A saintess? She's just a bad woman.

Page 42

This is a symbol of shame and subservience; even her abdomen is branded with a mark—a very cute miniature portrait of two people in a heart shape.

It resembled a child's doodle, yet it felt familiar to Santa Karina, as it was something she had drawn with Esther when they were children, as part of an art class assignment.

However, tattoos are just ordinary dyes, and you can remove them with magic.

Saint Karina, of course, destroyed the humiliating symbol the very next day; however, she had almost fainted from the pain when she got the tattoo.

Perhaps only a yandere and crazy woman like Esther would take advantage of someone else's body while engaging in these kinds of lewd acts, all while whispering nauseating but chilling words in her ear.

While inserting a fine tattoo needle into someone's body, he/she says how much he/she loves that person. Is that gentleness? The intense desire for control is suffocating.

"Even if Sister Saint Karina destroys this painting, it's fine. She can destroy all the words I've imprinted on it. Because—as long as Sister Saint Karina is still by my side, she's like a pure, flawless white cloth, and I can continue to add color to it at any time."

Look, that's a blatant threat.

Saint Karina shuddered at the sight, but she removed the uncomfortable mark with a spell.

Even if she gets branded again, she shouldn't keep it. Otherwise, Saint Karina feels she won't be able to sleep peacefully.

"It's just crawling over, I can do that perfectly well."

Like a docile animal, she crawled on all fours to Esther's feet, her expression utterly numb, yet still retaining a trace of pride—the pride of a saint.

Esther poured herself a glass of rum, the crystal-clear wide-mouthed glass half-filled with the amber liquid. She took a small sip first, then let Santa Karina, who was lying on the ground, sit on her long lap.

The icy liquid suddenly poured down, some landing in Saint Karina's collarbone, but most spilling onto her thin white robe. Beneath the robe, her body was completely naked; Esther forbade her to wear anything underneath, bras and thorns were forbidden, otherwise she would be subjected to severe "pampering."

Saint Karina no longer wanted to engage in in-depth discussions with Esther about the origins of humanity and all species in the world while her body was completely suspended in mid-air. The feeling of not being able to grasp a physical object was despairing, and her body was almost unable to move. She could only let her physical strength be lost as her body's water rapidly evaporated.

Esther bent down and removed the meaningless fibrous garments from her shoulders. The skin there bore faint, ambiguous purplish-red hickeys and teeth marks, all left by her over the past two days.

"Sister Saint Karina, your body is so beautiful..."

"Ban, you flatter me."

Saint Karina stared blankly at the murals in the palace room. The saints in the murals were smiling happily, offering relics to the female pope in search of protection, which now seemed utterly ironic to her.

This kind of protection comes at a price; one's body and dignity are trampled on, and there's no way to pick them up and piece them back together. Like shattered glass, it can never be repaired by normal means.

Her past life is now a thing of the past. She is now Esther's prisoner and pet, confined in a gilded cage, unable to control her own life.

A sharp pain shot through my collarbone, and blood seeped from the wound. The pain brought a slight clarity to my muddled mind, forcing it to continue working. I didn't want to think, but I was forced to.

Thinking about how to get through this period and how to deal with these things that wear down one's spirit and dignity is an extremely tiring activity.

She hoped to choose between escaping the side hall of the sanctuary built by Esther and losing her own will; if it was the former, all the better.

This rather intense reaction undoubtedly intensified Esther's excitement. She happened to possess a quality that brought her pleasure from the inside out when she saw her prey deriving pleasure from shame and slight pain, struggling in the shallow waters of dignity.

Her love for Saint Karina and her desire to see Saint Karina's humiliated expression were not contradictory; there was no rule that one could only love someone and not bully her.

"Let out more cries of pain, I love the look on Saint Karina's face right now. Let me see it a little longer..."

Esther bit down harder on Saint Karina's fair, smooth shoulder. Teeth covered the kiss marks left the previous night; her canines mercilessly tore through the thin skin, and a few streaks of blood peeked from the wounds.

A faint metallic taste filled my mouth, stimulating the taste buds on my tongue and sending a stronger signal to my brain.

Santa Karina's body suddenly stiffened. The sharp pain in her left shoulder rendered her unable to move, leaving her only able to remain silent and quietly endure tonight's "love." Her body trembled uncontrollably. Whether it was from fear or pain, she could no longer distinguish, nor did she care to think about the reason.

Discussing these things with a yandere or crazy person is pointless; all they know is how to take and vent.

She tried to keep her mind clear, staring blankly at the stone carvings and murals on the wall. Whenever she was forced to have her body taken, she would always try to trace the patterns in the murals with her eyes, or count how many people were depicted, in order to endure those humiliating times while in a distracted state.

The most vulnerable parts of the body may initially feel a little pain, followed by a long period of numbness. After a few hours of this, all the effort will become futile.

Esther has countless ways to make her surrender, causing her physical and mental defenses to crumble first.

I don't know what will happen tonight, but it'll definitely be those underhanded tactics again.

"I hope you can keep your promise tomorrow. At the very least, I don't want to be stuck in this side hall forever."

