Am I Allowed to Kill the Male Lead? - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Translator: Yonnee

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I couldn’t even see his collarbone since he’s turned the other way.

“Why don’t you show it and then say that?”

“I would have done so even without your urging. I’m not a fool.”

Belzebuth was evidently nervous. His tail fluttered, scattering the smoke from my cigarette, drawing my gaze to it. It’s a blow to the dignity of an erotic novel protagonist when my attention is drawn to a cute tail instead of the fierce muscles of his back or his well-shaped buttocks.

I flicked the tip of his tail.

“Keep this still.”

“…You’re not… allowed to touch.”

“What…?”

Taking advantage of my momentary confusion, Belzebuth swiftly turned around, clenched his eyes shut, and quickly undid the buttons. The rare flesh of the male lead began to show through the gaps of his white shirt. A color you would normally never see. His apricot-colored skin, slightly flushed with warmth, outlined the muscular ridges and cast subtle shadows.

Trembling fingers continued to unbutton, revealing a body that seemed artificially sculpted to perfection. More accurately, it was indeed sculpted, crafted solely for the pleasure of women’s eyes, unveiling a well-defined torso under the chandelier light.

Despite this body’s sculptural form, there was nothing inanimate about it. Even from a glance, it was evident that this was the body of a demon king, warm with life. The scent of the male lead’s skin, the faint smell of sweat from tension, and even Belzebuth’s blood scent seemed perceptible. Though it looked soft at first glance, it would surely be firm to the touch.

But as I reached out, Belzebuth covered himself with his shirt and stepped back.

“Let’s do one thing at a time.”

“What…”

“You don’t know about stages. Normally, when you want someone to do something difficult, you make them adapt by starting with easier tasks. Eunha. I hope you understand that just taking off clothes is hard enough for me right now. Any more, and I’ll be ruined.”

The male lead seriously talking about being ruined was astonishing. Being ruined is the privilege of a tortured female lead, isn’t it? Only I am allowed to be ruined. It’s unforgivable for him to covet my place.

Normally, I would have already grabbed a baseball bat, but I glanced outside and calmed myself down.

“…I will tolerate this because we’re in the middle of an emergency.”

The sound of the storm raging outside was no different from the screams of Devil’s Vivace. Yes, we’re all in a confusing time. How desperate must the situation be for us to voluntarily reverse roles?

Belzebuth blinked in surprise.

“You’re showing patience… It seems you’re making progress too.”

“You need to decide whether I’m scary or not.”

“I find you scary but a trustworthy partner.”

It was an unexpected answer. Bel briskly took off his shirt and dropped it. Whether he had gotten used to the striptease or not, the way he dropped his clothing was quite plausible. Then, turning around, he shyly showed his back, which radiated pure aesthetic beauty.

“I’ve never stripped down this much before.”

“How do you feel?”

“I… don’t want to be aware of my appearance.”

There was already a blush on his nape. His broad shoulders, narrow waist, and pelvis, filled in between with rugged back muscles, seemed to affirm his status as the pinnacle of violence, the monarch of fire. A firm and robust body. Just brushing the surface would probably hurt the fingertips due to its heat.

…But I’m prohibited from touching him?

I nervously smoked my cigarette. Touching wasn’t my job, after all.

Belzebuth glanced at me with his eyes aflame.

“You seem to like my appearance, at least.”

I won’t deny it. It’s the truth.

“Yeah.”

“So, even though my actions are worthless, you think my shell is acceptable?”

“You know it well.”

What? I didn’t expect my partner to be so sharp.

But moisture began to gather in his red eyes.

“…Do you meet with me just to do that stuff?”

Um… Yes?

“Well… Should I not?”

“Really! You’re not even pretending to deny it, Eunha.”

“Why should I deny it?”

Among all the times I’ve hurt Bel, this seemed to be the moment he looked most hurt. Bel looked at me as if he was about to crumble. I couldn’t decipher the meaning in his gaze.

“Did you forget that we’re characters in an erotic novel…?”

“Our novel’s genre is ‘romance’.”

“That’s just an excuse. There isn’t a separate ‘erotic novel’ category, so we just had to go there.”

“No. It’s categorized as romance because there is romance here. Eunha, you’re the protagonist, but I didn’t realize you had such a poor understanding of our novel.”

Belzebuth grumbled.

“Eunha, since you seem not to know, I’ll just say it. Please love me.”

“……”

It was almost as shocking as the author’s announcement to stop serialization.

“Lo…”

I knew my partner was fragile. But to crave love? Is it the inherent limit of a male lead? The #IndifferentFL versus the #LovestruckML.

Bel, with his back turned, asked.

“What do you think of me?”

“……”

…Weren’t we in the middle of a striptease?

A deed unrelated to tender feelings, solely aimed at lasciviousness. We never intended to perform an act of affection.

What do I think of Belzebuth?

A pathetic character falling short of a male lead…

“……”

Saying it outright might actually lead to a male lead strike this time.

I tilted my head back, looking beyond the beautiful chandelier of the demonic castle’s drawing room, piercing through the sky of our world. There, I pondered over the last notice of serialization discontinuation left by the author.

What should I answer?

“To me, you are…”