Interrogation

“And what might ‘that’ be?” Liyahiss asked coolly. “How am I to know what you desire if you won’t speak plainly?”

“My chicken! Give me back my chicken!”

Liyahiss understood instantly. But she was hardly one to obey meekly. To simply do as she was told? How utterly humiliating.

“Ah, so that’s what this is about,” she purred. “But I refuse.”

“What?! There are lines one does not cross! You don’t steal a person’s livelihood, and you don’t snatch their chicken! You wretched wench, you’re courting death! Take this!”

[Tempest Inhalation]!

The air before the woman was abruptly vacuumed away, and Liyahiss felt an immense atmospheric pressure shoving her forward.

[Ring of Repulsion]!

The closer you wish to come, the farther I shall be.

A wave of magical energy slammed the woman to the ground. Realizing her most powerful spell had failed, she sensed the danger and immediately shot into the air.

“Trying to escape?” Liyahiss scoffed.

[Shadow Touch]!

The farther you try to flee, the closer I will draw you.

Inky-black tendrils erupted from the shadows and seized the woman’s limbs, hoisting her into the air and rendering her immobile.

[Lightning Spear]!

A swift combo finished with a searing strike, charring the nameless runaway until she was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Her hair stood on end, and with a tilt of her head, she lapsed into unconsciousness.

“Those who dare to cross me will find there is no escape.”

“Master, how do you wish to deal with this offender?” Hillisa asked, appearing at her side.

“I’m taking her to the basement for interrogation. You stand guard outside.”

“Yes, Master.”

Inside the villa’s basement…

Liyahiss commanded the tendrils to strip the woman of all her defensive gear, leaving her as vulnerable as a newborn. Gazing upon the woman, lost in a slumber as deep as an infant’s, Liyahiss feigned concern that she might catch a fever in her bare state.

To help her “cool down,” she conjured a slender rod of ice and slid it into the woman’s mouth.

The woman’s thighs clamped shut in an instant as the shock jolted her awake. She glanced down, saw what was being done to her, and was consumed by shame and fury.

“What are you planning to do to me?”

“Why, to check on your development, of course,” Liyahiss said with a saccharine smile. “To see if you have a strong and healthy constitution.”

“No! You can’t!”

Liyahiss conjured a whip of lightning. With a sharp crack, it struck the woman’s body, sending a violent, ecstatic tremor through her. Having previously consumed a defensive potion, she felt no pain from the lash—only a tingling numbness that was, surprisingly, almost pleasant.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

A lash to the left, a lash to the right—five strikes in total. The thermal effect of the current melted the rod of ice, leaving a small puddle behind. The woman’s tongue lolled out as she panted, her eyes vacant and unfocused.

“How does it feel?”

“It wasn’t pleasant in the slightest!”

“…”

[Mind Control].

Liyahiss activated the skill, amplifying the woman’s desires until they completely overwhelmed her reason. When Liyahiss looked again, the woman’s eyes were filled with hearts, her tongue lolling out in ravenous thirst.

“Master, I want more… Your lashes… they’re simply divine…”

“And here I was, so fond of your defiant side.”

“Master, I want the tendrils. Please, give them to me now~”

“You leave me no choice…”

A fish leaps through the wide sea; a bird soars in the vast sky. Flight is the highest form of freedom, while swimming is the very picture of fluid grace. In a current of water, friction is greatly reduced—and be it reciprocating or spiraling motion, less friction allows for far greater endurance.

An indeterminate amount of time passed.

The woman’s eyes had rolled back into her head, her face flushed as red as a ripened apple. She had carelessly gotten sweat all over the place… but it mattered little. With a capable maid on hand, such messes were no issue at all.

“Aba… aba…”

Drip.