## Chapter 149 – 149. Wavele
#149. Wavele
Even if it was a secluded secret villa with hardly any traffic, the building was exploding and collapsing.
With such a commotion, it wouldn’t take long for people to flock in.
No, considering the National Intelligence Service was involved in this case, they’d move even faster.
We needed to get out of here before that.
After briefly watching the villa collapse, we headed back into the forest.
We prioritized getting out of Yangpyeong as quickly as possible.
About 30 minutes later, I checked the map app and realized we were already in Namyangju, not Yangpyeong.
It seemed like we didn’t need to rush anymore, so we slowed down and strolled leisurely through the quiet forest.
“Master.”
“What?”
The forest was so quiet you couldn’t even hear the sound of insects.
Thanks to the bug repellent spray, mosquitoes didn’t come near, making it quite pleasant.
Noel, who was following behind, gently hugged my arm.
“Are you going to marry that woman from before, Master?”
“Huh?”
I stopped walking at the unbelievable question.
A quick glance at Noel’s expression showed she was more serious than ever.
“Are you talking about Choi Hye-na? The one with the red hair?”
“Yes.”
“…Why do you think that?”
“You promised to get engaged, right? Doesn’t that mean you’ll eventually get married later?”
“Well… I guess so?”
Once I graduate from the Magic Tower, we’ll have an engagement ceremony, and when we reach a suitable age, we’ll have a wedding.
If neither of us changes our minds by then, it will proceed as planned.
At least, I had no intention of breaking off the engagement with Choi Hye-na. I assumed Choi Hye-na felt the same.
“Hmm…”
Noel, who had been clinging tightly to my arm, suddenly let go and stood in front of me with quick steps.
“I want to use my wish ticket now.”
“…Wish ticket? Wasn’t it a favor?”
“It’s the same thing.”
The moment Noel threw off the mask covering her face, the clouds that had been covering the sky drifted away in the wind.
A full moon rose in the dark night sky.
The soft moonlight streaming through the branches illuminated us.
“Kiss me. Like lovers.”
Noel quietly stood on tiptoe and closed her eyes.
“…What?”
I was taken aback by the completely unexpected and sudden request.
“Hurry.”
“No, well…”
“Why? You kiss me all the time anyway.”
“That’s true, but…”
*Sigh*, I let out a short sigh inwardly.
I knew what Noel’s request to kiss her like lovers meant, so my head was complicated.
But I didn’t dislike her feelings. On the contrary, I felt good enough to be conceited.
I was flustered, but my hesitation didn’t last long.
I quietly closed my eyes and kissed Noel.
It wasn’t the usual kiss where we seemed to devour each other, but a sweet, innocent kiss.
That was all it was.
“Hehe, hehe…”
But strangely enough, my heart was pounding so fast it felt like it would burst.
Noel seemed to feel the same way, as she hid her flushed face and walked ahead.
“…It’s a strange feeling.”
But it definitely wasn’t a bad feeling.
I could say that for sure.
*Ding-*
As I was basking in the tipsy feeling of having had a drink, a familiar sound rang out and a screen appeared before my eyes.
[A sweet kiss at the end of a campfire on a hot summer night! You’re practically the main character in a romantic comedy novel!]
[Would you like to register Noel Ronniedella as a matching target?]
[Y/N]
“…What?”
***
[Name: Noel Ronniedella
Age: 20
Race: Native
Affiliation: EB-17
Occupation: Next Priestess of the Ronniedella Tribe
Personality: Strong, Cheerful, Gluttonous, Friendly, Optimistic]
[Affection Level Change
Noel Ronniedella 0♡ → 90♡]
[Relationship Level Change
Noel Ronniedella Lv.0 → Lv.1]
[You cannot earn coins from relationships with members of the opposite sex not met through the Otherworld Dating App.]
[Congratulations on achieving 5 matching targets!]
[3,000 coins have been awarded as a reward.]
I returned home, lay on the sofa, and checked the screen.
To tell you the result, I registered Noel as a matching target. It was a bit out of the blue, but there was no reason not to.
With this, the total number of matching targets became 5: Iris, Cheon Yeo-hwa, Choi Hye-na, Yoo So-wol, and Noel.
I received coins as a reward, but that wasn’t the important thing right now.
“Why was Noel only registered as a matching target now?”
Choi Hye-na and Yoo So-wol formed a relationship with me and were registered as matching targets.
But Noel wasn’t.
