"I'll Give You What You So Desperately Desire!"
“I'll give you what you so desperately want!”
The goddess's cry, laced with desperation. Lilliana's action—severing her consciousness and trying to eject herself—halted at those words. The vibrations cracking the infinite white space began to subside.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the goddess.
“What I want?”
“Yes.”
The goddess's form shimmered faintly.
A sense of relief washed over her, as if she'd barely managed to hold onto her proxy who was slipping from control.
That emotion transmitted fully through the gentle waves of light.
“I know why you're so anxious.”
The goddess's voice enveloped the entire space softly.
A compassionate tone, like soothing a wounded lamb.
“That child you're so worried about. The foolish soul who dared touch black magic.”
Foolish soul.
Lilliana's eyes narrowed at the words.
She didn't like hearing the young lady described as foolish.
But she kept her mouth shut, waiting for what came next.
After all, the promise to give her what she wanted was too sweet to interrupt.
“You're fretting because you don't know when that child might leave your side.” The goddess's voice pierced straight to the deepest recesses of Lilliana's heart. “They keep trying to slip away from you. You're always anxious, fearing their gaze might turn elsewhere, that they might drift to places you can't reach.”
Struck to the core, Lilliana quietly drew in a breath.
It was an undeniable truth.
The young lady was always teetering on the edge of danger.
It had been that way when she'd abruptly left for the ducal territory without her.
The same when she'd slipped into the dangerous underground sewers with another child, without a word.
In places Lilliana couldn't reach, she always had to swallow her anxiety while staring at that receding back.
She'd extracted a promise that it wouldn't happen again, but that alone was woefully insufficient.
“So, what exactly are you going to give me?”
At Lilliana's blunt question, the goddess slowly extended her hand.
Dazzling fragments of light began to gather in the air.
The mass of light quickly took on a slender chain-like form.
“Chains of Restraint.”
A subtle seduction laced the goddess's voice.
“The marked one can never leave the radius you permit. If they try to force it, their soul will burn in agony.”
Lilliana's pink eyes fixed on the chains of light.
“That's not all. They won't be able to defy the caster's commands either. You can bind them eternally by your side, in the form you desire.”
With a gesture from the goddess, the chains slithered forward to Lilliana.
“In their world, only you will remain.”
Her heart began to beat irregularly.
The goddess's explanation was more than enough to stoke Lilliana's hidden desires.
I can bind them so they can't escape.
Keep them only by my side, where I want them.
Make sure they never look at anyone else, never go to dangerous places and come back bleeding and hurt.
Bind the young lady...
Just the thought sent a thrilling shiver through Lilliana's mind.
Entranced, she slowly reached out her hand.
The chains of light floating in the air touched her fingertips.
-Ssslrk
The chains seeped softly into her palm without resistance.
As if they'd been part of her body from the start.
A faint white pattern of a cross entwined with chains etched itself into the center of her palm.
“The authority has been bestowed. Now it's time to fulfill your duties as a saintess.”
The goddess continued in a solemn tone.
“Stop the impending catastrophe upon the world, become the light that saves—”
“Thank you. I'll put it to good use.”
Lilliana bowed her head with a bright smile before the tedious lecture could even finish.
Her attitude screamed that she'd gotten what she came for and had no reason to listen further.
“Child, wait—my words aren't finished yet...”
The flustered goddess's cry echoed through the white space.
But Lilliana had no reason to linger in that boring realm any longer.
With resolve, she severed her consciousness, and the dazzling white space shattered like glass.
“Ah...”
Watching her uncontrollable proxy depart, the goddess let out a sigh no one else could hear.
-Paat Lilliana blinked slowly as she returned to reality. The familiar scent of disinfectant lingered at the tip of her nose. What had felt like a long conversation in the mental world had taken less than a minute in real time.
The hospital room was still quiet, and outside the window, nameless birds chirped peacefully. Lowering her gaze, she saw the young lady's serene sleeping face.
Authority.
Lilliana quietly opened her right hand. The white cross-and-chain pattern etched in her palm. She could use it right now if she wanted.
