Chapter 120: Because You Gave Me Respect
Sharpen knife while not delaying wood cutting.
Most of the time, Loria acts very respectfully—it's only in the simulator that she engages in explicit activities.
Skillfully, she starts the simulator and begins a new round of simulation.
[Day 1: You, the guildmaster, and Miss Plump Sheep seriously discuss how to hype up this matter. It is unanimously agreed that we must take action before the Hidden Leader does in order to avoid being overshadowed.]
[Day 2: Early morning, you watch as the proprieter leaves home, then sneakily sneak into the villa. You inquire about the proprieter's schedule with Lady Luciene. After finishing your inquiries, Lady Luciene invites you to have a cup of coffee before leaving.]
[You notice a worried expression in Lady Luciene's eyes, so you decide to stay. You realize that although Lady Luciene is scared, she seems to be more worried about your safety.]
[She said the owner had very powerful bodyguards, and if the owner really had close ties with the slave trading organization, it would be taking a huge risk to track him down.]
[Why not submit this evidence to a high-ranking official of the empire?]
[You turned down Lady Luciene's suggestion because you believed that for every moment delayed, there could be new victims, and moreover, would the higher authorities of the empire really concern themselves with such matters?]
[You grabbed Lady Luciene's hand warmly and told her not to worry about you. You also informed her that someone would be sent to protect her once the operation started.]
[I remember my promise!]
Luciene in the simulation continued to feel deep sadness.
However, she also knew her limitations. At the moment, all she could do was patiently wait and not cause any trouble for others.
That was just her personality.
She hated causing trouble for others the most. Even if she fell into a pit herself, she would just curl up.
It's not bad to be a bit shy, at most you'll be scolded a few times, just bear with it, and things will pass.
As for when you reach a certain age, occasional desires will emerge from your body...
She has hands and feet, and she has bought many props, so why worry about not being able to solve the problem?
Even though Luciene felt a bit empty during the process of self-sufficiency, she didn't think the unusual proprietor could help her get rid of this emptiness.
Ultimately, they only became husband and wife because of their parents' matchmaking.
Loria, who was reading the words that appeared on the simulator, naturally didn't know what Luciene was thinking in her heart.
She had a positive feeling towards Luciene, but this feeling was not related to liking, it was just because Luciene had helped her in multiple simulations.
Of course, it's still a little indulgent.
"As a young and spirited girl, is it unreasonable for me to like beautiful big sisters with big chests and slim waists?"
[Nearing noon, you bid farewell to Lady Luciene. She invited you to stay for lunch, but you explained that the guildmaster was still at home waiting for you to cook. Lady Luciene sadly walked you to the doorstep.]
[At dusk, you and Miss Plump Sheep went your separate ways. Miss Plump Sheep was responsible for taking care of Lady Luciene, while you were in charge of following the proprietor who was going to attend the dinner.]
[To prevent any confusion, you first brought Miss Plump Sheep to Lady Luciene's side before beginning to track her.]
The tracking went very smoothly.
These past two days, Claren Late Night News has been in the spotlight, and the proprietor, who is praised wherever he goes, is extremely unsuspecting.
He didn't notice anything unusual until Loria arrived at the entrance of the slave-run club.
There's nothing more to say about that.
After making up your mind, Loria headed towards the guildmaster's home, ready for a major showdown.
Those mentally deranged individuals who put all their strength into enslaving others could never be a match for Loria.
Loria successfully destroyed the bloody, cruel, and immoral club after a simple in-and-out operation.
[While you were searching the club, you suddenly heard a noise outside. You quickly slipped to the door, and there stood a strange woman.]
[You decided to escape immediately. After a fierce battle, you were heavily injured but managed to successfully run away.]
"Oh no, why did someone suddenly appear at a critical moment?"
Loria was grateful that she had practiced beforehand. Otherwise, she might have ended up being buried alongside the mentally disturbed proprietor.
However, this practice session didn't go as planned.
After she escaped, the unknown woman immediately passed the message to the treasury officials.
The treasury officials took preemptive action and labeled Loria as a brutal killer who murdered dozens of high society individuals and beautiful young ladies who were having friendly exchanges in the club!
[The leader of the treasury investigation team tearfully accused you of your "crimes," saying that you not only killed people but also subjected those ladies to hours of inhumane torture.]
[The journalists, inspectors, and people living near the club all agreed with this statement.]
[When I heard the noise and rushed in, I saw a girl tied up on the ground, with her buttocks and stomach almost pierced by wooden spikes.]
