I’m Sick of the Kind Protagonist, so I Might as Well Just Die - Chapter 78

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

#78
Whatever drug had been administered to him rendered Leonas’s pupils so dilated that his eyes appeared nearly pitch-black. As his torso arched backward, the brilliant crimson jewels adorning his chest caught the chamber’s light and gleamed. Each time he writhed, the chains connecting the gems across his pectoral muscles and down his body produced a sharp, ornate jingling.
“Who on earth dressed him like this…?”
Even Bilateia, who had maintained her composure, turned her gaze toward me and silently grimaced.
‘My thoughts exactly! Why—no, how could anyone do this to the boy’s chest? What purpose could possibly justify such treatment?’
While I remained too stunned by the shocking display to gather my wits, a familiar and disagreeable light flickered through the air.
[Special Stage] Primal Instinct
▶ Objective: Understand my true role within the Worlds.
“Primal instinct? What nonsense is this…?”
I nearly ground my teeth as I glared at the status window. In this sordid pit where flesh tones dominated and the stench of aphrodisiacs hung thick in the air, what could “understanding my true role” possibly mean?
The stale, archaic objective—something that might have crawled from a rulebook of centuries past—clashed entirely, utterly, and completely with the obscene spectacle before us.
“Your Majesty. I have adorned the sword of the Duchy you conquered according to your specifications and present it to you.”
“Me…? I did that…?”
At words so absurd they kindled my fury, Leonas’s previously unfocused eyes suddenly locked onto me with perfect clarity. Bilateia seized the moment and struck.
“Oh my, look at those fierce eyes. Who’s been managing him? It seems the taming failed rather spectacularly, wouldn’t you say?”
“My apologies, Holy Maiden! If you would grant us more time—”
“I conquered him, so he is to be adorned by my command and presented to me. Why do you plead for time from the Holy Maiden?”
“Your Majesty, that is not what I meant—”
“Are you not my servants, but hers?”
The two men supporting Leonas exchanged uncertain glances, clearly at a loss. I decided we needed to discuss this situation privately, so I waved my hand dismissively.
“Enough. I shall handle the taming myself. Take him to the bed at once.”
The moment the order left my lips, the Knights surrounding the bed sprang into motion. Without hesitation, they lifted Leonas effortlessly and laid him beside me with practiced grace—a sign that in this world, I was no ordinary libertine.
“Ah… Au…”
Buried deep in the bedding, his bare form exposed, Leonas crawled toward me instinctively, seeking warmth. Sweat-dampened hair clung to his forehead, and as the leather straps barely concealing his vital areas shifted with each movement, the chains draped across his taut muscles swayed with shameless allure.
“Aurel… hah… me…”
His lips trembled as though he wished to protest or accuse, yet his tongue had long since ceased to function properly. Unable to bear watching my companion struggle to even pronounce my name, I hastily pulled the blanket over him.
“My, sister. What are you doing?”
Just as I was about to wrap him completely, Bilateia struck my hand away. Unable to climb onto the bed itself, she stretched across its edge and swiftly pulled the blanket back, exposing him once more.
“How strange, sister. Such a flawlessly beautiful tribute is so rare—why would you hide it?”
“He is mine. I shall do as I see fit. Cover him.”
“Unfortunately, all tributes presented to you require my blessing as the Holy Maiden. I must verify his purity and sanctify him.”
Bilateia’s sharp retort was followed immediately by her index finger lifting Leonas’s chin. His unfocused crimson eyes turned toward her. As his faltering lips stammered out her name, a murderous glint flashed across her gaze.
“Indeed. What a waste it would be to bless such a magnificent man only to place him in another’s mouth.”
A laugh-tinged sigh escaped her as something thin and gleaming flashed between her fingers—undoubtedly the same venomous needle she had pricked into my palm.
“Gaaahhhhh—!”
As Leonas lost consciousness, I opened my eyes once more in the Dark Space. There stood Leonas, who had apparently arrived first, braced against the floor and retching violently.
“Curious. When I died, I simply restarted on the bed.”
“It seems that once Leonas discovers the Dark Space in the Worlds, subsequent deaths restart here instead.”
“I see.”
“Bleeegh!”
Leonas seemed to want to add more explanation, but he was too busy retching to say anything.
“Hey. With such a weak stomach, how did you cling to me, suck on me, and carry me around like that in the previous world?”
I asked while patting his back with sympathy, and Leonas barely managed to respond with tear-filled eyes.
“Back then… skin wasn’t touching… ugh!”
“That’s ridiculous. You’re fine with it touching through clothes, but disgusted when everything’s off?”
Bilateia scoffed mockingly at Leonas.
