Chapter 328: Future, Distorted. |
Chapter: 328
Chapter Title: Future, Distorted.
After feeding Baek Seo-yeon the aphrodisiac, quite some time had passed since I also made her drink the black potion corresponding to stage three (Potion of Pain).
The underground prison was still dark. But stepping through the now-familiar scenery, I calmly crossed what used to be the training grounds. Eventually, I stopped in front of the utility room. The door was already open, so I peered inside without hesitation.
Unlike the other cells, a faint light illuminated the interior here. And inside, a strange hot wind swirled about.
The scents of night-blooming flowers, sweat, filth, and body odor—all sorts of acrid smells—rode the hot breeze into my nostrils. The source was a tangle of one woman and three men inside.
After watching their one-sided debauchery for a moment, I slowly walked in.
I didn't close the door. But perhaps hearing my footsteps, one of them in the midst of the act hurriedly turned around.
"H-Huh?!"
I raised my hand to signal it was okay, but the vagrants surrounding Baek Seo-yeon awkwardly pulled away from her. Hastily draping on rags that could barely be called clothes, they began eyeing me warily.
"Has Vivian come and gone?"
"Y-Yes. She brought food today... and checked on things briefly before leaving."
"I see. No particular inconveniences?"
"None! The meals have been good lately... and well..."
The vagrant standing closest to me glanced at Baek Seo-yeon before answering cautiously.
'Of course. They need the stamina for that.'
Strictly speaking, I hadn't starved the vagrants. I wasn't pampering them like honored guests either, but aside from Baek Seo-yeon and her two close aides, I was treating them as normal prisoners. Of course, those three were being force-fed just enough to keep them from dying.
"Um... Mercenary Lord. If I may ask one thing..."
One of the vagrants, who had been quietly gauging my mood, spoke up.
I nodded slightly to indicate he should speak, and he continued in a rough voice.
"By any chance... how's that matter you mentioned last time coming along...?"
"Ah. The summons order will be issued soon. The trial will be held at the same time."
"I-I see. Thank you for answering."
"No need for thanks. I'll at least keep my promise regarding your testimony, so don't worry about that. Anyway, just follow Vivian's instructions for the time being. I won't forget."
The vagrant bowed deeply, his face saying of course. From the start, I'd laid down a smokescreen that I couldn't guarantee their lives. They might even think this was their last chance. That could explain why they were pouncing on Baek Seo-yeon like beasts.
The vagrants soon began leaving the room one by one. They looked regretful, still in the heat of it, but eventually all returned to their cells without a single one remaining.
The moment the door closing sound echoed, I channeled mana and lightly clapped my palms together. At once, the light stones in the utility room blazed to life, starkly illuminating Baek Seo-yeon's naked body sprawled on the floor like the dead.
Baek Seo-yeon lay there with her legs splayed wide, her form utterly wretched. She seemed to have suffered immensely—not a single untouched spot remained. Her swollen breasts were covered in suck marks and bite marks. Her privates were red and puffy, white fluid endlessly leaking from the slightly parted pink slit. The white and red stains from head to toe made it all too easy to imagine how brutally she'd been treated these past few days.
"Ahk... Ahng... Hng... Keuk... Haang... Kk..."
Sounds impossible to distinguish as crying, arousal, or pain leaked from her parted lips. Or perhaps all three. According to Vivian, Yggdrasil's fruit originally had permanent effects. But in reversing the effect and brewing the potion, permanence was lost, though duration remained.
In other words, Baek Seo-yeon was currently hypersensitive, feeling pleasure and pain simultaneously. I stared at her silently for a while.
Even a mentally strong woman would become unstable after being gang-raped by multiple men. No matter the aphrodisiac, her mind wouldn't change in just days. It only forced the body to react; truly enjoying it was the stuff of novels.
Moreover, it was by her cherished subordinates. She wasn't a natural seductress, nor had she been conditioned like the Elf Queen over ages. She was probably suffering enough to wish for death right now.
