Atonement
I stepped out through the main gate of the Renatri estate. Osphel bowed deeply at the waist and asked,
“Um… Are you certain you don’t need me to escort you outside the Stronghold?”
“Why? Worried I’ll get snatched off the street?”
“That couldn’t possibly happen.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve wandered every corner of this place just fine until now.”
Osphel lowered his head at my words. It was only a small gesture, yet his face and bearing radiated clear loyalty toward me.
“Then I’ll see you later. I’ll drop by from time to time.”
“Yes, sir. Please take care.”
I began to walk away but paused, glancing back at the sixth floor of the mansion. A woman stood at the window, quietly watching me.
Rinnel Renatri. The true power behind the Renatri family.
I told her to treat her husband well… Osphel’s going to be bouncing off the walls with excitement for a while.
I turned away again. The moment I slipped into the alley between buildings, I cast an invisibility spell and concealed my body. I wove through the back streets, aiming to leave the Stronghold, when a familiar voice suddenly drifted from the corner ahead.
“Hmmm~”
- Yo, your second wife just showed up!
‘What the hell do you mean, second wife!’
I mentally shouted at Beres and slowly raised my head. A woman stepped out from the right side of the alley—striking red hair and an eyepatch covering one eye. Bella Hardrens.
She beamed the instant our eyes met and began humming cheerfully.
“How did you know I was here?”
“You were taking forever, so I did a little digging~”
She strode straight up to me and sniffed. Something clearly displeased her. Her face went dead serious.
“What?”
“You… You’ve been rolling around with a woman all this time, haven’t you?”
“No, that’s—”
“It’s true. There are only two women in that house, and you wouldn’t touch a twelve-year-old girl. So it has to be that bitch, right? Rinnel?”
Whew. The look in her eyes was downright terrifying—murderous enough to make my skin crawl. If I left her like this, she really might storm the Renatri estate and tear the place apart. I quickly slipped my arm through hers.
The violent, storm-like killing intent vanished in an instant. A soft, melting-marshmallow atmosphere radiated from her instead.
As expected from simple-minded Bella… Looks like she’s calmed down a little.
“Have you eaten breakfast?”
“Not yet. Kael, want to grab some together before we head back?”
“What time is it…”
“Aing~ Master, Bella’s so hungry she feels like she’s going to die~”
She grabbed my arm and yanked. As expected of a knight—my whole body was dragged along helplessly.
“Fine, fine. Let’s do that.”
“Kyaa! Thank you, Master~ Chu♥”
Bella gave me a quick peck, then made a face like she couldn’t bear to pull away. She immediately pounced again. I wrapped my arms around the girl clinging to me and sucking greedily at my lips, then carefully slipped deeper into the alley.
Even though it was early morning, quite a few people were already out and about.
Bella finally detached her mouth from mine, licked my lips and nose with her tongue, and asked,
“Kael, how about a round before we eat?”
She clearly wanted it badly.
The moment she said it, the previously quiet Beres popped up again.
- Back entrance route confirmed!
‘You shut the hell up.’
That damn back-entrance obsession. I ignored Beres’s whining, stroked Bella’s firm thighs and ass, and said,
“Tonight.”
“Kyaa♥ Okay!”
And so, early in the morning, we strolled the streets in search of food. It had just passed seven o’clock, and classes didn’t start until ten, so we had plenty of time.
“What do you feel like eating, Kael?”
“Just something light. Stew and bread would be perfect.”
“Really? Then let’s go to a place I know!”
Bella linked arms with me and smiled brightly. That smile was so girlish it actually softened my image of her a little.
Well, since things have turned out this way, I might as well learn more about Bella.
Ever since our first meeting, the question of how she had fused the Sage's Stone with her body had never left my mind. I had been too busy to dig deeper, but now that three free hours had suddenly appeared, my head was spinning with nothing but thoughts about that stone.
- You’re seriously sick, you moron.
‘Aren’t you curious too, Beres?’
- Nah, I hate headaches.
We reached the restaurant. I sat quietly, simply watching her. Bella leaned forward, bringing her face close, and flashed a bright smile.
“Does our little puppy have something he wants to ask big sis?”
“If I do, will you answer?”
Bella gave a meaningful little smile.
“Depends on how you ask?”
She stood up, walked over, and sat directly on my thigh. Leaning her whole body against mine, she winked.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“What’s the problem? We’re the only ones in the shop~”
A strange sensation rose. She was slowly rolling her hips, rubbing her crotch against my groin. At the same time she reached up, tangled her fingers in my hair, and gave me a short, sweet kiss.
“Go ahead and ask. If it’s something I can teach you, I will.”
I didn’t hesitate.
“That stone in your eye—how is something like that even possible?”
