Guide to tamming vilanesses-Chapter 89: The Moment Before Death

While Shin may be fighting for his life, his girlfriends were having their girls' night organized by Eva.

They would all go to the queen's mansion, have fun together, and get to know each other.

The first girl to arrive at Eva's house was Aiko.

Rika, Tomoko, and Ana would come too, but for some reason, they were late.

Yumemi would just enter the mansion, but she lost track of time while playing games and would arrive even later than the other girls.

Thanks to that, the shy Aiko was the only one there on time. She had also gone there by Uber, and as they arrived at the house entrance, she couldn't believe her eyes.

She knew Yumemi's family was well off, but Eva was on another level.

The girl rang the bell, her body trembling a little. She wasn't sure if this was the right place. And what if a maid came to receive her? How should she react?

"Hi! You must be Aiko, right?" A stunning blonde opened the door to receive her.

Aiko needed to blink twice before she recognized that it was Eva. She was even prettier in real life.

It was almost impossible not to feel inferior in comparison. But at the very least, Eva's friendly smile made her look approachable.

And the fact that Eva recognized her immediately made Aiko feel calmer. At least she was in the right place.

"It's... it's a pleasure to meet you..." she said, stumbling over her words.

"Oh! You are the shy type, huh? Don't worry, I don't bite..." Eva smiled, opening her mouth wide. "Usually," she added at the end in a low tone.

Without further ado, the queen stepped aside, making space for Aiko.

"Just come in, you're the first to arrive!"

"The first?" Aiko asked, surprised. She had been hoping there would already be someone she knew there.

"Yes, all the other girls are late," Eva brushed off.

"Uh... speaking of the other girls, how many are there?" she asked shyly.

Eva quickly counted on her fingers: it was her, three family members, Ana, and Aiko.

It was only while counting that she noticed half his harem was composed of his family, but she decided not to think much about it.

"It's six girls coming today, but with Shin, you never know when he might add another. And Ana told me she may bring an extra guest."

"Hmm... okay," Aiko nodded.

Soon she began feeling uncomfortable with the silence between them. She wondered what type of person Eva was.

However, Aiko's worries would fade soon. Eva took care to keep the conversation going, asking multiple questions.

And before the shy girl had noticed, they were talking like friends.

Aiko was shocked by how much Eva knew about anime and geek stuff. She looked like the kind of person who would never have any interest in any of that.

She wondered if the queen had learned more about these subjects because Shin liked nerd stuff.

Actually, thinking about it, Aiko wasn't even sure if Shin liked those things all that much.

"Did you perhaps start watching anime thanks to Shin?" she finally asked.

"Not actually," Eva answered after thinking a bit. "We've barely spoken about it..."

The blonde wondered if she should try watching her king's favorite series or read his favorite manga/novels.

Hearing the answer, Aiko got even more curious. If it wasn't for him, why did Eva watch these things?

"It's because I recently made a friend who loves nerd stuff," Eva said, seemingly reading the girl's mind.

She told Aiko about Mila and even commented that the two of them could be friends because they were similar.

"Mila... I've never heard of her. Does she have some relation with Shin?" Aiko asked.

"Why? Worried your position as the nerd girl of the harem could be taken?" Eva teased.

"No, no..." Aiko shook her hands quickly. "Anyway, we already have Yumemi, so I'm not the only one."

"Right... Yumemi could also be a good friend for Mila," Eva thought. "But answering your question, I don't think she even knows Shin."

"So you don't plan to present them?"

"I'm not like Ana," Eva answered shortly.

She had no intention of going around looking for more girls for the harem.

Still, she remembered the quest she had received from her system. She had been wondering for quite some time if Mila would be a good concubine.

She would be able to make many friends among her harem sisters, so it could be good for her... maybe?

"What are you speaking about me?" Ana asked, almost as if invoked.

She had gotten in with Rika, who had a key. Behind her were Tomoko and... Ange?

