Episode 225. Why Only Me? (5)

“Scarlet. You were in Korea because of Alice, weren’t you?”

“Yes. For personal investigation….”

“Hmm, I remember now. Sebastian took you, who specializes in stealth, to investigate Lee Hoyeon. Now that the job is done, you’re helping Alice’s secretary. Is that right?”

“That is correct.”

Isaac nodded, dropped his cigarette, and stomped it out with his foot.

“Leave that to Sebastian, and you will resume monitoring Lee Hoyeon. That’s an order as Guild Master. I’ll speak to Sebastian myself, so don’t worry.”

“…Understood.”

Scarlet nodded, maintaining her composure.

“You can use the honey trap… Oh, wait, that wasn’t your specialty, was it? Anyway.”

For the record, most female undercover agents use the honey trap.

There’s no reason not to use the abilities they possess.

And most of the honey trap agents aim to seduce Isaac.

“The fact that he keeps looking at you means he’s interested. I have a good eye for people. “

“…Yes.”

“Even if you can’t seduce him, try to persuade him skillfully to scout him into the Iris Guild. Oh, and it would be even better if you could separate him from Alice entirely.”

“I will do my best.”

Isaac was under a rather significant misunderstanding.

Even if Scarlet succeeded in seducing Lee Hoyeon, he wouldn’t be separated from Alice.

It’s because Lee Hoyeon is crazy about women.

“However, I won’t put too much pressure on you. It’s fine if you just extract information, or even just build a friendship. He’s bound to become someone great.”

“Understood.”

Isaac chuckled with satisfaction.

Honestly, I was initially offended that I couldn’t subdue the cadet immediately and ended up wrestling with him.

But when he lasted five minutes past the initial one-minute goal, I was flustered, and by the ten-minute mark, I was genuinely impressed.

Of course, that wasn’t my full strength.

True to his epithet, the ‘Emperor of the Night,’ Isaac’s abilities double when the moon rises.

However, even in his daytime state, he was more than strong enough to be considered a powerhouse.

At night, his caliber simply changes to match the ‘Emperor’ epithet.

‘Ten years…? No, five years. Maybe even less.’

Very few people meet Isaac’s standards, mainly because those standards are absurd.

They must be younger than him and stronger than Isaac was at that age.

Most people were recognized by Isaac because they excelled in a particular field, but Lee Hoyeon was different.

Compared to Isaac at twenty, he was overwhelmingly strong.

It was a talent so immense, I couldn’t fathom it, unlike anything I’d ever encountered.

‘If he can maintain that growth curve….’

He’d be perfect to lead the Iris Guild.

He might not know magic related to stealth or infiltration yet, but that ridiculously overpowered barrier alone is enough.

His offensive capabilities were sufficient, and his magical creativity and flexibility were excellent.

He faced someone like me for the first time, yet he immediately unleashed useful spells.

‘Still, I can’t give my daughter away just yet.’

Isaac had a rule he set for himself.

The standard for a man who could take his daughter.

First, he must be a man Alice truly loves.

Because as long as Alice exists as his daughter, she must be happier than anyone in the world.

However, love alone doesn’t sustain a life.

He must be able to protect Alice even if Isaac himself were to die.

Therefore, he must be a man capable of defeating Isaac in his prime.

“….”

“I hadn’t even seen a glimmer of possibility until now.”

“I thought she’d be with me forever.”

“Today, I saw that possibility.”

‘You’re an adult now too, Alice.’

Thinking of his daughter who had grown up so quickly, Isaac felt a little melancholic.

After all, she took that Lee Hoyeon fellow with her just now.

‘….’

And Scarlet, standing beside him, just wanted to go home quickly.

*

“…Come in.”

Alice had called me to her home, saying she wanted to apologize personally.

Honestly, I didn’t mind receiving an apology directly from Isaac… but I followed Alice anyway.

Even though I was just here for a massage a few days ago, entering a heroine’s house still makes me nervous.

Alice’s room was tidy, but her desk was messy.

Papers were scattered everywhere, as if she’d rushed out from work, and she was typing something on her laptop.

Alice picked up a half-finished glass of wine, swirled it a few times, and then sat down.

