Chapter 655
Chapter 655
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 655
Chapter Title: Exposed
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No matter how promiscuous or wild a witch might be, none would ever adorn their most intimate areas with such jewelry.
At least, not a single one that Alice knew of.
It wasn't by her own choice, and now that she had escaped Rozhi's clutches, Alice still wore those grotesque piercings—not to seduce Si-woo.
'These can't be removed for the rest of my life.'
Rozhi had said that to Alice with a cruel smile while piercing her.
With Alice's magic restricted, her words rang true.
At a glance, the piercings looked like ordinary earrings, but they were a kind of curse.
The moment they were attached, they fused with her blood vessels, using a gimmick of "living metal" that couldn't be removed without severe consequences.
Alice's heart tore to shreds as she tempted the man in an appearance even a whore wouldn't stoop to.
A humiliation and shame unlike anything she'd ever felt made tears well up in her eyes.
Alice barely lifted her head.
And felt her churning heart freeze solid.
"......"
Separate from the humiliation, Alice had been half-convinced.
No matter how upright the man, she could melt him down and seduce him.
But the moment she saw him, she realized her plan had gone awry.
He wasn't the least bit distracted by her naked body.
He didn't even glance at the lewdly dangling ornaments.
He simply examined her complexion with a serious expression.
I'm under suspicion.
A sharp intuition flashed through her mind.
"I won't do it."
"Wh-why...?"
"It's suspicious. Anyone would think so. Coming on like this out of nowhere."
The response was as expected—a cold rejection that sliced like a knife.
There was no mocking sneer at her loose morals, but it was clear he was firmly resolved not to sleep with her, no matter what.
"I don't know what you're thinking, but let go."
Si-woo shook off Alice's hand gripping his wrist tightly.
This was a disaster.
Seduction had failed completely.
Explaining the situation and at least getting his semen would expose her to Rinne's order not to let him find out.
"Ev-even after I've gone this far, you won't?"
She knew she was directing her resentment at the wrong target.
But the shame of rejection despite her unwanted vulgar temptation, coupled with the bewilderment from "it might already be too late," ignited her resentment in the wrong direction.
"What kind of man are you! J-just thrust in once, that's all!"
Alice yelled at Si-woo, tears brimming in her eyes.
The moment she shouted, she regretted it.
Everything from one to ten was a mess.
Misjudging on her own, hastily attempting a clumsy seduction only to get rejected and lash out.
It was all pathetic.
That was how cornered Alice was.
Her magic restricted, captured in a city of enemies, gang-raped and tortured for nearly a week, and now forced to seduce a man whose mere touch made her skin crawl, with Manya and Malisha held hostage.
In the end, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.
Everything was ruined.
Disgust welled up at her own incompetence.
"Alice."
A blanket draped over her shoulders.
He glanced around briefly, then knelt on one knee to meet her eyes.
"Calm down and hear me out."
Alice wiped her tears with her sleeve.
"Someone else is involved, right?"
"No. I... I wanted to..."
She shook her head in denial first.
Rinne had secured Manya and Malisha.
As long as even a tiny possibility remained, Alice intended to follow her orders.
"I won't tell a soul. Did your master order you to sleep with me?"
His whisper dropped even lower, barely audible without watching his lips.
"Be honest."
A calm, steady voice meant to reassure.
Alice didn't know him well.
But at this point, she vaguely realized.
Rinne and Si-woo had newly formed a master-disciple bond.
Rinne was monitoring Si-woo for some reason.
And he had a faint inkling of that, not fully trusting Rinne either.
Otherwise, he wouldn't say things like "Did your master order you?" or "I won't tell anyone."
Amid her crumbling plans, Alice felt like she'd spotted a dangling lifeline.
What if she exploited the rift between him and Rinne somehow? A new option presented itself.
Of course, compared to Rinne's side, Si-woo's line was as thin as a spider's thread...
"I might be able to help. But explain first."
There was a sincerity in him beyond words.
A different kind from Rinne's ruthless gravity.
"The truth is..."
It was a dead end anyway.
Sniffling, Alice confessed everything Rinne had ordered her to do.
"Understood. Wait here a moment."
"Wh-where are you going?"
"To make evidence."
It might have been a shocking statement, but Si-woo nodded calmly and stepped out briefly.
