“Ding dong, spent 200,000 Annoyance Value to purchase [Bell of Requiem].”
The System Notification echoed crisply and clearly in Chu Tian’s mind.
He sat inside the carriage, his gaze fixed on the semi-transparent system panel.
The once full Annoyance Value had suddenly dropped sharply, leaving only a lonely few tens of thousands.
Although it stung, Chu Tian felt considerably more at ease.
The [Bell of Requiem], an item specially designed to counter Necromancers, was the fundamental reason he had spared no effort last night to “extract” Annoyance Value from Su Nian.
After all, according to Hong Ying’s intelligence, the residual magical energy near Bai Shui Town was extremely intense, which meant the enemy’s strength could not be underestimated.
To ensure absolute certainty, he had to be fully prepared.
“Huff …”
The carriage slowly rolled away from Academy City, the wheels crunching rhythmically over the cobblestone road.
Su Nian gripped the reins, her slender silhouette looking particularly graceful in the morning light.
She guided the carriage forward toward Bai Shui Town, the horses’ hooves kicking up faint dust with every step.
“Damn it …”
Su Nian muttered softly, her voice trembling slightly, as if deeply wronged.
Ever since her trial in the Monster Forest and that encounter with the Horned Demon Bastard, she felt like nothing but bad luck had followed her.
First, she was defeated by him, then inexplicably bound to the System, and forced to become a girl…
Just when she had finally become the celebrated Magic Girl Idol and a Magic Tutor, with steady income and a clear path to strengthening herself, that Horned Demon Bastard threatened her again.
Helplessly, she was forced to live at Shadowmoon Manor, suffering all kinds of humiliation.
And now, she had even sunk so low as to be the one driving this bastard’s carriage!
This was simply…
Well, if she were ranking humiliations, driving the Horned Demon Bastard’s carriage probably wouldn’t even make the top three…
Maybe not even the top five?
The angrier Su Nian got, the tighter she clenched her fists, the reins in her hand instinctively pulled a little more taut, her knuckles whitening from the force.
Unconsciously, the carriage left Academy City behind.
The surrounding noise gradually faded away, leaving only the empty country road and the monotonous sound of hooves.
“Clop clop clop…”
The horses’ rhythmic footsteps echoed along the empty road, pounding against Su Nian’s heart and stirring waves of irritation.
The rising sun shone through the thin mist, bathing her in light, but it failed to dispel the gloom in her heart.
She sat bored in the front of the carriage, sensing the faint, lingering gaze from behind her, which only added to her frustration.
She knew the Horned Demon Bastard was definitely sitting inside the carriage, looking at her with that mocking expression, enjoying her humiliation and helplessness.
As if she were a toy in the hands of this bastard, open to whatever torment he pleased.
“Damn it…”
Su Nian cursed quietly, her voice low and hoarse, carrying suppressed rage.
She wanted nothing more than to jump down from the carriage and escape this suffocating place, to break free from the grip of that demon.
But she couldn’t…
There was something more important she had to do; she had to endure.
For revenge, to break free from this humiliating fate, she had to bear the shame and wait for the right moment.
Yet, the tedious journey made Su Nian’s thoughts wander, and it unsettled Chu Tian as he watched her back.
Before his transformation, he would have carefully tried to win over the girl in front of him.
But now…
***
At that moment, Su Nian suddenly felt a strange sensation at her neck, cold and hard, with a metallic texture.
Instinctively, she looked down.
Her pupils shrank sharply as if she had seen something unbelievable.
The [Lover’s Prison Collar] that had once been a disguised necklace on her neck—the collar that brought her unbearable humiliation and fear—had somehow changed into the shape of reins!
And at this moment, the other end of those “reins” was firmly held by the Horned Demon Bastard inside the carriage!
“You… bastard!”
Su Nian whipped her head around, staring fiercely into the carriage.
Her clear, bright sky-blue eyes blazed with furious flames, as if she wanted to burn everything before her to ashes.
Now, she held the reins of the horses, driving the carriage.
Yet the Horned Demon Bastard also held the “reins” — only that the reins in his hand were connected to her, the once highly respected Magic Girl Idol, the youngest Distinguished Instructor at Magic Academy!
In this moment, Su Nian finally understood Chu Tian’s twisted intention.
He had actually treated her like a beast of burden to pull his carriage!
“Ding dong, Humiliation Value increased by 19,437.”
“Ding dong, Annoyance Value +19,437.”
***
“What? Not satisfied?”
Since last night’s frantic “extraction” that earned nearly 200,000 Annoyance Value in one go, Chu Tian had grown even more wanton with his humiliations, which were comparatively mild now.
He subconsciously believed… if Su Nian could endure what happened last night, then this little bit of humiliation now shouldn’t cause her to collapse.
“If you don’t want to be ‘ridden’ by me, then you’re my little slave on this trip. Everything will follow my command. First, say ‘Master’ for me.”
Chu Tian continued, his voice tinged with seduction.
He hadn’t heard that word in a while—he wanted to hear it again.
“You…!”
Su Nian trembled with fury, itching to jump into the carriage and beat that bastard up.
But her reason told her that now was not the time.
At least…
Not before dawn.
Soon they would encounter the Necromancer.
Then, whether it was finding evidence of collusion or waiting for both sides to weaken before she made her move, either would do.
She couldn’t act impulsively.
“If I say it, you have to turn this back,” Su Nian said, blushing furiously, her expression full of vexation, like a cornered little beast.
Compared to the many times she had already been forced to call “Master,” she still couldn’t accept the current situation.
With the [Lover’s Prison Collar] now turned reins around her neck, the sense of being controlled and manipulated—the humiliation—was too strong for her to bear.
“The little slave has no right to bargain. Besides, I don’t care anyway.”
Chu Tian said, deliberately tugging the reins a few times.
Then, he gave the reins a violent jerk up and down, as if mastering a horse, and uttered a single, deeply humiliating word to Su Nian.
“Smart!”
That word was like a sharp slap, striking her face hard and making her dizzy with shame.
Meanwhile, on the once deserted country road, a caravan could be seen faintly in the distance, slowly approaching.
If anyone saw her like this now…
No!
Absolutely not!
Even though Su Nian had used the [Cloak of Concealment] to hide her face, she still couldn’t accept this humiliation.
She couldn’t imagine how the merchants would react if they saw her wearing reins, driven like a horse.