Depravity and Modification
When I lifted my head again, the ceiling of this space was lost in shadow, completely invisible. The walls soared to heights beyond imagination, every inch covered with masks. I reached out and pulled one down from directly in front of me, brushing the dust from its surface.
“.....”
Gray dust scattered like fog. The rough texture of the long-neglected mask brushed against my palm—familiar weight, familiar feel. When I flipped it over, the back was densely inscribed with unreadable characters. It was identical to the mask I already knew, the one still speaking to me even now.
“What the hell is this? Why are there so many?”
“Who knows? You’d have to ask the one who made them. In any case, they’re the same as me. Ordinary masks that have never met a contractor, never tasted liquor, and therefore never awakened an ego.”
“...You’re not planning to answer me, are you? Then who created these masks? Did the maker live here? There’s no other explanation for this many masks lying around.”
“Shh. That’s for another time. We agreed to help each other, but we both have our private matters, don’t we? I’ll answer when we’re closer.”
I gave up expecting a straight answer. The mask was clearly dodging the subject. I threw out the theory I had pieced together in the short time I’d had, but it only offered a shallow laugh. I hadn’t received confirmation, but for now I would assume my guess was correct.
Dark and damp as it was, this place had clearly once been someone’s home. A rusty carving knife rested on a broken desk. Firewood was stacked beside the stove. The floor was covered in dried, twisted sawdust that would crumble at the slightest touch. Those were the only clues I could find. They weren’t nearly enough to tell me what had happened here, who had lived here, why the masks had been created, or what they truly were.
It would have been convenient if the mask that knew everything would simply tell me, but I knew that unpleasant thing had no intention of doing so. As much as I hated it, I decided to humor the damn thing for now.
“...Fine. So I’m supposed to hand this over to Isabel? That’s really okay?”
“It doesn’t matter. They have no ego, and they can’t create contractors or Saintesses. But they do possess the same power I have, so they should be able to distract the witch hunters’ eyes for a little while.”
The plan was to swap my real mask with a fake identical copy to fool the organization. It wasn’t a terrible idea, but… would they really fall for something this sloppy? I scratched my head.
“It’s fine. There hasn’t been a single record of a new mask appearing in a very long time. From the hunters’ perspective, they have no choice but to be deceived. And even if they realize the mask they receive isn’t me, they’ll be too busy celebrating the discovery of a brand-new mask to care.”
“How do you know all this? Ah, right—you said you were captured in England too?”
“Fourteen whole years. I saw and heard plenty while I was there. I’ve also peeked inside the heads of the women you turned into Saintesses.”
I nodded, shaking the mask in my hand, then spoke again.
“Still, this doesn’t solve the danger for Isabel or Noa. You know that, right? I don’t know how they do it, but they have a way to detect Saintesses. If I send those two back like this, the fake will be exposed immediately and they’ll both die.”
When I first met them, the conversation had passed like water under a bridge, but I remembered it clearly—Isabel declaring she had “detected a Saintess,” and Noa panicking at the sight of Go-eun behind her, muttering that there had been “no reaction from a Saintess at all.” Isabel’s unique method was one thing, but how exactly had Noa sensed them?
The organization behind her would never be ignorant of a technique that even their field agent possessed. Handing them masks and sending them back would be no different from shoving them off a cliff.
If there wasn’t another way…
“Ah, that’s already been handled.”
“...What?”
The completely unexpected reply made me look up.
“I only just figured it out myself. The hunters distinguish Saintesses by brainwaves. When a Saintess moves her new body, the brain connects to entirely new nerves. That’s why they emit brainwaves different from ordinary humans.”
“How did you solve it?”
“It wasn’t on purpose, but with the power I had left after creating the Chamber of Desire, I gave the two who entered it a little… adjustment. I modified them so they can extract semen from you far more efficiently. I tinkered with their bodies and minds just a bit. Thanks to that, the hunters’ devices can no longer detect Saintesses. The changes will be gradual since they only recently became Saintesses, but you don’t need to worry about them being discovered.”
It had made them extract my semen more effectively? To Isabel and Noa? I nearly shouted at the mask for doing something so enormous again without my permission, but a coquettish voice that seemed to read my thoughts echoed through my head.
“If you’re curious about the changes, just put the mask on the other Saintesses later. Their brains have already adapted to their Saintess bodies, so the transformation will be quick. That woman named Haemi would be perfect. It’s been nearly a week since she became a Saintess, after all.”
“...That’s for me to decide. From now on, tell me before you do anything. No—better yet, don’t do anything at all. We’re friends now, aren’t we? You shouldn’t put your friend in a difficult position. Right?”
“Hmm? That sounds like something for me to decide.”
“Heh. You fucking bastard.”
I muttered the curse just loud enough for the mask to maybe hear, then looked around. A few things still bothered me, but there was nothing more to learn in this eerie house. I picked up the dusty mask, grabbed the ancient, crumbling doorknob, and pulled.