“Let’s see how many times you two try to kill me before this first three-way confrontation scene ends.”
Leonas and I both glared at Bilateia simultaneously.
“You talk about killing people like it’s some kind of game?”
“And you look like you’re blaming me for dying?”
“Cut it out!”
“Unbelievable. So I should have let you get drenched in that potion concentrate and had a hundred concubines suck on you instead?”
“…Well, no, but.”
“Leonas, you know your mind was on the verge of complete destruction from the stimulant overdose, right? Here!”
Bilateia tapped her temple repeatedly with her index finger. No matter how much Leonas and I wanted to protest that she’d killed us without warning, we had to admit that the horrifying scenarios she laid out for what would have happened if we’d been left alone were far worse, so we wisely shut our mouths.
“If you understand, then let’s analyze this and go our separate ways. First, one thing’s certain: we three need to gather and recognize each other’s roles for the stage title and objectives to appear.”
I nodded and pointed at Leonas.
“And we need him for the restart in the Dark Space.”
“Right. So let’s think about what ‘understanding my role in this debauched world’ means.”
“…A breeding stallion?”
Leonas, his voice hoarse from retching, summed up his own position. I had no idea what my role was, so I stayed silent. Leonas, who’d just evaluated himself as a breeding stallion, stared into empty space for a moment before turning his body toward me.
“Professor, you aim for no planning, and Aurelia, you never had any deep plans to begin with, right?”
“…Is that a compliment?”
“No. Anyway, analyzing it carefully, the curse on you reacts intensely to your will at your most passionate moments.”
“Yeah. I figured that out for sure thanks to the previous world.”
“Then you realize this world is full of things that’ll make you passionate?”
His point made my mouth fall open. That’s right. If this curse made things go against my will, then the more I recoiled and refused this disgusting physical contact, the more the system would force increasingly sticky and intense contact upon me.
“No… Hey, I really can’t… Honestly, I feel like I’m already losing my mind! They’re just sucking and licking my toes!”
Leonas nodded vigorously with a pale face, agreeing with me. Bilateia looked at us pitifully and clicked her tongue again.
“Just think of them as cute puppies drooling, an unusually hot and humid breeze wrapping around your body… something like that. Endure it. Don’t put emotion into it.”
“It’s not as easy as you make it sound.”
Leonas vigorously agreed with me again and started retching once more. Bilateia rolled her eyes dismissively and shook her head.
“If we focus only on eliminating each other, you won’t even care about such things.”
“You’re saying we should kill each other…?”
“Yeah. You and I are sisters. This is a world where women become emperors, so if I kill you as the older sister, I become emperor as the younger sister. Just looking at the titles—second-in-command of the Empire, holy maiden wielding the Temple’s power—the conditions are perfect for rebellion.”
Bilateia began laying out the plan to kill each other in a tone like she was reviewing the next lesson’s content.
“On the other hand, Aurelia, if you want to live comfortably, you have to kill me. Otherwise, I’ll be constantly eyeing your life. Same goes for that vomiting fool. Leonas, you volunteered to be offered as tribute specifically to assassinate Aurelia, didn’t you? You dedicated yourself to avenge those killed by Aurelia.”
“What? Really?”
Leonas coughed awkwardly and averted his gaze.
“Wow. You were just acting weak earlier! You were pretending to try to kill me?”
“…I am a Knight. I cannot accept that my blade was broken and my nation trampled by a debauched tyrant like you. That is my core setting.”
“Right, well, of course. I suppose the senior officials weren’t lying when they each prepared their own ways to kill me, and I was just foolishly delighted to see them? Is that it?”
Bilateia Fernichiosa Venisike bumped her shoulder against mine in a gesture of consolation.
“Listen. I’m not particularly fond of the Saint profession either.”
“That’s not true. You seem to be enjoying it immensely.”
“In a setting like this world, the Saint profession is inevitably the most licentious of all. I’m simply conforming adequately to those universal prejudices.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. So let’s naturally shift the viewing point of this stage away from such excessive lust and toward blood-soaked palace intrigue instead. The Ancient Gods don’t care what the original script is anyway—they only need stimulation and intrigue.”
Leonas Hagpethar Yuletanis, who had been nodding along, suddenly frowned as if something felt amiss, pointing into the empty air.
“Ah… but it seems the great ones aren’t watching this stage?”
“The Professor didn’t send an invitation? Well, that’s even better then. It means no one is staring intently, so we can do as we please.”
“Then I should also try my best… no, wait, I shouldn’t harbor such strong resolve.”
If I genuinely steel my resolve, Silpi’s curse activates. An inauspicious beginning where I cannot even muster determination freely. We couldn’t shout slogans aloud, so we simply extended our fists and touched them together lightly.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————