Chapter Index





    Ch.133133. Corporal Punishment (2)

    [Have you failed?]

    “…I apologize.”

    The Holy Pontiff on the other side of the screen appeared extremely perplexed.

    During all the years she had served the Pontiff, this was the first time she had submitted such a report.

    The Grand Assassin had failed to harm a human.

    Not even killing, just causing moderate harm—a relatively low-difficulty mission.

    […May I ask the reason, Serath?]

    “The defenses were… better than expected, Your Holiness. Fortunately, my identity wasn’t exposed, so I believe I’ll need more time for a proper approach.”

    Serath answered the Pontiff through the video call, feeling as though her mouth was parched. This was her first lie. And so many at once.

    There had clearly been opportunities. She had gotten close enough to inflict serious wounds on that man.

    It was a lie that her identity hadn’t been exposed, and there was absolutely no need to spend more time on the approach.

    However.

    That feeling that enveloped her entire body when she saw that man.

    That strange feeling she had never experienced before in her life.

    “…”

    Serath unconsciously fidgeted with her fingers and pulled her hood down deeper.

    The expression she was making now was definitely one she should never show the Pontiff.

    She wasn’t sure why, but she strongly felt that this was certainly not the expression an assassin should have when thinking about their target.

    […Indeed, he is an unpredictable man.]

    Fortunately, the Pontiff accepted her words without any particular suspicion.

    The trust they had built over the years was enough to make such small lies easily believable.

    Though she felt somewhat guilty, ultimately all she needed to do was deal with that man.

    Her loyalty to the Pontiff had not diminished in the slightest.

    [If you need anything, just say the word, Serath.]

    The Pontiff said with a benevolent smile.

    [The blessing of heaven is watching over you.]

    She couldn’t help but agree.

    Serath bowed her head reverently at those words.

    The legitimate successor who inherited the will of heaven, the agent of angels.

    The religion that had saved her from such severe “discrimination” by the Empire, and the human who stood at the pinnacle of that religion.

    The human to whom she owed her life and loyalty.

    “…”

    Therefore.

    A man who had entangled her to the point where she couldn’t even carry out orders from such a person was worth investigating more thoroughly.

    Taking time to infiltrate Elphante Academy and deal with that man was all in this context.

    At the very least, she needed to find out what caused her to feel this way.

    Why.

    Every time she thought of that man, her heart raced to the point of irritation.

    And the first step was to gather more detailed information about him.

    Starting with what that man was up to.

    < System Message >

    [ Target ‘Serath’ is tracking you! ]

    [ Assessed as a minor threat to your safety. ]

    [ ‘Skill: Dire Straits’ is applied at B-rank! ]

    “…”

    I sigh as I look at the window before me.

    Yeah. I knew this was coming.

    That’s why I planned this whole thing around this timing.

    What I’m about to do is something I want that person to see as well.

    It will probably bring about some changes in that person’s “state of mind.”

    [Did you want to show this sight to her?]

    ‘…Why do you ask?’

    [Actually, thinking about it, Lucien was somewhat lacking as a saint in many ways.]

    Such words flew from inside the Soul Linker.

    It was Valkarsus, who continued to maintain an incredulous attitude.

    [But looking at her now, that’s not entirely the case.]

    ‘…What do you mean by that?’

    [I mean the fact that she’s following along with this so obediently.]

    The sentence clearly referred to Lucien, who was being dragged along behind me with a leash around her neck.

    “…”

    “…”

    Apart from the rustling sound of grass being stepped on, there was no sound, but I could tell that a fierce gaze was fixed on me even though I deliberately avoided looking back.

    “…Excuse me.”

    And after walking like that for quite some time.

    The saint’s voice, as if she couldn’t bear it anymore, tapped the back of my neck.

    “Why don’t you just admit that you have some kind of perverted urge right now?”

    “…”

    I’ve been so thoroughly criticized by Calivan that I don’t even blink at most slander, but this I can’t tolerate.

    I turn my head with an expression of disbelief.

    “…Excuse me?”

    “Why are you making that innocent face…”

    “No, why should I hear such words in this situation?”

