Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 66

Had it been before my diet, I would have been assisting from the backline alongside Emily.

But now, I confidently stood at the frontlines, taking down monsters myself.

Adrian, who witnessed this for the first time, looked astonished and impressed.

‘It’s like you’re a completely different person from a week ago... Amazing.’

His words, filled with awe, made me puff up my chest with pride.

And Zikfrit, who had been watching from the side, seemed pleased as well.

Though Mary and Emily, who were aware of my weight loss, weren’t shocked, they still seemed unable to make eye contact with me as usual.

Then there was Laphne.

Naturally, I thought she would congratulate me on my diet, but—

“Ugh, Ken… How long have you been starving?!”

With tears still streaming, Laphne held my face, like a mother concerned about a child with an empty refrigerator.

“It’s alright, Laphne. I’m actually healthier than before.”

As I said this, I raised my arm to show off my muscles.

The definition was much more prominent compared to before.

In that instant, I made eye contact with Emily, who had been staring blankly at my arm from behind Laphne.

Unlike a moment ago, when she seemed dazed, she quickly looked away when our eyes met.

“Y-You’re nothing but skin and bones!”

Despite my confident appearance, Laphne wailed even louder.

“Well, I’m glad to be back safe.”

While trying to calm Laphne, Mary approached from behind.

When I turned to see her, I noticed her voice sounded a bit hoarse.

“...I was really worried.”

“I’m sorry. But I truly had no choice but to go alone.”

There was no way I could have forced anyone to spend a year in such a hellish place.

I alone had to bear the suffering.

In the end, everything turned out alright.

“B-But still! You should’ve at least consulted us!”

Following Mary’s lead, Emily stepped forward, her face flushed with indignation.

“A, hey?!”

“This is your punishment! You worried everyone so much… Ugh, I can’t believe you!”

Almost immediately, tears welled up in her eyes as she gazed at me.

It seemed that, influenced by Laphne’s loud sobbing, her pent-up emotions finally burst forth.

“But... Ugh, are you sure you’re not hungry? Aren’t you starving?”

As she scolded me, she reached up to touch my face.

“It’s fine. I’ve lost enough weight that I don’t need to rush into eating right now.”

I simply explained, as if she had mistaken my calorie burn for starvation.

My words were meant to reassure her, but Emily placed her hand on my face, still with tears in her eyes.

“Ugh, really... You’ve become so thin... Ugh, how much have you suffered...?”

Then, bowing her head, she pressed her forehead against my shoulder.

‘...Am I really that skinny?’

Having spent a year in a swamp, I had no chance to see my own form.

In my mind, I felt I was at a perfectly normal weight.

But to the two of them, who had often seen me in a chubby state, my sudden weight loss must have appeared drastic.

Still, I was relieved that we all reunited without injury.

As I looked around at my party, welcoming my return, I smiled and said,

“First, shall we head back to the city? I really want to eat something delicious.”

Grrrr...

At my words, my stomach growled loudly.

Immediately responding to that familiar sound was Laphne.

“Ken! You’re hungry! Ugh, I’ll make you anything! Let’s hurry and eat!”

“Oh, I’ve been wanting to taste your cooking, Laphne.”

“Ugh, I know! I’ll hurry and... Ugh, uuhhh!”

At my enthusiastic reply, Laphne, who had been crying, began sobbing once more.

I had to sit a bit longer, calming her down before we returned to the city from the tenth floor.

While I had the key to the shortcut, it was still impossible to challenge the hundredth floor right away.

We were all exhausted from a year of survival and the relentless monster rush.

On the way back to the city.

“Ken.”

As the monster assaults quieted down, Adrian called out to me while we walked leisurely down the path.

When I turned to look at him, he wore a serious expression, devoid of his usual playful smile.

“Thank you.”

“...Isn’t it supposed to be ‘you worked hard’?”

I tilted my head at the sudden expression of gratitude.

“Normally, that would be my job.”

“...Ah.”

He referred to the purpose of this journey.

Eliminating the prophecy that had been placed upon Laphne.

