Chapter 37

Lust-driven Godel leered at youthful Rapunzel like a predator eyeing its prey, drooling profusely. Fear and terror welled up in Rapunzel’s eyes. No one was coming to save her—only she could endure this horrifying, desperate situation alone.

The person she thought was on her side ended up giving her an experience she’d never forget… and never wanted to remember.

“NO, NO!!! I SAID NO!!!!”

A piercing scream echoed through the entire tower. Godel’s massive arm moved, his jiggling bulk pinning Rapunzel down with overwhelming weight. Tears streamed down Rapunzel’s face, born from sheer revulsion.

She struggled fiercely, biting and thrashing to escape, but Godel only seemed to enjoy it more.

“Heheheh! That’s it, my princess! Keep struggling!!”

The atmosphere in the tower shifted suddenly. A dazzling golden light poured into Godel’s eyes, making him wince and shield his face.

“Guh! Wh-what is this!?”

The intense golden light engulfed not just the room, but the entire tower. It radiated endlessly from Rapunzel’s hair, which began to writhe like living tendrils, reaching toward Godel.

“Hah! Such vast magical power! Incredible! You might have awakened some new abilities? What a splendid test subject you’ll make!!”

Godel began chanting a spell with a grin of delight.

“Shut up.”

A bone-chilling voice sent shivers down Godel’s spine. Golden hair had crept under him while he wasn’t looking. Before he could finish his spell, the hair opened wide and swallowed him whole.

The hair transformed into sharp blades, slicing through Rapunzel’s shackles effortlessly. Freed, Rapunzel glared at Godel with venomous eyes but froze when she noticed something.

Her shocked expression slowly twisted into one of intense emotion. Watching Godel being spat out by her hair, Rapunzel chuckled hollowly, her eyes burning with indescribable rage.

“Haha… so that’s how it is?”

The pile of hair that had swallowed Godel writhed before spitting him back out.

“GAH!”

Godel groaned in pain as his bare skin scraped against the floor. Rapunzel sat at the edge of the bed, looking down at him coldly.

“This is fun. Very entertaining, Godel.”

Something had changed about Rapunzel’s demeanor. Godel swallowed hard and stood up.

“So you’ve awakened new powers, huh? Let’s put them to the test after we finish our experiment, shall we?”

“Sounds good. Let’s get started then.”

Snap. A single strand of hair floated in the air, glowing faintly. Godel tilted his head in confusion.

Suddenly, a geyser of blood erupted from his groin. His face contorted in agony.

“AAAAAAAGH!!!!”

Even as he rolled around on the floor, splattering walls and floor with blood, Rapunzel smiled sweetly while stroking her hair.

“Sharp, isn’t it? Who would’ve thought a single strand of hair could do this to the great archmage?”

“UUURGH!! RAPUNZEL!! After all I’ve done for you!!!”

Still, the great kingdom mage managed to stop the bleeding with magic and stood up, though his lost appendage wouldn’t return. Trembling with rage, Godel glared at Rapunzel murderously.

Rapunzel smirked mockingly.

“You’re such a pervert. Did you know? Do you want to hear about my new ability?”

“SHUT UP!!! I’ll turn you into a cripple and continue my experiments! I’ll cut off your limbs and make you obey me forever!”

Flames erupted from Godel’s remaining hand, forming fiery spheres he hurled at Rapunzel without hesitation.

BOOM!!!

The room was consumed by scorching winds. Thick smoke filled the air. Godel grinned smugly until he saw a faint silhouette in the smoke.

Golden strands shot out from the shadow, piercing straight through one of Godel’s arms.

“AAAAAAAGH!! MY ARM!!”

“Is that all? Really, it’s quite underwhelming. Getting bitten by a bug would probably hurt more.”

When the smoke cleared, Rapunzel stood unscathed. She gracefully stepped off the bed and approached Godel, whose arm had been severely injured by her hair.

“Ugh… you dare… YOU DARE!!!”

Blue light flared from Godel’s remaining hand, striking Rapunzel. But his magic couldn’t penetrate her hair. In retaliation, Rapunzel skewered his other arm with more strands.

“UUURGH!!!!”

