Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: Corporal Punishment
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[Come to think of it, your situation really is pretty rough.]
"Huh?"
[The only guy who needs to teach someone studies while also calming down the Vessel of the Demon and the Saintess? You might be the only one in all of human history.]
“...”
Don't say things that make me sad.
I let out a sigh at Kaliban's words and looked at the room in front of me.
Yuria's room had an unexpectedly decadent, adult vibe oozing from it.
The biggest reason was probably the smell wafting from the entrance.
‘...Alcohol?’
Even without opening the door, the sharp scent of booze hit me from outside.
Sure, she was an adult, so there was nothing technically stopping her from drinking.
But considering her image, it just didn't fit at all.
Her looks, her usual demeanor—she seemed like the type who'd built a wall around anything remotely fun or indulgent, let alone alcohol.
Not because she was some model student or anything, but...
Because she had no one to do it with.
“...”
It was a sad assessment even coming from me, but it was the undeniable truth.
Which, flipped around, also meant...
She was in a pretty dangerous state right now.
This was the girl who'd somehow endured being left alone in a corner of the academy facilities for so long.
And now, with her sister nearby, she'd drowned herself in booze? That meant she was really pushed to her mental limits.
That vibe hit me the moment I opened the door and stepped inside.
“...Oh, it's Dawood.”
“...”
The moment I opened the door, Yuria slurred those words out with her tongue all tangled.
Just seeing her like that told me everything.
“...This, this has gotta be a dream, right? There's no way Dawood would come looking for someone like me.”
She giggled as she muttered that.
She was smiling, but underneath it was that dazed, hopeless vibe unique to someone who'd completely let go of any hope.
“I guess I didn't drink enough. Ehehe...”
“...”
I sighed at the sight of Yuria bringing the bottle back to her lips with dead eyes and a beaming smile.
Her condition was seriously bad.
Normally, Lucien would've taken care of her before she got this far, but right now, even she was out of commission.
According to Ophelia Knight, both of them had holed up in their rooms for days without coming out.
“...Snap out of it.”
I said that as I snatched the bottle she'd been about to shove back in her mouth.
“Cut it out with this stuff.”
“...”
Yuria blinked at her now-empty hand, then at mine where I'd taken the bottle, back and forth.
Then her face rapidly drained of color.
She'd realized I wasn't a hallucination or anything.
“D-Dawood...?!”
“Yeah. It's Dawood. I came because I have something to say.”
She scrambled back like she'd seen a ghost, pressing herself against the wall.
In that state, she desperately fiddled with the worn-out necklace around her neck. And the handkerchief of mine hanging next to it.
No idea how much she'd toyed with them, but the family crest was already worn to the point of unrecognizability, and I'd only given it to her recently.
It must've become a habit.
“...”
Scary.
What was so special about that thing that she'd imbued it with so much meaning?
And now I had to say what I came to say to her in this state.
“Take that off.”
The moment I pointed at the necklace and said it, Yuria's face went stark white.
Her whole body trembled. Tears welled up in her eyes.
She looked like unavoidable doom had finally arrived.
“...I'm sorry.”
The first thing out of her mouth was a frail, sobbing whisper.
“I'm sorry, please don't throw me away, I'll do anything, anything, so please, please...”
“...”
“I did wrong. I did wrong, Dawood. Don't throw me away...”
She mumbled it like she'd lost her mind. Her eyes wandered aimlessly.
By the end, it came out as a guttural scream from deep in her throat, tears streaming down.
Compared to her drunken stupor earlier, she looked completely unhinged now.
[System Message]
[ Target 'Yuria's' corruption level rapidly increases! ]
[ It breaks through 90%! ]
“...”
I sighed inwardly at the sight.
I gave the 'plan' one last check.
I'm total trash at stuff like this. Never done it before.
But considering the nature of demons, this should work.
When it comes to anything related to me, demons go red-eyed with envy over things other demons can't have. They obsess over forming bonds in ways the others can't. Just look at how the blue demon fell for it hook, line, and sinker when I put myself up as collateral last time.
