Major events had been striking one after another over the past few days.
Granahl had seized the Fetal Monstrosities, transforming into an existence akin to an Apostle.
The Church’s Expeditionary Force and the Order of Sisters had marched into the Witch Academy.
The Lantern-Bearers had surrounded the perimeter, completely isolating the region.
Sector G24 had become a massive powder keg.
The merchants of the Quicksand Lowlands had all fled shortly after the school was locked down; their instincts for danger had always been sharp. Furthermore, the traveling merchant routes now bypassed the Academy, and the local farmers who usually made scheduled deliveries didn’t dare show their faces. Supplies had been cut off entirely.
While the stores of food the Demon Tree had stockpiled before the lockdown hadn’t run out yet, they were stretched thin. The students couldn’t even eat their fill, and fresh vegetables and fruits were non-existent.
For someone like Lulu’anna, going from luxury to such austerity was particularly difficult.
The Academy-rationed slop, which smelled like dishwater, reminded her of her agonizing days in the Almshouse. As she struggled to swallow it, she suffered a violent physiological rejection.
Out of desperation, she had accepted a job in the school’s Propaganda Department. It allowed her to receive two extra pieces of Bread every day—just enough to keep her soul tethered to her body.
“Wang Yue, I-I’m not a traitor! I would never believe in Granahl!” Lulu’anna said urgently.
“Then why did you betray Class Five and run off to Class Two?” Lilith’s voice drifted over from the side.
Having her secrets exposed in public made Lulu’anna’s gaze flicker. She muttered weakly, “That… that’s different…”
“You’re a traitor yourself, so how do you have the nerve to talk about others?” Wang Yue shot a glance at Lilith.
“Eh? What? I’ll give you a taste of the whip!”
Lilith glared, raising the whip in her hand. She lashed the ground repeatedly, creating sharp crack-crack sounds.
“On what grounds?” Wang Yue rolled her eyes.
“Criticizing the school carries a penalty of five lashes! Ha!” Lilith showed her palm to Wang Yue, spreading her five fingers as her aura flared.
“I refuse.”
“That’s not up to you!”
Lilith let out a cold laugh. She snapped her arm up, sending a red shadow whistling through the air. The tip of the whip coiled around the young black-haired girl’s snowy neck, the leather biting slightly into her skin. Lilith then led her all the way to the White Shed like a captive.
Students along the path turned to watch, whispering amongst themselves.
“Wang Yue is going to be punished?!”
“How brutal… Lilith is terrifying…”
“I can’t believe it. Wang Yue used to be so good to her, so gentle. Now Lilith is biting the hand that fed her; she’s making Wang Yue her first victim!”
“I know this one. It’s the fable of the Farmer and the Viper.”
“Lilith is the worst!”
…
In front of the White Shed.
Wang Yue lost her composure and whispered, “Lilith, you aren’t actually switching sides on me, are you? Hey!”
“I don’t know! I don’t know! Either way, I just want to see you jumping around while you get whipped!”
“Are you a demon?”
“Hee-hee!”
Lilith lifted a cover plate on the wall beside the door, revealing the mechanical apparatus inside. She pressed the button corresponding to the “Slander” punishment category. With a low hum, the automatic doors slid open.
Wang Yue glanced at the bright red number ‘5’ displayed on the doorframe. She figured it was a locking mechanism that would only release once the system judged the punishment complete. It was a bit like… Euphoria?
However, there were differences.
The Punishment Rooms Granahl designed were equipped with copper pipes and horns that broadcasted to the entire school. The original intent was to force the students to listen to the screams of the victims.
It was much like the Brazen Bull of ancient Greek tyrants. A person would be roasted by fire inside the belly of the bronze bull, and their screams would travel through the bull’s mouth, transformed into the sound of a woodwind instrument.
In this room, screaming was fine—nothing to be ashamed of. But if one were to let out a cry of pleasure, it would be total social death.
Wang Yue looked at Lilith, feeling that things were looking grim…
The two girls entered the White Shed, and the door closed behind them.
The young black-haired girl was as alert as a cat. Her large, dark eyes were wide with wariness, and her hands were curled against her chest in a defensive posture.
However, with the whip still coiled around her neck, she was forced to walk forward. Her feet dragged against the floor, but she couldn’t stop herself from being pulled right in front of Lilith.
Seeing the young black-haired girl staring with wide eyes and pursed lips amidst her shame and panic, a hot tremor ran through Lilith’s chest. She nearly let her desires overwhelm her.
She clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms.
