132. A Fairy’s Face but a Woodsman’s Body
A being without desire is no different from being dead.
Watching Roselia was his joy.
The newly awakened desire was what allowed him to breathe.
The more his feelings for her grew, the more his greed expanded.
In his intoxication with small happiness, he crossed the line between what a manager could do and what he should not.
Even though he knew it was a path that would only harm himself.
The manager’s face, declaring “You’re the most important”, looked firmer than ever, and Roselia was caught off guard.
“……”
She hadn’t expected him to take it so seriously.
Roselia stared at the manager’s face before hurriedly turning her gaze away.
‘Ugh, hearing that with that face makes it twice as embarrassing.’
If only he were in his avatar form, she’d have found it easier to talk.
But with the face of Cayenne, it was hard to meet his eyes for long.
“Why are you avoiding my gaze?”
“Just because.”
The manager narrowed his eyes.
“I’ve been thinking for a while—are you weak against this face? Is being handsome everything to you? Is it?!”
He shoved his face close in protest, his scarlet eyes shining brightly.
The innocent features combined with such intense eyes were jarring, yet it didn’t make his beauty fade.
When that tragically handsome face drew right up to her, Roselia instinctively took a step back.
“Well… looks aren’t everything.”
‘But hearing it from a face like that, it really does feel like being handsome is everything…’
She swallowed the truth that was threatening to spill from her mouth.
“So it’s not everything, huh? What, like it’s not all but it’s still 99% of it?”
“……”
Honestly, yes.
“You just thought that, didn’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“I can see it all over your face! Ugh, you’re too much.”
When the manager slumped his shoulders, Roselia defended herself.
“Hey, you’re the one who attacked first with your face.”
She had been quietly listening because he’d been saying all the right things until now, but his interrogation was relentless.
“Face attack? Face attack? I was just looking at you! How is that a face attack? Be honest—Cayenne’s more your type, isn’t he?”
“……”
She couldn’t deny it, not with a straight face.
It wasn’t like men as devastatingly beautiful as Cayenne were common in this world.
“See! You can’t even deny it!”
“…Sorry.”
“I knew it. You’ve always given Cayenne special attention. I wondered why, and in the end, this was the reason?”
“That’s not it.”
She reflexively denied it, but not with full conviction.
It wasn’t just Cayenne’s looks that made her treat him kindly, but of everyone she’d met in this world, his appearance aligned most closely with her tastes.
‘…So maybe that’s why I kept paying more attention to him?’
It felt like she had just uncovered a hidden preference even she hadn’t noticed.
“Haa.”
The manager let out a deep sigh.
If he’d been in his divine form—or even just in his own body—he wouldn’t have been swept up in these turbulent emotions.
But because his soul was in a different vessel, his feelings constantly surged.
He already knew people were weak to external beauty.
As a manager of this world, he had even emphasized the importance of appearances before.
Yet now, he couldn’t help but feel sour about it.
He pouted.
“What’s the point of me always helping you, praising you, worrying you might get hurt, cherishing you… if in the end you just fall for some other guy?”
“…Are you jealous right now?”
“You think it’s just jealousy? I’m really upset.”
He was hurt.
It had been him helping Roselia this time too.
When Seraphine was fighting the monster, the manager had been in the back providing combat buffs.
[Even if Seraphine was born with great talent, soloing a monster like that would break the balance.]
In the original, defeating that monster had required not only the male lead but also knights, guards, and even mages.
Even seasoned knights had only barely won after a grueling fight. There was no way Seraphine, with just a practice sword, could have beaten it so easily.
[I had to lend a hand.]
Since the original event was underway, he couldn’t spam system windows, but he thought at least Roselia would notice something was off.
He had expected her to think of him the moment things went too smoothly—but instead, she seemed completely oblivious.
He hadn’t done it for recognition, but still, it stung when the one person he wanted acknowledgment from didn’t notice.
“Hmph.”
When the manager buried his face in his palms, Roselia grew flustered.
“…Is it really something to be that upset about?”
