Chapter 38: A Tailor-Made Dead End!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 38: A Tailor-Made Dead End!
Five thousand words omitted.
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"Despicable! Despicable! I will never accept this! To use such underhanded tactics!"
After the "spring scenery" had faded, Muen voiced his protest to An, who stood before him.
However, his tone was clearly lacking in conviction. Perhaps it was because his stamina had been utterly depleted, or perhaps it was because he was currently stark naked, making it difficult to maintain any semblance of a "stiff" backbone.
"At times like this, Young Master is just like a child."
The lingering flush of pleasure still graced An’s cheeks as she looked down, slowly donning her clothes. She made no effort to hide herself from Muen, while Muen glared intensely at her—or rather, at her body—as if trying to reclaim some modicum of dignity through sheer force of will.
Yet, An didn't show the slightest hint of shyness. Instead, she occasionally cast a provocative glance back at him.
It was as if she were asking: Does Young Master want to go again?
Muen felt a phantom ache in his teeth. He glanced at a certain crimson stain on the floor and cursed inwardly. How are these women all so fierce?
After Celicia was done, she could go right back to fighting people. An was even worse; she acted as if nothing had happened, looking like she could go another three hundred rounds with him.
Meanwhile, Muen looked like a squeezed-dry husk. He certainly wasn't going to be "standing tall" again anytime soon.
Is it me? Am I just not up to the task?
No, that’s not right. That lasted at least two hours, didn't it? And with the help of the drugs, I felt like a god damn beast!
"It really is because I'm too weak. If I don't get stronger, I'm doomed to be dominated by these terrifying women for the rest of my life!"
Muen gritted his teeth, once again feeling the desperate urgency to gain power.
"It’s getting late. Young Master should rest for a while."
An picked up Muen’s clothes. Reverting to her role as his personal maid, she gave him a respectful bow.
"I have some matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave for now."
"Wait!"
Muen called out to her in a panic. "You can leave, but give me back my clothes!"
"Hmm?"
An tilted her head, seemingly unable to comprehend his request. "Is there any need for Young Master to wear clothes right now?"
"Of course there is! I’m a living human being! Aren't humans supposed to wear clothes?!"
"Oh? Has Young Master already forgotten our agreement?"
"Agreement..."
"Yes, our agreement."
An lowered her head, offering a smile that was as intoxicating as it was beautiful. Yet, within that smile, Muen felt a bone-chilling darkness.
It was as if some indescribable entity was peering at him from behind that expression.
"Young Master, you are my property now," An said softly.
"That means I control everything about you. Whether or not you need to wear clothes is also for me to decide. And my decision for now is..."
"There is absolutely no need for you to wear clothes, is there? After all, there is no one here but me. Besides, I'm afraid Young Master will be staying here for quite a long time."
"..."
Though he didn't feel cold, Muen’s teeth began to chatter. Being watched by An’s smiling face felt more terrifying than being stalked by a bloodthirsty predator.
"Now then, rest well, Young Master. Once I’ve finished my business, I’ll come back to play with you~"
An patted Muen on the head, took his clothes, and vanished into the darkness.
Muen watched her until she was completely gone.
...
"Is she gone?"
"..."
...
"An? You there?"
...
"Hello? Hellooo? Anyone?"
...
"I know you haven't left yet! Stop pretending!"
"..."
The darkness remained silent.
After confirming that An had indeed left, Muen let out a long sigh of relief.
Immediately, his expression turned fierce.
"What do you mean 'your property'? I don't remember agreeing to anything like that!"
Well...
He had a vague, hazy memory of saying something to that effect while under the influence of the drugs.
But that was the drugs talking! It shouldn't count!
Can you really trust a man when he's thinking with his junk?
Besides, decisions made by the lower half are the lower half's business. What does that have to do with his brain?
If you want to arrest the "little brother," what does that have to do with the big brother upstairs?
Absolutely nothing!
Therefore, as for the second half of the promise—"never leave An"—Muen decided to act as if he had never heard it.
The most urgent matter now was to escape this place.
He didn't want to be kept like a literal doll, imprisoned by An for the rest of his life!
"Heaven never seals off every path. There has to be a way!"
Muen pumped himself up.
...
Once his mind calmed down, Muen finally had the chance to properly survey his surroundings.
It appeared to be a basement.
The walls and floor were smooth, forming a perfect square. The only source of light was a dim oil lamp hanging overhead, casting a faint glow.
Directly in front of Muen were cold iron bars. Each bar was as thick as a man's wrist—clearly not something Muen’s puny limbs could snap.
The gate in the bars seemed to be the only exit. When An left, she had thoughtfully secured it with a lock larger than Muen’s fist.
"Damn it, I'm already in shackles. Was that much caution really necessary?" Muen cursed under his breath.
As for the rest of the room...
Muen reached back to touch the wall, then rubbed his foot against the floor beneath him. A wave of cold dread washed over him.
Metal!
The walls and floor of this basement were freaking metal!
In other words, to ensure Muen was completely imprisoned without a single chance of escape, An had constructed a cage made entirely of metal.
Muen couldn't even pull a move from a famous movie and dig a tunnel to freedom.
The only opening in the entire place was...
Muen tilted his head to look up. In the far corner of the ceiling, there was a small vent-like passage.
However, that passage was tiny. The only thing that could fit through it would be a sewer rat.
"How am I supposed to play this?"
Muen felt a surge of despair.
A secret space made entirely of metal, with no guards to trick and no escape tunnels.
The only exit was the front gate made of iron bars.
And there was no way An would forget to lock it. As the one she served, Muen knew better than anyone that An was a meticulous, shrewd, and highly capable maid who never made mistakes.
An was also the person who knew Muen best.
She knew his strength; she knew his habits.
She knew he couldn't use magic and that, aside from being a Late First-Tier Martial Artist, he was essentially useless.
So, An hadn't overcomplicated things with special locks or exotic restraints. She had simply reinforced the existing barriers to a point where he couldn't possibly budge them.
She had plugged every loophole in advance, effectively strangling Muen’s hopes of escape in the cradle.
And right now, Muen didn't even have a way to break the shackles on his wrists!
"Don't tell me... I'm really going to spend the rest of my life here as An's property?"