Episode 32. Contract (2)

The day after the PR department activities ended.

Alice, who had been out, got into a luxury sedan to return to the Academy.

“Haaah, this is really tiring.”

“You must have worked hard, Miss.”

“Mmm.”

She familiarly placed her clutch bag down and poured a glass of wine imbued with preservation magic, savoring its aroma.

This sweet dessert wine. Château d’Yquem is Alice’s favorite.

“Victoria Academy certainly works fast. An article is already up.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re the PR model for Victoria Academy, aren’t you?”

“We just filmed yesterday, and it’s already up?”

“Yes. It was posted.”

Alice accessed EveryDay on her smartwatch.

A prominently displayed post titled ‘[Victoria Academy PR Department Models Photos.jpg]’ was getting recommendations and rising to the top.

“It’s real…”

“Would I lie to you, Miss? Hoho.”

Since they said they’d distribute it as an advertisement on various platforms, not just the official Victoria Academy website, it didn’t matter that an article was posted.

But can they really work this fast? They finished filming yesterday, and they’re making the advertisement today?

Pondering this, she clicked on ‘[Victoria Academy PR Department Models Photos.jpg]’.

---

[Victoria Academy PR Department Models Advertisement Photos Revealed.jpg]

[Photo]

If anyone asks about the future of Victoria Academy, tell them it’s the PR department.

Likes: 1300 Dislikes: 34

---

“What the…”

There was only one photo. Just the picture taken by the student council was uploaded.

‘If they were just going to upload the first shot, why did we take so long filming…!’

Alice trembled slightly, suppressing her anger, and glanced at the comments.

[No way, are the faces of this year’s freshmen for real?]

[Honestly, the freshmen guys who have to compete with those faces are the ones I pity the most lol]

[Seriously lol Who’d want to date losers like us when they’re living the academy life with guys like that?]

[You bastards. I’m a freshman, so take it easy.]

[Actually, I’m a freshman too lololololol]

[Wow, Alice unnie is seriously so beautiful. Anyone prettier than me is unnie.]

[Noona, please take me. Just take me.]

[Looks like we have an illegal trash dumper here.]

Even seeing the flood of comments praising her looks didn’t evoke much emotion.

She’d heard it her whole life.

[Photo]

[New photos released! The notice said each photo is legendary, so they’re uploading them gradually?]

[Wow, handsome guys are handsome even when they’re reading.]

“Hmph.”

It was a relief that the photos they worked hard on weren’t wasted.

[But Alice is really pretty too, though Lee Hoyeon is unbelievably handsome. If Alice is top-tier among celebrities, Lee Hoyeon’s face is beyond evaluation. It feels rude even to describe him.]

“Seriously. Isn’t this bastard the one who wrote this?”

He might be handsome, but not that much.

Seeing the comments that weren’t just praising Lee Hoyeon but practically worshipping him made Alice inexplicably annoyed.

• “If you didn’t know the way, you should have said something.”

• “…That can happen. People aren’t perfect all the time.”

• “Well, I guess it’s good to see your human side. I couldn’t imagine walking towards the central fountain and ending up at the outer wall of the Academy, though.”

• “…”

• “Tsk.”

The conversation Alice had with Lee Hoyeon flashed through her mind.

It had been a long time since she felt such a strange irritation.

When her older sister took her toys when she was young, or stole her best friend in kindergarten, she felt annoyed, but it wasn’t like this.

Alice had never experienced ‘teasing’.

The ‘teasing’ she had endured since childhood was more like this:

“That fucking bitch. It’s not like she looks down on others just because she’s talented.”

“She probably sleeps around like a slut behind everyone’s back.”

“Her own father’s a thief, so what difference would the daughter make?”

She had never experienced pranks.

Since childhood, she had only been exposed to envy and jealousy, receiving ‘criticism’.

That’s why she felt a strange irritation towards Lee Hoyeon’s ‘teasing’.

She learned how to brush off ‘baseless criticism’ when she was young.

She didn’t get angry when untalented people criticized her.

Instead, she felt pity.

But Lee Hoyeon had no shortcomings compared to Alice.