"So in the end, you convinced her to come?" Eva asked, looking at Ange.

"Yes! Let's have a lot of fun!" Ana replied excitedly.

〇〇〇

The assassin dashed forward to attack Shin, his dagger cutting through the darkness with deadly precision. However, the moment he struck, an unexpected force blocked his blade.

For a split second, the invisible resistance surprised him, but, trying to finish the job quickly, he overcommitted to attacking, trying to push through the mysterious defense.

What he didn't realize was that Shin had already aimed his gun at his heart.

By the time the assassin noticed the weapon, it was already too late. The flash of the gunshot briefly illuminated the room.

Instinct took over. All he could do was activate his skill <Last Second Dodge>, shifting his body just enough to avoid a fatal hit.

Even so, the bullet tore straight through his shoulder, the pain clouding his focus.

Still, he was a professional. He immediately stepped back to create some distance and reassess the situation. The pain slowed him slightly, making his reaction just a little too sluggish. And in that tiny moment, he saw another faint light in the darkness.

His heart skipped a beat.

Every sense in his body sharpened violently, screaming a single warning: death.

But his panic lasted less than a second. His eyes instantly caught the trajectory of the shot. The bullet was aimed straight at his head.

There was no time to dodge.

He had already used <Last Second Dodge> once that day, and activating it again was impossible. He needed another solution.

In that fraction of a second, he tried something he was still practicing. He activated <Ghost Body>, but instead of turning his entire body intangible, he focused the skill only on his head.

If he made his whole body intangible, he would lose his footing and collapse to the ground in the middle of the fight.

Still, he knew it wasn't perfect. Mana projectiles could still damage him, since mana wasn't ordinary matter.

However, if he reduced the mana density of his skull enough, the bullet might pass through with reduced impact. Less mana meant less substance for the projectile to strike.

Of course, it also meant his head would become dangerously fragile. The assassin didn't stop to consider the risks. He simply acted.

The bullet passed through his partially intangible skull. A violent shock rattled his mind as the projectile tore through, causing internal damage but not enough to kill him. The moment the shot passed, he activated the secret healing ring on his finger.

Warm light spread through his body.

The wound in his shoulder closed first, followed by the internal damage inside his skull. Flesh and bone repaired themselves rapidly, as if time itself had reversed. In only a moment, the assassin had recovered from what should have been a fatal attack.

Without giving Shin any time to react, he lunged forward again. This time, he had no intention of giving the boy another opportunity.

From Shin's perspective, everything happened almost too quickly to process. His second shot had been perfect. It should have killed the man instantly. Instead, the bullet had simply passed through his head.

The next instant, he saw a green light, and then his enemy was advancing in his direction like a bullet.

He tried to raise his gun, but there was no time. In the blink of an eye, the assassin was already inches away.

The dagger flashed toward his throat.

For the first time since the fight began, Shin felt something cold crawl down his spine. He had executed his plan perfectly, but the difference in power between them was simply too great.

And unlike Sakuraba, the man standing before him wasn't an arrogant fool who would underestimate his opponent. He was a professional killer.

Shin realized something terrifying. He wasn't going to make it. He couldn't even react before the blade reached him.

And then… Time slowed.

The assassin's movement stretched unnaturally, like a frame-by-frame sequence.

Shin's vision blurred.

Suddenly, a cascade of system notifications appeared in front of his eyes.

[The entity Lilel has reached a death state.]

[The entity Lilel is being regenerated.]

[The entity Lilel erased the regeneration process.]

[The entire Lilel…]

The messages flooded his vision faster and faster, and he couldn't read everything; all he knew was that the little fairy was working his system to the bone, making dozens of actions per second.

But above all of them, he heard her playful and arrogant voice, sounding as if she had just had a brilliant epiphany.

"User! User! User!"

Lilel suddenly materialized.

'I just discovered something amazing!' she said excitedly. 'I'm just so amazing, you have no idea!'

[The entity Lilel has created a new skill.]