"Hng... Heung... Hweung... Eueung..."
Then it came. Baek Seo-yeon's voice filled the hollow interior once more. This time, unmistakably sobbing. She had covered her eyes with the back of her hand, lips parted as she poured out tears.
"......"
Under the quiet silence, only her pitiful sobs echoed through the underground. It made the already heavy atmosphere even weightier, more desolate. After staring at her shedding endless tears for a long while, I quietly turned and walked out of the utility room.
Not pitiful. Not sad.
Feeling my calm indifference, I gently closed my eyes. No matter how others saw me, I'd never once thought myself good.
I think that way from the start. Humans are inherently skilled at self-justification, change attitudes with situations, lack consistency, and are utterly selfish animals.
I returned to the second round with a goal. And I'd vowed to use any means necessary to achieve it. With the first round's memories vivid in my mind, I couldn't afford sentimental feelings over something like this.
The days I had to endure, watch helplessly, and suffer through. Those searing memories still burned deep in my chest.
Yes. That was all.
*
"Su-hyeon. Su-hyeon, you know this is the first time in ages you've called for me?"
Midnight. As I descended the dark stairs, a sharp voice flowed into my ear. I turned my head sideways and replied indifferently.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. It is. You came suddenly today too, but I was so happy inside. But then you tell me to follow you out of nowhere... Ha-yeon says she's sad too."
"I've been busy lately."
Go Yeon-ju seemed ready to sulk for once, but shut her mouth at my words. Having watched me closely all this time, she had nothing to say.
Still dissatisfied at not hearing sweet words, she pouted to show her displeasure. I knew what she wanted, but I wanted to save my words now. Because an important moment was right before us.
Soon reaching the lobby, we took the side corridor to the stairs leading underground. As we descended in silence, Go Yeon-ju's voice, now much calmer—perhaps reading my mood—came again.
"Su-hyeon. Do you know the summons order will be held secretly in three days?"
"I know."
"Then what do you plan to do with the vagrants?"
"We'll see today."
Go Yeon-ju pondered with a thoughtful expression before speaking in a languid tone.
"Guess I'll prepare Lure Eyed."
As expected, she grasped the situation immediately. I nodded once and stopped before the now-arrived underground prison door. I didn't open it right away. After steadying my breath, I knocked three times with some force, enough for someone inside to hear.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
"Huh? Not going in? What're you doing?"
Whoooong!
Go Yeon-ju tilted her head curiously. At that moment, a strong mana flow emanated from inside. Vivian's illusion magic formation needed a little time to fully activate anyway. She seemed to have noticed, but I decided to add some explanations.
"Go Yeon-ju. Today, I'm delivering the finishing blow to Baek Seo-yeon."
"Finishing blow... Yes."
"I've prepared a show fitting for it. You won't be the target, of course, but just in case, wait here. And the moment I bring Baek Seo-yeon out, use Lure Eyed as the situation calls for."
"Okay... I don't quite get it yet, but I'll see when it unfolds. Got it."
At her crisp reply, I stirred my mana to sense inside. Without delay, I flung the door wide open. Unlike before, the interior blazed with blinding light from all light stones lit.
The underground prison that followed would look quite comical to an outsider. A massive magic formation was drawn on the floor, emitting pale green light. And scattered atop it, vagrants twitched here and there. The firmly shut cell doors now stood wide open as if never closed.
I met eyes with Vivian standing to one side. She nodded quietly, aiming her glowing Ordo at the floor. Talk was already done. I stepped inside and, accepting the mana flowing into my body, walked straight ahead. My target: the magic formation's center where Baek Seo-yeon lay collapsed.
Arriving at the center, I saw Baek Seo-yeon sprawled like the dead. Calmly bending down, I shook her awake.
"Uh...? Hn... Uh, hngh!"
Baek Seo-yeon cracked her eyes open with a hoarse voice, then reflexively curled up. Blinded by the light after so long, she kept blinking. I wrapped her naked form in a pre-prepared robe, then gently lifted her up. Forcing her head up, I made her look straight at me.
