Chapter 107
“Ugh.”
Irene woke up in an unfamiliar place. It was certainly somewhere she had never been before, yet it felt strangely familiar.
The cold, hard stone floor transmitted its chill through her hand.
Though torches were lit, there were no windows, so it was impossible to tell if it was day or night.
‘And this smell.’
There was a faint, metallic odor in the air, reminiscent of blood, making her feel nauseous.
‘I have to get out of here.’
She tried to push herself up from the floor, but her body collapsed.
Was she restrained? No. Had they used d***s? It didn’t seem so.
Then why couldn’t she move?
‘It’s not that I can’t move.’
She was paralyzed by fear. While the details were not exactly the same, she had a sense of where she was.
The location might be different, but the purpose was likely the same.
“A torture chamber.”
As soon as she whispered the words, applause echoed from somewhere.
Turning her head, she saw thick iron bars. The applause came from beyond them.
“You’re awake, Saintess.”
“Who are you?”
“My apologies for the delayed introduction. I am Luciel, servant of the great Mileka.”
The current goddess has no name. There was no one who could name her.
Who could dare to name the most noble and highest being in the world?
But Mileka? It was an unfamiliar name. Thanks to that, Irene realized what kind of being Luciel served.
“A heretic.”
“From my perspective, you are the heretic.”
Luciel replied nonchalantly, then looked around and asked,
“But more importantly, do you like your accommodations?”
“Accommodations? This place?”
“Don’t you have memories tied to a place like this, Saintess? We tried to replicate that location. Not that it took much effort, since this place was already used for such purposes.”
An actual torture chamber. Even if she wanted to know where this was, she hadn’t been in the southern country long.
No, even if she had been in the country for a long time, she wouldn’t have known. Who would show a Saintess a torture chamber?
“You have quite the expression. Watching you frozen in fear gives me chills.”
“Such a twisted sense of taste.”
“Considering the number of our comrades who died in torture chambers, it’s not that twisted. Isn’t this something your temples are proficient at? And you yourself were subjected to it.”
Creeeak.
Luciel scratched the iron bars with his nails, sending chills down her spine. Memories of those days resurfaced.
Still, she didn’t shout for him to stop. She wanted to, but she desperately held it in.
Showing her torment would only please him more. Irene gritted her teeth and glared at Luciel.
“By now, the palace must be in chaos. Everyone will be mobilized to search for the Saintess. But they probably won’t find you.”
“Why do you think that? Both Burt and Sir Allen are very capable people.”
“Even capable people can be kept away from the dark. Because this place is—oh, I almost revealed something important. For now, spend the night here. We’ll be moving tomorrow, so it’s best for you to rest well.”
With a mocking smile, Luciel disappeared.
After he vanished, Irene lay in the darkness, trying to gauge how much time had passed. Somewhere in the distance, she heard a groan.
‘It must be my imagination.’
She tried to convince herself, but the groaning continued, relentless even when she covered her ears.
‘If only I could use my divine power!’
She struggled to gather her strength, hindered by the bracelet on her wrist. She felt like she might break through if she kept pushing.
‘I can do it!’
Just as Irene was about to exert her power, Luciel reappeared, this time bringing a small child with blue eyes and blonde hair.
“Oh, I almost forgot.”
Luciel pushed the child close to the bars.
“Ugh!”
The child let out a stifled cry as they were forced against the iron bars.
“Allow me to introduce you. Her name is—”
“Diana.”
“Yes, Diana. Why introduce a child, you ask? Everything has its use. Now, Saintess, you’ve always been a benevolent figure, haven’t you?”
Her heart was pounding. She couldn’t understand what he was trying to say.
“If you destroy your restraints or attempt to escape, this child will suffer more injuries.”
“Isn’t she one of you lackeys? You turned into a child earlier too.”
“Well, you could say that. She’s a child we brought from the alliance. Let’s see, what was Diana’s sister’s name again?”
“Adlen.”
The child spat the name out as if chewing on it.
“Yes, Adlen.”
Thud. Irene’s heart sank, but she couldn’t afford to acknowledge that she knew Adlen.
“What difference does it make, introducing her to me?”
“Aren’t you acquainted?”
“No.”
“Let’s say you’re not. Still, you wouldn’t want to risk a child’s life by trying to escape, would you?”
“Is she really a child?”
“Would you like to check? Diana.”
The child hesitated, then pushed her small hand through the bars. Irene, trembling, reached out and touched her hand.
‘She really is a child.’
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