I’m the Main Villain but the Heroines Are Obsessed With Me chapter 90

90 – 39. Unforgettable Gift (1)

It was a well-known fact that Eri was weak against alcohol.

No wonder, considering the experiences she had.

‘Because of making a meal without knowing she can’t eat seafood, we went to a pub to improve the mood.’

At that time, she nodded in agreement to Igor’s suggestion, took a few sips of alcohol, and soon slammed her head on the table.

Totally drunk, she was carried on Lia’s back to the room.

‘Yeah… Eri is weak against alcohol. She gets drunk after a few drinks.’

That was the reason.

‘But is it okay for her to drink so happily like this?’

The moment Ian recalled that fact, he felt a chill down his spine.

Of course, there was a world of difference between the pub’s alcohol and the high-quality wine prepared by Eri. Still, if you drink the same way, wouldn’t you get drunk?

And being one of the only two people left in Cheongwol Pavilion, besides the guards, causing a drunken scene would be a big problem.

‘It won’t be. She must know her weakness for alcohol, and she probably prepared the wine with the lowest alcohol content… That’s how it must be. Definitely.’

Could it be that the wise and beautiful future empress, who will soon lead the empire, brought wine without foreseeing her own drunken antics?

Surely, this must be a wine with low alcohol content. Just by tasting it, you can feel the rich flavor of grapes, and the smoothness as it goes down the throat indicates that one won’t easily get intoxicated.

With these thoughts in mind, Ian raised his gaze. He could see.

“hehehehe…. It must be delicious…. I like this….”

‘Damn.’

The sight of Eri, who discreetly approached, caressing her own arm while giggling.

Twisted speech, a sly smile, and even a flush that bloomed in the fire.

‘It’s happening….’

She, who always showed a flawless and noble attitude, was thoroughly drunk. In countless drinking sessions, she had insisted that such a state could only be achieved after getting quite intoxicated.

Looking at her speech, she might seem a bit drunk. But observing her actions closely, it was clear that she was heavily intoxicated.

‘Why would she say she likes it after drinking, not before? And why is she not just appreciating the taste but caressing my arm instead of holding the wine glass?’

As expected, the current Eri must be admiring the taste of Ruby Blush.

She probably wants to express how much she likes the prepared drink.

However, instead of touching the wine glass, she’s touching Ian’s body.

‘It’s a situation that won’t come out without being quite drunk…. It’s a complete disaster.’

The princess is drunk. The meaning behind it was simple.

‘The party ends here.’

Don’t even think about eating the remaining food. Right now, the priority is to lift Eri and take her to the room.

Ian, who had been happily contemplating trying the roasted meat and wine prepared by Igor, now found himself in a completely different situation.

In the end, there was no choice but to give up.

“Sigh… Eri… Just stay still for a moment. Aether.”

“Yeah… Why? What are you trying to do…? Tie me up? I didn’t expect you to be so forceful… more than I thought…”

It was challenging to restrain Eri, who was struggling in all directions. But Aether emitted light.

Even in Ian’s thoughts, Aether, acting as his hands, securely tied Eri, rendering her completely immobile.

Thanks to that, he successfully lifted her onto his back.

“Sigh… Now…”

All he had to do was wear the mask. If he took Eri to the room, everything would be over. That was what he thought as he stood up from his position.

“…”

The moment when the figures of meat with steam rising, exuding a tempting aroma, were visible.

Even if he took Eri now, it would take at least 30 minutes no matter how fast. Unlike Igoth, who could just throw her on the bed and close the door, our princess needed to be checked if she was sleeping well.

“Well, then, that stuff will all be cold….”

Having spread for over 12 hours and being hungry after waking up, it felt unfair to eat them only after they cooled down.

Among the three basic human desires, hunger wasn’t second for no reason. Hunger was something difficult to endure.

In the end, Ian closed his eyes tightly, reached out his hand, and put a piece of grilled meat that Igoth had prepared into his mouth.

“I don’t know how he got it, but it’s disgustingly delicious, really.”

With a satisfied smile, Ian walked outside the restaurant.

***

After laying down Eri, Ian, who headed to the restaurant, returned after a satisfying meal.

Perhaps it was to prevent any potential disturbance. Fortunately, Eri was sound asleep.

‘She must be tired.’

Well, preparing all that food must have been quite challenging.

Ian couldn’t handle the sheer amount, spending a considerable amount of time just casting preservation spells.

Handling everything from ingredient preparation to cooking and serving, it would never be an easy task if he had to do it all himself.

‘Of course, using spirits would make it less challenging, but… mana usage is still the same.’