“…Are the conditions different for each of them?”
In fact, sex might be a secondary condition, and Choi Hye-na and Yoo So-wol might have coincidentally met the conditions.
Thinking that way, things started to make sense.
“Well… I guess it’s a good thing I found out now?”
I received a reward for 5 people, and it’s undeniable that the rewards increase as the number of matching targets increases.
This time the reward was coins, but so far, the rewards have been updates to the app’s features.
‘If I want to get stronger quickly, adding features to the app is more efficient.’
Anyway, I felt it was time to start a new match.
But before that, I wanted to see Iris.
“Should I tell Noel I’m going?”
But considering that time stops while I’m in another world, there seemed to be no need to tell her.
After all, if I wanted to take Noel to another world, I would have to解除 summon her first and then summon her again.
If I解除 summon her now, I wouldn’t be able to summon Noel again until a week later, and I couldn’t wait until then.
[Would you like to re-match with Iris Lemeria Viarrt Pelledia?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
***
Instead of a full moon, the sun rising above the sky and a vast meadow unfold before my eyes.
The surrounding scenery changed in an instant, but I wasn’t particularly surprised or taken aback, perhaps because I had gotten used to it.
Instead.
“Hyun-woo?”
Skin as clear and transparent as white snow, beautiful eyes, and hair that rippled like melted gold.
Iris was looking at me.
“I’m back.”
“…Welcome back.”
Seeing Iris greeting me with a smile brighter than the sun, I felt at ease deep inside my heart.
But I couldn’t help but feel lustful when I looked at her face and chest.
I didn’t want to have sex with Iris in a field like this, so I checked the remaining time to distract myself for a moment.
[Remaining Time: 335:55]
The matching time increased again. This time it was 2 weeks.
[Would you like to change the display format?]
[Y/N]
“Hmm?”
As I was carefully looking at the remaining time, another screen appeared.
I pressed the accept button without much thought.
[Y]
[Remaining Time: 13 days 23 hours 55 minutes]
“It’s easier to see than before.”
I moved the screen aside and approached Iris, hugging her tightly. I came because I missed her, so it didn’t make sense to distract myself.
“Hyun-woo?”
Iris looked at me intently with emerald eyes at the sudden hug.
“I missed you.”
“…I missed you too.”
Iris quickly smiled brightly and hugged me back. Time had stopped, so from her perspective, she had never been separated from me, but I was grateful that she said she missed me for my sake.
We hugged each other for a long time, making sure to imprint each other’s warmth and scent.
***
We settled down in the meadow and enjoyed an early lunch, savoring the picnic atmosphere.
Iris smiled, seemingly pleased with the vegan burger topped with various sauces and soy meat.
‘First, I need to meet the lord of Wavele.’
To go to the Santala Kingdom to解除 seal Iris’s封印球, we had to pass through the Veilhaven Republic, the Nivia Kingdom, and the Orsia Duchy from now on.
But before that, for the safety of Luna and Ellie, whom I left in the Great Forest, I needed to meet the lord of Wavele, a border city, and control the slave hunting activities in the Great Forest.
‘I want to negotiate as peacefully as possible…’
For some reason, I had a feeling that they wouldn’t listen willingly.
But I wanted to leave violence as a last resort.
To mess with the lord and ensure the safety of Luna and Ellie, I would have to wipe out the entire city of Wavele to eliminate any future troubles, but there were too many innocent people for that.
‘I should leave the negotiation to Iris.’
Iris, who knows the 협 of negotiation as the 협 of 협박, would be much better than me, who has a history of ruling Pelledia for hundreds of years.
After finishing our early lunch, we started walking along the well-paved road towards Wavele, which could be seen in the distance.
Of course, it wasn’t as close as it looked.
That meant the city of Wavele was that huge.
The fact that the largest slave market in the southern continent exists means it’s that wealthy.
But both Iris and I weren’t ordinary people, so our movement speed naturally increased.
After walking for about an hour, we started seeing carriages and people coming and going on the road.
Preparing for any possible situation, Iris used her magic to shrink her ears and slightly change her appearance, then pulled her hood down low.
Of course, even with her appearance changed, she was still unbelievably pretty. If I changed it more than that, the maintenance time would be shortened, so I couldn’t help it.
After walking for about 30 minutes, we found a long line.
“What’s this line for?”
“Probably the inspection line? To enter the city, you have to be investigated by the guards.”
“Ah.”
I had often seen it in fantasy novels.
