"What teasing are you talking about? You told me to think of something important. So, I just remembered. Is that wrong?"
"No way, who in their right mind would consider their first kiss the most important thing in the world!"
"Such a person is right in front of you, isn't he?"
Jared answered Isabella's angry question with a straight face. She was completely caught off guard. Isabella felt frustrated but had no choice. Asking the other party about something precious was part of the contract ritual, and taking it was fulfilling the contract.
How did he know the details of the contract? It was both surprising and frightening. There was no way he could have thought of such a thing without knowing in advance. Who in their right mind would offer up their lips – a first kiss that had never even been taken – without wanting to! In any case, it was a total loss.
Though she could have just left, considering it as a donation of her special ability, Isabella was too angry and upset to do so.
"No, this won't do."
"What won't do?"
"I'll follow you around until you die and I can take back my special ability. I'll annoy you! I won't be satisfied until I've tormented you enough to forget this humiliating experience!"
Isabella let out a deep breath, showing her rough emotions. Since she had returned to her ghostly form, she probably wouldn't be visible to others. Ghosts usually only appeared to the person who summoned them, like a personal haunting spirit.
"Do what you want. I've achieved my goal, so it's fine. Suit yourself. See you!"
Jared waved his hand nonchalantly at Isabella and headed out of the office. Having achieved his goal cheaply with a trick, Jared had nothing to regret. He headed to the basement after leaving the office. While understanding the current state of the territory was important, he wanted to use the tricks he could employ first.
After acquiring the special ability, Jared was thinking about a trick for dieting. It was a necessary choice to resolve the extreme obesity that came along with his large body. It might even be more important than managing the territory.
"Give me back my special ability! Give me back my eyes!"
Isabella shouted persistently into Jared's ear. But Jared, humming a tune, leisurely walked down the hallway to the basement.
"Once it's activated, the weight will start to drop gradually. Let's strike while the iron is hot. Now is the best time."
I, having come down to the basement, did some mental preparation before the 'big event.' Even in my past life, when playing <Paradiso>, it wasn't a pleasant experience, but it was effective for weight loss.
Click.
First, I firmly locked the iron door of the basement. Then I threw off my clothes. It wasn't because I was going to do something weird. The method I was about to use required being naked, that's all. That's why I came to the basement where no one would see me. If I tried it in my room or office and got caught, I'd be labeled a pervert.
'Fat-dissolving acupuncture.'
What I was about to attempt for dieting was fat-dissolving acupuncture. It wasn't something I formally learned; it was a fake acupuncture technique I picked up from a colleague in <Paradiso>. The principle was simple. You insert needles into areas with the most concentrated fat, like the abdomen and thighs. But you must disinfect first. That's essential! The preliminary disinfection process!
Fortunately, there were very thin needles in the basement that could be used similarly to acupuncture needles, so preparing wasn't difficult. Once inserted, each needle would be infused with the power of the four elements through mana, helping to break down and activate the fat in the body. Probably, I'm the only one in this world attempting to diet this way. Acupuncture doesn't even exist in this world's setting. The appearance of an acupuncturist as a healing profession in the game <Paradiso> happened long after, so it would be the same in this other world.
The process of creating the acupuncture trick was simple. After opening an oriental medicine clinic, an acupuncturist user who enjoyed <Paradiso> in his spare time succeeded in developing an acupuncture skill. The user had a peculiar taste. Instead of using acupuncture for healing, he focused on realizing fat-dissolving customization to make characters slim! As a result, after months of dedication, he acquired the fat-dissolving acupuncture skill. That was the birth of fat-dissolving acupuncture.
In <Paradiso>, fat-dissolving acupuncture was a cost-effective trick. The weight loss effect was excellent, but it cost almost nothing. On the other hand, the body shape-changing drugs sold by merchants or in the game market were so expensive that it was hard to open your wallet.
It was the same in this world. To lose weight quickly, you had to receive a buff spell called 'Blessing of Hardship' from a high priest or archpriest. The problem was that the amount demanded by the high priests for using the buff spell was astronomical.
Because it was a rare spell, they could name their price. It was close to the price of a commoner's house. Moreover, even if you paid the money, you had to wait a long time.
Because the consumption of divine power was so enormous, an archpriest could only use it once a day. For someone like me, whose territory's finances weren't great, it was just a pie in the sky.
'The effect is at least 15kg in a month.'
If the fat-dissolving acupuncture activates effectively, the minimum weight loss in a month is over 15kg. Moreover, if you insert the needles in the right places, there is an immediate effect of breaking down and excreting body fat and waste. That's why I rushed to the basement to insert the needles as soon as I gained the special ability. If you prepare in advance, you won't have to wait endlessly for time to pass later.
"Oh, God. Please."
