Dina’s face went deathly pale. She twisted her body, trying to bolt, but a massive hand formed of pure magic seized her, pinning her in place.
It’s over…
Her heart plummeted. Her legs turned to jelly, and her pupils constricted in sheer terror.
The massive clusters of slime mold clinging to the walls and corners pulsed with life. Their pseudopodia veins surged as they rapidly moved the raw food ingredients before—zip—vanishing into the cracks of the wall.
Eh?
Am I the only one left?
Standing alone in the now-empty secret room, Dina felt a cold sense of abandonment.
At the other end of the corridor, Wang Yue stood by her dormitory door, staring toward the secret room with a look of shock.
Lilith had already converted to the faith of Granahl, becoming a true villainess. However, this was a transformation following Wang Yue’s own plan; with a single command, Lilith would have turned traitor on the spot.
The real problem was: how had the secret room been discovered?
Moreover, Dina only entered the secret room occasionally to adjust the seasoning. Why was she caught at that exact moment?
A chill ran down Wang Yue’s spine as she realized the truth—there was likely a traitor in her midst!
Dina’s hands were bound by a leather whip as Lilith led her downstairs. As they passed Wang Yue, the black-haired girl shot her an encouraging look.
Dina turned her head and gave a faint, bittersweet smile.
Don’t worry. I’ve been prepared for this from the very beginning.
After all, cooking for everyone was my dream!
Seeing the starving young girls eagerly devouring the Nutrition Sticks she had personally seasoned, seeing their happy smiles… it made her heart feel as though it were expanding infinitely to embrace them all. Their laughter and voices resonated within her soul in layers of harmony.
Wang Yue followed silently, keeping a distance of two or three meters behind the Disciplinary Committee.
Dina was her cook, her roommate, and her friend. She couldn’t simply stand by and watch her be hauled away.
Moved by her lead, one girl, then two, then three… soon, every girl in the dormitory had stepped out, gradually forming a massive procession.
In the silent, oppressive atmosphere, the soft footsteps of the girls converged into a dense, heavy melody that thundered through the halls.
The members of the Disciplinary Committee looked fearful, glancing back repeatedly. It was as if they weren’t being followed by a group of soft, cute girls, but by a single, towering giant.
Lilith led the party to a small square near the dormitories.
The area had recently undergone construction. The central flowerbed had been filled with masonry and leveled into a flat platform. Masts and shackles had been erected, transforming it into an execution stage.
Dina was forced onto the stage. Her thumbs were tied together and hoisted upward. To ease the pressure on her arms, the chestnut-haired girl had to stand on her tiptoes, looking like a ballerina.
The labored rise and fall of her abdomen was visible with every breath. Her legs were taut and stiff, beginning to tremble before long.
Lilith tugged at her whip, admiring the chestnut-haired girl’s legs with feigned interest. The soft yet firm legs, nourished by Nutrition Sticks, looked supple under the strain of the ballet-like posture.
Suddenly, Dina’s legs buckled, and her body jerked downward—her calves had cramped.
Her entire weight wrenched at her thumbs. Her joints felt as if they were snapping, and a searing pain shot through her digits and arms. Her face flushed and paled in turns as cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
Lilith scanned the students below with cold indifference. Finally, her gaze settled on the black-haired girl at the very front.
“I have no interest in small fry,” Lilith said pointedly. “Let the mastermind step forward. The instigator of this mess, the thief who stole food from the warehouse! You wouldn’t just hide in the crowd and watch her suffer, would you?!”
Lilith’s tone grew increasingly sharp, each word stabbing into Wang Yue’s heart.
“No one put me up to this! I did it myself!” Dina screamed, her face flushed red. Her beautiful eyes glared at Lilith with fury. “You’re a villain through and through! Everyone thought you had changed, that we could accept you, that we could be friends… but in the end! In the end, a leopard can’t change its spots! You are a complete disappointment!”
The chestnut-haired girl bit her lip so hard her cheeks trembled. Large tears welled up and spilled over, catching the light as they fell.
Crack!
Lilith swung her whip backhand, lashing Dina across the thigh!
Dina let out a shrill cry. Her white stockings tore open to reveal a bloody red welt. Her thigh muscles seized up instantly, and her waist arched forward as if to meet the pain. Her entire lower body began to quiver.
Her face contorted, her breathing hitched, and she could only focus every ounce of her will on enduring the agony.
