Chapter 169: |
Chapter 169
“Pa-Passed? So quickly?”
Otto doubted his ears.
He knew he would pass.
But he didn’t expect it to be this fast.
“Are you sure I passed?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure you looked closely?”
“I don’t need to look anymore. You’ve passed without a doubt.”
It was a new record.
In the past 10 years, 169 men had proposed to her.
Of those, only 33 had made it past the preliminary phase.
Those 33 had to be screened by her for as little as 30 seconds and as long as two minutes.
Sheerazad was very picky when it came to judging men.
Look at the dish.
Look away.
Look from head up.
Look down.
Turning them from side to side.
She would even scrutinize their body shapes and proportions.
However, this was not the case for Otto.
Just a glimpse of his face was enough to get him a passing grade!
Which meant that Otto was the most handsome man Sheerazad had ever met.
‘As expected, it’s a new record.’
‘Well, this is as expected.’
‘Well, with that level of handsomeness, It’s only natural.’
Sheerazad’s knights agreed 100% with the results, and they were also in agreement.
Of all the men who had proposed to her, and of all the slaves she had taken into her clutches, none had ever been as handsome as Otto.
“You are a very handsome man.”
Sheerazad said to Otto.
“Thank you.”
“I wonder how many women have you made cry with your handsome looks?”
Instantly.
*Shudder*
Otto was horrified to see the murderous glint in Sheerazad’s eyes.
‘Something doesn’t look right.’
It was clear that something had gone awry, perhaps in an unexpected direction.
He’d simply assumed that getting through the first round would be easy, but he hadn’t expected Sheerazad to be more furious.
“Answer me.”
Sheerazad asked Otto in a harsh voice.
“How many women have you met in your life? No, how many women have you slept with?”
“I swear to you, I have never done so.”
“How dare you lie in front of me?”
Sheerazad’s voice grew ferocious, and dark mana radiated from her.
“I don’t believe what you say.”
“I swear! Please believe me!”
“I’ve met countless men, but I’ve never seen a handsome man like you. Do you think it makes sense that someone like you hasn’t had experience with women? Even if you just stand still, women would flock to you.”
“That’s true, but….”
“You must have been playing around with different women every day.”
“That’s not true!”
“Don’t lie to me.”
Sheerazad glared at Otto with disdain.
“Men are disgusting creatures, indeed. Even though they have wives, they still act like trash, fooling around.”
“….”
“You would have been the same way. You must have made countless women cry, broken their hearts. Scars on their hearts that cannot be erased.”
Otto made no reply.
Sheerazad was not a woman capable of communication.
It was clear that no matter what he said, she would not believe him.
‘It feels like I’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest.’
Otto realized something was wrong.
Sheerazad’s reason for killing only handsome men was because, generally, handsome men were more likely to make women cry.
That means…
‘Did I… gain extra points?’
Otto wondered if his appearance might have provoked her further.
Otherwise, there was no reason for her to show her anger so openly.
And it turned out he was right.
“I’m beyond grateful that you came voluntarily.”
Sheerazad beamed, her smile widening.
‘Hooh, She’s truly a crazy woman!’
‘She’s absolutely insane.’
The sight was so eerie that even Camille and Kairos, who were watching, were stunned.
“You are one who should not be released into this world. Take him away.”
“Yes, Sultan.”
At Sheerazad’s command, the knights began dragging Otto to the Royal Palace.
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Meanwhile, back at the Caliphate, where Otto’s group had left, a violent storm was brewing.
Over the next few days, Abdul II repeatedly asked his son the Crown Prince, Saladin, to join the war.
However, Saladin stubbornly refused to engage in battle and advocated for a policy of reconciliation to be pursued with Abdul II.
He insisted that the other tribes be treated in a peaceful manner, in accordance with the words of their god, Anan.
As a result, Abdul II’s ire reached a boiling point.
“You dare to disobey your father’s, nay, the Sultan’s, command, OK, I shall punish you for treason!”
That moment.
“….!”
“….!”
“….!”
The faces of the assembled officials were frozen.
The utterance of the word ‘treason’ from Sultan Abdul II, the absolute ruler, was by no means a trivial matter.
It was an utterance that carried intentions beyond mere anger, potentially leading to the deposition of Saladin from his position as crown prince, or in extreme cases, execution.
“F.. Father!”
“I will ask you one last time.”
Sultan Abdul II glared at Saladin with a contemptuous gaze as he asked.
“Will you lead the army and eliminate the traitors according to the Sultan’s orders, or will you also become a traitor?”
“Please grant them mercy. Father, you must believe your son’s words. Father, you can become a holy warrior…”
“Come.”
Sultan Abdul II looked toward his guards.
“I hereby depose him as crown prince, effective immediately. He is nothing but a traitor, and anyone who treats him as a prince from now on will have their limbs torn apart. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sultan.”
No one dared to defy Sultan Abdul II’s decree.
“Drag him away. Take him away, and beat him severely. Let all the people of the capital, Al-Salam, witness it, and let them see that no man who dares to defy the Sultan will be spared, even if he is the Crown Prince.”
“Yes, Sultan.”
The guards dragged Saladin away.
“Father! Father! please listen to my earnest request of your son for once, Father!”
Saladin cried out to Abdul II as he was being dragged like a dog, but to no avail.
Saladin’s cries were not likely to reach the ears of Abdul II, who had just deposed the crown prince.
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Once taken in, Otto was subjected to several hours of examinations and grooming.
