Chapter 10: The Prisoner

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Note: The Author had the 10th Chapter empty in the Originial Novel so to not have that issue here aswell we’ve Translated Chapter 11 as Chapter 10.

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Viretta, a senior inquisitor of the Human Empire, arrived at the deepest level of the imperial dungeon.

The Iron Maiden stood in the center, and from time to time, strange sounds leaked out from within.

Viretta stepped closer and pressed her fingers against the metal face mask.

With a click, the lock sprang open.

Revina.

The most vicious criminal in the Empire.

She possessed an undying body.

She had been defeated by the Hero and thrown into the dungeon.

Among humans, her strength was second only to the Hero.

“Hahahaha!”

Revina suddenly lifted her head, her lips stretching into a vicious grin.

“So you had time to come see me, Viretta?

Shouldn’t you be going to see your Hero instead?”

When Viretta heard the word “Hero,” a trace of sorrow flashed through her eyes.

It vanished almost instantly.

Revina caught that fleeting sadness with sharp precision.

“What’s wrong?”

She tilted her head, her tone filled with venomous mockery.

“The Hero’s dead, right?

Hahahaha—!”

“Shut up.”

Viretta’s voice was icy.

Her fingers flicked lightly inside her sleeve.

The next second, Revina’s body stiffened violently.

The rune engraved on her abdomen flared with light.

Electric currents exploded up her spine and slammed into her brain, instantly shredding her consciousness!

“Ugh—ah—!!!”

A broken, inhuman scream was forced from her throat as her body convulsed violently.

The world before her eyes twisted and spun.

Her consciousness was flung into a boundless sky of clouds.

Even breathing turned into a sweet, suffocating torment.

After an unknown amount of time, she finally spat out a string of saliva and collapsed limply inside the Iron Maiden.

Drool hung from the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes were unfocused.

She couldn’t even lift her eyelids.

Viretta looked down at her from above, her voice calm.

“Now we can talk terms, can’t we, Revina.”

“…Damn you, Viretta… you **—”

Revina forced the words out through clenched teeth.

Each syllable was soaked in blood and froth.

“I’ll kill you—!”

“Oh?”

The corner of Viretta’s mouth lifted slightly.

Her gaze carried a hint of contempt.

She raised her hand again.

This time, the rune’s light blazed even brighter.

It was like thousands of red-hot steel needles piercing her skull at once.

Her consciousness was completely crushed.

Ground into dust.

Then scattered into the void.

Revina’s body arched violently, as if an invisible hand were strangling her throat.

She didn’t even have time to release the fluids she lost control of.

Her mind fell into total blankness.

After an unknown stretch of time, she slowly regained awareness, like a broken marionette being pulled back together.

Her limbs were so weak she couldn’t lift them.

Her throat was too dry to produce sound.

Even her breathing trembled.

Viretta met her gaze directly, her voice still calm.

“Are you willing to cooperate now?”

Revina’s lips trembled.

At last, she squeezed out two words.

“…Yes.”

She took a ragged breath.

Her voice was weak, yet carried the last trace of defiance.

“But… I have a question.”

Viretta replied coldly, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

“Ask.

I’ll answer as much as I can.”

Slumped inside the Iron Maiden, Revina lifted her face, twisted by pain and pleasure alike.

She smiled as she asked.

“The Hero… how did she die?”

“She was killed by the Demon King.”

Viretta’s reply was concise.

Completely devoid of emotion.

“The Demon King…”

Revina murmured the words.

Then she laughed.

The laughter grew louder.

Sharper.

Until it erupted into hysterical madness.

“Hahahaha!

The Demon King!

Interesting!

Very interesting!

So tell me, Viretta.

What do you rats hiding behind your throne want me to do?”

Viretta spoke evenly.

“After the Hero vanished, the demon forces on the front lines have seized vast territories of the Empire.

We need a new Hero.”

Revina’s smile froze for a moment.

Then it twisted into something even more grotesque.

She rolled her neck, producing a sharp crack.

“So… you picked me?

You want me to take that poor wretch’s place and go kill the Demon King?”

She licked her cracked lips.

Her eyes burned with a thirst for slaughter.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll take your help and then run away?”

“You won’t run.”

Viretta’s tone remained steady.

“Running brings you no benefit.

The shackles on you can likely only be undone by the divine envoy who placed that curse on you.”

The smile vanished from Revina’s face.

In its place was a dead, chilling coldness.

She understood.

The rune carved deep into her soul was an inescapable prison.

She fell silent for a few seconds.

The manic ferocity in her eyes was forcibly suppressed.

What remained was calm.

“Fine.”

She spoke softly, her voice hoarse.

“I accept your request.”

She lifted her head and stared straight at Viretta.

“However… I don’t like my current state.”

She glanced down at the body trapped inside the Iron Maiden, tortured day and night.

“Can you change it?

Into something… more fitting for a Hero.”

Viretta smiled.

“Of course.”

“Hero.”

—

Demon King’s Castle

A massive crystal ball floated in midair.

Morganna lounged lazily against her vast throne, her gaze locked onto the scene within—Merorin’s bedchamber.

Inside the crystal, Sylvia was engaged in intimate acts with Merorin.

Watching this, Morganna’s lips slowly curved upward.

Her smile was both gentle and cruel.

“Fall, little Hero…

Struggle.

Only then is it truly interesting.

Truly pleasurable.”

At that moment, a knock echoed through the chamber, breaking the silence.

Outside the door, Lilith’s voice carried a trace of nervousness.

“Demon King… are you still awake?”

The amusement in Morganna’s eyes deepened.

She waved her hand lightly.

“Come in, Lilith.”

The door opened.

Lilith entered with her head lowered, unable to fully conceal her unease.

The instant she took a single step inside, an invisible, suffocating pressure descended like a mountain!

“Thud—”

Lilith’s knees buckled as she dropped heavily to the floor.

Her forehead nearly struck the cold stone.

Her body trembled under the crushing force.

Morganna looked down at the kneeling head maid, her tone tinged with playful reproach.

“Lilith, do you know that you nearly killed my little pet?”

She smiled as she spoke.

“Why are you so clumsy?”

Lilith clenched her teeth and forced out the words.

“She’s your wife, isn’t she?

Why are you so cruel to her?

You shouldn’t treat her like this, Morganna.”

For a brief moment, the smile on Morganna’s face froze.

Then she burst into delighted laughter.

The sound echoed through the vast chamber, sending chills down the spine.

“Wife?”

She repeated the word, savoring it.

“Of course she’s my wife.”

She rose from the throne and slowly descended the steps.

A glint of amusement flashed in her eyes.

“And she is also my pet.”

She stopped before Lilith and looked down at her from above.

“My little pet…

Can’t be broken so easily.”