The Best Cure for Those Returnees is a Beating

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The Underground Prison of the Church of Truth.

It was a place where heretics who rejected the doctrine or faith within the Church, or individuals who were displeasing to the Celestial Lady, were confined.

All rooms were tightly sealed solitary chambers, reaching a total of 100. However, despite the size, the current number of inmates was low.

The reason for the high vacancy rate was simple. Unless one had an iron will, it was almost impossible to resist the temptation of divine pleasure that seemed to burn away one’s very core, drenched in ecstasy.

In the face of the pleasure brought by the holy water, the prisoners repented and sought forgiveness without exception.

And the one who oversaw this process of repentance was none other than the Celestial Lady herself.

When considering her overwhelming workload, it would be understandable for her to delegate the management of prisoners to a subordinate, but the Celestial Lady never did.

There were two reasons for this.

One was her compassion for those prisoners who did not understand the will of the deity and opposed her and the Church, wanting them to genuinely repent.

The other reason, separate from the first, was her penchant for sadism; she genuinely enjoyed and felt fulfilled in the process of corrupting the prisoners through pleasure.

“Haah… Haah… Haah…”

Thus, whenever the Celestial Lady faced prisoners, she would always think:

Please endure as long as you can and resist, just to make me happy.

In that sense, Lee Ha-yeon, who was before the Celestial Lady now, was truly a worthwhile prisoner she had met after a long time.

“… kuhak!”

Lee Ha-yeon gasped, her shoulders trembling. The sweet smell of drool dripped from her lips. She had been practically drinking holy water instead of water, leaving her entire body soaked in it.

Nevertheless, Lee Ha-yeon had not yet repented.

Even in her dazed state of pleasure, she managed to cling to her sanity. Yet, at the same time, she looked precariously close to collapsing with just a slight nudge.

The Celestial Lady poked at Lee Ha-yeon’s remaining sanity. Each time she did, Lee Ha-yeon swayed precariously, but ultimately, she stood firm, avoiding a plunge over the edge.

“…Sister, you are truly remarkable. You possess a stronger will than anyone I have ever seen.”

The Celestial Lady savored the process slowly, much like a child saving dessert.

If she wanted, she could make Lee Ha-yeon repent in no time. Regardless of her resolute spirit, the moment the Celestial Lady decided to feed her blood, Lee Ha-yeon would crumble instantly.

However, the Celestial Lady purposely used a weaker concentration of holy water, slowly training Lee Ha-yeon.

To ensure she wouldn’t completely lose herself to pleasure.

Just enough to moan over the tantalizing pleasure being given, ultimately leading her to crave even more, bowing down to her own desire.

Finally, when Lee Ha-yeon succumbed, the Celestial Lady wished to savor that expression twisted by despair and desire. She gazed at Lee Ha-yeon with twisted lust and cravings.

“Hey, sister. I just received a report from another brother. Do you know what it was about?”

Lee Ha-yeon didn’t even lift her head. So, the Celestial Lady raised her chin.

To enjoy the expression that would contort at what she was about to say.

“Sister, Jin-seo has pulled off another feat. She successfully fed Kwon Tae-ho my blood.”

“…!”

At those words, Lee Ha-yeon’s expression contorted.

Confusion and horror, followed by anxiety and fear.

The Celestial Lady whispered to Lee Ha-yeon, savoring each emotion reflected on her face.

“You said Kwon Tae-ho would defeat me, didn’t you? But I think differently. Soon, both Kwon Tae-ho and you will be kneeling before me.”

The Celestial Lady murmured to Lee Ha-yeon.

You two are strong, so I will make you my loyal subordinates.

By day, you will enjoy all the power as a noble knight of the honorable Church.

But by night, as my beloved pet, I will immerse you in pleasures that do not exist anywhere else in this world. Filling your mind only with thoughts of me and the Church.

“Doesn’t that sound delightful? You both will surely be satisfied.”

At the Celestial Lady’s proclamation, Lee Ha-yeon’s eyes shook, and her eyelids closed. In her expression, which strongly conveyed resignation, the Celestial Lady felt that Lee Ha-yeon too had little time left.

This joy would soon come to an end. It was regrettable but unavoidable.

