Chapter 159

Forty minutes later.

Ophelia lifted her head from between Claire’s legs.

Her face, sticky from the tip of her nose to her chin, glistened under the lamplight.

“Haah… Haah…”

Completely drained, Claire lay on the bed, covering her eyes with one arm, breathing heavily.

Her flushed chest rose and fell, trembling.

Her cheeks, red from the peak of pleasure, were wet with saliva that had dripped down her mouth.

Her limp body shivered uncontrollably.

Tortured for dozens of minutes.

Claire’s body was soaked in sweat and marked by Ophelia’s actions, as if she had just taken a bath.

Ophelia wiped her mouth and smiled.

“It was more delicious than I thought, sister. You seem to be feeling good too, so I’m happy. Was this enough of a reward?”

“Huuu… You pervert… Why is this… a reward…?”

Claire muttered weakly.

Her voice was completely exhausted. She didn’t even have the strength to speak properly.

“It’s a reward. For not dying and coming back to life like this.”

“You crazy bitch… Only you would call this a reward…”

“Hmm… Well, you’ll understand soon enough. The reward is over, and now it’s time for punishment. It won’t take long before you beg for another reward, right?”

“…Punishment?”

At the ominous tone, Claire slightly moved the arm covering her eyes and looked at Ophelia.

Her younger sister, sitting on top of her, smiling brightly with a metallic toy in her hand, clicking it.

The tool Ophelia had been holding since she entered the room.

Thanks to the lamp, its shape was clearly visible.

A metal rod as thick as a thumb, with a round handle at the end.

Every time the handle was turned, dozens of spikes popped out from between the rods and retracted repeatedly.

“Yes, punishment. Of course, right? Not only did you try to kill me, but you also acted recklessly with your body while I was here. You need to be punished and repent to become a good sister again.”

“You… you’re insane…!”

Claire, sweating profusely, looked up at her sister—no, the woman she had thought was her sister, now something she couldn’t even comprehend.

The face looking down at her, backlit by the lamp, was shadowed, making her expression almost invisible.

Only her shining eyes, filled with sadism and lust, gleamed brightly.

The moment their eyes met, her round pupils narrowed into thin lines.

Claire swallowed hard, looking at Ophelia with pleading eyes.

Her pride and venom had been completely broken by forty minutes of humiliation and the cruelty of the torture tool.

“Already trembling? Where did your usual venom go? It’s okay. I’ve prepared plenty of medicine to heal your wounds and soothe your pain. If you can’t bear it, just cry and apologize. Whether I’ll listen is up to me.”

Ophelia smiled with satisfaction and moved the torture tool downward.

The cold metal touched Claire’s thigh, making it tremble.

“Then, make a good face, sister. I like seeing you struggle… but I think I’ll also enjoy your screams of pain.”

Soon, Claire’s screams echoed through the basement, reaching even the ground above.

The end she had reached, after dirtying her hands and body, was hell.

=====[Ha-shal-leur]=====

“Ahhhhhhh!”

The sound of a cracked, hoarse scream lingered in my ears.

I stood at the entrance of the basement, lighting a cigarette, trying hard to ignore the noises coming from below.

The sweet moans that had lasted for dozens of minutes, followed by horrifying screams.

I could roughly guess what was happening in the basement, which seemed to gather all the gloominess of the world… but I tried not to think about it.

After shaking off the pursuing knights, we arrived at the Sigmilus mansion, now nothing more than a burnt ruin.

It had become a nest for insect monsters, so it had to be burned down.

From the head of the family to the lowliest servant, everyone in the family had been in the mansion, so there were no survivors.

The Sigmilus family was annihilated.

It was only natural that Ophelia, the only one whose whereabouts were unknown, was suspected of being the culprit.

If it had been a simple disappearance, she might have been considered a victim, but the more they investigated, the more evidence they found of her intentionally hiding her tracks.

Records of secretly hiding the Empire’s cloak of concealment and researching its mechanisms, large-scale financial expenditures for unknown purposes.

Traces of her moving in strange, convoluted ways to obscure her destinations.

Originally, it was an effort to assassinate Claire… but things got twisted, and it was manipulated into evidence that she had massacred her family and fled after inhumane experiments.

It must have been Isabella’s doing.

If she gets caught, it’s a good thing, but even if she escapes, it doesn’t really matter.

After all, Ophelia van Sigmilus can no longer live under her own name.

Thus, with a bounty on Ophelia’s head, we fled to her hideout, barely escaping the Empire’s eyes.

There was no need for me to stick with her, as no suspicion had fallen on me, but if she were caught, I’d lose Claire, whom I had just captured.

It’s been two days since we arrived at the hideout.

I thought she was taking care of Claire with utmost sincerity to help her recover… but earlier, I saw that she had cut off her limbs.

I was inwardly shocked.