A sensation of pain and tingling came from my shoulder, both painful and...pleasant?

This feeling disgusted Saint Karina. If it were only pain, it would be fine, but to feel pleasure was her own problem. Pain would make her remember the humiliation of the moment, while pleasure would only lead her into the abyss.

She absolutely will not give in so easily.

“Of course, Sister Saint Karina. I promised you that if you agree to please me tonight, I will grant you a certain amount of freedom.”

Esther let out a dazed sigh as she drank the fresh drop of blood from the girl's shoulder.

She didn't have the habit of eating raw meat and drinking blood, but the thought that it was the blood flowing from her beloved sister Saint Karina drove her mad.

She wanted to possess and devour everything that belonged to Saint Karina.

Furthermore, she didn't want Saint Karina to leave her side, so what if she was hated? Esther firmly believed that imprisonment was also a form of protection.

"Sister Saint Karina, you must truly feel Esther's love~"

The most touching words of love couldn't reach Saint Karina's heart; she simply endured it all silently. Esther's little serpent swept across the wound on her shoulder, sending a jolt of electricity down her spine each time.

The piece of fabric covering her body, which was a closed shape formed by three line segments in the same plane but not on the same straight line, was no longer dry and was slightly damp with holy water.

Esther breathed into her ear, nibbled on her earlobe, and kissed the back of her neck with practiced ease, completely baffling why she was so enthusiastic about such things.

"Hey... that's enough... stop biting my ear..."

Saint Karina couldn't resist the onslaught of ears, because ears are a sensitive area and easily damaged.

Then, her thin white robe was torn, and the "ripping" sound was particularly jarring, echoing in the empty room.

Disarmed, what followed was predictable. She was possessed by the dual-headed artifact, tearing away her last shred of sanity. Fortunately, she didn't have to directly confront that incredibly beautiful face, but one filled with a morbid love.

In fact, she hoped that Esther would adhere to the simple and easy-to-understand style of the picture book, without saying any unnecessary words, and directly bind herself in shackles somewhere, remove her clothes from behind, and let her wear the Emperor's New Clothes to receive a sacred "baptism".

Just like in the picture book, the female protagonist steals the purest and most flawless proof of the protagonist's girlhood. The whole process is swift and decisive. Apart from feeling a lot of pain and oh dear, there isn't much else to feel.

Crimson drops of blood fell onto the fabric. She braced herself with her hands, her nails digging into the fabric, oblivious to the fact that her palms were being rubbed raw.

Esther's flirtatious, rapid breathing reached his ears.

"What are you thinking about, Sister Saint Karina?"

"nothing……"

“Actually, I don’t mind if you tell me more truths. After all these years, I know you still have doubts and hostility towards me, Sister Saint Karina, but my love for you is absolutely genuine. We need to deepen our understanding of each other.”

"If you can get tired of me quickly and then discard me like trash, I'd be happy to."

Saint Karina didn't want this kind of love at all. If she had to choose between being loved by a yandere and being a scumbag, she would definitely choose the latter and go all the way down the path of a bad woman who only communicates physically and not emotionally.

"Then you will never see it, Sister Saint Karina. Not only will I not get tired of it, but I will love you more and more as time goes by."

The event involving the dual-headed artifact was suddenly suspended, possibly because Saint Karina refuted Esther's claims about love, so Esther was making things difficult for Saint Karina.

It should have been a happy thing to stop and rest, but for some reason, it made Saint Karina a little inexplicably unhappy.

She didn't know why she was unhappy, although their relationship was very complicated and they had developed a physiological bond in a very subtle way.

Being forcibly taken from the body and being imprisoned should have made things even worse.

"Sister Saint Karina, I know you're angry that I restricted your freedom, so you're saying this on purpose. But actually, you're enjoying it physically and mentally, aren't you? You've been moaning so happily these past two nights, showing all sorts of suggestive expressions. Are you disgusted or enjoying it? Do you know how beautiful your expression is right now? My blood is about to boil. Sister Saint Karina, yysy, you're really amazing."

Saint Karina's leather drum was subjected to fierce criticism. This criticism caused her to involuntarily tense up, shrinking her indescribable self, her full feminine advantage below her collarbone and above her abdomen pressing down on Esther's feminine advantage.

My tailbone feels so numb and tingly, it's like it's going to break.

Reason was gradually eroded by the surging currents of electricity, and psychological defenses crumbled step by step.

If Esther had not only used physical artifact attacks, but also mind-controlling mental magic, Saint Karina thought to herself that she would probably have already become her plaything and vassal.

However, that might not be so bad; she wouldn't need to think or constantly try to regain her strength.

While lost in thought, Saint Karina suddenly remembered Ernest VII, whose words they kept repeating before killing her.

—This is all for the Lorian Empire, for His Majesty the Emperor. You sacrificed yourself for the Empire, and your name will be recorded in history for eternity.

—Anyway, the oracle says you won't live past thirty, so you might as well sacrifice yourself for the empire sooner rather than later.

—Saint Karina Randall, you wouldn't want to see this land destroyed, would you?