No… I can’t do that… The whole school would hear…
She took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the terrifying impulse.
Lilith pulled out a long blade of grass—a Cat’s Tail—and twirled it between her fingers.
Relief washed over Wang Yue when she saw what it was.
Scared the life out of me… So she hasn’t turned on me… Lilith is actually quite cute…
Wang Yue looked at Lilith with a faint smile. Then, the blonde girl placed one end of the Cat’s Tail in her mouth and leaned her face closer, her intent clear.
Wang Yue arched an eyebrow. This girl is really letting herself go, isn’t she?
She leaned in, trying several times before she finally bit down on the other end.
Then, like two guinea pigs fighting over food, the two girls puffed out their cheeks and worked their lips, eating the grass bit by bit. As the distance closed, their lips drew nearer and nearer…
Wang Yue jerked her head, snapping the remaining bit of grass.
We can’t actually kiss!
Once the Cat’s Tail was consumed, they could communicate via thought.
“Dammit, I missed,” Lilith said sulkily, her flushed and heated face finally returning to normal.
Wang Yue gave a light cough and asked in her mind: “Why do we have to exchange intelligence in the Punishment Room?”
“We’d be overheard outside. Even using the Cat’s Tail isn’t safe; if people saw us sharing it, it would only confirm their suspicions. It’s better to be cautious. This is the safest place,” Lilith said seriously.
“You’ve actually started thinking. Lilith, I’m so proud.”
“That’s an extra five lashes.”
“…”
“The school is running out of food. Do you have a plan?” Lilith changed the subject, turning to business.
“Don’t worry. The Guild will be sending some soon. The students will definitely have delicious food to eat before the rations run out.”
“No, Granahl will intercept it. She’ll only give it to the ‘obedient’ children. The disobedient ones will get nothing.”
“Hmm… you have a point. Those who believe in her get to feast, while those who refuse go hungry. Perfect.”
If food became plentiful, the situation would actually get worse. Wang Yue looked at Lilith and said, “I must say, you understand her quite well.”
“Hehe, because that’s exactly what I would do,” Lilith said, sheepishly raising a hand to cover her face. “She and I are quite alike!”
“You really are a bastard,” Wang Yue lamented.
Lilith’s expression turned solemn. “The students will at least have something to eat. The teachers, however, are in a bad way.”
After the “Faith Reset,” the Academy’s teachers had all been turned into ordinary people. They hadn’t been able to escape and were captured and imprisoned.
“How are the teachers?” Wang Yue asked.
“It’s bad. They haven’t eaten in two days… Do you remember Gymnopedie?”
“I remember. She’s a pervert.”
“She was the first student to side with Granahl besides the Ball Witch. She’s currently in charge of guarding the teachers… She hates them with a passion. Didn’t the Principal kill Hatsuyuki Karuta? She wants revenge…”
“This is bad… Finish the whipping quickly. I need to go find her.”
Wang Yue turned around in a hurry. She began unbuttoning her clothes from the collar down. The coarse fabric slid to her feet, revealing her snow-white back.
“Remember to scream loudly.”
Lilith pulled the whip taut, making it hum like a lute string. Then, she dipped it into a small bucket of water nearby. She took a step back and suddenly swung her arm in a massive arc!
Crack!
Her arm vanished into a blur. The tip of the whip tore through the air with a sonic boom. It looked like a heavy, powerful strike, but when it landed on the girl’s snowy back, it was as light as a breeze, like a lover’s caress.
Wang Yue glanced back at her and said coldly, “Don’t fake it.”
Lilith froze.
“This isn’t a game, Lilith. If you don’t have the resolve, we’ll both end up dead,” Wang Yue said in a low, heavy voice.
Lilith’s expression wavered. Her pupils trembled as she struggled for breath. She took a step back as if trying to flee.
“What happened to you, Lilith? In the past, you definitely would have said—’Accept this with gratitude!’—and then laughed like a braying donkey while you whipped me,” Wang Yue teased.
Pfft!
Lilith couldn’t help but laugh, but her small face quickly scrunched up again. She gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with reluctance.
“You can’t bring yourself to do it? Heh, so Lilith really does like me.”
Wang Yue stood up and walked over to the blonde girl. She wrapped her arms around Lilith’s slender waist and pulled her close, feeling the small body in her arms transition from stiff tension to a relaxed acceptance of the hug.
She whispered:
“If it’s Lilith, it’s fine. It’s no different than if I were hitting myself. There’s no loss at all. Come on, carry out the punishment!”
