Chapter 15
"This should do, right?"
As the viewers suggested, I put my panties and pants back on and dressed to cover my midsection. Then, for this infiltration, I made a small cut on my left thigh and tore off the sleeve of the clothes I'd taken off, wrapping it around the wound like a bandage to make myself look injured.
- Yeah
- Good
- Much better than before
- You actually look like an adventurer now
- A moderate amount of exposure is fine
"Uh... then I'll try infiltrating as an adventurer."
- But being a prostitute really seems more efficient; aren't you going with that?
“Prostitute... I agree it'd make finding the culprit easy, but we need to prepare for unforeseen circumstances too. If they're stronger than me, or if they know the investigator's face, I need to guard against the risk of getting caught pointlessly.”
Going in so defenselessly is dangerous.
Information asymmetry.
That's the reason so many people die when they recklessly infiltrate villages on Floor 3.
‘We don't know how much information the culprit has.’
The culprit may know the face of the investigator who was pursuing them, and we should assume they know the investigation has begun with 99% certainty.
Do you think they would rape a noblewoman and then sit around carefree? We also have to consider that they raped more than twenty people without getting caught.
And what if they cleverly exploited that fact? What if they'd already spread word around the village that an investigator would infiltrate it to frame one of the villagers unjustly?
"To prepare for that, I need to carry a weapon, but wouldn't it be even more suspicious for a prostitute to carry one?"
- Her brain suddenly started working
- Why is she being logical?
- Where did stupid female Lee Do-hee go?
"You viewers can play a big role in this trial too. I'll check the chat every so often when I have time. If you see anyone suspicious, try figuring it out too."
Right, I'll be honest.
I was never the intelligent type, even in my previous life.
But that doesn't mean I'm stupid.
I think I'm a little sharper than the average person. So in my previous life, I made a lot of friends who were good at thinking and made sure to heed their advice.
‘I did ignore them when making decisions sometimes.... Is that why I was betrayed?’
Of course, that was because I'd calculated that my own strength could make it work.... Anyway, I've acknowledged that I'm not exceptionally intelligent and am ready to listen to people who are smarter than me.
- Wow! Viewer participation content!!
- Detective King Kim Panbung is on the caseeee
- Fuck, if we listen to these guys, I feel like we'll be doomed
- Viewer participation content my assㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- If you went to an actual guild, they'd give advice and information like this
- Let's take this seriously
- Trust only us~
They're not exactly trustworthy, but still, it's better than nothing, right?
*
First hurdle: entering the village.
Perhaps because monsters often invaded, a two-meter-high log fence ran all the way around the residential area, without a single gap.
"Hmm? Who's there?"
A militia member wearing leather armor and carrying a crude spear asks from atop the fence gate.
"Ah, hello. I'm an adventurer passing through. I injured my leg, so may I stay for a few days before moving on?”
“No! Our village doesn't accept outsiders... but, ahem... I'll go ask about it.”
He was about to refuse, but after giving my face and figure a quick once-over, he changed his mind.
“I suppose you can come in for now.”
Naturally, they would have turned away a burly male adventurer who came looking for lodging with a spear strapped to his back, but I'm an injured female adventurer.
A helpless woman who triggers men's protective instincts just by standing still.
I sneak a glance at the chat.
- That guy's a pervert for women, so he must be the culprit
- He looks like a serial rapist
- It's him!!
- Guys, how the hell is that guy the culprit...
- Suspect everyone, suspect everyone!!
- These guys all have paranoiaㅋㅋㅋㅋ
......
So far, I haven't seen any useful information in the chat.
A little while later,
Creak—
The door made of bound logs opens, and three armed men walk out.
“Oh... We don't usually let adventurers in, but with goblins occasionally appearing nearby, we couldn't simply pretend not to notice. Come in.”
A middle-aged man in his fifties who looks like the decision-maker spreads his arms in welcome.
Unlike the militia members on either side, who are holding crude spears, he is equipped with proper chainmail and a sword.
‘The captain of the guard... So this must be what he looks like.’
