NOVEL NEXT Chapter 299: Lick Me A Bit
༺ Lick Me A Bit ༻
“E-Excuse me…”
– Srrrk…
Seeing the Hero of Money diligently untying the black rope that bound her, Alice extended her freed hand towards him.
“Ugh.”
At that moment, he stopped untying the rope and flinched.
“B-by any chance… Have you ever seen me before?”
Seeing him in such a state, Alice, unsure of what to do, asked hesitantly.
“…N-no. I haven’t had such an experience, but…”
Frey, the Hero of Money, immediately shook his head vigorously.“Forget about that. We need to leave here quickly. There’s no time to waste.”
“Pardon?”
“We don’t know when the one who imprisoned you will return.”
Soon after, he lifted Alice and spoke.
“You’ve been trapped here, right? I’ve been searching for you since you went missing. Fortunately, I found you.”
“…?”
A slightly calmer demeanor replaced the trembling fear from earlier.
Perplexed by the sudden change, Alice looked at him bewilderedly. But she eventually turned her gaze away.
“Uh…”
Then, the space where she had been confined since she was attacked by someone hiding in the corner after she attempted to assault Frey a week ago suddenly came into view.
“…Disgusting.”
She muttered as she recalled the events that had happened within the past week, but then she looked at the Hero of Money in front of her and tried to express her gratitude.
“Thank you, Hero of Money…”
“Uh, uh. Uh, uh, uh.”
“…..?”
For some reason, hearing her voice filled with cold hatred made him tremble again.
“E-excuse me…”
Seeing that sight, Alice felt her heart sink once again.
Though it was incredibly difficult to discern his face, he was clearly gripped by fear.
Alice had witnessed people being terrified countless times.
The expression he made was similar to the one she had seen many times when people heard her words filled with cold hatred right before she took their lives.
No, I’ve only killed those who deserved to die. I’ve never attacked the Hero of Money in the past.
“Uh, Hero of Money… are you a student at the academy?”
As those people’s expressions continued to haunt her, Alice thought hard to ask the question.
“…It’s a secret. Well, it’ll soon become public knowledge anyway.”
Then, the Hero of Money led her out of the classroom and answered softly.
“By the way, is there something wrong? Why are you so…?”
“Oh, I’m feeling a bit unwell right now. I’ve caught a severe cold, so it’s better not to touch me.”
Reaching out to him again, Alice tried to touch his hand, but he quickly withdrew, and started to nervously chew on his lips.
“Here, take this.”
“What is this…?”
While they were walking down the corridor, Frey took something out of his pocket and handed it to her.
“You must be hungry, right? I made a lunchbox for you.”
“Ah…”
It was a lunchbox containing rice with a smiling pea drawn on it and various side dishes.
The lunchbox consisted of the most delicious foods the Hero of Money had enjoyed when eating with the second-year commoner students.
“I-I made it myself. I hope you like it.”
“Ah…”
At that moment, the realization dawned on Alice that the ‘Hero of Money’ had just saved her life.
“Th-thank you. Thank you so much…”
So, she set aside the troubled thoughts from earlier and bowed with a grateful heart, tears pooling in her eyes.
“I-I thought… I would be trapped there forever…”
Simultaneously, fear and sorrow burst forth out of her.
“Frey trapped me there… He said that place would be my home from now on… No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get out…”
Tearfully, Alice spoke with choked-up emotions.
“Th-thank you for saving me. I want to repay you, but…”
“Then, be my friend.”
“…Pardon?”
When the Hero of Money cautiously held out his hand and made the request, she looked at him perplexed.
“I want to be friends with you, Alice.”
Gazing at Alice, the Hero of Money closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke again.
“I… don’t have an ordinary friend I can open up to and share my thoughts with.”
“Ah…?”
“So, I want to be friends with you and share our thoughts with each other.”
Saying that, the Hero of Money cast his eyes downward, twirling his foot timidly.
“W-will you be the one I can talk to about my story?”
“…”
Alice’s expression slowly began to stiffen.
.
.
.
.
.
“I-if you don’t want to, you can refuse. I would never force you.”
The Hero of Money, holding Alice’s hand, desperately added while staring at her. Observing him, Alice thought to herself.
Alice thought he was such a strange person. Despite having so much wealth, he seemed happiest when sharing various stories with his commoner peers.
All the rich and powerful people she had encountered so far were despicable individuals.
