Chapter 742: Darkness Falls (IX)

"Ahh~!"

Nell had never tasted such great pain before. As a warrior, she believed that she had experienced enough interrogation and torture. But she never expected this day—the distinct pain that turned her head completely blank. She had as though abandoned all her pride and rationality and reacted to it like an ordinary living creature.

Nell's eyes rolled and her stiffened body shuddered. She stuck her tongue out her wide-open mouth and saliva flowed from its corner. Her horrible shrieks turned into indistinct, distressing moans while the pitch-black tentacles gripped and twisted her ample chest. This double punishment left her head in a blank. Her screams turned into pleads for this suffering to end.

She clutched the steel chains that clashed in her violent struggles. Rhode watched idly and after she appeared to have calmed down, he gestured to the little mermaid who was observing everything curiously. The little mermaid nodded and extended her hands. Along with her actions, the water ball that engulfed Nell entirely let loose and splashed. Nell fell heavily to the ground with a loud thud. She curled up and breathed hard for air to alleviate her misery.

Rhode nodded and as his thought shifted, the tentacles wrapping her body retracted from the young lady who seemed traumatized. She laid on the ground stiffly and only the sound of her heavy breathing echoed in the ice-cold cell. It was currently winter and the temperature of this underground prison had almost reached zero. Moreover, she was soaked in the cold water ball. It must have been harrowing for her naked self, but the pain that she felt was more than this.

"Y-You..."

She lifted her head stubbornly and glared furiously. Rhode stepped ahead and looked down.

"I guess you're clear of your position now, Miss Nell, the second daughter of Bailey Family. Here is neither Carlesodar City nor the Country of Darkness. I hope you have figured out our master-servant relationship. You're my captive and slave, so you'd better understand this point."

"You—!"

Nell gritted her teeth and the stinging pain between her legs forced her mouth shut before she retorted. Rhode nodded in satisfaction. Then, he half-knelt and looked straight into her eyes.

"Good, Miss. Nell. It seems like you understand your identity and position now. Alright then, I guess we can now have a much more relaxed environment to discuss the problems between us. I can see that you're a student with strong comprehension. You will definitely benefit from the content of this second lesson."

Nell shrunk instinctively. She expected to see the greed and lust of humans in his eyes, but all she saw was his ice-cold stare. In that moment, she finally realized that he didn't treat her as a female, but as a tool instead. Everything that he did was to toy with her like... those people in Carlesodar City... Nell couldn't help but shiver at this thought. The fear that she thought that she had buried deep inside her was revealed once again. There was an instant when she felt that she had returned to her youth: defenseless, isolated, and helpless. But shortly after, she returned to her senses.

That's right. That's all in the past.

She was no longer a weak little girl. She was a warrior now and a master in assassination! Everything she had wasn't alms from others, but something she worked hard for! She never sought help from others. Although she craved assistance, no one was willing to lend her a helping hand. The competitions in the world of Dark Elves were cruel. Any compassion and consciousness for companions was the most deadly weaknesses. That was what she learned from a young age and was the only thing she learned from her sisters.

After she grew up, she didn't need the worthless sense of reliance and weakness anymore.

"Foolish human, it is useless no matter what you're trying to get out of me. I will not tell you anything because..."

"Because of this?"

Rhode interrupted and stood up. The tentacles emerged, wrapped around her body, and pulled her toward him. Then, they forcefully pulled apart her legs which she had closed tightly together. Just like that, the most shameful part of her was presented entirely before him. This left Nell at a loss. She gritted her teeth and tolerated the humiliation because there was one simple reason.

Rhode stroked his right index finger over her upper thigh and stopped right below her stomach, where a black imprint was. It looked like a smiling devil and there was also a small line of words.

"Merinael sta yur."

"H-How did you know..."

Nell widened her eyes in fear. At this moment, she had as though forgotten everything that this human had done to her and that she was bare naked before him because this wasn't supposed to be a secret that he was aware of!

"Offered to the Demons."

Rhode read out the line of words that were written in the language of hell. He even felt her body tightening as he read.

"You're a sacrificial offering to the demons. Am I right?"

"Hahahaha!"

Nell burst into laughter and stared at him. Her eyes were filled with unprecedented craziness.

"That's right, human! I'm bound by the oath of darkness! If you try to gain any intelligence or evidence that will make me betray them, my soul will be sent to hell instantly! Give up on your useless attempts. You can simply kill me or play me to death, but you'll never get what you want! My body and soul belongs to the eternal, dark underground and not even you can stop it! Lowly human, everything that you've done is for naught!"

Rhode twitched his brows and remained in silence. Soul sacrificing had been a ritual of the Dark Elves for a long time. The Dark Elves would select a suitable offering and sign a soul contract with the demons from hell in order to receive their assistance. In exchange, the sacrificed souls would be sent to hell as soon as their living bodies were dead and be in the demons' possession. Sacrificial souls were actually a way for the Dark Elves matriarchs to offer in exchange for benefits. The Dark Elves who were offered as the sacrificial souls would be cursed to ensure that they wouldn't betray the demons.

But before that...

Smack!

The tentacle lashed heavily on her body and stopped her mockeries.

"It looks like you're a forgetful student, Miss Nell."

The tentacle fluttered around Rhode continuously. Nell shut her mouth and there was a glaring, bruised scar on her fair body. However, Rhode had no regrets in doing so. She was a Dark Elf and he would be stupid to believe her words. He was clear of the underground world's history in the game. If he were to speak with her using the logic of the surface world, he would definitely be on the losing end.

"You have three options now, Miss Nell."

Rhode took out a handkerchief and wiped his finger. Then, he twitched his brows.

"First option: you don't have to reveal any information and you can use death to defend your so-called loyalty. But before that, I will savor your body to my heart's content until you die. It will be a waste if I kill a beautiful young lady like you without having some fun. Even though I can still make do with it after you die, there's still limited time, after all. Besides, unfortunately, I don't have a Necromancer to turn you into my Corpse Slave."

Rhode shrugged. He leaned forward and lifted her chin with his hand to force eye contact with him. Then, he revealed a gentle smile.

"Second option. I will not kill you, but I will send you back to Carlesodar City. I guess Matriarch Brisha will be glad to see your return and willing to offer a huge price as a reward. What do you think about this, Miss Nell?"

"———!"

Nell displayed a horrified expression upon and she wasn't even this terrified when Rhode gave her a thorough cleaning. He continued to hold her chin and admired the emotions inside her eyes. She felt extremely uncomfortable to be gazed at willfully by a man. But his previous threats were as though a saw diminishing her courage bit by bit. Both options weren't favorable at all and it was especially the case for the second option. The thought of Brisha's disgusting face and the punishment Nell would possibly receive after she returned to Carlesodar City sent a chill down her spine. She would rather be humiliated and murdered here.

"... What about the third option?"

She waited for a long time, but Rhode didn't continue with his words. She held down the anger in her and asked resentfully. Rhode revealed a victorious smile and even though Nell couldn't wait to smash his nose with a punch, the shackles held her back tightly.

"It's simple. Even though I can't remove the curse on you, I can change it. But your body and soul will become mine thereafter. Miss Nell, you're a Dark Elf. I will not treat you the way I treat humans, so I think this is beneficial for you. I request that you engrave my seal on your soul and become my humble slave and servant just like how your companions in the dark underground world serve the demons and Undead Creatures."

Rhode paused. Then, he smiled at the pondering young lady.

"So then, what's your decision?"