Just because they’re spirits doesn’t mean they can do everything. Despite their exceptional abilities, maintaining them requires a significant amount of mana.

‘Yeah, it must have been tough.’

Creating a birthday feast with such effort. It’s impossible not to be grateful.

Swoosh!

“Hmm…”

As Eri, with her silky hair, received a gentle caress, she responded with a content smile after a few tosses.

Watching her like this, the thought began to cross Ian’s mind that this was the real reality.

‘I never expected to receive such congratulations even in my dreams.’

Having given up on a life where he thought celebrations were not something to wish for, it was astonishing to have that resentment resolved after coming to this world.

Unable to believe it, he pinched himself here and there, even closed his eyes for a moment.

Feeling the aroma of the foods surrounding Cheongwol Hall and the warmth emanating from Eri’s body, it felt like it was not a dream.

‘And these too.’

When Ian opened the device he held in his hand, Ian’s lips curled up at the sight of the two messages.

“Unfortunately, due to oversleeping, you couldn’t see it. Still, make sure to enjoy the birthday gift I prepared! It was really hard to get those items!”

If our family contacts, please tell them that I’ve been confined recently due to intensive martial arts training!]

– Igor Pendia –

[Hello, Mr. Ian Volkanov. I am Seik Pendia, the younger brother of Igor, who is in the same squad as you. Our father’s beloved pet pig, raised with great care, has been stolen, and we are looking for our brother, who has been identified as a prime suspect. If you happen to know his whereabouts, could you please let us know? We are waiting for your contact.]

– Seik Pendia –

‘What is this guy up to?’

What was he doing to end up being contacted about the theft of the pig his father raised so carefully, with his brother identified as a prime suspect?

‘Wait a minute… Is he talking about the pig I ate earlier?’

No, probably not. Surely, there wouldn’t be someone crazy enough to make the pig raised by their father as a birthday gift into barbecue.

For a moment, Ian thought Igor might actually do something like that. But considering the consequences, he instinctively shook his head.

No, it couldn’t be. It had to be a definite no. If he admitted it, he would become the prime suspect in this case.

‘Yeah. I don’t know about it. I did eat barbecue, but I’m not an accomplice.’

After roughly conveying what Igor had said to his brother, Ian picked up the box he had placed under his feet.

‘This was a gift from Ria.’

Ria, who had sent a message while he was eating the remaining food in the restaurant, thinking she had already left.

She had said she was in front of Cheongwol Hall and asked him to come out for a moment.

When he received the message and went out, he still remembered Ria’s regretful expression.

“I’m sorry, Ian… I left something important at home and couldn’t come even on your birthday….”

“You came even though it’s late. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“But, it’s your birthday. It’s the day I should celebrate with you.”

She seemed troubled by not being able to eat together.

Growing up as the beloved youngest daughter, she seemed to think that there couldn’t be any behavior that would not make her shine on her birthday.

“It doesn’t matter if I receive genuine congratulations….”

From Noble mtl dot com

In truth, Ian didn’t really care.

After all, he had never experienced a day like this in his life. He wondered if it was really important to make a big deal out of it.

What had birthdays been like for Ian until now?

Should he indulge himself with a simple luxury using a birthday discount coupon? But instead, he ended up putting on safety gear and going back to his laborious work.

“Then, in frustration, I made a mistake and got scolded.”

In his frustration, he would sometimes look at the night view and wonder why his life was so mundane. If there was a god, couldn’t they give us some money?

He used to have such futile fantasies…

That’s why.

“You don’t have to worry. I’m really fine.”

“…Thank you.”

Being able to accept Ria’s apology with a good feeling.

She was grateful for such consideration, and for a while, she kept her head bowed.

How long had it been?

With her hair and cheeks so red that they couldn’t be distinguished, she handed him a box that she had been holding in her arms.

“So this is the walker….”

Inside the box was a pair of shoes.

At first glance, they looked just like the walker he was wearing now, so similar that you could say they were the same product.

But upon closer inspection, there were some differences.

According to Ria, she said it was handmade for me.

Originally, the walkers Ian wears were items provided as a basic necessity for the residents of Ark.

It might be hard to understand why a high noble is wearing something provided as a basic item rather than their own shoes.

Honestly, the items provided by Ark were quite good.

“There’s no way the quality of products given to those who will become pillars of the empire would be lacking.”

Not to mention that it was made with the Minotaur’s leather that doesn’t even leave a scratch for most wounds.

The sole was also made with high-quality rubber.

“Even the design is not too rough, and it’s not bad for daily wear… although it’s a bit heavy.”

