Chapter 155: Can’t Sleep Tonight

“Hmm?”

“We were supposed to hang out at your place! Did you forget already?”

At Iris’s mild scolding, Johannes flinched his shoulders and waved his hand hastily.

“Ah, no! Of course, come over. Uh, I’ll be waiting anytime. And the walk… Oh, she’s gone.”

Watching Iris’s back, a faint smile appeared on Johannes’s lips.

Today, he was truly happy.

It was not only the day he had a date with Iris, but also the first time he saw her transformed.

Humming, he dialed James’s number.

Just thinking about being alone with her at his place soon made his heart pound with anticipation.

“Hoo…”

Dragging her heavy body home, Iris took a shower.

Washing away Laika’s lingering traces felt strange.

She washed slowly, dried her hair with a towel, and stood in front of the mirror.

She anxiously fidgeted with her hand where the ring had vanished, lips pressed tightly together.

It was time to check the skill she’d taken from Laika.

Fortunately, this time the Chastity Belt hadn’t been greedy, so the skill was intact.

When she inwardly chanted <Beastification>, fur began to sprout on Iris’s face, hands, and feet, and a black lion beastkin appeared in the mirror.

‘Ugh, it’s way too obvious this was stolen from Laika, isn’t it? Oh well, what does it matter. Might as well make good use of it.’

It was similar to the black lion beastkin Laika had summoned, but it seemed the form had changed to suit her gender—she looked sleeker.

Looking closely, she resembled a black cat more than a lion.

Maybe it was the smaller body, but she seemed weaker than a lion.

Clicking her tongue as she twisted and turned, she soon returned to her original form.

Maybe because her <Beastification> level was low, it was hard to maintain the appearance for long.

‘Laika’s skill was higher, so the lion beastkin he summoned looked much cooler. Does it take after the caster’s looks?’

Recalling the black lion beastkin Laika had summoned, Iris felt her mood start to sink.

She slapped her cheeks, forcibly gathered her thoughts, and called up her status window.

LV.53 Chastity Belt Hanger

[Owned Skills]
Alarm LV.25

Speed of Light Running LV.10

Stealth LV.10

Doppelganger LV.7

Beastification LV.1

<Ancient Chastity Belt>
Shed Fur through Shield LV.13

Light-Speed Spring LV.8

Let Me See Your Back LV.17

Sturdy Spider Web LV.12

Burning Groin LV.11

Ecstatic Song of the Chastity Belt LV.4

<Ancient Bracelet>
Whip Swing LV.15

Let Me See Your Back LV.17

Pincer Attack LV.13

Fit in the Pocket LV.12

[Mental Skills]
Complete Delusion LV.1

[Support Skills]
Rainbow Repayment Sprayer LV.11

Cursed Light Sprayer LV.11

[Special Skills]
Smash the Skull

Perception

[Status]
Tired/Empty/Full

‘My level hasn’t changed? By now, I figured it’d drop since I lost the ring, so why is this happening?’

She tilted her head, closing the status window. Sitting on the sofa with a serious expression, she pondered.

She couldn’t figure out why her level, which had risen thanks to the ring, hadn’t dropped.

After some thought, she came to her own conclusion.

‘Did I absorb the ring’s power? No, not me—the Chastity Belt did. Just like it steals skills, this greedy thing must have absorbed the ring’s power too.’

If the Chastity Belt had absorbed the ring’s power, it was a good thing, but it brought a new worry.

Laika would probably be furious once he realized the ring’s power was gone.

Still, unlike before, when she was constantly on edge and hiding, she no longer found Laika so frightening.

Maybe because he’d given her a chance to escape instead of killing her when he had the opportunity.

She felt that even if they met again, Laika wouldn’t be able to kill her.

Of course, the indestructible Chastity Belt, which deflected bullets and let her survive falls from skyscrapers, was probably a big reason it was so hard to kill her.

Why had he done that?

Soon, a bitter smile appeared on Iris’s lips.

She felt she intuitively understood the reason without needing to think long.

She recalled those moist blue eyes and Laika’s uncharacteristic offer, and her chest ached with a prickling pain.

This was why you should never form deep ties with a villain.

She let out a heavy sigh and lay on the bed.

It seemed tonight would not bring easy sleep.

