Cassel elegantly finished his meal without spilling a single crumb.
His noble birth really set him apart.
Even while in this broken-down prison and eating a meager piece of bread in rags, he gave the illusion as if he were dining in a luxurious banquet hall.
After tidying up around his mouth, Cassel suddenly asked me.
“…Did the Count give you any hint about what happens when I fall asleep?”
“No.”
Although I was the one who would go crazy compared to anyone else when he fell asleep, I denied it calmly.
He scrutinized me as if trying to gauge the truth even though my face was hidden by the hood, and then nodded.
“If you don’t want to die, you’ll have to do your best.”
“Huh?”
“It seems like it’s time to drink the awakening potion.”
“Here you go.”
I went back to the door and waited for Cassel to finish his meal. As soon as he did, I approached him.
[Insomnia-Inducing Awakening Potion] x6
“I’ll go to the mansion to get some cleaning supplies and clothes. I’ll be back in an hour.”
This time, I didn’t give him any extra time and calculated it precisely.
‘I’ve given too much to an addict.’
Looking at the pile of potion bottles next to him, I suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
Even if he was soon going back to the Imperial Palace for treatment, addiction to potions wasn’t something that could be cured quickly.
I wanted to prevent him from falling victim to potion addiction as much as possible.
Because it would interfere with my speed run.
“…”
Leaving the guy who received the potions in silence, I left the prison.
As soon as I descended from the tower, I opened the chat window.
⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋
― Me: Where should I go now?
⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋
Even if I was going to capture the boss, I still needed to collect 70 more essences of darkness.
I had to move diligently to fill them.
Fortunately, the response came back quickly.
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― [GM Sera]: Go to the garden of the
mansion, junior.
― Me: Ugh.
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‘I wonder why he’s become so proactive since I mentioned using the chandelier…’
Pleased with the quick response, I headed towards the garden.
“Why is it always you who gets to go to the greenhouse side? The distribution of work isn’t fair!”
“If you’re jealous, then why don’t you ask the butler yourself?”
“You little…! Do you think I don’t know you’ve been bribing him?!”
My targets this time were two gardeners in the garden.
They were already at each other’s throats when I arrived, making them easy to identify.
「 You have defeated 2 [Lv.2 Dark Eater Centipede] using the [Potion with Sunlight]. 」
“Ugh!”
“Kieee―!”
Thanks to them, I dealt with it effortlessly.
Picking up the four essences of darkness, I recalled the conversation of the unconscious gardeners.
‘Is the butler also a host?’
I remembered the strict, elderly butler I had argued with earlier.
Considering what the housekeeper said about him going through menopause, I had my suspicions.
However, he hadn’t strayed too far from the realm of a normal person yet, so I couldn’t tell if he was a host as well.
‘Well, it’ll all be clear by the end of today, anyway.’
As I had told Cassel, I stopped by the storeroom of the mansion to pick up a few towels, some water, and clean but worn clothes suitable for a male servant.
The maid who was in charge thankfully didn’t seem to be a host and handed over the requested items while asking cautiously.
“…Um, who is this for?”
“It’s for me.”
“Ah…”
She seemed to have some doubts, but she fortunately didn’t try to take them back.
As promised to Cassel, I returned to the tower within an hour.
Climbing the stairs with a light heart, I noticed that the two men I had left at the prison door were no longer there.
‘Maybe they went back naked.’
I couldn’t help but laugh.
Before I left, I remembered that I had used my annihilation skill on the pants that had fallen in the grassy area near the tower, turning them into ash.
I meant to go and return the keys to Adam before the others could get to him and talk but unfortunately, he had been out since lunch.
‘He’ll be back by evening, right?’
Of course, he had to be.
That was necessary since I planned to kill the boss and finish my mission today.
Creak—
“I’m back, sir.”
I greeted him casually as I opened the door and entered.
I immediately checked Cassel’s condition, and then glanced briefly at the floor.
I glanced down at his two remaining potions to make sure he hadn’t consumed them out of ignorance like yesterday.
“It’s a good thing that the time hasn’t decreased further.”
Saying that, I approached him and handed over the things I had brought.
“Towels and clothes.”
“…”
However, for some reason, Cassel didn’t immediately accept them; instead, he stared at them pensively.
I felt puzzled.
His eyes were filled with strong distrust and wariness.
“They’re clean! I just got them from the supply room!”
I added, and only then did he reluctantly accept them with a grimace.
Thanks to the handcuffs, he could only wear the pants, but what else could we do?
Quietly, I took a water bottle from my pocket.
“Here, water.”
It wasn’t for drinking; it was for cleaning.
