Chapter 54 : Young Master 3

-Smack!

A sharp sound resonated through the room.

At the source of the sound, Aikus, his head slightly turned, muttered in disbelief with a stunned expression.

“You… hit me? You hit me?”

His expression and tone conveyed the shock of someone who had just experienced the unthinkable.

A question mark floated in my mind.

Had he never been slapped before?

The doubt quickly solidified into certainty.

Of course. Even though he was restrained now, he was still a noble. There was no way he’d ever been slapped.

Wait a second… thinking about it, it makes sense. It’s practically impossible for him to have been slapped before.

After all, not many people could dare to strike him.

As a noble of the Empire, the number of people who could use violence against Aikus was strictly limited.

Fellow nobles, high-ranking priests of the Celestial Church, and his parents were the only ones.

Among them, nobles refrained from using violence unless it was during a duel.

High-ranking priests wouldn’t act unless he committed heresy against the church’s teachings.

That left his parents, but judging from the lord’s demeanor when I met him, I doubted they’d ever raised a hand against him either.

So, the conclusion was clear:

Aikus had just experienced his very first slap in life—thanks to me!

Considering no commoner would risk their life to slap him, this must have been his first.

I smiled.

The first. A first experience! How sweet and profound that notion is.

Imparting a fact previously unknown and offering a new experience—what a fulfilling act!

Sigh, once again, I’ve taken someone’s first experience.

How satisfying. How exhilarating. If I were an ordinary person, I wouldn’t have been able to grant him such a memorable first encounter.

After all, he’s a noble.

But I’m no ordinary person. I’m the Saintess of the Celestial Church.

Though I can’t use divine power, predict the future, or even call myself human…

At least in title, I am a saintess.

Thus, I’m justified. I can strike him. I can mess him up however I please from now on!

Alright, let’s make this a memory he’ll never forget.

I asked him,

“Let me ask you, Aikus. What is your religion?”

“End Church!”

Aikus replied defiantly, his eyes still rebellious. I stared coldly at him.

“Oh dear, it seems the hypnosis hasn’t been broken yet.”

Of course, mental control isn’t some trivial spell. It’s advanced magic, so it wouldn’t break with just one slap.

I didn’t let it bother me. 

Things rarely work perfectly on the first try. Success often comes through trial and error.

This situation was no different. One slap might not be enough to break the mental control.

So, what’s the solution?

The answer was simple.

Just keep hitting until it breaks.

I swung my hand again.

-Smack!

“Argh!”

The sound of flesh meeting flesh rang out once more, followed by Aikus’s scream.

“Let me ask again. What is your religion?”

“You think you’ll get away with this?!”

Still clinging to some shred of hope, Aikus barked back at me.

I smiled at him.

“Yes, now let me ask again. What is your religion?”

“End Church, you demon!”

“Oh dear.”

It seemed he hadn’t been hit enough yet.

-Smack!

“Guhhh!”

Aikus groaned, twisting his body in pain.

I looked at his reddened cheeks and shook my now-stinging hand.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d stop resisting and let the hypnosis break already. My heart aches having to do this. But as the lord’s proxy, I must bear this burden. Ah, such sorrow!”

I turned my gaze away from Aikus, unable to bear the sight of his battered face.

Every time I looked at his reddened cheeks, a strange, ticklish feeling rose within me—a heavy, damp sensation.

Was it sadness?

Yes, I was sad. Incredibly sad.

Even if I’m a demon and considered trash, I still have a heart. 

How could I feel at ease striking someone?

Yet I persisted. 

To cleanse him of his karma and guide him back onto the right path. 

To teach him what happens when you toy with others.

This was education.

No tears came. There was no room for tears in such a solemn ritual.

And frankly, I didn’t feel like crying anyway.

But leaving things as they were wouldn’t do. If I didn’t act, I’d become someone who hits others without a second thought.

Even if I had to smear spit in my eyes to fake tears, I needed to appear remorseful.

