Poisonous Stew

The subdued priests were all locked up in the temporary prison in the basement of the cathedral for the time being.

After that, the group moved to the banquet hall.

They didn’t have much of an appetite, but they were desperate to fill their hunger.

A little later, the group took their seats at one side of the long banquet table.

In front of each of them was a bowl filled with a stew of unknown origin.

Roderick stirred the stew with a spoon.

“Why is this stew such a murky color?”

Lily took a spoonful and frowned.

“Ugh… it feels like… there’s poison mixed in.”

The two naturally turned their gazes to Ares, who had cooked the stew.

Ares shrugged and answered nonchalantly.

“Ha, you young ones have no taste. Complaining in front of food.”

Seeing Ares scoff, Lily quietly pointed in front of him.

“…Grand Duke, you don’t seem to have taken a single spoonful?”

Ares flinched and cleared his throat.

“Ahem. I’m just not feeling well.”

A strange silence fell, and the three looked at each other without a word.

There were no words, but an atmosphere of silent calculation was quietly exchanged.

Chop chop-

Chop chop-

Roderick, Ares, and Lily all stared at Serina without a word.

While the three were just sizing each other up, Serina was calmly eating the stew.

Lily’s eyes widened.

“Oh my, Serina. Do you like it?”

Roderick clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Serina, I didn’t know you had such a strong stomach…”

Ares grinned and gave Serina a thumbs up.

“As expected, you know what’s good. You’re qualified to be my woman!”

Serina frowned at those words, but continued to eat the stew without saying anything, as if it wasn’t worth responding to.

To be honest, she had hesitated at first because of the fishy smell and suspicious color.

But the moment she put a spoonful in her mouth, the savory and deep flavor of the broth spread in her mouth.

Unexpectedly, it was a delicacy to be tasted in a place like this.

‘Delicious.’

As the meal was coming to an end, Ares opened his mouth.

“The ones who control the Black market call themselves ‘The Veil’.”

Roderick nodded slowly.

“I thought they were just human traffickers… it seems to be a larger organization than I thought. The one called ‘The Dominator’ is said to be the leader.”

Ares scratched his chin and muttered in a low voice.

“Krios or Krepas… something like that. He coughed it up after I broke the fifth guy’s arm.”

“The location?”

“He didn’t know that. He didn’t seem to know much in the first place.”

The moment she heard those words, Serina’s body stiffened.

She looked at Ares with wide eyes and asked carefully.

“Say that again… what?”

Ares raised his eyebrows as if Serina’s reaction was unexpected.

“I said Krios or Krepas? Why, is there a problem?”

Serina looked at Roderick.

“Remember that Witch from back then?”

“Huh? Of course. That crazy old hag…”

“Back then… that Witch called that name before she died. She called him ‘Krios’.”

“How does the Witch know that name? Was that old hag also under that Krios guy? The Veil guys have a wide reach. Geez, it seems like the scale is getting bigger than I thought?”

Ares scoffed with an indifferent expression.

Then he turned to Lily and asked.

“Lily, who am I?”

Lily answered clearly without hesitation.

“You are Grand Duke Ares.”

Ares chuckled as if satisfied.

“Hahaha! That’s right! Is there anyone with a bigger scale than a Grand Duke?”

“No, there isn’t!”

Roderick thought Ares was childish.

But somehow, those arrogant words seemed to make sense.

“Lily, then who am I?”

Lily looked back and forth between Serina and Roderick, then answered with a bright face.

“You are Serina’s lover!”

Pfft-!

Serina spat out the water she was drinking.

“W-What are you talking about!”

Roderick stepped back in embarrassment.

Ares shouted in a rage.

“What, a lover?! Did you two already make out behind my back?!”

Serina held her head and barely tried to calm down.

“What make out… that never happened.”

Then Roderick nudged Ares’ shoulder and teased him.

“You’ve already done it all, why are you acting surprised? Eh-beh-beh.”

Serina grabbed Lily’s hand and left the banquet hall as if she couldn’t take it anymore.

Ares’ complaining shouts could be heard from behind.