Baek Seo-yeon's eyes held strong despair and loss, like those of a dead person. But only for a moment. Her eyes suddenly widened, mouth gaping as she stared blankly at me.
About 30 seconds passed? A raspy voice leaked from her throat.
"Hyeon...?"
"......"
"H-Hyeon? It's you, right? Right? It's Hyeon?!"
Her eyes were still hazy. But faintly, very faintly, change was appearing. Negative emotions dominated, but a sliver of emerging feeling clearly signaled hope.
"Why... Why are you here? Why you..."
"......"
"Why won't you answer? Hyeon? Hyeon..."
Baek Seo-yeon weakly raised a hand to touch my face. Then, trailing off, her gaze dropped to my chest. I kept observing her expression while pretending to cover my chest with my hand.
Right now, Baek Seo-yeon had drunk the purple potion (Haze) that rapidly lowered judgment and attention—the final stage. And she was under Vivian's activated illusion magic.
Vivian's skill wasn't perfect yet, hence this theatrical setup, but it was one of the methods Mavolo de Ailite swore by, so I was willing to indulge once.
Baek Seo-yeon still couldn't tear her eyes from my chest. With her remaining arm, she barely pushed my hand away (of course, I let her). Taking a deep breath, she looked up at me with trembling eyes.
"Why are you hurt so much...?"
"......"
"Don't tell me... You got hurt because of me? To save me..."
I wondered what illusion she was seeing. Extremely curious, but for now, I just nodded once to fit the situation.
"S-Sorry. Really sorry. I was stubborn... I shouldn't have taken command against your advice..."
I slowly shook my head side to side.
"But why won't you say anything? And how is this place... Clearly this is..."
'Hyeon, huh. Looks like the vagrants' words were true.'
Thinking I'd gleaned useful trivia, I led Baek Seo-yeon toward the door. If she caught on to the illusion now, all this preparation would go to waste. Well, it'd still be a blow.
Baek Seo-yeon stumbled at first with hesitant steps but soon leaned on me, taking each painful stride. Still incredulous, she alternated between staring at my face and scanning around.
After about ten steps, I heard her quietly muttering upon spotting something. Glancing down, I confirmed her gaze on the collapsed vagrants.
"Those idiots. I told them not to fall for it... They died in the end. Damn bastards...!"
Were they really dead?
"Ah, Hyeon! W-Wait a sec!"
"?"
"Hae-in and Ga-in are probably captured here too. You know them, right? Did you not see the others?"
Her tone now dripped with desperation, but I gave no reply. I focused solely on dragging her to the door. The distance shrank steadily.
"Hyeon? Hyeon! Why aren't the two here? Are they dead? Please answer! Hae-in and Ga-in..."
I shook my head again, and Baek Seo-yeon finally stopped her hoarse pleas, staring blankly at the prison.
"They're... dead...?"
Finally, with the door right ahead, I stopped. Turning back to look inside, I confirmed the pale green magic formation slowly losing its glow. Only then did I speak in my true voice.
"They're not dead."
"Huh? Not dead? Then why... aren't you bringing them?"
Still dazed by potion and magic, Baek Seo-yeon sent a confused gaze. I didn't answer. Instead, I channeled mana and clapped lightly. The blazing light stones extinguished in an instant, light and dark crossing. With one clap, the underground prison reverted to its gloomy former state.
And at the same time. The vagrants on the magic formation began rising one by one.
"Wh-What, what is this? Hyeon? Hyeon?! Why are the dead suddenly...!"
Baek Seo-yeon screamed. Still unable to distinguish dream from reality, she clung tighter and shouted. The magic formation was already off. I decided it was time to reveal the truth.
"My name is Su-hyeon. Don't call me by a single syllable as you please."
"Ah...?"
Finally sensing something off, Baek Seo-yeon slowly, very slowly, turned to me.
"Hyeon?"
The hopeful voice calling for Hyeon died the instant she looked at my face.
"Hyeon............?"