“Don’t scare him.”
“Hmph…”
Elysia swept her hair back with a huff, her expression flat as ever.
“But you’re right that he hasn’t started working yet. Since it’s still the middle of the day, let’s take him around.”
“I just told you he hasn’t even had a chance to rest. And now you want to drag him around town?”
“What’s the harm? Napping too much isn’t good for someone still growing. Besides, you want to go too, don’t you?”
“You’re not wrong, big sis.”
Evelyn stepped closer with that faint smile of hers and gave her sister’s cheek a gentle pinch.
Elysia didn’t seem to care much either way, letting her sister do whatever she wanted with her face.
“That hurts.”
Watching the two of them interact left Elias a little confused, and a little caught off guard too.
Even knowing they were both Villainesses, the sisterly dynamic between them still came through loud and clear.
Thinking back on it, he actually had no idea about any of this.
The twin Villainesses’ debut in the story had taken place at the Academy.
So players, Elias included, had no clue what happened before the Villainesses ever set foot inside it.
That only made Elias more convinced there had to be some trigger behind why the two of them turned into Villainesses in the first place.
Still, jumping to conclusions with nothing to back it up was a dangerous game.
While he was still lost in thought, Evelyn and Elysia had already moved to stand right in front of him without him even noticing.
“Big sis, why’s he like that?”
“No idea. Maybe he fell asleep standing up?”
“Let’s cut off a few of his fingers, that’ll wake him right up.”
The sound of a sword being drawn snapped Elias right back to reality, and he scrambled a few steps back from the two of them.
“Ah, he’s awake…”
“Shame. Elysia, try not making so much noise next time you draw your sword.”
‘Why does she look like someone who just lost their last dollar in a bet?’
“Forgive me for my rudeness in front of you both. I deserve to be punished, but I humbly ask for your understanding.”
“Oh, there’s your chance, Elysia.”
“Fine, I’ll be understanding about it. Three fingers down to just one, then.”
Elias dropped straight into a bow before them, his voice pitched loud enough to catch both girls off guard.
“I am deeply, deeply sorry! Please, I beg your understanding and mercy!”
‘I’m so dead.’
Cold sweat poured down his face, his whole body shaking just enough to give away exactly how scared he really was.
The sisters’ reaction to Elias’s bow was nothing like what anyone watching would have expected…
Evelyn started with her usual faint smile, but within moments it grew wider and wider until her breathing turned ragged.
Color rose across her pale cheeks and her eyes stayed locked on Elias without so much as a flicker away.
Even when Elias shifted or tried to lift his head, her gaze followed him without fail, the smile on her face growing harder and harder to hold back while her blush deepened and her breathing grew more uneven by the second.
Calling their reactions different wouldn’t be quite right, but calling them the same wouldn’t be right either.
Elysia never fully turned to face him, her body angled off to the side as if none of this interested her in the slightest.
But her head turned just slightly, her deep black eyes sliding over to where Elias still knelt, her expression flat and unchanged, no trace of a smile, no trace of anything at all.
And yet color crept slowly into her cheeks, her breath coming out just a little unsteady through lips left slightly parted.
Her body seemed perfectly calm, but her eyes never once stopped tracking him.
For all the nothing her face gave away, her reaction told a completely different story, one where Elysia wasn’t nearly as composed as she looked.
Whatever was going through their heads, their reaction to a simple bow was way more than the situation called for.
But before Elias could even lift his head, both their expressions snapped right back to normal, as if none of it had happened at all.
“Why are you looking up? We haven’t decided what we’re doing with you yet.”
“I’m sorry!”
“Alright, alright, Elysia, quit toying with him. Elias, stand up.” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“Don’t worry about it, you haven’t even started working yet, so it’s fine~”
No matter how many times he saw that smile, Elias doubted he’d ever get used to something that terrifying!
‘It’s a trap!’
“Hold on! My sister might’ve forgiven you, but I haven’t. If you want my forgiveness too, come walk around the city with us.”
*PHEW
Elias genuinely thanked whatever gods were listening that he didn’t have to cut off his own fingers.
“Of course, Lady Elysia.”
‘This is way better.
I need to be a lot more careful from now on if I don’t want a repeat of this.’
“Elysia, you sly thing.”
Ignoring her sister’s soft laugh, Elysia simply started walking, Evelyn falling in beside her with Elias trailing behind them both.
[Ding!]
[New Quest]
Accompany Evelyn and Elysia on a walk around the city.
Reward: EXP +100, 5 Stat Points.
[Accepted!]
* * *
The trip to the city didn’t take very long at all.
Elias stayed a step behind Evelyn and Elysia the whole way, glancing around at his surroundings every so often.
Whether it was because he was still on edge or simply had no idea what to say, he kept mostly quiet.
