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Chapter 4
I quietly stared at the mysterious screen floating before my eyes.
“It’s just like one of those body composition scanners.”
…Good grief. Look at that visceral fat.
Seeing it made me wonder if those ridiculous stories from fantasy novels weren’t complete nonsense after all. Tales like someone setting fire to a certain fat man’s belly button and having it burn for days because of all the grease.
This body really was that hopeless.
“Height: 169 centimeters. Weight: 140 kilograms… Wow. I’ve never seen someone’s height and weight practically hold hands like that. At this point I should just roll around instead of walking.”
Sigh…
I’d come this far. There was no point hesitating anymore.
I pressed the small red arrow beside my weight.
Immediately, the screen responded.
[Weight reduced by 5 kg.]
[1 Status Point consumed.]
“Huh—!”
An unfamiliar sensation washed over me, making me gasp.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but something definitely felt different.
Filled with anticipation, I hurried over to the mirror.
“…Hmm. Hard to tell.”
It looked different…
Or maybe it didn’t.
The numbers had clearly changed, but the visual difference was subtle.
“Hmm…”
Then an idea struck me.
What if I watched myself in the mirror while using it?
I immediately tried it.
The result…
“Oh.”
I was satisfied.
[Weight reduced by 5 kg.]
[1 Status Point consumed.][Weight reduced by 5 kg.]
[1 Status Point consumed.]
…
After spending four points to shave twenty kilograms of fat from my body…
Even someone completely oblivious would notice the difference.
“Much better… Though I’m still obviously a pig.”
At least now I could actually tell where my chin was.
That alone felt like a victory.
If I’d had to lose twenty kilograms through actual dieting…
With this body…
Just imagining it was horrifying.
If Earth had something like this, life would’ve been so much easier.
I grimaced, remembering all those nights I’d forced myself to eat bland chicken breast just to stay in shape.
Compared to that…
Here, one tap of a finger erased five kilograms of fat.
What a beautiful world.
If only the situation itself were as beautiful.
I’d love to get rid of all this excess weight immediately.
Unfortunately, circumstances wouldn’t allow it.
Spending all my points on appearance was still too risky.
Besides…
A drastic physical transformation overnight would attract suspicion no matter what world you were in.
Changes in personality? Fine. People can just say I went crazy.
But waking up looking like a completely different person? That’s too much.
So I’d slim down gradually.
Not because I planned on exercising.
Absolutely not.
I’d just pretend to.
That would be enough of an alibi.
Still… let’s at least make my height 170 centimeters.
Sixty-nine and seventy.
There was simply no comparison.
[Height increased by 1 cm.]
[2 Status Points consumed.]
So height costs two points… Different stats have different prices.
The thought had barely crossed my mind—
“Ghk—!”
An unbearable pain exploded through my knees.
If I hadn’t instinctively covered my mouth, I would’ve screamed.
It only lasted a few seconds…
But those few seconds were agony.
“Ah… ah…”
I collapsed into the chair.
Those brief moments felt like an entire hour.
“…Nothing ever comes easy.”
Breathing heavily, I let out a bitter laugh.
Whether because of the pain or not, exhaustion suddenly hit me all at once.
Then hunger followed.
But unfortunately…
I couldn’t satisfy either need.
Think about it.
In a world where I had no allies…
There was no way I could sleep peacefully.
And I certainly couldn’t ask someone to bring me food when I had no idea whether it’d been poisoned.
All I wanted was the basic human rights of eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom without worrying.
Yet even those simple things felt out of reach.
…
Leaning back in the chair, my eyes drifted toward the moonlight pouring through the window.
I wonder if Aria Scarlet escaped safely…
Without realizing it, I muttered aloud.
“…I need someone on my side.”
Ah.
They say your subconscious knows the answer before you do.
I couldn’t help nodding.
I immediately closed the status window.
No matter how pathetic my stats were, blindly pouring points into them now would be foolish.
I simply lacked too much information.
So what could give me certainty?
There was only one answer.
[Upgrading Appraisal Skill costs 30 SP.]
[Appraisal Lv.2 unlocks the ability to view a target’s Alignment.]
[Basic Alignments: Friendly, Neutral, Hostile.]
[Higher skill levels require more SP.]
I didn’t hesitate.
[30 Status Points consumed.]
[Appraisal Skill has leveled up.]
[Alignment Detection unlocked.]
With this… I won’t have to keep doubting everyone.
If my skill says they’re friendly, I can trust that.
My priority now was simple.
Find someone who was on my side.
For that…
I’d have to wait until morning.
Ugh… this fatigue is worse than I expected.
Without noticing, my eyelids kept drooping.
I roughly scrubbed my face with both hands.
It woke me up a little…
But staying awake was becoming increasingly difficult.
Even working seven consecutive nights of overtime had never felt this bad.
“…Tch.”
My gaze wandered toward the luxurious bed.
…Maybe just five minutes.
It was an incredibly tempting thought.
But I knew exactly how it would end.
If I lay down…
I’d be asleep instantly.
And every time I’d given in to that kind of weakness, things had gone badly.
President Cheon always said, “Sleep when you’re dead.”
I sincerely hope you live a very long life… while bedridden.
After offering my former boss a silent curse disguised as a prayer beneath the moonlight, I forced myself to look away from the bed.
Even if I slept now, I wouldn’t rest peacefully.
