Descent to the Thirteenth Floor
As I descended underground, my thoughts fixated on the Mana Restraint. Advanced Mana Restraint. That phrase wouldn't leave my mind.
Ten years ago, during the Great Magic War, it was the demons' most vile invention for hunting magical girls. A tool that fundamentally severed a magical girl's mana circuits and bound her mind, driving her to self-destruction. These days, it was practically obsolete, with most discarded and only a few rumored to be hidden away somewhere.
I needed to obtain one. To capture Berial. But it was obvious that something like that was beyond the reach of a mere mid-level trainer like me.
Where could it be?
I closed my eyes and visualized the Correction Facility's layout in my head. Floors B1 through B10 housed standard detention cells, training rooms, and labs. My access was limited.
Supply management? No, they handled provisions and paperwork, not dangerous artifacts. Armory? Just standard suppression gear. Special artifacts were managed separately.
So that left...
What about B13? Makkokji's voice cut in abruptly.
The place Camilla tried to bait us into before. Maybe it's there.
Oh, right—B13. Before she'd assigned me the public training show, Camilla had taken me there to test me. That bizarre museum displaying fake Solaris alongside dolls of first-generation magical girls.
I didn't know if it was truly just for vetting spies or if there was some other purpose. But if any rare artifacts still lingered in the Correction Facility, there was a chance one might be stashed somewhere in there.
But... I had no access clearance. Last time, Camilla's code had gotten me in, but would it still work...?
Hacking? With Makkokji's abilities, maybe. But if I botched it and got caught, I'd be executed on the spot.
Isn't there some way? I clutched my head.
There was still plenty of time before quitting. I couldn't move now. I had to focus on my assigned duties. To avoid suspicion, I needed to act normal.
It hadn't even been an hour since I clocked in, but Berial had worn me out. Still, work was work. Round two with Magical Pure—and Emerald as a bonus.
Outside room 505, heavy sighs and women's voices filtered through the door. I took a deep breath and opened it.
The hinges screeched, grating on my nerves.
The scene inside was much like yesterday. Magical Pure—Lee Sua—sat slumped against her pillar, bound. Emerald—Shin Sea—was tied to the opposite wall. Both looked exhausted.
But their eyes burned with fierce life.
I locked the door and approached. Lee Sua looked up. Her white dress was stained with yesterday's traces. Yet she showed no shame or avoidance. She met my gaze defiantly, as if the will to protect her friend was holding her together.
First things first: cleaning time. Trainer basics. Proper maintenance kept them from dying or breaking before full training.
"Ah..."
I fed her water and a mana candy. Stripped and washed her.
"Haa..." Lee Sua sighed as I cleaned her breasts, her lower body—everywhere.
"No! Get away!"
I wiped her silently. Same for Emerald.
"You filthy bastard! Demon! Drop dead!"
But she spat curses the whole time.
"Stay still!"
I smacked Emerald's breast—slap!—and continued washing downward. Then water and mana candy to finish.
I pulled a small glass vial from my pocket. Transparent liquid sloshed inside. A special solution mixing aphrodisiac and mana booster.
"I've got something special for today."
I uncapped it. A sweet, musky scent filled the room. Lee Sua's pupils wavered.
"Wh-what is that?"
"Don't worry. Just something to make you feel good."
I brought the vial to her lips. She clamped her mouth shut and turned away.
"Won't drink? Should I give it to your friend, then?"
I shifted my gaze to Emerald. She shrank back in terror.
"N-no! I'll drink it!"
Lee Sua desperately opened her mouth. I smirked and tilted the vial. The cool liquid slid down her throat. She coughed but swallowed every drop.
"Good girl."
I tossed the empty vial to the floor. The effect was swift. Her face flushed red. Rough breaths filled the room. Her legs twisted together.
"Ugh... eek."
She bit her lip to stifle her moans. But the drug numbed her reason and awakened her instincts.
"Sua unnie!"
Emerald called out, voice trembling with tears. Watching this seemed like torture for her. Powerlessly seeing her beloved unnie degrade for her sake was driving her mad.