    “…”

    The saint opened and closed her mouth with an exasperated expression. She looked so dumbfounded that she was having trouble gathering her thoughts.

    It took her quite some time to properly articulate her next sentence.

    “What part of this situation isn’t perverted?!”

    She pointed at Yuria, who was being dragged along with her head bowed.

    So.

    The situation she’s referring to is probably the overall state of me having leashed two sisters and walking around the outskirts of the academy at this late hour.

    “No, I’m telling you this is really necessary! There’s no ulterior motive here.”

    I suppose it might look a bit suspicious.

    But this is all necessary work.

    Work important enough to affect my life.

    “Then you need to explain why this is necessary! Before I break this thing…”

    “…It’s okay, sister.”

    “Yuria?!”

    “I did wrong to Darwood…”

    Yuria said, touching her leash with a gloomy expression.

    “…This much is fine. I was prepared for even harsher treatment.”

    The saint, who had been making a fuss, froze at the sight.

    Then she alternately looked at Yuria and my abdomen.

    That’s the part where Yuria had previously stabbed me with her sword, cutting me in half.

    “…Fine, I get it, really…!”

    The saint sniffled with tears in her eyes.

    “…At least, be gentle. It’s been hurting since earlier…”

    “…”

    Hey, Saint.

    When you talk while sobbing like that, it makes me look like a complete scumbag, and it creates an atmosphere like the sisters are being forced to cooperate with something terrible after having their weaknesses exploited simultaneously.

    […Isn’t that a rather accurate assessment?]

    “…”

    [Your current appearance, well. Hmm.]

    Valkarsus sighed and opened his mouth.

    Why?

    Are you going to call me trash again?

    [No. Aren’t you overestimating yourself?]

    “…”

    [At this point, calling you trash might actually be a polite way of addressing you.]

    “…”

    For some reason, Valkarsus is awake and criticizing me while Calivan is asleep.

    I sigh and answer Valkarsus.

    ‘…This will help them feel better too.’

    [How does any part of this behavior alleviate their guilt?]

    ‘The problem is that they’re both too nice, actually.’

    If they were bad people, they wouldn’t have cared about what happened to me.

    If they still feel guilty despite my assurances that I’m fine, then the core issue isn’t just that Yuria nearly split me in half.

    There’s been a buildup of such emotions toward me all this time.

    From my perspective, I’ve just been treating them well because they’re important pillars of the main scenario, but they can’t accept that without giving something in return.

    You could say they’re crushed by goodwill. People who are inherently so good that they can’t just receive without giving back.

    ‘I’m just giving them work to do, that’s all.’

    Giving Yuria “punishment” and all that is in a similar context.

    More precisely, I just need to show these two exactly “how they can be helpful” to me.

    I’m confident that once they see that, they’ll regain their spirits and work hard for me.

    “…”

    The task I’m about to assign these two is something that can only be done at this time.

    After this is over, it wouldn’t be strange if they cut ties with me immediately, asking why I did such a thing.

    I guess it’s manageable because their guilt is maxed out?

    […So what does that have to do with dragging them around on leashes? Couldn’t you just let them walk by themselves?]

    “…”

    I’m telling you, this is necessary.

    How many times do I have to say it?

    ‘Well, I need to get used to the feel of it too.’

    […What?]

    ‘I mean, I’ll have to do this quite often in the future.’

    […]

    Valkarsus fell silent with a look of resignation.

    After a long silence, not knowing what to say, he forcibly changed the subject with a wry laugh.

    [Well, this kind of mental training might be good for Lucien too. She’s usually quite below standard.]

    ‘Excuse me?’

    [She smokes and drinks without a care, she neglects her training despite being born with abundant holy power, she still can’t recite the entire prayer…]

    “…”

    Come on, can’t we just be a bit understanding about that on a human level?

    How can anyone be perfect all the time?

    [The position of saint is a very ancient profession. And in my era, those things were just basic qualities for saints.]

    Valkarsus was uncharacteristically spouting old-fashioned energy, but that’s a setting I roughly know about too.

