Chapter 105: Lies (8)
Piel looked at me nervously as I held onto my belt.
······If she asked me to take it off, why is she giving me that look?
To an onlooker, it would seem as if I was the perpetrator.
Anyway, I want to show her quickly and end this.
It's a situation I can't escape from.
All I want is to clear up Piel's misunderstanding.
I looked down at her and said,
"Piel, will you believe me if I show you for five minutes?"
"...Y-Yes."
She replied, her eyes shaking uncertainly.
"Understood."
Since I decided to do it, I need to take it off coolly.
Hesitation or reluctance are not allowed for me.
I slowly undid my belt and began to lower my pants.
Swish~
The rustling sound of my pants sliding down filled the small room.
Even if it's an inevitable situation, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
Shame struck my whole body.
[Twisted Noble's Dignity], activates.
...Even after lifting the enhancement, this level of pain...
The original Theo may like Piel a lot, but it seems this situation is too much even for him.
'Ah, damn it! Why is this happening to me?'
I bit my lip and fully removed my pants.
"!"
Piel's eyes widened.
Her emerald gaze traveled from my thighs to my knees, then my calves and feet.
In a flustered voice, Piel uttered,
"H-huh."
Her gaze shifted from the front to the sides of my lower half and eventually to the back.
I heaved a sigh, both inwardly and outwardly.
I've never felt more embarrassed in my life.
"Uh, it's not there."
From behind me, Piel's faint voice could be heard.
I turned to look down at her, her eyes darting everywhere, seemingly confused.
"Why... why is there nothing?"
At the same time—
"Ugh, ugh...!"
A sudden, unfamiliar sensation made me shudder.
Piel had started to touch my upper body.
First the chest.
Starting from my chest, then to my stomach, arms, sides, and back.
Her hands were everywhere.
To distract myself from the particular sensation, I silently sang the national anthem at sixteen times the speed in my head.
"Hmm... Is there nothing up top either?"
After thoroughly checking my upper body, Piel questioned.
If there's nothing up top, then the next logical place would be—
"...!"
I shot Piel a sharp glance.
Piel, seemingly in a daze, continued to gaze at my lower half.
Frowning deeply, I grabbed her hand that was still resting on my chest.
"Piel de Chalon. Didn't you say you'd only look...?"
"Why... why is it not there? Why?"
As Piel pulled her hands away from me,
"Just... lie down for a moment."
"Why?"
"The mark, it could be on the sole of your foot."
"..."
It was a plausible assumption.
Hoping that this situation would pass quickly, I reluctantly lay flat on the ground.
I could feel the cold, hard sensation of the dungeon floor against my back.
Chills ran down my spine.
But what was even more unnerving was the fact that Piel, who had been looking at my foot, was now feeling her way up my leg.
"..."
This isn't right.
After all, in Korean age, Theo is just 16, a young boy in his prime.
Even now, he's repeatedly chanting the national anthem in his mind to prevent a certain part of him from reacting.
...I can't take it anymore.
"You said you'd only look, Piel. Answer me."
Just as I tried to restrain Piel,
Vrrrrr...
With a loud sound, the stone wall that had been separating us from the other team members began to lower.
The team was divided into two: Theo and Piel on one side, Travis, Monica, and Andrew on the other.
The stone wall that separated the two groups disappeared, sinking into the floor as if it had never existed.
Stretching his limbs, Travis started, "Phew, waiting did indeed get the doors to open. Theo, Piel, are you oka--"
His words hung in the air as his gaze landed on Theo and Piel.
Monica covered her eyes with her hands and screamed, "Oh my, oh my! Piel, Theo, what are you two doing?! Were you guys always this...close?"
Peering through her fingers, she snuck glances at the pair.
Taking in the sight of Theo, who was almost stripped down to his underwear, and Piel, who had her hand on his thigh, Andrew muttered in disbelief,
"Insane."
It was a shocking sight.
'That damn······ crazy guy. I've been mistaken. I should not learn from him······ He is not a dignified and cool noble, but a pervert!'
Andrew scowled.
His earlier resolution to become a cool guy like Theo was already far gone.
Such behavior is not dignified!
It's the actions of a beast lost to lust!
At the same time, jealousy sprouted within Andrew.
Theo, what kind of ability does he have to charm women so easily?
'Sa, Sally! She must be protected from that beast!'
Vowing to himself, he remembered his crush, Sally, from the hotdog stand.
She must never meet Theo.
'It's rather fortunate.'
This week's Foodie Exploration club meeting was originally planned to be held at her hotdog stand, but it was postponed.
It's a relief that he now knew Theo's true colors.
He must protect the innocent girl from his lecherous hands.
Burning with resolve, Andrew bit his lip, contemplating,
'Maybe... maybe I should confess to her soon?'
Andrew's eyes fluttered wildly.
On the other side, both Piel and I were mortified, looking as if we were paralyzed by petrification magic.
The commotion did not settle easily.
Well, I too would be astonished at such a sight.
Gathering my thoughts, I calmly began dressing and tried to explain,
"It's not what you think. Piel was helping me out, since something was wrong with me."
I attempted a nonchalant look as I addressed the trio,
"You see, I was under an abnormal debuff spell that compelled me to undress. It's a rare and strange spell."
Understanding dawned on their faces.
Travis replied,
"So it was because of that. Interesting... A state that makes one undress is something I've never heard of."
Monica added,
"...Certainly worth investigating. I've never come across such a spell before."
Andrew pondered for a moment and then said,
"That's a magic worth researching further. Perhaps you can tell us more about it later, Theo?"
Travis, Monica, and Andrew nodded slowly, trying to process the event.
Inside, they must be filled with questions.
'······Damn, how did things get so twisted.'
The timing of the stone wall disappearing couldn't have been worse.
In the original game, there are numerous abnormal debuff spells.
Ones with names that were never revealed.
There's [Heat], so there's probably a spell to strip someone of their clothes somewhere.
······Even though it never came up in the original game.
I looked at the trio again.
Their expressions remained wary and cold.
"······."
I had a hunch that I was in deep trouble.
I had a sinking feeling.
From now on, in the eyes of Travis, Monica, and Andrew, I'd probably be branded as some perverse lecher.
What if rumors start?
Usually, rumors get blown out of proportion with each retelling.
A simple greeting with a new neighbor could snowball into scandalous gossip about nightly romances.
However, if I were to ask them not to spread rumors, it would just seem more suspicious.
Best to stay silent.
······Still, it doesn't erase the injustice I feel.
All of this is Piel's fault.
I shot Piel an angry glance.
Piel flinched and avoided my gaze, like a guilty person.
She flinched and avoided my gaze, her face reddening in guilt, and hung her head.
'Sigh.'
What a mess.
After doing this much, she probably won't think of me as a [Contractor of a Great Demon] anymore.
Piel······ is pure yet foolish.
Should I say it suits her upright nature?
It would've been much easier if she just asked if there was a mark.
We wouldn't have been caught in this embarrassing situation.
Anyway, any further explanation would only make things more awkward.
Let's bury the hatchet and move on.
Dwelling on the past is a waste of time.
It's time to defeat the boss monster, finish the dungeon exploration, and obtain a new hidden piece.
With that in mind, we began walking deeper into the dungeon.
Soon, I felt an eerie energy.
This was a sign that we were nearing the area where the boss monster would appear.
I turned to my teammates and said,
"The boss will appear soon. Everyone, prepare yourselves."
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This chap was a little hard to read ngl.
5/5 Enjoy the chappy!
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