Chapter : 159

A single moment was all it took for my blurry consciousness to return.

My body jolted, as if I had been electrocuted, and at the same time, I heard a clattering sound.

But the rattling of chains was immediately drowned out by the ringing in my ears.

Piiiiiing─

After burying my head and taking several deep breaths amidst the mind-numbing tinnitus and a headache that felt like it would shatter my skull, the pain and ringing finally subsided.

Where am I right now? I wanted to look around, but as soon as I lifted my head, my vision swam and I felt like I was going to vomit.

“Ugh.”

I really felt like I was dying. My stomach churned, and I ended up having an unwanted reunion with the desserts I ate at the party.

After emptying my stomach, my senses returned, and I hurriedly looked around.

A moment ago, I couldn’t see anything properly, which was troublesome, but as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could make out things like bars and the chains on my wrists.

“Ah.”

This was very similar to the prison where Iris Viden had locked up Lerwon-sunbae.

However, this probably wasn’t the underground prison in her mansion.

If it became known that she had kidnapped me, Lerwon-sunbae would search there first.

So, this was likely a similar, yet different, place.

“…Surely she won’t do anything reckless.”

Please, I just hope they don’t do anything reckless.

Otherwise, Lerwon-sunbae will do something reckless.

It was the moment I was about to use the Writer skill to teleport.

Click-clack.

In the silence, my heightened senses picked up the sound of high heels.

I immediately relaxed my body, closed my eyes, and pretended to be unconscious.

The leisurely click-clack of the heels stopped, and I heard the creak of a door opening.

Light suddenly seeped into my dark vision. It seemed someone had turned on a light.

Was it Iris Viden? My heart pounded, and in that instant, something was shoved into my mouth.

What is this? It smelled of flour, the distinctive, savory scent of baked bread. Shoving bread in my mouth, isn’t this too much?

…What should I do about this? After a moment of contemplation, I decided to chew and swallow it. It was really annoying, but! I didn’t know when I would be given my next meal.

As I munched on the bread, the person asked in a slightly sarcastic voice.

“Weren’t you pretending to be unconscious?”

When I peeked my eyes open, Iris Viden was right in front of me, looking at me with a deep smile.

What kind of crazy person is this!

The bread was hard, but it was edible once I chewed it. After chewing and swallowing the mouthful of bread, I looked straight at Iris and spoke.

“When you shove bread in someone’s mouth without permission, it’s enough to wake them up from a faint.”

“It’s nothing. If I couldn’t even notice that much, do you think it would have been possible for me to rise to this position?“

Was it okay to be having such a casual chat with a kidnapper? Was I being too calm, or was Iris insane?

“So, do you really have no intention of becoming my son?”

That… hadn’t she given up on that? At Iris Viden’s bold request, I was momentarily at a loss for words.

Her face was all smiles, but in this moment, that woman was completely serious. And the feeling that arose from that was—

“No.”

A genuine sense of disgust welled up inside me.

What on earth was a ‘son’ to this person? Just a convenient toy to play with for a while?

Without thinking that, there was no way she could so lightly suggest that I become her son.

“It would surely be fun if you became my son.”

“You don’t need a son, you need a toy.”

I felt a tight twisting in my gut, and my face flushed with displeasure.

My head was screaming at me to calm down, but my twisted insides blithely ignored my brain’s shouts.

“Your intentions are so obvious, and you want me to be your son?

Wouldn’t you have a better chance of getting a yes if you suggested I go die instead?”

At my sarcastic words, the smile vanished from Iris’s lips. The sight was as grotesque as facing a monster.

In that moment, Iris’s hand grabbed my head. Her grip was so strong that my neck was wrenched back.

“Ugh.”

A faint gasp escaped me.

My head was slammed against the cold stone wall, and my vision flashed white for an instant.

The shock from the top of my head rattled my brain, and it was dizzying enough to make me think the world was spinning.

Thud!!

Again. This time, the pain was even stronger.

At the same time, I felt sticky blood from my forehead trickle past my eyes and soak my cheek.

I couldn’t breathe, and my ears were ringing.

But as if that wasn’t enough, Iris didn’t stop.

Thud!!!

At the third impact, my body couldn’t hold up properly, and I swayed as if I would collapse.

My vision was instantly dyed red with blood.

I could see the blood that had trickled down from my head dripping onto and staining the clothes I had so carefully put on.

But despite that, the anger, fueled by the blood, burned even hotter.

“Why? Was it something you didn’t like to hear? What should I do, I’m sorry? Ah, I’m not particularly sorry.”

