Chapter 35: Corporal Punishment
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35: Corporal Punishment
“When we first set out to chase that witch, just the few of us, I was certain we would die… But we were lucky. We found a witch who was full of openings, and that’s how we were able to take her head.”
So said Elesis, recounting her tale of valor—how she was granted this church, how she managed to capture the witch.
The more I heard of the details, the more I understood that she wasn't just some thief who had stolen the credit for my master's accomplishments.
But still…
Without my master, I can't even imagine her achieving something like that.
The only reason she, a rookie holy knight, was able to slay the witch was 99% thanks to my master. If not for my master, the army that had been targeting the Fire Witch would have killed her, and the reward would have been split among countless people.
Considering the story that the extermination squad, composed solely of holy knights, had failed to hunt the witch and suffered considerable losses before the army was even dispatched, it was doubtful whether that army would have succeeded in the first place.
The fact that the Fire Witch just happened to be there, and that she was too distracted to pay any attention to Elesis—it was all thanks to my master.
If that’s the case, doesn’t that make my master the de facto owner of this church? And as her rightful disciple, wouldn’t I have some authority here too?
At that thought, my attitude instantly grew arrogant.
“…Yohan? What’s with you all of a sudden?”
“Now that I think about it, I don’t see any reason for me to be so deferential.”
“I don’t quite understand what you mean… Well, anyway, the reason I asked for some of your time is about this.”
As she spoke, Elesis took a necklace from her bosom. It was far too ornate for a cleric to carry.
A large jewel had once been set in its center. Now, wherever that central jewel had gone, the setting was empty.
“What happened? Where’s the jewel?”
“Right here. It shattered the moment I did as that person instructed.”
She then pulled a jewel, split in half, from her bosom. It had once been a flawless, beautiful gem, but now that it was broken, it looked like a cheap toy made of glass.
Its value had plummeted, but I doubted Elesis, a cleric, had brought it out to discuss such matters.
“Back then, that person told me that if any harm were to come to them, I should hold this and pray. I did so, and at that moment, the jewel shattered.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. This is what I wanted to ask. With this, have I fulfilled my duty? Or did it break because my grip was too strong?”
“Hmm…”
I didn’t know either. But with my pride as my master’s disciple on the line, I couldn’t possibly say that. I took the necklace and the jewel from her and spoke nonchalantly.
“I’ll ask my master.”
“Yes. Would you do that?”
“Is that all you wanted to ask?”
“Ah, there is one more thing I need to say.”
“What is it?”
As I took the necklace, Elesis’s expression hardened, and she opened her mouth to speak.
“If I have fulfilled my duty, then my life debt is repaid—the next time we meet, we will be enemies. Disciple of the witch.”
“…Hey, isn't it normal to say that after you've confirmed it? What would you do if I lied and said your duty wasn't over?”
“Th-That’s…”
“Be honest, it's because you don't want to fight my master, right? You want me to say your duty is still pending so you can relieve some of that guilt…”
“…You should leave now.”
As if I’d struck a nerve, Elesis immediately threw me out. Kicked out of the church, I realized that more time had passed than I’d thought.
By now, I should have been eating breakfast. Including the time it would take to go back and prepare it, we’d be eating much later than usual.
Master must be hungry.
I urged Margaret to hurry back to the cabin. To my surprise, my master, who is usually weak in the mornings, was already awake and sitting at the dining table by herself.
“Master? You’re awake? I’ll get breakfast ready right away…”
“Yohan.”
“Yes? Yes. What is it…”
“Come here.”
I tilted my head and trotted over to her. The way I approached whenever my name was called made me feel like a pet.
And perhaps she really did think of me as one, because as I drew near, my master pulled me into a tight embrace. Drawn into her arms by the irresistible grip of a beautiful woman, she buried her face in the nape of my neck and began to breathe in deeply, over and over.
“Snnniff—haaa, snniff… haaa.”
“M-Master?”
“Stay still.”
“Yes, yes…”
After inhaling my scent for a long while, she seemed to notice something that bothered her. She stopped breathing in and began to stare at me intently.
“Yohan.”
“Yessir…”
“Where have you been?”
“Ah, I went to the city to buy ingredients…”
“I see. Then why do you smell of another woman?”
Another woman’s scent? I had no idea what she was talking about, so I tilted my head and asked if she meant Margaret’s scent.
At that, my master looked up at me with lifeless eyes.
“I see. So Yohan is trying to deceive even his master.”
