Chapter 17: Call Me Master

This should be the first time Liliya has encountered a man since she became like this.

The disgusting gaze clung to her like gum from her previous life—once it touched her, it stuck, refusing to come off.

That gaze seemed determined to strip her bare, inch by inch, not sparing a single part of her skin.

Especially her chest and hips—there was no attempt to hide it. The gaze lingered long and unabashed.

She hated it. If she could leave, she would have hidden herself away already.

Back when she was Lyle, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t been looked at this way before. When she was in the public eye, even some women had gazed at her like that.

But back then, it hadn’t felt nearly as awful as it did now.

Probably… because of the difference in clothing and identity.

Back then, she’d worn a suit of silver-white light armor. The tightly wrapped armor revealed barely any skin, just her indifferent face.

And as the Sword Saint of the Church, no one would ever dare show such emotions openly to her—anyone who did risked being misunderstood as having ill intentions.

But now, things were different. Liliya was dressed in a captivating pink lace gown, one that only hazily concealed her form.

The vague, indistinct look of it seemed to provoke interest, causing those filthy eyes to linger on her all the longer.

And her current identity as a pet allowed everyone to stare at her without restraint, with nothing to fear.

So disgusting…

Even worse—Rosalia was lifting her skirt, exposing more of her skin to the air, to that man’s view.

Why was she doing this?

“What’s wrong? Is our Sword Saint trembling? Weren’t you quite resolute before? Even when Wendy showed up, you never faltered. Why are you shaking so badly now? Could it be… you’re afraid?”

Her red lips curved into a dangerous smile. She leaned against Liliya, her palm gliding gently over Liliya’s body.

Whether by accident or on purpose, her hand happened to shield Liliya’s most private parts. Liliya could feel the gaze on those areas decrease, and the nausea faded a little.

But at the same time…

She felt the delicate chill of Rosalia’s hand. The lace against her skin made her itch, and every touch sent a wave of pleasure through her.

The revulsion was drowned by comfort, like someone long tormented by illness who suddenly recovers and slips into a warm bath—the sudden contrast made Liliya almost want to moan uncontrollably.

The only fortunate thing was that she couldn’t control her body right now, so she couldn’t make a sound like that. In every sense, her dignity was saved.

But sadly…

She was up against Rosalia.

Liliya didn’t know if Rosalia had cast some strange magic on her, like mind reading. Every thought she had was seen right through by Rosalia.

“Liliya, you may speak now.”

A new command—but this time, she wasn’t being forced to do anything, just given the right to speak.

Rosalia didn’t want to preserve her dignity; she didn’t need Liliya to have that lofty identity as the Sword Saint.

Liliya could only be Rosalia’s pet—she was before, she is now, and she always will be.

The stroking began again.

“Mmm—”

The cry was like a small animal’s, pleasant to the ear.

A hint of shame lingered, just enough to catch anyone’s attention.

Very good.

Rosalia looked at her little pet by her side, pleased.

That man shouldn’t have been able to hear her now, but somehow, Liliya saw him open his mouth, like a dog—shamelessly excited.

Even more disgusting.

“How about it, Liliya? If you call me Master from your heart, I’ll take you home.”

Liliya pressed her lips together, struggling.

Obeying Rosalia was the right thing to do.

As long as she listened to Rosalia, she wouldn’t have to endure this punishment anymore.

There was no need for this. There never was. All she had to do was submit.

But…

She still couldn’t. She couldn’t yield so easily. If she gave in now, there would be no going back.

Perhaps, she would become a Blood Slave forever, never leaving this place.

That couldn’t happen—she had to return. As someone of the Church, she could never remain by a blood clan’s side, especially not Rosalia, who could wipe out an entire Expedition Team by herself.

Resist.

She didn’t know whether it was conscience, or something else, but ever since her memories returned, Liliya felt extreme repulsion at the thought of staying with Rosalia.

Yet when she tried to dig deeper into why, she couldn’t find a clear reason.

It was as if hating the blood clan was a matter of common sense.

She simply had to hate them, and be their enemy.

“Still not willing?”

Rosalia’s voice rang in Liliya’s ear again.

“Or… do you actually enjoy this?”

That, at least, Liliya was certain was impossible.

She could never enjoy this—in fact, she was already exhausted to the point of fainting.

“Say it out loud. If you say it, no one will look at you like this anymore. As long as you become my pet, I’ll be sure to protect you.”

Should she say it?

But she’s a blood clan!

Liliya’s lips moved slightly, and then…

She said it after all.

She didn’t want to be stared at like this anymore.

That man’s gaze was unbearable.

Even with her eyes closed, she could still feel it.

It was making it hard for her to breathe.

Just a while ago, she was still a man—how did she end up like this?

Rosalia gently shook her head, looking at Liliya regretfully. “Not sincere enough.”

Not sincere enough…?

Indeed, her current thoughts were just forced by circumstance.

“Still not enough.”

“If you keep this up, I’ll just leave you here and ignore you.”

Liliya clenched her teeth.

Why must it be like this?

Why did she have to go through this? Wouldn’t it be better to just die?

She recalled her state two days ago, forcing herself to return to that previous condition, and then…

“Master.”

The word came out devoutly.

A follower of the Church, calling a blood clan Master, with all the devotion of prayer.

This world truly was mad.

Tears fell from her eyes, humiliation filling her chest. Clearly she had been a man, and now she was crying like a little girl.

Her body now really was a girl’s, and thanks to Rosalia’s twisted tastes, it had become incredibly delicate.

Her tear glands were too active, her skin too sensitive—she was now even more girlish than most girls.

Disgusting.

She hated it.

She wanted to die.

But……

After saying it, it wasn’t as hard to accept as she’d imagined.

After saying it, her resistance faded.

“Good girl.”

Rosalia hugged Liliya, holding her in her arms and gently stroking her head.

Rosalia’s body was icy cold, but to Liliya, it felt safe and comforting.

Being held like this didn’t disgust her at all. The man’s gaze was blocked by Rosalia, the nauseating eyes vanished, and Liliya instinctively leaned closer to her.

In Rosalia’s arms, she was safe.

Somewhere deep in her mind, this conclusion formed.

“Master.”

This time, it was an unconscious murmur.

Partly out of habit from the past two days, partly from the current sense of security, Liliya blurted it out without thinking.

This time, it came truly from the heart.

“Very good.”

Rosalia was satisfied.

She snapped her fingers.

In the distance, the illusion was instantly pierced by several blood spikes, and gradually dissolved into a pool of blood.

With that gaze gone, Liliya’s body finally stopped trembling. But at the same time, she felt something slipping away inside her.

It shouldn’t be like this…

That sense of common sense screamed at her, forcing her to lift her hand.

An empty ache and sharp pain filled her chest, her whole body felt as if it was shattering, torn apart from within.

With no heart, no magic core, she couldn’t use any magic.

All she could resist Rosalia with now were her own hands.

She wanted to just let it go, but her body moved on its own, reaching toward Rosalia.

“Pfft.”

Her fingers plunged into Rosalia’s body, blood gushing out.

This was no longer connected to her own will.

She did it simply because she had to.

Liliya seemed to understand something.

But unfortunately, she realized it too late.

The force controlling Liliya was using up her soul and body, launching its final attack on Rosalia.

In another minute or two, Liliya’s soul would be utterly shattered, sent back into Reincarnation.

The unreasonable Church—a Sword Saint doomed to be nothing more than a pawn and a puppet.