“I’m sorry. My dad isn’t exactly normal… You went through a lot because of me.”

“It’s okay. It was a valuable experience in its own way.”

Fighting a strong opponent is always a good experience.

And since Isaac wasn’t intending to kill me, it was even better.

“….”

But Alice seemed displeased with my words, puffing out her cheeks slightly.

“You shouldn’t be like that.”

“Huh?”

“If something happens that warrants an apology, you should accept it. You can’t just let things slide so easily.”

“….”

“It’s not right. Why is it okay for me to dig into your past, but when my own father, whom you’d never met, threatens your life, you just say it’s fine? Are you pretending to be nice? Or are you a pushover?”

What is this all of a sudden?

Alice abruptly started lecturing me.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Alice]

• [ Affection: 79 ]

• [ Lust: 88 ]

• [ Appetite: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 59 ]

Current State: You can’t be a soft man like that. You lack firmness.

“Hmm….”

I actually thought I was pretty firm.

Come to think of it, she has a point.

As someone who needs to win over the heroines, there are many situations where I have to concede.

And… honestly, I don’t really get angry.

I don’t know if my personality changed weirdly after becoming the protagonist.

But what can I do if I don’t get angry?

“What can I do if I don’t get angry?”

“…Why? You get angry when they insult you in the student council, or when you fight with the vice president. You do get angry sometimes.”

Alice clearly didn’t understand.

Is this part of her process to determine if I’m a man worthy of her affection?

“Hmm….”

There were times like that, true.

It’s not that I can’t get angry.

‘Ah.’

I finally realized the difference between then and now.

I realized that pretty women are pretty no matter what they do.

Because of that, no matter how much Liliana acts out, I don’t get angry.

She’s just cute.

It was the same when Isaac tackled me.

Once I knew it was related to Alice, I stopped feeling angry.

“Should I say they lack charm? They provoke anger.”

“What are you even saying… Sigh, fine. You definitely have some traits in common with Dad.”

What is she talking about?

Alice brought her palm to her slightly flushed cheeks before speaking again.

“So why are you so interested in that centaur? I was prepared to offer you a much bigger reward.”

She’s curious about my obsession with the centaur, I guess.

It probably looks ridiculous to others.

Since I’m apparently stepping up to help them voluntarily.

Fortunately, I have an excuse prepared for this.

“The centaur is just… a personal curiosity. Related to my magic research.”

“As expected of a genius mage.”

Alice smiled faintly and reached for the wine.

She seemed to be thinking of pouring me a glass.

I blankly watched Alice pour the wine, noticing how good the color in her hands and face looked.

Was the massage I received last time that good?

“Right. How was the mana massage? You worked quite hard last time.”

She really did put in effort with the caresses.

It was a shame we couldn’t go all the way, but thinking back, if we had, would Alice have come to save me today?

She might have, but there’s also a chance she wouldn’t have.

Alice paused mid-pour at my words, then finished pouring and lowered her hand.

“…It was good. The effects were definitely amazing. Ahem, yes. Since you’re here anyway, do you want a massage? I didn’t plan on it, but since you’re here, it’s convenient.”

“….”

So this is why she called me over? Was it for a massage?

Alice glanced at me, gauging my reaction.

Now that I noticed, there was a massage table set up behind the bed.

She had even prepared it.

But doing it now feels a bit off.

“I don’t mind… but did the effects of the last massage wear off already?”

“Huh?”

Alice seemed slightly taken aback by my question and stopped talking.

“No, it hasn’t… My mana is still flowing well.”

Of course.

She really went the extra mile with the service back then.

There’s no way it would have worn off already.

“Doing it too often isn’t good. Call me when your body has calmed down a bit.”

“Okay… I understand.”

Seeing Alice’s disappointment, I felt like jumping her right then and there, but…

I just met Isaac; doing that would be too terrifying.

What if he saw?

I don’t want to die just yet.

It’s not too late to do it when things are safer.

We drank wine and had a proper chat for the first time in a while, steering clear of the massage topic.

I knew Alice’s tastes well enough, so it was easy to have an enjoyable conversation.