I, who didn't even believe in God, nervously prepared to insert the first needle into my belly fat. Sticking it into the thigh also stings, but the belly is the part that visually instills the most fear. It's nothing when someone else gives you a shot or acupuncture, but it's a different story when you have to do it yourself while watching.
This task was a battle with myself and a self-discipline training that I had done countless times in the game in my past life, but it was still something I couldn't overcome.
"Ha, looking in the mirror makes me feel pathetic."
Absentmindedly looking ahead, I saw myself in the mirror, standing awkwardly naked, grabbing my belly fat tightly and trying to insert a needle there. I wondered what I was doing. It was fascinating that I could see my feet clearly in the mirror, which I couldn't see by looking down because of my belly fat.
"To increase the mana circulation and double the effect, I have to insert it deeply."
I checked the line marked at the 1/2 point of the needle. To see a weaker effect, you could insert it up to the 1/4 point, but for maximum effect, you had to insert it halfway.
Moreover, to help activate fat breakdown, even when I step out of the basement, I have to constantly infuse mana into my abdomen and thighs. It might look like a weird scene of constantly rubbing between the belly and groin to others. But I have to do it!
By consistently inducing activation, the effect of fat-dissolving acupuncture is maximized, and waste is continuously excreted from the body.
"It doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt at all. It's just a little prick. Just a little... Ahhh!"
The moment the needle pierced the skin and entered the fat layer, I screamed. I thought I had inserted it well, but it felt like I had hit something really unpleasant.
"Phew, it's okay. It's just because it's the first time for this body. Alright, next. Next. It doesn't hurt. Just... Aaack!"
The self-hypnosis spell that it would just sting was nowhere to be found, and the sharp pain spread along my belly fat. The belly fat jiggled as a bonus every time I screamed. In <Paradiso>, I couldn't feel pain, so I didn't know it was this bad, but experiencing it firsthand was like a taste of death.
"Oh, I still have eight more to stab in the belly alone. Can I endure until the thighs?"
Cold sweat trickled down. Maybe because my body was already fat, even a little sweat made my whole body feel like a burning lump.
"Phew, phew, phew."
The more it hurt, the more I focused on inserting the needles. If I slacked off because it hurt, the effect would be halved. No, maybe there wouldn't be any effect at all. So, I was in a trance, struggling with the unknown pain and hardship of dieting.
At that time.
'What is Lord Jared suddenly thinking? He even went to the office, which he never visited unless there was a meeting, and then went somewhere else?'
Maid Hayes was heading to the basement to gather cleaning supplies. Today, many servants and maids in the lord's mansion were buzzing. It was because Lord Jared, who had been practically holed up in his room for the past few months, had opened the door and come out. He had always called the vassals to his room for meetings, signed things off quickly, and stayed locked up, so everyone was puzzled.
'The basement... I used to cry a lot here in the past.'
Hayes recalled old memories. To her, the basement was like a secret place. Whenever she faced something sad or overwhelming while working as a maid, she would quietly come down and cry silently.
Especially when she was hurt by Jared's harsh words and things he threw at her, she did so even more. But each time, she would come down here, cry, pray, and then go back up. Praying for the lord to return to his former self.
To the bright and lively person he once was. And today, it seemed as if that dream had come true. When she looked at Lord Jared, who had woken up, she felt a similar energy to the brilliance of the past.
Although he was indeed fat and heavy, his eyes were different. He wasn't the one who always had a dull look and a face that seemed annoyed with the world. He was lively and seemed to be thinking and coming up with something.
"If Lord Jared returns to his former self... I would be so happy. How wonderful it would be if I could fill the empty space beside him. Lord, please come back. I'm waiting!"
Hayes clasped her hands together and prayed. Her unrequited love, which began when she entered the mansion as a maid, was still ongoing. While everyone else avoided taking care of the now plump Jared, Hayes never felt that way. She was always by his side, whether he was angry, laughing, or having a fit.
"While the lord is away for a bit, I should clean up the bedroom thoroughly. Yes, that's my job!"
Hayes smiled brightly as she approached the basement door. But just then, she heard a noise from inside the basement. Although it had been a while since she had come to the basement, it was a place where hardly anyone came. The cleaning tools were Hayes's responsibility, so other maids had no reason to come.
"...?"
Hayes stopped in her tracks at the sound coming from the basement and listened carefully.
"Ah! Ah! Ah, this is driving me crazy. I feel like I'm going to lose it. Really! Ugh!"
'Lord Jared?'
The tone and manner of speaking were unmistakably Jared's. But the content of the voice she heard was unusual.
"Yeah, there! Why can't you find that spot? It would've been nice if you had put it in smoothly earlier, why are you hesitating and struggling, you fool!"
"Uh...?"
Hayes's expression darkened.