Feigning sadness, I rubbed the dry corners of my eyes with my fingers, emphasizing my grief.

Surely, this would convey how heartbroken I was.

However, it seemed others saw it differently.

As I raised my hand to resume “education,” Bliss’s skeptical voice rang out from behind me.

“Lady Ruina, isn’t this just violence…?”

I paused and turned to her, ready to correct her misunderstanding. Not because her words struck a nerve, of course.

Meeting her gaze, I replied,

“It’s treatment.”

“Isn’t this treatment… a bit excessive? Especially with Reina watching…”

Bliss averted her eyes slightly, her voice hesitant, and gestured toward something.

Following her gesture, I saw Reina sitting in a chair, watching us.

Hmm… I suppose this scene might be inappropriate for a child.

Acknowledging her point, I nodded.

“You’re right.”

Bliss’s face brightened slightly at my agreement.

“Exactly! So, for Reina’s sake, let’s stop this and find another method.”

Bliss suggested searching for an alternative.

At this rate, I’d have no choice but to comply.

Then, an idea struck me.

“Then we just need to make sure Reina can’t see.”

“Excuse me?”

Ignoring Bliss’s puzzled tone, I called Reina.

“Reina, come here.”

“Yes~”

Reina trotted over from her chair.

“What is it?” she asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

I instructed her,

“Reina, can you cover your ears with your hands?”

“Like this?”

Reina placed her hands over her ears and looked up at me.

“Good. Now, close your eyes.”

“Like this?”

Reina shut her eyes, though her eyelids quivered slightly. Well, close enough.

“Well done. Can you stay like that for just a moment?”

“Okay~”

Reina nodded cheerfully, her smile bright.

Wait… if she covered her ears, how is she hearing me?

Hmm…

I was curious too, but now wasn’t the time for trivial concerns.

So, I decided to move on.

I turned to Bliss with a confident look.

“See? Now it’s fine. Reina’s eyes are closed, and her ears are covered.”

Though Reina’s fingers left slight gaps and her eyes weren’t fully shut, trembling slightly, she was technically complying.

Yet Bliss still looked unconvinced, her expression doubtful.

“Hmm… Didn’t she cover her ears first? Then how is she hearing you…?”

“Ahem! Isn’t this the kind of trivial doubt we can address later?”

“Well… I suppose so.”

Reluctantly, Bliss nodded. My continued persistence seemed to be having an effect.

“But still, this method is far too strange. Isn’t there truly another way?”

It seemed her core opinion hadn’t changed.

I fought to keep my face from contorting in frustration.

Annoyance bubbled up, and I couldn’t believe it.

Seriously, why is she acting like this now? Just a few days ago, she was smiling while beating people up.

The only difference this time is that the person is tied up. Could it be that she’s uncomfortable with this aspect?

I pondered deeply.

How could I get Bliss to agree to this method? 

No matter what, I didn’t want to resort to gentle hypnosis magic to wake this guy up.

Then, a brilliant idea came to mind.

If she feels uncomfortable about this method, then all I need to do is ensure she doesn’t feel uncomfortable anymore.

In other words, I just need to make Bliss try it herself.

“Hmm? How do you plan to do that?” you ask?

Well, that’s easy.

Pointing at Aikus, I said,

“Then why don’t you try it, Bliss? Once you’ve tried it, your perspective might change.”

“What? Me?”

Bliss pointed at herself, her voice laced with surprise.

I nodded firmly.

“Yes. This is just a form of interrogation. And compared to professional interrogations, it’s quite mild.”

“But… I’ve never done anything like interrogation before. Is that okay?”

“Now’s a great chance to try it for the first time.”

“Won’t this cause trouble later…?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I already got the lord’s permission. So, feel free to proceed. Besides, aren’t you a noble, just like Aikus?”

Of course, saying I had the lord’s permission was a lie.

But not everything I said was false—Bliss and Aikus really were nobles, and influential ones at that.