A delicious meal must eventually end, and even the most beautiful flower will eventually wilt.

“Well then, let’s wrap up for today. Good night, sister. I’ll come again around lunch tomorrow.”

The Celestial Lady gently patted Lee Ha-yeon’s head and left the prison.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The footsteps of the Celestial Lady echoed through the corridor before fading away.

– Swoosh.

Once the sound of her feet completely disappeared, the previously slumped Lee Ha-yeon lifted her head.

‘She’s gone?’

Holding her breath and listening carefully, she felt no signs of anyone. Unlike before, Lee Ha-yeon’s eyes regained their light as she exhaled softly.

Lee Ha-yeon had purposely pretended to be helpless in front of the Celestial Lady. That led the Celestial Lady to let her guard down. Though the Celestial Lady believed Lee Ha-yeon was on the verge of breaking, a clear will to resist still burned within her heart.

However, she couldn’t afford to be too relaxed. Thus, Lee Ha-yeon aimed to escape as soon as possible.

– Thud. Thud. Thud.

Lee Ha-yeon began to bang her shackled wrists against the wall.

The force was extremely weak. The magic engraved in the shackles had drained her vitality and strength, leaving her with only the power of an ordinary person.

However, while her physical abilities were reduced, her supernatural abilities were a different story.

– Thud. Thud. Thud.

Lee Ha-yeon’s supernatural ability was the storage and release of powers.

Using that ability, Lee Ha-yeon was continuously storing the impact from banging against the shackles.

To her, it felt like the time was over half a day. Whenever the Celestial Lady was away, she repeated this process. And slowly, she could see the end in sight.

‘This should be enough….’

Lee Ha-yeon whispered to herself as she took a deep breath.

“… Release.”

– Crash!

With a shrill metallic sound, the shackles binding her right wrist split in two. Confirming that she had stored enough impact, Lee Ha-yeon released the remaining shackles and shattered them.

– Thud.

“Ugh, ugh…”

Free from the shackles, Lee Ha-yeon collapsed to the floor and groaned. Blood dripped from her wrists and ankles.

The amount of impact Lee Ha-yeon stored to break the shackles rivaled that of a small bomb. Naturally, her hands and feet couldn’t escape unscathed. Her skin cracked, and muscles tore, leaving her in a state resembling that of a rag doll.

But she could still move. Lee Ha-yeon endured the pain that coursed through her limbs and headed toward the iron door.

“…”

There were still no signs outside. Lee Ha-yeon used a unlocking spell to open the iron door. Fortunately, perhaps overconfident in the shackles, there weren’t any additional alarm spells on the door.

– Creak!

As the iron door opened, Lee Ha-yeon could finally take in the surroundings outside with her own eyes.

The long stone corridor was dimly lit, with only the faint glow of incandescent bulbs from the ceiling providing illumination.

No guards were visible. If Lee Ha-yeon was struggling to escape, any normal prisoner could easily be contained by mere shackles.

Proving this, as she stepped into the corridor, weak moans echoed from various corners. Lee Ha-yeon briefly contemplated saving the other prisoners, but then shook her head.

The more people, the higher the risk of getting caught before escape. Saving them was important, but right now, it was more crucial to escape the Church’s headquarters and report their crimes to Kwon Tae-ho and the police.

‘… I’m sorry, everyone. I’ll come back soon to save you.’

Lee Ha-yeon silently apologized to the prisoners beyond the iron door and quietly moved toward the stairs.

But then.

– … Hey, you.

A familiar voice pierced Lee Ha-yeon’s ears.

It was the voice of the Celestial Lady Rozelia, one she had heard so much it was almost tiresome since being imprisoned here.

“!!”

Has she been found out already?!

With an alarmed expression, Lee Ha-yeon turned her head, but the corridor was still empty except for her.

– Over here. I’m inside.

As she tried to wonder what was happening, the voice came again. Lee Ha-yeon instinctively turned her gaze toward the direction of the sound.

– Yes, here.

In the direction Lee Ha-yeon was looking was an iron door with a small window. Cautiously approaching the door, she peered inside, and the moment after, her face turned to one of shock.

‘Celestial Lady?’

Inside the cell was a woman who looked exactly like the Celestial Lady, bound just like Lee Ha-yeon moments ago.

