Chapter 85: The Aesthetics of Murder

As I drew closer to the temple in Bellona’s arms, a strange feeling grew stronger.

Beneath the black moonlight, the colossal gothic castle stood, casting a deep, dark shadow.

Its spires were as sharp as blades trying to pierce the sky, and the windows somehow resembled weeping eyes.

Then, a faint scent grazed the tip of my nose.

At first, I couldn’t tell what it was, but as we neared the temple, the smell transformed into something familiar yet unpleasant.

‘Is this…’

‘The smell of blood…?’

It was a scent I had grown accustomed to while slaughtering countless monsters in the Great Labyrinth.

But this was different.

It was thicker, older, and there was much more of it.

Not the blood of monsters, but the blood of something else…

‘Humans…?’

Crimson Bind began to tremble faintly.

As if it were reacting to the smell.

The red mist flowing from the sword thickened slightly.

I had a feeling that Crimson Bind was enjoying this.

“Lady Bellona… what is that smell…?”

“The smell? Ah, that must be because of my hobby. You’ll see soon, so don’t be too surprised~”

Bellona said.

A smile spread across her face.

Her smile was breathtakingly beautiful, but at the same time, it evoked a strange sensation that sent a chill down my spine.

Miel flew close to my ear, fluttering her wings and sending an anxious signal.

The blue butterfly’s wings shone more intensely than usual.

Flutter, flutter!

Miel’s wing beats were far more frantic than normal.

‘What is it? What’s wrong?’ I was about to ask…

Without realizing it, I gripped the handle of Crimson Bind tightly.

A thicker red mist rose from the sword.

The sword seemed somehow excited.

Like it had returned home after a long time?

‘Master…’

‘I need to get back to my master soon…’

‘Will this goddess really help me…?’

“Well, we’re here! Welcome to my home~”

A massive obsidian door opened silently, revealing the temple’s interior.

Bellona stepped inside, still holding me in her arms.

At first, I couldn’t see anything because of the darkness.

But soon, candles emitting a red glow began to light up one by one, and their light unveiled a shocking scene.

“Aargh…!”

A scream escaped my lips involuntarily.

The inside of the temple was an ‘exhibition hall.’

But the things on display were…

Corpses.

No, to be precise, they were sculptures made from corpses.

The bodies of countless human men were twisted into bizarre poses.

One was frozen forever in an elegant pose like a ballerina, while others were intertwined to form a grotesque flower.

On the walls, flayed bodies were hung like paintings; their skin perfectly stretched and dried, their red veins preserved like ornate embroidery.

From the ceiling hung a bizarre chandelier made from various body parts.

Fingers wrapped around the candlesticks, upon which candles burned.

Severed heads were strung up, their mouths agape, their eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

Even the red carpet on the floor…

It wasn’t a carpet.

It was dried blood.

Every time Bellona walked on it, a sticky sound echoed, and I could vividly imagine it clinging to her feet.

‘She’s…’

‘Insane…’

‘This is more horrifying than the followers of the evil gods…!’

‘Master… Master Mikel…’

For a moment, the memory of slaughtering monsters in Sia Kalt flashed through my mind.

I too had killed many monsters, absorbing their blood to grow, but…

This was on a completely different level.

What I did was a hunt for survival.

But this…

‘This is just pure madness…!’

Miel fluttered her wings with extreme anxiety above my head.

Her rapid blue flutters seemed to be saying, ‘Let’s run away.’

“What do you think? Do you like my collection?”

Bellona’s voice was still sweet, but now I could feel the madness hidden within its sweetness.

My body began to tremble uncontrollably.

I could hear my teeth chattering, and I couldn’t breathe properly.

“Ah, you’re moved too! That’s right, understanding the true meaning of beauty is a difficult thing.”

Bellona completely misunderstood my reaction.

She set me down from her arms and led me towards one of the ‘artworks.’

I tried to slowly steady my breath.

‘This is definitely the worst-case scenario, but she hasn’t shown any sign of wanting to harm me yet.’

‘I need to buy some time first.’

‘I’ve been through situations like this many times before…’

‘Wait, have I really been through situations like this many times?’

‘Why am I having such a thought…?’

I shook off the confusing thought and resolved to act as calmly as possible.

“This one is my favorite. I call it ‘Eternal Dance.’ Can’t you see it? The delicate balance of agony and ecstasy in this dancing man’s expression…”

The ‘artwork’ was the corpse of a man, his entire musculature perfectly exposed.

His skin was partially flayed, revealing muscles and sinews.

Yet, his face was almost untouched.

An expression that seemed to be screaming in agony was frozen for eternity.

What was most shocking was that his eyes glistened with moisture as if he were still alive.

‘This poor man…’

‘How much pain must he have been in…’

‘Master Mikel said he likes blood offerings, but he would never want something like this.’

‘Master Mikel wants a swift, clean hunt, not this kind of torture… this kind of suffering…’

Crimson Bind began to tremble strangely.

As if in excitement.

The sword’s feelings seemed to be transmitted to me.

‘Is this… a feeling of satisfaction?’

‘Ah… right…’

‘This is a cursed magic sword…’

‘Being from the demon world, does it enjoy things like this…?’