Someone could burst through that door at any moment, weapons drawn.
Nothing about that would be surprising.
At least having something to do will help pass the time.
I stood up and walked toward the bookshelf.
If I had to stay awake…
I might as well make good use of the time.
History of the Continent of Elabrisia
Come to Wade Wesley, the Prosperous Western Territory Blessed by the Lake!
Humans and Other Races
Encyclopedia of Monsters
…
Praying for books with more pictures than text…
I gathered an armful of volumes…
And spent the entire night reading.
The Next Morning
The County of Wade Wesley, ruled by the Count Valentia family, lay in the lush western plains.
True to its name, the flourishing city had grown rapidly around its magnificent lake and extensive canal system.
Trade and commerce through those waterways had become the territory’s greatest source of prosperity.
Even at dawn, the streets buzzed with life.
Where work existed…
People gathered.
Where workers gathered…
Inns and restaurants naturally flourished.
The entire city overflowed with energy.
In complete contrast…
Whew… I can do this.
It’s going to be okay…
At the gloomy Blake Estate in the northern district, not a trace of that vitality remained.
The terrified expression of Lily, the maid assigned to Ian Blake for the very first time, made that painfully clear.
Walking silently down the dark corridor, she tried desperately to calm herself.
“Lady Angelica… please watch over this poor lamb…”
She clasped her trembling hands and shut her eyes tightly.
No matter how hard she tried…
She couldn’t stop remembering everything the head maid and the senior servants had warned her the previous night.
“Never make eye contact with that brute.”
“If you think you’ve offended him, immediately beg for forgiveness. Don’t argue. If you do… you’ll learn what hell feels like.”
“Just endure sleeping with him for a month. Your parents will be rewarded. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
Gulp.
“Lady Angelica…”
Repeating the goddess’s name like a prayer, Lily forced her unwilling feet forward.
She sincerely wished this hallway would stretch on forever.
Unfortunately…
The gold-plated door soon appeared before her.
The bedroom of Ian Blake, head of House Blake.
“…Whew.”
Taking a deep breath, she slowly raised her hand.
Just as the head maid had instructed…
Two gentle knocks.
Barely loud enough to hear.
If she wanted to survive.
“A maid once ignored my warning and knocked too loudly.”
“She woke the young master.”
“What do you think happened to her?”
“W-Was… her salary docked?”
“Hehe… In a way. She’ll never receive another paycheck for the rest of her life.”
“So be careful.”
“If you want to leave alive.”
…
Gulp.
Her fingertips trembled violently.
But she couldn’t stand there forever.
Gathering every ounce of courage she had…
Lily slowly opened the bedroom door.
The head maid also said not to scream no matter what I see…
After all…
They didn’t call Ian Blake a monster for nothing.
Sometimes the room was said to be drenched in the blood of slaves.
Clenching her teeth…
She cautiously stepped inside.
“…H-Huh?”
Her mind went completely blank.
Ian Blake…
Who should have been asleep…
Was standing there.
“U-Um… I…”
…
His pitch-black eyes stared directly into hers.
Cold.
Deep.
Like looking into the bottomless waters of Lake Amilreur.
It felt as though he could see straight through her soul.
Before she could recover—
Click.
The door behind her closed.
Without realizing it…
She had entered the room completely.
It took only a heartbeat for Lily to understand.
I’m going to die.
The head maid’s warnings echoed through her mind.
Her legs gave out beneath her.
She collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Before she hit the floor…
Ian Blake caught her.
The moment Lily realized whose arms were supporting her…
Her face turned deathly pale.
A scream escaped her lips.
“Mmph—!”
But Ian calmly covered her mouth.
“First rule.”
“No saying ‘Please spare me.'”
…
“No saying ‘I’m sorry,’ either.”
…
“And no ‘I don’t want to die,’ or ‘Please don’t kill me.'”
“No screaming.”
“Understand?”
“Nod if you do.”
…
Nod.
Lily slowly nodded.
“Good.”
Ian smiled broadly.
Then he removed his hand from her mouth.
The instant she was free…
She threw herself flat onto the floor.
Trying not even to breathe.
Anything to avoid offending him.
But only for a moment.
“Ah!”
Ian effortlessly pulled her back onto her feet.
“Y-Young Master Ian?!”
“Ah, sorry.”
“I forgot another rule.”
“No kneeling on the floor from today onward.”
“B-But I can’t— Ah!”
She hurriedly covered her mouth.
The head maid had warned her never to talk back.
“Why are you so scared?”
“I’m sor—”
“Didn’t I say ‘I’m sorry’ is banned?”
“Ah…”
“You’re making me nervous just watching you.”
“Really.”
“It’s okay.”
“From now on, just do as I said.”
“Understood?”
“…Yes.”
Keeping her head lowered, Lily answered in a tiny voice.
Ian gently set her back down.
Still confused, she cautiously looked up.
Ah…
He was smiling.
When their eyes met…
His smile became even warmer.
For some reason…
Lily flinched and immediately lowered her head again.
Perhaps it was because the morning sunlight streaming through the window illuminated his face.
Perhaps that was why her cheeks suddenly felt hot.
But one thing was certain.
He’s… not as bad as everyone says.
Shyly, she raised her eyes once more.
Their gazes met again.
This time…
Lily found herself smiling back.
