Chapter 233. Dormitory
Saying that an apology wasn't enough and she needed to apologize personally, Elise dragged Lee Hoyeon away.
"Uh, Elise...."
Isaac looked teary-eyed as he watched Elise disappear beyond the alley.
"...."
Tiring.
Scarlett thought to herself.
She really wanted to get away from this lunatic.
A moment later, once Elise had completely vanished from view—
Isaac reset his expression and put on a cheerful smile as if nothing had happened.
"Tsk. Too bad. I didn't get to show off anything cool. It's been a while since someone passed."
"A shame."
Did he really think that was cool?
Scarlett sometimes just couldn't understand men.
"He was lying."
Isaac suddenly spoke.
His lips still curled up as if amused.
"...."
Scarlett didn't get what he meant and waited for the next part.
"Scarlett."
"Yes."
"Is there any chance Lee Hoyeon got information about me?"
"No."
That, she could say for sure.
She didn't know exactly how far Lee Hoyeon had deduced things.
Maybe just hearing about Elise's massage made him guess the Emperor of the Night would show up.
That might be why he pushed her away.
But one thing was certain—he couldn't know Isaac's personal information.
"Hmm... Then he must have judged based on the situation. Not bad. He's talented, so it doesn't matter."
Muttering ominous things, Isaac turned back to Scarlett.
"Scarlett."
"Yes."
Scarlett bowed her head, waiting for Isaac's next words.
Judging from his face, he didn't seem angry.
"You watch him yourself."
"... Pardon?"
"Lee Hoyeon. I'm talking about him."
As if it were nothing,
Isaac lit a cigarette with a flame on his fingertip.
"Even while talking with Elise, he kept glancing at you. Seems he's interested. Or maybe he just likes blondes?"
Scarlett widened her eyes in surprise at the sudden remark.
Seeing her reaction, Isaac smirked.
"What? You don't want to?"
"No, I'll do it."
'Thank goodness.'
Scarlett sighed inwardly in relief.
Just in case, she hadn't even responded to Lee Hoyeon's eye contact earlier.
She knew better than anyone what kind of monster the man before her was.
One moment of carelessness could be fatal when in the same space as Isaac.
'I need to tell Hoyeon about this later too.'
If she'd returned his glance, she might've aroused suspicion.
"Yeah. That kid's a monster. Even with your stealth skills, you could get caught, so be careful."
"... Yes. I'll be careful."
Too late, Guildmaster.
No matter how careful I am, I'll still get caught.
Besides, I've already been caught and completely reshaped, body and soul.
Scarlett bowed her head, recalling her absurd situation.
Also to hide her faint, involuntary smirk.
"Scarlett. You came to Korea because of Elise, right?"
"Yes. For personal investigation...."
"Right, I remember. Sebastian personally brought you, a stealth specialist, to investigate Lee Hoyeon. And now you're helping Elise as her secretary. Correct?"
"Correct."
Isaac nodded, dropped the cigarette, and stomped it out with his foot.
"Leave that to Sebastian. You go back to watching Lee Hoyeon. That's an order from your Guildmaster. I'll inform Sebastian, so don't worry."
"... Understood."
Scarlett nodded, managing her expression.
"Use seduction if you have to... Oh, right, you're not that type. Anyway."
For the record, most female infiltration agents used seduction tactics.
No reason not to use what you've got.
And most of those agents targeted Isaac himself.
"He kept looking at you. That means he's interested. I have a good eye for people."
"... Yes."
"Even if you can't seduce him, try to recruit him to Iris. Ideally, get him away from Elise too."
"I'll do my best."
Isaac had misunderstood quite a bit.
Even if Scarlett did seduce Lee Hoyeon, it wouldn't separate him from Elise.
Lee Hoyeon was obsessed with women.
"But I won't pressure you too much. Just getting intel is fine. Building rapport is fine too. That kid's destined for greatness."
"Understood."
Isaac smiled happily.
To be honest, it had bruised his pride when he couldn't overpower the cadet right away.
But when the 1-minute mark passed, then 5 minutes, and finally 10, he started to be impressed.
Of course, he hadn't gone all out.
True to his title, the Emperor of the Night, Isaac's stats doubled when the moon was out.
But even in daylight, he was strong enough to be among the elite.
At night, his power matched the name "Emperor."
'10 years...? No, 5. Maybe less.'
Almost no one passed Isaac's standards, because they were ridiculously high.
You had to be stronger than Isaac was at that same age.
Most who earned his approval had a standout specialty, but Lee Hoyeon was different.
Compared to Isaac at age 20, Lee Hoyeon was overwhelmingly stronger.
It was the first time he'd met someone with immeasurable talent.
'If he just maintains that growth curve...'
He'd be perfect to take over the Iris Guild.
Lee Hoyeon might not know stealth or infiltration magic yet, but that overpowered barrier alone was enough.
