Chapter 3: Fate’s Little Joke

Dounia lifted her own thin little arm, looking at it hesitantly.

The placebo effect refers to a situation where the treatment itself has no real effect, but produces a positive outcome by making the patient “believe” they have been treated.

In a way, this was also an alternative form of “hypnosis.”

This fit perfectly with her current identity as a suspected Follower of Pleasure!

It also meant she had to use a dose of medicine with enough visual impact to have any chance of achieving her goal.

Dounia opened her small mouth, her little canines biting down hard on her arm!

“Ngh.”

She whimpered, pressing her lips tightly together, refusing to show any weakness.

‘So painful!’

‘I knew I shouldn’t have used my teeth!’

Crimson blood dripped slowly from her lips, drop by drop, flowing onto Violet’s hand.

“What are you doing!?” one of the medical staff, not understanding the situation, shouted, about to rush over and pull Dounia away. “You little lunatic! Your blood is a contaminant…!”

Fia frowned but did not move to stop her.

They had already tried every medical solution.
At this rate, Violet wouldn’t live for more than two weeks.

The medical staff member pulled hard on Dounia, but she clung desperately to the iron railing of the hospital bed.

“That’s right! Don’t you all think I’m a follower of an evil god, that I also have a latent case of Soul-Loss!?”

“The reason I haven’t succumbed to Soul-Loss until now is precisely because my body contains factors that resist it!” Dounia shouted.

The impatient staff member froze, and Fia’s expression turned thoughtful.

Violet’s eyes widened, and she looked at Dounia with a gaze full of surprise and hope.

A flicker of joy rose in Dounia’s heart.
She broke free from the staff member’s large hand and, frowning, squeezed the wound on her arm again, forcing herself to endure the pain.

Hiss… so painful, so painful, so painful.

‘It hurts like hell…’

‘Why on earth am I doing this?’

Dounia’s brows furrowed tightly, the tears welling in her eyes threatening to overflow.

As blood flowed onto Violet’s small hand, Dounia extended her index finger and slowly traced a rune she had seen in her past life, murmuring words under her breath as if chanting a spell.

‘What the rune is doesn’t matter, whether it works doesn’t matter… as long as I make her believe, it might trigger the placebo effect!’

Gradually, a touch of color seemed to return to Violet’s pale face.

“Violet, how are you feeling…?” Fia leaned down, her icy eyes now filled with concerned warmth.

“…I feel… a little lighter,” Violet said, closing her eyes to feel it. “It seems like the whispering in my ears has faded a bit too.”

Fia’s gaze softened.
She took Violet’s other hand in both of hers, pressing it against her own forehead.

“Thank the Creator… Thank the Creator…”

The medical staff looked astonished, glancing at one another, finding the scene before them unbelievable.
The guard who had pushed Dounia into the snow was ashen-faced, overcome with shame.

‘I almost killed the person who could treat Miss Violet?’

Just as Dounia was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Violet’s eyes suddenly flew open.

Within her eyes, the same “small pebbles” that were on her hand had appeared!

That ominous black jade, and the golden threads!

The medical staff subconsciously took two steps back.

“The… the mutation is getting worse!”

Fia stared blankly at her sister, the fleeting hope and joy in her heart rapidly turning into despair and rage…

A cold glint, devoid of any humanity, flashed in her eyes.

“How could this be…?”
Noticing everyone’s reactions, Dounia felt as if she had been plunged into an ice cellar.

She had tried so hard to survive, and Violet’s condition had even improved a little…

Was all of this just a cruel joke played on her by fate!?

‘I don’t accept this…!’

‘How could I lose to this bratty goddess!’

“Execution by fire,” Fia’s voice was hoarse.
She spoke without lifting her head.
“Take her to the pyre… now.”

Two guards slowly approached Dounia.
Everything seemed to slow down.

Lilith’s lazy and seductive voice sounded in Dounia’s ear.

[Fia Kani]

[Appearance: 97.5 (Ice Beauty)]

[As the Chief of the Anomaly Bureau’s Section Six, her cold and disdainful gaze has captivated countless people. Her sister is currently in crisis, presenting your last chance, but unexpectedly, fate has played such a joke on you.]

‘Lilith… you bastard, are you going to mock me even at my death’s door?’

[In the fleeting moments before you are dragged away to be burned at the stake, you choose to—]

Blood-red text appeared before Dounia’s eyes.

