Volume 1, Chapter 34 – Is My Image Really That Awful?

Remedios was a good teacher, at least when it came to explaining theory.

“Heart-Piercing Bone-Gouging. As the name suggests, this cursecraft wasn’t developed to take lives, but to make the target experience pain that sends tremors through the soul.”

Remedios stirred the long-melted ice cream with a silver spoon, her tone relaxed.

“This kind of cursecraft requires extremely powerful resentment to drive it. It might be difficult for an ordinary succubus to master, but for someone with SSS+ talent like you, Stella, I imagine you can learn it with a single glance.”

Stella listened expressionlessly.

‘Learn it?’

‘How could I possibly learn it?’

As a member of the clergy, she really could learn Holy Light spells almost as soon as she saw them. After all, that was an instinct practically engraved into her bones. But what Remedios was talking about was dark cursecraft, and an unforgivable curse so evil that even its name sounded outrageous.

Besides, who was Stella supposed to use dark cursecraft that made its target experience soul-trembling agony on anyway?

Stella opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to refuse.

“Um, I think this is a little too…”

“Stella, I know. Dark magic at this level is probably too childish for you.”

Remedios gave her no chance to refuse at all, mysteriously lowering her voice.

“I also know which curses you actually want to get your hands on, how powerful they are, and how high they rank in the sequence. But unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to fully understand them yet.”

“Besides, to prevent us noble heirs from slaughtering each other, dark cursecraft is strictly forbidden under the student regulations. It’s a taboo among taboos.”

“You’ll just have to wait a little longer.”

Remedios glanced around, signaling that the walls had ears.

“Quite a few people around us are eavesdropping. Which makes sense. As students of Lilith School, wouldn’t it actually seem strange if we refused to touch this kind of forbidden knowledge?”

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“But… the more forbidden something is, the more worth trying it becomes, doesn’t it?” Remedios winked at Stella. “We’re accomplices, after all.”

“…”

Stella looked at Remedios’ expectant expression and forcibly swallowed the words that had already reached her lips.

You’d already said everything. What else was she supposed to say?

If she insisted on refusing now, by tomorrow there might be some troublesome rumor going around about genius Stella’s wicked persona falling apart.

“…Fine.” Stella reluctantly agreed.

“Don’t be disappointed. I’ll make sure to teach you the other unforgivable curses you want to learn as soon as possible.” Remedios solemnly promised her. “The outer edge of the Blasphemous Forbidden Forest, eight tonight. Be there.”

With that, she picked up her book and left her seat.

For quite some time, Stella remained alone at the table with her arms crossed, staring blankly after Remedios as she left.

If those old fossils in the Holy See found out that one day she could casually raise her hand and unleash one heretical trick after another, each enough to send someone straight to the stake, then forget being promoted to Cardinal. She would probably be nailed directly onto a cross with a pile of blessed firewood stacked underneath.

This was seriously punishable.

Extremely punishable.

Stella dipped her spoon into the melted cream, scooped up the scattered bits of sweetness, and held them in her mouth.

She was only binge eating because she had no choice but to mend her wounded maiden heart.

She absolutely was not breaking her vow to lose weight…

Besides, only after replenishing enough nutrients would she have the spare energy to think about the next problem.

The novice nun slave Professor Katerina had forcibly dumped on her.

There was absolutely no way she could keep that ticking time bomb by her side. Putting aside the fact that she had no hobby of torturing people whatsoever, the way that nun looked at her alone was enough to make Stella break out in a cold sweat.

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What if one day the nun tried to take Stella down with her while she was asleep?

She had to get rid of her.

After finishing dinner, Stella headed toward the dormitory tower of the House of Domination while turning the matter over in her mind.

‘Just let her go?’

‘No. Too obvious.’

‘Give her to someone else?’

‘Even worse.’

From what Stella knew of the other succubi, that would be the same as delivering meat straight into their mouths.

After thinking it over again and again, Stella came up with a brilliant idea.

Since Remedios had invited her to practice dark cursecraft at the outer edge of the Blasphemous Forbidden Forest, Stella could simply go along with it and bring the slave with her. Then, halfway there, she could accidentally fail to keep a close enough watch on her and let her escape.

The outer edge of the Blasphemous Forbidden Forest was somewhat dangerous, but as long as she didn’t go too deep, it had to be safer than Succubus Academy. Besides, Stella remembered there were small paths leading outside. Her chances of escaping back to the Human Realm might be slim, but it was still better than staying at Lilith School surrounded by a bunch of succubi.

As for how Stella would explain it afterward…

She could just say the slave had been too cunning, or that Stella had become so absorbed in contemplating magical principles that she’d let her guard down. At worst, the people around her would tease her a little about how even geniuses had careless moments.

Perfect.

No sooner thought than done.

Stella gave her own plan an enthusiastic thumbs-up in her head, and even her steps became lighter.

By the time she returned to the common room of the House of Domination, it was the liveliest time of the evening. Quite a few higher-year succubi were lazily sunk into sofas, while others gathered in groups of two or three to discuss the latest gossip.

The moment Stella pushed open the door, the previously noisy common room fell silent for an instant.

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Immediately afterward, those gazes became strange.

For some reason, Stella could see awe and curiosity in them, along with even a trace of… suggestive envy?

“Look, that’s Stella Darkfallen…”

“I heard Professor Katerina rewarded her with a slave.”

“Heh, geniuses really do play differently. I heard she didn’t just take the girl, she even requested a batch of special tools…”

“I’m so jealous. I want an exclusive toy too…”

Stella listened to the whispers around her and blinked in confusion.

‘Special tools?’

‘What special tools?’

‘When had I ever requested anything like that?’

Filled with suspicion, Stella passed through the crowd and quickly reached the door of her private dormitory.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

“…”

The sight before her instantly shattered all the mental preparation Stella had just done.

There was no nun curled up in a corner trembling in fear like she had imagined…

Instead…

There was a beautifully wrapped present?

The novice nun she’d met only briefly before was kneeling in the middle of the carpet. Her tattered nun’s habit had been replaced with a boldly cut black-and-white maid dress. Elaborate lace trim ran along the low-cut neckline, while a white apron was tied around her waist and even decorated with an exaggerated bow. Around her neck was a black collar engraved with demonic patterns, with a chain extending from it and fastened to the foot of the bed.

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She looked exactly like a pet dog.

Hearing the door open, the nun raised her head. Tears swirled in her eyes, yet she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

On the table beside her lay an eye-catching parchment note, next to a pile of strange toys Stella couldn’t even bear to look at. There was a whip, candles, and several unidentified implements of torture that Stella couldn’t recognize at all.

Stella stiffly walked over and picked up the note.

Scrawled across it was a line of wild, messy handwriting.

【I’ve always been generous with outstanding students, so I included a few interesting tools for you as a bonus.】

【No need to thank me. Have fun.】

【Professor Katerina】

Stella’s hand trembled slightly.

She looked at the present on the floor, then at the note in her hand, and finally at the succubus classmates peeking curiously through the doorway.

‘My image…’

‘Is it really that awful?’

Translator Note

Pet maid obtained! HAHAHA XD