Doing so meant halting the demon invasion as well.

He was essentially thanking me for solving what was originally his responsibility as royalty.

“I’m only grateful to you. You brought a solution to Laphne’s situation, which I had no idea how to resolve... and you risked your life to do so.”

“No, it’s not over yet. The final hurdle is still ahead.”

“Pffft, I’m not worried about that.”

Adrian smiled and looked at me.

His smile didn’t carry the usual teasing look but instead held a sense of respect and anticipation.

“I feel that you will eventually succeed. At first, I was unsure, but... now I’m confident.”

Embarrassed by his words laced with trust, I scratched my head.

After receiving Adrian’s thanks, I felt a strange mix of emotions as we arrived in the city.

“Delicious…!!”

I was moved to tears by the special course meal prepared for me by Laphne, specially made for Ken Feinstein.

“Eat more! Here! Have this! This too!”

“W-Wait, take it slow…!”

Due to my slimmed-down appearance, Laphne kept shoving food into my mouth, hardly taking a bite for herself.

“Ken! You’re just a bag of bones now!”

“Wah! Hey, I can’t…”

“Ugh! You’ve become so skinny, I can’t even bury my face in your soft belly anymore!”

“W-Wait…!”

Before I could even attempt to defend myself against her,

“...You can bury your face in?”

“W-What?!”

The two of them abruptly fixed me with strange expressions after my failed defense.

“Why have we never had the chance to do so?!”

“Right? It feels like we missed out on something important…”

“...Both of you?”

I was taken aback by their unexpected remarks.

I had assumed they would either berate me with comments like ‘shameless!’ or ‘pervert! Die!’

Instead, they both gazed at me with faces expressing regret.

“Why are we the ones who’ve missed out, when you’ve become so thin?!”

“Right. It feels like a loss on our part…”

“Both of you said that the previous version of me was cute, but... now, ugh.”

I was taken aback by their sudden change in attitude.

Just as I was about to elaborate on how I had been through a hellish experience for a year, another voice chimed in from across the table.

“Oh? Is that so? I’d like to experience that myself.”

Adrian joined in, his expression serious as he looked at me.

A chill ran down my spine as I noticed the change in his demeanor.

“Honestly, it was soft and plush back then.”

Even Zikfrit, who had been quietly eating his meat, chimed in.

“Eek! You two need to stop!”

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I panicked, hugging myself as I cautiously backed away.

“Ken! Quickly take another bite!”

“Uwaah!”

“I’ll give you mine! Eat this too!”

“Uwaah!”

“Take mine too. ...Is it possible to get fat again after losing weight?”

“Ugh...”

A relentless succession of feeding continued.

The never-ending meal, feeling even more burdensome than a monster rush, continued to fill my mouth.

The long-awaited feast I had craved for a year came to a thrilling end.

“Hehe… Heheh.”

In the quiet and dark forest, a cold female voice echoed from the peculiar and grotesque purple foliage.

“...Master, you’ve deceived me well.”

There, a sword was embedded in a tree, and beside it sat a woman petting a monster.

Numerous monsters lay gathered around her, asleep—Tirpioune.

As she muttered those resentful words, her face suddenly flushed.

“...Ah, how clever you are…!”

She recalled the man who had betrayed her and voiced her feelings of longing.

“But if you think this means we’ve parted ways, you’re mistaken. Heheh.”

Looking up at the moon in the sky with flushed cheeks, she bit her lip and laughed.

“...The contract of master and servant has already ended.”

Remembering the taste of her master’s blood, Tirpioune thought about the day she would meet her master again.

“Soon... the moment I need you will come.”

Then she stood up and walked towards her body—the sword.

She grasped the handle of the sword.

With the intention of pulling it out immediately, she tugged at the sword’s grip, but—

“...Ugh!! This is too much!! If you embed me like this, I can’t pull myself out!”

Despite her desperate efforts, Tirpioune could not free herself from her own body, and once again, she let out a resentful sound.

It would be the following day before she was finally able to pull out the sword with the help of the monsters.