Volume 1, Chapter 35 – This Is Called an Expedient Measure

As a combat nun of the Holy See, even though she was only a trainee and had yet to receive her official appointment, Lainia Pandorica took great pride in her identity.

Compared to the other clergy, she had neither an illustrious family background nor breathtaking talent. She was merely the daughter of a fallen noble family, but Lainia knew that she possessed one treasure.

Her devout heart.

She had no outstanding magic circuits and could not chant magnificent hymns like her genius colleagues, so she chose the clumsiest possible way to draw closer to the Lord.

On countless mornings when the wind whispered softly, while everyone else was still asleep beneath their warm blankets, she was already kneeling on the monastery’s bone-chilling stone floor, scrubbing every tile with a coarse rag until her knees were red and swollen and her fingertips numb from the cold.

Day after day, she swung her sword on the training grounds. Because she could not cast divine arts instantaneously, she forced herself to repeat the most basic chopping motion ten thousand times. The blisters on her palms burst and healed again and again, eventually becoming thick calluses, all so that when she faced a demon, she could hold out for even one second longer.

She had even refused the meager savings her family had left her, wearing the roughest linen undergarments and eating the driest, hardest black bread. She regarded asceticism as a means of tempering her will and poverty as a way to cleanse her soul.

The moment she became a trainee combat nun, Lainia swore that once her faith called to her, no matter where the Lord’s glory pointed, she would answer and strive toward that place.

She had always lived that way.

She firmly believed that her life was renewed through the act of constantly pressing onward.

For the call within her heart that only she could perceive, she would keep walking and never stop!

And so, she embarked on her first mission, joining a massive escort convoy tasked with transporting a sacred relic of the utmost secrecy for the Holy See.

However…

Defeat.

The entire group was wiped out. Only she survived because of the so-called unusual nature of her magic circuits, after which she was packaged up as a rare teaching specimen and sent to the Demon Realm.

For six whole months, Lainia had been a prisoner.

Even so, she had never once fallen into despair.

Because one memory had sustained her through the long darkness of the dungeon.

At a grand baptism ceremony held by the Holy See, the Pure Saintess who would soon inherit the title had personally taken her hand. Those hands had been warm and soft, and the Saintess had bestowed a sacred blessing upon her.

Inside the church stood stained-glass windows of red, green, and yellow, engraved with images of the Saintess.

The vaulted ceiling was immensely high. When sunlight streamed in during the day, it looked like a path opening toward heaven.

“May the Lord’s radiance protect you even within the deepest darkness.”

Her voice had been as gentle as heavenly music.

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What the Saintess displayed were simple, unadorned virtues, among them salvation. She embodied them with such perfect grace that anyone could recognize the beauty within her, and so Lainia had always believed in her without the slightest doubt. She had never lost her courage.

Besides, she had never heard of demons possessing any extraordinary talents or any astonishing form of torture terrifying enough to inspire awe in her. If it was merely physical torment, Lainia believed she could face it without the slightest fear.

Until this afternoon…

Inside that decaying, chilling classroom, that silver-haired, violet-eyed succubus had merely placed one hand on top of her head and, as casually as though she were eating a meal, devoured every blessing the Saintess had bestowed upon her.

Within her now-empty body, she could no longer feel even the faintest response from the light.

For a time, Lainia had wanted to die, but in the end, she refused to let despair overwhelm her. What meaning would that have?

The Saintess would smile with that innocent yet clever smile of hers and ask, what use would that be?

She could only keep living, carrying hope with her!

And now…

Lainia lowered her gaze. The nun’s habit symbolizing chastity had been stripped from her and replaced with a shameless black-and-white maid dress. The elaborate lace and distinctive tailoring filled her with unbearable humiliation, while the cold sensation around her neck constantly reminded her that she was now a slave.

What blasphemy was this!?

That demon had not only stolen her power, but intended to trample upon her dignity as well.

Lainia bit her lower lip, stubbornness still burning in her amber eyes.

Even if her Holy Power had vanished, even if she had fallen into a den of demons, she would never betray the Lord. Much less wag her tail and beg for mercy from this evil succubus who had stolen away her light.

“…I will never submit!”

The instant Stella entered the room, Lainia shouted with all her strength.