And now…

“Kyaaaah! Please, please stop! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Ophelia!! I was wrong! I was wrong, so please! Ahhhh!”

Another scream echoed. I couldn’t help but sigh.

The sorceress I had planned to make an ally was a lunatic who raped and tortured her own sister.

If you think about it, the torture might be considered karma.

Is it karma, me…?

It must be…?

“Ahhhhhh!”

…Let’s just say it’s right.

—

Ophelia came up from the basement an hour later.

It seemed she had washed her body, which was soaked in all sorts of bodily fluids, but the faint lingering smell of blood and her flushed face, as if red juice might drip at any moment, made it clear she had thoroughly enjoyed herself before coming up.

I don’t want to judge other people’s tastes, but… this woman is a bit…

I instinctively took a step back.

“…Are you done with all the crazy stuff?”

“For today, yes. There’s still a lot of punishment and reward left, but… from now on, it’s up to my sister.”

Either way, it’s punishment, isn’t it?

I sighed and tossed away the cigarette I had just finished.

Yeah, whether they’re rubbing legs or torturing each other, it’s none of my business.

Let’s just finish my business and get out of here.

Honestly, I don’t want to get any more involved in this gloomy and filthy sisterly drama.

“So, are you just going to leave Claire like that? If you use her as a witness, it seems possible to bring down Isabella.”

First order of business.

It was a proposal to use her as a witness to accuse Isabella.

Even as I proposed it, I didn’t have high expectations. There’s no way Ophelia would agree.

“That… would be difficult. I’m really grateful for all your help, but I can’t let others know my sister is alive. There are more than a few people who would try to kill her.”

As expected, Ophelia rejected my proposal without hesitation.

It was the reaction I anticipated. She probably wants Claire to quietly exit the stage and be forgotten.

If it becomes known that Claire is alive, Isabella’s faction would try to silence her…

Even if it’s not them, accusing Isabella would inevitably reveal what Claire has done, and the moment that comes to light, Claire would be as good as dead.

Thinking of the women who were sacrificed for her, there’s no way Leopold’s faction would let Claire live.

“Then it seems like I’ve worked hard for nothing… Honestly, I had to catch not one or two, but six masters. Isn’t that a pretty bad deal for me?”

“I’m really grateful for that. If you hadn’t helped, I wouldn’t have been able to win or get my sister back. Originally, I would’ve gladly given you half of the Sigmillus family, but…”

That family is already reduced to ashes and fertilizer.

I didn’t expect much from the start.

In the original story, after capturing Claire, the Sigmillus family was wiped out.

I only found out why that happened after coming here.

“Hmm… Then, can I ask for one favor?”

“A favor? Go ahead. If it’s something I can do and it doesn’t harm my sister, I’ll do anything.”

“You remember I used to hang out with Damien, Milia, and Freide, right? I’d like you to join them later. Our group is lacking in magical firepower.”

Is this the right thing to do…?

Even as I made the proposal to Ophelia, I questioned myself.

Originally, I helped her with the intention of defeating Claire and recruiting Ophelia, but…

After seeing Ophelia’s dark underbelly, I’m not so sure if this is the right decision.

“…You want to recruit me as your personal magician, or something like that? It’s not impossible, but… it’s too much for now.”

“Of course. It’s only possible after you clear your name.”

I can’t exactly have a woman with a nationwide bounty on her head as a party member.

It’ll only be possible after Isabella’s downfall.

By then, everyone should have grown to the level of at least three masters and one high-level magician, right?

At that level, we shouldn’t die just anywhere.

“No, I can just change my face with magic and move around, but if I go out, there’ll be no one to take care of my sister. In that state, she can’t even go to the bathroom. I can’t just put her in diapers.”

…Crazy woman.

—

Anyway, after roughly finishing the discussion, I parted ways with Ophelia and returned to the special quarters.

Ophelia happily went back down to the basement.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen the special quarters’ lodging. I thought it would be a short trip, but it ended up taking over a week.

I hope Rana’s been okay.

“Ah! You’re finally back, Sister Hashelle! How was your trip?”

She was fine.

She must’ve been eating and relaxing so comfortably that her soft cheeks were slightly puffed up under her pink curly hair.

“It was tiring… Did anyone come looking for me?”

“Freide and Lacey came by once each! When I told them you weren’t here, they said they understood and left.”

Freide and Lacey, huh.

Freide probably just came to hang out as usual, and Lacey… I’ll have to meet her tomorrow or something.

I threw off my armor and lay down on the bed.

“Sister Hashelle! If you’ve come back from far away, you should wash up before lying down on the bed!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll wash up in a bit.”

I closed my eyes, ignoring Rana’s nagging.

By the way, “Sister Hashelle,” huh…

I’ve been trying not to pay attention to it, but hearing it again after so long felt a bit awkward.

I know Rana calls me “sister” because she wants something like a familial relationship, but…

After this experience, the meaning of that word has changed inside me.