Chapter 822: Punishment
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 822: Punishment
Eh?
Liya?
Ariel’s body gave a violent jolt. For a split second, she thought her soul had drifted so high and the sensory overload of pleasure was so intense that she was experiencing some bizarre hallucination.
How could Liya possibly be here?
This was the Campbell Duke’s Estate, Muen’s bedroom. Liya was the dignified Pure Saintess, the flawless icon in the eyes of countless believers. How could she possibly sneak into a man’s room in the middle of the night and hide under the bed to eavesdrop?
No matter how she reasoned it, such a scenario seemed logically impossible. If word of this got out, even those lunatics from the Salvation Society—who made it their mission to oppose the Dark Church—would think this was too absurdly "dark" and radical to be true.
But as Ariel’s soul came crashing back down from the shock and her eyes regained their clarity, the girl hiding under the bed remained as familiar and real as ever.
Those watery, large eyes were staring fixedly at her, brimming with an indescribable meaning, as if telling her... this isn't a hallucination.
It was real.
Liya was right under the bed, watching her!
"Wait, Liya... Liya, why are you here?"
Ariel began to struggle frantically, swatting at Muen’s arm. "Quick, stop! Stop now!"
"What 'Liya'?"
Muen, fully immersed in the "battle," hadn't noticed a third person in the room at all. He simply took it as Ariel playing a part.
"I didn't expect a little slut like you to be so naturally gifted at this. You really know how to play."
"It’s not a game... it’s real! Liya is right... ngh... I can’t... Liya, don't look... don't look at me..."
Unable to make Muen stop, Ariel abruptly covered her face. Just as she discovered Liya was watching from under the bed, Muen sent her hurtling toward the finish line that had already been so close.
Her delicate body shuddered violently, her small toes curling tight.
The mirror in front of Ariel suddenly turned misty, as if it had endured a sudden, fierce bout of humid weather. Droplets of moisture slid down the glass, no longer able to reflect a clear image.
Liya’s figure became a blur within the fog.
"Hiss—"
Even Muen couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
"Damn, why are you biting so hard this time?"
Could this position really have made her feel that ashamed?
Surely not. Over the past two days, Muen had become certain that, if nothing else, Ariel’s inner resilience was unmatched—she wasn't just talking tough. How could she be so overwhelmed by shame just from this position?
Muen looked down.
The girl in his arms, her body previously taut, had reached her limit and gone limp like a pile of mush.
Yet, her mouth continued to murmur: "Don't look... sob... don't look..."
"Hmm?"
Muen frowned, finally sensing that something was off.
However, the mirror had been rendered opaque by Ariel’s "mist." He could only hold her and slowly turn around.
Then... under the dim, amber glow of the room’s magic stones, a cute girl with a saintly aura crawled out from under the bed, her expression entirely blank.
Though she got momentarily stuck because her figure was a bit too well-developed, it didn't detract from her beauty or poise.
The moment she emerged, the room seemed to brighten. The Holy Light, leaking uncontrollably due to her fluctuating emotions, didn't just serve as a backdrop for her; it illuminated every detail of the limp, dazed, and sweat-slicked girl in Muen’s arms with agonizing clarity.
"Liya?"
Muen froze, his face a mask of pure shock. "Why are you here?"
"I came to take a look," Liya huffed, her voice barely audible.
"Look... look at what?"
Muen felt a jolt of alarm. "How long have you been watching?"
"Not long. Just a few minutes. However..."
Liya let out a cold sneer. "In those few minutes, I saw some very... exciting things."
Exciting enough to make her almost question the meaning of life.
"Liya, let me explain..."
"Muen, don't say a word for now. I’ll deal with your punishment later. As for now..."
Liya’s face hardened. "I’m going to settle the most important matter first."
"The most important matter?"
Muen was utterly confused, having no idea what she was talking about.
But Ariel, still in his arms, peeked through her fingers at the visibly enraged Liya. A sense of impending doom washed over her.
Unfortunately, having not yet recovered from her previous state, she had no way to react before Liya lunged at her fiercely.
"You hateful Ariel... so you were the philandering cat all along!"
"Wh-what 'philandering cat'? Liya, I don't know what you're talking about..."
"Don't play dumb! I visited that Crystal Palace. You even left those shameful pieces of fabric behind, and you still claim you're not a philandering cat?"
"Ugh... that was because Muen..."
"Shut up, you little slut! To think you used to turn your nose up at men, and now you've turned into this! Have you no shame?"
"I... I’m not a slut..."
"Pah! You've sprayed so much, and you still say you're not a slut?"
Liya pinned Ariel down, her cheeks puffed out in a huff. "I’m going to punish you!"
She had calculated everything, accounting for everyone in the Duke’s Estate, but she had never accounted for her own childhood sweetheart.
While she was working herself to the bone dealing with the Church, gathering intelligence, and searching every inch of this massive estate in the dead of night...
While she was doing all that, Ariel was here doing this with Muen. The mere thought of it made her heart swell with jealousy and her temper flare!
"Eh? Pun... punishment?"
Ariel panicked. "What are you going to do?"
"Hmph... this is something I specifically prepared to discipline a shameless philandering cat like you!"
Liya let out a triumphant snort. As she pulled something out, the surrounding Holy Light suddenly coalesced, imprinting a sacred cruciform glow onto the object.
"Th-this is?"
"This is the Holy Sword!" Liya held up the cruciform glow, her tone solemn as if she were reading out Ariel’s list of crimes.
"The Holy Sword?"
Ariel’s beautiful eyes widened in shock.
This extreme?
Surely it didn't have to go this far... If we're talking about "stealing a taste," weren't you doing the same thing before, Liya?
Just as Ariel thought Liya was going to use the Holy Sword to eliminate a romantic rival in the name of justice...
Bzzzzzz...
A strange sound emanated from the cruciform glow.
"..."
"..."
Muen couldn't help but facepalm.
So that was the "Holy Sword" she meant...
He should have known. That Saintess, who looked so pure on the outside but was actually filled with "yellow" thoughts, would never actually pull out a real Holy Sword to hack Ariel to pieces.
"Wh-what?"
Only Ariel, who had never seen such a thing, remained in the dark, her questions filled with tension.
"What kind of Holy Sword is this? Which one? Justice? Temperance? Or Forgiveness? Is the Church’s oversight of the Holy Swords so lax now? They actually allowed Liya to take it out for something like this?"
"It’s none of those. It’s a Curry Rhode. Man-made."
Muen’s expression was peculiar.
Looking closely, the thing seemed a bit familiar. But certain parts were different from what he remembered—it seemed much more... sophisticated?
"Hmph, this time is different!"
Liya stood with her hands on her hips. "This is the ten-times-enhanced version!"
"Ten... ten times?"
Ariel began to struggle violently. She had long heard of the Holy Sword’s reputation; even in its normal state, it was something all evil beings fled from. What did "ten times" even mean? Was it going to burn her to ashes directly?
Had Liya grown to hate her that much?
No, she had to escape!
Unfortunately, the exhausted Ariel was no match for Liya. Within moments, she was bound by Liya’s Holy Light, unable to move.
"Li... Liya, calm down! What are you actually going to do?" Ariel cried out in terror.
"What else would I do?"
Liya flashed an evil smile. "A so-called Holy Sword is, of course, meant to pierce people and purify filth! Take this!"
Liya’s movements were swift, giving Ariel no time to react as she thrust the "Holy Sword" directly into her body.
And Ariel, as expected, bore the full brunt of its ten-fold power. Her delicate frame shuddered as she let out a pained, wailing cry...