Volume 2, Chapter 22 – Who Gave You Permission to Discipline My Slave?

Stella stared blankly at the scene before her, wearing an expression as though she had just thrown out her back.

She had only been in the washroom for a little while. Could someone please explain to her what exactly had happened out here?

Why had Lainia beaten an entire squad of demons until they were sprawled all over the place?

Why did the head maid leading them look like she wanted Stella dead?

She was obviously here to kill her.

Stella desperately wanted to know exactly what she had gotten dragged into. Everything was a complete blur.

She lowered her eyes, her gaze settling on Lainia, who had already been defeated and rendered powerless.

‘Although this was obviously an assassination aimed at me, Lainia…’

Faced with a group of demon assassins who were clearly here to take Stella’s life, Lainia should have run away at the first opportunity, dropped to her knees and begged for mercy, or shamelessly sold Stella out to save herself.

After all, when all was said and done, Lainia was merely an unlucky nun who had gotten dragged into Stella’s spy mission because of the Inquisitor’s unscrupulousness. Everything Stella was going through now should have had nothing to do with her.

But Lainia hadn’t.

She had not retreated a single step. She had stupidly planted herself right in front of the washroom door, right in front of Stella, and relied on the strength she had painstakingly cultivated through The Asrita Scripture to withstand the entire storm of attacks head-on.

All because… Stella had casually told her to wait outside for a little while?

“…Are you an idiot?”

Stella felt a gentle warmth rise within her heart.

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As a Saintess, no matter how bizarre her current circumstances had become, the nature of a Saintess still remained in her bones. Seeing a nun hold her so firmly in her heart like this, Stella would have been lying if she said she wasn’t moved.

Who didn’t long for wholehearted sincerity? Who didn’t yearn for a pure place untouched by filth? Who didn’t wish to see in another person’s eyes a kind of cherishing that existed nowhere else in the world?

Even for an undercover partner, wasn’t this going a little too far?

For the sake of protecting her supposed “Master” in public, Lainia had actually been willing to stake her life and fight until the very last moment.

True loyalty really did reveal itself in adversity.

“I’ll definitely treat you better from now on, Lainia,” Stella said softly.

The next moment, her gaze returned to Riko, and an unprecedented urge to protect what was hers surged into her heart.

Professor Katerina had told her that it would be best not to casually use Pale Sacred Remains unless necessary, but… who cared.

Since her “slave” Lainia had fought this desperately for her, then if Stella, as her “Master,” didn’t give the other side a taste of what they deserved, it simply wouldn’t make sense.

“You’re beating my dog right in front of me?” Stella slowly stepped forward, her tone hostile. “Looks like you’re looking to die.”

Riko tilted her head slightly and coldly swept her gaze over Stella as she emerged from the shadows.

Her first judgment was that the target posed no threat whatsoever.

Whether it was the fluctuations of her magical power or the stance behind every movement she made, the silver-haired girl before her looked loose and completely unguarded.

‘This is the family’s illegitimate daughter who had made Miss Cheryl suffer a loss?’

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She looked like nothing more than a pretty vase with nothing going for her except her face, a succubus student pampered in a greenhouse who had probably barely seen blood in her life.

Compared to the human maid beside her who had left such a deep impression, the supposed real target looked as frail as a reed that would snap with a single bend.

One strike.

No technique was needed. One light slash would be enough to end this boring mission.

“So the target finally couldn’t hold herself back and came out.” Riko tilted her head and spoke casually to Lainia. “No matter what, now that your real master has appeared, your usefulness as her loyal dog ends here.”

She had to admit that she really had misjudged things.

The defeated human slave was clearly a humanoid weapon Stella Darkfallen had secretly honed.

The Blackthorn Guards lying scattered all around them were the best proof.

They could not be considered elites painstakingly cultivated by the Valentine family, but every one of them possessed enough magical combat ability to take on ten ordinary opponents.

But now…

Some had caved-in breastplates, some had shattered masks, and some had their swords snapped apart through brute force.

And the one responsible had forced her way straight through the Blackthorn Guard’s defensive line using nothing but her bare hands.

Such loyalty, such resolve, such ferocity.

Even as an enemy, Riko could not help feeling a trace of respect for her as a fellow warrior.

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Remarkable fighting spirit. Terrifying physical ability.

If she had been given a proper weapon, perhaps even Riko herself would have needed to pay a certain price to defeat her.

Riko gave her an extremely high evaluation in her heart.

“Human, as a reward for your loyalty, descend into the Abyss before your master does.”

Riko’s killing intent had already settled. She slowly leveled her blade.

Lainia was already close to losing consciousness. In her mind, the shrill whistle of the blade slicing through the air seemed to stretch on without end.

She forced her heavy eyelids open. Through her blurred vision, all she could see was the descending blade growing larger and larger, gleaming with a beautiful, icy light amid the darkness.

‘Oh Lord.’

‘I had clearly worked so hard, washed so many dishes, and endured days of grueling cultivation. Yet in the end, I still had not managed to complete the trial bestowed upon me by the Lord. Not only had I failed to defeat the evil succubus Stella, I could not even overcome the other party’s shadow guards?’

‘Stella… you… evil woman.’

In Lainia’s fragmented mind, only a handful of blurred words remained at the very end.

The Lord, trial, great enemy, Stella.

Crack.

In an instant, the sudden sound of bones shifting out of place rang through the corridor, and Riko’s downward slash froze immediately.

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A dire omen struck her instincts, and cold sweat instantly soaked her palm.

Riko suddenly became afraid.

This terror came more violently and fiercely than anything she had experienced before, and it was far clearer as well. It was fear born entirely from instinct, the instinctive terror a lower demon felt toward a higher demon. By the time she snapped back to her senses, even her breathing had tightened.

What was that sound?

Riko instantly looked toward the source of the strange noise, and almost the moment she saw it, her pupils contracted slightly.

The strange sounds were not merely coming from around Stella. Space itself was twisting unnaturally, as though the curtain of reality were being physically twisted and wrung tighter bit by bit.

Accompanied by a dense series of crisp cracks, pale ash appeared from thin air and rapidly gathered into solid form.

Before Riko’s stunned gaze, one, two, three… enormous ribs burning with pale embers appeared out of nowhere.

They curved inward and closed together, forming an indestructible cage that firmly protected Stella’s petite body at its center.

“What are these bones… impossible…” Even Riko’s sword hand felt a bone-piercing chill. “This terrifying rank is enough to rival royalty… How could an illegitimate succubus daughter possess such a terrifying bloodline…”

Stella stood within that pale skeleton and reached out, gently placing her hand against one of the cold, solid ribs.

The black prism in her right eye began to rotate as she stared coldly at Riko.

“Who gave you permission…” Stella’s voice was cold and clear, spoken ever so softly. “To discipline my slave?”