Will I Ultimately Become a Capitalist Tycoon?

[Well, today might not be your lucky day—it's a tragedy day.]

[Once you drink this coffee, the next time you wake up, you'll probably be in some basement having a date with Rita.]

The coffee was poisoned.

Chapter 22: On the Additional Abilities of the Sheep Talisman

[You really need to practice hiding your aura.]

The Prompt Device gave its warning.

Across from him, the beautiful maid wore an expression of eager anticipation, yet deep within her wine-red eyes, a viper seemed to lurk.

Among the S-rank Valkyries, Rita was unquestionably dead last.

And not just dead last in the current generation—she was the weakest among all known S-ranks in history.

But even so.

She still possessed perception far beyond that of an ordinary person.

This was the foundation of her status as Schicksal's strongest assassin.

The moment the man named Russell stepped into the shop, he had already caught her attention.

His aura was remarkably vigorous, similar to that of the current head of the Apocalypse family.

The head of the Apocalypse family was a former S-rank. If not for the restrictions placed on her, that short, white-haired old woman might have been the strongest S-rank Valkyrie of all.

For someone to give off a similar impression... this guy's strength...

At least close to A-rank, probably.

But she had no memory of this person.

Rita had absolute confidence in her memory.

He's been mistaken for a spy.

[Rita doesn't have the overwhelming physical attributes or special abilities of other S-ranks. To boost her output, she always uses weapons infused with high-density Honkai energy. You don't have an extra Honkai gene set, so you'd have to endure it with raw vitality—that's obviously terrible.]

[Hurry up and use Thousand Years of Death. I know you have five Kunai coated in Capsaicin Extract in your pocket. Three consecutive Thousand Years of Death strikes will be enough to break her mental focus, and then you can use cognitive distortion to create an opening for a one-hit kill!]

The Prompt Device suddenly turned serious.

"Using such a dirty trick on a pretty girl doesn't seem right."

Russell stood on the moral high ground, pointing fingers at the Prompt Device.

[Don't give me that. If you cared about martial honor, you wouldn't have five Kunai coated in Capsaicin Extract in your pocket.]

[Don't tell me you've taken a liking to that woman.]

[What's so good about a woman whose only merits are big chest, long legs, a pretty face, and being good at taking care of people? If you're feeling horny, I suggest you aim it toward Kiana or Megumin.]

The Prompt Device tried to correct Russell's taste.

Russell rolled his eyes.

Thank goodness this idiot was a Prompt Device and not some golden-list-style cheat item.

Otherwise, the whole world would be eagerly waiting for the update on the Beauty Rankings, only to find the number one spot was some old man bent over with his ass in the air...

Who knows how much psychological damage that would inflict on all of humanity.

"The main thing is, there's no need to fight yet."

Russell stated his reason for refusing to use Thousand Years of Death.

[Tch. Wait until you're in the underground prison—let's see what you have to say then.]

Russell ignored the Prompt Device and simply smiled as he accepted the coffee from Rita. Then—

"Splash—"

The still-scalding coffee was hurled directly at the waitress's face. The very next instant after Russell made the throwing motion, a flash of light streaked by, shattering the flying coffee cup into pieces.

"This gentleman, striking a lady so violently is hardly the act of a gentleman."

The beautiful maid smiled, her expression as radiant as ever.

But a scythe had somehow appeared in her hand.

After the poisoning failed, this woman quickly prepared to resort to force.

As an S-rank Valkyrie, even the weakest among them, she had full confidence in suppressing any spy!

Come on, let me see what you've got.

The stunning woman fixed her gaze on Russell's limbs—a technique used only by those with maxed-out observation skills: predicting the target's movements for the next few seconds based on their motion range, then sealing them off in advance!

But the next moment, Rita froze.

In her field of vision, the boy silently touched the necklace around his neck.

The next instant, the necklace vanished, and the boy collapsed to the ground.

As if dead.

Ah...

Just collapsed like that?!

Bewilderment painted Rita's face.