After all, he couldn’t even take a bath, and wiping without water would leave him feeling sticky…
‘Anyway, what a damned picky guy. If he’s so suspicious, then he can wipe without water!’
This time, without waiting for him to take it, I placed the water bottle nearby and returned to my designated spot in front of the door.
He didn’t even realize how lucky he was.
Which player had so much time and consideration to take care of someone to this extent when they were all so busy with their quests?
I glared at him with my might, my eyes hidden by the hood.
I thought he wouldn’t even pretend to wash himself because it might have been poisoned, but he unexpectedly picked up the water bottle and moistened the towel without a word.
Then, he began to wipe himself silently.
The damp towel passed slowly from his jet-black hair to his face, and then to his upper body, with water droplets falling one by one.
I stared at it thoughtlessly, and for some reason, I started to feel warm.
Watching a young man undress in front of me and wipe himself off up close was much more embarrassing than I had thought.
‘Stop it! This is too inappropriate for an R15 game!’
My face flushed hot. and I tried not to look in his direction.
But then, suddenly…
Splash!
Cassel, who had finished wiping away all the soup stains, poured the water from the bottle over his head.
Amid the refreshing sound of water and his heavy breathing, my gaze, which had been fixated on the floor, unknowingly turned towards him again.
Several streams of water flowed down his sharp jawline and thick neck.
When they reached his chest, they gradually became thinner, and when they reached his rugged abdomen…
‘Gulp.’
I watched the droplets with bated breath and swallowed dryly.
Without warning, Cassel, who had been holding the edge of his pants, suddenly looked up at me with blazing red eyes.
“Do you want to see more?”
“…Ack!”
Since I had no way of knowing if Cassel was aware that I was watching, I screamed as if I had been caught like a pervert who was peeking at someone’s secret.
“Ah, I’m not looking at anything!”
When I denied it, startled, his eyes narrowed slightly.
“…Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Okay then.”
And then he started to pull down his pants.
“Wait-wait a minute! What are you doing?!”
I yelled in panic.
To my horror, his pants came to a screeching halt as they rested on his prominent pelvis.
“As you can see, I’m changing clothes.”
“H-here?”
“Then where should I change?”
He replied nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal.
I felt like I was the only one who was weird for asking him to stop.
“Th-that’s because, well… You can wear them when I’m not looking!”
“You said you weren’t looking, didn’t you?”
“…”
He smirked, one corner of his mouth tugging up.
Stung by the blatant implication, I bit the inside of my cheek to stifle a scream.
Even so, my eyes were inadvertently drawn to the droplets of water falling from his hair.
The droplets fell, tracing a path down his obsidian-like black hair, over his sharp nose, and down his red lips.
Downward…
‘No! Evil things are supposed to be mesmerizing!’
As my gaze involuntarily moved to the feast of his well-toned skin, I forcefully closed my eyes.
“I, uh! I have something to do, so I’ll be back in an hour!”
Jumping up as if in a spasm, I hurriedly placed the potion near him, almost throwing it.
[Insomnia-Inducing Awakening Potion] x6
As I stood back up, Cassel looked at me with a smug face, still with that mocking smile.
“I’m fine with it. Why stop watching?”
“No, I’m good!”
His large hand moved towards his waistband, and I covered my eyes, rushing towards the door.
「 [The Lord of Nightmares] is enjoying your reactions. 」
In a flash, I burst out of the prison.
Seeing the system window pop up like mockery, I shuddered and slammed the door shut.
BANG!
‘That crazy bastard, why would he suddenly start taking off his pants… Ah!’
It wasn’t until I had descended all the stairs of the tower that I realized he’d been playing around.
“Do you want to see more?”
“I’m fine with it. Why stop watching?”
‘Was he… was he making fun of me?’
It dawned on me belatedly that his face had been smeared with a mocking smile.
“Ahh!”
I let out a short scream.
It was just a game, but I felt so embarrassed. It was as if I had never encountered an attractive man in my life.
‘As if having my first kiss in a game isn’t enough, I’m being ridiculed by a character…! Get a hold of yourself, Shari!’
Trembling with my fists clenched, I forced myself to open the chat window.
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― Me: What should I do now?
⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋
However, the mockery didn’t end there.
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― [GM Ari]: That’s mean of you, Shari! Just stay
still and quiet! Why did you come out?
I was watching, you know. ㅠ
― [GM Sera]: Junior, you’re acting quite like
a girl at times like this. Haha, back in my days…
― [GM Jinu]: You couldn’t even take the
opportunity when given?
⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋⚋
“…Please shut up.”
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