In fact, I was counting on it. If Aikus later protested, Bliss’s family could crush his complaints with their power.

This was precisely why I wanted Bliss to do this.

Bliss didn’t respond immediately to my suggestion. Judging by her expression, she seemed to be seriously contemplating it.

How much time passed?

As I idly wondered what method might leave Aikus thoroughly humiliated, Bliss finally spoke with a resolute expression.
“I’ll do it.”

“You made the right choice. This will definitely be a valuable experience for you.”

Perfect.

Bliss approached Aikus, seemingly ready to begin.

“And who are you… now?”

Aikus asked weakly, his voice drained of strength, as he noticed the newcomer taking my place.

Instead of answering, Bliss inhaled deeply.

“Hoo…”

And the moment she exhaled—

-Smack!

The sharp sound of a slap echoed through the room.

“Argh!”

“Eh?! I-I mean…”

Startled by Aikus’s scream, Bliss let out a cute squeak and trembled slightly, bowing her head as if unsure what to do next.

But that hesitation was short-lived. She quickly straightened her posture, raised her head, and asked Aikus,

“Are you a heretic?”

Her voice had transformed.

The warm and fresh tone from before had turned cold and dry.

Her previously restless and uncertain expression had hardened into a blank, emotionless mask.

The lively sparkle in her eyes had dulled into lifelessness.

“No!”

Despite her transformation, Aikus found the audacity to shout defiantly.

Bliss, maintaining her icy demeanor, responded,

“Why did you join the End Church?”

“And why do you think that’s any of your—”

-Smack!

“Answer the question.”

Before Aikus could finish his sentence, Bliss struck him across the face and demanded an answer in a frosty voice.

Whether out of frustration or sheer bewilderment, Aikus yelled,
“Tying someone up and beating them like this—do you even call yourselves human?!”

His face was filled with indignation.

-Smack!

But his protests fell on deaf ears. Bliss merely stared at him with disdain.

“Shut up, you filthy trash. Just answer the question. Why did you join the End Church?”

“I have nothing to say to you—!”

-Smack!

“Speak.”

“N-never!”

-Smack!

“Talk! Speak, you heretic!”

Bliss shouted at him, her voice ringing out. But Aikus remained stubbornly silent.

And thus began Bliss’s “treatment.”

Her method was identical to mine—strike, ask, and if he didn’t answer, strike again.

It was exactly the same.

At first, I thought there wouldn’t be any problems.

But soon, I realized I’d made a grave mistake.

The issue was Bliss’s transformation.

-Smack!

“Die, you heretic!”

For reasons unknown, with each passing moment—

-Smack!

“You traitor!”

Her slaps grew harder and harder.

At this stage, I still thought it was fine. I reasoned that increasing force was understandable.

But that assumption shattered when—

“Kya-ha-ha-ha!”

A faint smile began to form on her previously expressionless face.

That’s when I started feeling that something had gone terribly wrong.

Although her expression remained largely blank and her lifeless eyes unchanged…

The corners of her lips were curling upward.

“Kya-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

Her laughter grew louder, quickly overtaking Aikus’s screams and filling the room.

Could this truly be the same person who seemed so hesitant to hit someone earlier?

I immediately covered Reina’s eyes with both hands.

“Ruina, I can’t see!”

“Just bear with it for a little while. This is too early for you to see.”

Reina whined, but I couldn’t help it. This scene was far too inappropriate for an eight-year-old.

Meanwhile, Bliss continued her “treatment.”

Holding Reina’s eyes tightly shut, I watched her.

“Kya-ha-ha-ha! Resist more! Go on, try it!”

-Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

…Had I awakened something that should have remained dormant?

Even as I took a moment to reflect on my actions, Bliss, laughing maniacally, kept striking Aikus with vigor.

Perhaps due to her relentless efforts, Aikus eventually went limp.

And at that moment—

“Oh… oh no! Lady Ruina, he’s not moving!”

Bliss turned to me, her face filled with panic, and shouted.