"Only an idiot tries to solve problems with brute force."

Russell, in his spiritual form, trailed behind a certain Maid Miss, speaking with an air of ease.

Why fight?

His choice was simple—directly slip his soul out of his body, then, as a spirit, toss the Sheep Talisman to Megumin for safekeeping.

The maid named Rita sat in a sleek black luxury car, heading toward one of Schicksal's divisions.

Even hours later, traces of bewilderment still lingered on her face.

—The enemy had collapsed before the fight even started.

She'd thought he might have killed himself, but when she checked his breath, it was normal.

Tested his heartbeat—strong and steady.

A little too absurd.

She had him taken to the hospital, where the conclusion was that the man was perfectly healthy, with clear signs of modification, likely from a faction with no weak genetic technology.

To extract any intel, the guy needed to be awake, and Rita was desperate to figure out where he came from and what his goal was.

But, no matter what, this fellow was practically dead to the world.

All she could do was assign someone to watch him while they hooked him up to an IV.

Completely unaware that someone's soul was trailing her, Rita let out a sigh.

Why did she have to run into such a strange character?

Baffling.

"Lady Rita, you don't look so well."

Beside her, a young woman who was also a member of the Blade of Immortality squad wore a concerned expression, a faint tenderness deep in her eyes.

Back at the bar, this girl had said that if Russell rejected Rita, he'd get jumped by a bunch of young men.

But judging by her own behavior, the ones who'd cornered Russell in that alley probably weren't strapping young lads—they were a pack of lesbians.

"Maybe so."

Rita pressed her temple, her expression troubled.

"Probably from sticking to two hours of sleep a day lately."

"Want to go soak in a bath together?"

That maiden's face was full of anticipation.

"...Not for now, I think."

Rita replied with a smile, which brought a hint of disappointment to the girl's face.

[In Gotham City you're the wildest, in the circus you're the busiest, at McDonald's you're on duty, in the deck of cards you're the Big and Small Kings]

The Prompt Device chimed in.

"Huh?"

Russell, active as a ghost, blinked in confusion. He didn't get what the Prompt Device meant by saying that all of a sudden.

[You'll understand in a bit]

The Prompt Device teased, holding back.

Russell scratched his head, baffled, then kept following Rita's path.

As expected, they ran into a certain illegal mature older sister type wearing a sports tank top.

The Goose of Justice—Durandal.

"Rita, you don't look so great today."

The mature older sister, who seemed heroic yet a bit dazed, looked at her Vice-captain with a worried expression.

"Want to go soak in a bath together?"

That maiden pondered for a moment, then posed the question to her Vice-captain, her words strikingly similar to the earlier girl's.

Rita's eyes lit up instantly.

"Sure!"

Same recipe, different flavor.

Russell turned back. The young Valkyrie was still psyching herself up, probably still scheming about how to ask Rita out.

He more or less understood what the Prompt Device meant.

But then again...

Russell looked toward Rita and Durandal. The two captains of the Blade of Immortality were packing their clothes, clearly preparing to set out.

Should he follow them next?

Russell sank into thought.

Chapter 23: Waguo, No Need for Words

In this world, most of the time, things only fall into two categories.

One kind is pleasant.

The other kind is unpleasant.

Peeping on a beautiful girl bathing—which category that belongs to is quite a dilemma.

Because, of course, you want to look.

But while looking, you also suffer moral condemnation.

It's both pleasant and unpleasant.

A truly vexing choice.

[Peeping on your big head. The odds of that guy noticing you aren't high, but they're not zero—there's a small world inside her body, which means she has attributes equivalent to a world—all attributes, including spirit. She can't see you right now because she thinks all anomalies are related to Honkai, so she's only observing Honkai energy.]

[Due to that cognitive error, the odds of her noticing you aren't high, but they're not zero. If she never catches on, you'll be fine watching. But if something unexpected happens, you'll get caught red-handed in the hot spring. Then forget the mission—your ass will be skewered by Black Abyss White Flower.]

The Prompt Device had turned serious.