Stella closed the door, blocking the gazes of the succubi outside, then looked helplessly at the girl glaring furiously at her from the carpet.

‘Hmm…’

‘Well, at least her mental state seemed pretty good?’

‘That counts as a good thing, right?’

Still, Stella could tell that the girl’s physical condition was absolutely terrible. Her face was as pale as paper, and her lips were cracked. Clearly, she had barely eaten or drunk anything decent since being captured.

Stella could not help feeling worried. No matter what the girl had done, Stella was still kind by nature. At the very least, as long as nobody noticed, she could take care of her a little.

She sighed, turned around and poured a cup of water, then picked up one of the leftover pastries from the table and tentatively offered it to her.

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“Um, do you want…”

“Put away your hypocrisy, Succubus!”

Lainia’s voice was filled with stubborn defiance.

She raised her head and met Stella’s gaze.

Perhaps it was only her imagination, but Lainia felt that the succubus before her was even more terrifying than she had been in class that afternoon.

At the ends of her moonlight-silver hair, an eerie trace of crimson had now appeared. Deep within her eyes, a dark gleam of brutality occasionally flashed. Even when she was merely standing there, an aura of evil seemed to surge straight toward her.

She absolutely could not be deceived by her actions.

This was her true face.

That so-called gentleness was nothing more than a cat toying with a mouse.

“…”

Stella felt a headache coming on.

If she acted too weak right now, those succubus classmates outside who were pricking up their ears and eavesdropping would definitely become suspicious.

Stella took a deep breath, forcibly hardened her expression, then set the cup of water down heavily on the table.

Her gaze fell upon the black collar engraved with demonic patterns. A tiny line of Demon Realm script had been carved into it.

Lainia Pandorica.

So that was her name.

“Lainia Pandorica.”

Stella coldly spoke the other girl’s name, her tone icy.

“Understand the situation you’re in right now. Now that you’ve fallen into my hands, don’t be so ungrateful.”

‘…At least stop being so stubborn, okay?’

‘Just stay put obediently so I could find a chance to send you away.’

‘Please.’

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“Hmph… You want me to beg for mercy?”

Lainia raised her head.

“No matter how you torture me, no matter what despicable methods you use to humiliate me… I will never submit! Kill me if you want. If you think I’ll obediently listen to you like a dog, dream on!”

Stella was speechless.

She really could not take this anymore. She only wanted the girl to settle down a little, so why was this nun’s head filled with nothing but torture and humiliation?

‘Just what kind of bizarre things did the Holy See teach during its employee training nowadays?’

Stella rubbed her throbbing temples.

She could not stay in this room any longer.

Sharing a room with a fanatic who was ready to die heroically at any moment and would most likely stab her in her sleep, Stella felt that she would definitely break down before the other girl did.

If she died at the hands of a succubus, that would be one thing. But if she died at the hands of one of her own colleagues, the joke would be far too ridiculous.

Even after reaching heaven, the other Saintesses would laugh at her for the rest of eternity.

She had to get rid of her.

Now.

Immediately.

Stella remembered the arrangement she had made with Remedios.

The outskirts of the Blasphemous Forbidden Forest.

Few people ever went there, and it led directly outside the academy grounds.

The sooner she dealt with this, the better.

“Since you’re so disobedient and have absolutely none of the self-awareness a slave ought to possess…”

Stella tilted her head slightly, a trace of chill appearing in her violet eyes.

“Then don’t blame me. I’ll take you somewhere more suitable for you.”

“Somewhere more suitable for me?”

Lainia’s body trembled, but she still gritted her teeth, her expression unyielding.

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Stella walked to the bedside and bent down.

Her hand reached toward the chain tied around the bedpost.

If she wanted to take Lainia outside without arousing the suspicions of the succubi out there…

Stella looked at the collar around Lainia’s neck, then at the metal chain in her hand.

There was no other way.

She could only…

Lead her by the chain.

‘Lord.’

‘Please forgive Your humble believer.’

This really was not some twisted fetish of hers, much less proof that she was mentally deranged.

She was only…

Only trying to guide a lost lamb back onto the proper path, even if the method was just slightly blasphemous.

This was called an expedient measure.

Yes, an expedient measure.

“Get up.”

Stella tugged on the chain, producing a crisp clatter.

“Follow me.”

Translator Note

Stella is still being a denial xD