“Thank youuuu!!!”
I bow my head, doing my best to ignore the concentrated stares, and enter the village.
“Ahem... Follow me, and you two stay here.”
I slowly follow the captain of the guard, leaving behind the gazes of the two militia members, who smack their lips regretfully.
*
“Oh my, oh my... Who's that woman?”
“Mom!! I've never seen a woman with breasts that big before!!”
“Oh... An outsider?”
“There have been more monsters around here lately.”
A rural village with an ordinary appearance.
There doesn't seem to have been any tyranny from the authorities; everyone appears to be getting by reasonably well.
The children are lively, the women show signs of taking a little care with their clothes, hair, and makeup, and the men have even built a small training ground nearby, perhaps because they have time left over after working the fields.
‘Right, they must have enough to eat and live well, so they go to other cities to commit sex crimes.’
I mustn't forget.
This peaceful village is home to a serial rapist of unprecedented magnitude.
“First, let's go greet the village chief.”
With people watching me, I arrive at the two-story chief's house, where a windmill is turning slowly.
And just as I open the door and am about to slowly climb to the second floor—
“Hmm? Captain Maikel? Oh...!! Where did you find a woman like this?”
A young man with red hair sticking straight up into the sky emerges from the room beside us.
“Ah, she's an outsider adventurer...”
- Smack!!
“Eek!?”
An unexpected, sudden blow.
A tingling sensation rises from my butt.
It takes me 0.1 seconds to figure out what is happening.
“You fucking bastard, how dare you!”
I punch him right in the face.
It takes 0.3 seconds to punish him...
But,
- Block!
“Oh my, I'm sorry! Paul!! What kind of rudeness is that to a guest you're meeting for the first time!!!”
The captain of the guard beside him blocks my punch.
‘Huh... He blocked it.’
“What? She's a guest? Sorry... I thought Father had called a traveling prostitute again...”
More than the fact that his father called a prostitute, I was slightly shocked that the captain of the guard had blocked my punch at such incredible speed.
‘Is he really an ordinary villager...?’
It feels like the difficulty has gone completely to hell...
Anyway, I get the feeling the chief's household is a completely dysfunctional family.
- That guy's definitely the culprit
- Should we just make that guy the culprit?
- Got you, you little bastard!
- The guard captain's fast
- Slapping someone's butt when meeting them for the first timeㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Nothing left to see here, just kill him!
- These guys are absolutely no helpㅋㅋㅋ
I want to pull his pants down and check the scar right away too, but there isn't any decisive evidence yet.
I decide to watch him a little longer, accept his apology halfheartedly, and go up to the chief's room.
*
“Hmm, you're an adventurer?”
“Yes, sir. I injured my leg, so I stopped by to rest in the village for a few days.”
The village chief was a bald old man in his sixties, with a kindly face and a long white beard.
It was funny to think that a man his age could still have the energy to hire prostitutes, but at least his outward appearance was polite and befitting the dignity of a village chief.
“Ahem, now that you mention it, there's an empty house standing alone to the north... Stay there for now. It should be safe since it's inside the fence.”
“Thank you, sir! I don't know how I can ever repay you...”
“There's no need to repay me. Ah, did you say you were an adventurer?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Later, take on a monster-subjugation request around here. Goblins have been running rampant lately, so the women can't go outside...”
“Understood. I'll be sure to keep my promise.”
‘As if I would...’
All I have to do to clear this is catch the culprit. But a little lip service won't hurt, right?
Following the captain of the guard's directions, I arrive at a shabby cabin built in an isolated spot.
Furniture is strewn around and dust has gathered everywhere, but this is an excellent place to stay.
‘I've been homeless for ten years. I'm grateful for a place like this.’
“Rest for now, ah... and if you happen to be looking for herbs to treat your wound, you should find Aunt Rodney, whose house has the green roof.”
“Yes, thank youuu!”
Thump.
Once the door closes, a quiet stillness settles in. The captain of the guard leaves, and I'm finally alone.
“Ah~~ This is going to be really easy, isn't it? Am I the only one who feels that way?”
