༺ Physical Punishment (2) ༻
[You failed, you say?]
“…I apologize.”
On the other side of the screen, the Pope looked extremely perplexed.
After all, this was the first time she had made such a report in the years she had served him.
A Grand Assassin had failed in her mission to harm a mere human.
Despite it being a relatively easy mission compared to killing him directly.
[…May I ask for the reason, Seras?]
“He was… Far more well-guarded than I expected, Your Holiness. Fortunately, my identity wasn’t compromised, but I believe I need some time to strategize.”
Seras replied to the Pope on the video call, feeling as if her mouth was dry.
It was the first time she had lied to him. On top of that, she told him many lies at once.
Back then, she clearly had the opportunity to cause him some serious harm on that man. After all, she had gotten close enough to him.
Her words about how her identity wasn’t compromised, and how she needed some time to strategize, were complete and utter lies.
Also…
When she saw that man, she felt a certain feeling enveloping her body.
It was the first time in her life she had ever felt such a feeling.
“…”
Seras fiddled with her fingers subconsciously before pulling her hood down deeper.
The reason why she did that was because she was aware that the expression she was making wasn’t the kind of expression she should show to the Pope.
She didn’t know what caused this, but what she knew was that an assassin shouldn’t have such an expression when they were thinking about their target.
[…Indeed, he truly is an unpredictable man.]
Fortunately, the Pope accepted her words without much suspicion.
It seemed like the trust they had built so far was enough for him to believe her lies.
Though she felt a little guilty over this, in the end, everything would be resolved as long as she could deal with that man.
Despite what happened, her loyalty to the Pope had not waned in the slightest.
[Let me know if you need anything, Seras.]
The Pope said with a compassionate smile.
[May the Celestials’ blessings be upon you.]
She could not help but agree with his every word.
Seras bowed her head reverently.
He was the legitimate successor who inherited the will of the Celestials, the Proxy of the Angels.
The person who stood at the pinnacle of the religion that saved her from the ‘discrimination’ she had to suffer through due to the Empire.
This was the person she had to devote all her life to.
“…”
That was why…
Considering what kind of existence he was to her, it was unacceptable for her if she wasn’t able to carry out his orders. And so, she decided that she should start a more detailed investigation on the man who managed to ensnare him, even though that meant overriding the Pope’s command.
The reason why she took her precious time to infiltrate Elfante was exactly because of this.
At the very least, she had to find out why she felt this way when they met back then.
And…
She wanted to know why was it that every time she thought of that man, her heart raced to the point that it irritated her?
In any case, it was the time for her to gather more detailed information about him.
To start, she had to find out what he was up to.
System Message
[ Target ‘Seras’ is tracking you! ]
[ Determined to be a minor threat to your safety. ]
[ Skill: Desperation adjusted to B-Grade. ]
“…”
With a sigh, I looked at the window in front of me.
Yeah. That sounded about right. I had expected for her to come out around this time.
That was why I planned my actions to coincide with this.
After all, what I was about to do was a sight I wanted to show to that person.
Perhaps, it would bring a slight change to that person’s ‘mental state’.
[Are you saying you wanted to show her this kind of appearance?]
‘…What about it?”
[If I may be honest… At first, I genuinely thought that as a Saintess… Lucia is lacking quite a bit.]
Such words flew from inside Soul Linker.
Valkasus continued to adhere to his attitude of incredulity.
[But now, I’ve changed my mind.]
‘…Why?’
[Obviously because of the fact that she willingly follows along with your antics.]
There was no doubt that he was talking about Lucia’s current state, as she was being dragged along by the collar tethered to me.
“…”
“…”
I could only hear the sound of the grass rustling as we stepped on them, but I could feel a piercing gaze from my back. Scary.
“…Excuse me.”
And after walking like that for a while…
The Saintess called out to me, as she pounded against the back of my neck.. It seemed like she couldn’t bear it any longer.
“Wouldn’t it be better if you just confess now that you have perverted desires?”
“…”
Yes, I had grown immune to such slander due to Caliban’s constant roasts, but this. This, I couldn’t stand for.
I turned my head with an incredulous expression.
“…What?”
“How can you make such an aggrieved face so shamelessly…..”
“No, wait. Why do I need to listen to such words in this situation?”