This is very satisfying. He thought so while wearing them with great affection.

But what Ria made was beyond imagination.

“The upper is made using the leather of Armored Drake, so it won’t easily tear. And the insole and outsole are made with a special rubber sourced from the Great Forest.”

Lightweight like feathers. In addition to being remarkably tough, it was made with the leather of Armored Drake, which, due to its high defense, doesn’t easily get damaged. Moreover, it was said to be made from rubber found only in the Elven territory of the Great Forest.

For a moment, Ian couldn’t believe those words.

“Armored Drakes have such high defense that it’s not easy to obtain their leather, and they’re a rare species.”

Though the number of individuals is significantly low. The most unbelievable part was how they sourced the leather.

Since Armored Drakes, due to their strong defense, create wounds with their spurs and then explosively detonate those areas to capture their prey, obtaining undamaged leather in such a way was undoubtedly a challenging task.

There’s a saying that calling brings forth goods, but in this case, even if you called, nothing came out because there was no supply.

“Using Armored Drake’s leather alone is already at an unbelievable level… and they also used rubber obtained from the Great Forest?”

It’s too extravagant for a birthday present. He could confidently say that if even the Emperor of the empire received such shoes as a gift, it would be too precious to wear.

However, the surprising aspect of Leah’s gift was not the end.

There was also a secret hidden in the sole of the shoes.

“It’s common for walkers to create a lot of grooves in the soles of high heels to increase traction. But these are flat, aren’t they?”

It wasn’t just that they were made flat.

There were also patterns for stability and ease of rotation.

It was like modern boxing shoes.

Looking at her, wondering how she came up with this, Leah approached as if hugging her body and explained.

“Sometimes I see you moving your feet a lot when you fight, and it seems like you also value the safety of your posture… So I thought it might help in those aspects. Do you like it?”

“I can’t dislike it… How did you come up with something like this?”

“hehehehe… I’m glad. I was worried in case you didn’t like it. Oh! I modeled the design based on the walkers provided by Arc, so you can wear them casually. I thought it would suit Ian better.”

Although they were flat and had little heel, the rubber of Daesurim had excellent cushioning, so there should be no problem wearing them.

Leah slowly approached Ian, who seemed satisfied with the prepared gift, and hugged him tightly.

“Leah?”

“Just a little… I’ll do this for a little longer. It’s cold…”

“…”

She felt warmth as she pressed her head against his chest. When she let go of the hug, the embarrassed expression she had before was completely gone.

“hehehehe….”

There was only a happy face as if she had obtained what she wanted.

“Happy birthday, Ian! And please take care of me in the future too.”

“Leah.”

“Ah, I should go now… My parents will worry if I’m out too late. See you next week!”

Blushing, she turned her head abruptly and hurried back the way she came.

The night wind in the north was cold and biting, but the warmth of Liah’s presence remained in her chest.

Even now, as she returned to her room.

“I should thank her again later.”

That was the thought that crossed her mind.

Beep!

The device started ringing again. Ian’s eyebrows furrowed, wondering if it could be.

“The only person who would contact me now is Igor, right? Did she contact him to ask for an alibi, being caught by her younger sibling?”

With a cautious thought, he checked the device and was able to see.

[Ian… I’m in front of Cheongwol Hall right now… Can you come out for a moment?]

– Celia Wignolan –

“Celia? She seemed unconscious… Did she wake up….”

The sudden news of her visit.

Was there a reason for her to come all the way here, even though she wasn’t feeling well?

“What is it? What could be the matter?”

No matter how much he thought about it, there was no reason for Celia to come at midnight.

If he was curious, he had to go and see.

“Yes. Since I’ve come this far….”

It would be a bit harsh to send her back on such a pleasant day.

In that moment when he was about to put on his clothes again, lost in such thoughts.

Swish! Thud!

“What, what is this…?”

The moment a hand from behind reached his shoulder.

It could be an intruder. However, Ian didn’t consider that possibility.

After all, this wasn’t just any place; it was the Cheongwol Pavilion.

‘Even the most fearless thief wouldn’t come here.’

If someone went through the trouble of stealing all the way to the North, they wouldn’t rob the practically penniless Cheongwol Pavilion when there was the wealthy Volkanoth Mansion nearby.

In other words, there was only one remaining possibility.

“Er, Eri? Could it be that you’re awake…?”

It meant that Eri, heavily intoxicated by alcohol, had woken up. Ian turned his head, hoping it wasn’t that.

“Where are you trying to go again? Come here… Let’s sleep together.”

‘Oh, please.’

With a pull on the shoulder, he helplessly lay down next to her.