NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16
“Wow, you’re actually smart, more than I expected. I thought all pretty boys were just idiots, but I guess that’s not the case?”
Marco lifted the corners of her mouth, revealing her sharp teeth.
She patted the seat next to her, signaling for me to sit down.
“……”
I silently took a seat beside her.
The strong scent of smoke wafted through the air.
I had worried about the smell of cigarettes, but surprisingly, it was rather fragrant.
“Ah~! I knew my eyes weren’t wrong. Among the recent guys I’ve seen, you’re definitely the most handsome.”
Marco casually scanned my face, then let out an impressed sound.
I knew this all too well from playing the game, but her possessiveness was immense.
She was the type who had to have what she desired to feel satisfied.
“Boss, are you trying to swap out another guy?”
“Shut up. A superior female should have multiple males under her command, you know?”
“Wow, that’s definitely the boss for you!”
With that, she downed the yellowish liquid in her glass in one go.
The atmosphere in the Yan family remained the same, regardless of gender reversal.
“They truly do whatever they please.”
Strongest rules.
The strongest takes the boss position and wields power as they wish.
At first glance, it seemed like a chaotic operation that could lead to a third-rate criminal syndicate, but…
Ironically, this is why the Yan family could become a top-tier, worst shadow organization.
“Boss, what happened to that girl who jumped us last time?”
“That girl? Ah, you mean the one from the central family? She was spouting difficult words like judgment and liquidation, so I half-killed her.”
In order to inherit the title of ‘Yan,’ being strong isn’t enough; you must be ‘really strong.’
“They were really just a bunch of entertainment, nothing to worry about.”
A being whose very existence matched that of a legion.
Smashing the earth with fists and bursting people open to an apex level.
That’s Marco now.
‘Damn…’
Every time Marco rubbed my shoulder, chills ran down my spine.
It wasn’t shame but the realization that if she squeezed just a bit more, my body would break apart.
“Hey pretty, your glass is empty?”
“……”
I tried hard to hide my tension while pouring more liquor into my glass.
I expected her to gulp it all down like before, but she subtly pushed the cup toward me.
“You drink.”
“…Huh?”
“Your pretty face looks stiff; it’s clearly ruining the flavor of the alcohol. Drink this and get the mood going.”
The shimmering surface of the liquor in front of me.
It looked immensely strong at first glance.
“I… I’d rather not.”
If I drink this, I’ll likely throw up everything inside me.
The smile on Marco’s face faltered instantly after my refusal.
“…Hey pretty, do you know what it means to refuse the drink I give you?”
Just her serious expression made the air around us gradually grow heavier.
‘Is this really a human?’
It felt like I’d transported a tiger or a lion here.
If I hadn’t known Marco, I might have fainted, foaming at the mouth.
But I do know her.
If I were to guzzle it down, thinking, ‘Wow, what a precious drink!’ she would lose interest in me.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t drink.”
“……”
“I really can’t drink this.”
Pushing the glass away while frowning.
It was as if I genuinely found it distasteful.
“Whoa…?”
“Hey, hey… Don’t upset the boss, just drink it…!”
Worried murmurs floated around us from the others.
A few of them watched us with ghostly pale faces.
A tension filled the room.
“…Puhaha!”
What broke the tension was no other than Marco’s laughter.
“Puhah! Yes, that’s how you should bounce back! That’s the fun of a beauty!”
Simultaneously, sighs of relief erupted from various corners.
“Whew…”
“I thought we were going to lose a few buildings.”
Marco was fundamentally rough and had a rotten personality.
But she also had an overwhelming ‘greed.’
She gets what she wants.
She absolutely claims it.
Even her vile personality temporarily bows to the things she desires.
Thus, I needed to become that ‘valuable but not easily obtainable’ existence in Marco’s eyes.
‘Hoo.’
Maybe I’ve just passed one hurdle.
As I exhaled a sigh of relief inside, I felt a strong hand grabbing my cheek.
Then something soft pressed against my lips.
“Ugh?!”
Marco’s lips collided with mine.
‘What the…?!’
Before I could even comprehend the situation, a lukewarm liquid flowed into my mouth.
The warmth spread on my lips, igniting a sensation in my stomach.
‘It’s alcohol!’
This crazy girl was transferring her drink into my mouth.
“Puhah!”
“Puh…! Cough! Cough!”
“You should’ve just said you wanted to be fed like this!”
With the sudden rush of alcohol hitting me, I coughed endlessly.
The potency was quite high, and I already felt the bitter alcohol rising.
“Ugh…!”
“This alcohol is sweet, right?”
