Read Novel Full Chapter 164: Ref, Do Something!
Chapter 164: Ref, Do Something!
Larry gave them about half an hour before he declared the competition finished.
"Ba-duh!"
Vale smiled as Larry let out the enthusiastic screech.
The little imp’s condition improved quite a bit over the last few weeks. It seemed it truly took Vale’s promise to protect its friends from harm to heart.
Though there was still an emptiness that permanently sat in the corner of Larry’s beady eyes, left behind by the death of Sizzy, Crow, and Dickless.
But time was the only remedy for that wound...
Larry, after Vale explained numbers to him and how to rate, sauntered over to the far-left area, Toy’s quarter
The little imp floated up in the air and began inspecting the area.
"Baduh..."
Toy’s had decided to go for...
’an approach...’
Instead of a traditional pillow, she’d grabbed a potato sack and stuffed it with dirt...
’No way she’ll find that comfortable...’
Her bed was unmade and sheetless, with a brown cotton quilt atop it, angled the wrong way.
Her bedframe was very traditional, except for the fact that it lacked a headboard, though that wasn’t necessarily being judged.
Against the wall stood a thin table on which several unique rocks were displayed; either chosen by Toy for their odd shape or color.
Larry floated up to the rocks and inspected each one, giving an appreciative nod.
’He likes cool rocks... who knew?’
After deeply inspecting the rocks, Larry fell to the floor and checked out the tiny rug — a coir mat made of horse hair — placed at the foot of the bed.
’It’s not even centered...’
Larry looked down at a chunk of stone in his claws and scratched a number on it.
"Ba... duh..."
Larry looked up and floated to Salome’s.
’How did she even do that?’
Well, Vale knew the answer but was still impressed.
Salome had acquired thin metal wires and used them, along with a couple of indigo velvet banners she tore down from their church, to make a bed canopy.
The wire was threaded through the top of the sheet and embedded in the ceiling at select points. She’d made three cuts and fashioned them so they draped down, leaving an entrance to her bed that could be closed.
As for her quilt, she went with blue-violet brocade — her sheets were silken and the same color.
She also had three pillows, two decorative accent pillows propping up a normal one.
’A bit heavy on the purple...’
Finally, at the foot of the bed, sat an ash wood chest.
Larry curiously jumped on the bed and looked around in awe.
"Baa...duuuh!"
Salome giggled at Larry’s beady eyes going wide.
"I think I’m winning."
Awilix laughed at Salome’s words.
"Because he hasn’t looked at my masterpiece."
’You mean your travesty?’
Larry leapt from the bed and landed on the chest. He put up his rock tablet and etched a number on it, then moved onto Awilix’s area...
"Baduh?"
Larry, an artisan, looked appalled by what he saw.
The charred door was propped against the wall beside the bed. And under the bed were four more doors, seemingly for replacement once that one broke.
’I hope she didn’t take them all.’
Larry’s eyes bounced between all the doors.
"Baaduuh..."
Before they finally rose to the monstrosity on the bed, a bed which was bereft of any sort of consistency.
There were no pillows, no sheets, just quilts — four of them at that.
The quilts were just thrown together in a mass with red, blue, and green colors clashing, a little circular spot dug out in the middle.
Larry locked in on the quilts, then floated up and landed in the middle of them. His eyes went wide...
"Baduuuh!"
’Oh no...’
Larry immediately ripped out his stone tablet and fervently scratched a number down.
’He values abstraction!’
Awilix chuckled as Larry jumped to the floor and wandered to Vale’s side.
Vale’s was admittedly basic, but it was flawless together.
It had everything one wanted in a simple bed.
It wasn’t flashy; it prioritized comfort without sacrificing aesthetic. Sure, it was borderline minimalist, but it was another reminder that beauty isn’t always about what’s on the surface.
Larry sneered, then hastily wrote down Vale’s score.
’He barely even inspected it!’
Larry coughed a few times as he jumped on Vale’s bed and urged the four to come over.
After Awilix, Salome, and Vale stood before him, he flipped the tablet over.
Salome shrieked:
"Seriously?! Rigged!"
Vale looked down at the imp sternly.
"Larry... I hope you have a good reason for these scores."
Toy, on the far side of the room, hiding behind her potato sack, asked:
"Did I win?"
Awilix gave a haughty laugh, then said:
"Nope! I did!"
Salome stepped away. Shock danced on her face.
"I... I feel betrayed."
Vale sighed as he read the numbers.
’As do I...’
Toy had gotten a 7/10.
Salome had gotten a 6/10.
Awilix had gotten a 9/10.
And Vale had gotten a 1/10.
Vale turned to Awilix and asked:
"Well, what is your question?"
Awilix purred as she jumped on her bed and then lay amongst the quilts.
"Don’t you think it’s a little unfair that you’d get a question for everyone, but if one of us won, we only got one?"
Vale had no idea what the cat intended to ask Salome or Toy, but...
"Obviously, I don’t mind."
Vale’s gaze drifted toward Salome, who was still in shock.
"And I don’t think she’s in a state of mind to mind... so ask away."
Awilix hissed at the Demon, then looked at her and said:
"Dumbass, a few memories and knowledge of this world came to me when I became a Champion... one was of Vale’s Charm ability and how it worked. You also possess the same one, I think. And that’s why she’s here."
Awilix pointed over at Toy, then said:
"You know she’s useless, right? Why keep her around?"
’Oh, shit! Awilix, what the fuck?! She’s already pissed off! That definitely did not help!’
Salome’s eyes blazed with fury for a moment, but she took a deep breath, then replied:
"She may be weak... but she is most definitely not useless. You may not see it, but she has great potential for an Aberrant."
Awilix narrowed her eyes.
"You see... You just said ’for an Aberrant’, yet you could go and Charm another Monster like me or even higher. You’re just a dumbass."
Vale stayed silent as his gaze flopped between the two women, then to the third on the far side of the room.
The small goblin rarely showed her negative feelings, but Vale had long known about her inferiority complex.
It was subtle, but Vale could see a glint in the corner of the goblin’s eye.