The Second Son of the Marquis Wants to Laze Around-Chapter 55: Unexpected Outcome

....

Back to the scene after Raven’s humiliating torture, the bound woman suddenly burst into tears and cried out in despair.

"Just kill me already! I can’t live like this anymore!"

Eren, standing with Commander Gareth, the two knights Hector and Kristoff, and the maid Marie, all stared at her with wide eyes—confused and a little stunned.

"Why would she say something like that?" Kristoff muttered under his breath.

"My life is over... What’s the point of living after everything I’ve been through..."

Raven mumbled with a broken voice, her head hung low in hopelessness. Even though no actual tears were falling, her expression was drenched in despair.

Meanwhile, Eren’s face turned completely dull and expressionless, almost annoyed. He showed not a single ounce of pity.

"Stop being so dramatic like a virgin. I didn’t even touch you—literally—or do anything weird."

He scoffed, sounding more irritated than anything else. And technically, he wasn’t lying. He had worn gloves the entire time while slapping her chest. Plus, she was fully clothed, so there wasn’t even any direct skin contact.

Still, everyone else exchanged awkward glances.

They couldn’t help but give him the side-eye. Slapping a woman’s chest repeatedly—even with gloves—was already weird enough. Did he really not see the problem?

"So quit acting like some tragic heroine in a bad romance drama. It’s not like this ruins your chances of getting married or something," Eren added casually, crossing his arms with a bored look in his eyes.

Hearing that, Raven’s expression twisted in anger. She clenched her teeth and snapped back at him.

"OF COURSE that’s not why I’m depressed, you monster!!"

She looked like she was about to explode.

"It’s because of you, brat! I just lost my job! Now I have nowhere to go and no way to earn money!"

Her voice cracked, eyes watering as she glared at him in frustration and resentment.

"...Huh?"

Everyone blinked in surprise—including Eren. Although, he had a weird smile slowly crept onto his face, without realizing it. The boy looked happy when he heard that.

---

In the Outlaws Mercenary Guild, where Raven had been employed, there was one absolute rule that all members were forbidden from breaking—no matter the circumstances:

Never reveal a client’s identity or information to anyone.

If a member broke this rule, they would be immediately expelled from the guild and stripped of their mercenary license. They would also be blacklisted, making it impossible to ever join another mercenary guild again.

---

After explaining the situation, Raven tilted her head to the side, revealing a tattoo on the left side of her neck—a small black star etched into her skin.

"This mark is given to every member by the Guild Master himself. It’s proof of membership and also a magical seal. When a member breaks a rule, the tattoo changes color. It turns from blue to black—like this—indicating that I’m no longer part of the Outlaws Guild."

Everyone leaned in to get a closer look. The tattoo was clearly black, just like she said.

"Can’t you just... I don’t know, color it blue again with paint?" Kristoff asked, half-joking but a little hopeful.

Raven shook her head with a tired sigh.

"No. it’s impossible. This is a magic tattoo created by the Guild Master’s unique skill. Only he can alter or remove it. He definitely already knows I broke the rules and is probably just waiting for me to return... so he can collect the penalty."

Her voice grew heavy with resignation.

Commander Gareth frowned. "And what if you don’t go back?"

Raven’s eyes narrowed. Her tone turned cold.

"Then I’ll be hunted down."

The group was visibly stunned. Except for Eren.

She continued, "Now that the tattoo is black, it acts like a tracking beacon. The Guild Master can sense my location at all times. Even if I escape to a different city, he’ll send someone after me. He might even put a bounty on my head."

Her expression turned hollow, like someone who had already accepted her fate.

"I have exactly one week to return to the guild and pay the compensation."

"How much?" Eren asked casually, as if asking about the price of groceries.

Raven glared at him with exhausted contempt. "Fifty thousand KE."

This time, even the usually composed Commander Gareth gasped. The others were left wide-eyed in disbelief. That was five times the reward of Raven’s last mission that she spoke about—and she had to pay that much after being fired?

"What kind of messed-up guild asks for money after kicking someone out?" Marie muttered in disbelief.

"Well, it is one of the top mercenary guilds," said a new voice.

They turned around to see Leon returning, having just finished dispersing the knights around the convoy.

He continued, "Sure, the penalty sounds outrageous, but in reality, every member of the Outlaws Guild is expected to be rich enough to pay it."

Hearing that, everyone looked back at Raven with fresh suspicion and questionable look.

Raven let out a dry, slightly smug chuckle and turned her face away. "I mean... I wouldn’t say I’m as rich as a noble. But yeah, I’ve got enough saved up to pay the fine."

"..."

Everyone stared at her in silence. Their expressions turned blank.

So she wasn’t even in real trouble?

"Well, I guess that settles it, then," Eren muttered with a shrug, clearly bored now. He turned on his heel, ready to walk away.

"W-wait!!"

He paused and looked back, visibly annoyed. "What?"

Seeing his cold, lazy stare, Raven hesitated for a moment before mustering up a bit of courage.

"Y-you... Now that I’ve lost my job, I was wondering if you’re hiring—"

"No," Eren cut her off immediately, already turning away again.

"W-Wait! I’m actually super useful! I can work for you guys, help with your travels and—"

"Not interested."