Since he was going to be eaten by the Sultan, Sheerazad, it was natural to check his hygiene and cleanliness.
However, Otto was a human being with a personality, and it was natural that he didn’t like being treated like livestock.
*Clank!*
A dog collar was placed around Otto’s neck.
Just in case, they made certain to check for artifacts that would interfere with mana management.
Then the physical examination began in earnest.
“Hmmm. Healthy.”
The doctor pulled back Otto’s lip to check the condition of his gums and nodded in satisfaction.
‘… Am I some kind of animal?’
The doctor stripped Otto naked and checked every inch of his body, down to the tiniest spot.
“No athlete’s foot.”
“No signs of STDs.”
“No dandruff.”
“No cavities.”
“One small mole on the left buttock. Note….”
It didn’t end there.
“Hie, Hiek?!”
When the physical exam was over, a steamy bath awaited.
“Don’t touch me! Yuck! Don’t touch me! Where are you touching me!”
Otto struggled, but to no avail.
The bulky, muscular attendants forcibly laid Otto on a bathing bed and ruthlessly washed him.
Given the location, they all stripped down to their shirts, wearing nothing but white thongs.
The crowning glory of it all was….
“Aaaah! I-It stings! Aaaahhhh”
Otto was mercilessly scrubbed by the four muscular attendants.
“Whew!”
“What a little noodle!”
“You! How long have you gone without scrubbing!”
The muscle scrubbers, as if they wouldn’t tolerate a single piece of dead skin, vigorously scrubbed Otto with the towel as if they were bulldozers.
“Hey! It’s because I’ve been traveling for so long, I haven’t had time to scrub at my leisure!”
Otto shouted in protest, feeling unjust, but the muscle scrubbers paid no heed.
“What kind of anklet is this? It won’t come off.”
A musclehead asked, pointing to the [Anklet of the Pursued], a gift from Elise to Otto.
“I… It’s a gift from my parents, to remind me to always be careful how I conduct myself.”
It truly meant to watch his step.
If he ran away, it would kill him.
‘Hahaha’
“Hmmm. I don’t see anything particularly wrong with it, so I don’t think we need to take it off.”
“W… Whatever. It doesn’t matter.”
But what if the [Anklet of the Pursued] is forcibly removed?
*Boom!*
Otto shuddered as he imagined the anklet detonating.
‘I almost got myself in trouble. Phew.’
After a three-hour physical examination and bath.
“…Should I just die?”
Having spent a time of shame and humiliation, Otto received a makeover, his spirit half-broken and his body in disarray.
The maids moisturized his skin with the finest oils, sprinkled him with fragrant perfume, and dried his hair.
Then they dressed him in a robe and silk underwear of the finest quality.
‘I have to wear this? Haa. Maybe I should have just let him handle this on his own.’
Otto regretted coming all this way to help Saladin.
He’d never thought he’d end up in such a horrible situation.
“Follow me.”
Once he was groomed, the guards took him to the [Daviha], a room deep in the Royal Palace.
[Daviha] is a place where only Sheerazad and her trusted guards can enter, it was a true forbidden zone for men.
The guards of [Daviha] were fierce Female Knights, or Warrior Women.
Obviously, there were no servants, only maids.
Of course, there weren’t necessarily biological men.
There were.
They were just ghouls.
“Guwak, Guwaaaaak.”
“Grrrr!”
The various ghoul sentries stationed everywhere growled as Otto passed by.
All of them were handsome slaves who had once proposed to, or been sold to, Sheerazad.
“Go in.”
A woman with a large knife scar across her face threw Otto into Sheerazad’s bedroom.
*Tumble*
Otto tumbled into the bedroom.
“Welcome.”
Sheerazad, who was sitting by the window drinking wine, turned her head.
“Huh!”
Otto gasped for a moment.
‘Why are you completely naked already, Ughh!’
Sheerazad’s flowing gown was so thin that he could see through it.
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Now alone with Sheerazad in the bedroom, Otto desperately thought.
‘Think of Good thoughts. Only Good thoughts. Very Good thoughts. Lots of Good thoughts. Only Good thoughts. Good thoughts. Good thoughts. Good thoughts’
She was a beautiful woman with a stunning face and a sensual body.
But when she’s naked, wearing only a scantily clad outfit, Otto, being a man, can’t help but have a momentary lustful thought.
But only for a moment.
‘Let’s pull ourselves together. The opponent is a monster from a completely different dimension than Angeles.’
The witch Angeles is a superficial beauty who can’t do much when it comes to handsome men.
As such, she was very easy to deal with.
But Sheerazad was completely different from her.
She was the embodiment of anger, and instead of liking handsome men, she hated them.
Moreover, she’s ruthless and cruel, a psychopath who would kill anyone in just one night.
Trusting only his face and underestimating her would be the perfect way to end up dead.
“Come here.”
Sheerazad gestured toward Otto from across the bed.
“W… Wait a minute, I’m thirsty.”
Otto poured himself a glass of wine from a decanter¹ and took a sip, then recoiled in horror at the taste.
“Ew! What’s wrong with this?”
“That is not the wine for you.”
Said Sheerazad with a cold and bitter smile.
“Huh? What do you mean….”
“It is blood for me.”
“……!”
“The blood of men.”
Sheerazad smiled, flashing her red tongue.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. A decanter is a vessel that is used to hold the decantation of a liquid which may contain sediment. Decanters, which have a varied shape and design, have been traditionally made from glass or crystal.