Amidst the confusing emotions, I felt as if something within me was strangely captivated by this sight.

‘It’s an absurd thought…’

“…And this one is the ‘Flower of Death.’ A piece I made by precisely arranging the corpses of nine men. I took special care to make the flowing blood form the shape of petals.”

The piece called ‘Flower of Death’ had corpses arranged in the shape of a giant sunflower.

In the center was the torso of a man, with eight arms and legs extending around it like petals.

It was clear that each arm and leg had been taken from a different body.

Blood was still slowly seeping from the torso, flowing along intricate grooves carved into the floor to form a perfect flower shape.

‘A flower…?’

‘Like me?’

‘Is this mad goddess planning to turn me into something like this?’

A sudden terror washed over me.

It felt as if my very roots were freezing.

‘Master… Master Mikel… please save me…’

It was the most horrifying scene I had ever witnessed.

More gruesome than any brutal horror movie I saw in my past life, more dreadful than the lair of the evil god’s followers I saw recently, more terrible than any other place.

Miel fluttered right next to my ear.

A strong light flashed in the air beside her wings.

This must be a warning from Solaris.

But it seemed impossible to escape right now.

Where could I possibly go to escape Bellona in this temple?

“Ah, you’ve never seen anything like this! This is the aesthetics of murder. I was originally the goddess of beauty, but I realized that true beauty lies in the moment life departs.”

Bellona’s eyes shone with passion.

The words flowing from her captivating lips were utterly horrific.

“The moment of death, the fear and despair etched on their faces… and the sense of liberation in their final breath. That is true beauty.”

Hearing those words, something strangely stirred within me.

The pleasure I felt when I first hunted monsters in Sia Kalt faintly resurfaced.

The satisfaction of absorbing blood and growing…

‘Agh!’

‘No!’

‘I offered blood sacrifices to survive and for Master Mikel!’

‘This… this is completely different!’

Bellona grabbed my shoulders and looked into my eyes with a serious expression.

“Lycoris, this is what I want to ask of you. Become my disciple.”

“Y-your disciple…?”

My voice trembled.
It was all too clear what this goddess wanted me to learn.

“Yes. Your ability as a flower and your power to freely change into human form are truly special. Combined with my techniques, we can create art the likes of which has never been seen before.”

Her eyes blazed with an even more frenzied passion.

“I… um… I don’t know…”

Miel gently tugged at my hair.

It seemed like a signal to run.

But Bellona’s gaze was piercing right through me.

An image of Master Mikel appeared in my mind.

‘Master Mikel also enjoys blood and slaughter, but…’

‘He never tortured them so cruelly.’

‘My master…’

‘My master dealt with things coldly only when necessary; he never savored it like this.’

“Don’t worry. Everyone’s like that at first. I didn’t understand this aesthetic initially either. But with time, the true artist within you will awaken.”

Bellona’s voice was gentle, but the meaning behind her words was pure terror.

“And I promised, didn’t I? I’ll send you to the human world once the passage is complete. How about you stay as my disciple until then? I can teach you so much.”

I had to buy time.

The fear that I might become one of those ‘artworks’ if I refused now crept over me.

I fiddled with Crimson Bind.

The sword vibrated rapidly in my hand.

‘This one is probably happy about it…’

‘Sigh…’

‘Let’s just ignore Crimson Bind.’

‘No matter how strong Bellona is, if an opportunity arises, I should be able to find a way out.’

‘First, I need to earn her trust and find her weakness.’

“I… I understand. I’ll become your disciple, Lady Bellona…”

“Really? Oh, I’m so happy! We’re going to be a fantastic duo!”

Bellona exclaimed in a joyful voice, pulling me into a tight hug.

Her body felt so cold.

“First, I’ll show you to your room. You must be exhausted, so get some rest.”

Bellona guided me deep into the temple.

Thankfully, there were no ‘artworks’ in my room.

There was just a luxurious bed and furniture.

As I lay on the bed, Miel flew down and settled on my chest.

Her wings were trembling faintly.

I gently stroked Miel.

“Miel… what should we do? We have to get out of here quickly.”

Miel looked at me with worried eyes, then flew to my head and started plucking out a strand of my hair.

[I told Solaris, and he said since it’s already come to this, we should just get Bellona’s help to go down to the human world.]

“Just stay here like this…?”

[He said Bellona never harms women, so we should be safe, but I’m still so scared…]

“I’m really scared too, but…”

‘She doesn’t kill women?’

‘Come to think of it, the materials for her ‘artworks’ were all men.’

“For now… let’s do as Solaris says and play the part of Bellona’s disciple while we figure out the situation here. If we try to run, something even more terrifying might happen.”

I made my decision.

Miel seemed to understand and fluttered her wings slightly.

‘Master… I’ll be back soon…’

Lying on the bed, I stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Within the dark shadows, I thought I could see a faint red glow.

‘Is it the mist from my sword?’

A dreamlike voice drifted from somewhere.

“Lycoris… they deserve to be punished…”

‘Whose voice is that?’

‘Crimson Bind?’

‘Or am I imagining things?’

The voice grew clearer.

“They all deserve to be punished… I’ll help you…”