IHDOE Ch 63

Scenes flashed past in rapid succession.

He lashed her pale back with a whip while she provoked him. At times, unable to endure the agony, she begged for mercy.

[Satina] "I told you! It was all her own doing! How many times must I say it for you to believe me?! I did nothing wrong! I didn't do a thing to her!"

She insisted she was not the one who harassed the Saintess, declaring her innocence, yet he refused to believe her.

This woman was strange from the moment they met. She was adept at seducing and playing with people. It had been that way from their very first encounter.

Upon becoming a Saintess candidate, she rejected God, bewitched him, and spouted nonsensical words.

Whipping and imprisoning someone... Before meeting her, he had never even imagined committing such acts.

This is all for her sake.

Desiring her return to God's embrace, hoping she would realize divine mercy and beg the Saintess for forgiveness...

Is that all?

If so, how could he explain the surge of dark satisfaction that welled up every time he saw the scars on her back?

Serpens looked down at the exhausted, collapsed Satina and pondered.

If she begged for forgiveness... then I...

No, that was impossible. This woman possessed immense pride and arrogance. She would never ask for forgiveness now...

[Satina] "I... I was wrong. I was wrong about everything."

Her pale face was drenched in tears.

[Satina] "You're right. I tried to kill her. It's my fault. I'll do as you say. I'll do everything you say. I'll believe in God or whatever. If you want me to beg the Saintess for forgiveness, I will."

She clutched his robes, begging desperately.

[Satina] "I'll do whatever you say. She didn't frame me. I... I was crazy. I was evil."

She confessed her sins with hollow eyes.

[Satina] "You said you'd let me out if I reflected. So please stop..."

Yes, he had certainly said that everything was for the sake of her reflection.

Serpens looked down blankly at the woman before him, whip in hand. Her vibrant voice had lost all its energy, and her gaze, once so arrogant it seemed to look down even on God, now wavered aimlessly. She appeared genuinely penitent for her sins.

But I won't be fooled.

He steeled himself internally.

[Serpens] "Very well. We shall end here for today."

Faint hope filled her eyes. He grabbed her wrist, speaking firmly.

[Serpens] "However, you will never leave this room."

[Satina] "Why...?"

Light vanished from her eyes.

[Satina] "Why...? You said... you said you'd let me out if I reflected..."

[Serpens] "Because I know you are lying."

He pressed his thumb against her lips. Merely touching her full, red lips sent a twisted thrill coiling deep within his chest.

Grasping the back of her neck, he pinned her onto the bed and pressed his lips to the scars on her back.

Overwhelmed by panic, Satina offered no resistance. She lay still with his movements.

[Satina] "You... never intended to let me out from the start."

She curled her body and burst into tears. He pressed kisses along her trembling spine.

[Satina] "...You deceived me."

[Serpens] "I didn't deceive you."

[Satina] "Liar. No matter what I say, you won't believe me anyway. You are such a liar."

Satina died a week later. Attempting to escape with the help of a maid, she lost her life to the blade of a knight who discovered her.

Serpens stared blankly at her corpse. Reaching out to touch her cheek, cold, stiff flesh met his fingers instead of soft, warm skin.

[Serpens] "There must be a maid who assisted her escape. Capture her, and..."

[Knight] "How shall we handle her body?"

He couldn't answer easily. By law, Satina was an unforgivable sinner, so her body should be cast out into the fields without a proper funeral. Yet, strangely, he didn't wish to do so.

[Knight] "Lord Serpens?"

[Serpens] "The body..."

At that moment, a horrific chill seized the air, as if the entire world had frozen. Strangely, warmth seemed to linger only on her cheek.

A ticking clock echoed from somewhere.

Ah, this is...

Just as pitch darkness covered the world like a curtain falling on a play, Serpens awoke with a start.

Drenched in cold sweat, he switched on the room light, breathing heavily. Only when illumination filled the room did relief settle in.

Rubbing his aching head, he slowly pieced together his current situation.