The Secret Lord who cursed and manipulated her, the worst scoundrel Frey, Count Justiano, who occasionally entrusted her with tasks, the sponsors who tried to devour the commoners a few months ago, and many more.
In the end, poor people like her and her friends were inevitably crushed by such people.
However, what about the Hero of Money, who was now extending a lunchbox and wearing a shy expression towards her?
The price for his hefty sponsorship was simply him asking about their well-being, recent hardships, life in the academy, studies, and friendships— just casual questions.
He was someone who considered these kinds of things the joy of life.
Moreover, occasionally, after such Q&A sessions, students who had complained about their parents’ illnesses or bullying would miraculously see improvements in their condition the next day.
Their Parents’ conditions would improve, special medicine would be delivered, or noble students who had relentlessly bullied them would quietly pass by with lowered eyes.
Of course, the commoner students not accustomed to such favors were initially skeptical, thinking it was a scheme to manipulate them.
Yet, until they reached the second academy year, he had never initiated any physical contact, let alone made any personal requests.
He had requested water only once when his throat was dry, but this repayment was too meager to be considered a fair trade for the hefty sponsorship funds.
As expected, this person is…
At first, she had thought of him as just a strange, eccentric person.
Perhaps it was just a noble hobby of an old man who had earned too much money or he simply did it for fun.
However, after seeing his true nature and finding out that he was a student at the Academy, Alice completely changed her mind.
He must have been lonely.
Regardless of who the Hero of Money was or what his identity was, he seemed like someone who was quite lonely.
For some reason, he was unable to share conversations with his peers, but he was sincerely happy just to engage in conversations with commoner students. He was an outcast in desperate need of a friend.
“…Sure.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll be your friend.”
Having willingly accepted his request, Alice silently observed the Hero of Money.
“Thank you.”
After a while, the Hero of Money bowed his head with a pleased smile.
“Well then, let’s meet again next time. I want to have tea together, explore the school, and study…”
“Oh, s-sure.”
As he continued to hold her hand and actively suggest ideas, Alice blushed and attempted to respond.
“Um, do you happen to have time tomorrow?”
“…”
Hearing that, she responded with a cold expression.
“I’m sorry. I have something important tomorrow.”
Tomorrow was the day Frey promised to allow her to carry out the assassination.
“It’s quite an important matter…”
“Uh, ugh.”
“…Ah.”
That’s why Alice unconsciously muttered with a cold expression on her face. She came to her senses when she felt the tremor in her hand, and stared at the Hero of Money.
“W-well. I see. Haha…”
Fear was evident in the Hero of Money’s expression as he looked at her.
His hand, which she had been holding, was trembling with fear, and cold sweat dripped down his face.
“H-how about next Monday?”
“…Yes.”
“G-good then. Then, I’ll go now.”
However, even in such a situation, the Hero of Money tried to put on a bright smile. He released her hand and spoke in a low voice.
“Please… take care.”
After leaving those words behind, the Hero of Money quickly left the corridor, leaving Alice standing there in a daze.
“…”
Just like that, Alice blankly stood alone in the quiet corridor for a while.
“This can’t be true…”
Breaking the composure she had been forcing, she leaned against the nearby window, cupped her face in her hands, and mumbled.
Breaking the composure she was trying to maintain, she leaned against the nearby window, and cupped her face with her hands, muttering.
“It can’t be true…”
Everything was gradually becoming clearer.
“It can’t be…”
The dirty deeds she had done since she was young.
And those dirty deeds… To someone she respected and admired…
The Hero of Money she had fallen in love with without knowing his age or appearance knew about it.
“Ah…”
No information about her was leaked. If it had, she would have been dealt with by the government or the Church long ago.
If that was the case, the Hero of Money probably had witnessed her assassination or had become the target himself.
There was no other explanation for his reaction every time she showed a cold expression or emitted killing intent.
“…”
And among those people, very few survived.
“…Grind.”
Alice, whose thoughts had gone so far, deliberately stopped thinking and walked forward with her fist clenched.
Now, the academy is not important. I need to check the ledger. It might still be in the secret hideout.
Despite receiving a request to become friends with the Hero of Money, whom she had dreamed of meeting in her dreams, and even asked for a date, it felt like her heart was crumbling.
Once the academy is over today, I need to check all the records of failure.
Determined to confirm everything, her footsteps became faster and faster.
“…Hoot.”
A white owl was quietly trailing behind her.