“…”
The Saintess’ lips twitched, as her expression turned into one of utter disbelief; it seemed she was so dumbfounded that it was difficult to even keep her thoughts straight.
After all, the following sentence took quite a while to be spat out.
“What part of this situation doesn’t seem perverted to you?!”
With that, she pointed to Yuria, who was dragged along with her head bowed low.
I could explain everything…
This situation seemed to imply I was walking two sisters by the leash on the outskirts of the academy at a late hour, but…
“No, I’m telling you. I’m seriously doing this because it’s necessary, okay? I have no ulterior motive whatsoever.”
Without context, it might seem a bit weird.
But this was all necessary.
It was a task so important it could affect the status of my life itself.
“That’s why you have to explain everything! Why is this necessary in the first place?! Tell me before I start destroying—!”
“…I’m fine, Unni.”
“Yuria?!”
“I wronged Mr. Dowd, so…”
As Yuria spoke this, she touched the collar with a gloomy expression.
“…I’m fine to be treated like this… In fact, I expected a worse treatment from him…”
The Saintess, who had been angrily barking, immediately stiffened upon hearing this.
Then, she alternately looked between Yuria and my abdomen.
That was the spot where Yuria had once plunged a sword into me, before splitting me in two.
“…Okay, okay, I get it! I get it, alright? Seriously—!”
The Saintess huffed with tears welling up in her eyes.
“…Can’t you be more gentle at least? …It hurts…”
“…”
Hey, uh, excuse me, Saintess?
If you were to say something like that while sobbing… That would make me look like a despicable piece of shit, wouldn’t it? Like, it was as if I was forcing you two to cooperate with me to do something terrible because I blackmailed you or something like that…
[…That description is rather accurate, don’t you think?]
“…”
[I mean, hm… That’s literally what you are.]
Valkasus sighed and began to speak.
Why?
Did you want to call me trash again?
[Of course not. You’re overestimating yourself way too much.]
“…”
[At this point, calling you trash is being way too kind.]
“…”
Caliban was actually sleeping for once, so I thought I finally had some peace and quiet. But this person decided to roast the shit out of me in his stead.
I sighed and responded to Valkasus.
‘…I have to do this to make them feel better.’
[How does this act relieve their guilt?]
‘Both of them are way too kind. And that’s exactly the problem.’
If they had been bad people, they wouldn’t have cared whether something happened to me or not.
But both of them would continue living with their guilt even though I kept telling them that I was okay. And no, I wasn’t talking about Yuria almost splitting me in half.
Because this had been going on for a while now, even before that event happened.
From my perspective, I was just being nice to these two because they were crucial to the main scenario, but they couldn’t accept it without giving something in return.
It could be seen as being oppressed by kindness. They were such inherently good people that they couldn’t live only receiving.
‘I’m just giving them a task is all.’
And the thing about laying down physical punishment upon Yuria and such was all in a similar context.
To be more precise, it was just about showing these two how they could be ‘of help’ to me.
I was confident that once they saw it, they would regain their spirits and work hard for me.
“…”
The task I was about to assign to these two now was so crucial that it couldn’t be done at any other time.
So, once this was over, it wouldn’t be strange if they immediately cut ties with me, saying why in the world I did such a thing.
How should I put it? Since I had dragged up their guilt to the fullest, it would be fairly manageable now?
[…So what does dragging them around on leashes have to do with it? Couldn’t you just let them walk on their own?]
“…”
I said I’m doing this because it’s necessary.
How many times do I have to say it?
‘Well, I also need to get used to my grip on the leash.’
[…What?]
‘Uh, so like… I need to do this quite often in the future, you see?’
[…]
Valkasus closed his mouth in a resigned manner.
He stayed silent, without a clue on how to respond, before forcibly changing the topic with a chuckle.
[Well, training their mental strength this way might be good for Lucia. She has been lacking in that area for a while now.]
‘Huh?’
[She has been nonchalantly smoking and drinking, neglecting her training despite being blessed with a lot of Divine Power, and she still hasn’t fully memorized the Prayers…]
“…”
No, wait. Couldn’t you let her off with at least that much?
She couldn’t always be perfect.
[The profession of a Saintess is a very old one. And in my time, those were the basic qualities that a Saintess must have.]