[There were over fifty bodies in total, with thirty-one of them being women. It's horrifying that all the women were subjected to cruel torture. Not a single body was intact, with acts like gouging out their eyes and severing limbs being considered mild.]
The simulator displayed a bunch of interview content.
With the deliberate guidance of the media, Loria became an unforgivable demon. Some newspapers even claimed that she committed such a big crime because she was extremely ugly and jealous of young, beautiful women.
"What the heck..."
Loria was completely puzzled when she heard that.
Who are they calling mentally deranged?
"You all are the ones who are mentally deranged! The injuries were clearly inflicted by you when you tortured people on a regular basis. And now, you're pushing it all onto me, damn it, this is inhumane!"
Loria was very angry.
If given the chance, she definitely wanted to get rid of that finance minister.
She remembered that in the simulation, she didn't kill any of the "slaves."
Therefore, it seemed that after she escaped with injuries, the woman who had fought her went in and killed everyone.
Since everyone was dead, there were no real eyewitnesses, so they could make up whatever story they wanted to later on.
"Is this the power that comes from controlling public opinion?"
Loria felt a wave of fear and knew that she must not fall into such a situation.
She continued to read further, looking for pitfalls to avoid.
[Day 3: You are wanted nationwide, but you are grateful that you disguised yourself when you came to Creek Town. Now you have plenty of time to escape with the guildmaster.]
[Just as you were getting ready to leave, you suddenly received news that Lady Luciene had been arrested. The investigative team found out about your appearance (after disguising) from the unknown woman you had encountered during your encounter, and then they discovered that you had interacted with Lady Luciene and the proprietor.]
"Oh no!"
Loria's face changed.
These people are helping the wicked, distorting right and wrong. If Luciene ends up in their hands, even if she truly didn't do anything, she might be forced to confess under duress.
And after confessing, she would probably not be sent to prison, but become their slave instead.
Loria clenched her teeth in anger.
She couldn't just leave things as they were. She had made a promise to Luciene that she wouldn't let her get hurt before herself.
What made her feel fortunate was that even though she appeared unreliable in simulations, this time she followed her inner thoughts and stepped forward.
[You decided to rescue Lady Luciene.]
"Well done!"
Life is not just about romantic relationships, there are many things more important than that.
I'm not saying that it's not allowed to have romantic relationships, but it should come after the battle!
To Loria's surprise, during the subsequent events, she discovered that Luciene wasn't tricked by the arguments of the finance minister and didn't give in to their threats. Instead, Luciene did her best to help Loria clear her name.
[She told the inspecting officer in charge of questioning that it was impossible for him to have committed the crime because he spent most of yesterday daytime with her. Although he briefly left, it was for a short time and it's impossible for him to have tortured the victim for hours, as reported.]
The inspector in the simulation nonchalantly exclaimed and then asked Luciene why she had been staying with the "killer" all along.
"You only met each other because of work. Your relationship can't even be considered as acquaintances. So, what reason do you have to be with the killer all the time? Could it be that you actually planned this case together with the killer?"
Luciene got angry by these words.
"You're talking nonsense. Miss Darcy would never be the type of person who finds pleasure in hurting others!"
The inspector still looked playful, "Please answer my question honestly. Why were you with the murderer?"
"Because, because..."
Luciene talked for a long time, but couldn't say a single complete sentence.
The inspector shook his head and said, "Madam, there's no point in trying to defend yourself. Just tell the truth."
[Luciene slammed both hands on the table and said loudly, "Things have come to this point. I can only tell the truth. The reason I've been staying with Miss Darcy is because we were having an affair!"]
"？？？"
Loria, staring at the computer simulator, blinked her eyes hard.
Yes.
She wasn't mistaken. Luciene just admitted that they were secretly seeing each other!
Wow!
Is this excuse not good?
If that happens, won't Luciene's reputation be completely ruined?
When your husband was killed, you were at home having an affair with your "mistress." This kind of thing will definitely be sensationalized by the media, and who knows, someone might even write a few intriguing articles about it.
Even if Luciene is let go later, her reputation will be completely ruined because of it.
Loria wanted to say something but stopped herself. As an observer, there wasn't much she could do except continue reading.
[I played with her from morning till night, so there's no way she could have had time to commit the crime!]
[The inspector was left speechless by Luciene's words, and he remained silent for a long time.]
After nearly a minute, the inspector suddenly stood up, a confident smile on his face.
"And so, the case became clear. You and the murderer are two morally corrupt women. Not only did you have an affair, but you also conspired to murder your husband out of fear that your affair would be revealed. Those innocent people, who witnessed your cruel act of violence, were ruthlessly killed by both of you. Even the infamous witches in the storybook cannot match your wickedness!"
