. I can't just abandon her.
Even if she were a total stranger, I'm not so cold-hearted as to ignore a situation like this.
I shook off that fleeting odd notion and hurried after them into the alley.
'Hmm☆ Stuck with a real pain in the ass...☆'
As the man led her deeper into the alley, Dom thought that without letting it show.
The guy had apparently tried using that "Grace" thing to hypnotize her, but as a succubus, Dom wasn't falling for something like that.
She only looked hypnotized because she was playing along. The clueless fool dragging her off was grinning ear to ear—pathetic.
The problem was, this situation wasn't exactly welcome for Dom either.
This was the same man she'd run into last night while handling "personal business." She'd approached him first but backed off quick.
Simply put, they were a terrible match.
'His soul's nature is all wrong for me. Totally not my type. Sucking off a guy like this would feel like slurping a rag soaked in vomit. And if we went all the way...? Ugh, it'd taint my soul. No thanks~~☆'
Even if she wanted to use her succubus powers, Dom was moody—she couldn't muster them against someone so incompatible.
Last night, she'd shaken him off with succubus hypnosis when he kept pestering her, but it must not have fully taken, because when they crossed paths again earlier, the effect had worn off and he remembered everything about her.
'I could hypnotize him again, but... using powers on someone this mismatched just sours my mood.'
'Worst case, he figures out what I am... so maybe I should just take him out──'
She considered it, but after sizing him up, she had to drop the idea.
This guy was strong, no doubt. Probably loaded up on that "Grace" or whatever.
If it turned into a fight, her weak combat skills meant she couldn't guarantee a win. And she'd likely get exposed in the process.
That was the situation in a nutshell.
In the end, she only had herself to blame for mindlessly approaching a guy like this while wandering around—no sympathy there.
Soon they reached the dead end of the alley.
"Alright. This far should be good enough. Let's get a quick one... no, two shots out first, then head to a motel together. There's a decent one right there─"
'No helping it... I'll endure and let him pop a few, then he'll go away on his own. ...Ugh~ But really, who knew there'd be a guy this incompatible? Feels like 200 years since I last met one like this.'
'...Ah~ I miss Ryeongie. Wonder where our little Wolryeong is right now~.'
As she watched the loathsome man pull out his dick and force her to her knees, the revolting thing inching toward her face, that's when she escaped into fantasy.
"Hey, mister. That's far enough, yeah? Did you take a dump out your asshole or something with that age?"
And Dom's heart went thump!—pounding hard.
'Wha, wha...? For real...? Actually...? Why here of all places...? Wha...?'
For a split second, Dom thought she was dreaming. Or maybe hallucinating from the unbearable reality.
But this presence was real. The voice she'd just heard was real, and so was the man's flustered reaction—the one about to force his dick on her.
Dom turned around ever so slowly.
"Who the hell are you? Get lost!"
"He said get lost, but anyway. I'm not exactly her friend... or colleague... something like that. Acquaintance? Close enough. Point is, I can't just stand by and watch."
"Popping up out of nowhere and yapping what nonsense is this, you damn bitch."
The man's venomous expression suddenly shifted.
Greed and lust gleamed in his eyes once more.
That gaze—full of desire—was aimed straight at Ryeong, who had just appeared at the alley's entrance, timing her heroic rescue of Dom perfectly.
At her entrance, Dom felt her heart racing.
Even so, she didn't miss the man holding up the gem in his hand—the "Grace."
Dom slyly reached out toward it.
"Heh heh, putting a cocky little bitch like you in her place sounds fun. I'll take this one first, so you strip naked over there and finger yourself waiting your turn. I'll fuck you after."
Ryeong stood in the alley, facing off against the man with Dom in between them.
To make sure Ryeong got a good look, the man held up the "Grace" in his hand. In the straight shot of the alley, she had no choice but to see it.
Ryeong couldn't identify what it was. Some incomprehensible force in her mind—one she didn't know about—was blocking her from recognizing the "Grace."
This wasn't just Ryeong; it applied to everyone in this "Sin" district who hadn't received Grace.
She had clearly seen Dom's reaction earlier.
How Dom had changed weirdly after seeing it.
Yet even after seeing it herself, Ryeong couldn't immediately grasp the "Grace's" danger.
She couldn't help being drawn to its light, unable to look away.
'Ah... not... this again...!'
Even from several meters away, once she saw that light, Ryeong felt her consciousness blurring once more. The urge to obey the man's commands welled up.
"Hurry up, you idiot! You saw it, so obey like you're supposed to! Strip those clothes off now, you fat sow!"
Even as the man bellowed crudely, she couldn't resist.
Ryeong had marched in boldly to save Dom, but in the end, she'd unzip her tracksuit herself, strip naked in this alley, finger her own pussy, and wait for her turn to get fucked.
That's how it should have gone.
"...? What the—why aren't you stripping? I said strip, quick!"
The man bellowed again. But Ryeong stood there calmly, hand in her pocket.
She gave him a look like he was the weirdo. What the hell was this guy even saying?
"...You insane? You look like you can't tell reality from fantasy...."
Ryeong was baffled.
The guy suddenly pulls out some weird gem, and now he's yelling at her to strip and masturbate?
Of course, she wasn't going to strip naked or put on a show for him. Unlike the man, she wasn't crazy or under some weird hypnosis.
Seeing Ryeong like that, the man visibly panicked.
"Wha—what...? Why, why isn't it working...! Look at this! Look at it!"
"...? I've been looking. What the hell is it, asshole? Spit it out clearly."
"No... what... how...?"
The man stared in panic at the gem in his hand.
For some reason, its glow had vanished.
This was the gem that should have been brimming with the "Grace" he'd so carefully hoarded.
He had no idea what Dom had slyly done just moments ago.
How she'd sealed away the "Grace's" power from him. Or that the woman now kneeling with her head bowed was smirking. He was clueless.
"Th—this...!"
The "Grace's" power to control women was gone.
But he still had another card up his sleeve. Hypnosis wasn't his only trick.
His skin tone shifted, veins bulging.
His muscles writhed grotesquely, swelling ominously.
He still had his yokai power left. Empowered by "That One" to become a yokai, he could easily overpower and rape a couple of street women.
Go on, tremble in fear, he thought, glaring at the intruder beyond the alley.
But the woman remained unfazed even seeing his transformation. If anything, she looked annoyed.
"Hey, mister."
"Gr...rr?"
"Cut it out. You're still salvageable as 'kinda creepy old guy' right now. Go any further, and you're done. Dead serious—you'll die."
What the hell was she talking about? No, more importantly—why wasn't she scared?
To intimidate the insolent bitch, he bulked up even more, fully revealing his yokai form.
Muscles and body mass more than double, muzzle twisting like a monster's, sharp fangs sprouting, claws and talons ripping through fragile skin—
"You're done, asshole."
The next instant—by the time he realized it, Ryeong was already upon him.
Almost simultaneously, his upper body—as a yokai—exploded, killing him on the spot.
Blood and flesh from what had been the yokai rained down into the alley.
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