The Demon Thrall’s Awakening

“I told you not to wear anything underneath, not to come to me completely naked! What on earth are you doing, Saranya?!”

“Ah! Master! I… I’m sorry, Master, I’m so sorry! I thought you wanted to ravage me, whip me, make me crawl like a dog, or perhaps have me naked with a collar on, licking your boots—”

“Stop!”

‘Oh, how utterly embarrassing to have misunderstood my Master’s intentions… Hngh hngh hngh ahhhhhh!!’

Shamefaced, Saranya immediately squatted down, clutching her pale, shapely legs as her body trembled subtly.

Kaelan, letting out a long sigh from above, unfastened her own silk short robe and draped it over Saranya.

“How did you get along with Paresha’s friends today?”

“It was fine. They’re a group of young Divine Guards, led by that redhead, Phillo. They’re all very loyal to Paresha…”

“And have you settled on your tactics for the arena?”

“Yes, Phillo will lead his people to pin down the front, while I’ll seize the opportunity to circle around the battlefield and launch a flank attack on the opposing candidate.”

“Do you need my help?”

“No! I don’t want you to participate!”

Refusing to let her Master be in danger, and preventing her Master from encountering anyone with potentially ill intentions, had become an almost instinctual reaction for Saranya. She was like a devoted wolf-pup, instantly adopting a dark and volatile offensive stance whenever her Master approached what she deemed a sensitive area.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk~”

As if truly teasing a puppy, Kaelan raised a slender, jade-like finger and playfully tapped Saranya’s nose.

Saranya’s expression softened, and she quieted, blinking nervously.

“Master…?”

She remained in her squatting position, hands braced on the ground, her shoulders peeking out from beneath the short robe, faintly flushed and glistening in the firelight.

“Yes, it’s about time.”

Kaelan slipped her right index finger into her mouth, biting down gently.

Before Saranya could voice her confusion, dark purple demonic markings suddenly materialized on her abdomen, startling a whimper from her.

“Eh…?”

Demonic energy coursed through her entire body, yet this time, the discomfort was not as intense. Had she grown accustomed to her Master’s magical torments?

‘To develop resistance to such things… how utterly shameful…’

Saranya’s cheeks bloomed with a deep flush, and she involuntarily lowered her head. But in the very next second, Kaelan’s stern voice resounded from above her.

“Don’t be coy! Look up at me and tell me you can still endure this much, can’t you?”

“Y-yes, I can… but my body feels so strange. It’s different from before… Ugh, ah…”

Kaelan chuckled softly at her answer, her pupils gradually imbued with a violet magical glow, distorting into vertical slits like a beast’s eyes.

“You should know, Saranya, that mortals are forever estranged from magic; that is a universally acknowledged truth.”

“Therefore, what I am about to do… might just be making history.”

“Master! What are you going to do?!”

Terrified by Kaelan’s appearance, Saranya gasped in agony as Kaelan’s blood-streaked index finger drew closer, inscribing twisting, blood-red characters upon her forehead.

“I am going to turn you into my demon thrall…”

“A demon thrall?!”

A demon thrall is a spellcaster captured by a more powerful entity, forcibly controlled by their magic, and transformed into a vessel to absorb and store their master’s magical energy.

To illustrate, a demon thrall is akin to a computer infected with a Trojan, and the thrall’s master is the hacker remotely controlling it, able to freely exploit the computer’s processing power.

The problem, however, was that one first needed to be a spellcaster to become a demon thrall, a condition Saranya utterly failed to meet!

“Master… I can’t… I’m only a mortal…”

“Don’t worry. I will thoroughly transform your body, making you a truly unique being in this world…”

With the blood-red characters complete, her Master sealed her lips, concluding the spell.

An insatiable hunger immediately rose from Saranya’s stomach, sending tremors through her body as fear and astonishment gripped her. Her short robe, too, slipped to the ground.

Her Master’s incantation was complete…

She had become a demon thrall, incapable of independently drawing magical energy.

She truly couldn’t fathom why her Master would transform her in such a way. What difference was there between her, like this, and a mere waste in her Master’s eyes?

“Mmm…”

“Master… I’m so hungry…”

Hunger gnawed at her; her body craved magic, yet she lacked the ability to draw it. She was a defective product…

“And what else?”

Kaelan’s cold, serene voice echoed in her ears. As if prompted, a hint of carnal desire flickered in Saranya’s gaze as she looked at Kaelan.

“And… I want… Master…”

“Just as I thought. The lack of magical energy has magnified your desires, projecting them all onto me—”

Before Kaelan could finish speaking, Saranya, her eyes bloodshot with hunger, seized Kaelan’s arm and drew the bleeding fingertip into her mouth.

Her Master’s blood was coppery, sweet, and utterly delicious…

A sudden rush of air swept into the cellar, swirling into a vortex beside Kaelan. The firelight in the cellar was entirely extinguished, plunging the space into instant darkness.

Saranya realized Kaelan was rapidly drawing in the surrounding magical energy, which would then be transferred to her through Kaelan’s bodily fluids.

But it wasn’t enough; she remained unsatisfied…

Saranya lunged at Kaelan with force, her drool-slicked red lips parting to bite at Kaelan’s neck.

Kaelan, for her part, allowed Saranya to tackle her, allowed her sharp teeth to pierce the flesh of her neck, and allowed Saranya’s hands to claw and knead indiscriminately across her body.

The witch, a triumphant smile gracing her lips, gently stroked the back of Saranya’s head with her pale, delicate hand.

“Drink, drink your fill, my little demon thrall…”

Indeed, Kaelan had, through some unknown means, created a truly unique situation for Saranya. She now possessed a demand for magical energy, yet was incapable of acquiring it herself, forced to rely solely on Kaelan for its provision.

To sate her hunger, she had to consume her Master’s bodily fluids to obtain magic. However, once this magic entered her system, it failed to assimilate, leaving her in excruciating pain.

‘Either way, it’s unbearable. So what’s the point of this? Is Master trying to be a torture queen…?’

At a certain point, Saranya suddenly choked, ceasing her feeding. The purple demonic markings on her skin gradually receded, replaced instead by an icy blue magical glow igniting within her eyes. A layer of white mist enveloped the tips of her long hair, and several frost flowers bloomed there.

“Hmm, ice element, then… quite suitable for you. This is good; elemental magic has matured greatly over time. Under my guidance, your path in magic will be exceptionally smooth…”

“I… I can learn magic…?”

The sensation was utterly peculiar. Saranya had acquired a power she once vehemently opposed. She had become a spellcaster, an accomplice to the rampant demonic disaster, her fate irrevocably bound to her Master’s, with no turning back…

She didn’t know how she was supposed to feel: elated? Sorrowful? Or perhaps, ashamed?

‘A witch hunter who became a witch… how sacrilegious…’

Saranya pressed her lips together, her expression clouded with confusion.

Kaelan gazed into Saranya’s eyes, then suddenly smiled, her face bright and her laughter a ripple of delight. She reached out, embracing Saranya’s chest, and her soft lips drew close to Saranya’s ear.

“Yes, you can now use magic, just like me…”

“I’ll become a witch just like you…”

“A witch? Not quite. As I said, compared to ordinary witches, you, my clingy little demon thrall, are a far more unique existence to me…”