Chapter 18: The Goddess of Pain is Truly a Serious Evil Deity (Sincerely…)
Maiden of Pain, Loviatar
Aliases: Goddess of Torture, Maiden of Pain, Scourge of Wills, Lady of Calamity
Divine Rank: Lesser Deity
Holy Symbol: A nine-tailed barbed whip with a bone handle
Home Plane: The Barrens of Doom and Despair
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: Pain, Hurt, Agony, Torment, Suffering, Torture
Worshipers: Deceivers, Torturers, Evil Warriors, Depraved Ones…
Domains: Evil, Law, Retribution, Strength, Suffering
Favored Weapon: Painbringer (Nine-Tailed Whip)
Loviatar is an aggressive, domineering, and fearless goddess.
She is the patron of all torturers, sadists, and bullies.
The nature of the Maiden of Pain is both cruel and calculating. She delights in inflicting pain.
Whether physical or psychological, she can always accurately strike at the cracks in the victim’s beliefs.
Unlike most bullies who use violence to force submission, she perfectly utilizes human selfishness to advance her plans.
For Loviatar’s faithful, pain is not a means to an end, but the end itself.
Her clerics tirelessly create various torments, whether against individuals or groups.
For them, nothing is more transcendent than pain; all pain is sacred!
From primitive brutality to the most sublime torture, all the way to the emotional pain of heartbreak or betrayal.
They will brutally whip orc tribes they encounter until the other party flees.
Or feign deep love with young nobles who come courting disguised as believers of the goddess, only to ruthlessly abandon them later.
They also strive to destroy all friendships and romances, first flirting intimately in front of these victims.
Then, once they take the bait, they subject the victims to mockery and ridicule.
(In short, bad women!)
Her clerics whip themselves in the morning and kneel in prayer to receive divine spells. Many clerics multiclass as fighters, specializing in whip techniques.
Her believers appreciate beauty, cultural refinement, and are skilled in manipulating ropes.
Although Loviatar has few temples, she has more believers than people expect.
Loviatar is the deity chosen by those who take causing pain for granted.
She is deeply loved by sadists and masochists, and her followers have formed some secret cult organizations.
Of course, except in populous cities, her worshipers rarely gather together.
When a small number of loyal core members operate silently in such places, few notice.
Even if they witness cult activities, few would notice or make a fuss.
However, victims who endure whipping do not always participate willingly.
Her cults sometimes disguise themselves as slaving rings to attract the attention of those in power.
Her church usually possesses immense influence in decaying large cities, and those in power within the church are exclusively female humans or half-elves.
For the followers of the Maiden of Pain, exquisite acting skills and beautiful appearances are very useful tools, so their appearances are usually very beautiful and alluring.
Also for this reason, the corrupt bureaucracy in the city usually turns a blind eye to their corrupt and depraved behavior, and is even happy to participate!
The church takes the opportunity to recruit new members from the powerful and wealthy classes of the city through some indescribable masquerade balls and rituals.
“Damn it! I just wanted to bring down that idiot Congreve today; I didn’t want to offend an evil god’s church at a time like this!”
“I’m not really a Paladin full of justice!”
Shelley lowered his head, his pupils trembling violently, his breathing almost disordered!
“…Her believers have appeared in Lunt, and have corrupted high-level figures like the Duke’s heir!”
“Relax, relax… They won’t expose themselves for a useless idiot who has lost his status!”
“As long as I follow the original script, there will be no problem; they won’t jump out on their own!”
“In this way, although they will still be hostile to me, the retaliation won’t be too severe!”
His nervous mood gradually eased. Shelley let out a long breath and changed his expression.
“My Lord’s… Ah!”
Buck wanted to say something more but was kicked fiercely by Earl Rupert who walked over.
He sobered up instantly, kneeling on the ground, daring not to speak again.
“It’s all because you useless thing didn’t protect Lord Congreve well! And you dare to talk nonsense here!”
“Unbelievable! You did so many bad things behind the Lord’s back! You’ve completely disgraced noble servants!”
Rupert’s face was flushed red. He kicked Buck, who was kneeling with his head in his hands, indignantly. Then he turned his head and said sincerely:
“Lord Shelley! Lord Congreve is injured. I’ll find someone to treat him immediately!”
“I promise! No scars will be left!”
Staring at the nervous Rupert, Shelley raised an eyebrow, thinking speechlessly:
“Don’t be so anxious…”
“Aren’t you blatantly telling me that you are an evil god believer! You want to eliminate evidence now!”
“Tsk, really don’t want to cooperate! Embarrassing!”
“But for the sake of my life safety, I have to act opposite an enemy with this IQ…”
Shelley straightened his expression and said seriously to Rupert:
“Does my broth… does Congreve’s injury have anything to do with you!?”
Although only an idiot would admit it, he still had to ask!
“Of course not! We are excellent friends! And I separated from him this morning; I don’t know what he encountered during this time!”
Patting his chest exaggeratedly, Rupert’s expression became serious, and he said in a deep voice:
“I suspect the Thieves’ Guild wanted to kidnap him! It’s just that the matter was exposed ahead of time!”
“They are too rampant now! Daring to make a move on a Grand Noble!!!”
He looked at the surrounding nobles and appealed impassioned:
“Aren’t you worried that the next victim will be you? Aren’t you worried that your property will be swept clean at night?”
Noticing that some people’s expressions were gradually becoming serious, Rupert became even more agitated and shouted loudly:
“Let’s send troops together! To uphold the honor of the nobility, let’s exterminate this source of sin in Lunt!”
“To avenge my dear friend, I will send ninety percent of my guards to participate in the extermination operation against them!”
Scattered applause rang out in the hall. Although these nobles didn’t care much in their hearts, they still supported it on the surface.
Which family didn’t have some connection with those gray forces? After exterminating them, who would pay them tribute?
As for whether to send troops when the time comes, who knows?
After all, it was just a verbal agreement; no one would force it…
Suddenly, a heroic female shout interrupted all thoughts:
“Good! Well said! I’ve found that place an eyesore for a long time!”
