Chapter 164

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Content Warning

More of these Content Warnings ver. Lucia! Y’know! That kind that traumatized everyone except Lucia!

The scent of blood.

A thick, lingering smell filled the room.

A barren room with no furniture or decorations, designed to create an oppressive atmosphere.

Dim lighting and unpainted gray shelves were the only things adorning the interior.

The moment you stepped inside, you’d feel an inexplicable chill.

The eerie, layered atmosphere made visitors’ legs go numb.

Uncleaned bloodstains were scattered across the floor.

Here and there were traces of something burned, leaving charred marks.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh, huuu…”

Rough breathing broke the silence. A gag muffled her voice, and a blindfold covered her eyes. But her ears were wide open. When the door creaked open and footsteps echoed, the girl flinched and trembled. She thrashed as if struggling, but Lucia, lying on the operating table, was tightly bound at her limbs and torso.

“…”

Quietly stepping forward, Regina stood in front of her.

Regina gripped her trembling right hand with her left.

The convulsions wouldn’t stop. She could taste blood in her mouth.

“Ugh, uh, oo…”

Completely naked, her skin as smooth and white as jade, but now dried with blood.

Her once-lustrous golden hair had lost its former beauty, stiffened by dried blood.

Regina’s purple pupils trembled. It had been a while since she’d seen Lucia this close. She hadn’t been able to get near her without retching. She had covered her ears and turned away from reality.

In her memory, Lucia was a bright, cheerful girl. Innocent and beautiful, unaware of the world’s harshness and unable to suspect others. But what was this? The woman before her now? Like a pig waiting to be slaughtered?

As one of the culprits who had reduced her to this state, Regina felt a heavy weight in her chest. She wanted to free her immediately. But the reality that she couldn’t was devastating. She had no free will. She could think and judge for herself, but in the end, she couldn’t defy her master’s will.

“…”

Regina stared blankly down at Lucia. The thought of what she had to do next made her feel like screaming. She had to do it. Astaroth had given her a command disguised as a request, and she had to carry it out. It wasn’t hard. All she had to do was ‘dismantle’ Lucia a little.

‘…I’m sorry.’

Regina slowly brought the mask in her hand to her face. Lately, she’d been having too many stray thoughts, likely because she’d been without the mask for too long. The red fox mask’s control was absolute, but it wasn’t perfect. Hadn’t Astaroth said it herself? The mask had many weaknesses. This was one of them. If you leave the mask off too long, its control is weakened.

Regina moved her trembling hand and covered her face with the red fox mask.

There was no special change. But she felt her hesitation disappear.

Regina took a deep breath and reached for the shelf.

Astaroth had said:

It’s fine to go easy, but don’t be too lenient.

Adjust it enough to help Lucia’s ability grow.

‘I’m sorry.’

It wasn’t an empty apology. She truly felt sorry for Lucia.

Her heart felt crushed by guilt. Her eyes reddened.

But her hand moved naturally. To break Lucia’s body.

“Huh…?”

Regina removed Lucia’s blindfold. Having her vision restored for the first time in days, Lucia furrowed her brow. Even the dim light seemed too bright for her. Her cherry blossom-like eyes shook violently. She blinked, her gaze unfocused.

‘The start… she said to begin with this…’

Regina picked something up from the shelf.

A tool commonly seen at outdoor campsites.

A torch, used to light fires for cooking outside.

“Ugh, uh…?”

Lucia blinked several times before finally regaining her vision.

Her gaze fell on the torch in Regina’s hand.

It was held too close for her to see it clearly.

Regina moved her finger.

A high-pressure flame burst from the tip of the torch.

“Ugh, ugh, uggh, uggghhhhhh?!”

Even for a supernatural, the eyes are more vulnerable than other body parts.

Moreover, this torch was modified by Astaroth.

It contained a small portion of Astaroth’s fire.

It burned. Lucia’s beautiful pink eyes began to blacken and char. Closing her eyes was useless. Her eyelids were burned away too.

The nauseating smell of burning flesh filled the air. Lucia’s right eye began to ooze and cook.

Clank. Clank clank. 

Lucia thrashed, struggling against her bindings.

Regina gripped Lucia’s face with her left hand. She brought the torch closer. The high-pressure flame seared away Lucia’s eye and the area beyond.

“Ugh, uh, grr, ah…”

Her remaining eye rolled back. She convulsed violently. She had endured much torture, but having her eyes burned seemed to be a first. Regina hesitated for a moment, feeling pity, but quickly moved on. The torch flared again. Lucia’s left eye also blackened and burned. Though the blindfold had been removed, Lucia had lost her vision once more.

‘I had no choice. Really.’

Her eyes began to regenerate sluggishly.

But before they could fully recover, Regina burned them again with the torch.

Lucia convulsed, but Regina calmly continued her task.

‘You’ll understand, right? Won’t you?’