- ????
- Do you know who the culprit is?
- Wasn't that bastard named Paul the culprit?
- Nope, it's obviously that creepy-ass village chief
- Idiot, how would the village chief get to the city?
- I think it's important to get a list of the people who travel to the city for trade first?
“No, guys. We don't need to do anything in particular. Get a list of the traders? If I go around asking questions to get it, everyone will spread rumors that I'm asking strange questions, and mistake me for an investigator, won't they?”
- Then what are you going to do?
- You are an investigator, though
- ??
“I was worried that if I stayed at an inn or another villager's house, I'd have to investigate directly, but if it's an isolated cabin like this, the culprit will come to me on his own. Looks like I'll get through this trial for free?”
My opponent is a mad serial rapist with an exceptionally strong sex drive.
Do you think someone like that would rape a nobleman's daughter if they thought they might get caught? There's a very high chance they're fairly clever but unable to control their desires.
“Let's end the detective story here. I wasn't grateful for any of your deductions.”
- What
- You fucking bitchㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- But for real, we weren't much helpㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ What a bitch?
- An injured female adventurer... Hmm, I can't say he won't take the bait
- Viewer participation content is deadㅋㅋㅋ
- No, we haven't even properly started yet!!
- For real, even I would go pounce on her
“First, I'll treat my wound and pretend to stay quietly.”
I clean the house enough to make it usable for sleeping, then go looking for the green roof.
The villagers gawk at me as if I'm some fascinating animal, but perhaps because I'm still a stranger to them, they only whisper among themselves and don't approach me.
‘Is this it?’
Just as the captain of the guard said, it is very easy to find.
Knock, knock.
“Hello? Is Aunt Rodney here?”
“Hmm? Who's there? Oh...?”
“Huh?”
Where did Aunt Rodney go, and why is there a bandit chief here?
“Ah, the injured adventurer? Nice to meet you. My name is Rude, and I study herbalism under my mother. Come inside.”
“Ah, nice to meet you."
I take his huge hand and politely greet him as I go inside.
Inside his house, I see shelves filled with various dried herbs and unidentified plants.
"So, you want some herbs?"
"Yes. The bleeding has stopped, so I only need some herbs for disinfecting."
"Yes, yes, but I can't give them to you for free... Heh heh heh..."
He gets to his feet with a sinister smile.
He slowly walks toward me, each step making the house tremble with a thud... thud..., like a predator hunting its prey...
"Huh?"
Could he be showing his true colors this soon? Come to think of it, I left my spear at the house, figuring it would be safe during the day.
‘Damn it....’
And then he—
Suddenly bends at the waist and kneels in front of me.
‘Hmm?’
He examines the wound on my thigh up close, rests a hand against his chin, and thinks for a moment.
"Ah, my apologies. Were you injured by a blade?"
"Yes..."
‘Fuck, you scared me, you bastard.’
Since he's built like a mountain, even his simply standing up and approaching me feels threatening.
‘I used to be as big as that bastard.... Sigh....’
Anyway, he gives me the herbs I need and kindly explains how to use them.
In return, he tells me to visit the herb garden where his mother is.
‘So he wants me to pay for the herbs with labor.’
But why is a guy like him sitting inside while his mother works outside?
I don't understand, but I head to the herb garden he told me about anyway.
Inside the fence, near the green-roofed house, is a garden plot where no fewer than five aunties are tending the herbs they've grown.
‘Ah...’
Well, with five middle-aged women there, it probably would have been awkward for a strapping young man to join them.
‘What a good opportunity.’
This is the perfect chance to learn about the village without having to ask the women suspicious questions.
And that's not all—I can learn information.
‘I can leak information too.’
For example, I could let them know that I sleep deeply, or that I'm a defenseless woman with no one to come looking for me because I've lost my companions...
‘All right, let's get started.’
***
Starting with the aunties, I slowly greet the villagers one by one.
I never say anything that sounds like I'm trying to extract information; instead, I give them information about myself.
A female adventurer wandering alone after losing her companions.
Weakened by an injury.