But among them...
Only the white demon accepts any kind, no matter how extreme.
The Demon of Obsession, flipped around, means it'll accept anything to avoid letting go.
In other words...
Even in a situation where she's 'wronged' me, there's a way to smooth things over as a temporary fix.
[ 'Title: Rake's' effect activates! ]
[ Corrections apply to your actions! ]
Yeah. Knew it'd kick in.
Then...
The 'new necklace' I'd gotten from Vulcan clicked onto Yuria's neck.
Her eyes widened in shock.
She fumbled around her neck in disbelief.
“I know nothing I say will clear your mind. So...”
My cold voice settled low over the room.
“You need to be punished, right?”
The vibe I was going for was like a 'romance novel antagonist duke obsessed with the heroine.'
You know.
That super charismatic bad boy type.
Loud guffaws erupted from the Soul Linker.
[Y-You're doing the antagonist duke bit? Th-this, f-fuck, holy shiiiiit, bwahahahahaha-!]
“...”
Shut up.
But thanks to the trait, I kept up the performance smoothly despite the heckling.
“...P-Punishment?”
I tossed the words at the dazed Yuria, keeping the same tone.
“Tomorrow evening. Come out beyond the Elpante dorms. That's where I'll administer your 'punishment.'”
Not just coldly, though.
I wove in a subtle undercurrent of 'possessiveness' for that sophisticated emotional layering.
The nuance that I didn't just hate her—I was using this as an excuse to mess around with her now that I had leverage.
The Rake trait was amazing. It gave me the ability to talk like a real playboy.
“In the meantime, I'm confiscating this.”
I dangled the necklace I'd just removed in front of her eyes.
I followed up with a mocking tone.
“A bad girl like you doesn't need something like this, right?”
“...N-No, give it back...”
I wrapped my hand around the chain connected to the new necklace on Yuria as she desperately reached out. She let out a shallow yelp and got yanked toward me.
With her right in my face, I grabbed both her cheeks in one hand and let out a lecherous voice.
“We'll see tomorrow, depending on your attitude.”
“...”
Yuria's eyes went wide as she stared at me.
“...Th-Then...”
She swallowed hard.
“If I show you a good side of me, Dawood... could I get it back?”
“Possible.”
I slicked my hair back coolly as I replied.
Someone was choking inside the Soul Linker, but I kept the elegant vibe going.
“Though it'll be damn hard.”
“...”
At that, resolve hardened on Yuria's face.
“...I'll do it! Whatever you ask!”
[System Message]
[ Target 'Yuria' finds hope in your words! ]
[ Target's corruption level sharply decreases! ]
Perfect.
Mission accomplished.
From her perspective, this was finally her chance at forgiveness for her 'sin.' Just telling her 'you're forgiven' wouldn't cut it—she'd worry it was empty words.
Nailing this much set the perfect groundwork for the 'event' I had planned tomorrow.
Do it right, and I could kill two birds with one stone.
Including handling the grand assassin who'd be dogging my every step.
“...We'll see if you can keep it up.”
I left those words behind and stepped out of Yuria's room.
[System Message]
[ Title 'Rake' deactivates! ]
[ Skilled gaslighting! Proficiency increases! ]
[ Judged highly suitable for your aptitude! Title will soon be strengthened! ]
“...”
The windows popped up, and at the same moment...
[...]
[...]
Two portions of heavy silence stabbed from the Soul Linker.
Two people, huh? Valkasus must be up for once in a while.
[About you, my lord.]
‘Valkasus. Quiet.’
[Normally, I'd oblige. But waking up after so long to this spectacle? Even I have to say something.]
“...”
[I know full well that young lady's anger stems from you. You nearly died from your own screw-up, yet now you're turning it around like she's the one at fault?]
“...”
[I trust you know what I'm getting at.]
As I stayed silent, Kaliban chimed in with a laughing tone.
[Hey, Boy King.]
[What.]
[Ever heard of a standing ovation?]
[I haven't, but I gather it's a cultural expression of admiration. Directed at this man's shattered personality, I presume?]
