Book 7: Chapter 32: Leisure Time |
Lilith directly dumped the meal onto the ground. The once-fragrant food mixed with the filthy sludge below, turning into a disgusting mush not even a dog would touch.
“Come on, lick it clean.” Lilith crooked her finger, her pitch-black eyes filled with a chilling coldness that made people shudder. What she hated most was people wasting food. Especially her food.
“Wh… who the hell would lick that?!” Although he had been terrified by the horrifying power Lilith displayed, David still stiffened his neck and barked defiantly: “I’m already a dead man anyway, you think I’d be scared of you? At worst it’s just another scar the size of a bowl. Who the hell are you trying to scare?!”
“Oh? Looks like there’s something you don’t understand.”
“W… what is it?” David’s bravado was already starting to crumble.
“For trash like you, death is already the kindest possible outcome. But me… I won’t be kind.” Lilith snapped her fingers. The black flames flickered.
In an instant, all the air around David was devoured completely. An invisible force held his body together, preventing the terrifying pressure difference from making him explode inside out. But without air, he naturally could no longer breathe.
“I heard you’ve drowned infants before. A punishment like this suits you quite well.” The overwhelming sensation of suffocation ravaged David’s nerves. He struggled madly, desperately trying to escape the vacuum around him, yet no matter how hard he fought, he could not break free from that invisible prison.
Without air, his lungs felt as though they were burning alive. The agony grew fiercer. And his struggles grew weaker. For the first time, he experienced the suffering of those pitiful victims he had drowned alive with his own hands.
‘Yeah… as long as I die, it will all be over. Once I die, I will no longer have to endure this agony.’
A person only needed a few minutes to suffocate to death. But… One minute… Five minutes… Ten minutes… He still struggled weakly, the horrifying suffocation clinging to him like a shadow, constantly tormenting him with endless pain and the promise of imminent death. Yet death itself never arrived.
“Didn’t I already tell you? Death would be far too easy for you.” Lilith cast him a cold glance before turning away. Leaving behind only a back view steeped in despair. “Remember to lick the food off the floor afterward. Otherwise, you might spend eternity suffocating, begging for death without ever getting it.”
Lilith stepped out of his prison. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she looked toward the tall, skinny man whose eyes had earlier been filled with lust.
“You…”
“N-No need for you to do it, ma’am!” The tall, skinny figure instantly trembled violently. Before Lilith could even say anything, he hurriedly grabbed a stick and aimed it at his crotch.
“Heaven’s justice always comes around. It’s not that retribution never comes, the time just hasn’t arrived yet. Mom, I swear I’ll be a good person from now on!” Tears streamed down his face as he swung the stick down with all his strength.
**Crack!**
Instantly, both chicken and eggs were destroyed. Even through the iron bars, Lilith felt a phantom chill between her legs.
“……”
‘Holy crap, this guy is truly ruthless.’
Still, since he had already repented… at least physically… Lilith found it hard to continue doing anything to him. Thoughtfully bending the twisted iron bars back into place, Lilith returned to her own cell.
Only then did the bailiff from outside finally arrive at a leisurely pace. “Did something happen in here?”
“Nope. Nothing happened at all.”
“Really? But I swear I heard something.” Scratching his head, he looked around at the surrounding prison cells.
Aside from one man clutching his throat while flailing around like he was performing some bizarre dance, and another covering his crotch while tearfully repenting, the entire prison was peaceful to an almost absurd degree.
Several prisoners who normally loved causing trouble during mealtime were now as obedient as baby bears, curled up in the corners without daring to move.
“That’s strange. Did everyone suddenly turn over a new leaf today?” The bailiff left with a bewildered look on his face.
Meanwhile, Lilith sat on the small, hard iron bed inside her cell, quietly spacing out.
“Mountain Ghost…” Liana suddenly called out to her.
“Hm?”
“This is for you.”
“What?” Lilith froze for a moment. Because Liana had actually picked up a piece of meat from her own bowl and offered it over. “For me?”
“Mhm.” Liana nodded, her cheeks faintly flushed red.
“No thanks. You won’t have enough to eat.”
“I’ll be full just fine. My appetite isn’t that big.” Liana puffed out her cheeks. “Besides, I can’t just sit here and watch Mountain Ghost go hungry all by herself.”
“Who said I’d go hungry? It’s just one lunch. Getting another serving would be easy for me…”
“Alright, alright, stop saying stuff like that and just eat.” Liana blinked, deliberately putting on a teasing expression. “Or what… is Mountain Ghost embarrassed?”
“Embarrassed? Why would I be embarrassed?”
“Because these are chopsticks I’ve already used.” Liana licked her glossy, oil-slick lips and said mischievously: “Don’t tell me Mountain Ghost thinks this counts as an indirect kiss, so now you’re too shy to eat it? Hehe, looks like even Mountain Ghost has timid moments.”
“Oh?” Lilith raised an eyebrow. “So you’re saying you’re very brave then?”
“Hmph. I, Liana, may not have much, but there’s one thing I’ve definitely got, and that’s big!” Liana proudly slapped her chest, instantly setting off a dramatic wave of motion. The sight made Lilith’s eyelid twitch so hard her teeth almost hurt.
“Looks like some naughty little girl needs to be taught a lesson before she learns what’s good for her.” A wicked smile spread across Lilith’s face as she bared her teeth and slowly advanced forward.
“When the time comes and I gobble you up completely, don’t start crying.”
“Wuuuu… Mountain Ghost is so scary…”
“Awooo… what’s coming next is even scarier. Mine now.”
“Ah! That was my biggest piece of meat!”
“What do you mean biggest? Aren’t there two even bigger ones on you already?”
“These aren’t for you~”
“You think saying no means no? Don’t even think about running…”
“Hehehe…”
Amid the girls’ laughter and playful teasing, even this cold, damp prison seemed to grow a little warmer. In the end, the box of pork chop rice was completely wiped clean by the two girls.
After finishing the meal, Liana and Lilith sat side by side on the iron bed, gazing up at the sky beyond the barred window.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a meal this happily.” Liana gently swayed her head with a faint smile. Her fair feet slipped out from her shoes, lightly swinging along with the rhythm. “Ever since Mother got sick, I’ve always eaten alone.”
“…What about before your mother fell ill?”
“Mmm… back then, it was me, Mother, and Father eating together. Sometimes Second Mother, Bianca, would join us too, though not very often.”
“You must’ve been happy back then.”
“Of course I was.” Liana lifted her head slightly, breathing in the breeze drifting through the window as she reminisced about those beautiful memories.
“Father was always very busy, but he often brought me delicious food and fun little things to play with. Back then, I actually wasn’t very afraid of him. Mother, on the other hand, was extremely strict with me. She would constantly check my training progress, and if I slacked off even a little, she’d smack my palms hard with a bamboo cane. Every time she hit me, my hands would stay swollen for days.”
“And yet now, you fear your father… while desperately trying to save your mother?” Lilith murmured softly.