Lonis was so despairing she was on the verge of tears…
Being whipped wasn’t all that painful. What tormented Lonis was the fact that she’d actually started craving it.
Didn’t that mean she was doomed to be a total masochist forever?
…
But when Elucia saw Lonis’s expression, she lowered her voice and said:
“What’s wrong with you? Is there something wrong with your head?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t say it so loudly. This is a feather whip. It doesn’t hurt.”
“A feather whip?”
“Oh, I get it. That expression means you’re disappointed~~ Since I didn’t hit you with a real whip, you’re all pent up, aren’t you?”
“N-no, I’m not pent up.”
“I said, don’t be so loud.”
Elucia furrowed her delicate brows and tapped Lonis on the forehead with her index finger. “That village chief was acting strange. It seemed like… he didn’t want us to repair the magitech furnace.”
“Huh…”
“I’m very sensitive to ordinary people’s emotions. To a certain extent, I can sense whether they’re happy or sad.”
“You can actually do something like that…?”
“Of course. So I’m going to use the sound of this whip to make it seem like we’re having a great time. In reality, we’ll hide in a little while and see what’s going on.”
“!”
“You little masochist, let out a few pained cries, okay? You know how to cry out, right? Hmm… Just open your mouth wide.”
…
…
…
“Ah… No, please… That hurts… Ah…”
Lonis was doing her best to “cry out,” but her voice was just too cute. The silver-haired girl was too embarrassed to shout very loudly, so it came out sounding a little flat.
Elucia furrowed her brows and snapped, “You’re useless… Can’t you even cry out properly? Cry out! Or do I have to bring out a real leather whip before you’ll listen?”
“N-no… Please don’t! Lady Elucia, I’m sorry! Ah… Aah!”
Fear made genuine pain slip into Lonis’s voice at last. Only then was Elucia satisfied. She nodded.
“Mm, that’s better. Now say, ‘Please stop, I can’t move at all…’ Show anyone watching that you’re completely exhausted.”
“P-please stop… Sob… Master, I know I was wrong.”
“Good. You perverted little masochist of a maid! Accept your master’s punishment! Hahaha!”
…
And so, the room filled with the panicked cries of a young girl calling for help and the sharp cracks of a whip. To anyone who didn’t know what was really going on, it would look like a queen was disciplining her little maid.
Lonis knew it was all an act, but saying such embarrassing things gave her the strange impression that she’d already been trained… as if she really had become a masochist, craving Elucia’s whip.
For example…
“Sob, sob… Master, I know I was wrong. I’ll never do it again. Please, don’t… Sob…”
“Hmph. If you know you were wrong, you should be begging me to whip you.”
“Huh?”
“Otherwise, you’re just trying to escape the pain! You’re an unfit maid, so I’ll have to keep whipping you!”
“N-no… I’m sorry! I’m sorry… Aah!”
…
But Elucia knew exactly how far to go. She applied just the right amount of force with every strike.
After whipping Lonis for nearly an hour, she suddenly stopped.
“Mm, that’s enough. We’re done.”
“D-do we not have to keep acting?”
“That old village chief was eavesdropping on us in the next room. He only left five minutes ago… Lonis, stay close. We’re going to see where he’s going.”
“Huh? I-I have to go too?”
“Who else? You’re so clueless. What if someone catches you if you stay in the room?”
Elucia put her hands on her hips and said with complete confidence.
…
…
…
Night had fallen completely.
Yet goose-down-like snowflakes still drifted through the sky, one after another settling on the ground.
Perhaps the Warding Warm Jade had its limits, too.
As she walked outside, Lonis shivered with cold. After they’d been out for a while, a layer of snow had settled over her hair and body, making her feel even colder.
Elucia, though, seemed completely unaffected. She simply held Lonis by the wrist. For convenience’s sake, Elucia hadn’t put a collar on Lonis for this outing, which made her feel a little less embarrassed.
“M-Master, what’s…”
“Shh… I saw the village chief head toward that hall. We’ll climb onto the roof in a moment and see what he’s up to.”
“The roof?! It’s so high. Can we even get up there?”
“We just need a rope. I’ll go up first. When you climb up, remember not to make a sound.”
“Mmm…”
…
…
Elucia was like a stealthy assassin. With her black hair, black dress, and black stockings, she could practically blend into the night itself once she covered her face. She was incredibly hard to spot.
Lonis was the complete opposite. Her skin was pale as snow, and her hair was silver. All she had to do was roll into a snowdrift, and she could pass for a mound of snow.
The two girls, so different from each other, worked together to climb onto the roof. With the night to conceal them, they got a clear view of what was happening inside.
…
…
“Damn it! Why did adventurers have to show up now?”
The white-haired, white-bearded village chief hurried beneath the magitech furnace… His usual kindly expression was gone. Now, he glared like a villain.
“Will they uncover Lord Kelu’s plan? If he blames me, I’m finished.”
After thinking it over, the look in the village chief’s eyes grew even harsher. He clenched his fist, the veins bulging beneath his skin. “No. I have to drive them out of here! I know—if I destroy the magitech furnace…”
“Once I’ve completely destroyed the magitech furnace, I’ll say those adventurers sabotaged it. The villagers will swarm them and attack. Then the adventurers will either flee in disgrace or have no choice but to fight the villagers. Either way, I’ll have my chance.”
The village chief gave a sinister grin and pulled a dagger from inside his padded coat.
And just then…
“Lonis, I’m going in.”
“Huh?”
“We don’t have any spare parts. We have to stop him!”
…
…
The magitech furnace was the village’s central source of heat. If it were damaged, every villager would be left freezing. Knowing this, Elucia pierced the wooden roof and attacked the village chief from above as he prepared to destroy the furnace.
But the village chief was quick, too. He reacted almost instantly.
His body twisted into a sideways flip that should’ve been impossible at his age, letting him dodge Elucia’s downward slash.
But Elucia’s next strike was just as fast. Lonis didn’t even see how the black-haired little girl drew her sword before its pitch-black blade flashed up and cut off the village chief’s right arm.
Bright red blood sprayed out, splattering across the entire floor.
(Even in her little-girl form, Elucia is still this strong?)
Watching the fight below, Lonis was stunned.
But the village chief didn’t give up. Losing an arm should have left him writhing on the ground in agony, yet he acted as if nothing had happened. He swung his unharmed left arm and counterattacked Elucia.
“Hmph. Since it isn’t your own body, you don’t care what happens to it?”
“Die!”
The village chief gathered all his strength into his left arm, trying to cut Elucia in half at the waist.
But just then…
“Black Seal: Sensory Deprivation.”
An incomparable black light gathered in Elucia’s palm.