Though Valkasus, surprisingly, oozed out this boomer energy form his entire body, I also roughly knew the setting of this world.
While it was not as ancient as the age-old Hero-Devil relationship, which was practically on the level of archaeology at this point, the Saintess was also quite an old profession.
If it was Valkasus’s era…
‘…It’s probably the era of the Great War of Gods and Devils, huh?’
The time when the First Hero, receiving all the Celestials’ blessings, wielded the Holy Sword and tore apart the Devil’s true bodies.
That combination of the First Hero and the Holy Sword alone sealed, not just one, but ‘all’ the true bodies of the Devils capable of destroying the world; Truly the strongest monster in human history.
Of course, he received all the backup he could get from the angels in the Astral Realm, but that feat was still undeniably incredible.
The reason why the Holy Land, which back then was just a small kingdom barely making ends meet and without notable resources or strengths, grew into a tremendous superpower was because of that fact.
After all, its size expanded to such a degree, based solely on being the nation that produced the First Hero.
Considering how the one who closely assisted such a person, always aiding him, was the Saintess of that time, it made sense why Valkasus had such high standards for Saintesses.
“…”
And if my memory served me right…
In the game, that was about the maximum growth potential for Iliya.
If she could properly find the Holy Sword, that was.
The upcoming Chapter 4, [Crimson Night], revolved around that very theme.
Who would fill the position of Hero that had been vacant since the previous Hero passed away?
It was the chapter where Hero Candidates from all over the continent gathered in the Golden Triangle to determine the true owner of the Holy Sword.
Bringing Yuria and Lucia here served to prepare for such an event.
If I could properly complete the ‘strengthening’ of these two here, it would undoubtedly be a great help when progressing through that part.
“…Alright, we’re here.”
At my words, Lucia and Yuria slowly looked around.
“This place…”
Lucia, having looked around, widened her eyes in surprise.
If it was her, there was no way she wouldn’t recognize it.
The barrier of the Seraphims, its outermost boundary at that. It was a space at the very edge of the academy, touching the Void Zone and just a few feet of land.
It was a memorable place.
After all, this was where I first came to communicate with the Angels right after obtaining Ultima.
What I had come to do now was, in a broad sense, similar to that.
The problem was that, this time, it would be much more intense and…dangerous.
I moved a bit closer to set Ultima in its place.
Previously, I would have needed various preparations, but this item had been strengthened several times by now. I even used Echo of Sanctification on it.
Now, it could complete its original purpose, the ‘summoning’ ritual, in an instant.
“…Eh?”
“…Eung?”
As the mist rising from Ultima spread out, the ‘Angels’ residing here revealed themselves instantly.
“…!”
And upon seeing them…
Yuria clutched her head and collapsed on the spot.
“…Ah, AHHHHH…!”
She writhed in agony, spitting out painful groans.
Severer emitted a threatening light around it. The white curse eating away at her body convulsed as if in a fit.
I knew why she was acting like that.
The White Devil inside her must be screaming to the point that her mind was tearing apart.
Telling her to kill those beings right now, that they were enemies with whom she could not breathe the same air with
“Y-Yuria?!”
Lucia tried to approach her in horror, but I held the leash. At the same time as I flung Lucia outside the ‘safe range’ as if juggling her…
Yuria suddenly grasped her sword and charged towards the Angels.
However…
“Wait.”
I held her back with the leash. It stretched taut. If I hadn’t had Vulkan reinforce it with rare materials, it would have snapped instantly.
My physical stats had risen decently recently, so I could manage this much even with just the B=Grade Desperation activated due to Seras.
“…”
“…You crazy fucker, what have you brought here?!”
One of the more memorable Angels screamed at me.
He was the Angel who had helped me imbue several abilities into Ultima before. Recognizing me instantly, he approached with a horrified expression.
It seemed like he had realized what exactly was ‘inside’ Yuria.
“Misters, long time no see.”
I continued, smiling warmly at their appearance.
“Could you do me just one favor?”
“What is the meaning of this all of a sudden…!”
Don’t worry, it wouldn’t be anything much.
I just wanted your help to ‘strengthen’ these two, just as I had mentioned earlier.
Alright.
Shall we discuss a method to ‘domesticate’ a Devil together?
