Seductive Drinking Party (2)
Seductive Drinking Party (2)
"The game we're going to play is 'Key Finding'~."
Thanatos lightly dangled the key she was holding between her thumb and index finger right in front of Hugo's eyes.
"Key Finding?"
Hugo blinked his eyes, utterly unable to grasp the concept.
He had never even heard of such a game, let alone played one.
"The rules are simple. It's an extremely easy game that even a child could understand."
Thanatos soothed the flustered Hugo with a gentle smile on her lips.
The very next moment, the key she had been holding vanished in a flash of bright light.
"Huh?"
"I just hid the key somewhere in this room."
Thanatos opened and closed her hand where the key had disappeared, explaining in a soft voice.
"If you find it within the time limit, you win. How about it? Really simple, isn't it~?"
Indeed, the game itself was simple and clear enough for even children to understand.
But aside from that, Hugo couldn't shake a nagging sense of unease.
'Why is she playing a game like this with me...?'
It was a mystery why she, the continent's greatest archmage and a woman of immense wealth, would want to indulge in such entertainment.
And since she was capable of using teleportation magic to move objects, why had she bothered to rummage through the drawers herself earlier?
"Of course, since it's a game, there should be a reward for winning, right? Let's see."
Thanatos, as if pondering for a moment, stroked her chin and then held up a single finger.
"How about a prize of 100 million gold?"
Thanatos winked and casually offered an astronomical reward.
Hugo's mouth fell open at the enormous sum that came from her lips.
"One, one hundred million gold?!"
It was an amount so staggering it made him doubt his own ears.
Such an incredible fortune was hard to believe as the prize for such a simple game.
"I-I-is that for real...?!"
"Do I look like a woman who would lie over a game like this? I swear on the name of the Heavenly Goddess."
Thanatos placed a hand over her chest—as wealthy as her fortune—to prove she wasn't lying.
"So, what'll it be? Take the challenge? Or give up?"
"I-I'll take the challenge!"
Hugo stammered as he shouted, afraid that Thanatos might change her mind.
It was a binary choice that required no lengthy deliberation.
'One hundred million!'
With that much, he could buy at least five houses, each far bigger and nicer than the one he'd just lost, and still have change left over.
For Hugo, who had come to his friend in desperation, this was an unexpected big chance.
"Hehe, I'm glad you seem so eager. Then let's not dawdle and start right now."
Thanatos let out a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand, and promptly called for the game to start.
At the same time, Hugo sprang up from his seat and, with fire in his eyes, began searching every nook and cranny of the dining room.
'I have to find it!!'
Hugo scurried around, lifting picture frames on the walls and even checking under empty plates, diligently searching for the key.
But no matter how meticulously he scoured the dining room, the key Thanatos had hidden refused to reveal itself.
"Ten minutes left~."
The ruthless time limit was announced to Hugo, who was searching for the key as if his life depended on it.
'Where the hell is it...?!'
The pressure of the relentlessly shrinking time made it impossible for Hugo to hide his impatience.
He felt like he had already searched every possible place, yet the whereabouts of the inch-long key remained a complete mystery.
"Want a hint?"
Thanatos, who had been enjoying the sight of Hugo nervously shifting from foot to foot with his mouth clamped shut, suddenly threw out that remark.
Hugo, not missing those words that were like rain in a drought, immediately turned his head.
"A hint?"
"I'll specially tell you the specific place where the key is sleeping."
To the mercy of the goddess he had so desperately wished for, Hugo grabbed hold of the rope of hope once more.
Thanatos slowly raised her arm and pointed to where the key was hidden.
But strangely, the tip of her finger was aimed at none other than herself.
"It's here."
"What...?"
"The key is somewhere on my body."
Thanatos tilted her head seductively and dropped the bombshell, causing Hugo's pupils to dilate in shock.
At first, he thought it was a mischievous joke, but he could detect no such vibe on Thanatos's face.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"Ah, no...."
Hugo shook his head, trying to hide his flustered expression.
