Episode 359. The Last Night

“Good, good.”

I left Irene as she was and exited the training ground.

I left a note saying I’d fucked her until she passed out and then unilaterally ended things.

Since today was our second time having sex, it was enough time to sear pleasure into her body.

I figured she’d probably reach out soon.

“Goodbye.”

“…Yes. Take care.”

Receiving greetings from a guild member in the lobby made me feel a bit unsettled.

I just came from fucking the guild’s heir, and they’re telling me to have a good day? That’s kinda hot.

I walked back to my room, lost in useless thoughts.

“I’m back.”

“Welcome back. Hoyeon-nim.”

When I returned to my room, Scarlet was sitting at the table, looking relaxed.

Maybe it’s because she quit her job? She seems even more relaxed than before.

I stretched and sat down opposite Scarlet.

“Yeah. Where are the others?”

“Liliana-nim is analyzing video sites, and Rebecca-nim is researching magic circles.”

“Everyone’s busy.”

Rebecca-ssi must be researching the magic circle I asked for.

Liliana, who handles our family’s only income, seems to be looking for new revenue streams.

With more unemployed people around, it’s a very good choice.

Actually, I’ll be unemployed too once Alice’s massage is over.

“Speaking of which, Scarlet. What are you going to do from now on?”

“I suppose I’ll eat lunch.”

“No, I mean what are you going to do going forward? You quit the Iris Guild, remember?”

“That’s something you should be thinking about. You were the one who said you wouldn’t lift a finger just yesterday.”

“…Right. Then take a break for a while.”

“Thank you.”

Slurp-

Scarlet took a sip of her coffee with a slight smile.

It’s not ideal for her to remain unemployed, but I can’t help it since it’s my fault.

Well, even though she says that, she’ll find a job soon.

Scarlet is just too sharp and capable.

“Rebecca-ssi is over there, right?”

“Yes. She went in a little while ago.”

“I should go check on her for a bit.”

I got up from the table and headed towards Rebecca’s room.

I’ll be returning to Korea soon, but honestly, I won’t have much time left to help Rebecca with the magic circle’s configuration.

I have other heroines to meet, and I need to go to America during the break.

I should go while I have free time like now.

Knock knock-

“Rebecca-ssi. May I come in?”

– Yeah. Come in. Daddy.

As soon as I opened the door, a potent mana leaked out.

It meant she was using an overwhelming amount of mana inside.

“Is this the magic circle?”

“Yeah. Looks good, right?”

Rebecca was in the middle of designing the magic circle.

A quick glance showed it was designed to enlarge the size by applying rune barriers and create the mana-restricted atmosphere unique to dungeons by utilizing the mana-blocking barriers used in Pandemic.

I wanted a perfect fake dungeon that researchers couldn’t distinguish, and while it’s not quite there yet, it seems to have the basic structure.

“Oh… the design is good. How much of it is complete?”

I stood beside Rebecca, scanning the magic circle, and asked.

“It’s not even 20% done. The problem is that it needs to be undetectable even to researchers or high-level mages. Since I’ve never studied dungeon mana, it’s difficult to implement.”

“Hmm…. I can help with that. How about drawing the mana like this?”

I could immediately understand Rebecca’s concern.

That’s just how dungeons are.

You can analyze the mana that naturally flows from dungeons, but replicating it was impossible.

Because it’s a completely different mana system from humans’.

But I’m different.

If there’s one thing I can do, it’s mana control; nothing is impossible for me in that regard.

I can even mimic the mana of demons, so mimicking the mana that makes up a dungeon should be possible too.

Vmmmm-

After concentrating for a moment, a sinister mana appeared above my hand.

“W-Wha…? What is this? Daddy! How did you do that? Mana can be created like this?”

“It’s hard to explain in words. It feels innate.”

“Indeed… I can’t replicate this. No, no mage could. It’s a mana wavelength that surpasses human perception. …Are you sure you’re human, Daddy?”

“…I am human. I can get you pregnant quite easily.”

“Phew. That’s a relief.”