"You dog! Are you even human?"
Emerald cursed me. Was Berial's implanted hatred in her voice? Or was it her own?
Using Emerald's cries as background music, I closed in on Pure again. Her skin burned like fire under my fingertips.
"Feels good, right?"
Sua's breasts jiggled with her moans. I gripped the heavy, heaving mounds hard. Sweat beaded on her white underwear.
"Haa, haa... d-don't touch..."
She resisted weakly. But her hands were bound, her body already enslaved by the drug.
Soft, elastic texture.
"Hngh!"
Her hips bucked. My other hand delved under her skirt. Already soaked.
"All ready."
I shoved her panties aside and slid my fingers in.
"Aahn! N-no, not there!"
She thrashed her head, wailing. But her inner walls clenched my fingers tight, refusing to let go.
Contradictory reactions. Her mind rejected, her body craved. The surest sign of the corruption demons loved most.
I whispered in Pure's ear as I worked my fingers.
"Hear that? Your friend's calling you. Show her how good it feels."
"Uuugh! S-Sea, hngaaah!"
She screamed Emerald's name in ecstasy. Emerald tried to cover her ears but couldn't with bound hands. She bowed her head and sobbed.
"Unnie, sorry... sorry... sob sob."
The room filled with the women's cries, moans, and the slap of flesh. A discordant symphony of despair, pleasure, sacrifice, and betrayal.
Even as I ravaged Pure's body, my mind raced with calculations. When this ended, her mental corruption level would rise again. But 100% was still far off.
And Emerald. Her curses at me never stopped. I could feel how potent Berial's hypnosis was.
That Emerald... doesn't seem hypnotized at all. Having experienced it myself, I get why.
I clicked my tongue inwardly. Makkokji spoke up.
"Hey, partner."
His voice was serious.
"That Emerald girl... something's been off since earlier."
Off how?
"Yeah. Every time you touch Pure, her pupils contract slightly. And her fingertips twitch rhythmically. Like she's sending some kind of signal."
I glanced at Emerald. She was crying, but her bound fingers twitched.
Just spasms? Or was Makkokji right—some signal?
Berial's spy. Was she reporting this situation right now? Did that mean Berial was watching everything?
A chill ran down my spine. I kept my hands on Pure, lost in thought.
If so, maybe I can turn it against her?
I gripped Pure's thigh hard.
"Aaaah!"
Her scream snapped me back. Focus now. Stay true to the pleasure and despair at hand. That's how I avoided suspicion.
I thrust my hips again. The room's heat intensified.
"Louder! Scream louder, Pure!"
I shouted, but my heart felt heavy.
Advanced Mana Restraint... without it, I'm screwed.
The sun had set, the window swallowed by pitch-black night. The corridor's fluorescent lights flickered intermittently, breeding unease.
Most staff had clocked out. The Correction Facility's silence amplified only my footsteps.
I glanced around and headed to the freight elevator. The button panel was cold. I slowly input the code Camilla had once shared.
Work, work, work—please!
Beep. A short chime, and the hidden [-13] button blinked red.
Yes!
Deep breath. I pressed it. The elevator vibrated heavily as it descended. I clenched my fists watching the floor numbers race by.
B13.
The doors opened, and a chill rushed in. Unlike last time, most lights were off. I couldn't turn them on. Only the green emergency guides glowed sporadically, casting eerie silhouettes on the massive culture tanks like giant aquariums.
A low hum from the ventilation fans underlay everything, like a beast's breathing.
I crept forward, minimizing my footsteps. The metal floor tiles chilled my soles.
Lined on both sides, the culture tanks held first-generation magical girl dolls floating in solution. Their hair drifted like jellyfish; their closed eyelids seemed eternally at rest.
Makkokji, could it be here? I wondered silently.
Even if these first-gen magical girls are fakes, the restraints on them might be real. Gotta make perfect replicas to bait spies, right? Honestly, if it weren't for me, you'd have thought they were real too. Or maybe not...
Makkokji's response was cautious. No trace of his usual playful tone—he was tense too.
I headed first to the central Solaris capsule.