Creak—
The old hinges groaned as wind poured over me.
“...So there’s nothing special I need to do? I just hand this to Isabel?”
“That’s right. That Saintess has a quick mind. She’ll understand without explanation. Order her to deliver the mask to the hunters and live normally. You should lie low for a while too. But even if you’re lying low, you must give me liquor on time. If you break the promise, I won’t help you either. Take care of it~”
“...Are you a damn elementary schooler? I’ll take care of it, so you keep your promise too.”
Twisting the mask’s final complaint, I stepped through the door into the blowing wind. The darkness vanished in an instant. When I regained my senses, I was standing in the motel room, mask still in hand. So I had left the Chamber of Desire. I thought there was no more business, but…
“Welcome back.”
“...What? You’re still here?”
“Of course I’m still here. But I think I’ve reached my limit. I used too much power while I was excited. Maintaining the possession is getting difficult…”
I turned toward the voice behind me. The mask, still wearing the body of the woman named Dasom, looked exhausted. She let out a deep sigh, plopped onto the bed, and pointed at it with one finger.
“Those two won’t remember what happened inside the chamber. Only you have the right to enter it, but you can summon any Saintess you desire directly in front of you. Use it well.”
Her fingertip indicated Isabel and Noa, who lay peacefully asleep side by side on the bed.
“...And for a while, they won’t be able to answer even if you call them… I’m too tired… I need to sleep… a little…”
“What? Hey, you’re just going to sleep? Then what about this woman?!”
“I… rather like this woman’s body… so don’t turn her into a Saintess… I’ll leave her as a toy that obeys only you… take good care of her… you can do it…”
“I’m not the least bit happy to receive that kind of trust from you… Wait, what the hell are you even saying?!”
“Bye, bye…”
“Hey, wait a sec—”
Thud—
The white mask fell limply from the woman’s face. Dasom, now revealed, breathed steadily in deep sleep.
I picked up the mask that had said its piece and immediately passed out, muttering curses and shaking it, but there was no response. As I fiddled with the mask that had finally returned to normal, my eyes fell on the second mask on the table and the card key whose color had changed.
It really hadn’t been a dream… The mask’s gift was far more useful than I had expected. A sanctuary only I could perceive and enter. The eerie room filled with countless masks. And a way to evade the organization’s eyes without paying any price. I hated to admit it, but the mask’s help had been substantial.
Once Isabel and Noa woke up, I would have them write their reports… then return to the funeral parlor. Come to think of it, half a day had already passed since I took Noa from the funeral home. It was time to head back.
I leaned back in the chair, glanced at how much time had passed on my phone, and lit a cigarette. Sorry for leaving you alone so long. You can stop feeling wronged now. Go to a better place. As I exhaled smoke while recalling my friend’s blurry face, I heard rustling from behind me.
“…Mmm, what is this… a dream? When did I fall asleep… Haah?! Y-you!!”
“Mom, you scared me…! You’re awake?”
Dasom, still half-asleep, looked around the room with bleary eyes before pointing at me and raising her voice. The mask must have taken care of the details. I had been trying to set a serious mood; noise would only make things more awkward. I expressed the greatest kindness I could muster and stubbed my cigarette out in the ashtray. Straightening my rumpled clothes, I approached the woman sitting on the bed.
“Um, so… I don’t really know how to explain this. I wasn’t the one who called you. There seems to have been some misunderstanding, so if you could just go back—”
“My God! What are you doing right now?!”
“Huh? I’m not doing any—”
Dasom shot up from the bed, voice rising in clear irritation. If the mask was going to use her body, it should have left proper instructions. At this rate—
She lightly untied her thin top, revealing a lace bra that left her nipples clearly visible. Her hand slipped into her pants and began stirring her pussy with wet, obscene sounds. Her pitch-black eyes stared at me with fanatical intensity.
Squelch! Squelch!
“Haa…! Ngh…! It is all because of you, my God… Please wait just a moment…! I will prepare my pussy for you right away…! Yes, ah♡”
The scene unfolding before me completely overturned common sense. Invite me so you can fuck me? With a creampie? What the hell was this woman saying? My eyes, filled with confusion, caught her bangs bouncing in time with her rolling hips. And beneath those black strands, on her forehead, two black marks had been engraved.
“…Those are…”
Modification and Depravity.
The same characters that had been carved behind the mask—letters I hadn’t been able to read. Two marks on a single person? Then this woman named Dasom had become like Go-eun…
Schlick! Shluuurp…♡
Dasom spread her legs wide toward me, completely convinced the situation was natural. She pulled her dripping fingers from her pussy, spread her swollen labia, and offered the glistening, wet folds to me.
“…..”
“You can do it.”
“…You fucking bastard.”