Wow, how dare you insult me like that!
Loria's blood pressure skyrocketed as she watched.
Poor Luciene, even though she explained everything, she was still forcefully labeled as an accomplice to the murderer.
Because it was just words on paper, she couldn't see what Luciene was thinking, but she was definitely feeling a combination of surprise, anger, and sadness.
No matter how Luciene tried to explain, the inspector was sure that she was the culprit, and even punched her directly.
This time, Loria could no longer hold back her emotions in the simulation.
Even though there were a lot of people around, she still dashed out. After a tough battle, she suffered even more injuries, but Luciene didn't recover much either.
When she managed to escape with Luciene, Luciene was barely breathing.
The young woman smiled sadly, but she didn't regret it.
She lay in Loria's arms, her final wish was to "steal a moment of love" with Loria.
[She asked you not to laugh, because she never experienced the joy of being intimate with someone before, so she wanted to experience it before she died.]
[You didn't smile, you just felt helpless. Luciene was badly injured, and you didn't dare let Doris treat her. Just one failed attempt would lead to her death. You also didn't dare do anything else to her, because you were afraid that even a touch from you would make her immediately die.]
[Just when you were feeling so conflicted inside, Luciene slowly closed her eyes and never woke up again.]
[You let go of Luciene and went alone to assassinate the treasurer.]
[The bodyguards around the treasurer were very powerful. Being heavily injured, you were no match for them and could only fall unwillingly in their beating.]
[The simulation ends here.]
[Outcome achieved: Brave sacrifice.]
[Congratulations to the player for achieving the achievement "Accused Knight", gaining extra reward, +1 spirit.]
[Congratulations to the player for achieving the achievement "Charge into Battle", gaining extra reward, +1 strength.]
[Congratulations to the player for achieving D-level evaluation, generating reward: Blood Lock.]
Even though the simulation has ended, Loria is still in a grumpy state. It took her a long time to calm down.
Darn it, sooner or later I'll stab all these people!
She started checking the simulation rewards.
There's not much to say about these two attribute points. After adding them, her basic attributes are as follows -
[Attributes]: Strength 49, Agility 35, Endurance 78, Intelligence 13, Spirit 44, Charm 13.
There is little change compared to the previous few days, the only thing worth looking forward to is that the basic strength attribute is also about to reach D-level.
But this time, the rewarded skill is really incredible.
[Bloodlock]: With the unknown blessing, you can avoid instant death effects. No matter what kind of attack you receive, you will only lose up to 90% of your current health. Cooldown time is 1 hour.
"Wow, doesn't this mean that I won't be instantly killed even if I'm caught off guard?"
Without hesitation, Loria directly acquired the skill.
She felt much better.
Just like in the simulation, she discussed plans with the guildmaster and Miss Plump Sheep.
The next day, she arrived early at Luciene's house. After confirming the proprietor's schedule, she suddenly asked, "Madam, I mean, what if, what if my plan fails and I become wanted in the whole city? The news media and inspectors all say that I'm a heartless monster who enjoys hurting women who are prettier than me. Would you believe what they say?"
After asking, Loria realized that her question was quite silly.
Luciene covered her mouth and laughed.
"Of course, I would think they are talking nonsense."
"Why?"
"Because you look very beautiful, and I don't know anyone more charming than you. It's clearly ridiculous to say that you enjoy mistreating women who are prettier than you."
"..."
Loria didn't know what to say for a moment.
Although I am very attractive, you shouldn't praise me like this. It would make me proud.
Luciene smiled even brighter, "I'm not joking. I won't believe what they say just because I've spent time with you. I don't believe that someone who has treated me with so much respect could be a demon who enjoys hurting people."
Oh, is that so?
Loria was stunned for a moment.
"Would you like to have some coffee?"
Her thoughts were interrupted by a gentle voice.
Loria nodded involuntarily and said, "Then let's have a cup before we leave."
The coffee Luciene brought out was a bit bitter, but it was so bitter that it left a lasting impression.
When Loria came out of the villa, it was still raining, and the terrible weather had been going on for several days.
But her mood was good today, not only because she was enjoying her time with Luciene, but also because she suddenly received a notification from the simulator.
[Special Event - Hidden Leader]
"Finally, the notification is completed."
Loria's eyes lit up.
She thought that completing the mission meant stopping the monsters, but now it seems that the real requirement is to find and expose the Hidden Leader who is hiding, making them exposed under the sunlight!
"With this reward, we can send the proprietors on their way even better!"