“……”
“Well, okay. Sure, Cayenne’s pure-looking but still manly. A fairy’s face on a woodsman’s body, basically. But still!”
“……”
“It’s a misunderstanding if you think I fell for Cayenne just because of his looks, okay? What do you take me for…”
“So you’re admitting you’re a looks-fool, right?”
He sulked and, unusually, blurted out words he normally wouldn’t.
“…So is it enough for someone to just look pure?”
“Huh?”
“Like—just give him a fairy’s face and a lumberjack’s body, and that’s good enough for you?”
He knew it sounded childish.
He knew his role was just to watch silently, to help only when necessary.
But after watching her, he wanted to meet her. After meeting her, he wanted to touch her.
And after touching her once, he began wanting her heart too.
His greed ballooned endlessly, like an overfilled bubble.
“Forget it. Pretend you didn’t hear that.”
When Roselia didn’t reply, the manager retracted his words.
“Instead, just keep the promise you made.”
“Promise?”
“…So the promise you meant was going on a date?”
And here she thought it was something serious.
The manager, however, insisted on dragging her along for a date.
“A promise is a promise.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t think you meant today.”
【Unknown: You have to go on a date with me next time, okay?】
She’d thought it had been said jokingly, but apparently he’d taken it to heart.
‘Well, at least it seems to have cheered him up.’
One moment he was sulking at her, the next, the moment they stepped outside, his mood lifted instantly.
Like a country mouse in the city for the first time, he looked around with wide eyes.
“This is my first time walking like this. My view changes depending on my height—it’s so amazing.”
“……”
“Wow, so this is gravity. Every step feels like the whole world’s pressing down on me. I feel so tiny—it’s awesome! I can’t believe I’ve missed this all my life.”
He shouted in wonder, overjoyed with the human experience.
Roselia glanced around nervously.
‘Thank goodness no one’s around.’
If there had been people, they’d have given them strange looks.
“Roselia, look! My arms and legs move together when I walk!”
Laughing in delight, the manager skipped around.
“Stop making it obvious you’re not human and keep it down.”
“Yes, yes.”
But he kept hopping around anyway.
“Oh, there’s the marketplace! Roselia, let’s go over there!”
“…It’s the middle of the night.”
“So what? Let’s go!”
He tugged on her hand, chanting “Hurry, hurry!”
“See? I told you nothing would be open at this hour.”
As expected, all the shops had closed.
Still hopeful, he peered down alleys as if at least one store might still be open, but every single light was out.
“Th-that’s weird. Why isn’t anywhere open?”
He scratched the back of his head.
“It’s not weird. It’s normal. This late, shops close.”
“But in Korea, there are so many 24-hour places…”
“That’s because our country’s the weird one.”
Even in a fantasy medieval world, people deserved a proper work-life balance.
The manager pouted.
“Aw, man. I wanted to eat street food, go shopping, stroll around, and people-watch.”
“Well, you can still stroll. Let’s take a quick walk and go back.”
“No way! A proper date needs dinner, a movie, and a café stop. Just walking side by side isn’t a date. That’s boring. Totally boring!”
This, from the same guy who’d been thrilled just to breathe a minute ago…
“This is bad. I’m addicted to dopamine—without content, I’ll die of boredom.”
Muttering to himself, he suddenly stopped her.
“Wait!”
“What now?”
“If there’s no content, we can just make some.”
“…How?”
Instead of answering, he grinned smugly.
【SYSTEM: Keyword ‘#MaxLuck’ activates! A Luck Buff is granted!】
[Romance Trope #89: ‘The most effective way to raise someone’s heart rate’ has been triggered!]
“?”
At the same moment, footsteps echoed from a nearby alley.
“Hey there. Nice atmosphere you’ve got going.”
A burly man whistled as he swaggered out.
His lazy gait, the long scar across his face, the cocky tone—
He was the picture-perfect thug.
“Eeeek, look! It worked! A real thug just spawned!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
This insane manager—he actually summoned a thug because he was bored?!
