Bellona's Lesson

"Ricoris~ Are you awake? It's time for today's first lesson!"

I opened my eyes to Bellona's sweet voice. My eyes felt heavy since I hadn't slept well due to yesterday's shock. It felt like I'd had a strange dream, but I couldn't remember it.

"Yes, I'm awake..."

Bellona was dressed in a gorgeous black dress. It was a look that blended beauty and danger. Strangely, it overlapped with the image of my owner when she transformed into a silver-haired woman.

Miel was perched by the window, fluttering her wings. Her wings seemed a bit darker than usual. The iridescent blue had shifted closer to navy. Her time in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Demon Realm was clearly having a bad effect on her.

I felt yesterday's terror trying to surge back, but I tried my best to stay calm.

"Alright, today we'll start with the basics. It's the first stage, called 'Subject Selection.'"

Bellona led me to another room in the temple. It was filled with neatly arranged bottles of liquids and tools.

"Art begins with choosing the right materials. In our case, those materials are men. You need to develop an eye for judging which man will make the most beautiful work."

Why men, of all things...?

"Bellona, why only men...?" I mustered the courage to ask.

Bellona's expression darkened for a moment before returning to her usual elegant smile.

"Ah, that's... Well, since you've become my disciple, I'll tell you. This was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠back when I was in Heaven. As the goddess of beauty—and virginity—a male god tried to seduce me. He sought to defile my divinity."

Anger seeped into Bellona's voice.

"At the gods' council, right in front of me, he made a bet. That he could claim me. The other male gods all cheered him on. As if I were some... trophy."

Bellona's hands began to tremble.

"So that night, when he sneaked into my temple... I created my first 'work.' And I was captivated by its beauty. I thought, if all men could wear that expression..."

A cold laugh echoed through the room.

"Then the other gods condemned me, and I was exiled to the Demon Realm. But I have no regrets. Here, I can pursue my art freely."

A chill ran through me at her story. At the same time, it made me question Heaven's hypocrisy. Michael was hiding her true nature as a god of blood and slaughter. Everyone in the human world thought she was just a god of light... Were all the gods of Heaven wearing masks?

"Anyway, let's begin today's lesson~"

At Bellona's gesture, part of the floor began to move. It split open like a trapdoor, and a massive cage rose from below.

"Here are my materials. These are my precious collection, gathered over long ages."

The cage held about a dozen men. They were all well-fed, with solid muscles and vigorous energy. They looked like perfectly managed livestock.

"These are... humans? How are there humans in the Demon Realm?"

Bellona smiled.

"I brought them from the human world more than five thousand years ago, before it was cut off. I cast a spell to keep them from aging. I only use them when true inspiration strikes, so I've been very sparing."

Five thousand years... Michael had said she fought otherworldly gods with the evil gods five thousand years ago. Had these people been trapped here even before that?

The men huddled in a corner of the cage. Their eyes were filled with terror. Some were sobbing, others just sat blankly.

"Pick the one who'll make the most beautiful work."

At Bellona's words, I looked at the cage. The situation was horrifying, yet strangely alluring. In their terrified expressions, I sensed a bizarre beauty.

Crimson Bind began to tremble in my hand again. The red mist thickened. It was as if... it was excited.

What am I thinking? This is horrible! To find beauty in it... This isn't me. Is it Crimson Bind's influence? Or is the Demon Realm changing me?

Flutter flutter!

Miel suddenly flew in front of me, flapping her wings furiously. She seemed to be trying to scatter the sword's mist. Then she flew close to my ear and tapped my cheek with her tiny feet.

Thanks, Miel...

But Bellona placed her hand on my shoulder, urging me to choose.

Looking back at the cage, one man caught my eye. He had black hair and a sharp jawline. Unlike the others, his eyes held not fear, but defiance and rage.

"That one... the black-haired ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠man."

My finger pointed at him involuntarily.

"Oh, you have a good eye. He's a special material I've been saving. He was once my follower, but he tried to defile my sanctity. Today seems perfect for using him."

Bellona raised her hand, and the cage opened. An invisible force dragged the man out.