Though in excruciating pain, Godel bit his lip bloody to maintain his dignity as he glared at Rapunzel.

“Godel, your magic skills are pathetic. Just like your weak desires.”

“W-what did you say?”

“Your desire to have luxurious hair? So trivial and pathetic.”

Rapunzel’s words made Godel’s face turn bright red like a ripe apple.

“H-how dare you!!! How do you even know about that!!!”

“I told you, I’ve gained new abilities. I saw your memories. All of them. Though I didn’t taste or experience them directly, I understood what you’ve done. Your reason for becoming a mage? Just to regrow the hair you lost to baldness?”

“D-damn you! You cursed witch! What do you know!!!”

“Such trivial superstitions you use to lock me in this tower and steal my magic. Pathetic. At least if you wanted to conquer the world using my power, that would be somewhat impressive.”

Countless thin strands of hair pierced Godel’s thigh, emerging from the other side and embedding themselves in the floor.

“AAAAAAAGH!!!!!”

Rapunzel manipulated her hair freely as she spoke.

“Just because of something so insignificant, my life was ruined. Looking through your memories confirmed it. The townspeople sang terrible songs calling me a demon without a second thought. My parents wished for my death.”

“Of course! You’re a demon destined to destroy the world! Your powerful magic matches the prophecy of evil power!”

“So that’s why you killed Merel?”

More strands pierced Godel’s remaining leg, immobilizing him completely – just like how Merel had been killed.

His tear-streaked face crumpled like a wrinkled piece of paper as he writhed in pain. Watching him suffer, Rapunzel said softly,

“I was such a fool. I thought I killed Merel because I couldn’t control myself. But it wasn’t me. It was you. You, who coveted my power, who wanted mere hair, staged it to look like I did it. Kekeke…”

Rapunzel burst into laughter, covering her face with both hands.

“How long did I regret and blame myself without knowing? Ha. Merel should have been left alone. You should have tormented only me. Why, WHY!!!”

Uncontrollable fury seeped into Rapunzel’s voice. Hair began to pierce Godel’s body one strand at a time. Though gritting his teeth to endure, tears welled up in his eyes.

“Did you really want hair that badly? For someone bald, did you think growing hair would make you handsome?”

“SHUT UP!!!!!”

Godel screamed at the top of his lungs, surprising even himself with the energy.

“What do you know?! Of course I wanted hair! Luxurious hair! Do you know the shame of losing my hair at 15 while studying magic?! Everywhere I went, people looked down on me. They mocked me and pointed fingers because I was bald!”

Spittle flew as he shouted angrily.

“After enduring all those hardships, all I had left was the title of mage. But nothing could fill the void inside me! No matter what spells I tried, I couldn’t regrow my hair! Not until the prophecy said someone with immense power would be born! So what’s wrong with using that power?!”

“Do you really think it’s about the hair?”

“What?”

Rapunzel leaned in with a disinterested face, sniffing lightly.

“Ah, the smell. I’ve noticed it before – you reek of garbage. Your face looks like a fish trying to be human, and your body is so fat it makes me want to vomit every time I see it.”

“What… what are you saying…”

“It’s not about the hair. Even without hair loss, you’re already a disgusting existence. Understand? People don’t hate you because you’re bald. They hate you because every moment of your existence is repulsive. Makes me want to throw up.”

“No… no, that’s not true! I’m not that kind of person!”

Shaken by Rapunzel’s harsh truths, Godel trembled uncontrollably. His lips quivered as he denied her words, but he was already being influenced by them.

Clusters of hair formed beside him, transforming into figures of people.

“Ugh, what a gross kid.”

“Yeah, I told you to stay away. Bald AND disgusting.”

“Ugh! Get that hideous face out of here!!!”

Breathing heavily, Godel stared open-mouthed at the criticizing voices, like someone trapped in their deepest trauma. He couldn’t keep still, constantly fidgeting with his head.

“No, no! This isn’t real!!”

Rapunzel whispered in his ear.

“Yes, it is. And starting tonight, you’re my test subject. I’ll make you beg pitifully for death. Ugly freak.”

One year later, Godel succumbed to mental breakdown and died unable to endure Rapunzel’s experiments.