.
.
.
.
.
– Slide…
The door to the 2nd-grade Class A slowly opened, and Frey appeared from behind it.
“…”
Everyone’s gaze started focusing on him.
“…Hooah.”
Overwhelmed by the intimidating atmosphere, Frey, who initially wore an expression of fear, managed to compose his face into a nonchalant look and walked halfway into the classroom.
– Step, step…
Eventually, Frey went to the far corner of the class and took a seat.
Then, everyone’s attention shifted to the empty seat next to him.
The current number of students in the 2nd grade – Class A was even.
Originally, it was an odd number, but due to Serena, Ferloche, and some other students leaving for personal reasons, the number became even.
And coincidentally, today was the day when students could change seats with anyone they wanted.
“Well, look who’s here, our little toy?”
“As promised, the one who sits in the seat beside him first is his owner. Remember that.”
“There’s nothing as entertaining as playing with a fallen noble.”
“What should we order him first? Barking like a dog? No, how about stripping him?”
Some noble young ladies raised the corners of their mouths as they glanced around.
“Look at him… He has been ignoring us because of our low rank… but now he has become a commoner himself?”
“It looks like he really wants to keep coming to this academy. I don’t know what he’s thinking… He probably has grown some guts?”
Lower-ranking nobles who had been looked down on by Frey began whispering with cold smiles.
“… Let me challenge him to a duel first.
“No, I’m first, you bastard.”
Commoner male students began calmly cracking their knuckles and necks, making popping sounds.
“I haven’t forgotten… What he did to us at the mansion during the first year.”
“My older sister was that jerk’s servant. I should sit next to him first.”
Commoner female students began standing up with cold expressions.
They were all eyeing the seat next to Frey or an adjacent seat.
In order to earn more points, he did not reveal his powers except to the freshmen, and he also didn’t clarify the rumors surrounding him. Therefore, those who took those rumors seriously were extremely rare in Class A.
They were simply obsessed with getting revenge against Frey.
– Ssk…
Unable to watch such a situation, Kania stood up from her seat with a pale expression.
It was because Serena had asked her to be Frey’s seat partner, as Serena herself was occupied with investigating the influential force responsible for spreading the recent malicious rumors.
“Oh, Kania. It’s been a while.”
“…!”
However, Frey greeted Kania with a relaxed smile, and Kania had no other choice but to sit back as she met Frey’s gaze.
Young Master…
For Kania, whose emotions were still connected to him, she could feel everything…
This was because the pain, fear, and trauma that Frey had felt in the past continued to flood into him…
He couldn’t help but imagine Kania stabbing him in the neck, her younger sister hitting him wildly while crying, and his mother being engulfed in black magic.
W-what… What in the world…?
But more than anything else, what pained Kania’s heart the most was that, despite everything, the most significant emotion she felt was Frey’s love and concern for her.
Kania is not scary. Kania is not scary. Kania is not scary.
Young Master…
I love her. She loves me, and I love her even more. Got it? Never forget…
What in the world happened to you…?
Frey, who smiled gently at Kania, was silently repeating it to himself like crazy to not forget it.
In the morning, it was Frey who told everyone that he had been cursed, but it was nothing special and that everyone shouldn’t be worried.
Of course, that was a lie Frey had decided to tell to hide his curse, to prevent the pain that the main heroines would feel if they found out the truth.
Sensing Frey’s determination to conceal his curse, Kania couldn’t bring herself to lift her feet. She looked at Frey, who still smiled brightly, even though he was slightly trembling as he looked at her.
It’s just a weakening of mental strength.
In that situation, Frey muttered with closed eyes.
Other than that, nothing has changed. There are no problems…
Although he thought so inwardly, it didn’t seem very convincing, considering that Frey had been holding onto his wrecked mind with just his mental strength for as long as he could remember.
“Frey…”
Meanwhile, Irina, who hastily headed to sit behind Frey, made eye contact with Frey and froze, unable to move her feet any longer.
“W-what kind of curse have you been subjected to…”
Smiling as if nothing was wrong, Frey just shrugged his shoulders.
– Shiver…
However, the trembling arms under the desk couldn’t be hidden.
“Who the hell cursed you like that…”
That scene resembled the moment when he killed a werewolf attacking Irina with a club.
It looked eerily similar to the scene of young Frey sitting in the mansion’s waiting room, his arm trembling and his face ashen, several hours later upon realizing the truth.