I sleep deeply at night and, since I'm not an irritable person, sleep soundly anywhere.
I've been an adventurer for about a year, so I'm a novice.
No experience with men.
I casually spin out the backstory the viewers and I created together for the villagers.
- There's no way we can pass this up, right?
- For real, if he ignores this, he's not a man
- Heh heh heh... But how far are we going to take this?
- He should pounce on her as soon as she comes over
- Nope, the decisive evidence is semen....
- Hmm... Let's leave that to the streamer;;
"Guys, stop saying weird things. If some bastard comes in at night, I'll beat the hell out of him the moment he opens the door."
- What a shame
- Tch
- What the hell were these guys expecting?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Ah
- My porn...
- This is too much
- Sex scene when?
- What a shame, what a shame
- Ah....
And I didn't stop at just spreading information.
What if the culprit didn't know I had arrived? I also needed to walk around the village innocently now and then.
I put on a thin dress the aunties gave me and stroll around the village, swaying my butt as though seductively luring the men.
"L-like this?"
Maybe because my size is larger than average, the enticing outline of my butt shows through the thin clothing.
- Yeah
- That's it, that's the one
- Fuck, this is so damn hot
- I really want this so badly
- If he doesn't pounce on her, he's not a real man
- Wow, fuck..... I want this so badly
- Grrr, I can't take it anymooore!!
- Fuck, isn't some other bastard going to pounce on her at this rate?
Of course, there was also an unexpected incident.
"Butt stab!"
- Poke!
"Kyaaah!?"
A mischievous village child's ambush!
They're at the age when they don't know what it means to control their strength. When a finger pushes up the thin skirt and slips inside, my entire body stiffens with a jolt, like someone who's been electrocuted.
"Kya-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha~~ Big sis is stuuupid~~!"
"We defeated the butt monster~~!!"
"The butt monster has fallen!!!"
"Ghk...! You little brats....!!"
Reeling from the dizzying shock, I cover my rear hole with one hand and try to chase after them in an awkward posture, pulling my butt back and raising my heels, but—
"Kya-ha-ha-ha, run away~"
"Retreat! The butt monster is enraged~~ Kyahaha-ha-ha-ha!"
And they dash away.
"Fuck....."
- ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- These kids have no mercyㅋㅋ
- I'm craving the massacre endingㅋㅋ
- How does a kid's butt stab feel?
- ㅋㅋㅋ Does your asshole feel good?
"Shut up. I can barely stand....."
My butt trembles, and cold sweat runs down me as I clench my sphincter.
In addition, I make my face and defenseless body known throughout the village by doing things like accompanying the militia members to the well outside the village and eating dinner with them at the village hall.
*
Evening arrives before I know it.
Once it grows dark, everyone except the militia members standing watch goes inside their homes, and the village grows quiet.
"Shall we organize things a little? Only a few people stand out to me."
People capable of committing the crime.
First, I exclude the ones who blush like virgins, then those who look weak. Finally, I exclude anyone who only farms,
The village chief's son, red-haired Paul.
Maikel, the captain of the guard.
Rude, the herbalist.
"These three...? There may be others, but based on what I've figured out today, these three seem the most likely. They all have a decent amount of strength and seem to have gone outside a lot. They also seemed to have quite a bit of experience with women."
Identifying the culprit isn't too difficult. The bigger problem is how to catch him.
- Either Paul or the captain of the guard
- Why not both?
- The chief is a possibility too
- Seems roughly right?
"I'll sleep here tonight. I just have to hope someone takes the bait."
- Will he come tonight?
- This atmosphere is so scary ㄷㄷ
- You're going to wreck him the moment the door opens, right?
- But how long are you going to wait?
"Yes. First I'll beat him up and pull down his pants to check the scar. What, did you expect me to wait until a baby comes out?"
- What
- Gasp
"But there's a good chance he won't come tonight. Still, just in case, I won't sleep. I'll turn on the donation alert too, so I can wake up if I doze off."
From now on, the viewers are a biological alarm clock.
And so, night slowly descends.