Chapter 23 : Why Are You So Stubborn?

Pain…

Pale light from the ceiling filtered through the cage bars, slicing Milly’s curled body into fragmented patches of brightness. Beneath her unhealed scars, eerie glimmers pulsed in the shadows—magic still surging through her, even after Stacy had left. Like venomous spiders gnawing at her nerves, the invasive energy refused to stop.

Pain…

Stacy had vanished without a word—just shut her back in the cage and disappeared. Did she think Milly would escape in this state? Not that Milly cared much anymore. But leaving her like this—with the magic still rampaging through her body—was cruel even by Stacy’s standards.

“Haa…” A broken gasp slipped through her bitten lips. Milly pushed herself up, gripping the cage bars until her fingers turned bone-white.

Her slender legs twisted together, feet arched like drawn bows. Her entire body trembled, caught in violent spasms.

The flood of magic carried torrents of knowledge, exploding along her nerves—pain and strange, unwanted pleasure entwining like twin vines, strangling her sanity. When had it started? When had this agonizing sensation twisted into something else—something warm, tingling?

Was it because her body had adapted to the pain? Or had her brain, in self-defense, begun converting the unbearable into pleasure to prevent total shutdown?

No… If this continued, she’d awaken something wrong within herself. She’d rather suffer endlessly than feel pleasure from torture.

But before she could resist, another wave surged up her spine. The sudden assault made her back arch violently—her head slamming into the cage wall.

“Ugh…”

Mental agony hadn’t faded, yet fresh physical pain bloomed at the base of her skull. She rubbed the bruise, tears slipping down her cheeks—whimpers escaping like a wounded animal’s.

But Stacy was gone. The magic wouldn’t stop. Even as Milly neared her limit, the relentless assault continued.

Teeth clenched, she clung to the bars. This torment wouldn’t end until either Stacy returned—or until she absorbed every last drop of magic.

Her sweat-soaked nightgown clung to her skin. The fabric brushed against her chest, sending eerie shivers through her body. Her hands gripped the bars, but her legs moved on their own—parting and closing in a shameful rhythm. The chain around her neck jingled faintly with each twitch.

Her spine arched like a wave, each vertebra feeling pierced by a red-hot iron. Following the line of her tensed feet, her slender waist spasmed into a tempting curve. Each surge of magic felt like lightning racing up her spine, making her abdomen convulse.

“Stop… please…” Bloodied nails dug into her inner thighs, but the pain only intensified the pleasure. Her blue eyes, overstimulated, dilated into hollow silver pools. Her vision blurred—she thought she saw Stacy’s silver hair falling before her. Those crimson eyes sparkled with mockery. Warm breath brushed her ear, as if whispering, “How is it, little Milly? Satisfied?”

“Stop… I’m sorry, I won’t say those things again! Master, please, stop…”

Delirious, Milly choked out fragmented pleas. But the magic didn’t cease. Finally, unable to hold back, she let out a lewd, trembling moan—then stiffened, eyes rolling back. Her body collapsed, limp. Beneath her, the dry floor grew warm, damp.

Her trembling form slowly lifted her head. But where she’d thought she saw Stacy—there was nothing.

The days of relentless torment flashed through her mind—the final straw breaking her spirit. She hugged herself, tears flowing as she endured the magic’s invasion, sobbing brokenly.

Then—suddenly—she jerked her head up, tears still glistening.

Stacy had abandoned her. Was this neglect?

Wiping her eyes, Milly scanned the room. Then she saw it—the vine dangling from the ceiling, an eyeball hidden beneath its leaf.

Was Stacy watching her? That meant she’d heard her pleas, seen her suffering—and still hadn’t stopped. She’d wanted to see her break.

“Stacy…”

Switching to her native tongue, Milly bit the name out, each syllable sharp with hatred. Unable to resist, she flipped the middle finger at the eyeball vine. She probably can’t understand it anyway.

If Stacy wanted to see her broken—then she wouldn’t.

Her stubbornness flared. With sheer will, she dragged her limp body to the cage edge. Gripping the bars, she forced herself upright—clenching her jaw to stifle any sound.

As the deepest night before dawn wrapped the cell, Milly’s resistance weakened—flickering like a dying candle. Her disheveled white hair scattered across the floor like shattered ice. She collapsed, unconscious, still gripping the bars. Ten bloody fingerprints marred the twisted metal.

“Hm-hm-hmm~”

Humming an off-key tune, Stacy was in excellent spirits. After disposing of those annoying “mice,” she could finally return to her beloved little Milly.

Wonder what that little thing was doing in the cell. Locking her up might’ve been a bit harsh, but necessary—after all, she had cursed her Master.

“Little Milly, did you miss me?”

She pushed open the cell door—then froze.

What… is this?

Milly lay unconscious, still clutching the bars. The metal had been bent by sheer force, streaked with dried blood.

“This…”

She rushed to Milly’s side. Seeing the still-active magic surging beneath her skin, Stacy’s beautiful eyes widened into dumbfounded dots.

She blinked, confused.

Hadn’t she stopped the magic before leaving?

Oh no.

Distracted by the intruders, angry at the interruption—she’d forgotten to halt the magic.

Mistake.

Milly had absorbed over a dozen of the fifty sigils already. While Stacy was gone, another dozen had forced their way in. Her poor head must be bursting with knowledge.

She opened the cage, cradling the unconscious girl to her throne. Just as she prepared a healing spell—

She noticed the eyeball vine from the ceiling.

It had recorded everything.

She touched the eye.

The scene played in her mind—Milly’s struggle, her tears, her pride.

And at the end—Milly biting her own wrist to keep from screaming.

Stacy crushed the healing spell in her fingertip.

“Little Milly… little Milly… why are you so stubborn?”