My voice trembled uncontrollably with rage.

I met Iris’s red eyes straight on.

“You damn human! A child is not your toy!! If you want a toy, go find one somewhere else!!!”

In a clear fit of rage, I raised my middle finger.

There was nothing to be gained from provoking Iris Viden, but my gut was so twisted I couldn’t stand it.

Though I would have to pay a harsh price for not holding back.

As if to prove that premonition, Iris Viden stood up and slowly reached out her hand.

Her hand touched the index finger of my right hand.

She bent my fingers back, one by one, with a slowness that was cruel.

Snap. Snap.

What echoed from my fingers wasn’t just a sound.

My body trembled at the vivid sensation of flesh tearing and joints breaking.

I clenched my teeth, trying to hold back the scream that rose to the back of my throat, but it was impossible.

“Aaargh!!!!!!!”

My face contorted on its own, and my breath came in ragged gasps.

By the time she had finished breaking the fingers on my other hand, I couldn’t even scream anymore, and just shed endless tears.

Through this entire process, Iris remained expressionless. Her cold, indifferent face was enough to incite fear.

“Crazy human….”

A curse barely escaped my lips.

After finally letting go of my fingers, Iris casually brushed herself off as if she had no more business with me and slowly turned around.

“Couldn’t I be your last lifeline?”

Not a lifeline, but a rope tightening around my neck.

At this point, wasn’t this less about giving medicine after causing the illness, and more about killing and then resurrecting me?

“Even without you saying that, I know you’re crazy.”

Iris paid no mind to my retort.

“Think about it slowly. The choice is yours.”

Leaving only those words, Iris completely extinguished the light in the prison and disappeared into the darkness.

With blurry vision, I glared at Iris’s back until the very end.

The moment she completely disappeared, I finally let the strength drain from my body and went limp on the floor.

Though with my arms bound by chains, I couldn’t even lie down properly.

“……”

As I grew accustomed to the pain in my blood-soaked head, the chafing of the chains on my wrists began to sting anew.

The appearance of the chains was familiar. Lerwon-sunbae’s wrists had been bound with something like this when he was captured.

But, it was a little different. Judging by the flow of mana I had checked when there was light earlier—

“Ah, it stings!!”

As soon as I tried to use magic, a spark flew from the shackles on my wrists.

It was likely a backlash caused by the anti-magic on the shackles clashing with the magic I used. Mages become powerless just by wearing something like this.

“Damn it.”

It would be one thing if I could use the Writer skill, but with my fingers forcibly broken, I couldn’t even hold a pen properly.

I should have escaped before Iris Viden came, but it was too late.

The price for having my Writer skill discovered was too harsh.

She must have intentionally started by breaking my fingers. Should I be grateful that psychopath only went as far as breaking my fingers and didn’t cut off my wrists?

“Damn it.”

When I leaned my head against the wall, it felt a little sticky, probably from the blood that had splattered when my head was bashed against it.

…I can’t use magic, but maybe I can summon a spirit?

“Lou.”

Fortunately, summoning Lou was based on a contract with a spirit, so it seemed it wasn’t sturdy enough to be blocked by a human-made magic-sealing shackle.

A light shone in the darkness, and Lou appeared with Albedo.

“Lou, Albedo!”

Could Lou and Albedo ever be this welcome? Tears welled up in my eyes.

Lou hugged my blood-stained cheek and chirped, peep peep, sorrowfully.

“I’m okay, Lou.”

Just as the contract with the spirit couldn’t be blocked, my skills thankfully seemed to be working normally.

Meaning, my body had recognized the injuries and Self-Heal was activating.

My stamina was also being consumed quickly because of it, so I was a bit tired, but.

“Albedo, can you tell if there’s any poison or brainwashing drug in a piece of bread like this?”

《As long as there’s a piece, by all means.》

At Albedo’s answer, I shifted my body slightly to show him the piece of bread rolling on the ground.

I had set it aside just in case, which was a good thing.

After a moment’s hesitation because it had fallen on the ground, Albedo eventually picked up the piece of bread and ate it.

《I don’t feel such malice. It should be fine.》

I could trust Albedo’s words. I see, it’s fine.

A sense of relief washed over me, and sleepiness hit me all at once. Nothing about the situation had improved yet, but still….

“Hide in my arms, okay?”

“Peep peep!!”

《Understood.》

Hearing their answers, I simply closed my heavy eyes.

Let’s conserve as much stamina as possible. With that thought, I surrendered myself to slumber.

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