The Sow Miriam (3)
It was a peaceful afternoon, right before the training session was due to begin, when Anima suddenly came to find me.
"Cezar, I have one matter to report and one question to ask."
"Anima? Very well, speak."
Since Anima had never once questioned anything I did, the fact that she had a question—in other words, a doubt—toward me was intriguing enough that I granted her permission. She bowed her head once in gratitude and continued.
"First, the report. The Hero Association has obtained information regarding the Cezar’s appearance and the declaration of total war that was transmitted to the legion commanders."
"My information, then. So our earlier suspicions were correct after all?"
"Yes. It would appear there is a spy—or a traitor—on the human side."
"I’d rather it be the former. A troublesome ally is a risk, but a traitor is nothing short of a landmine."
"I share the same thought. However, we have been unable to identify the individual."
"It can’t be helped. There is no method available to us at present. We can set a trap after the legion commanders are summoned. So, what is this question of yours?"
Anima gave a single nod, seemingly satisfied with my answer, and went on.
"It concerns Hero Miriam."
"Miriam, you say."
"Yes. I wished to ask what the Cezar desires to do with her."
"In other words, you are asking whether I intend to spare her life or end it?"
"That is correct."
To be honest, I had not yet given it serious thought. I had no intention of simply releasing her, yet I had not decided on the precise manner in which I would handle her. Capturing an S-Class Hero like Miriam was an enormous gain in itself. Training her thoroughly and turning her into a personal ornament was one option. Simply subjecting her to humiliation so that others would fear me was another acceptable choice. However, keeping her locked in a cell also incurred its own maintenance costs.
"For now… I will decide after observing her. I have no plans to kill her, but if she proves to have no practical value, disposing of her would not be a bad decision."
"Understood. Then, as the hour has come, I shall proceed with the training."
"Ah, yes. Would it be all right if I watched closely today?"
"You are certain it would not disturb you?"
"There is no harm in it. I can simply wash afterward."
"Very well. I will return to escort you once preparations are complete."
"Good. I appreciate your efforts."
After sending Anima away, I remained alone in the office and carefully organized my thoughts. Not so much about what I would do with her, but whether the lingering affection still inside me was holding me back.
The conclusion did not take long to reach. My conduct had been far too filthy and cruel to claim I was treating her as my former lover Ria. There had been nothing in my behavior that a true lover would ever do.
It was simply that fragments of the man who still thought of himself as Eternal remained lodged in my chest.
The underground prison, where not a single ray of light could enter, was perpetually damp and reeked of mold. The only sounds were the groans of prisoners, the steady drip of water, and the skittering of insects and rats across the wet stone floor. The sole stimuli in that horrific place were the sliver of light that spilled through the door when the guards arrived and the sound of their footsteps. It was a space designed to drive men mad.
Even those possessing the iron will of S-Class Heroes would inevitably see their spirits eroded after days of unrelenting torture. Yet Hero Miriam had not lost hope. Despite the periodic injections that sealed all her power, she clung to it still.
Creak— Bang.
Clack, clack, clack, clack. Clang.
The heavy door opened and slammed shut. The sharp click of high heels crushing stone echoed. Even Miriam, who endured with unyielding spirit, could not help but fear that sound.
"It is time. Please rise, Miriam."
"Just… kill me. How long are you going to keep…"
"That cannot be done. Everything proceeds according to the Cezar’s will."
"Cezar. That damned Cezar. What kind of brainless, idiotic—"
"Brainless idiot, is it?"
The iron grate separating Miriam and Anima opened. With each step, the distance between them closed. Anima seized a handful of Miriam’s hair where she lay on the floor, yanked her face close, and whispered.
"The real brainless idiots are you people. Fools who were deceived by the tongue of other fools and chose your own end."
"What are you…"
"You should already know. I, the Cezar, Ravilis—we will never repeat that mistake. We will never again be betrayed by fools like you."
"Betrayed…?"
"You still haven’t realized. Truly, it is so stupid it makes one sigh. Come along. Today the Cezar himself has decided to witness the sight of a worthless rag like you being broken."
