Execution
"The conditions of the deal you made with Lunia-"
What would happen to her?
As the woman, who seemed to embody the pinnacle of grace, spoke, Arije's entire body tensed up without her realizing it.
At a glance, she clearly didn't seem to be of low standing. She looked like a very high-ranking person, so it was a natural reaction.
Of course, the woman named Lunia didn't seem like the type to betray easily, but people could betray at any time.
She just thought anything would be fine, as long as it wasn't an environment where she was constantly beaten like now-
"-you will work as a Maid in my mansion."
"··········What?"
Mineba thought.
The people who helped Lunia until the very end.
Yuriana Ehiton and the Maid Arije before her eyes.
She had decided to provide a special gift to those who had not betrayed her Disciple and had shown her trust until the end.
And besides, if Lunia were to have her child, wouldn't they need a 'nanny' to help with childcare, which would be overwhelming for just the two of them?
Normally, Witches would gather and raise their children together, but now all the Witches were scattered.
Of course, for the adorable Maid who still hadn't accepted her fate, she decided to provide a little more explanation.
"Roughly 5 gold a month should be enough, shouldn't it?"
"F-five?!"
"Four or five days of vacation a month should also be enough."
"W-wait··········."
"If you don't just slack off and work diligently, I'm even thinking of giving you a separate bonus."
"Hooeeh·······."
She had clearly expected to be silenced, given a few coins, and sent back to her family home.
The salary she received from the Reinhardt Family was only 1 gold.
Of course, even that was 'as much as' 1 gold because she was the heir's exclusive Maid, not a regular Maid.
But here, 5 gold was casually offered, and even regular vacations were guaranteed.
What was even more shocking was that with the condition of a bonus, who could refuse?
Arije was half in doubt about Mineba's offer, but the amount was so large that she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"I-I'll do it··········."
##
-Thump, thump.
Footsteps echoed from the dormitory hallway.
And the sound of those footsteps grew louder, eventually stopping at the closest point.
-Clink.
"So you've finally arrived."
"··········Who are you?"
The sound of Jerad's mind working could be heard even from here.
It seemed the initial silence was a pause while he pondered the identity of the woman before him.
The Reinhardt Family was certainly not a mediocre family.
They were a great noble family, even among other nobles.
Even if he was just a child, he was still the heir of a great noble.
Naturally, if someone could freely enter and exit his dormitory, it meant they had power equal to or greater than the Reinhardt Family, didn't it?
It took Jerad 1 second to reach that conclusion, and 2 seconds to decide to use formal language with the woman before him.
"You don't need to know exactly who this woman is; if you see what's in my hand, it won't be that important, will it?"
-Flutter, flutter.
As Mineba shook a document, Jerad's eyes began to widen.
"H-how·····!"
In her hand was a single Academy budget statement, and a transaction record showing the same amount of money listed on that statement being transferred to a different account.
Of course, it wasn't that he didn't know about it.
He had deliberately separated those two pieces of paper, placing one between the pages of a book in the study and the other inside a desk drawer, so they wouldn't be easily found.
"It's truly astonishing how much the amounts written here overlap."
"···············"
It was obvious.
Because it was part of the Academy's budget that he and the Vice-Principal had embezzled.
Jerad tried to ignore the cold sweat running down his back, racking his brain with all his might.
It was probably the most desperate he had ever been in his entire life.
Of course, Mineba waited patiently for such a Jerad.
Not to show him mercy, but simply curious about what he would say.
And the answer that broke the not-so-long silence was quite disappointing.
"··········What do you want?"
"Hmm."
Mineba was disappointed.
She thought it would have been more interesting if he had tried to overpower her by force and then threatened her with images of her body, just as he had done to her beloved Disciple.
Or, what if he had confessed his sins right now, prostrated himself on the floor, and begged tearfully?
Of course, Jerad's fate would have been the same regardless of the method.
But she wouldn't kill him.
Because her cute, fawn-like Disciple didn't want his death.
"Well, truthfully, this woman doesn't care whether you embezzle or murder."
"··············Excuse me?"