2.
It was well past midnight by now.
Alice entered Rinne's room.
Aside from a few more ornate screens and decorations, Rinne's room was no different from the other guest quarters.
Rinne knelt in meditation in the dim center of the bare room without cushions.
Whenever Alice visited, Rinne was always in that state.
Gehenna had its share of ascetic orthodox witches, but Rinne took it to extremes.
Sixteen hours of training a day, then not rest or leisure, but meditation.
Alice wondered what drove her to this.
"Sit."
Only after Alice sat did Rinne's eyelids lift.
Deep, cold silver-gray eyes pierced Alice.
"I slept with him."
Feeling her skin prickle under the razor-sharp gaze that cut like a knife, she cautiously pulled out a small vial.
Inside was the semen Si-woo had extracted behind the screen.
He'd added a few drops of his own fluids just in case, disguising it as "they'd at least done it."
He hadn't explained why he was helping Alice.
Even if he had reasons, since she'd spied on him, he'd remain cautious.
But submitting fake evidence with his help meant she was now tied to his side.
It was the best Alice could do.
She suppressed her pounding heart with slow breaths.
No matter how small the pavilion, there was distance from Rinne's room to the others.
Rinne couldn't discern by sound whether they'd actually done it.
With their stories aligned, dodging Rinne's suspicion would make it a perfect crime.
"......"
Terrifying.
That expressionless face would slit her throat without hesitation if the lie was exposed.
"How was it?"
Rinne, who had shown no reaction even when Alice reported on his condition the next night.
This was her first question.
"How was it..."
It was too vague.
"It was my first time with a man... It, it was good."
What else could she say when forced into sex and asked "how was it"?
But Rinne's lips didn't twitch at the report, so Alice added a few words reflexively.
"He seemed satisfied too... I think the seduction worked."
"Any peculiarities?"
"Peculiarities...?"
Did intimate relations between men and women require noting peculiarities like among women?
Alice felt a bit thrown off by the serious expression.
"No peculiarities?"
And she asked twice.
Alice swallowed discreetly.
Answering an unclear intent felt uncomfortable.
Especially since she hadn't actually slept with Si-woo.
"For example, what kind of peculiarities...?"
"Like mana fluctuations."
"...?"
It grew even more baffling.
What did sex have to do with mana fluctuations?
"......"
Rinne's silence stretched on.
3.
"We're screwed..."
He'd finally ejaculated from masturbation after so long.
Already exhausted to death, masturbating on top made his body feel like it was dying—a natural consequence.
But his eyes were wide awake.
At least until he confirmed Rinne's reaction from Alice, sleep was out of the question.
He was plenty wary that Rinne wasn't as straightforward as she seemed.
But the mission Alice had been given hinted at something entirely different.
Let's examine it point by point.
First, Rinne had specifically ordered "intercourse."
Of course, it could be simply forcing a "honey trap" to use Alice as an efficient spy.
After all, the psychological barrier between those who've shared flesh drops drastically.
"Hm..."
But what if not?
What if Rinne held clues about mana amplification and was using Alice to verify it?
With his own feet already in hot water, he couldn't ignore that hypothesis.
Was there any such lead?
Plenty knew about the mana amplification, but they were all trusted inner circle or lovers with no betrayal risk.
Assuming no leaks, had there been any incident Rinne could have noticed?
"What... what is it..."
As he racked his brain, a flash of memory struck.
"Ah..."
There was.
A highly likely moment, for sure.
He couldn't fathom why it hadn't come to mind until now.
-Creak, creak
Then, two sets of footsteps approached his room—one Alice's, the other Rinne's.
"Kyaa!"
The moment Rinne entered, she shoved Alice toward Si-woo.
Si-woo, half-rising awkwardly, caught her.
Wondering if something was wrong, he looked at Rinne, but she was as usual.
Her mask-like expression unchanged.
"Master? What's this about suddenly?"
There was no confirmation Alice's lie was exposed, so he acted per their aligned story.
I.e., they'd slept together, and Si-woo was unaware of Rinne's orders to Alice.
"I need to confirm myself."
And then he realized from Rinne's words.
"Do it in front of me."
Sure enough, Rinne had seen Si-woo and Eloa having sex.