Is It Wrong for an Extra to Steal the Protagonist's Harem?-Chapter 49: The Villainess’s Bath

Someone was already there.

A girl.

She was standing waist-deep in the water, her back to me.

She had long, silver hair that shimmered in the moonlight.

Wait. Silver hair?

I looked back at the camp. Emily was there.

Then who...?

The girl turned around.

It was Alicia Raven.

The Villainess.

And she was stark naked.

[System Notification: Event Triggered - ’The Villainess’s Bath’.] [Choice: Peep / Approach / Leave.]

Alicia was humming to herself, washing her arms. Her skin was golden-tan, a stark contrast to Emily’s pale white. Her body was voluptuous—the "gyaru" build. Wide hips, a narrow waist, and breasts that floated buoyantly in the water, their pink tips breaking the surface.

She looked relaxed. Vulnerable.

"Stupid forest," she muttered to herself, squeezing water from her hair. "Stupid mosquitoes. Stupid Alex."

Me?

"I’ll show him," she grumbled, splashing water on her chest. "I’ll get the Golem Core first. Then I’ll rub it in his smug, pretty face."

She stood up to move to the edge.

The water level dropped.

I saw everything. Her flat stomach, the curve of her hips, and the neatly trimmed landing strip between her legs.

She stepped out onto the mossy bank, reaching for her towel.

SNAP.

I stepped on a twig. Of course I did. It’s the law of the universe.

Alicia froze. She whipped around, covering her chest and crotch with her hands.

"Who’s there?!" she shrieked. "Show yourself, you pervert!"

I stepped out of the bushes, hands raised.

"It’s just me, Alicia. Calm down."

"Alex?!"

Her face turned beet red. She looked at me, then at her own nakedness, then back at me.

"KYAAAAA!"

She screamed.

She raised her hand. Mana flared.

"Fireball!"

"Wait! Don’t—!"

BOOM.

She fired a panic-shot.

It missed me, but it hit the tree next to me. The tree exploded in flames.

"Are you crazy?!" I yelled, diving behind a rock. "You’ll attract the whole forest!"

"You... you saw!" she screamed, tears of shame in her eyes. "You saw everything!"

"I saw a little bit!" I lied. "It was dark!"

"Liar! My tits were glowing in the mana water!"

Well, she had a point.

"Turn around!" she commanded, grabbing her clothes. "If you look, I’ll burn your eyes out!"

I turned around, facing the rock.

"I’m turning! Just get dressed!"

I heard the frantic rustling of fabric.

"I can’t believe this," she was muttering, her voice trembling. "Of all the people... why him? Why the Pimp?"

"I am not a pimp," I called out.

"Shut up! You peeped! You’re a peeping tom pimp!"

"I was scouting!"

"You were scouting my ass!"

Valid argument.

"I’m dressed," she hissed after a minute.

I turned around.

Alicia was dressed in her uniform, but it was disheveled. Her hair was wet, her face was flushed, and she looked ready to murder me.

But she also looked... shaken.

"What are you doing here alone?" I asked, changing the subject. "Where’s your team?"

"They... we got separated," she admitted, looking away. "We were chased by a Bear. I ran this way."

"So you’re lost."

"I am not lost!" she stomped her foot. "I’m just... geographically challenged at the moment!"

I sighed.

"Come with me. My camp is nearby. You can stay with us tonight."

"Stay with you?" She looked at me with disgust. "With the trash of Class A?"

"It’s better than sleeping with the spiders," I pointed out.

Skitter.

A sound came from the darkness.

Alicia jumped, grabbing my arm. Her grip was tight. Her breasts pressed against my bicep.

"O-Okay," she squeaked. "Just for tonight. But if you try anything... if you touch me... I’ll incinerate you."

"Deal."

I looked down at her. She was trembling.

[System Notification: Alicia Raven - Status: Vulnerable.] [Opportunity for ’Corruption’: Medium.]

I smirked.

"Let’s go, Princess number two."

I led her back to the camp.

This was going to be an interesting night. Martin, Emily, and now a lost, naked-seen Alicia.

Group 11 just became a powder keg. And I was holding the match.

****

The walk back to camp was silent, save for the squelching of Alicia’s wet boots and the buzzing of nocturnal insects.

Alicia walked with her arms crossed over her chest, trying to preserve whatever dignity she had left after being caught stark naked by the class "trash." Every time a twig snapped, she jumped, bumping into me.

"Stop touching me," she hissed, her face still burning.

"You’re bumping into me, Princess," I whispered back. "And keep your voice down. Unless you want a Spider for a sleeping bag."

