I Became a Level -99 Vicious Lord

Chapter 102

“I’ll take the lead, and you just need to keep up with me.”

“Okay.”

“Now, then….”

Otto made a gesture of placing his hand on Elise’s waist.

Afraid of being decapitated, he didn’t dare to wrap his arms around this frightening woman’s waist, but instead did the Korean <Manner Hand>¹.

“What are you doing?”

Elise asked Otto.

“What?”

“Why aren’t you wrapping your arms around my waist?”

“That’s because….”

“Surely you don’t want to dance with me.”

“Oh, no!”

“Then grab me. We’re engaged to be married. I’m okay with this.”

“Yes!”

Otto leapt to his feet and wrapped his arms around Elise’s waist.

‘Ugh.’

Elise’s waist had a strange sensation of being both hard as a rock and soft at the same time.

“I’ll give you a signal: one, two, three, and you move.”

“Okay.”

“You don’t have to do anything, just go with the flow and think of it as a gentle stride.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Then….”

Otto dredged up the memories of how to dance.

In truth, he had never actually taken up dancing.

But the real Otto had practiced dancing, and he had taken lessons.

So if he could jog the memory, dancing wouldn’t be too difficult.

“One~, two~, three~, clap~, clap~, clap~.”

Otto led Elise through the steps.

*Tap! Tap!*

And then, with a wobbly, unsteady step, Elise matched Otto’s step.

“Hey, is this right?”

“Yes, you’re doing great. It’s just awkward because you haven’t adjusted to the heels yet, so don’t worry about it.”

“I see.”

Elise pursed her lips and began to concentrate on the dance.

‘Please, oh god, do not put on that kind of expression.’

Elise’s face was as stiff as ice, her mouth clenched tight, and her wide eyes seeming to emit murderous intent.

So frightening was her look that Otto did not dare to look into her face.

It was not the look of a woman performing a dance; it was the look of a person focusing on her blade with utmost concentration.

But Otto knew that Elise was doing her best, so he tried to lead her as best he could.

‘I-If I mess up, it’s over. I need to stay on track.’

He couldn’t tell if this was a dance or a tightrope walk for his life.

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Even after the ball started, Otto and Elise were the center of attention.

At first, everyone was focused on their dance partner, but soon the attention turned to Otto and Elise.

And the couple soon became the laughing stock.

*Tap!* *Tap!*

*Squeak!!* 

Elise’s movement was so hilarious because she was not used to the heels and had never danced in her entire life.

Additionally, the fact that she was so stiff and determined to be earnest was enough to make people laugh at her.

“Tsk, tsk. Now that’s something.”

“She really doesn’t possess the slightest bit of elegance.”

“Who cares if she’s pretty, she’s just waddling around like a goose.”

“Hehehe!”

“What a piece of crap.”

A few random people jeered at Elise.

*Thump! Thump!*

However, Elise was so focused on acclimating to the footwear and following Otto’s steps that she was oblivious to their jeers.

But Otto was different.

‘These fuckers.’

A vein flared up on Otto’s forehead.

If a person is being funny, you can laugh.

As long as it wasn’t an insult, Otto thought, he could chuckle softly to himself in return.

But that was only under normal circumstances.

‘Who are these people running their mouths to harm, and will you take responsibility if I lose my fucking life?’

For Otto, it was a matter of keeping himself alive.

What if Elise overheard them chattering?

What if she got in a bad mood and started stabbing people?

‘Scary!’

The mere thought was horrific.

On such a nice day, the entire party could turn into a bloodbath.

‘Camille, do something!’

Otto shot a glare at Camille.

‘What’s wrong?’

Camille tilted his head.

‘Those guys.’

Otto gestured to the people mocking Elise.

*Whoosh!*

Then Otto made a gesture of slitting his throat with his hand.

‘Ah.’

Thankfully, the perceptive Camille quickly understood Otto’s signal to deal with the jeering crowd and took action.

“His Majesty wishes me to remove the ones making frivolous remarks.”

“Do it.”

Camille immediately reported to Conrad, then moved the knights to quietly round up those who had mocked Elise.

“I will need you to come with me for a moment.”

“Hmm? What’s going on?”

“It is an order from the Little Lord. He says he has some matters to discuss with you after the ball.”

“Oh, I see, then.”

With that, the people who had laughed at Elise were very quietly removed from the party by the knights, regardless of gender.

‘Phew. Finally.’

Otto breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the people who had mocked Elise leaving the party one after another.

*Drip!*

He was so nervous, a cold sweat trickled down his back and soaked his pants.

On the other hand.

Just like that.

Elise eventually adapted to her heels and flawlessly performed the moves.

After only a few minutes, she was dancing as well as Otto, and after a several more, she was dancing as though she had been dancing all her life.

‘This is insane.’

Otto stuck out his tongue as he looked at Elise, who had mastered three or four different dances during the course of several music changes.

It was no wonder she was a genius at swordsmanship and the strongest in the world.

Indeed, it was not surprising that Elise had mastered all of them in the matter of minutes.

She had the gift of being able to copy any movement perfectly with just one glance.

‘It was only natural that Elise became familiar with dancing, as people who can perfectly follow the choreography they have seen once are not so rare among high-level dancers in reality.’

“What do you think?”

“You’re great.”

“Is that true?”

“You’re a really good dancer.”

“Well, yes. Thanks for the compliment.”

‘Huh?’

‘Why are you so flustered?’

[Alert: Elise’s favorability rating for you has increased by 30!]