“…Grind.”
Therefore, Irina had no choice but to sit away from Frey’s sight, grinding her teeth and quietly analyzing Frey’s mana system.
“Frey…”
And the same went for Clana.
“I- I need… I need to help…”
Clana couldn’t sit next to him in the first place.
It was because of the recent scandal between Frey and her; he strongly requested that she be hostile towards him when there were other people around.
Of course, she could sit next to him and still show some hostility, but she was quite quick-witted.
After observing his reactions to Kania and Irina, it was easy to anticipate how he, cursed with an unknown curse, would react upon seeing her.
– Sssk…
Suddenly, when the three girls couldn’t approach him…
“…Lord Frey?”
The crowd of students began to surround him.
“No, should I call you Frey now? You’re just a commoner, right?”
“Why did you still crawl into the academy? No way. Do you think we’ll treat you the same as before? Really? You’re so stupid, hehehe.”
“Hey, punk. How does it feel to fall from grace? Do you understand our feelings now?”
Soon, the verbal abuse began pouring down on him.
“What’s wrong? Are you scared? Your face is completely pale.”
“Look at this motherfucker. He looked like he was about to cry. Is he really Frey? Not a stand-in?”
“I’m sure he might have sent a stand-in because he wants to graduate from the academy. Let’s assume this one is a stand-in. Why does he tremble so much?”
“Oh, cute… You’re so cute…”
Thanks to this, Frey, who was truly frightened, closed his mouth and lowered his head in fear. The ladies who were pinching his cheeks and the students who were watching him began to whisper.
“So, who’s going to be his seat partner? We should decide his owner.”
“Commoners, step aside. We’ll play with him for a bit and then let you enjoy it afterwards.”
“Why not just change seat partners every first period? Except for that crazy professor, all the professors are basically on our side anyway…”
Amidst the ongoing murmur among the nobles, the commoners whispered with a chilling tone.
“From the second year onwards, you know that you can freely request dueling, don’t you?”
“You’re screwed, Frey.”
“Come to the restroom during the break. If you don’t… it’ll be fun, you know?”
Even though he was truly terrified hearing all those words, Frey just kept his mouth shut and his head down, looking quite pitiful.
“…He looks a bit pathetic.”
“It’s because he’s a fallen noble. He probably feels like he has lost everything.”
“No way, no matter what, he’s still Frey.”
The sympathy that arose because of him started to wither around the time someone said,
“He’s still Frey.”
“Everyone step aside.”
In the classroom, a chilling voice echoed.
“What… huh?”
“Uh, uh…?”
Students, who were frowning with displeasure at the sound even though their revenge hadn’t started yet, soon collectively wavered.
“D-don’t push! You lowlife! Where do you think you’re putting your hands…”
“I-I’m not pushing!”
“Kyaak!?”
Students who were trying to move aside as the words commanded eventually lost their balance and began to fall in all directions.
“Get lost, all of you.”
A new command was inflicted upon those students.
– Grrrrr…
Immediately after that command, all students, wearing bewildered expressions, retreated like a receding tide.
“…”
And then, silence engulfed the classroom.
– Srrrrkk…
The one who commanded the students slowly approached Frey.
“…!”
Frey, who eventually looked to the side, widened his eyes.
“Ah…”
Frey, not displaying the same terrified expression as before, smiled brightly with a sense of relief.
– Srrkk…
Lulu slowly sat next to him.
“…Woof♡”
Lulu quietly leaned on Frey’s shoulder and licked his neck.
“Grrrr…”
Then, Lulu started growling loudly, as she stared at the students who were escaping the classroom in the distance.
“Wh-what’s… the relationship between you two?”
One student who, having tripped over a bag on the floor and couldn’t leave the classroom, looked at the two and threw a question with a bewildered expression.
“I am…”
However, when Lulu was about to open her mouth to provide the obvious answer.
“Master’s p—”
“Girlfriend.”
“…Grr!?”
She looked at Frey in surprise when Frey urgently grabbed her hand and spoke next to her.
“She’s my girlfriend.”
Staring at Lulu’s reaction, Frey held her hand even tighter.
“Lulu.”
As his body began to slightly tremble, he whispered to her in a low voice.
“…Lick me a bit.”
Her mind, which turned completely blank and broken, began to rapidly fill with another color.
“Hurry up.”
“…Really?”
The newly filled color inside her mind was the same deep pink as her hair.
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