Volume 4 Chapter 98: Retribution

“Guoooooo…!”

Alice Hellsight sat confined in the restroom, her face twisted in agony as she groaned, battling an unbearable stomachache.

Sweat poured down her forehead, tears streaming from her eyes.

The laxative Elshan Falceid had forced her to drink was a highly potent concoction. Even though the human-creator tribe’s mana typically shielded them from harmful substances, this one worked universally, designed specifically to overpower Noil Arlens and turn him into Elshan’s subordinate.

It was obvious what such a substance would do to someone as physically fragile as Alice.

She was now enduring a personal hell.

Even a tiny amount was more than enough to have devastating effects. Alice clutched her abdomen, her vision blurring from the intense pain that threatened to make her pass out. Drool dripped from her gaping mouth—a grotesque sight she’d never want anyone to witness.

What Elshan had done was nothing short of torture. Yet, it was a punishment Alice brought upon herself. She could only blame her own actions.

“Haah… fff!”

Another sharp wave of pain struck. Instinctively, Alice flushed the toilet, tears rolling uncontrollably down her cheeks as she trembled violently.

She continued to groan intermittently for some time before she eventually raised her face, her exhaustion evident.

Her hollow cheeks, vacant eyes, and sweat-matted hair clung to her face.

Yet, there was the faintest sign of relief. The pain in her stomach, while still present, had slightly eased.

It seemed she had survived the worst of it.

The battle wasn’t over, but the demon tormenting her would soon be gone.

“Ugh… haah…”

“You look like you’re struggling.”

Alice exhaled heavily when she heard a cold, composed voice from outside the restroom. Weakly, she glared at the door—or rather, at the one standing beyond it. Elshan, the woman who had cast her into this hell.

“This… is all… your fault…”

“No, it’s your fault, isn’t it? A natural consequence.”

“Tch…”

Alice could only click her tongue. There was no comeback, nothing to refute Elshan’s cold declaration.

“Let this be a lesson: don’t ever try to lay a hand on my husband again.”

“He’s not your husband…”

This woman… Was she always this twisted?

Listening to Elshan’s frosty tone, Alice’s thoughts turned bitter.

She had only known Elshan Falceid as the miner—a fair, honest woman who treated everyone equally.

A model of integrity.

Combined with her flawless beauty, Elshan was near-perfect.

Sure, she avoided physical contact due to her forest tribe heritage, but even that wasn’t a flaw.

Perfect. She was the perfectly detestable woman.

Since her debut three years ago with her group Spirit Wind, Alice had lost count of how many fans this woman had stolen from her.

No matter how much Alice provoked her, Elshan never wavered. Always calm, always composed.

When Alice heard that Elshan had feelings for a man named Noil Arlens, she thought she’d finally found her weakness. A chance to wipe that smug, composed expression off her face.

But now, as she sat confined in a restroom with Elshan on the other side, Alice realized how wrong she had been.

Elshan’s obsession with Noil was far more deranged than Alice had imagined.

Elshan referred to a man who wasn’t even her lover as her “husband,” monitored him constantly through spirits, and did so without his knowledge or consent.

Peeping into a restroom? That wasn’t just overstepping—it was outright criminal. Insane. Terrifyingly insane.

Recalling Elshan’s blank, emotionless face as she forced Alice to ingest the laxative, she couldn’t suppress the grimace on her own.

Noil didn’t deserve this. Anyone on the outside might envy his position, but knowing what Elshan was truly like, it was impossible not to pity him.

And it wasn’t just Elshan. Noil was surrounded by other equally deranged women.

What kind of battlefield was his daily life? Would he be stabbed someday?

Noil was obliviously dancing across a minefield.

How he survived each day without incident was a mystery.

“He’s my husband. We exchanged kisses, which, for my tribe, is a vow of engagement.”

Oh, right. For the forest tribes, a kiss was indeed a pledge of engagement.

She probably forced it on him, though…

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“…What?”

Rubbing her aching abdomen, Alice blinked as Elshan clapped her hands lightly, as though recalling something.

“Back then—why did you have Noil’s scent on you?”

“…”

What the hell is wrong with these people?

Alice could only think that.

Why can everyone detect scents like this?

What kind of noses do they even have? Beast tribes who specialize in heightened senses, sure—but humans? Seriously?

Even more alarming was how Elshan had picked up the scent despite the time that had passed.

Silent, Alice flushed the toilet again.

“At the time, it was an emergency,” Elshan explained calmly. “I thought I should verify it later, but you fell ill so quickly that I never got the chance.”

My condition is still awful, thanks to you, you piece of trash. Show some consideration!

Seething with silent fury, Alice flushed the toilet once more.

Timing her response with the water’s flow, Elshan continued.

“So—what exactly did you do?”

A suffocating pressure radiated from beyond the door, making Alice’s skin prickle. Clicking her tongue internally, she hesitated over how to answer.

Initially, she had done it purely to irritate Elshan. But after seeing the woman’s unhinged obsession firsthand, Alice realized how reckless her actions had been. If she confessed the truth, who knew what Elshan might do?

