Episode 331. Centaur Tracking Operation (3)

• Why is everyone so quiet?

“….”

“….”

“….”

“….”

An awkward silence filled the inside of the mini airplane.

The driver was Scarlet, and sitting in the co-pilot seat next to her was Irene.

Alice and I were sitting in the back seat.

Alice, Scarlet, and I were originally supposed to ride together, and Sebastian was supposed to take Irene’s seat.

But right before we got on the plane, she suddenly insisted that she had to ride along too, so we ended up riding together.

However, now that we were on board, she couldn’t talk to me because of Scarlet and Alice.

If she was going to be like that, why did she insist on coming?

Scarlet drove quietly, looking straight ahead, while Irene glanced sideways at Alice and me.

Alice had her hand on her chest, eyes closed, seemingly concentrating on something.

Wait. You had your first time with me yesterday, Alice.

Why aren’t you reacting more?

The Centaur’s hideout wasn’t that far away.

If I missed the chance to talk now, it would be difficult to get another opportunity.

I naturally started talking to Alice.

“Alice. How are you feeling?”

“That’s the first thing you say?”

“….”

Alice’s voice was cold as ice.

To someone who didn’t know the situation, it might have just sounded like, ‘Is something wrong?’, but to me, who knew what was going on, it sounded like a death sentence.

Based on my experience, I detected a hint of resentment in Alice’s voice.

It felt like the disappointment would linger if I didn’t resolve it immediately.

Therefore, I abandoned the plan to ‘insist it was just a massage’ and decided I had to apologize immediately.

“I’m sorry.”

“…You beast.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“…You slut.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Alice whispered in a very small voice, so as not to be heard by those in the front seats, and I quietly apologized too.

• What the heck! Why are you just taking insults!

Liliana got angry for me, but given my current situation, I couldn’t voice any complaints.

Fine. Curse me out.

If that helps you feel better, curse me all you want!

Or, if you’re still not satisfied, you can hit me.

Anyway, I wasn’t planning on letting this slide quietly.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Alice]

• [Affection: 97]

• [Lust: 80]

• [Appetite: 50]

• [Fatigue: 40]

Current Status: He’s a bad guy, but his timidness when he’s like this is quite cute.

‘Huh?’

Affection 97. That’s a very high score.

Judging by how she’s talking, she remembers yesterday’s events, it seems…

But considering her inner thoughts and the increased affection score, this is likely just her being prickly.

‘If I just play along for a little while, it should be fine.’

Alice didn’t seem as upset as I thought she’d be.

Right. You enjoyed it too.

Since we both enjoyed it, let’s just move past it.

“What are you sorry for?”

“….”

But Alice crushed my confidence completely with one sentence.

Scary.

I was too terrified to figure out how to answer.

“You enjoyed it too.”

“You’re really crazy.”

“Sorry. It was a joke. I’m sorry I did it when you said you didn’t want to.”

I’d only heard ‘What are you sorry for?’ online, but hearing it in real life caused my brain to overload.

For a loser like me, it’s too realistic. I’ve been with several women, but that kind of question was difficult.

“Haa… Do you even remember yesterday?”

“I definitely remember.”

“Did you even sleep? Your eyes look completely dead.”

“I barely slept.”

“…Could it be you did it even after I passed out? No wonder my lower half hurt when I woke up.”

“I didn’t touch you while you were sleeping. I massaged you a bit more after you fell asleep, then went back to the dorm, checked the magic circle, and was immediately dragged out, which is why I’m tired.”

“Hmm…”

I casually mentioned it was a massage, and Alice gave a slight nod without saying much.

I couldn’t tell if she was worried about me or just wanted to curse me out.

“Lee Hoyeon.”

“Yeah.”

Alice carefully placed her hand on my thigh.

I thought maybe she was planning some lover’s intimacy here, but that wasn’t it.

“Ah, Aaaah…!”

Startled by the pain in my thigh, I tried to scream but quickly bit my lip and hunched over.

Alice smiled like a devil, removed her hand from my thigh, and whispered in my ear.

“At least I wouldn’t have been so surprised if you had been next to me when I woke up.”

“That… I’m sorry.”

Thinking about it, that’s true.

From my perspective, I’d spent hours massaging, so I was tired, and Irene was there, so coming back to the dorm made sense, but I left a woman who had her first experience alone.

Women value the afterglow after sex more than the act itself.

This was indeed my fault.

“…It’s fine. I was going to curse you out fiercely, but seeing your face, you seem remorseful. Well, my body feels lighter too.”

“How much lighter does your body feel?”

“Well. I haven’t properly tested it, but it’s quite surprising. …Could it be that’s the cause?”

“That?”

“No, you know that right now… Haa.”

Swish-

Alice, her face slightly flushed, suddenly turned her head towards the driver’s seat in front.

Scarlet and Irene were looking straight ahead, and it’s likely Irene heard most of our conversation.

Unless we used magic, someone as strong as Irene could hear everything just by focusing her hearing.

“…Look at this.”

Alice held up her smartwatch where I could see it and started typing.