Ugh…
It hurts so much…
Lilith is the worst…
Dina felt an overwhelming sense of grievance.
Standing below the stage, Matcha finally reached her limit. She let out a cry and tried to rush forward, but Wang Yue grabbed her.
“Enough!”
Wang Yue pressed down on the green-haired girl’s shoulder and stepped onto the execution stage. She faced Lilith calmly.
“Dina is innocent. I forced her to do it. If anyone is to be punished, it should be me, not her.”
Lilith tilted her chin up, her aggressive gaze locking onto the black-haired girl. Her whip lashed out, coiling around Wang Yue’s snowy neck. A triumphant smile curled on Lilith’s lips, and she tilted her head, her voice dropping to a husky, lingering whisper.
“I’m going to take very good care of you.”
Having torn away her disguise, Lilith appeared cold yet fanatical, a sight that made the heart skip a beat.
Wang Yue didn’t know what was coming—she knew it wouldn’t be pleasant—but neither she nor Lilith had a choice.
Wang Yue reached back to grip the end of the whip, twisting her wrist slightly to match Lilith’s strength. “Let her go first.”
Lilith gave a slight nod. Dina was lowered down, and Matcha immediately rushed over, pulling her into a gentle embrace to comfort her. However, the green-haired girl was so small that it looked more like she was clinging to the larger girl for warmth.
***
Wang Yue was locked in a cell.
The jail consisted of six compartments partitioned by stone, with iron grilles at the front. The decor was sparse. Just past a single door lay the Disciplinary Committee’s office.
Wang Yue sat on a bed with shortened wooden legs. Beside it stood a toilet, a sink, and a small chair. There was nothing else.
She frowned, lost in thought. Who is the traitor?
To catch someone red-handed, the betrayer needed two pieces of information. First, Dina’s movements. Second, the location of the secret room.
Closing her eyes, a three-dimensional map of the Academy unfolded in her mind.
There were four student dormitory buildings in total, housing six grades. The New Church students weren’t among them; they had moved to the faculty dorms. After all, no one wanted to live with a bunch of heretics—the pressure was too high.
The slime mold in Buildings 1, 2, and 4 were merely branches, building root-like storage chambers underground to provide Nutrition Sticks to those students.
Building 3, however, contained the main control room of the food factory. Medeili was responsible for its maintenance and calibration, while Dina handled the flavoring.
Only the roommates and Plum knew about the “Nutrition Stick Project.” Even fewer knew the location of the secret room: only Plum, Dina, and the little maid who served as the taste-tester.
Wang Yue’s heart sank.
So it was you, Dorothy.
When did you betray us? During the food shortage before the big giveaway?
You couldn’t even last a few days? Did you turn to the New Church then and start taking their food?
I thought you passed the test. I didn’t realize you were just eating behind your master’s back so you wouldn’t feel the hunger.
Wang Yue inexplicably remembered a news story she had seen before transmigrating. A cat would eat at one house in the morning and another in the afternoon; both families thought the cat was theirs and had given it different names.
Cunning little creature!
Wang Yue covered her face, feeling a wave of deep disappointment.
Just then, the cell door pushed open. Lilith walked in, dressed in her military uniform. Her jacket was still unbuttoned, revealing her white shirt and black tie, but she wasn’t wearing her cap.
The cold, enchanting girl was bathed in the slanted lamplight—half in shadow, half in light—giving her a stark, three-dimensional presence.
Across the cold iron grilles, Lilith stared at Wang Yue, and Wang Yue stared back.
Both girls possessed distinct, powerful temperaments. Neither could dye the other in their own colors; they simply clashed violently.
Lilith reached out her slender hand and gripped the unlocked cell door. Her fingers tightened, and she suddenly threw it open with a violent swing! The iron door slammed against the wall with a loud clang! Then, she lunged forward!
Wang Yue was shoved back by the shoulders and pinned to the bed, yet her expression remained calm.
Lilith’s uniform jacket had slid to the floor. She wore only her crisp, white shirt. Her black tie and golden hair spilled over the black-haired girl’s face and chest.
She looked like a terrifying monster, limbs and claws extended to seize its beloved prize. A suppressed growl vibrated in her throat as she slowly pressed her weight down.
“I’ve finally got you!”
Lilith tore open Wang Yue’s collar, exposing her delicate collarbone and rounded, snowy shoulder. Bowing her head, her sharp little teeth bit down hard!