Then, he cautiously stepped forward and moved toward Thanatos, who was sitting on a chair at the table.
He circled around her, carefully examining her from a distance that was neither too far nor too close.
"You won't get what you want just by staring like that~?"
Thanatos made a valid point to Hugo, who was only pacing around her.
But Hugo couldn't bring himself to do anything more.
"Unless you search me directly, you won't be able to get the key."
"B-but...."
"But, what?"
"Then I would have to, um, t-touch Thanatos-nim's body...."
Already intimidated, Hugo fidgeted with the hem of his clothes nervously.
"And what's wrong with that?"
Thanatos shrugged lightly, as if it were no big deal.
Seeing that Thanatos maintained a consistent attitude, Hugo secretly clenched his fists.
And soon, he reached a conclusion.
He was nothing more than a toy being toyed with by the Empress.
'...She never intended to give me the money from the start.'
She knew that a coward like him would never dare to touch the body of a goddess.
She was just playing with him for amusement during the drinking party.
After all, she was not just the Heavenly Goddess but also the wife of his friend Ion.
Touching her body recklessly would be tantamount to betraying his friend.
"U-um, I'm sorry, Thanatos-nim. I think I'll just quit this game...."
"Oh, that reminds me, there's something I forgot to tell you."
Just as Hugo was about to give up on the Key Finding, which no longer held any hope, Thanatos, as if she had been waiting, interrupted him and clapped her hands.
"If you fail to find the key within the time limit or give up midway, you'll have to pay a penalty of 100 million gold."
"What?!"
At the utterly absurd clause, Hugo's face instantly turned to shock.
Enjoying his intense reaction, Thanatos calmly took a sip of wine.
"B-but even so, that's too...!"
"What's wrong with it? If you win, you get 100 million. So if you lose, you pay 100 million. I think that's perfectly fair."
"Ugh...."
"Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. That's common sense any wizard who pursues truth knows, isn't it?"
Faced with the Empress's eloquent argument, which could be considered sound reasoning, Hugo couldn't muster a rebuttal and clamped his mouth shut.
Instinctively grabbing his pant leg, Hugo lowered his head and cursed his own foolishness.
He should have been suspicious when he heard such a tempting offer.
But now, everything was nothing but belated regret.
'There's no way I have 100 million gold....'
Hugo certainly didn't have that kind of financial leeway.
But even if he told her that, he doubted Thanatos would take his circumstances into consideration.
He had no doubt that she would collect in some unimaginable way.
After all, the Goddess of Death, Thanatos, was already infamous for being ruthless in that regard.
"Just five minutes left now."
Thanatos, looking at Hugo like a little demon, kindly reminded him of the time remaining.
Hugo racked his brains for a way to escape this life-and-death crisis, but there was no such thing in this situation.
From the very beginning, only one choice had been laid before Hugo.
'Sorry, Ion...!'
Licking his dry lips, Hugo approached his friend's wife.
Far from stopping him, Thanatos used magic to slightly adjust the direction of her chair to face him.
As if to say, come and try if you dare.
"Thanatos-nim...."
No matter how much he thought about it, it made no sense, but no matter how much he thought about it, this was the only option left.
"......P-please forgive my rudeness."
Taking a deep breath, Hugo brought his trembling hands to Thanatos.
Then, he hesitantly stroked her bare leg, which was right in front of him.
The warm sensation of skin that wasn't human radiated through his palms.
'S-so soft...!'
Fortunately, Thanatos showed no particular reaction even when Hugo actually touched her body.
Eager to end this ordeal quickly, Hugo felt her arms and legs several more times, but found nothing.
"You don't seriously think the key would be somewhere like that, do you?"
As Hugo aimlessly patted only the areas that were clearly visible without touching, Thanatos clicked her tongue and let out a sigh of pity.
Then, she suddenly brought her lips close to Hugo's ear.
"The key, you see."
The Empress enchanted her husband's friend with a seductive voice.
"It's hidden in a woman's more secret place...."