Anima unlocked Miriam’s restraints, grabbed her by the hair, and dragged her across the floor toward the torture chamber. Miriam flailed her limbs in resistance, but with every ounce of strength already drained from her, the struggle only added slight strain. She had no power left to stop it.
In truth, that was not what mattered. Inside Miriam’s mind, Anima’s words and the Cezar’s words from days earlier echoed without end. No matter how desperately she tried to deny it, the face of the one she could never forget kept resurfacing in her heart.
"Cezar, I will now begin the training."
"Good. Proceed."
The session always began by washing Miriam’s body. Having been left in that foul cell all day, the refreshing scent she once carried had been replaced by a horrific stench. Anima had no desire to let the Cezar smell it, yet she could not defy his wishes. As a result, her hands today carried a trace of emotion; her veins stood out from the force she applied.
"Ah, it hurts! It hurts!"
"Before the Cezar, the only thing you are permitted to release is your cries of pleasure."
"I said it hurts! I’m crying because it hurts! Please—ugh!"
Slap! Miriam’s complaining face snapped to the side. A sharp sting bloomed across features that no one had dared touch since she became a hero. Though her body had endured pain before, with all her abilities sealed the unfamiliar sharpness made thick tears well up before she could stop them.
"I will not repeat myself. Remain silent before the Cezar."
"I-I understand. So please… be gentler…"
It was a sight that would have shocked anyone who knew Miriam. Her spirit seemed partially broken; she could only beg for the pain to stop. Anyone familiar with her unyielding resolve would have found it impossible to imagine.
"Anima."
"You called, Cezar?"
"Wash her sufficiently and begin. There is something I wish to try."
"Understood."
After cleansing the sweat and grime from Miriam’s body and drying her, they moved her to the torture rack. The fear of what was to come had been so thoroughly imprinted that her body began to tremble like a leaf in the wind.
Today her eyes were not covered. She would witness everything. Of course, suffering at Anima’s hands was humiliating, but being fully exposed and subjected to shameful torment in front of a man stirred an unbearable sense of disgrace within Miriam as a woman.
Snap.
Black latex gloves now covered Anima’s hands. The sound signaled the start of the torture. Even though Miriam was seeing it for the first time, her bound body remembered. She tried to push against the bed with her hips, desperate to escape.
"We will begin. Today’s training will focus on developing sexual sensitivity. A woman’s body can convert every sense into erotic sensation. Therefore, we shall target that aspect."
After securing Miriam’s body even more firmly, Anima left the aphrodisiac-soaked panties in place and began rubbing a brush coated in the drug across her perky nipples.
"Ah, kuh… haa!"
"First, the nipples. Naturally, this is a part that must be developed. Gentle, tickling stimulation is far more effective than intense force."
Soon the single brush became two, teasing both nipples at once. She tried to endure, but the sensation was unbearable. What began as mere tickling gradually transformed. Before long, Miriam’s nipples sent jolts of tingling pleasure into her mind, filling her head with dizzying haze.
"Hngh… ah, ah, haa, aht—"
"My apologies for the weak reaction."
"No, it’s fine."
Even so, Anima seemed dissatisfied. She retrieved a new bottle containing a different potion.
"This aphrodisiac is used on beasts rather than humans. I am confident it will produce a reaction worthy of the Cezar."
At a casual wave from the one called Cezar, Anima poured the liquid onto her gloved hand and began spreading it across Miriam’s entire chest.
Ah… so this is it.
Miriam finally understood. She understood why such a terrible drug had been banned. Why it was said to be used only in crimes. There was simply no way a woman could resist this. She could no longer remain human. She could only—
"You still considered yourself human, I see."
"Ghooook♥ Haaang♥ Gaaack♥ G-good, good, good, so gooood♥ Nnguuuuuuuh♥"
Pleasure she could not shut out wrapped her body completely. It felt as if her brain were burning. All thought simply stopped.
She had lost. There was no longer any chance of victory.
Miriam’s exhausted body, which had sworn to resist until the end, began to shake violently.
"Ohoooook♥ Ghooook♥ Shorry♥ Shoo shorry♥ Haaang♥ Kkuck♥"
When had such strength remained in her body? The fleeting thought vanished as her mind was swallowed by pure white light. No strength to resist remained at all.