***

The next day, she drove her old clunker toward Abellus’s Laboratory.

Her throat felt parched, so she gulped down water and crumpled the empty Plastic Bottle before tossing it into the back seat.

She was worried she might run into Laika at the Laboratory again, and also suspicious about whether Abellus’s offer to dog-sit was normal.

Was it really a tiny, cute puppy like he’d described?

Or was it some vicious monster, small in size but as fierce as that Cerberus or whatever that had lunged at her before?

‘What am I even worried about? If anything happens, the Chastity Belt will save me. Let’s just go.’

With her legs nervously trembling, she arrived at the Laboratory.

After parking the old car in the lot, she went inside.

The receptionist, who remembered her, greeted her and told her to go up to the Lab Director’s Office.

That was good, since she’d wanted to check out the object suspected of being a relic in the Lab Director’s Office again.

She went up and stood before the Lab Director’s Office door, knocking lightly. But instead of a response from inside, a low voice came from the side.

“Miss Iris, it’s good to see you.”

“Oh? You’re not in the Lab Director’s Office?”

Iris pointed at the door with her finger, smiling awkwardly.

She’d wanted to see the necklace hanging around the armored knight statue’s neck again, but hadn’t expected Abellus to appear in the hallway.

Abellus’s eyes rounded and he gestured to her.

“I was just on my way out from the lab—been busy with research. Please, this way.”

He then led her out to the courtyard.

On guard, Iris scanned her surroundings and paused when she saw a researcher holding a puppy on a leash.

At first glance, it looked like a normal puppy, but if she let her guard down, something could go wrong.

After receiving the leash from the researcher, Abellus handed it to Iris.

“It’s an awfully small and cute puppy, isn’t it? Its name is Mascot Puppy.”

“Yes, it is. But… is there a reason the Laboratory needs someone to walk a puppy?”

“It’s for monster snacks.”

“Ah…”

Iris’s smile disappeared instantly, and Abellus covered his mouth to stifle a laugh.

Her appalled reaction right after his joke was highly amusing.

Sometimes, he really did procure live food for the monsters he cared for—but not this puppy.

At least, not for now. Watching her clutch the leash and roll her eyes awkwardly, Abellus spoke.

“Haha, just kidding.”

“Huh? Just a joke—ah, ahh…”

Having witnessed Abellus’s cruel side before, Iris forced a weak smile.

She wondered if she was hearing some advance notice of his real plans.

Kneeling down in front of the panting puppy by Iris’s side, Abellus scratched its chin, looking up to meet the animal’s gaze.

Seeing him act like this, Iris narrowed her eyes, as if watching a performance.

“A junior assistant picked up this puppy wandering the roadside. He’s now the Laboratory’s official mascot. So, I’ll leave the Mascot Puppy’s walk to you.”

“O-okay… Oh, Abellus.”

For that moment, he actually seemed like a normal person.

Anyone unaware of his true self would easily be fooled.

Gripping the leash, Iris nodded—then caught herself.

Suddenly, she felt uneasy, worried that, like last time, Laika might barge into the Laboratory again.

At her call, Abellus turned to look at her.

“Yes, Miss Iris? Is something the matter?”

“That man I met last time… He’s not coming in today, is he?”

Frowning, Abellus belatedly realized ‘that man’ meant Laika, and clicked his tongue.

Because Laika had suddenly barged in that day, Abellus hadn’t been able to make further progress with Iris.

This time, he’d given the receptionist strict instructions: if Laika showed up, tell him he was out on external business.

Of course, that guy would probably just barge into the Lab Director’s Office anyway.

Raised without a care in the world, Laika never bothered with what others thought.

‘He should’ve died when Project X failed…’

So, while the news that Laika’s ring had been stolen gave Abellus a headache, he couldn’t help feeling a bit delighted too.

He hadn’t reported it to President Kaisar, since he bore some responsibility, but he still felt a thrill at Laika’s misfortune.

It was an inevitable sense of inferiority. Laika had been born with everything—including ability.

Abellus also possessed natural intellect and ability, so others envied his life.

But even with all that, a boy from an ordinary country village couldn’t surpass Laika, the privileged one with power and a golden spoon.

While Laika had things simply by existing, Abellus had to work to obtain them, and so every time he saw Laika, it irritated him.