༺ Physical Punishment (2) ༻
[You failed, you say?]
“…I apologize.”
On the other side of the screen, the Pope looked extremely perplexed.
After all, this was the first time she had made such a report in the years she had served him.
A Grand Assassin had failed in her mission to harm a mere human.
Despite it being a relatively easy mission compared to killing him directly.
[…May I ask for the reason, Seras?]
“He was… Far more well-guarded than I expected, Your Holiness. Fortunately, my identity wasn’t compromised, but I believe I need some time to strategize.”
Seras replied to the Pope on the video call, feeling as if her mouth was dry.
It was the first time she had lied to him. On top of that, she told him many lies at once.
Back then, she clearly had the opportunity to cause him some serious harm on that man. After all, she had gotten close enough to him.
Her words about how her identity wasn’t compromised, and how she needed some time to strategize, were complete and utter lies.
Also…
When she saw that man, she felt a certain feeling enveloping her body.
It was the first time in her life she had ever felt such a feeling.
“…”
Seras fiddled with her fingers subconsciously before pulling her hood down deeper.
The reason why she did that was because she was aware that the expression she was making wasn’t the kind of expression she should show to the Pope.
She didn’t know what caused this, but what she knew was that an assassin shouldn’t have such an expression when they were thinking about their target.
[…Indeed, he truly is an unpredictable man.]
Fortunately, the Pope accepted her words without much suspicion.
It seemed like the trust they had built so far was enough for him to believe her lies.
Though she felt a little guilty over this, in the end, everything would be resolved as long as she could deal with that man.
Despite what happened, her loyalty to the Pope had not waned in the slightest.
[Let me know if you need anything, Seras.]
The Pope said with a compassionate smile.
[May the Celestials’ blessings be upon you.]
She could not help but agree with his every word.
Seras bowed her head reverently.
He was the legitimate successor who inherited the will of the Celestials, the Proxy of the Angels.
The person who stood at the pinnacle of the religion that saved her from the ‘discrimination’ she had to suffer through due to the Empire.
This was the person she had to devote all her life to.
“…”
That was why…
Considering what kind of existence he was to her, it was unacceptable for her if she wasn’t able to carry out his orders. And so, she decided that she should start a more detailed investigation on the man who managed to ensnare him, even though that meant overriding the Pope’s command.
The reason why she took her precious time to infiltrate Elfante was exactly because of this.
At the very least, she had to find out why she felt this way when they met back then.
And…
She wanted to know why was it that every time she thought of that man, her heart raced to the point that it irritated her?
In any case, it was the time for her to gather more detailed information about him.
To start, she had to find out what he was up to.
System Message
[ Target ‘Seras’ is tracking you! ]
[ Determined to be a minor threat to your safety. ]
[ Skill: Desperation adjusted to B-Grade. ]
“…”
With a sigh, I looked at the window in front of me.
Yeah. That sounded about right. I had expected for her to come out around this time.
That was why I planned my actions to coincide with this.
After all, what I was about to do was a sight I wanted to show to that person.
Perhaps, it would bring a slight change to that person’s ‘mental state’.
[Are you saying you wanted to show her this kind of appearance?]
‘…What about it?”
[If I may be honest… At first, I genuinely thought that as a Saintess… Lucia is lacking quite a bit.]
Such words flew from inside Soul Linker.
Valkasus continued to adhere to his attitude of incredulity.
[But now, I’ve changed my mind.]
‘…Why?’
[Obviously because of the fact that she willingly follows along with your antics.]
There was no doubt that he was talking about Lucia’s current state, as she was being dragged along by the collar tethered to me.
“…”
“…”
I could only hear the sound of the grass rustling as we stepped on them, but I could feel a piercing gaze from my back. Scary.
“…Excuse me.”
And after walking like that for a while…
The Saintess called out to me, as she pounded against the back of my neck.. It seemed like she couldn’t bear it any longer.
“Wouldn’t it be better if you just confess now that you have perverted desires?”
“…”
Yes, I had grown immune to such slander due to Caliban’s constant roasts, but this. This, I couldn’t stand for.
I turned my head with an incredulous expression.
“…What?”
“How can you make such an aggrieved face so shamelessly…..”
“No, wait. Why do I need to listen to such words in this situation?”