He had ample offensive capabilities, and his creativity and flexibility in magic were top-notch.
It was his first time facing someone like Isaac, yet he responded with effective spells on the fly.
'Still, I can't give him my daughter just yet.'
Isaac had a rule.
The standard for the man who could take his daughter.
First, Elise had to truly love him.
As long as she was his daughter, she deserved to be happier than anyone else.
But love alone wasn't enough.
He had to be able to protect her, even if Isaac died.
So, he had to be a man who could defeat Isaac at full power.
"...."
So far, he'd never seen such potential in anyone.
He thought he'd get to keep her forever.
But today, he'd seen that possibility.
'You've grown up, Elise.'
Thinking of how fast his daughter had matured, Isaac became a bit melancholic.
After all, she'd just left with that Lee Hoyeon kid.
'...'
And beside him, Scarlett just wanted to go home.
*
"... Come in."
Saying she wanted to apologize personally, Elise invited me to her house.
Honestly, since Isaac had already apologized, I didn't really mind... but I followed her anyway.
It had only been a few days since I came for a massage, but stepping into the heroine's house still made me nervous.
Elise's room was tidy, but her desk was a mess.
It looked like she had dashed out in the middle of work—papers were everywhere and something was open on her laptop.
Elise swirled the wine in her half-empty glass a few times before sitting down.
"Sorry. My dad's crazy... You had a rough time because of me."
"No, it was a good experience."
Fighting a strong opponent is always a good experience.
Especially since it was Isaac and he wasn't trying to kill me.
"...."
But Elise didn't seem happy with my answer and puffed her cheeks slightly.
"That's not okay."
"Huh?"
"If something happens that deserves an apology, you should get one. Don't just let it go."
"...."
"Like, when I dug into your past, you said it was fine. Now my dad, who you didn't even know, shows up and threatens your life, and you say it's fine? Are you pretending to be nice or are you just a pushover?"
What the hell?
Elise suddenly started lecturing me.
★ Heroine Status Window
[Elise]
- [ Affection: 79 ]
- [ Lust: 88 ]
- [ Appetite: 30 ]
- [ Fatigue: 59 ]
Current Status: This kind of soft guy won't do. He lacks firmness.
"Hmm..."
I thought I was pretty firm.
Come to think of it, she had a point.
Since I'm trying to win over the heroines, I often have to give in.
And... honestly, I don't really get mad.
Maybe it's because my personality changed when I became the protagonist.
But what can I do if I just don't get angry?
"What can I do? I'm not angry."
"... Why not? You got mad at the student council, the vice president, stuff like that."
Elise seemed to genuinely not get it.
Was she testing whether I'm the kind of guy worth liking?
"Hmm..."
Well, there were times I did get angry.
It's not like I can't get mad.
'Ah.'
I finally realized what was different now.
I'd come to understand that no matter what, pretty girls are still pretty.
So even when Liliana acts out, I don't get angry.
She's just cute.
Same with Isaac attacking me—once I knew he was connected to Elise, I couldn't get mad.
"Those others... they just don't have any charm. They piss me off."
"What are you... sigh. Yeah, you really are like Dad in some ways."
What the hell's that supposed to mean?
Elise touched her flushed cheek with her palm, then spoke again.
"So why are you so obsessed with that centaur? I was thinking of offering a better reward."
So she's curious about my centaur obsession too.
Yeah, from an outsider's perspective, it's weird.
I am basically volunteering.
Luckily, I'd prepared an excuse.
"It's just... personal curiosity. Something related to my magic research."
"As expected from a genius mage."
Elise smiled faintly and reached for the wine.
She seemed ready to pour me a glass.
I watched her absentmindedly as she poured. Her hands, her face—she looked so healthy.
Maybe that massage really helped her.
"Oh right. How was the mana massage? I went pretty hard last time."
Yeah, I really did my best on the foreplay.
We didn't have sex, which was a shame—but if we had, would she have come to save me today?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Hearing my words, Elise briefly paused mid-pour, then finished pouring and lowered her hand.
"... It was great. The effects were amazing. Ahem. Since you're here, want another massage? I wasn't planning to, but might as well."
"...."
So that's why she invited me?
Elise glanced at me.
Now that I looked around, there was a massage bed already set up behind the bed.
She'd even prepared it.
But now didn't seem like the right time.
"I don't mind... but did the last one already wear off?"
"Huh?"
Elise blinked at my question.
"No. Not at all... the mana's still flowing well."
Of course it is.
I gave you a hell of a bonus service last time.
No way it wore off already.
"Too frequent isn't good. Call me when your body needs it."
"Mm... okay."
I wanted to jump her right now, seeing her so disappointed....
But I'd just seen Isaac. That's too risky.
What if he saw us?
I don't wanna die just yet.
It's not too late to do it when things are safer.
We drank wine and chatted, avoiding massage talk for a while.
Since I already knew Elise's tastes, it was easy to keep the conversation fun.