Therefore, she couldn’t feel pity for his ‘teasing’. All she felt was a strange irritation.

Ultimately, Alice’s assessment of Lee Hoyeon was:

A strange guy.

It felt strangely insulting, yet it wasn’t entirely untrue.

The more they talked, the more annoyed she became, but she didn’t want to end the conversation.

Of course, she wouldn’t deny that his handsome face played a significant role.

But these feelings, new in her life.

Those strange emotions made Alice speak her mind.

• “You know, there’s a limit to how much I’ll tolerate your rude behavior just because you’re handsome.”

“Crazy bitch… What was I thinking when I said that?”

Words spoken unintentionally, yet filled with genuine feeling.

Even thinking about it now makes her face flush.

Back then too, as soon as she said it, she felt her face turn red and fled the scene.

“Haaah… This is so annoying.”

Alice still couldn’t understand why she had said such embarrassing things.

*

---

[Hell’s Ruffian Summoning Contract]

Are you the one who summoned Hell’s ruffians?

Choose one of the four ruffians.

1. The demon Lucifer, a butcher obsessed with human flesh.

2. The Incubus, Hell Academy’s virgin-destroying golden boy.

3. A Centaur, an F-rank mercenary for 20 years, the resilience of a battle-hardened veteran who’s never won.

4. A Succubus, a 50-year-old spinster and master of weaving spiderwebs.

---

“…What the hell is this?”

The title ‘Hell’s Ruffian Summoning Contract’ gave me a feeling that something shitty would be summoned, but…

Shittier bastards than I could have imagined popped out.

Option 1 is a definite no. What the hell is ‘the demon Lucifer, a butcher obsessed with human flesh’?

If I summon this guy, I feel like I’ll end up as meat hanging in a butcher shop.

I don’t even want to talk about the next ruffian.

I don’t like that he’s male, but ‘the virgin-destroying golden boy Incubus’?

I considered if he might possibly help with my strategy, but I bet he’d pretend to help while NTR-ing me from behind. Get lost.

Option 3 is ‘A Centaur, an F-rank mercenary for 20 years, the resilience of a battle-hardened veteran who’s never won’.

“Seriously, why describe an idiot so elaborately.”

I’m skipping this one too.

That leaves only the last option, number 4… This one seems like the best of the bunch, though…

A Succubus.

A word that resonates in a man’s heart.

But, a ’50-year-old spinster and master of weaving spiderwebs Succubus’?

What if it’s not a succubus ‘noona’ but a middle-aged ajumma?

“Still, it’s the only one left.”

Let’s just pick one quickly since we have to choose anyway.

I moved my index finger to option 4 on the floating system window: [A Succubus, a 50-year-old spinster and master of weaving spiderwebs].

Pung!

The system window disappeared, and immense magic circles began to draw themselves in the air where the summoning contract had been, accompanied by mist.

“Oh…”

Although the magic circles were too advanced for me to understand completely, I could grasp the basics thanks to [Mana Sensitivity].

‘The part drawn from here to there is the summoning, and the left side indicates coordinates. I don’t know the rest.’

My understanding was limited due to my low level.

“Ughhh…”

Finally, the mist cleared, and a woman’s groan was heard.

Just hearing the voice gave the impression of a beautiful woman, but it was too early to let my guard down.

As the mist completely dissipated, a woman wearing something like sweatpants and a top was sitting there slumped over.

“Uh, excuse me. Are you… okay?”

Her black hair was dry and messy, but her skin was flawless, her waist was slender, and her hips were shaped for childbirth.

Her breasts seemed to be around an F-cup.

She had a pleasant impression, not seeming like a 50-year-old ajumma at all.

Is it like how elves at 250 years old are considered 25 in human years?

“Excuse me? Are you alright?”

Her appearance clearly looked like someone in her 20s. Since she mentioned being 50, I used polite speech.

“Ah, fuck. I gotta run raids, where the hell am I? This is annoying.”

“Hmm, I think I’m screwed.”

*

---

“Ah, fuck. These guys really suck at this game, like, die-hard bad.”

Tadadadak! I typed furiously on the keyboard at high speed.