[Alert: Elise’s favorability status towards you has changed from “Is this trash scumbag my fiancé?” to “You’re the first person to ever compliment me”!]

‘Eh, all of a sudden?’

Otto didn’t understand why Elise was blushing so suddenly.

But Elise was having a different perspective.

‘I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve been complimented by someone.’

She was a genius from birth, and has always remained a genius.

As a result, people’s reactions to her have always been admiration, respect, fear, and awe.

She was so exceptional that she had never had the pleasure of being praised.

“So this is a dance?”

“Yes?”

“I’m actually enjoying it.”

“Is that so, I’m so glad. Hahaha…”

Otto turned his head to the side.

“Phew!”

It was a sigh of relief.

“Now why don’t you ease up on your expression?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re so focused, your eyes are intense and your expression is rigid. Soften it up a bit. Yes, like that.”

“Is this good?”

“Perfect.”

Otto smiled.

“Oh, by the way, do you want to take a break?”

“Are you going to take a break or something?”

“I need to use the restroom….”

“Sure.”

As soon as Otto got Elise’s permission to leave, he stormed out of the party.

It wasn’t to get away.

“After all, you’re the only brother I have, thank you very much.”

Otto expressed his gratitude by clasping the hands of Camille, who was waiting for him at the entrance to the ballroom.

“What?”

“I almost got killed in there just now.”

“What do you mean….”

“I’ll tell you later. Oh, by the way. Where are the bastard people who laughed earlier.”

“I have them gathered in a separate room.”

“Where is that?”

“It’s a small ballroom at the end of the corridor over there.”

“I see.”

Otto walked briskly toward the small banquet hall that Camille had pointed out, opening his subspace inventory and pulling out the <Poker of Awakening>.

“Are these people trying to assassinate me, you’re all fucked.”

Otto had no intention of letting these people get away with running their mouths.

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“Oh, Little Lord, For what reason have you called us… Cough!”

The mayor, who had been the first to greet Otto, was hit in the nose by a poker that flew out of nowhere and was sent tumbling off into the distance.

*Whoosh!*

The mayor’s yellow teeth spewed out of his mouth like kernels of corn.

“….!”

“….!”

“….!”

Everyone was stunned by the sudden violence.

“Today you guys are going to pay for your sins.”

Otto declared, and began smacking everyone, whether male or female, with his poker.

“Aaahhh!”

“Kyaak!”

“Please, please help me…ugh!”

And so, after one terrifying beating had passed.

*Bam!*

“Kyaaahhh!”

“‘Eh, you’re going to hurt your back if you move.”

“I, Your Majesty, please help me!”

“You said it yourself.”

*Pow!*

“Gah!”

*Bang!*

“What, are you going to take it on the ass?”

“I don’t know what I did wrong, but can you please forgive me just this once, I have committed a grave sin!”

“If you committed a sin you deserve to be punished.”

*Boom!*

“Aaaaah!”

*Bam!*

“These ones have gone mad.”

Otto lined up those who had lightly mocked Elise with their mouths, made them lie face down and stretched out, and punished them with a handful of floggings.

Needless to say, there was no distinction between men and women.

When he remembered the disasters that had almost occurred as a result of their reckless behavior, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for them, even if he wanted to.

Whether they realize it or not, a simple slip of the tongue could have caused a massacre.

“The next time any of you make fun of Elise, you better believe it won’t end with a paddle. Next time, I’m going to bury you in a pit and smear your face with honey, so sweet. And after that, I’ll set loose hundreds of millions of fire ants from the jungle.”

Otto’s words sent chills down the spines of those who had lightly mocked her, causing them to clamp their mouths shut in terror.

This is because Otto’s voice clearly conveyed the feeling that it was not an empty threat.

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“Took you long enough.”

Said Elise to Otto, who had returned to the party.

“Well, I was supposed to come quickly, and I’m so sorry if I kept you waiting!”

“No.”

Elise shook her head.

“I understand. If it’s something big, it might take a while.”

“What?”

“If I could give you a piece of advice, you shouldn’t let your guard down when dealing with something big.”

“What do you mean….”

“Defecation is another time when humans let their guard down. Experienced assassins have been known to hide in the bathroom and wait for an opening.”

“……”

“It’s a common practice for those on the other side of the wall.”

“Ah, yes.”

‘I understand what you’re saying about being careful while taking a shit because you might end up crossing over to the Netherworld.’

Definitely not the kind of advice he’d expect to hear from an ordinary woman.

“Hahaha….”

“Take it.”

Elise poured him the strongest whiskey she could find, filling his glass to the brim.

‘What?’

‘Does she want me to drink it and die?’

“T-Thank you!”

“Thank you for what happened earlier. It was the first time I’ve ever danced. It was a different experience.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Thanks to you, I had an epiphany.”

“What?”

“I suddenly wondered what it would be like to combine my swordsmanship with the grace and softness of dance.”

“Well, that’s?”

“I feel like I’ve seen a way to become even stronger. Tomorrow morning, I plan to get up early and apply it to my training.”

‘Please don’t get any enlightenment from that!’

‘Some crazy person gets enlightenment from dancing for the first time in their life!’

‘This is so out of control.’

Otto squeezed his eyes shut and covered his face with his palms against the dizziness that came over him.

** ** **

TL/N:

1. The “manner hand” is modified to avoid unnecessary contact. These male move their palms into awkward positions to avoid touching the female. “Manner hand” is not all about avoiding physical contact with someone of the opposite sex. Sometimes it is used to cover private parts when wearing tight fitting clothes.