Just press this hand to the young lady's body and infuse mana.
Then the young lady would be hers forever.
Like a pretty doll trapped in a birdcage, unable to escape. Lilliana's hand slowly, very cautiously, approached the young lady Elise's pale white nape.
Just imprint it here.
Her fingertips hovered at a precarious distance, nearly brushing the young lady's white skin.
Pour in the mana now, and it would be done.
The young lady would never make her anxious again.
But the moment a faint warmth transmitted from her fingertips, the sleeping young lady stirred slightly.
“Mm...”
In her unconsciousness, the young lady turned her head, resting her warm cheek against Lilliana's cool knuckles.
“...”
The soft, plush warmth traveling through her fingertips.
Lilliana stood frozen, entranced, watching that small movement.
The steady rise and fall of her chest, her soft breathing.
A defenseless face entrusting her body to Lilliana without a hint of wariness.
If I bind the young lady.
If she fastened these chains, what would become of the young lady?
Of course, she wouldn't be able to leave her side.
But in the eyes of a doll forcibly bound, could she find the same affection and warmth directed at her now? Those warm arms that embraced her, the clumsy hand that stroked her hair. The gaze that willingly offered awkward excuses to reassure her.
If she could manipulate all of that at her whim...
Could she still call it the young lady?
“Hoo...”
Lilliana very carefully withdrew her hand from Elise's cheek.
The glowing pattern on her palm slowly sank beneath her skin and vanished.
Not yet. It wasn't time for such an extreme measure. The young lady had said she'd taken those risks for her sake.
But if—just if—the young lady deceived her again, chose someone else, or tried to leave forever...
Then she would fasten these chains around the young lady's neck without hesitation.
“But that won't happen, right, young lady?” Lilliana leaned down and neatly pulled the blanket up to Elise's chin. The pink ribbon tie she'd fastened peeked cutely from under the blanket's edge.
Satisfied with the sight, she slipped out of the hospital room on light footsteps.
How long had I been asleep?
My consciousness slowly surfaced. I forced my dry eyelids open.
The pristine white hospital room ceiling came into view first.
Judging by the slanting sunlight, it was around afternoon. Feels refreshing.
Thanks to Lilliana's healing, I felt almost no physical pain.
Recovering broken bones and torn muscles in an instant—saintess powers were straight-up cheat-level. I felt it down to my bones.
But separately, a deep-seated languor still lingered.
Probably the aftermath of overusing life force. Propping myself up on my elbows, I slowly raised my upper body and leaned back comfortably against the headboard.
The room was quiet. No sign of Lilliana who'd treated me, Aria who'd fussed and cried, or Esilla who'd silently handled things.
Being left alone actually put my mind at ease.
Oh, right. Status window. I remembered. During the fight with the Black Moon cultist, I'd leveled up to 3.
That's when I'd collapsed after forcibly paying the cost.
The thought hit me, and I murmured softly at the air.
Status window.
I quickly scanned the numbers with my eyes.
And the red text at the bottom.
[Erosion: 12%]
12 percent. No big changes in the other stats, but erosion had jumped.
It was only 3% at level 2, now up 9% in one go.
I raised my hand.
How far has it spread?
The moment I looked down, I drew in a sharp breath.
The black spots that had lingered only at my fingertips had now blackened the second joints of my index and middle fingers. Pressing the flesh gave a numb, detached sensation—like it wasn't my own.
Like right after a numbing injection.
“Haa...”
A sigh escaped me naturally.
Level 3, 12% erosion. Two fingers turned pitch black.
If levels kept rising like this? My whole arm, legs, eventually my entire body would turn to charcoal.
So this is what they meant by black magicians' miserable fates. At this rate, I might get treated like a monster and hunted before I could even take down the demon king.
“Still, no choice.”
I clenched and unclenched my fist, testing the sensation.
Dull, but no issue moving. Slap on some gloves, and no one would notice.
More importantly... Level up means new stuff unlocked.
Half expectant, half worried, I scrolled the status window downward.