    It’s not as ancient as the hero-demon relationship in archaeological terms, but the saint is also a fairly old profession.

    In Valkarsus’s generation…

    ‘…That would be during the God-Demon War, right?’

    The era when the first hero, blessed by heaven, wielded the holy sword and tore apart the demons’ true forms.

    The combination of the first hero and the holy sword was a monstrous entity in human history who single-handedly sealed not just one but “all” of the demons’ true forms, each capable of destroying the world.

    Of course, they say he received all possible backup including blessings from the Lightbearers in the Otherworld, but no one can deny that it was an incredible feat.

    The Holy Empire, which was once just a small kingdom barely surviving without notable resources or strengths, grew into the modern superpower based on that fact.

    They expanded to their current size solely based on being the nation that produced the first hero.

    The saint of that era was the one who diligently assisted such a person, so it’s natural that Valkarsus would have high standards for saints from that time.

    “…”

    And, if my memory serves me correctly.

    That’s about the maximum growth Elia can show in the game.

    If she can just properly find the holy sword, that is.

    That’s also the core material of Chapter 4, [Red Night], which is coming up soon.

    Who will ascend to the position of hero, which has been vacant since the death of the previous hero.

    It’s a chapter where hero candidates from across the continent gather at the Golden Triangle to determine the true owner of the holy sword.

    Bringing Yuria and Lucien here also serves to prepare for that event.

    If I can properly complete the “enhancement” of these two here, they will definitely be of great help when proceeding with that.

    “…Alright, we’ve arrived.”

    At my words, Lucien and Yuria slowly looked around.

    “This is…”

    Lucien’s eyes widened as she looked around.

    She would definitely recognize this place.

    The Lightbearer’s barrier, specifically the outermost part. The space at the edge of the academy that’s connected to the void zone by just a few spans of land.

    It’s a memorable place.

    The space I came to communicate with the angels right after obtaining Ultima.

    What I’m here to do now is similar in broad terms.

    The problem is that it’s much more aggressive… and dangerous.

    I move a bit closer and set Ultima in its place.

    Previously, I would have needed various preparations, but now it’s an item that has been enhanced several times, including the Echo of Consecration.

    The original purpose of the “summoning” ritual would be completed in an instant.

    “…Huh?”

    “…What?”

    As the mist rising from Ultima spread around, the “angels” residing in this place instantly revealed themselves.

    “…!”

    And as soon as she saw them.

    Yuria clutched her head and collapsed on the spot.

    “…Ah, aaaaargh…!”

    She twisted her body as if having a seizure, letting out a pain-filled groan.

    The Severer emitted a threatening light around her. The white curse eating away at her body convulsed as if having a seizure.

    I know why she’s acting like this.

    The White Demon inside her must be screaming to the point of tearing its mind apart.

    Kill them immediately, they are enemies who cannot share the same sky.

    “Yu, Yuria?!”

    Lucien gasped and tried to approach her, but I held her back with the leash. While sending Lucien outside the “safe zone” like controlling a zergling.

    Yuria convulsively grabbed her sword and charged toward the angels.

    But.

    “Wait.”

    I restrain her with the leash as well. The line pulls taut. If I hadn’t given Vulcan all sorts of rare materials to make it sturdy, it would have snapped immediately.

    Recently, my physical stats have improved decently, so I can manage this much with the B-rank Dire Straits activated because of Serath.

    “…”

    “…You crazy bastard, what the hell did you bring here?!”

    One of the angels I remember screamed.

    It’s the angel who had previously imbued some abilities into Ultima. He recognized me immediately and approached with a terrified expression.

    He’s probably saying this after realizing what’s “inside” Yuria right now.

    “Long time no see, gentlemen.”

    I smile calmly at them and continue speaking.

    “Would you mind doing me a favor?”

    “What are you…!”

    It’s nothing major.

    It’s related to the “enhancement” of Lucien and Yuria I mentioned earlier.

    Now, shall we.

    Talk about how to “tame” a demon together?


    0 Comments

    Heads up! Your comment will be invisible to other guests and subscribers (except for replies), including you after a grace period.
    Note
    // Script to navigate with arrow keys