“No, that’s not it, really… I haven’t done anything like that…”
“Are you saying that your master is lying?”
“N-No, that’s… not it, right?”
“So you’re admitting you lied to me?”
“Uh… is that how it is?”
Something felt strange, but they were my master’s words, so they couldn’t be wrong. When I nodded, she quickly rose to her feet and led me toward her room.
Even as she pulled me along, I kept glancing back at the dining table.
“Ah, um, I need to prepare breakfast…”
“You can do it later.”
“But…”
“Is breakfast important right now? When you, Yohan, have deceived me?”
“No, I didn’t—wait, did I? What?”
My head was spinning. I couldn’t think straight. As if my mind was being consumed by something, it refused to work properly.
In the midst of my confusion, my master acted with firm resolve, pulling me along.
“You need to be punished, don’t you?”
“Punishment… uh, a punishment… do I have to be?”
“It’s common sense to be punished when you’ve done something wrong, isn’t it?”
“I suppose so… but did I do something wrong?”
“…Are you saying that trying to deceive your master wasn’t wrong?”
“It was wrong. I was wrong, Master.”
Only after admitting it did I feel my head clear. My master’s word was truth, and since I had wronged her, I had to obey her…!
However, I was still afraid of pain, so I spoke cautiously.
“Um, Master…”
“Yeees?”
“I don’t like pain, so… please make it a punishment that doesn’t hurt…”
“…Are you in any position to be making such requests?”
“Ah, you’re right. Was that not allowed? Then I take it back.”
Perhaps because I was flip-flopping after agreeing to be punished, my master looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
Nevertheless, she succeeded in leading me into her room. Trembling with fear about what kind of punishment awaited me, I squeezed my eyes shut. I felt my body lift into the air and get tossed onto the bed.
Feeling the soft mattress support me, I carefully opened my eyes. Was this the punishment? Being thrown onto the bed?
Unfortunately, no. As I lay on the bed, my master quickly climbed on top of me. She leaped on, and if I hadn't tensed up beforehand, I would have let out an involuntary gasping groan.
“…Yohan?”
“I wasn’t thinking anything strange. I swear.”
“What? What are you suddenly… Never mind. You need to be punished, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Don’t tremble like that. The punishment is─this.”
Mwah-.
My master leaned in and lowered her head, pressing a kiss to the nape of my neck. Having done so, she blushed and began to tremble.
“S-So? You have to stay here with me all day! And I’m going to completely cover up the scent of those other girls on your body with my own!”
“A-All day!?”
“Yes! All day!”
“C-Can’t I eat either?”
“…No. You can’t.”
“What about the restroom?”
“No, you can’t go—wait! Your beautiful, lovely master is offering to spend the whole day with you! And that’s how you react!?”
“But… this is a punishment, isn’t it? I can’t be happy while being punished…”
“Ah—r-right. I forgot.”
It was common sense to suffer during a punishment, but my master seemed to want me to be happy about it.
That wouldn’t make it a punishment at all.
Realizing this a moment too late, she scratched her cheek before kissing my neck again. It was hard to believe this was the same person who had fainted just a few days ago from a simple peck on the cheek.
Mwah, mwah- With every kiss my master planted all over my body, with every touch of her soft lips, my heart began to pound. The burning lust stirred my excitement.
“Master.”
“Y-Yes?”
“I’m hard.”
“Wh-Wha? What are you suddenly…”
“It’s so agonizing I feel like I could ravish you right now, but I have to endure it, right? Because it’s a punishment.”
“Ah, I don’t think you need to endure that…”
“What? But isn’t it supposed to be agonizing for it to be a punishment? Otherwise, it’s not a punishment, it’s a reward, right? I’ll endure it.”
“N-No—that… Yes. Endure it. Endure it to the very end.”
When I told her I was in agony from my erection, my master, for some reason, started to look gloomy. Was punishing her disciple that painful for her?
Seeing my master suffer just from punishing her disobedient disciple, I couldn’t just stand by.
“Master! Don’t worry! No matter how much I suffer! No matter how aroused I get! This disciple will never lay a hand on you!”
“No, if it’s too hard, you don’t have to…”
“No! Even if my balls burst and I die! I will absolutely!!! never!!! lay a hand on you, Master!!!”
As I shouted, my master let out a deep sigh and buried her face in my neck.
Glaring at me, she started sucking on my neck, almost to the point of it being painful.
It hurt, but I could bear it.
The next day.
As the sun rose and I came to my senses, I realized that I hadn’t been in my right mind yesterday.