Operation Start?
Caersi puffed up with all the dignity of a saintess as she tried to stop us from teasing Jeong Bia any further. "Everyone, stop it, nya!" she declared with unusual seriousness. "Don't you think you're going too far, nya?"
"Saintess..." Jeong Bia looked deeply moved, the only one coming to her defense. In that moment, Caersi truly resembled a saintess saving the weak.
"And stop bragging about that dump you call a house, nya!"
"......."
"Dude, Caersi, that one was a critical hit."
Words without malice cut deepest because they are pure. That blade was more than enough to carve up Jeong Bia's heart. She slumped over the convenience store table with a gloomy expression.
"I'm gonna kill you, you bastard. I almost dropped my ice cream."
"......What ice cream?"
"Huh?"
The ice cream I had set down on the table was gone. I had only taken one bite before putting it down for a second, and now it had vanished without a trace—no birds or anything in sight. There was one perfect line for situations like this.
"Kyaru, was it you again?"
"Stop blaming me for everything, nya!!!"
"Yes! It was Elsia!"
[Why are you yelling at the good kid!!!]
'Ah, found the culprit.'
When Caersi snapped, Elsia, who had been sitting right next to me, suddenly confessed. Her mouth was still moving as she finished off the last of my ice cream. Once it was gone, she beamed brightly.
"Husband! This is way too sweet!"
"Of course it's sweet, you crazy bitch. It's ice cream."
"Really? Ah! Then!"
Elsia looked like she had just thought of something. She suddenly scooped up another spoonful with the spoon and held it out to me.
"Husband! Say ah~!"
She was trying to feed me. The sudden gesture left me feeling a little embarrassed, and just as I was wondering if I should accept it—
"Stop wagging your tail, you damn Canpr."
"......"
"Shinu, eat it with your own hands. You got no hands?"
"......Yes, ma'am."
Hye-ji's eyes gleamed dangerously as she growled. The look was so terrifying that even Elsia shut her mouth and lowered her hand without a word. I gave Elsia a light smack on the head and took the ice cream back. Then I turned to Jeong Bia again.
"So what are you gonna do now, you homeless bitch?"
"I was thinking of asking my brothers for help."
"The cum brothers? Or the sperm brothers?"
"......Both."
Jeong Bia left to make a call. She returned not long after, but her expression was darker than ever.
"They said my brothers were all denied entry too. No one's allowed in."
"That's pretty harsh, though. Can a father really do that?"
No matter how bad things got, it was rare to exclude family members from events like this. Even if my parents treated me like garbage at home, they would never exclude me from family occasions.
[Can you really be sure?]
'.......Fuck.'
Maybe... not. Either way, this situation was way beyond normal. Jeong Bia smiled with a hint of resignation and spoke again.
"Mom said that around the time Ayeon was born, Dad suddenly started acting like a completely different person."
"Really? Completely different?"
"I was too young to remember anything, but that's what I heard."
It gave me a slightly creepy feeling. For now, I decided to think about it later. I held out my hand to Jeong Bia.
"Hey, gimme your card."
"Why do you need my card all of a sudden?"
"I'm buying more ice cream. You can't even buy me that?"
"Ha... fine."
I still had a lingering attachment to having a whole ice cream to myself. It wasn't that I regretted giving it to Elsia, but I had wanted to finish one properly. I felt like I wouldn't be satisfied until I ate another one. But when Jeong Bia swiped her card, instead of a successful transaction, the machine only said, "Insufficient funds."
Why would the balance be short? There was only one culprit.
"Elsia, hand it over while I'm still being nice."
"Huh? Husband! I didn't take anything this time!"
[Bullshit. That beast didn't take anything?]
'We're already doomed.'
Elsia looked genuinely wronged this time. I calmed her down and tried paying for the cheapest chocolate in the store just in case. But—
- Insufficient funds.
The result didn't change. Of course, Jeong Bia's expression as she watched the whole scene was worse than it had ever been. Then Elsia protested.
"Ugh. I told you I didn't take it!"
"Sorry. Don't be mad."
To show I meant it, I patted Elsia's head. Her face immediately melted into a goofy grin.
"Hehehehe! Just this once!"
"Yeah."
- Thud.
At that moment, someone pushed their head against me.
"Hye-ji?"
"......Me too."
It was Hye-ji. She had a somewhat dissatisfied look on her face. Since she seemed to be in a bad mood, I patted her head just like she asked.
"There."
"Hmph! Hmph!"
Her expression brightened right away. After patting her head for a bit, I handed the card back to Jeong Bia while offering some words of encouragement.
"Kekwww no house and now no money either www."
"I still have my coins! They'll go up soon!"
"Be honest. That place isn't even your house, is it? That's why you got kicked out."