Mineba spoke, unfolding a Magic Circle without incantation.
Seeing that, Jerad hastily tried to cast Shatter Magic, but-
-Thump!
"Ugh?!"
"Kneel first."
Far from even attempting it, he couldn't even get near the Magic Circle and was forcibly brought to his knees.
Once he was in a position where he was looking up at her appropriately, only then did Mineba reveal her identity.
"This woman is the Master of our beloved Lunia."
"··········!"
"I know everything you've done."
When Mineba thought about what her most cherished Disciple had suffered at the hands of that scoundrel, she felt a murderous impulse that made her want to just snap and kill him if she couldn't control her emotions even a little.
"I truly want to obliterate you from this world right now··········, but our Lunia doesn't want that."
"··········Heh heh."
Then, the scoundrel in front of her suddenly let out a sneering laugh.
Just what was so funny about the situation, Mineba genuinely wondered, when Jerad continued speaking.
"Of course·····! That bitch will eventually realize her true nature and have to lie beneath me for the rest of her life·····!"
-Thwack!
"Kuhak!?"
"Hmm, it won't do you any good to keep provoking this woman."
"Ugh·····."
Blood flowed from Jerad's mouth and nose.
He probably hadn't been hit this hard in his entire life.
Mineba had considered hitting him hard enough to knock out his teeth.
But Jerad continued to speak despite that.
"Hmph, no matter who you are, that bitch is my girlfriend until graduation. She's already become my fuck-toy, so she wouldn't want my death!"
It seemed he had something he believed in.
However, in Mineba's eyes, they were utterly trivial.
And furthermore, even after being told not to provoke her, how lightly must he have regarded her to keep spouting such nonsense?
Mineba was starting to get a little angry.
"Well, those three you used as your subordinates, I can just make them disappear from this world. The reason will be because of you."
"W-what·····."
Lunia hadn't wanted Jerad's death, but this Master couldn't make concessions for the other scoundrels.
And, the 'execution' for the scoundrel before her wasn't over yet.
"If you want to continue your family line, try your best. Now, it's your punishment."
Mineba unfolded a Magic Circle once more.
And for Jerad, who was curious about its identity, she kindly continued with an explanation.
"It's Illusion Magic."
"··········?"
"First, let's start with you dying five times."
-Crunch!
At that moment, Jerad's neck was torn off.
"···············H-huh?!!"
Of course, it was an illusion.
##
"Hah, hah, hah!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, your mind is too weak. Lunia must have experienced several times more despair than that. For this scoundrel to reach his limit after just five times."
She wanted to make him taste the pain of death 50 or even 100 times, but it was obvious that if she cast it any more, his mind would break.
In the end, this scoundrel was just a commoner who acted recklessly, relying solely on his status.
Mineba lost interest.
"How boring."
Towards Jerad, who was sweating profusely all over his body and breathing heavily, Mineba unfolded a Magic Circle once more.
The light emanating from Mineba's fingertips swiftly flew towards Jerad, then was absorbed directly into his genitals.
"Still, aren't you the heir of a great noble? I will specially spare you from being crippled."
But Jerad felt no pain at all.
Naturally, it was a joyous thing for Jerad, who had expected that light to bring pain- but Mineba's execution wasn't over.
"Don't worry too much. You'll still be able to have children."
Jerad's gaze went upwards.
His gaze rose higher and higher, reaching Mineba, who was looking down at him loftily.
"Oh, it's a simple curse."
Mineba added.
"To explain, hmm. Every time you get an erection, you'll feel a burning pain. Then you won't be able to grab just anyone and rape them, will you?"
It would have been one thing if she had caused erectile dysfunction, but rather than making it completely impossible, she made it so that he 'could' get an erection, yet couldn't have sex with anyone.
Because humans were creatures who would cling to even a slight possibility, even if it was impossible.
This curse would slowly begin to gnaw at Jerad's mind.
Little by little, it would lead him to ruin.
"Kuaaaahk!"
"If you want to continue your family line, try your best, hoho."
Giving someone the belief that there's a possibility in the impossible might just be the most malicious curse for a human.