*

After our conversation, I left Alice’s mansion and headed towards the dormitory.

Chatting with a beautiful woman is always enjoyable, but Alice had work, and I couldn’t stay out too late, so we parted ways appropriately.

“This is damn tiring.”

The problem is that my days lately are just too packed.

I wish incidents would stop happening.

I miss the old days when I’d just play with Liliana and fall asleep.

Sigh.

As I walked slowly, I remembered the purpose of my outing today.

“Ah, shit. I didn’t get to see the house after all.”

I came out to look for a place to move, but ended up drinking wine and chatting with Alice.

Of course, talking with Alice was nice… but I really need to see the house.

“Should I go see it now?”

Just then, a familiar voice sounded beside me.

“What are you referring to?”

“The house. I’m talking about the house.”

“As expected, you’re not surprised.”

“I knew you were following me, of course.”

I only spoke aloud because I knew Scarlet was behind me; otherwise, I would have just thought it.

I glanced sideways and saw Scarlet standing there, looking frustrated that her stealth had been detected again.

“Isaac, or rather, Mr. Isaac?”

“He went to meet the Korean Branch Manager. He seemed to think that was the only place that made sense. He’ll probably depart immediately. He doesn’t have much time….”

“Hmmph. That’s a relief.”

I don’t know why the Korean Branch Manager is involved, but they’ll handle it.

If Isaac leaves, maybe Scarlet can rejoin the household now?

“So I’ll be able to see Liliana and Dahee often now. But not like before, right?”

“No. Things have calmed down now, so I can be with you like before.”

“Oh, that’s great.”

Scarlet’s return gives me even more reason to move.

“But before that….”

Scarlet stopped walking, looked at me, and bowed 90 degrees.

“I apologize, Hoyeon-nim.”

“Huh?”

“I should have done better….”

What’s gotten into her all of a sudden?

“Is this because Mr. Isaac tackled me?”

“…Yes. I actually leaked information about you, Hoyeon-nim. While there were circumstances, a mistake is still a mistake.”

Scarlet bowed lower, seemingly remorseful, and apologized.

“That’s enough, get up. It didn’t really matter anyway….”

Wait a second.

I interrupted myself and pondered.

I shouldn’t just let everything slide like this.

Like Alice said, I need to show a little anger.

Maybe I can practice this time.

“If you’re sorry, grant me one request.”

“…A request?”

Scarlet subtly covered her chest and looked up at my face.

“No, not that kind of request. Just help me find my new house. I was supposed to look for one today, but I couldn’t because of Mr. Isaac.”

“Ah… That’s unexpected. I can certainly do that much.”

How rude to say it’s unexpected.

“It’s not like I always ask for favors involving bodies.”

“No, that’s not what I meant… Understood.”

“…?”

Scarlet nodded, leaving behind a strangely bothersome remark.

What was she thinking to make that face?

Wasn’t it because I’m known to be obsessed with women?

Ding-

Just then, something appeared before my eyes.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Scarlet]

• [ Affection: 55 ]

• [ Lust: 30 ]

• [ Appetite: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 40 ]

Current State: I thought she’d accept any apology from a pretty woman, but that’s not the case. Do I need to find another method?

“Oh….”

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

Scarlet also had a status window now.

Perhaps it’s because her involvement with Isaac, Alice, and me deepened, increasing her influence on the world?

‘But her thoughts are a bit impure.’

Anyone would think I’m a horny bastard who chases any woman I see.

“That’s harsh.”

“What?”

Scarlet tilted her head, feigning ignorance.

“Tsk. Never mind. It’s nothing.”

That side of her is also quite charming, I suppose.

She’s usually calculating, but she helps me when it matters.

She was a great help when I was pursuing Nam Daeun, and she helped with many miscellaneous tasks too.

I never expected the relationship that started with a fraudulent contract to develop like this.

In any case, I already felt sufficiently grateful towards Scarlet.

“Thank you always, Scarlet. Please look into finding my house carefully too.”

I thanked Scarlet sincerely, and she smiled as always.

“Yes, Hoyeon-nim. I will work with pleasure.”

It strikes me anew now, but…

All the blonde women around me certainly seem to be beautiful.