Eren didn’t even slow down as he walked away, leaving Raven shouting in the background.

"Hey! At least consider it! I can clear the route for you from monsters-!!"

"...Still not interested."

Feeling utterly desperate and at the edge of all hope, Raven shouted out at the retreating boy with all the strength her lungs could muster.

"I can serve you and help with all your needs!"

Her sudden declaration didn’t just make everyone around freeze in shock—it also had the rare effect of making Eren stop in his tracks.

It worked.

Seeing that her words had successfully caught his attention, Raven’s lips curled into a hopeful, slightly smug smile. Her voice became softer, almost flirtatious in tone as she tried to charm him.

"I might be older than you, but like you said before... I can be a good big sister to you—"

But just as she was about to continue digging her own grave deeper, her instincts kicked in. A dark, familiar aura spread out from Eren’s body like an ominous fog creeping through a quiet air.

His back was still turned, but the atmosphere around him had shifted completely.

And then—

He turned his head.

Slowly.

The boy’s eyes were now wide open, glowing faintly with a red, hollow light—like two angry lanterns staring into her soul.

Everyone present felt a wave of cold shivers rush down their spines. That same creepy pressure returned like a recurring nightmare. Eren began to step toward her, expression unreadable, a hollow look plastered across his face as if he were possessed by some ancient evil.

"It seems," he said in a chillingly soft tone, "that the punishment I gave you earlier... wasn’t nearly enough."

His voice was so calm it was terrifying.

A purple glow briefly shimmered in his eyes. But only for a second as no one noticed it.

"Maybe this time, I should just pop those two Balloons you have instead."

Suddenly—

–Shing!

A black knife materialized out of thin air into his hand, sharp and deadly, its blade pulsing with dark energy. He twirled it slightly with practiced ease, while walking toward her like a silent executioner.

Raven’s smile vanished instantly. Her legs trembled. Her pupils shrank. The playful seductive act she had tried earlier evaporated completely. And her survival instincts screamed.

Death is coming.

It felt like she was staring directly into the face of a demon who had crawled out from the abyss, specifically to end her.

But just before the boy could reach her, someone blocked Eren’s path.

Commander Gareth stepped forward bravely, standing tall like a wall between her and her terrifying doom. His eyes were furrowed in worry, his stance firm. It was now his fifth time intervening—though at this point, it was hard to tell whether he was stupid or dumb.

Unfortunately for him, Eren had already seen this coming.

"I’m sorry, Master Eren, but I can’t allow you to—"

"I have a question, Commander," Eren interrupted him casually, tilting his head slightly with a strange calmness.

Gareth blinked in confusion, thrown off by the sudden change in tone. The intense killing aura vanished like it was never there.

He was expecting a threat. Maybe even a demand.

But instead... Eren asked with an innocent-looking smile:

"Are you married?"

"...What?"

This time, Gareth was caught completely off guard. That was the last thing he expected.

Eren leaned in slightly, still smiling. "Just answer me. Are you married or not, Commander?"

*Cling!*

A strange metallic sound echoed in Eren’s head, as if something had dropped in an empty chamber of his mind. He didn’t know what it was, so he ignored it.

Gareth cleared his throat, still baffled but humoring the boy. "...No, I’m not married."

Eren’s smile grew wider.

Strangely... unsettling.

As Gareth tried to process the meaning of the bizarre question, the others watched the conversation with mild confusion. No one noticed what was happening behind them.

Unseen by all, an invisible figure was creeping toward the tied-up Raven, moving with eerie silence. Her eyes were still fixed on Eren and Gareth, unaware of the lurking danger nearing her.

[Master, wait—just a second!]

The panicked voice of Useless echoed urgently inside Eren’s mind. But its master wasn’t listening.

The real Eren—using illusion magic—had cast a clone to distract everyone. Meanwhile, his true body was moving through a fully camouflaged illusion. The faint shimmer of magic danced across his figure as he snuck closer and closer to his target.

A kitchen knife was already in his hand which he just purchased from the Shop.

Yep. The guy wasn’t joking.

He was actually going to kill her.

[Master, please!! You can’t kill her yet!! She still has an important role later in the plot! She’s a future supporting character! We still don’t know what kind of consequence if you–!!]

"Don’t care," Eren murmured flatly, eyes dull and half-lidded with apathy. He was now standing right before the tied woman, who still hadn’t noticed a thing.

His grip tightened around the knife handle. His red eyes began to glow again as he raised the weapon high into the air—just like a serial killer in those late-night horror movies.

[NO, PLEASE—!]

Useless was in full panic mode. It was frantically scouring its memory banks in the System, looking for anything that might stop him. Any information. Anything from the Master’s past world. A weakness, or even just a distraction!

But the only information memory it had about Eren was the last day in his work before getting summoned–

–Ding!

But just then, as if someone answered it’s call, a familiar chime rang out inside the system’s space.

It was a Notification Bell!

Useless expression widen in happy when it saw it.

–Shush!

But it was already too late.

—SPLASH!

The sound of the blade coming down, followed by a wet, sickening sound was heard.

The Knife has Pierced Raven’s Heart.

...

...