[Option 1: Gazing at the cold and elegant beauty before you, an impudent urge sprouts in your heart. You struggle with all your might, break free, and slap her butt, which will surely enrage her completely.
‘I can alleviate your sister’s illness, and I can also worsen it. Chief, you wouldn’t want your sister to suffer, would you…?’
Reward for completion: Random Ability x1]

[Option 2: Her blood-red nail polish and perfectly squared nails make your heart tremble. You have already fallen, and thus, your breathing becomes rapid and eager. You can’t help but throw her a seductive glance, looking at her pitifully in the hopes she might take you in as a pet.
Reward for completion: A Moment of Inspiration x1]

[Option 3: The fair, delicate skin of her arch has captured your attention. Seeing the faint veins, you perform a sliding kneel before her, take her high-heeled shoe, and place a light kiss on her instep, swearing your loyalty in the hope she will spare your life.
Reward for completion: Succubus’s Heart-Shaped Tail x1]

The corner of Dounia’s mouth twitched.

‘Don’t all three of these options just seem like more creative ways to die!?’

The Fia Kani she remembered was a cold-blooded and merciless woman!

As if she could hear Dounia’s thoughts, Lilith chuckled slyly.

“Hurry and choose, my dear. The guards are about to grab you~”

The two guards lunged for Dounia at the same time.
She twisted her body with all her might, breaking free from their grasp and darting towards Fia.

The gray suit, clinging to a slender frame, swayed to reveal an alluring waistline.
In stark contrast to that slender waist was the rounded, full, and tempting silhouette beneath her trousers.

Her long, straight legs were as flawless as a statue, showcasing her innate nobility and elegance.

Tap, tap.

The chaotic light tapping of high heels sounded on the floor.
Fia’s expression was one of confusion.

‘Does she think that by darting behind me, the guards won’t catch her? What is she thinking?’

But Dounia had already whipped her small hand toward Fia’s butt.

SLAP—

Even through the fabric, it made a surprisingly crisp sound.

Fia looked at Dounia with an expression of utter shock, as if she had never expected her to do such a thing.

Immediately after, a deep flash of shame and anger crossed her eyes, along with… killing intent!

The two guards looked as if their eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.
Having failed to catch Dounia, they weren’t just sweating profusely; they were wondering if they’d be fired the next day for entering the room with their left foot first.

As for the medical staff, they immediately bowed their heads, doing their best impression of ostriches.

‘We didn’t see anything, and we didn’t hear anything!’

‘Chief Fia! Do whatever you want with her, kill her or gut her as you please! Please don’t take it out on us!’

“I can alleviate your sister’s illness, and I can also worsen it.”
Dounia instantly channeled her inner drama queen, recalling the years she’d spent online honing her mocking, passive-aggressive tone.
She spoke with a saccharine smile.
“Oh, chief you wouldn’t want your sister would you? “She spoke in an incredibly cloying, provocative tone.

‘Wasn’t slapping her butt enough!? Now she’s teasing the Chief too!?’

‘DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING!?!?’

The shorter female guard sucked in a sharp breath and, in a fit of absolute terror, foamed at the mouth and fainted.

The medical staff, still playing ostrich, wished they could truly bury their heads in the cracks between the smooth floor tiles.

‘Will we be silenced for hearing this!?’

“…Do you know what you are doing?” Fia said slowly. “Do you know who you are speaking to like this?”

Her gaze looked as if it had already dissected Dounia’s entire being and was in the process of dicing up the remains.

Dounia wanted to cry but had no tears.

‘Lilith, damn you! Where the hell is my reward!?’

Though she was cursing internally, she had to maintain a facade of profound and frivolous confidence.

She was certain that if she didn’t possess this supposed means of controlling Violet’s condition, she would have already been diced up by this cold-blooded Section Six Chief and planted in a flowerpot!

“Of course, I know.”

“In any case, your sister and I are both going to die.”

“Before you execute me, you might as well cling to one last sliver of hope and try believing in me.”

“If she isn’t saved, then you can gouge out my eyes, dismember my limbs, whatever punishment you like, take your turn!” Dounia said with calm composure, though she curled her slightly trembling fingers, not daring to expose her fear.

This ice beauty, like the harsh winter of the north, was severe and beautiful, captivating yet untouchable.

Her gaze, cold as a blade, held the oppressive aura unique to those in power.
The gray suit clung to her proud figure, outlining alluring curves and showcasing her noble, otherworldly grace.

Fia’s lips slowly curled into a half-smile of simmering rage.

“There’s no need for private punishment.”

She walked over to the nearby bed, picked up the file she hadn’t looked at, and flipped through it.

“Dounia Viktor, elementary school education… not a very convincing testimony.”

“If you lie to me… I will personally investigate whether your elementary school education has been embellished…”

“Once your testimony is proven false, it will mean you have deceived the Anomaly Bureau. We can then completely overturn your previous statements and deal with you as an official Follower of Pleasure.”

“…I promise you will be in my hands, wishing for death.”

Fia smiled gently.

“Now, remove the lesions from her eyes,” she said softly.

“Or we can start examining your problem right now.”

Her tone was as cold as ice, sending a chill straight down Dounia’s spine.