Volume 1, Chapter 42 – I Absolutely Won’t Submit!

The effects of Bone Joy, Heart Dance finally wore off.

It had taken Stella quite a bit of effort to figure out how to cut off the supply of magical power. If she had not acted in time, Lainia really might have suffocated to death and become the first soul claimed by Bone Joy, Heart Dance.

“Ha… ha…”

Lainia lay limp in the mud, gasping for breath, her cheeks flushed crimson and tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes.

This was hell.

Shame surged over her like a tide. She had actually laughed and begged for mercy at the feet of her enemy.

She could not fall here.

‘Lainia, this is only the first step.’

If she showed weakness now, or resisted too strongly, that woman would definitely use that spell on her again.

Next time, she might truly break.

She had to make the other party believe that she had already been humiliated into harmlessness.

Lainia gritted her teeth and forced herself to squeeze out words that went against everything in her heart.

“I… I’ve learned my lesson. Please… don’t do it again… Master, I was wrong.”

Stella stood there with question marks filling her head.

Although she was currently wearing the skin of a succubus, at heart, she was still a Saintess officially appointed by the Holy See.

Lainia was a nun who served the same Lord, her colleague.

Having her own colleague kneel on the ground and call her Master was more than just embarrassing.

It practically counted as blasphemy.

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If the Pope found out, he would probably nail her straight onto a pillar of shame.

Her poor little heart could not take this.

Seriously.

Clap, clap, clap.

Remedios chose that moment to applaud.

“Wonderful, Stella. I never imagined Heart-Piercing Bone-Gouging could be used this way. This Bone Joy, Heart Dance is practically tailor-made for tomorrow’s duel. I can already picture that insufferably arrogant Cheryl Valentine making the exact same expression in the arena.”

“I’m guessing that’s exactly why you created such an evil torture spell.” Remedios walked over and spoke very, very softly. “This is how you intend to answer her declaration of war, isn’t it? By using the most extreme method possible to destroy the pride of the Valentine family.”

She stared at the glaring streaks of scarlet at the ends of Stella’s silver hair. In her mind, the final piece at last fell into place in the grand family drama she had imagined about return and revenge.

Simple physical destruction meant nothing to the Valentine family, which possessed the qualifications of an Elector and was infamous for its madness.

Under their iron-blooded family rules, only absolute domination could prove the purity of one’s bloodline.

And Stella, the illegitimate daughter who had been cast out of the family and survived by slaughtering her way through the darkness, who had even been forced to endure the humiliation of using an obviously fake surname like Darkfallen, naturally disdained the idea of defeating that legitimate young lady raised in a greenhouse through brute force alone.

What she intended to do was use Bone Joy, Heart Dance before everyone’s eyes to trample Cheryl Valentine’s cherished pride, the glory of her bloodline, and her lofty arrogance into the mud, then grind them all into dust.

She would make the legitimate heir collapse in pleasure and submit in humiliation.

How could this possibly be called a duel?

This was clearly Stella’s coronation ceremony, her proclamation to the Valentine family that their king had returned.

Remedios carefully studied Stella’s cold expression and unconsciously muttered.

“…How twisted.”

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“Family civil wars, struggles over succession… they’ve always been this cruel.”

Remedios could already smell enough blood in the coming slaughter between blood relatives to make her excited.

“…”

Stella felt like her head was about to explode.

She could barely sleep as it was.

‘Could everyone please stop mentioning the duel to me…’

Right now, all she wanted was to find a crack in the ground, crawl inside, then write Inquisitor Itheria a tear-soaked last will—Oh no, a distress letter from within that crack.

Although the duel was tomorrow, she should at least notify the Inquisitor. If she really did get beaten to death, the Inquisitor could still send someone to collect her corpse so it would not be left exposed in the Demon Realm.

As for Lainia…

Stella lowered her eyes and glanced at Lainia kneeling on the ground.

Judging from her current state, it seemed she had no intention of attacking Stella for the time being.

Then she might as well follow the previous plan and bring her back first, pretending to keep her as a slave. Later, she could find somewhere deserted and either knock her unconscious and dump her there or package her up and send her away. If nothing else worked, she could always ask the Inquisitor for help.

“Since your lesson is over, I have no reason to stay in a place like this any longer.” Stella turned around and strode back the way they had come. “I’m heading back first, Remedios.”

Now that she had managed to muddle her way through the dark cursecraft lesson, she did not want to stay here for even one second longer.

Lainia remained where she was.

She watched Stella’s retreating back, then lowered her gaze to the shackle attached to the collar in her hand.

There was no question that it was a symbol of her humiliation.

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If she took it off, perhaps she could still preserve the final shred of dignity she possessed as a human rather than becoming some so-called slave.

But…

Lainia lightly bit her pink lips.

If she did not pick it back up, then she would remain an enemy who might flee at any moment and retaliate at any time.

That silver-haired demon would never show mercy to an enemy. The Bone Joy, Heart Dance just now had been a warning.

If she wanted to survive, if she wanted to remain undercover at that demon’s side, then she had to completely grind away her own edges and disguise herself as a harmless possession that posed no threat.

This was a necessary sacrifice.

Clatter.

The sound of dragging metal rang out as Lainia stumbled after her.

She walked up beside Stella, holding one end of the chain in both hands, then reluctantly offered it into Stella’s palm.

“…Master.”

Her voice was barely louder than a mosquito.

“Oh my, Stella.” Remedios covered her mouth with a soft laugh. “It seems she’s already gained a profound understanding of who her master is. That look where her heart is clearly still unwilling to submit, yet her body can only obediently offer up its own shackles… Hehe, it has quite a unique charm.”

Remedios waved her hand, preparing to leave.

“Good night, Stella. I’m looking forward to your performance tomorrow.”

Stella stood where she was as the night wind swept past. Her entire body felt ice-cold, the chill spreading all the way from the bottom of her heart to the soles of her feet. She looked at Lainia offering up her shackles, then at Remedios’ face filled with wicked amusement.

No.

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She had deliberately left the thing alone.

Just how much did you like this collar?

Stella had ten thousand retorts screaming inside her heart, but looking at the sparkle in Remedios’ eyes, she could only swallow them all back down.

Her violet eyes cast Lainia a cold glance.

Stella extended her hand. Her fingertips trembled slightly as she reluctantly took hold of the shackles Lainia had offered her.

The guilt nearly drowned her.

‘Lord, forgive me…’

‘I really did not do this on purpose.’

Lainia lowered her head, a complicated gleam flashing through her amber eyes. “She accepted me… My disguise succeeded.”

Endure humiliation for the sake of the greater cause.

This was for the Holy See, for the Lord.

‘Just you wait, Stella Darkfallen, future Archsuccubus, the embryonic form of the Queen of Eternal Night.’

‘As long as I remain beneath this collar, I can stay closer to your heart than anyone else.’

‘And then…’

‘I will uncover your weakness.’

‘And I would absolutely never submit!’