Ch.217Putri

# 217. Putri

“…Half of our short break time is already gone.”

“Let’s think of it as still having half left.”

“Easy for you to say.”

After returning to our original bodies, we spent some time hugging and touching each other before taking time to readjust to our own bodies.

It wasn’t like we had only been in the stage for a brief moment—we’d been there for quite a long time. There were so many differences to get used to again: height, weight, center of gravity, and more.

“Ah. Right.”

“Huh?”

“Danya. What about Danya?”

“Oh.”

But why wasn’t Danya here?

As soon as we exited the stage, that Putri bastard had been scratching at my insides, and after he disappeared, the raid members swarmed me, leaving me disoriented. I hadn’t seen Danya, who couldn’t enter the stage, outside either.

‘The contract doesn’t seem to have been broken, though.’

We looked around everywhere, but this place was like a small theater. We quickly confirmed that Danya was nowhere to be found.

“Ah, shit… I should have asked that bastard…”

“Seong-hyeon.”

“Hah… Danya has every right to resent and hate me for this.”

“It’s not just you. We’re all the same. None of us thought of it.”

“If Danya finds out about this, she’ll be even more depressed.”

No matter how chaotic things had been, it was shocking that we had momentarily forgotten about Danya. Given the circumstances, that Putri bastard must have pulled some trick, but I still felt guilty. Danya would probably tell us not to worry and apologize for not being able to help.

“Oppa. I’m curious about something.”

“What is it?”

“Honestly, after becoming Snow White, did you touch your body or not?”

“I was wondering what you were curious about… I’m not like you.”

“Wooo~ Usually when a man turns into a pretty girl, he starts by groping his own chest, then gets shocked when he finds what’s missing down there. Then curiosity and perversion make him touch that area, experiencing sensations different from when he was a man…”

“How would you know about that?”

I laughed off Yuri’s nonsense, which was clearly an attempt to lighten the mood. If I had never dated a woman before, or if my girlfriend had been ordinary-looking, I might have acted as Yuri described, but I was innocent. Though I did think she was extremely pretty.

Thanks to her, I laughed a little. I believed Danya would be safe. And I would crush that Putri bastard and definitely get Danya back.

I deliberately changed the subject.

“Putri is coming up next… We’ve all dealt with him enough times, right?”

“True, but I’m a bit worried that there might be new variables like on the stage.”

“Well, we’ll just have to adapt flexibly like we’ve been doing. That last part was good. How did you catch on so perfectly?”

“We haven’t been coordinating for that long, but we’re already on the same wavelength.”

In reality, the raid members might not have even seen my eye signals properly. But they made the same best judgment as I did based on how the situation was unfolding. Almost simultaneously.

“Let’s all get some rest. To recover even a little.”

At my words, the raid members huddled together and lay down in one place.

‘Ugh, it’s suffocating.’

Even though there was plenty of space, they deliberately clung to me, practically crushing me, but I couldn’t complain.

We all knew without saying it that this moment could be our last.

Thinking about Putri in the game, his difficulty was inconsistent for a high-ranking demon—he could be extremely easy or extremely difficult. If the extremely difficult pattern appeared…

‘Whatever. We just have to beat him. There’s been no retreat since we entered the tower.’

I decided not to assume the worst for now. It was because of all the abnormal experiences we’d been through. And we would go through more in a few hours.

If I could send just one message to myself before playing this cursed game, what would I say?

‘Don’t start that cursed game! You might get trapped in a tower similar to the game world, so delete it immediately! Don’t even register!’ Or maybe:

‘If you start that game, women far superior to your worm-like colleagues and bosses will become your raid members and lovers. They’re also good at games. Warning: you might die.’

“Oppa. This isn’t working. Want to go a round before we catch that bastard?”

“You’re really consistent, Yuri.”

*Slap*

“Ow!”

“Get your head straight, A-Yuri. Are you trying to exhaust Seong-hyeon before the raid?”

“Ah, unni! You know, post-nut clarity! Isn’t that what our oppa needs? Ow! Oww! Unni, why are your hands so spicy!”