"No! Please! I'm innocent! I never meant to insult you!"

The man screamed, but Bellona just kept her calm smile.

This is wrong... This is so wrong... But what can I do?

"The first step is preparing the material. Keep the blood as fresh as possible."

Bellona laid the man on the table. Magic bound his arms and legs automatically.

Miel fluttered anxiously around me.

"Now, Ricoris. Shall we begin?"

Bellona handed me a silver scalpel. My hands shook, but I had to take it. How do I do this? Do I really have to turn him into one of those 'works'? But refusing might put me in danger...

Flutter!

Miel suddenly smacked my hand, making me drop the scalpel. It clattered to the floor.

"Oh, be careful. It's fine, it's your first time."

Bellona just laughed and picked it up.

"First, make a careful incision in the skin. Be precise to avoid damaging muscles or tendons."

Bellona took my hand and pressed the scalpel to the man's chest. His scream echoed through the temple, piercing my ears.

"With precise pressure like this, the blood flows artistically. Feel the beauty in that flow."

The scalpel sliced the skin, and red blood welled up. Miraculously, it flowed down his body like a dance—rivers of red revealing white flesh beneath. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. There was something artistic in that red stream.

"Now, let's expose the muscle layer. This is delicate work."

Bellona pushed deeper. The man could no longer scream, only groan.

"We don't kill them. The longer they live, the more vivid the work becomes."

A shiver ran down my spine. Yet a strange curiosity bloomed inside me. Was this Bellona's 'Aesthetics of Murder'? Prolonging the process of death, capturing that moment eternally as art?

Suddenly, I recalled Michael dealing with demons. She vaporized them instantly with a golden orb—a swift, painless death. My owner did the same, freezing humans in an instant. They became ice sculptures without time to suffer.

This was different. This inflicted prolonged agony.

It felt like two versions of me warred inside: one who found it horrific, and another... strangely captivated.

Miel approached again, smacking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my hair hard with her wing. Ouch! Why?

Her gaze pointed to my hand. That's when I realized—I was holding the scalpel, pressing it to the man's arm. When did I...?

I dropped it in shock.

"S-sorry..."

"It's okay, everyone does that at first. You'll learn slowly."

Bellona smiled, picked it up, and continued.

"Look at the patterns in the flowing blood. See how beautiful the shapes are."

Her voice whispered in my ear. In that moment, I truly saw beauty in the blood's flow—the red lines, the texture of flesh and muscle, the agonized expression...

"I see it... It's starting to come into view..."

The words slipped from my lips.

Flutter flutter!

Miel flew around me wildly, signaling me to snap out of it. Thanks to her, I didn't fall completely under the spell.

Ah... Please, stay sane...

"Owner... I need to get out of here and return to you soon..."

I muttered softly. Bellona didn't seem to hear.

The first lesson ended that way. I witnessed the man take his final breath. At that moment, Bellona cast a spell to preserve the corpse.

"Perfect. This work will last forever. The peak of agony and the moment of death, captured so beautifully."

The man's body was frozen eternally at death's brink. His face bore an eternal mix of torment and release.

Oddly, Bellona's words started to make sense. This wasn't mere murder—it had an artistic side. A unique aesthetic preserving pain and death forever, unlike any other art.

Yet deep inside, a warning rang: This isn't me. This isn't who I want to be.

Owner... Michael... I'm changing. What do I do...?

Back in the room, lying on the bed, Miel sat beside me. Her wings were nearly navy now. The longer we stayed in the Demon Realm, the more she changed too.

"Miel... What's happening to me?"

Miel looked at me with sad eyes. She plucked a strand of my hair and formed letters in the air.

"I know... But how do we escape..."

My reflection in the room's mirror looked unfamiliar. The red at my hair tips had spread, coloring nearly half. My eyes seemed redder too.

I was changing. And the scariest part... was that it felt a little enjoyable.

"Will Owner and Michael be disappointed when they see me...?"

The thought hurt my heart. But another thought crept in.

"Or... will they like me like this...?"

…