Chapter 244: A Fatal Question
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 244: A Fatal Question
"Muen Campbell, try not to die."
Wei’er’s voice drifted in from outside the door, carrying half a part of pity, half a part of encouragement, and nine parts pure schadenfreude. It made Muen instantly doubt the reality of this world.
Getting drunk off a single liqueur chocolate was ridiculous enough, but the fact that this situation had somehow escalated to the level of world peace and the survival of the city was even more absurd.
Then again, it actually seemed possible.
Muen glanced at the ice crystal sword beside him, which had pierced through the magical array as if it were paper. His poor heart couldn't stop trembling.
Given Celicia’s current level of ferocity, Muen had no doubt that if she actually broke out, she would level at least three city blocks.
But...
"What good does it do to keep me in here?! I'm no match for her! Open the door! Let's figure this out together!" Muen roared, pounding on the door with tears in his eyes.
"If I let the President out, she’ll be impossible to control. Don't worry, she’s just drunk, not completely insane. As long as you keep her distracted, you should be able to hold out until the alcohol wears off. Probably..."
"Dammit, you aren't even sure yourself! Open the door! Wei’er, this is murder! Do you hear me? Murder!"
"What murder? I’m doing this for the greater good! For the peace of the masses!"
"If it’s for the greater good, why don't you do it yourself?!"
"Oh my, just to be safe, I’m going to start reinforcing the array now. No sound will be able to leak out from inside after this. Good luck in there; I’m rooting for you, Muen Campbell."
After Wei’er’s feigned ignorance, a heavy thrum echoed as the mana surging through the door grew significantly denser.
Then, the world went silent.
It was so quiet that Muen could only hear his own frantic heartbeat and... another set of increasingly ragged, heavy breaths.
"Hey, Mu... Muen Campbell. Why won't you look at me? Am I not pretty?"
The ice crystal sword was pulled from the door, wobbling unsteadily. To Muen’s horror, it suddenly lunged forward again.
This time, it grazed past his kidney.
Muen’s massive frame shuddered. He turned around with a mournful expression, only to force a smile the moment he faced the girl.
"How could that be? You’re so beautiful, Celicia, I want to stare at you forever."
"Is that so? Then why do I feel like you’re not being sincere?"
Celicia suddenly lunged forward.
Since she had nearly stabbed him in the kidney, she was already quite close. This forward movement brought her body almost flush against his.
However, Muen was more than half a head taller than her. She tilted her head, staring for a long time, but could only see his chin and Adam's apple.
Celicia pouted in dissatisfaction. "You're too tall. Let me trim you down a bit."
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Muen’s soul nearly left his body at her words. He frantically waved his hands to push down the longsword she was about to raise, stammering, "I’ll make myself shorter! I’ll do it myself!"
Muen slowly bent his knees, but not wanting to go too low, he ended up in a hovering half-squat, a mid-air horse stance that put him slightly shorter than Celicia.
Seeing him "shrink," Celicia nodded in satisfaction. Then, she reached out her other hand and—thwack—slammed it against the door right next to Muen’s head.
Was this... a wall-slam?
Muen’s vision went dark as a sense of humiliation welled up in his chest.
He was the son of a Duke, a towering man of brawn, an ultimate macho man who wouldn't even bow to an Evil God. How could he be the one getting "kabedon-ed"?
He should be the one doing the—
"Hic... You don't seem to like this position?" Celicia stared straight into his eyes.
"I like it, I love it. I like it so much."
Muen smiled as hard as he could, nodding vigorously.
Actually, this posture wasn't so bad. If he thought about it... it really did make one's heart flutter, didn't it?
It was just that the "deer" in his heart was currently being trampled to death.
"Then... hic... say it again. Am I pretty?"
Celicia let out a fragrant hiccup, returning to her previous question.
Muen’s breath hitched.
He raised his gaze and looked intently at the girl before him.
At this moment, the specialized candles flickered with bright light, casting a soft halo over her fair, delicate skin.
The fire in the hearth blazed, making the room as warm as spring. The girl wore only a thin inner garment, which traced the perfect curves of her silhouette.
Her silver hair fell naturally, brushing against Muen’s cheek. It smelled sweet and felt slightly itchy.
Looking through those strands of hair was like peering through a lush forest to find, in its quietest depths, a hot spring shrouded in mist.
Those were her eyes.
The ice that had never been melted by outsiders had, under the influence of alcohol, completely transformed into the shimmering waters of a spring. Accompanied by a playful charm and a seductive allure that didn't belong to her usual self, she sent ripples through Muen’s heart, shaking his very soul...
"You’re pretty. Truly, incredibly pretty..." Muen blurted out instinctively.
"How pretty?"
"So pretty I can't look away."
"Is that so?"
Though the answer was almost identical to his previous one, this time a slight smile played on the corners of Celicia’s lips.
Seeing her smile, Muen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
But in the next moment, Celicia followed up:
"Then... among all the women you know, where do I rank in terms of beauty?"
"..."
Thump.
His heart stopped.
"Ra-ra-ra-ra-rank... what rank?"
Muen’s teeth began to chatter.
"Is there really a need to rank them?"
"But I just want to know."
Celicia swayed her head, her tone sweet and endearing, but her knee instinctively bucked upward. It slammed into the reinforced door right between Muen’s legs, leaving a massive dent.
"Answer me."
"..."
Feeling the chill between his thighs, Muen wanted to cry but had no tears.
He didn't even dare to struggle. He was terrified that this girl—who had completely transformed into a humanoid T-Rex in her drunken state—would accidentally tear him limb from limb if she wasn't satisfied with his answer.
This wasn't just being a "bad drunk"; this was a total personality transplant.
"Then of course you're ranked—"
Click.
Muen was about to say whatever sounded best to appease her, but a crisp sound made him shut his mouth instantly.
His eyes widened as he looked at the small, exquisite Voice Transmission Stone in Celicia’s hand.
"Ce... Celicia, what... what are you doing?"
"Hic... Re... recording what you say, of course."
"Recording it?"
Muen’s vision blurred.
She was playing this for keeps?
"This... this isn't a good idea, is it? Private talk like this... it wouldn't be good if it got out."
"You don't like it?"
"No, no!"
Even with tears in his eyes, Muen had to nod.
"I see. It seems that question was too difficult. How about I change it to something simpler?"
Though he couldn't see the logic between "too difficult" and what just happened, Muen nodded with everything he had.
Anything but that damn question!
"Simpler, simpler... let me think..."
Celicia shook her head hard, using her currently sub-zero IQ to ponder what "simpler" meant.
After a long while, her eyes suddenly lit up.
"I’ve got it!"
Muen’s eyes lit up as well, looking at her expectantly.
"Since it needs to be simpler, let's not make the scope so big."
Celicia said, "Hic... Then... let's limit it to just three people."
"Eh?"
Muen’s face froze.
"Me, Anna Kabulin, and that little maid of yours... if you had to pick the most beautiful one among the three of us..."
Celicia toyed with the Voice Transmission Stone, which was already in recording mode. She lowered her head and stared directly into Muen’s eyes.
"Muen Campbell, who do you choose?"