And in her current state, weakened and in pain, she didn’t stand a chance.

Alice let out a deep breath as the sound of water subsided.

“I kissed him, you lunatic! How’s that for you? Serves you right!”

With that, she defiantly raised both middle fingers toward the door.

Backing down wasn’t in Alice’s nature.

Besides, lying wouldn’t work. If she was going down, she’d go down fighting.

This was her mansion—her home turf. She had magic tools at her disposal and automated dolls patrolling the halls. The restroom might not have been equipped for defense, but if she made it out of here, she could still fight back.

Her stomach still ached, but it was manageable now.

Fueled by spite, Alice grabbed for the toilet paper—

And froze.

There wasn’t any.

Sweat poured from her entire body.

“What’s wrong, Alice?”

Elshan’s icy voice cut through the silence beyond the door.

Alice swallowed hard.

“The Spirit King… don’t tell me you…”

“I’ve disposed of every roll of paper in this house.”

“You absolute monster!!”

Alice slammed her fists onto her knees, shaking with rage.

She never expected Elshan to stoop to such a petty, underhanded move.

This was cruelty on another level—beyond malicious.

Still, Alice wasn’t defeated.

The automated dolls were her last hope. They couldn’t follow complex orders, but fetching toilet paper? That was simple enough—

“Oh, by the way, I’ve deactivated all the automated dolls.”

“What…?”

Alice’s hands went limp, and the light drained from her eyes.

It was over.

“What’s done is done,” Elshan said coldly. “But now, swear you’ll never go near Noil again.”

“You’ve gotta be…”

“You need paper, don’t you?”

It was blackmail—pure and simple.

Alice wasn’t like Noil; she couldn’t sink to this level.

But there was no getting out of this without the paper.

“F-fine…! I swear…!”

Choking on the words, Alice bit down on her lip, the humiliation unbearable.

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

“Damn it—just give me the paper already—”

“I’ll be leaving now,” Elshan interrupted smoothly. “But not before I pay a visit to your dear grandmother.”

“What…?”

Alice stared blankly at the door, unable to process what Elshan had just said.

“W-wait! You… the paper—”

“I never promised to bring you paper,” Elshan replied, her voice dripping with venom. “I only warned you to stay away from Noil.”

The color drained from Alice’s face.

“You know, Alice, I can’t forgive what you’ve done. You should be grateful I’m letting you off this easily.”

“You…! You’re a demon!!!”

As Elshan’s footsteps receded, Alice could no longer hold back her scream.

Later: A Much-Needed Escape

When I finally stepped out of the public restroom, I thanked Elle again and slipped the earrings into my pocket.

I should’ve brought my usual gear pouch with me. I figured I wouldn’t need it and left it in my room—that was a mistake. With my pouch, I could’ve handled the lack of paper.

The pouch contains all kinds of odds and ends, not just mana bottles. Being prepared for anything is a habit of mine—born from my paranoia, I guess. If situations like this keep happening, I’ll start carrying it everywhere.

The world’s becoming increasingly hostile.

I’ll stash these earrings in the bottom of my pouch later. As much as I want to toss them out now, Alice would fly into a rage if she found out. Plus, the capital city imposes fines for littering, and I doubt “but it’s not garbage!” would hold up.

Actually…

Maybe I should give the earrings to Tesea. She’s been wanting to talk to Alice, and these would let her stay in contact. Though I can’t ignore the risk of Alice corrupting her…

I turned back briefly to glance at the restroom.

“Well, whatever.”

I had no intention of ever returning there.

Decision made, I headed off, resolving to give the earrings to Tesea.

Down a quieter street, I spotted Tesea crouched over a small bottle on the ground. Likely the manager’s My Garden in a Bottle. I have no fond memories of that thing.

“Welcome back, Noil,” Tesea greeted with a smile as I approached cautiously.

“Sorry for the wait… Where is everyone?”

“In here.”

“Wait—what?”

I peered closer. Sure enough, tiny figures moved inside the bottle. Likely the manager and the others.

“They wanted to check on you, but… well, I told them it was weird to go into the men’s restroom.”

“And they didn’t listen?”

“Nope.”

“So the manager trapped them in the bottle?”

“Yep.”

Tesea’s sheepish expression as she explained was oddly comforting.

Without her and the manager, I’d have been in real trouble.

“Thanks for trying to stop them,” I said.

“Right? It’s weird, right? No one actually goes into the restroom, right?”

You’re fine, Tesea. Completely normal.

The others, though…

“Yeah, you’re not the weird one here.”

“Good…”

Tesea visibly relaxed, exhaling a relieved sigh.

Smiling, I pulled the earrings from my pocket.

“Here, Tesea.”

“What’s this?”

“Alice’s magical device. You can use it to talk to her. I figured you might want it.”

Her eyes lit up as she took the earrings.

“Really? Thank you!”

“Yeah, I don’t need it anymore…”

“Thank you, big brother!”

When she beamed up at me, clutching the earrings, I couldn’t help but blurt out, “Adorable.”