• What the hell are you guys doing, idiots? Aren’t you joining?

• You’re the one who baited, what are you talking about;;

• I drew aggro, but don’t you see the fight setup? Are you dumb?

• I’m blocking you.

• Hey, you fucking…

[DEFEAT]

“Damn it, I’m really going crazy.”

If these idiots are supposed to lead the Underworld as its future, then the Underworld’s future looks bleak.

I wasn’t in the mood to play the game like this. I was hungry too.

Gulp gulp.

“Phew.”

I drank the beverage next to my monitor and left my room.

My mom happened to be in the living room.

Mom looked exhausted, like she’d just returned from somewhere.

With wrinkles etched all over her face, it seemed about time for her to leave her fortune behind and join the First Demon King.

“Mom~. If you have nothing else to do, give me something to eat. I’m hungry.”

“Liliana! You canceled another blind date!”

“Ah, hurry, I’ve been playing games for too long, I’m dizzy.”

“I just got off work after overtime, and what have you been doing all day cooped up in your room!”

“Didn’t you say you were buying meat today? Why are you empty-handed?”

KWAANG!

“Is meat the issue right now! How important an opportunity was this!”

“Ah, shoot, that startled me. Why is she banging the desk?”

Here comes the nagging session again.

I let the sounds from behind me go in one ear and walked back into my room.

I was hungry, but I’d rather endure it and play games than listen to the nagging.

Life is really hard. So hard.

Closing the door made the sounds a bit quieter.

I logged back into the game.

The teammates were frustrating, so I couldn’t play team games. I should go do a raid instead.

KWAANG!

However, Mom entered my room to disturb my rest.

“You! I can’t stand it today!”

Mom’s reaction was unusually strong today. Why did she follow me into my room?

“Liliana, just listen to me! Why did you do it, why! This was truly the last chance! You’re 50 now. Where in the Underworld can you find a succubus who hasn’t married by age 50?!”

“Ah, just leave me alone! Why should I marry an ugly Orc with no money! Are you crazy?”

“Hey, you crazy bitch. Then you should have gotten married earlier! You’ve been playing games for 15 years since your coming-of-age ceremony, and now you say this?”

“Mom, we live for 1000 years, so 50 years means there are still 950 years left. I need to play games, so get out.”

“I’m a succubus too! A succubus! I believed in you this time!”

“Yes, just a moment. I’ll grab my potions and go~.”

Since I conveyed my intention to play the game, I turned my eyes back to the monitor.

These merchant bastards hoard potions, making them ridiculously expensive. I should sue them all.

“Oh dear, I’m really going crazy. Liliana. How old are you, and what exactly is lacking that you’re acting like this!”

“Yes, yes, I’m coming soon.”

The raid party is waiting for just me. I need to join the party right now…

Pick-

[Internet connection is unstable. Please check your connection…]

“Huh? What is it?”

“You, if you’re going to act like this, get out of the house.”

Mom was holding the internet cable in her hand. No, why is she doing this right when I’m about to enter the raid?

“Mom, just a moment. I promise I’ll talk after just one hour. There are people I need to play with right now.”

“How long are you going to keep this up? I’m really tired too.”

“No, okay! Mom. I’ll listen to you from now on. Just let go of that for now.”

“Liliana, please… Let’s stop this. Mom is truly exhausted….”

“Do you think I’m doing this because I want to play games? There are people in the game!”

“Sob sob…”

“Ah, seriously.”

Mom started sobbing uncontrollably, clutching the internet cable.

Haaah, what if she drowns herself with the internet cable? Damn it.

Pung!

What the fuck? Strange text appears before my eyes.

[Congratulations. You have been selected as one of the Four Great Ruffians of the Underworld.]

[The Underworld Welfare Team will provide an automatic employment service.]

“Four Great Ruffians? What’s a ruffian?”

I know the term sounds bad, but…

Pung!

[Congratulations! The owner of the Hell’s Ruffian Summoning Contract wishes to contract with you. We will provide an automatic employment service.]

“Huh? What’s this automatic employment service now…”

Pung!

“Liliana! Where did you run off to again!”