We pushed through the brush and entered the small clearing.

The fire was crackling low. Martin was snoring inside his sleeping bag, looking like a green caterpillar. Emily was sitting exactly where I left her, sharpening a dagger.

She looked up. Her eyes went from me, to the disheveled, damp Alicia, and back to me.

"I leave you alone for ten minutes," Emily said, her voice dry as a bone. "And you return with a stray cat?"

"I am not a stray!" Alicia snapped, stepping into the firelight. "I got separated from my group! This... person... offered me shelter."

"Lady Alicia?!"

The caterpillar exploded.

Martin unzipped his sleeping bag and scrambled out, tripping over his own feet. He stared at the silver-haired beauty with wide, worshipful eyes.

"It’s really you! The Flower of Class A! The Crimson Jewel!" Martin was practically drooling. "Oh, thank the gods! I was terrified it was a monster, but it’s an angel!"

He rushed over, dusting off a log that didn’t need dusting.

"Please, sit! Take my sleeping bag! I’ll sleep on the dirt! I’ll sleep in the fire if you want!"

Alicia looked at him with mild disgust. "Who are you?"

"I’m Martin! Martin Luke! We have Alchemy together!"

"Oh. The one who melted his cauldron," Alicia recalled vaguely, sitting down on the log I offered her (ignoring Martin’s).

"So," Emily interrupted, ignoring the simp. "What happened?"

"Bear," Alicia muttered. "Big one. My team ran. I got lost."

"And you?" Emily looked at me. "Where did you find her?"

"By the spring," I said quickly, before Alicia could panic. "She was... washing her face."

Alicia shot me a look of pure terror, terrified I’d mention the "naked" part. I winked. She flushed and looked away.

"Right," Emily said, clearly not buying it but letting it slide. "Well, we have extra rations. Eat."

Martin immediately offered his own bowl. "Take mine! It has the most meat!"

"I’m not hungry," Alicia said, clutching her stomach which immediately growled.

I sat down next to Emily, leaning back against a tree.

"Eat the stew, Alicia," I said, closing my eyes. "We move at dawn. If you faint from hunger, I’m leaving you behind."

"You wouldn’t dare," she huffed, but she took the bowl Martin was shoving in her face.

The night settled in.

Martin spent the next hour trying to impress Alicia with stories of his "bravery" during the spider attack (lying through his teeth). Alicia nodded politely while looking bored out of her mind.

Emily sat silently, watching the fire.

"You’re taking second watch," Emily whispered to me.

"I know."

"She’s trouble," Emily nodded at Alicia. "Loud. Arrogant. She’ll compromise our stealth."

"She’s a cannon," I corrected. "High firepower. If we run into a boss, we point her at it and pull the trigger."

Emily looked at me, a small smirk touching her lips.

"You really look at everyone as tools, don’t you?"

"I look at everyone as assets," I replied, opening one eye to look at her. "Even you, Ice Princess."

"And what kind of asset am I?"

"The cool head," I said. "And the one who keeps me from killing Martin."

Emily actually chuckled. It was a soft sound, like cracking ice.

"Get some sleep, Alex. You’ll need it."

****

Thursday Morning. Sector 4.

We moved out at first light. The forest was dense, the "whispering" leaves creating a wall of white noise that made communication difficult.

Our formation had changed. I was on point. Emily was rear guard. Alicia and Martin were in the middle.

"Eww," Alicia complained, stepping over a rotting log. "This place is disgusting. Why couldn’t we get the Crystal Caves?"

"Because life hates us," I called back, hacking through a vine with my machete.

"Alex! There’s a blue flower here!" Martin shouted, reaching for a glowing bulb. "It looks valuable!"

"Don’t touch it!" I barked.

Martin froze, hand inches from the plant.

"That’s Paralysis Nettle," I explained, not stopping my pace. "One touch and your nervous system shuts down for six hours. Unless you want me to carry you like a sack of potatoes, leave it."

Martin recoiled as if the flower had teeth.

"How do you know that?" Alicia asked, looking at me suspiciously. "That’s not in the textbook."

"It’s in the ’Advanced Herbology of Northern Ecosystems’, volume 4," I lied. It was actually from the Erosbound crafting wiki. "I read."

"Nerd," Alicia muttered, but she stepped carefully around the flower.

"Alex," Emily spoke up from the back. "Tracks."

I halted. I walked back to where she was crouching.

In the mud, there were deep, heavy indentations. Three claws. Massive weight distribution.

"Moss Golem," I confirmed. "And it’s fresh. Less than an hour."