After all, walking alongside two Villainesses who could have his head off his shoulders at any moment wasn’t exactly the kind of situation that put him in the mood for small talk.
Before long, buildings began coming into view in the distance.
The closer they got, the quieter roads slowly gave way to something far more alive: carriages rolling past, merchants calling out their wares, people walking along the street chatting with one another.
Finally, they arrived in the city of Aurelis.
As the main city under Marquis Nocturne’s rule, Aurelis was worlds livelier than Valebrook Village.
The buildings lining the streets were bigger and better kept, and shops and eateries seemed to fill nearly every corner.
Without even meaning to, Elias slowed his pace.
Even after living in a world crawling with technology, this was still the first time he’d ever actually set foot in a real fantasy city.
“Feels a lot like playing through the capsule, except this is way more real.”
Inside the game, a player’s experience had been limited to sight, sound, and touch, nothing more.
But this was different.
Every single sense was working now, clear as day.
He could smell food drifting out from the shops lining the street, feel the sun’s heat pressing against his skin, even notice hunger slowly gnawing at his stomach.
Even the breeze and that distinct city smell hanging in the air felt completely real.
After a while, Elias started noticing that people were staring, that the three of them had somehow become the center of attention.
‘Probably just those two, honestly.’
Two beautiful girls in lavish clothes, that combination alone was bound to turn heads, especially with them being identical twins where one just happened to be albino.
‘Wait, albino?
Doesn’t that mean Evelyn’s weak to sunlight!’
Elias quickened his pace to catch up with the two of them.
“My lady.”
“What is it?” Elysia asked, her face flat and her arms crossed under her chest.
“The sun’s brutal right now. If either of you starts feeling hot or tired, we should stop and rest. Lady Evelyn especially.”
The genuine concern on Elias’s face caught both of them off guard for a second.
*SIGH
“You’re worrying about nothing, Elias,” Elysia said after letting out that sigh.
Evelyn laughed softly before explaining what her sister meant.
“I shield my body with mana.”
She snapped her fingers, and a faint white aura bloomed out of her body, the mana spreading over her entirely before settling into a spherical barrier around her.
‘Wait, is that Aegis?
She’s using an Aegis-tier skill just for this?
Guess that’s a Villainess for you…’
“My apologies, I had no idea.”
Rather than fear, what Elias actually felt was embarrassment at having gotten it wrong.
He didn’t even need to hear a word to guess exactly what Elysia was thinking, her expression alone said enough.
He was pretty sure that in Elysia’s eyes, he must look exactly like some smooth-talker trying way too hard to look cool in front of her sister.
“It’s fine. I’m actually glad you were worried about me. By the way, have you ever been here before?”
“Never.”
“Eh?~ Seriously?” Evelyn asked, her voice climbing a notch as she covered her mouth with one hand.
“Figured as much.” Elysia, meanwhile, just nodded along like she’d already known the answer.
Elias looked between the two of them with a strained smile.
‘Is it really that weird for someone to have never been to a city before?’
But before he could think it through any further, Evelyn and Elysia each latched onto one of his arms, and Elias froze on the spot.
A soft warmth pressed into both his arms as the sisters pulled themselves in close on either side, trapping his arms right between their bodies.
It took him a second to really register what was happening, and once it hit, sweat slowly started beading on his face.
‘…Wait.’
He glanced down for just a moment before snapping his eyes right back forward.
‘Why are both my arms currently wedged between these two mountains!?’
“Since this is your first time here, it’d be a real hassle if you got lost.”
“This is just to make sure you don’t lose track of us. You should be thanking us.”
Elias didn’t respond, which made Evelyn tilt her head.
“Elias?”
The moment she said his name, Elias’s whole body jolted and he answered a beat too quickly.
“O-okay! Thank you so much!”
All he could do was keep walking between them, his face getting redder by the second.
Part of him wanted to pull his arms free, but another part of him didn’t dare try anything that reckless.
After all, the two girls holding onto his arms were far from ordinary.
Elias muttered under his breath:
“What the hell is happening here?”
‘…If I make one wrong move here, is this actually enough of a reason to get me killed?’
“Did you say something?”
“Not at all, my lady,” Elias answered Elysia, sweat pouring down his face along with a healthy flush.
Elysia was pretty sure he’d said something, but she decided it didn’t matter enough to chase and went back to focusing on walking, Elias’s arm still held tight against her.
Off to the side, an old man watching Elias walk by, arms claimed by both Evelyn and Elysia, could only shake his head.
“Kids these days…”
He glanced at the three of them once more before letting out a long sigh.
“Broad daylight, and they’re already out here getting cozy in public.”
Shaking his head the whole way, he carried on with his walk.