… No, upon closer inspection, she was not the Celestial Lady. While her hair color and clothing were identical to the Celestial Lady as if they were twins, there were minor differences in her physique and features.

The most prominent difference was the color of her eyes, revealed between the black cloth that obscured them. The Celestial Lady had red eyes, whereas the woman in the cell had blue eyes that matched her hair color.

“You are…”

The woman in the cell stared intently at Lee Ha-yeon, then spoke as if just remembering something.

“Aren’t you that believer? The one who got lost in the corridor and ran into me…”

“Ah.”

At those words, Lee Ha-yeon recalled her memory from that day.

The day she had stolen holy water from the mage’s room and encountered the Celestial Lady.

Despite having met the Celestial Lady then, when she saw her again later, she had treated Lee Ha-yeon as if it were their first meeting. At that time, Lee Ha-yeon had thought nothing of it, assuming the Celestial Lady simply did not remember her…

‘But that means I had run into a different person altogether.’

Then who, for heaven’s sake, was this woman before her, who looked astonishingly like the Celestial Lady?

“W-who are you?”

“… It seems you don’t know about me; I’m not Rozelia’s subordinate.”

The woman answered Lee Ha-yeon’s question cryptically, as if considering for a moment, then said.

“… If I’m not Rozelia’s subordinate, I have only one request. Could you help me get out of this prison?”

“Well, that depends on your answer. You haven’t answered my questions yet.”

Who are you? How could you be imprisoned in here looking so much like the Celestial Lady? What is your relationship with her?

In response to Lee Ha-yeon’s persistent questioning, the woman answered with a sorrowful look.

“… My name is Park Yoo-jin. I was a very close friend of the woman you call the Celestial Lady since we were young. We were always together and never separated. Even on the day the dimensional rift opened.”

“Dimensional rift…? Wait, does that mean you… might be—”

Nodding at Lee Ha-yeon’s question, the woman, Park Yoo-jin, added.

“Myself and the Celestial Lady were transported to the same world on the same day. We lived together in that world for 17 years and then returned on the same day.”

At Park Yoo-jin’s shocking confession, Lee Ha-yeon momentarily could not understand her words. However, Park Yoo-jin didn’t wait for Lee Ha-yeon to understand before making another request.

“… Please get me out of here.”

With a voice filled with desperation, and eyes full of sorrow.

“I need to stop my friend as soon as possible. I’m the only one who can stop her.”

Lee Ha-yeon contemplated Park Yoo-jin’s plea.

‘A returnee who has been in the same world as the Celestial Lady…’

Given how similar she looked to the Celestial Lady, it sounded plausible. This meant that the woman before her was also someone who had served the deity of that other world.

‘It can’t be a trap… right?’

If the woman before her was on the Celestial Lady’s side, there would be no reason to imprison her.

– Creak.

As Lee Ha-yeon pondered, she finally used the unlocking spell to enter.

“Be careful. It might hurt a bit.”

Using the same method she used to break her own shackles, Lee Ha-yeon smashed the shackles binding Park Yoo-jin’s hands and feet. Unlike before, now Lee Ha-yeon could exert her full physical abilities, so destroying the shackles didn’t take long.

– Crash! Bam!

“Ugh…!”

The impact of breaking the shackles made Park Yoo-jin rub her wrists. Like Lee Ha-yeon, she had received deep wounds during the process of freeing herself, but moments later, a golden light burst from the wounds, and they healed in an instant.

“This is…”

Lee Ha-yeon felt a sense of déjà vu. Hadn’t the power the Celestial Lady used also emitted a golden light like this?

“… You just said you are the only one who can stop the Celestial Lady, right?”

Having fought the Celestial Lady once, Lee Ha-yeon was well aware of how powerful she was. The divine power wielded by the Celestial Lady was an unknown force that Lee Ha-yeon found no way to counter.

To stop someone like the Celestial Lady would be impossible without immense physical strength like Kwon Tae-ho.

… Or possessing an ability of the same kind as the Celestial Lady.

“Do you have a specific plan on how to stop her?”

At Lee Ha-yeon’s question, Park Yoo-jin nodded with a determined look in her eyes.

“… Yes.”