Jeong Bia's shoulders started trembling slightly. Caersi, perhaps feeling sorry for her, patted her shoulder and said,
"If you want Instagram flexing help, just say the word, nya. I'll help you, nya."
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!!!!!!"
Jeong Bia stomped her feet in rage. But if you can't prove it, there's nothing you can do. Resigned, instead of arguing back, she suddenly tried to change the subject.
"I did ask for help, but you're still outsiders."
"So?"
"You don't even have a real connection with us. Are you sure you want to help?"
As if answering that, Caersi grabbed Jeong Bia's shoulders with a benevolent expression.
"Don't worry, nya. Forced marriage goes against my beliefs, nya."
"Saintess.... Thank you."
But if only Caersi stepped up, the dignity of the protagonist's party would suffer. We proudly declared our own beliefs.
"Wedding food is always good. I'm sick of instant noodles."
"If we go like this, we'll have to pay with coins as a wedding gift! We can't give our goat!"
"Didn't you say you'd destroy the wedding? Physically destroying it is fine, right?"
"You guys live your fucking lives like absolute lunatics!!!"
Jeong Bia clutched her head and groaned. "But how are we supposed to fix this now?"
"How? We do it our way. Time to show some force."
***
"Intruders! Call more people over here!"
"Don't let them escape—corner them!"
Right now, intruders were rampaging through the succubus mansion. Though there were only five of them, they had taken down the guards at the main gate, so they clearly had some skill. They were running through the mansion's interior.
"Which way do we go?"
"This way!"
"They're coming! Run faster!"
They hesitated now and then, but never stopped moving. Every time they smashed one of the mansion's lavish decorations, the residents' shrill screams rang out, but they had no time to worry about that.
"Just wait a little longer! I'll come save you right away!"
The mansion was so large that its size was no exaggeration. A long time had passed since they broke in. At this point, most people would have given up, but the five-person group's will remained unbroken. Maybe their efforts weren't in vain after all. Finally, the group reached their destination.
"Here!"
"She's supposed to be inside, right?"
With trembling hands, they grabbed the doorknob and flung the door open with all their strength. But—
"No!!!"
They were already too late. An unbelievable, impossible scene unfolded before their eyes.
"Hnn...! Haa...! Heueung!"
At first, they couldn't tell who it was, but the half-draped clothes matched what she usually wore. Still tangled with her partner, she let out heated breaths and soft moans. That alone was enough to break the group's will. To make matters worse, as if they had known the group was coming, countless succubi were already waiting inside the room.
The scarred man steeled his resolve. "We won't lose! I'll definitely take her back!"
With those words, the succubi and the five-person group clashed. The group fought hard, but this time, numbers were impossible to overcome. Even amid the fierce resistance, constant gunfire and the succubi's screams echoed, but there was no miracle. Before long, the five intruders were completely subdued by the succubi.
As the subdued intruders lay there, a woman approached with leisurely footsteps. She wore a highly revealing outfit that exposed her shoulders and back, with long, glossy black hair. Her wings and tail were larger than those of other succubi. All of it combined into an alluring appearance. Yet the eerie gaze from her green pupils and the overwhelming presence that naturally forced everyone to their knees marked her as the Succubus Queen.
The mother of all succubi, the one who ruled above them. Also known as the Queen of the Night. She addressed the subdued intruders in a very gentle tone.
"Do you know what you're doing right now?"
"Let her go right now!!!"
When the intruders struggled, the succubi holding them down tried to knock them unconscious with blows to the head. However, the scarred man's head was apparently too hard—one succubus even winced in pain. Whether she noticed or not, the last remaining member poured out his frustration.
"This can't be happening!!!"
But the Succubus Queen showed no reaction to his outburst. She waved her hand dismissively.
"Get rid of them."
"Yes, Great Mother!"
"Stop!!! We promised we'd save her!!!"
Unfortunately, their desperate wish was not granted. It was already too late. With even their last spark of hope extinguished, they were subdued by the succubi and thrown out.
The Succubus Queen, now curious, turned to a nearby succubus and asked, "So who were those guys?"
"They said they came to rescue their brother who was turned into a woman by TS Beam as payment for a huge debt."
"Ah, so they came looking for someone who became a woman through TS Beam to pay off their debt."
"That seems to be the case."
"Hmm. I see."
Just then—
"Great Mother!!! Something terrible has happened!!!"
The door burst open and a succubus rushed in, panting heavily. Her clothes were disheveled, and she looked so frantic she might have fallen on the way. "Why are you making such a fuss?"
The Succubus Queen gave her a slight scolding. But the next words were enough to shake even her.
"The bride has disappeared!!!"
"What? Ayeon?"
The star of the upcoming wedding. The bride was gone.