“Such exaggeration. This won’t do. Get away from Seong-hyeon. Stop subtly rubbing against him. Se-yeon, pull her away.”

“Yes, unni.”

“Nooo!”

“Yes!”

Yuri was lying on top of me, hugging me tightly and resisting, but even she couldn’t withstand their coordinated attack. In the process, my body once again became communal property of the raid members, but it was fine if it helped relieve their tension. And…

‘I’d choose the latter. Probably, with 99.99% certainty.’

Now that I’ve met them and formed bonds with them, I couldn’t possibly undo it all.

So I’ll protect them. By any means necessary.

**

“Hahaha! How delightful. Very good. Isn’t it, Radaniya, the legendary Ayor?”

“…”

“I’m planning to have some fun with those hu-man adventurers soon. What do you think? Who will win?”

“[Obviously my comrades.]”

“Oh-ho! You finally speak! But calling those who forgot your existence ‘comrades’—indeed, the title ‘Mother of Eternity’ is no empty name, is it?”

“[You pull cowardly tricks and then snicker alone in a corner, finding it amusing? Is this what a great demon does? What? Do you want me to grind my teeth? Or resent my comrades? Or lose my will and become helpless?]”

“A-ha!!”

Putri snapped his fingers, and the black cat, Danya, trembled violently.

“For a demon, the word ‘cowardly’ is practically a compliment. Still, Radaniya, you need to know your place.”

“[Ugh…]”

“It’s complicated to explain everything, but to put it simply… Yes!! Pup-pet!! You are a puppet, or in other words, merely a chess piece! A repeating story and fate, predetermined roles, a copied and closed world.”

Putri spread his left hand, and the image of a massive tower appeared in the air. When he spread his right hand, the interior of the tower became visible. Danya, seeing something familiar for the first time in her life, widened her eyes.

In the third zone from the bottom, in one part, was the city of Ayord that she had built with her kind.

“Do you know? You were never supposed to leave Ayord. That was your fate, and it repeated countless times. After that, con-tin-u-ous-ly, con-tin-u-ous-ly!! Your destiny was to fulfill your duty as an unacknowledged guardian until your mind gave out before your body, leading to suicide.”

“[What are you talking about? Fate? Repetition? Stop spouting nonsense, you vile demon!]”

“Don’t you find it strange? When you escaped from the Albs. And when you fought back. At least the world you knew wasn’t disconnected like that.”

“[That’s…]”

“Why do the human man you adore and follow, along with those various women, take it for granted and seem to know everything?”

Danya’s eyes wavered. She was flustered as topics she had deliberately buried deep were forcibly brought to the surface, and she was frightened by how this great demon, regardless of his status, knew everything about her down to the last detail.

Regardless of her feelings, the already excited Putri continued speaking.

“This tower is the world we are in now. And those human adventurers are called entrants because they entered the tower. Why? Why do you think you, who were supposed to silently remove Ayord’s garbage and darkness, could leave Ayord? You must have seen countless people over those long years?”

“[That’s because Seong-hyeon is a special existence.]”

“Ex-act-ly! That human man is special! Do you know? No, rather, look over there. Yes, the tower. Well, since you can’t see clearly, let me magnify it for you.”

With an exaggerated gesture, Putri spread his arms wide, and the interior of the tower expanded dramatically.

Everywhere, there were humans.

In Ayord, the city of the Ayors, in Albrant, the city of the Albs, in other cities, and even outside the cities.

“Would you believe that they ended up like that because they were half-threatened to climb the ‘tower’?”

“[Threatened?]”

“With very few exceptions, they all gave up climbing the tower! Those adventurer types! Because they valued their lives!! After all that boasting and showing off before!!! Why did they all become cowards once they entered the tower!!!!”

Danya couldn’t follow Putri’s words.

“But that human adventurer party is exceptional! They’re afraid, but they don’t stop! They have clear goals and unwavering trust in each other!”

“[What are you planning to do?]”

“I told you, didn’t I? I’m planning to have some fun.”

Putri laughed grotesquely.

“Goals and trust. I’m thinking of messing with those a bit. Ah! Of course, it’s a secret, a sec-ret!!”