[About that thing we did last night. Is it because of that my magic power is so active?]

Tap-

Alice handed the smartwatch to me.

She probably wants me to answer by typing here.

[So, what is that?]

Tap-

[If you do it one more time, I’ll really kill you.]

[Sorry. That’s right. Sex has a direct effect.]

[…Really?]

[Yeah. Of course, I won’t deny my own lust was involved, but inserting semen containing magic power inside the body works well. Especially for someone like me who can control magic well, it’s even better.]

Tap- Tap- Tap- Tap-

We continued our conversation via smartwatch.

• Why are we talking like this? It’s hard to watch.

Pat pat.

As I comforted Liliana, who was voicing her complaints, I glanced ahead and saw Irene looking at us, frowning.

Right. Since she couldn’t hear us, she must be frustrated.

She must be bewildered seeing Alice not reacting negatively towards me.

Meanwhile, Alice’s expression was also amusing.

She had a look that seemed to question if this was right, but I guess the effect of my massage was that great. It was worth concentrating for hours.

‘This way, it gives me a reason to meet again.’

Moreover, I can even feed her my semen under the guise of replenishing magic power.

To think of such things instantly… Am I really a genius?

“Hmm. Okay. For now, after fighting a bit today, I’ll think about it.”

“Yeah. That’s a good idea.”

“You look tired, why don’t you get at least a little sleep? I know I’m the one who took your time, so it’s not really my place to say, but…”

“I’m fine. And we’ll be arriving soon.”

During our brief conversation, we had gotten closer to the magic we were tracking.

I turned on the communicator I received from Isaac.

• This is Lee Hoyeon. Let’s get off around here.

*

• Please wait a moment.

Static-

After disembarking the plane, I gave orders to the pursuit team.

This place is the outskirts of Paris.

Specifically, it was a forested area.

I never imagined the Pandemic’s hideout would be so close by.

Usually, enemy hideouts are in places that catch you off guard like this.

“Can we know the enemies’ exact location? This kind of terrain makes it disadvantageous for us infiltrating.”

“It’s confirmed to be inside that forest, and it seems they’ve built the hideout entirely underground.”

“…Hmm. How should we infiltrate?”

• Just burn all the trees, wouldn’t that work?

“….”

I was speechless hearing Liliana’s words.

Such a brute-force idea…

Wait a second.

‘Might that actually work?’

With the Guild Master of the Iris Guild beside me, what is there to fear?

This person can even move the French government, you know.

I immediately submitted my suggestion to Isaac.

“Guild Master. Is there anything more important than catching Pandemic?”

“Do you have some kind of idea?”

“Let’s just burn it all down?”

“…I like it.”

Isaac looked at the forest, as if agreeing with my words.

I raised my internal evaluation of Isaac by one level and stood beside him.

*

The hideout of the Pandemic’s French branch.

Imps operating in France and recently increased executives were resting or drinking alcohol.

From Centaur’s perspective, the annoying noise had increased, so he was simply displeased.

Centaur, who had been sitting with his legs bent among the Imps, quietly stood up and muttered.

“They are coming.”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“Prepare yourselves.”

After the brief exchange, Centaur forced his uncomfortable body to move through the hideout.

The brainwashing cast by that guy named Maestro was incredibly strong.

Even though he decided not to reveal his power, he was involuntarily forced to show his strength. Such terrifying brainwashing.

It was astonishing that there was someone this strong among humans.

Perhaps the fortunate thing is that his consciousness is still alive like this.

But because his consciousness is alive, knowing he’s brainwashed yet having to follow it was extremely frustrating.

Centaur had to manipulate everything in his favor.

That was also the reason he briefly warned the Imps of the attack.

At least thanks to those humans called the pursuit team he met last time, he found the answer as to why he was in the human world, but knowing the reason changed nothing.

Rather, the unchangeable situation only made him more annoyed.

Perhaps this too is part of the brainwashing.

After all, he had to relieve this stress by killing humans.

Thump. Thump.

Centaur emerged from the hideout.

In the outskirts of Paris, an uninhabited and densely wooded area.

Deep underground, invisible to the naked eye, and undetectable unless one focused closely due to a barrier, regardless of how they found this place, the magic he encountered during the pursuit was approaching.

Several strong humans and the magic of weaker humans. Mixed among them was the magic of the Underworld.

“….”

Centaur recalled events from decades ago.

A scene of massacre where corpses, blood, and bones flowed like a river.

Even though he was young and held a position at the Demon King’s castle, he was powerless before the horrific reality. He couldn’t do anything.

The world was cold.

In the wilderness called the Underworld, one had to risk their life to grasp honor, and Centaur lacked the talent for it.

After that incident, he hid his power, kept a low profile, and lived the life of a mere mercenary.

Being low in the ranks among the Demon King’s successors, that was the only way he could survive.

The day he gave up everything is still vividly remembered.

Casually committing massacre, sitting on the throne held by the undead… that chilling…

“They’ve arrived.”

Centaur, sensing the approaching magic, cut off his thoughts.

And at the same time.

BOOOOM-

A huge lightning bolt struck the middle of the forest.