I came to the western fortress to see her, and I fell asleep early because I felt unwell. To think I would have such a strange dream...

It was an absurd dream. Punishing Satina with a whip and imprisoning her. He knew he harbored dark feelings toward her, but this was grotesque.

It was a dream. No, it has to be a dream. But if this wasn't a dream...

Serpens clenched his fists tightly.

I am...

---

The next day, Satina led the knights alongside Serpens toward the valley containing the cure's ingredients.

She narrowed her eyes at his back as he walked ahead.

He is strange today.

Ever since seeing her this morning, he could barely meet her eyes and remained lost in deep thought without uttering a word during the entire journey.

Katan, standing beside her, spoke up.

[Katan] "What are you looking at so intently?"

[Satina] "Nothing. He just doesn't seem to be in good condition today."

[Katan] "Is that so? I wouldn't know."

[Satina] "It's understandable you wouldn't know, since you haven't seen him long."

[Katan] "Well, rather than that priest's condition..."

His gaze dropped to Satina's gloved hands.

[Katan] "I am more concerned with why you are wearing gloves, My Lady."

She glared lightly at Katan. Lowering her voice so others would not hear, she whispered.

[Satina] "Do you really not know? Do you have any idea how shocked I was when I saw my hand yesterday?"

[Katan] "You gave me permission."

[Satina] "I didn't expect you to do that. Thanks to you, I'll have to wear gloves for a while."

[Katan] "What a pity. I did that on purpose, hoping others would see."

[Satina] "You..."

She stammered, speechless.

[Satina] "Did you ask for my hand yesterday as a reward because of Serpens too?"

Curving his eyes slightly, Katan lightly brushed against her palm as if tickling her.

[Katan] "So please don't pay so much attention to that man. I am jealous."

He stepped ahead before she could utter another word.

Was he always this kind of character?

Thoughts of Serpens' condition vanished completely from her mind. Satina fanned her flushed cheeks with her hand.

Forget it. There's been no change in Serpens' affection score, so it should be fine.

---

Before long, Satina and her group reached the valley where the ingredients grew.

Ordering the knights to harvest the cure's ingredients, she took Serpens toward the cave where the Sreans had resided.

[Beginning investigation of contaminated area.]

[Guiding path to the contaminated area.]

The system notification chime echoed once again, identical to her previous visit to rescue the knights.

[Satina] "Honestly, I thought it was strange. There was no reason for magical beasts to suddenly increase and act ferociously in the west."

She spoke as she led the way into the cave.

[Satina] "The plague spreading in the western fortress was also due to the Blima beasts. As far as I know, Blima usually feed on beast blood and are docile creatures that rarely attack humans. Yet, their sudden invasion of the western fortress was odd, as was the Sreans' behavior."

Following the system's guidance past the Sreans' cave, she ventured deeper into the forest. Serpens followed behind her.

[Serpens] "Is that why you asked me about the connection between contaminated areas and magical beasts? If a contaminated area indeed emerged as you suspect, it explains the beasts' altered behavior. However, Lady Satina, a contaminated area hasn't appeared in hundreds of years."

The magical beasts that had swarmed near the forest entrance vanished at some point.

Sensing something, his expression hardened.

[Serpens] "This feeling..."

Sprinting ahead past Satina, he gasped quietly as he reached ground that had turned dark purple.

[Serpens] "As I thought..."

[You have arrived at a 'Contaminated Area'!]

[Caution: Prolonged stay in this area may cause contamination.]

[The 'Divine Power' within the player protects you from 'Contamination'.]

[Serpens] "It is a contaminated area. We must purify it immediately..."

[Satina] "I can handle the purification, so don't worry about that. What I'm curious about is something else."

She recalled purifying the contaminated soil in the underground aqueduct.

[Satina] "You might not know, but I've purified contamination in another location before. As you said, Lord Serpens, contaminated areas are extremely rare. But could such contaminated areas appear consecutively in such a short period?"

[Serpens] "Are you suggesting..."

[Satina] "I suspect someone created this contamination artificially."

---

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