“…”
The Saintess’ lips twitched, as her expression turned into one of utter disbelief; it seemed she was so dumbfounded that it was difficult to even keep her thoughts straight.
After all, the following sentence took quite a while to be spat out.
“What part of this situation doesn’t seem perverted to you?!”
With that, she pointed to Yuria, who was dragged along with her head bowed low.
I could explain everything…
This situation seemed to imply I was walking two sisters by the leash on the outskirts of the academy at a late hour, but…
“No, I’m telling you. I’m seriously doing this because it’s necessary, okay? I have no ulterior motive whatsoever.”
Without context, it might seem a bit weird.
But this was all necessary.
It was a task so important it could affect the status of my life itself.
“That’s why you have to explain everything! Why is this necessary in the first place?! Tell me before I start destroying—!”
“…I’m fine, Unni.”
“Yuria?!”
“I wronged Mr. Dowd, so…”
As Yuria spoke this, she touched the collar with a gloomy expression.
“…I’m fine to be treated like this… In fact, I expected a worse treatment from him…”
The Saintess, who had been angrily barking, immediately stiffened upon hearing this.
Then, she alternately looked between Yuria and my abdomen.
That was the spot where Yuria had once plunged a sword into me, before splitting me in two.
“…Okay, okay, I get it! I get it, alright? Seriously—!”
The Saintess huffed with tears welling up in her eyes.
“…Can’t you be more gentle at least? …It hurts…”
“…”
Hey, uh, excuse me, Saintess?
If you were to say something like that while sobbing… That would make me look like a despicable piece of shit, wouldn’t it? Like, it was as if I was forcing you two to cooperate with me to do something terrible because I blackmailed you or something like that…
[…That description is rather accurate, don’t you think?]
“…”
[I mean, hm… That’s literally what you are.]
Valkasus sighed and began to speak.
Why?
Did you want to call me trash again?
[Of course not. You’re overestimating yourself way too much.]
“…”
[At this point, calling you trash is being way too kind.]
“…”
Caliban was actually sleeping for once, so I thought I finally had some peace and quiet. But this person decided to roast the shit out of me in his stead.
I sighed and responded to Valkasus.
‘…I have to do this to make them feel better.’
[How does this act relieve their guilt?]
‘Both of them are way too kind. And that’s exactly the problem.’
If they had been bad people, they wouldn’t have cared whether something happened to me or not.
But both of them would continue living with their guilt even though I kept telling them that I was okay. And no, I wasn’t talking about Yuria almost splitting me in half.
Because this had been going on for a while now, even before that event happened.
From my perspective, I was just being nice to these two because they were crucial to the main scenario, but they couldn’t accept it without giving something in return.
It could be seen as being oppressed by kindness. They were such inherently good people that they couldn’t live only receiving.
‘I’m just giving them a task is all.’
And the thing about laying down physical punishment upon Yuria and such was all in a similar context.
To be more precise, it was just about showing these two how they could be ‘of help’ to me.
I was confident that once they saw it, they would regain their spirits and work hard for me.
“…”
The task I was about to assign to these two now was so crucial that it couldn’t be done at any other time.
So, once this was over, it wouldn’t be strange if they immediately cut ties with me, saying why in the world I did such a thing.
How should I put it? Since I had dragged up their guilt to the fullest, it would be fairly manageable now?
[…So what does dragging them around on leashes have to do with it? Couldn’t you just let them walk on their own?]
“…”
I said I’m doing this because it’s necessary.
How many times do I have to say it?
‘Well, I also need to get used to my grip on the leash.’
[…What?]
‘Uh, so like… I need to do this quite often in the future, you see?’
[…]
Valkasus closed his mouth in a resigned manner.
He stayed silent, without a clue on how to respond, before forcibly changing the topic with a chuckle.
[Well, training their mental strength this way might be good for Lucia. She has been lacking in that area for a while now.]
‘Huh?’
[She has been nonchalantly smoking and drinking, neglecting her training despite being blessed with a lot of Divine Power, and she still hasn’t fully memorized the Prayers…]
“…”
No, wait. Couldn’t you let her off with at least that much?
She couldn’t always be perfect.
[The profession of a Saintess is a very old one. And in my time, those were the basic qualities that a Saintess must have.]
