Chapter 25: The Little Black Room

Bang——

Loose stones scattered, and one struck Ivy’s calf, sending a sharp sting of pain through her.

But the imagined pain of a severed head never came.

Ivy slowly opened her eyes, and Frosty was still wearing that indifferent expression.

“You’re dying just like that? What a pity.”

“I actually prefer this rebellious look of yours to the weak one you had before.”

“Keep it up.”

Frosty spoke abruptly and without explanation.

Then Ivy saw a glowing magic circle suddenly form beneath her feet.

Ivy recognized the magic circle instantly—it was the very teleportation circle the original owner had used to escape before. She was too familiar with it.

Only seconds passed before the circle activated.

Ivy saw nothing but emptiness at first, then a blinding flash.

The dazzling light made Ivy cover her eyes.

When the brightness faded, she found herself in a cramped, pitch-black room.

There was no light inside, only a faint glow seeping through the crack beneath the door.

“Welcome to your new home.”

Frosty said to Ivy like that.

A new… home?

Ivy surveyed her surroundings: dark, damp, foul-smelling, and decaying.

And so utterly black that she couldn’t see her own hand.

Ivy wrinkled her brow at the strange stench filling the room.

This place was worse than the Blood Slave Concentration Camp.

No, if she compared this place to the Blood Slave Concentration Camp…

Then the Blood Slave Concentration Camp must be heaven.

Ivy scrutinized the area generously, as if she were sightseeing.

Her eyes no longer held even a trace of flattery toward Frosty—she was a completely different person from the Ivy before.

After all, her facade had already cracked. That obedient, weak act was obviously no longer sustainable.

So why bother pretending anymore? Acting naïve and innocent all day, only to beg for hugs or kisses?

Even Frosty was disgusted with herself for being so repulsed by it.

Better to just be her true self. Frosty seemed quite interested in this rebellious side of hers anyway.

Though, to be fair, she did like Little Cake a lot—and this body did cry easily.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to act so convincingly: crying on cue, tears flowing as if free.

Anyway, she seemed to have no way out now. Let Frosty do whatever she wanted.

If worst came to worst, Frosty could just cut her down with one sword. There was nothing left for her to fear.

Frosty examined the refreshed Ivy in front of her, stroking her chin.

She was indeed angry at Ivy’s betrayal, and most of what she had said earlier was true.

But she hadn’t expected Ivy to choose to stand against her directly for Lyria’s sake.

She had thought that spineless Ivy would have sold Lyria out without hesitation.

She had even prepared to record Ivy’s words about betraying Lyria, so Lyria could see firsthand what kind of person the poor little one she helped really was.

Although the situation had surpassed Frosty’s usual impression of Ivy, it was still within her expectations.

The Ivy who was always timid and submissive before her had a tough side no one expected, reminding Frosty of Ivy’s former identity.

Ivy was a Hero. Even if she had to flatter Frosty to survive, she was still a Hero—a Beast lying in wait.

Ivy’s acting these past days had almost fooled Frosty into believing that soft and gentle image.

But today, she had accidentally shattered Ivy’s disguise.

This version of Ivy was far more interesting.

A faint smile crept onto Frosty’s lips.

The room she had prepared for Ivy from the very beginning was finally being put to use.

Now, that Kitten had finally reverted to a Tiger Cub…

Thinking this, Frosty glanced at Ivy’s petite, frail frame, and silently amended “tiger” to “cub.”

Then, blood mist surged from Frosty’s hand, and before Ivy could react, it instantly engulfed her entire body.

The last sliver of light through the door crack vanished from Ivy’s sight, and the faint noise she had been able to hear disappeared completely.

Ivy instinctively panicked, but quickly calmed herself, crouching down and feeling the floor to maintain a basic sense of direction.

Frosty paid her no mind and immediately activated a teleportation spell beneath her feet, disappearing from the room in an instant.

Ivy was unaware of Frosty’s departure, still subconsciously thinking she was nearby.

She called out sharply, “Frosty, what have you done to me?”

Her voice echoed clearly in her ears.

It was as if something was blocking her hearing, and aside from her own voice, she could hear nothing.

Ivy raised her hand and waved it in front of her eyes, but she saw nothing at all.

Normally, even in such darkness, she should be able to make out blurry outlines.

But now, it was as if she had gone blind.

Blind…?

Ivy’s eyes widened slightly, and her breathing became a bit uneven, but she quickly suppressed the momentary panic.

She began feeling around her surroundings.

Before, the room had been so dark she knew nothing of its layout.

Now, seemingly blind, she could only rely on touch.

Ivy reached out in one direction and soon her hand brushed against a cold wall.

She slowly moved to the edge of the room and pressed her back against the wall, then started following it.

Soon, Ivy reached a corner.

Using the same method, she traced the walls and walked a full circuit of the room.

She roughly mapped out the room’s layout in her mind.

There was nothing inside—no table, no bed, not even a blanket.

This was even more of a solitary confinement room than the Solitary Confinement Room.

Worse, the walls and floor felt damp—she didn’t know if it was moisture or something else.

She also noticed that her hearing had vanished as well.

No matter how hard she knocked on the walls, she couldn’t hear a sound.

Now, stuck in complete silence for an extended time, her ears began to ring sharply.

The ringing made Ivy very uncomfortable.

She could only whisper low sounds to herself and rely on hearing her own voice to relieve it a little.

But that relief lasted only seconds before the ringing intensified again.

Ivy suddenly understood the depth of Frosty’s malice toward her.

She intended to crush her rebellious spirit with such an environment.

But who was Ivy? Adaptability was her greatest strength. She would never be defeated by such hardships.