The Dark Transformation
The underground basement of a shabby building that the demon race used as their base. A dismal place steeped in an unpleasant atmosphere. That was where Amelda was dragged after being miserably captured by the demons.
Shackles that suppressed her magic power were clamped around her wrists. The moment they arrived, the demon woman named Elisa immediately ordered her subordinates to leave.
“You all may leave. I will interrogate this one personally.”
“Yes, Lady Elisa.”
“We will stand by nearby. Please call us immediately if anything happens.”
After dismissing her subordinates, Elisa locked the door behind them. Then she slowly turned her gaze toward Amelda.
“Now then… with no one left to interrupt us…”
A chilling smile curved her lips as she licked them lightly. Amelda suppressed the instinctive fear rising from deep within and stared straight at her with a cold expression.
She’s planning to torture me? Go ahead and try. You’ll never get the answers you want from me!
Having already endured countless torments in the Falcon Empire, she could endure most forms of torture without so much as flinching. Moreover, she no longer harbored even the slightest thought of betrayal, even if it meant facing death.
While she steeled her heart for the coming pain, the high-ranking demon named Elisa approached her slowly, her eyes gleaming with a thick, predatory gaze.
“Hehe…”
Elisa let out a small laugh filled with deep excitement and anticipation. Then, with movements that were both creepy and eerily natural—like a spider—she gently caressed Amelda’s chin.
“To be honest, I was truly surprised. I never imagined I’d obtain such an unexpected gift all the way out here.”
“Ugh…”
The touch was soft yet sent shivers down her spine. Amelda instinctively frowned and glared directly into Elisa’s face. And then—
“Ptooie!”
“…”
Amelda spat directly onto the filthy demon’s face right in front of her. Her expression twisted with rage as she shouted in a resolute voice.
As a holy knight and former member of the Hero Party, she intended to meet her end with dignity. Of course, such defiance might lead to an even more agonizing death, but Amelda didn’t particularly care. She had come here with the mindset of a martyr seeking to atone for her sins.
Because of her foolish mistake, she had squandered the chance to save the world and caused the Hero’s death. As a sinner, she was more than ready—no, she desperately longed—to face the worst death imaginable. At least that would bring her some small measure of peace.
In response to her provocation, Elisa wiped the spit from her face and began to smile in a terrifying way.
“…Haha. My, my… You’re even more foul-mouthed than I expected? A pathetic traitor like you daring to speak of the Hero.”
Though her face still held a smile, her voice suddenly carried an icy, bone-chilling rage. She slowly drew the green dagger she carried at her waist.
“Fine. I’ve decided. I was originally planning to extract some information and hand you over in relatively decent condition, but since you’re acting so brazenly, I suppose that’s no longer an option.”
With those words, Elisa began pouring thick demonic energy into the dagger she held. At the same time, Amelda felt an ominous aura and her expression stiffened.
What… what is that…?
It wasn’t ordinary magic power flowing into a blade. Elisa had lightly sliced the tip of one finger, then condensed her power into the blood that welled up, casting some unknown spell.
In that instant, Amelda instinctively realized that something far more horrific than mere torture—something that went beyond simple pain—was about to happen.
“Y-you… What are you trying to do?”
Overwhelmed by sudden terror, Amelda asked in a voice that trembled without her permission. Elisa let out a spine-chilling laugh and drew closer.
“It’s nothing special… It’s just that your race happens to be elf. It’s been a while since I had the chance to play such a fun little game.”
As she spoke, Elisa pressed the dagger against Amelda’s abdomen. At that moment, Amelda felt as though something that must never happen was about to occur.
“W-wait… j-just a moment… W-what is this—?”
And then—
-Thud!
In the next instant, Elisa drove the dagger deep into Amelda’s abdomen. An unimaginable agony surged through her, accompanied by a fountain of blood. Yet even as the overwhelming pain assaulted her mind, Amelda instinctively understood.
This pain enveloping her body was not mere physical suffering. Something far more terrifying lurked beneath what she was certain was the worst agony imaginable.
What is this… this… what the hell is this?!
A horrific sensation began to tear through her entire body, starting from her abdomen. It was like pouring black ink onto pure white paper—something that forcibly twisted her very essence. Amelda was seized by an overwhelming terror she had never felt before.
“Hmm… So once isn’t enough?”
With those words, Elisa pulled the dagger back out. The pain that had felt as if it were turning her insides upside down vanished, and Amelda gasped violently.
“Haaargh! Haa… haa…”
What had lasted only a few seconds felt like hours. The moment it ended, a groan stained with agony spilled from Amelda’s lips. Yet strangely, there was no wound on her abdomen where the dagger had pierced. Traces of the massive blood loss remained, but that was all. There was no sign of torn flesh or ruptured organs.
Before Amelda could even register that fact, Elisa—now covered in her blood—looked down at her with a deep smile.
“As expected, you’re quite strong. To resist this much even with your magic sealed… I doubt anyone below my level could even attempt it.”
Elisa spoke those incomprehensible words in a delighted tone. Amelda looked up at her face, her voice shaking as she spoke.
“Haa… haaa… J-just now… what the hell…?”
Buried beneath an overwhelming fear beyond imagination, she couldn’t help but ask in a trembling voice. At that moment, the pride of a knight and thoughts of atonement had vanished from her heart. All that remained was confusion and terror at the incomprehensible situation she was facing.
“Tell me! What the hell did you just do to me… What are you trying to do to me?!”
Her voice sounded almost like a seizure. In response to her desperate question, Elisa spoke in a voice brimming with enjoyment.
“Oh, it’s nothing that impressive. It’s just… a little prank I used to play on those annoying elf bitches back when I was younger and more reckless.”
She lightly licked Amelda’s blood from the dagger with her tongue. Then, looking at the terrified elf trembling before her, she spoke in an extremely casual tone.
“Hey… Have you ever heard of Dark Elf?”
“!”
The single word that left Elisa’s mouth. A name so blasphemous it was painful even to utter. It referred to the state in which noble elves blessed by the gods had their very essence forcibly twisted and corrupted by the highest-ranking demons. A name of the most horrific curse, considered both an insult to the gods and a disgrace to all elves.
The moment she heard it, Amelda finally understood the situation before her. All the color drained from her face.
“N-no… You can’t possibly be…”
“Hehe… There’s no need to be so tense. Despite how I look, I was quite obsessed with this for a while, so I’m a veteran with over ten years of training on the subject. I’ve performed the ‘procedure’ on enough subjects to build an entire village, so you don’t have to worry about your body exploding midway.”
Once again, Elisa infused the dagger with her own blood and demonic energy, aiming it at Amelda’s abdomen. Watching this, Amelda began to shake her head slowly, her whole body trembling violently.
“N-no…”
“Just relax… I’ll make you beautiful in no time. As a bonus, I’ll thoroughly twist that rotten mind of yours too, so you should be grateful.”
“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”
-Thud!