[We get each other, old timer.]
Clap clap clap clap.
Clap clap clap clap.
“...”
I yanked out the Soul Linker at the nonstop applause.
He'd been out of commission for ages, and now he'd picked up Kaliban's habits.
“...Haa.”
I sighed and fiddled with the 'spare' necklace in my pocket.
I'd handled Yuria somehow, but there was one more person who needed this.
Someone else in a similar depressive funk who needed my touch, and as an extra 'safety measure' for tomorrow's event.
Right nearby.
●
To Lucien Grayhauncher, the cathedral evoked dual emotions.
The first was comfort.
It was the place she'd spent the most time since childhood, so it was only natural.
The hard stone floors of the nave, the soft darkness of the confessional, the quiet hush, the serene incense wafting from the thurible.
All of it formed the bulk of the memories that made up who Lucien was. She couldn't hate it even if she tried.
But the second emotion was the polar opposite.
Most of the bad things she'd endured in the Holy Empire had happened here too.
A fate of being 'raised' like a bird in a cage, to be used in the Pontiff's plans later on.
‘Paradise Project.’
In one corner of the Holy Empire lay a place called the Sanctuary.
It looked like barren ruins with nothing there, but it was pretty well-known among merchants and thrill-seekers. High-quality holy relics often turned up nearby.
Religiously, it held great significance too.
Not as famous as the Void Zone where demons slept, but legends whispered of the 'Legions of Angels' slumbering there.
And the Pontiff was a man dreaming of reviving 'something' from that place.
Yuria and she were set to be sacrificed as the 'keys' to that plan.
And...
The man who'd saved her and her sister from that fate.
“...”
Lucien's focus shattered mid-prayer as she offered water to the reliquary.
An image from that 'incident' flashed through her mind.
The man who'd taken a near-fatal wound from her sister's sword, halved in two.
Even in that near-death state, he'd held her back to the end, warning her she might get hurt.
That image wouldn't leave her head.
“...”
Her concentration broke.
She bit her lip until it bled.
She'd never once lost focus during prayer, but lately, even simple concentration was impossible.
Every time, a suffocating guilt gnawed at her mind like rot.
She was powerless.
Even with the title of Saintess, she couldn't protect the one man who'd shown her such kindness.
“You're here after all.”
Lucien flinched like an electric current had shot through her at the voice.
It was that man's voice—the one she'd just been thinking of.
“...What brings you to a place like—”
Before she could finish.
Click.
A necklace snapped onto Lucien's neck.
“...?”
Lucien stared at him in bewilderment.
She'd failed to process what had just happened.
Then, with a puzzled look, she brushed her neck.
Yeah.
A collar.
The kind you put on animals.
At least...
Not something you'd casually slap on the Saintess at the pinnacle of continental faith.
“...”
“...”
A heavy silence fell between Dawood and her.
Lucien closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Her best effort not to lose her temper.
If not for the guilt toward this man permeating her recent life, she'd have squeezed out some holy power and shattered his jaw by now.
“...Explain.”
She'd even dropped her usual honorifics, but Dawood didn't call her out on it.
The fact that she hadn't slapped him yet was already a hugely rational response.
“Saintess.”
So, he needed to explain well.
Dawood took several deep breaths before speaking.
Right, he'd botched things with bad timing more than once or twice.
This time, he'd get proper cooperation through logical, rational explanation.
“There’s a reason for this.”
“Cut the crap and get to the point.”
“...No, I mean, the reason I put this on—”
“Just say what you plan to do with it. You trash bastard. Sum it up in one sentence.”
“...”
The icy words made Dawood shut his mouth.
Ah, this wasn't going to fly with explanations.
Then, at least make it pleasant.
He flashed a refreshing smile. Radiating positive energy, Dawood spoke brightly, one hand holding the 'leash' attached to the collar around Lucien's neck.
Like handling a pet.
“Do you like walks, by any chance?”
Then, Dawood dodged the incoming slap aimed at snapping his neck with full power.
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