Rebecca started rambling as she rearranged the mana I’d placed in the magic circle.

Maybe she’s catching stupidity from spending so much time with Liliana.

Scarlet turned out that way too, so there’s no guarantee Rebecca won’t change.

“This part needs to be like this….

“Ah, then we need more mana. Since the scale is so large, it seems like you’ll have to provide it manually, Daddy. Is that okay?”

“Of course, it’s fine. It’s my job.”

We manipulated the magic circle while controlling the mana.

As we worked, I realized it would take an enormous amount of time.

The goal is to engulf Victoria Academy, so the scale is immense.

Moreover, it needs to fool incredibly powerful mages. A barrier of this magnitude would attract investigative teams, meaning we’re essentially facing the entire world.

“Haa… I’m tired. Daddy. Should we take a break?”

“Yes. Let’s.”

Gulp gulp.

Rebecca drank some cold water and slumped onto the sofa.

“It’s faster thanks to you, Daddy, but we still need to budget several months for the work.”

“Several months is more than I could ask for.”

“That’s the minimum estimate. It’s only that low because your abilities are so exceptional. It could take years, even decades.”

“…That’s too long.”

“We’ll be fine if we put in the effort.”

Then again, trying to finish quickly when it’s essentially about deceiving the entire world is a pretty shady mindset.

It would be nice to finish quickly somehow… but I might need to find other means.

I sat down next to Rebecca and closed my eyes.

‘It’s tiring to use my brain after so long.’

I haven’t felt this way since I got used to mana.

I could learn anything in an instant.

Creating an entirely new concept was quite difficult, though.

But no matter how I think about it, this is the only way.

The heroines don’t know the full extent of my relationships yet.

At most, they probably think it’s two or three people. Maybe four or five.

‘If they find out, I’m really screwed.’

Actually, four or five is already a lot.

Not just a lot, but ridiculously, insanely many.

So what would their reaction be if they knew it was double digits?

Any existing affection would disappear.

That’s why I need to put my foot down, so to speak.

Before complaints about having too many women can erupt, I need to solidify them all onto my side.

This fake dungeon is the preparation for that.

From the atmosphere to the situation and the solution.

If everything goes according to my plan, it should be fine.

“Daddy. Is there a reason you’re going this far? Do you just like women that much?”

“…It just turned out this way. It’s not just that; there are complicated circumstances involved.”

“That’s just how life is. I never thought I’d end up destined to revive my clan either.”

The Rune Clan….

Perhaps because such a clan doesn’t actually exist, I couldn’t fully understand Rebecca’s feelings.

I want to ask her seriously someday.

“Speaking of which, what about the child at Sunshine Orphanage?”

“Suhyun? I’ll have to bring him here someday. But I’m worried. At his age, when his values are forming, hearing about something like the Rune Clan might negatively impact him.”

“Hmm….”

Cheon Su-hyun.

He’s the survivor of the Rune Clan who was at the orphanage where Baek Ahyoung used to go.

However, he’s still young and grew up without proper education, so he couldn’t fulfill Rebecca’s objective.

Thinking about it, Rebecca isn’t wrong.

A child living a normal, good life now could potentially be corrupted and go down a bad path.

Rebecca-ssi is kind, so I doubt she could discipline him harshly.

“Nothing is easy in this world.”

“No, it isn’t. Haa.”

I relaxed my body and looked at my smartwatch.

I’m in contact with the heroines every day, so I need to check my messages whenever I have a moment.

– Surin noona : What are you doing after breakfast? You’re not doing anything weird again, are you?

– Me : No. Just resting. Getting ready to go back tomorrow.

Surin noona always pries into my actions, which is cute, but it’s quite difficult to come up with excuses.

She said she has something to show me when I get back to Korea, so I definitely need to visit her soon.

‘This noona wasn’t like this at first.’

How did it turn out this way?

Well, it’s not my fault, at least.

– Nam Daeun : Are you really coming tomorrow?

– Me : Yeah. It’s confirmed this time.

Tring-

As soon as I replied to Nam Daeun’s message, a response arrived as if she had been waiting.