Though Valkasus, surprisingly, oozed out this boomer energy form his entire body, I also roughly knew the setting of this world.
While it was not as ancient as the age-old Hero-Devil relationship, which was practically on the level of archaeology at this point, the Saintess was also quite an old profession.
If it was Valkasus’s era…
‘…It’s probably the era of the Great War of Gods and Devils, huh?’
The time when the First Hero, receiving all the Celestials’ blessings, wielded the Holy Sword and tore apart the Devil’s true bodies.
That combination of the First Hero and the Holy Sword alone sealed, not just one, but ‘all’ the true bodies of the Devils capable of destroying the world; Truly the strongest monster in human history.
Of course, he received all the backup he could get from the angels in the Astral Realm, but that feat was still undeniably incredible.
The reason why the Holy Land, which back then was just a small kingdom barely making ends meet and without notable resources or strengths, grew into a tremendous superpower was because of that fact.
After all, its size expanded to such a degree, based solely on being the nation that produced the First Hero.
Considering how the one who closely assisted such a person, always aiding him, was the Saintess of that time, it made sense why Valkasus had such high standards for Saintesses.
“…”
And if my memory served me right…
In the game, that was about the maximum growth potential for Iliya.
If she could properly find the Holy Sword, that was.
The upcoming Chapter 4, [Crimson Night], revolved around that very theme.
Who would fill the position of Hero that had been vacant since the previous Hero passed away?
It was the chapter where Hero Candidates from all over the continent gathered in the Golden Triangle to determine the true owner of the Holy Sword.
Bringing Yuria and Lucia here served to prepare for such an event.
If I could properly complete the ‘strengthening’ of these two here, it would undoubtedly be a great help when progressing through that part.
“…Alright, we’re here.”
At my words, Lucia and Yuria slowly looked around.
“This place…”
Lucia, having looked around, widened her eyes in surprise.
If it was her, there was no way she wouldn’t recognize it.
The barrier of the Seraphims, its outermost boundary at that. It was a space at the very edge of the academy, touching the Void Zone and just a few feet of land.
It was a memorable place.
After all, this was where I first came to communicate with the Angels right after obtaining Ultima.
What I had come to do now was, in a broad sense, similar to that.
The problem was that, this time, it would be much more intense and…dangerous.
I moved a bit closer to set Ultima in its place.
Previously, I would have needed various preparations, but this item had been strengthened several times by now. I even used Echo of Sanctification on it.
Now, it could complete its original purpose, the ‘summoning’ ritual, in an instant.
“…Eh?”
“…Eung?”
As the mist rising from Ultima spread out, the ‘Angels’ residing here revealed themselves instantly.
“…!”
And upon seeing them…
Yuria clutched her head and collapsed on the spot.
“…Ah, AHHHHH…!”
She writhed in agony, spitting out painful groans.
Severer emitted a threatening light around it. The white curse eating away at her body convulsed as if in a fit.
I knew why she was acting like that.
The White Devil inside her must be screaming to the point that her mind was tearing apart.
Telling her to kill those beings right now, that they were enemies with whom she could not breathe the same air with
“Y-Yuria?!”
Lucia tried to approach her in horror, but I held the leash. At the same time as I flung Lucia outside the ‘safe range’ as if juggling her…
Yuria suddenly grasped her sword and charged towards the Angels.
However…
“Wait.”
I held her back with the leash. It stretched taut. If I hadn’t had Vulkan reinforce it with rare materials, it would have snapped instantly.
My physical stats had risen decently recently, so I could manage this much even with just the B=Grade Desperation activated due to Seras.
“…”
“…You crazy fucker, what have you brought here?!”
One of the more memorable Angels screamed at me.
He was the Angel who had helped me imbue several abilities into Ultima before. Recognizing me instantly, he approached with a horrified expression.
It seemed like he had realized what exactly was ‘inside’ Yuria.
“Misters, long time no see.”
I continued, smiling warmly at their appearance.
“Could you do me just one favor?”
“What is the meaning of this all of a sudden…!”
Don’t worry, it wouldn’t be anything much.
I just wanted your help to ‘strengthen’ these two, just as I had mentioned earlier.
Alright.
Shall we discuss a method to ‘domesticate’ a Devil together?