‘I’m getting dizzy.’

Serina and Lily left the banquet hall and came out to the cathedral’s vast square.

The cold night air brushed against their cheeks.

A faint smile appeared on Lily’s face.

“The weather is nice, Serina.”

At Lily’s words, Serina turned her head and looked at her.

Serina’s eyes were filled with deep pity.

“…Lily, what on earth happened?”

Lily lowered her head.

Her voice was endlessly subdued.

“…I was arrested under the pretext of making statements that protected Serina. But that wasn’t the only reason. It was all to find out Serina’s whereabouts. In the process… there were instructions from the head butler.”

Serina’s pupils trembled.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Yes… From the captain of the guard who protects Artiel… to the lowest-ranking guard… I became the receptacle for everyone’s semen. If they were clumsy, the head maid would step in and educate them.”

Lily’s story was more horrific than imagined.

“I endured like that, and then I succumbed to lust along with the drug that Evan gave me. After that, I half lost my mind. Then Evan sold me… to Bertrand.”

Serina’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.

“Damn it… I should have killed them all. Because of me… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Like you said, Serina, it’s enough that I’m alive.”

Serina put her arm around Lily’s shoulder.

Lily’s body trembled slightly in the cold night air.

“Do you know what happened to Black Sword? I wouldn’t have been able to escape if Black Sword hadn’t blocked the captain of the guard.”

Lily shook her head.

“I was subdued by the guards, so I didn’t see it in detail. But I saw that the captain of the guard was injured. He was probably injured by Black Sword’s attack. I haven’t seen Black Sword since then.”

“With that skill, there wouldn’t have been anyone to catch him.”

Lily spoke in a cautious voice.

A shadow fell over her face again.

“Serina, I’m actually… worried.”

Serina tilted her head.

“What are you worried about? It’s okay now.”

She tried to reassure Lily, but Lily’s expression darkened even more.

“I didn’t know I could feel orgasms this much until now.”

Lily’s voice grew smaller and smaller.

It seemed to be a mixture of shame and confusion.

“I don’t know if I can go back to the way I was. Actually, even now…”

Lily couldn’t continue and bit her lip.

“Even now… what?”

Lily avoided Serina’s eyes and said shyly.

Lily’s cheeks were flushed red.

“Just seeing a man… my heart races, and like this…”

Lily raised her skirt without hesitation.

Vaginal fluid was flowing down between her pure white thighs.

That sight clearly showed Lily’s change.

Serina was speechless at the sight of Lily awkwardly spreading her legs and holding up her skirt.

Lily’s eyes were filled with a mixture of confusion and desire.

Lily barely managed to say in a trembling voice.

“Now, whenever I encounter a man… I always look at his lower body first. I don’t know what to do anymore. I didn’t know I was so lewd…”

Beyond simple physical pain, the Curse of Pleasure had penetrated even her mind.

‘Curse of Pleasure…’

From early dawn, Serina headed to the Archbishop’s residence where Roderick and Ares were.

Lily followed Serina with hurried steps.

In front of the Archbishop’s residence, Roderick opened his mouth anxiously.

“What are you going to do meeting the Archbishop? Even if he comes to his senses for a moment, it will be difficult to have a conversation in his current state.”

Serina pursed her lips and didn’t answer.

It was because she had already confirmed the possibility in her head.

Serina, who had been staring at the door, nodded as if she had made a decision.

“Roderick, and Grand Duke Ares. Please protect me well.”

“What, no, I’m already protecting you, but…”

Ares smiled with a greasy expression.

“It’s the first time I’ve been asked to guard someone. But… I’ll make an exception since she’s going to be my woman.”

Serina ignored Ares’ words and continued.

“No matter what sounds you hear inside… you must never open the door, got it?”

Serina’s eyes were full of determination.

The two nodded with bewildered expressions.

“Okay.”

“I will.”

Serina turned to Lily and said.

“Lily, let’s go in together.”

“M-Me too? I explained it yesterday…”

“That’s not enough. Will you help me?”

Lily fidgeted with her fingers and approached Serina.