“Aha? So that’s what you’ve been curious about? Hehe.”
Bella made a mischievous face—the exact expression a child makes when pulling a prank. Given that her personality was childlike too, it suited her perfectly. She continued,
“You didn’t sleep with me just because you wanted to know that, right?”
“Of course not…”
“Then?”
“Obviously because I’m interested in you.”
The woman laughed. It was a genuinely beautiful smile.
She hummed in thought for a moment, then asked,
“Then if you could only choose one—making love with me or learning the secret of the Sage’s Stone—which would you pick?”
“Obviously…”
At that exact moment, she cast a spell. From the formula, it was Truth or Lie—magic that determined whether the other person’s words were true or false.
“Even with this, proving the truth is…”
“Don’t worry. Did you forget I have this in one eye? It’s at least B-rank.”
I was rendered speechless.
The Truth or Lie spell was only useful at B-rank or higher. Anything lower lacked reliability. The real issue was how incredibly difficult it was to raise one’s understanding of the spell. In the entire vast empire, only two mages were officially capable of using it at B-rank or above.
Yet Bella had compensated for her insufficient comprehension with sheer mana volume—thanks to the Sage’s Stone and its near-infinite power.
I hesitated. Should I tell the truth?
“I…”
Right then, Beres cut in.
- Obviously it’s love. Right?
‘No, I’m more curious about the Sage’s Stone.’
- Is curiosity more important than the greater cause?
‘Ah…’
Understanding what he meant, I ended my hesitation at once. The old Aslan might have chosen differently, but the current me—Kael—dreamed of creating an equal world by sowing my seed everywhere.
I smiled brightly and answered in a perfectly steady voice.
“Of course it’s love with you, Bella.”
The delighted noble lady squealed with joy. At the commotion, the restaurant owner peeked out, gave a warm smile, and discreetly withdrew.
She has a surprisingly girlish side when she isn’t busy getting fucked senseless.
After squealing for a moment, Bella blushed furiously and squirmed in my lap. In her good mood, she decided to throw me a bone and brought up the Sage’s Stone herself.
“You know what happens when you fuse the Sage’s Stone with a human body, right?”
“The body keeps breaking apart?”
“Correct!”
Exactly. The Sage’s Stone—a replica of the Dragon Heart—would literally shatter the human body. A mortal frame simply couldn’t endure such immense mana.
“So I carved runes.”
“You… carved?”
Bella smiled again. This time it wasn’t the girlish smile from before. It was a smile that was chilling, sorrowful, and laced with clear madness.
“I densely inscribed magic formulas across the Sage’s Stone and the raw flesh inside my empty eye socket.”
- She’s insane…
Bella didn’t continue, but I understood exactly what she meant. She had carved regeneration magic to keep her crumbling body intact. That way, even if the mana shattered her flesh, it could be restored instantly.
“Fuck…”
The curse slipped out before I could stop it. Bella’s eyes widened in surprise. She reached out and gently stroked my hair.
How much pain must she have endured?
There had been previous successful cases of Sage’s Stone fusion. Quite a few people, like the woman before me, had managed it using recovery or regeneration spells. The problem was that the subjects never lasted longer than a month before going mad or dying.
How could they not? The agony of your entire body shattering over and over without end…
“…Are you okay?”
“Hehe~ Are you worrying about me right now? Is that why you’re making that face?”
Her hand brushed my cheek. She was always smiling. Always overflowing with energy. Come to think of it, I had never once seen a truly comfortable expression on her face. Maybe it wasn’t her personality—maybe she simply couldn’t afford to be comfortable.
“Do you sleep properly?”
“Well… I sometimes pass out cold? ♥”
“How long has it been since the procedure?”
“Let’s see… About seven years?”
For seven whole years…?
How?
Beres answered my silent question in a serious tone.
- Then there’s only one possibility.
‘What?’
- She showed extreme masochistic tendencies from the moment we met. In other words, after suffering endless pain, she awakened. She taught herself to feel ecstasy in agony.
‘I see…’
It made sense. The last time I had pinched her nipples hard enough to nearly tear her breasts, she had begged for more even while screaming that it felt good.
“Bella.”
“Yeah? What?”
“Come here. Let me hold you for a moment.”
Bella threw herself into my arms with glee. I hugged her tightly and gently stroked her back. The owner, who had been bringing our food, stopped and waited at a respectful distance.
- Aslan. Are you feeling guilty right now?
‘Yes. This is atonement. As a fellow mage… atonement for the irresponsible, cruel procedure performed on a child.’
A mage must never conduct human experiments on living people. My master taught me that, and I still believe it.
“Bella, I will take responsibility for you until the day I die.”
“Okay. I’ll believe you, Master ♥”
* * *