……

The harsh words kept repeating in her ears, almost tearing Saint Karina's eardrums and weakening her already fragile mental strength.

These are all nonsensical reasons. If Saint Karina had been able to resist back then, instead of foolishly drinking what Ernest VII gave her, she would have made those guys kneel down and sing of their conquest.

This resurrected body makes her feel lost and endlessly tired when she is unwell.

Her soul was not well integrated with her body, like a 30-inch monitor set to 480p resolution—everything felt out of place. When indescribable pain signaled, even walking made her sway and feel utterly weak.

With such a frail and powerless body, there was absolutely no way he could escape Esther's morbid love.

Although she was only imprisoned in the room for two short days, her perception of the passage of time gradually became blurred.

She stared blankly at the exquisite murals on the wall for a long time, then her body began to be struck from behind, causing her pain. Gradually, the indescribable parts of her body relaxed, and she became able to withstand those forces.

"Estelle, when did you become infatuated with me? I'm not the only interesting soul out there, so what is it about me that attracts you? It's been so many years... can't you find someone else? Are you that stubborn?"

Santa Karina grabbed the sofa cover, tearing off fibers that got embedded in her fingernails.

This question had troubled her for a long time. When exactly did this terrifying love arise?

"It's complicated to explain, but my love for Sister Saint Karina was something that happened from the very beginning; it was love at first sight. However, after hearing that Sister Saint Karina was no longer alive, I started planning how to destroy this country."

"The first time we met was when you were this young."

Saint Karina gestured with her hand to indicate the height.

She really made a mistake; even bad women make mistakes sometimes. If she had known that Esther's love was so twisted, she would have stayed far away.

Protecting a yandere as she grows up is such a terrifying task; let's leave that to other people with aspirations.

"So, this is Esther's love."

Esther sighed deeply, her tone carrying a hint of melancholy, as if lamenting, yet also tinged with sadness. This extremely enigmatic way of speaking, only revealing half of what she meant, intrigued Saint Karina, who was too lazy to press for more information.

It's already hard enough to endure being endlessly exploited; trying to think about profound questions will push the limited capacity of the brain to its limit, and in an instant, the brain will explode.

"It doesn't matter... I just care about the result..."

She let out a low, monosyllabic utterance, the emotions accumulating within her body about to be released with her next breath. These emotions not only had a physical form, but also took on a flowing form, carrying away the distracting thoughts in her mind.

Santa Karina felt utterly weak and lay casually on her side on the large bed, her vision blurry. Her eyes were covered in tears, which only cleared after a while.

Esther, however, showed no signs of fatigue. She walked over to the wine cabinet, opened a bottle of expensive red wine for herself, and poured it into two crystal-clear stemmed glasses.

Having an after-party is very much in her style.

The color of the wine was somewhat similar to the blood-red pupil in Esther's left eye, which inexplicably disgusted her. Drinking this wine felt like being endlessly stared at by a yandere pope, like gazing into an abyss, and the abyss was also staring back at you, sending chills down your spine.

"Give me a different glass, I don't like red wine."

Saint Karina pushed the wine glass away.

There was a reason for her aversion to bright red. On the night the two first came together and formed a negative bond, all she could see was Esther's breathtakingly beautiful face and her eyes.

Those eyes were fixed on her, like two red laser beams that could pierce through a person's body. From that moment on, seeing anything red would make her feel uncomfortable.

"Sister Saint Karina, since you behaved well tonight and didn't scratch my back with your nails, I'll reluctantly grant you one request. Pouring you wine is out of the question; you can use this time to think about what you want to ask of me."

Esther was in a very good mood tonight, and the smile never faded from her face. She didn't get angry because of the glass of red wine; instead, she patiently found a bottle of lighter-colored white wine in the wine cabinet.

The intense conversation had left Santa Karina parched, and she found it hard to resist a drink with ice.

The cellar of the Church of Order has many fine items, which are regularly offered by the church's followers.

The lives of demigods are not particularly different from those of humans. They eat, drink, have fun, and satisfy their physical desires. The only two differences are that they have eternal life and infinite time.

Saint Karina finished her drink and pondered how to gain the greatest possible freedom, a goal that required Esther's approval.

"May I move freely within the capital?"

"Of course you can. But remember to come back when you're out playing, Sister Saint Karina. You don't want Esther to lose her temper and drag you back in the middle of the night, do you? You know, I'd punish you for breaking your promise and not keeping your appointment. It's a pity I have some things to take care of tonight, I'll come back to keep you company tomorrow night."

Esther held Saint Karina in her arms for several minutes before reluctantly releasing her, picking up her scattered clothes and putting them on. Only after Esther's footsteps had completely faded away did Saint Karina breathe a sigh of relief.

The thing she wants to do most right now is take a bath.

Only by immersing the body in a bath can one cleanse oneself of impurities.

However, since her room didn't have a bathtub, she had to make do with the shower facilities in the room.

85. The Royal Library

After cleaning herself up, thinking about tomorrow's plans, Santa Karina, exhausted both physically and mentally, drifted off to sleep.