Chapter 171: Encounter

“Don’t move.”

In the darkness, Muen felt a soft, fragrant body pressed against him.

Through the thin fabric of their clothes, he could feel warmth and a divine softness. Two overwhelming, full mounds surged toward him like tidal waves, engulfing him and making it hard to breathe.

A faint, familiar scent drifted into his nose—he couldn’t place it right away, but it stirred something in him. Two slender hands pressed firmly against his head, hiding him beneath a voluminous black cloak.

With this kind of close contact, Muen didn’t know where to put his hands. On reflex, he braced himself beneath him—and then felt something smooth against his palm, a silky texture like melting chocolate.

He couldn’t see, but just from the sensation... This was definitely black stockings!

He didn’t know who this person was, but if she was wearing black stockings... she was probably a good person?

Muen relaxed his guard just a little, resisting the urge to draw his blades. He curled up slightly, adjusting his body so the cramped space would feel a bit less unbearable for the two of them.

The monster’s footsteps were drawing closer.

“So bad to eat...”

“So bad to eat...”

“So bad to eat...”

Closer and closer.

Muen could feel the ground trembling ever so slightly with each step it took.

“Huh?”

The monster stopped.

It stood at the mouth of the alley, glancing around.

“Weird, weird, weird, weird...”

As if it had lost its target, the monster began to pace restlessly at the entrance.

“Not tasty not tasty not tasty not tasty...”

Even though he couldn’t see, Muen’s heart was pounding like mad.

If the monster couldn’t pinpoint their location but happened to wander down this alley—they’d be face-to-face.

Which meant...

One in three.

“Little rooster, whichever way I point, that’s the one. This way... tasty.”

In the end, it seemed Heaven finally smiled on Muen. The monster picked the opposite path and ambled off with its unsteady gait.

It vanished into the darkness.

Once he was sure the monster had truly left, Muen suddenly lifted his head from the surging waves and gulped down fresh air.

It had felt amazing, sure—but if that monster had lingered any longer, he might’ve literally died by chest suffocation.

“Th...thank you.”

Gasping for breath, Muen sincerely expressed his gratitude.

No matter how you looked at it, for a girl to «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» go that far just to save him—that was a colossal act of kindness.

“No need to thank me.”

Even the oversized cloak couldn’t hide her voluptuous figure. She tugged the slightly disheveled robe back into place and spoke casually.

She didn’t seem to care much at all.

But Muen froze when he heard that voice.

Even though it had clearly been altered, he recognized it.

He snapped his head up, and sure enough—that familiar cloaked figure came into view.

“You damned con artist—it was you?!”

The shame of being tricked again and again surged up in his memory, leaving him briefly stunned. Then he growled in a low voice, equal parts angry and humiliated:

“You’ve got some nerve showing your face in front of me!”

“Con artist?”

The cloaked figure seemed briefly stunned by Muen’s outburst. From beneath the hood, sharp eyes studied him carefully—like she’d just remembered something.

And then her gaze turned meaningful.

“Oh my. So that person... was you.”

“Y-yeah, that’s right! It was me!”

It was only now that Muen realized he wasn’t currently in disguise. But he immediately straightened his spine.

With a con artist like this, he couldn’t afford to show weakness. He had to act decisively—cut things off at the root before she could take control again!

“You crooked merchant. Since you’re here, how about we settle this account once and for all?”

“Oh my. What account would that be?”

“Don’t play dumb.”

Muen let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. “You tricked me over and over, played me for a fool. If we don’t settle this right now, don’t even think about leaving!”

“Oh? You mean you want to... settle every single account with me?”

“That’s right!”

“Well then...”

The shopkeeper leaned in and said softly, “I saved you. How are you planning to settle that account?”

“......”

Muen’s expression immediately stiffened.

Right. She did save him.

How had he already forgotten that?

If they were going to settle accounts, then that one...

“And just now, you touched me too, didn’t you...”

The shopkeeper leaned even closer. Even though she hadn’t released a trace of magic or aura, Muen felt an overwhelming pressure.

It was like a tiny white rabbit curled up on a desolate island—while an enormous tsunami came crashing in from all directions.

“T-that was you initiating it, wasn’t it?”

“Oh my? So when you secretly touched my thigh, that was me initiating it too?”

“That was an accident! An accident! I had nowhere to put my hands!”

“Boo hoo... you’ve already touched my whole body. Now I’ll never be able to get married... what am I supposed to do...”

The shopkeeper closed in step by step, and Muen backed away step by step.

Until—he had nowhere left to retreat. He could feel the wall pressing into his back.

The shopkeeper loomed over him. One hand braced against the wall behind Muen—like some delinquent teasing a helpless maiden.

“Come on now. If we’re really going to settle accounts... how do you plan to pay for those two?”

“I-I have money. I can give you money. Just name a price.”

Muen trembled all over. After thinking for a long moment, money was the only thing he had to offer.

“Money isn’t everything, you know. Though I have been pretty broke lately... still, I don’t want your money.”

“T-then what do you want?”

Muen’s eyes widened in fear. He could tell her gaze was flicking up and down his body, like a big bad wolf drooling over a helpless bunny.

She’s not... craving my body, is she?

What if she demands I pay with flesh?

Am I, Muen Campbell, really about to sell off my pure body today?

That kind of thing would be...

“Wh-what do you want, exactly?”

“What I want...”

The shopkeeper lowered her head, and that familiar fragrance once again engulfed Muen. More than that—due to the angle, he happened to glimpse the lower half of her face peeking out from the hood.

Glossy lips. A curved smile.

That wicked little smile.

Muen knew that smile all too well.

“...Senior?”

In that instant, without thinking, the words flowed from his lips like a mountain spring.

The air went quiet for a second.

“Oh my, I’ve been found out already? And here I was hoping to tease my junior a bit longer.”

With a regretful sigh, the shopkeeper straightened and pulled back her hood.

Even in the dim light, Muen could clearly make out that familiar, beautiful face.

Her hair, usually tied back, now hung loose behind her. Her crystal-clear eyes curved like crescent moons, more stunning than the moon above.

A single beauty mark at the corner of her eye gave her a seductive charm—but not in a vulgar way. It made her irresistibly captivating.

That wicked smile at the corners of her lips was like the smirk of a devil who could steal your soul.

“We meet again, junior. Have you been well?”