‘By the way, it’s incredibly long… Even if I went to an amusement park to ride the Viking during the school trip season, it would be shorter than this.’
Moreover, the speed at which the line was decreasing was very slow. At this rate, it seemed like we would have to wait two or three hours.
It was a bit daunting, but I couldn’t help but be patient since I wasn’t a noble with a magic pass, and I didn’t have any money to bribe the guards.
Of course, I had some silver coins in my possession, obtained from the pockets of the slave hunters I met in the forest, but I couldn’t use them rashly since I didn’t know what might happen in the city.
“I guess we have no choice but to wait. Tell me anytime if you’re tired. I’ll take out a chair for you.”
“Hehe, I’m fine. Rather than that, it’s my first time standing in line like this, so I’m a bit nervous.”
Iris, who had pulled her hood down low, seemed somewhat excited.
It seemed the former queen was fascinated by the commoner experience.
We spent time talking about this and that with Iris, using the flowing clouds and the people of the fantasy world as a backdrop.
Thanks to the use of magic, there was no fear of others overhearing our conversation.
After about an hour, the line noticeably shortened. It seemed the inspection was proceeding faster than expected.
“Oh…”
The walls of Wavele, seen up close, were incredibly huge. They seemed to be at least 10 meters high.
“Next.”
Finally, it was our turn.
At the checkpoint, a stout man and a skinny man were wearing armor.
“State your purpose of visit and present your identification.”
“I don’t have identification, and the purpose of my visit is just to go to Wavele, so there’s nothing special.”
“If you don’t have identification, pay the toll.”
“How much is it?”
“5 copper coins.”
There’s no way there would be proper identification in a primitive fantasy world.
It seemed like a trick to make a profit by selling identification.
“That’s expensive.”
“Then get lost. It’s 10 copper coins if you want the woman next to you to enter as well.”
It was a waste, but it wasn’t silver coins, it was copper coins. I could afford that much.
I took out 10 copper coins from my pocket and handed them to the guard.
The guard asked us for our names and ages, then wrote them down on something that looked like paper.
I was relieved that the inspection was over, but then.
“Hey, you woman there. Take off your hood.”
The skinny guard pointed at Iris.
‘Tsk,’
I didn’t expect them to try to check faces even in a primitive fantasy world.
Well, it would be troublesome if wanted criminals mixed in, so it was a natural procedure.
“…My wife has a scar on her face. Can’t you just let it go?”
I secretly handed the guard 2 copper coins.
“Don’t try any tricks.”
But the man roughly pushed my hand away and growled.
He looked like a corrupt official, but he was unnecessarily diligent.
“Last time, those like you who tried to enter secretly caused problems in the city, and I got a pay cut for half a year!”
So he wasn’t being diligent, he was just being cautious because of the pay cut.
I was deliberately wearing the hood to avoid attention because of the surrounding gazes.
“…I guess I have no choice, Iris.”
Iris carefully took off her hood.
Then, gasps could be heard from the surroundings.
I quickly put the hood back on.
“Is that enough? I’d like you to let us through.”
Quite a few people had seen Iris. It was clear that troublesome things would happen in the city.
“No, that won’t do.”
The stout man smiled slyly.
“Doesn’t that face look familiar from a wanted poster? I think this woman needs to be investigated separately.”
“Okay, husband, you go into the city first.”
Their eyes were filled with dirty and filthy lust.
It made me feel disgusted.
“Haa…”
I let out a sigh filled with various emotions and approached the guards.
“W-what is it!”
“Are you thinking of resisting!”
Seeing them get angry in a way that was completely unjustified, I realized once again that there was no need to be patient at all.
“You just insulted my wife.”
It was a taboo that wouldn’t be tolerated as a man, but I was Iris’s husband, not just a man.
No, if I had my way, I would tie up their limbs and torture them to death by electric shock, but I was ending it here.
There couldn’t be a more merciful treatment than this.
I kicked the stout man.
The man didn’t even realize the kick was coming and was hit directly in the groin with my shin.
*Puddeuk*, I felt something being crushed along with a sound that should never be heard.
“?!!!”
*Thud*, the guard collapsed from the shock and pain.
“Don’t worry, I crushed both of them exactly.”
“Gg, ggeuk…!”
The guard couldn’t even scream properly and soon fainted.
A moment later, blood dripped from between the guard’s legs.
The guard who was watching the scene from the side shouted with a frightened face.
“A-assaulting a guard!!!”