Sweet my ass…!
Was it the gender reversal effect, or did she turn even rougher than I knew?
“Hmm.”
Marco licked her lips and stared at me with a peculiar gaze.
I glared at her with the most defiant expression I could muster, and her eyes crinkled.
“By the way, boss. What should we do tomorrow?”
“…Huh?”
“I thought you had a reason for personally showing up in a place like this…”
What a mood killer to bring up work just when we were having a good time.
Marco bit her lip lightly and turned her gaze elsewhere.
“Well, yeah. I haven’t mentioned it to you guys yet.”
But the boss is still the boss, I guess.
Even while annoyed, she mixed no undue feelings into discussing work.
“Cough…”
I continued to pretend to be oblivious due to the alcohol while opening my ears.
The reason the Yan family came all the way to this corner of the continent.
That Marco herself must escort this mission, no less.
“It’s simple. Just catch someone and kill them.”
“Huh? For just that reason, why would the boss…?”
Marco propped her legs up on the table.
“The target is… rather significant.”
She pulled out a cigar from her pocket, lit it, took a deep puff, and exhaled white smoke that spread lazily like a soul.
“It’s the princess.”
“…?!”
“I received a request to kill the princess.”
Everyone in the room froze at her bombshell statement.
“The princess? You mean that Pernia person?!”
“Puhaha! You want to kill that crazy girl? Wake up. We’re targeting the second one.”
“The second one… You mean Angela? Is she here?”
“We only presume she’s here. It’s not exact.”
In an instant, my mind went blank.
‘What is this variable…?’
Up until now, during the rescue event for the princess, the Yan family had never targeted Angela.
‘Did Pernia hire them?’
That couldn’t be right.
Pernia and Marco had no intersection at all, and even if they did, there was no way Marco would accept a request from that Pernia.
Thus, the conclusion circled back to one point.
‘There’s someone else in the royal family after Angela’s life.’
I tried to recall possible candidates, but the alcohol continued to muddle my thoughts.
‘Damn it.’
I thought it would all get resolved if I quietly hid away and handed Angela over when the royal forces arrived.
Now I couldn’t even trust the royal family anymore.
“Though the request said to kill as soon as discovered… it’s a waste to just kill a valuable hostage like the princess.”
Marco looked up, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Her bronze skin glistened under the dim light.
“This request is a trick. Killing the princess while simultaneously rooting out our family for the crime of murdering royalty seems like the plan.”
“That’s…!”
“Exactly why I accepted. If we protect the princess, we gain justification for entering the central government.”
Tap, tap.
Her fingers flicked against the sofa, creating a dull sound.
“…I can’t keep living off alley dust forever.”
That voice was soaked in ambition.
The cry of a monster trying to crawl into the light.
“Well, that’s that. Is tonight still long?”
Marco turned her gaze back to me.
Where her voice had been laced with ambition moments ago, now it was filled with desire.
“I’m starting to feel like lying down…”
The look in her eyes as she stared at me reminded me of a dripping-wet wolf.
Was it an instinctual fear I felt?
As a heroine, she certainly had a stunning face.
But—
‘Her personality is like that.’
Ironically, guys liked that kind of personality too.
“Come on, pretty. Come here.”
She signaled for me to sit on her thigh.
“……”
I continued to walk unsteadily as if I couldn’t shake off the effects of the alcohol.
“Now you’re finally obedient. I might just reward you.”
Was I some kind of god meant to get her drunk?
She wore a delighted smile, and I—
Swish!
Drew a dagger from my sleeve.
“…What?!”
A skilled person doesn’t have time to be flustered.
As quickly and as accurately as possible.
I unleashed the limits of my body’s abilities.
Swoooooosh!
Red energy clung to the dagger, forming the shape of a great sword.
‘And here…’
Wooosh!
I accompanied it with a swift and crisp sword technique!
‘Using the “Typhoon Technique” continuously has sharpened my skills.’
Originally, this technique could only be used after opening the lower dantian.
But with this body’s abilities, I should be able to pull it off now.
‘Above all else…’
At this stage, I must ‘fascinate’ Marco without fail.
“Ugh!”
A green wind wrapped around the red great sword.
ZZZRRRR!
The crimson tempest came ripping through, threatening to tear everything apart!
[You are manipulating two sword techniques at the same time.]
[“Sword Technique Combination” activated!]
[From now on, a special “Skill” will activate every time you combine sword techniques.]
I did it, I managed to do it.
[You are simultaneously manipulating “Typhoon Technique” and “Fierce Gale Technique.”]
[Skill, “Riptide Storm” is activated!]