Her fingertips trembled. She accidentally burned Lucia’s cheekbone instead of her eye.

The torch’s flame went out. Only the residual heat remained in the air.

Her eyelids had melted, and her eyes had lost their shape.

They would regenerate soon. Before that, Regina reached for the shelf.

A long, thin, pointed piece of metal.

A nail.

In her right hand, she held a hammer. In her left, the nail.

‘Just bear with it a little longer.’

When it’s all over.

I’ll make you forget all the pain with my ability.

She glanced at the shelf. There were many tools Astaroth had prepared. Torches, nails, hammers… this was just the beginning.

‘Drive in the nails… carve out the flesh with a scalpel… and then…’

She felt like retching but forced herself to hold it in.

Barely, just barely, she endured.

Regina felt her eyes grow hot.

Her legs gave out, and she almost collapsed awkwardly.

“Ugh, uh, grr, ugh, ugh…”

Lucia’s desperate breathing repeated.

The moans that even the gag couldn’t suppress sounded as if she were being slaughtered alive.

At least, that’s how it sounded to Regina.

“It’ll be over soon…”

She muttered in a small voice, too quiet for Lucia to hear.

I’ll try my best to make it as painless as possible.

Later, I’ll make you forget everything with drugs.

So.

“Please, forgive me…”

Even she thought it was shamelessly bold.

It was clear she didn’t deserve forgiveness.

Feeling deep self-loathing, Regina closed her eyes as if trying to escape.

◆

Did you know?

If you keep reaching the ‘peak’ over and over, it becomes an excruciating form of torture?

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve passed out.

I’ve already lost all sense of time. How long has it been since I was kidnapped? Has it been a day? A week? Or has even more time passed?

I had hoped that if I endured the torture, someone might come to save me, but it seems I should’ve given up on that expectation early on. My captor was Astaroth, after all. She might act lightly and impulsively, but if she kidnapped me as part of a contract with Belial, she would’ve moved meticulously. I’ve heard that devils always keep their contracts.

The torture repeated every hour. Burning me, tearing me apart with a saw, strangling me with a rope.

It was truly a delightful time~♡ I almost found myself grinning uncontrollably, and holding it back was a struggle. 

Hehe, Astaroth really is merciless~♡ I feel like licking her feet and barking like a dog. Wagging my tail like a puppy. 

Woof! Woof woof! 

But alas, it’s not happening. You see, Lucia doesn’t acknowledge anyone other than the protagonist or heroine as her master!

Having my internal organs tangled and torn apart was a truly unique experience. It’s completely different from the self-harm I’ve done alone. This is why people seek out professionals. 

I might get addicted~♡ No, I’m already addicted~♡ 

Just thinking about it makes my lower body ache. 

Hehe, Lucia really is a pervert~♡ There’s no other stupid girl like her. Yeah, what can I do? It’s not like Lucia being a pervert is anything new.

But isn’t repeating the same routine too much?

What if you get bored of it?

Always burning me and scraping me with a saw.

Don’t you have any new torture methods? I’ll evaluate them!

…Just as I thought that, a new form of torture began.

Hehe, the service here is great, isn’t it?

Ah~♡, I’m really touched.

At this rate, wouldn’t it be okay to give Lucia points?

Originally, they were only given to the Golden Generation… but, eh, I’m feeling generous.

Here’s 3 Lucia Points.

Collect 100 points, and you’ll get a special reward from Lucia!

It’s a wish-granting item!

It’s a universal item that grants any one wish!

Eugene used it to mess around, but it was a chance to have Lucia do anything! Except for getting her pregnant, of course. 

Huh? What if Eugene had wished for a child? Hehe… uh, well, no comment… I mean, Eugene would never make such a wish! He’s our diligent protagonist, after all!

I couldn’t see properly because my eyes were burned, but it wasn’t Astaroth torturing me this time. Who was it? They were wearing a mask, so I couldn’t see their face. One thing was certain: it wasn’t Astaroth. Astaroth’s hair is a vivid black, like pure obsidian, not purple.

I don’t know who it was, but burning my eyes with fire? That’s a creative idea. How horrifyingly fascinating. They must be a cold-blooded person with no tears or blood.

My heart pounded. There’s a saying, if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. If I can’t escape, the best I can do is enjoy the situation and look for an opportunity. Yeah, that’s it. I’m not really enjoying it, okay? I mean it!

“Ugh, uh, grr, ugh, ugh…”

‘Thank you, whoever you are!’

Ah, thank goodness for the gag. I almost let out a lewd laugh. Hehe. I managed to turn it into a scream, thankfully.

I calmed my pounding heart and waited for the happiness to continue.

It’s a rare new routine, isn’t it?

It’d be a waste not to enjoy it, right?

Hehe~♡

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Lucia is in high-tension because she reached the climax too many times.

So, her intelligence dropped a little.

Stupid Lucia.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Yeah, she’s a lost cause.