– Nam Daeun : I made Kimchi jjigae. It’ll be super delicious. Dahee liked it too.

– Me : I’ll starve all day tomorrow in anticipation.

– Nam Daeun : Okay. Thanks.

Nam Daeun’s way of speaking was still cute. Considering her usual tone, this is actually very kind by her standards.

She must be waiting eagerly at home.

I really need to go back soon.

I miss Dahee too, after so long.

Tring-

– Alice : Can you come over tonight?

“…Right.”

I blinked, looking at the newly arrived message.

I was supposed to meet Alice today too.

Looks like I’m pulling a double shift today.

“Daddy, why are you so focused on your smartwatch?”

“I was just contacting people since I’m going back tomorrow.”

“Ah, contacting your girlfriends?”

“Yep.”

Still, I’m glad Rebecca-ssi doesn’t get jealous of other women.

Without her, I wouldn’t have come up with the fake dungeon idea. As long as she doesn’t demand I get her pregnant, she’s an essential asset to me.

…She’ll stay the same later on, right?

I looked at Rebecca’s face.

Rebecca was slumped over, looking exhausted, but she turned her head towards me when she noticed my gaze.

Maybe it’s because I see women change their attitudes in an instant so often, but I don’t know why I feel so uneasy.

I carefully looked at Rebecca’s face.

“Huh? What?”

Rebecca tilted her head at my uneasy gaze.

“…Because you’re beautiful.”

“Look at my Daddy trying to flirt. It’s second nature to him.”

I tried to probe a little, but Rebecca just smiled.

I hope you continue to do that. Rebecca-ssi.

Please.

*

“Aaaagh…!”

Alice threw herself onto the bed in her room, which she hadn’t returned to in a while.

She completed the discharge procedures as quickly as possible, allowing her to leave the hospital in the morning.

She could have been discharged even earlier, but her father postponed all his other work to visit and check on her condition, causing delays.

Fortunately, her sister, who was working, couldn’t make it.

If both of them had been there, it probably would have taken another hour.

“I don’t understand why they act like this even though I told them I’m fine.”

At this point, it’s a sickness. A real sickness.

Alice shook her head and turned on her smartwatch while lying on the bed.

The main news feed featured articles about the work done by the Iris Guild.

[Genius Mage Lee Hoyeon. His research proved greatly helpful after the Centaur capture….]

[Korea’s Pride! Young Cadet, 20, Causes a Stir in Europe.]

[Victoria Academy’s Next Generation Talent. An Interview with Genius Mage Lee Hoyeon (Virtual Interview)]

[French Cadet Alice Also Assists Lee Hoyeon in Research….]

“…I told him not to do things like this.”

Seeing her name mentioned briefly, Alice covered her flushing face with her hand.

He ended up getting her name onto the main headlines too.

It could have just been a single line within the article, not the headline, but he always makes her look embarrassed like this.

Alice finally closed her smartwatch and lay comfortably on the bed.

She always cleared her thoughts by looking at the ceiling.

‘Tomorrow, I’ll return to Korea with Lee Hoyeon.’

Once I return to my normal life, I’ll have to attend Victoria Academy again.

Which means Lee Hoyeon will meet other women again.

“…I don’t have much time.”

Once we’re back in Korea, we won’t be able to spend time together like this.

Both I and Lee Hoyeon have things we need to do.

And inevitably, he’ll meet other women.

“Four… no, five? Maybe six?”

Women who are very close to Lee Hoyeon.

I don’t know the exact number, but around that many.

Not all of them are in as deep a relationship as I am, so maybe I can cut that number in half.

“Then… haa.”

Of course, that’s still not a small number.

It means there are that many women I need to overcome.

The war was just beginning.

Butterflies always flock around the light.

She didn’t want to be a failed butterfly.

“Today is important.”

Alice steeled herself and picked up her smartwatch again.

It was the last day they could spend time alone together.

She didn’t have a plan, but she had to do something.

“….”

Tap- tap-

After pondering, Alice carefully typed out a message.