"Bring Crestia over and let her sit, and you take a seat too," Alad commanded Cirris. He then pointed at me, ordering me to sit as well.
"As I mentioned before, this game is simple. There are three rounds of punishment, and you will choose who will take the punishment. However, remember that if you choose yourself over Crestia, the punishment triples. Do you understand? Then let's begin," Alad explained, his voice tinged with amusement.
"For the first punishment, it will be a strike from Werk's intermediate sword skill, 'Snake Bite!'" Alad announced.
"Hehe, it's an order, so I can't help it. Please understand that I'm just following his orders. Don't hate me. HAHAHAHA!" Werk said, grabbing his wooden sword and preparing for the punishment.
Is everyone in Alad's crew like this? They all seem to be under his spell, from Alad himself to Werk and Cirris. What is wrong with them?
"I'll give you a minute to decide. Cirris, remove that gag from her mouth; let her speak," Alad ordered, and Cirris complied.
After Crestia's gag was removed, she immediately spoke up.
"I'll take it! I'll take it!" Crestia exclaimed.
"What are you saying? That's an intermediate sword skill; I can't let you experience that. I'll take it," I replied, going against Crestia.
"Will, let me take it. You'd endure three times the punishment if you choose yourself. I can't bear to see you suffer like that," Crestia said, concern in her voice.
"Heh, three times wouldn't hurt me at all. Who do you think I am? Let me take it; I can't bear to see you hurt any more," I responded.
"Ding, ding! Time's up. So, who will take the first punishment?" Alad said, giggling as if enjoying toying with us.
"I'll take it," I stated.
"Will, thank you, but I don't want to see you hurt for my sake. I'll leave the first punishment to you, but please let me take the second one," Crestia said, making a tough decision.
If I refuse her here, it might complicate things further. I can only hope that the second punishment will be less severe than the first.
"Okay, I'll leave the second punishment to you," I agreed.
"Thank you," she replied.
"All right, so it's Will who will bear Werk's 'Snake Bite,' not once, but thrice! Can he endure it? Let's find out. HAHAHAHA!" Alad said, enjoying the spectacle.
Werk approached me and instructed me to stand. I did, bracing myself for the impending attack.
"Snake Bite!" Werk shouted as he activated his skill.
"Snake Bite" was an intermediate sword skill, combining the speed of "Sharp Nail" and the damage of "Single Shot." It created a potent skill with both speed and power.
As I prepared for the attack, the sword struck my stomach.
"AAAARRGGGHHHHH!" I screamed as the pain coursed through my body, bringing me to my knees.
"Will!" Crestia shouted, her concern evident.
I couldn't bear to see her worry about me, so I rose to my feet. Despite the lingering pain and the shaking in my knees, I stood.
"Will?" Crestia questioned, her voice full of worry.
"Don't worry; it didn't hurt at all," I assured her with a smile.
I didn't know why I was going to such lengths for Crestia. Was it because she was my friend? An ally? Or was it simply out of guilt for her predicament?
Such thoughts swirled in my mind as I endured the other two attacks from Werk, each one bringing me to my knees.
"Wow, you did great! I didn't expect anyone to remain conscious after receiving three 'Snake Bites' from Werk. Did you hold back, Werk?" Alad inquired, turning to Werk.
"No, I didn't. He's just a bit more resilient than your average student. But look at him now; he can barely stand and might pass out at any moment," Werk answered.
"Will, I'm sorry. I promise I'll take the third punishment to spare you from further harm," Crestia said, addressing me.
"Okay, without further ado, let's move on to the second punishment!" Alad announced.
"The second punishment is... receiving twenty lashes!" Alad proclaimed, his excitement undiminished.
"So, as you both agreed, Crestia will be the one to take it, right?" Alad asked, directing his gaze at Crestia.
"Answer me. Didn't you say you'd take it?" Alad pressed.
"A-ah, n-no... p-please, anything b-but that," Crestia stammered, her voice trembling.
"What's wrong? Weren't you willing to endure it to prevent Will from getting hurt?" Alad asked, a wicked smile on his face.
What was wrong with Crestia? She was acting far from her usual self.
"Oh, right! I remember using this on you in the past. Did those memories resurface?" Alad taunted.
So that was the source of Crestia's fear. He was exploiting her past trauma against her. This man! He was unforgivable. If I ever got out of this predicament, I vowed to seek revenge against him.
"I'll take it," I declared.
"Huh? But didn't you agree that she would bear the second punishment?" Alad questioned, a smirk on his face.
"Shut up! I said I'll take it, right? Stop with your nonsense and just get it over with!" I shouted, causing Alad to take a step back.
"Wow, that's surprising. Did you lose your temper?" Alad said, still smiling, reveling in my frustration.
"Will?" Crestia called my name, seeking salvation.
"Crestia, don't worry. A few lashes are nothing compared to the 'Snake Bite.' Let me handle this," I assured her.
"I'm so sorry, Will. I promise I'll take the third punishment, no matter what it is. I'm really sorry, Will," Crestia said, her eyes welling up with tears.
Alad was a truly cunning man. With this type of game, the players might perceive Crestia as unfair because I had already received the first punishment and now the second, while she hadn't experienced any. They might place the blame on Crestia. But if you scrutinized it closely, Crestia wasn't at fault; the mastermind behind this cruel game was Alad.
With this psychological manipulation, he redirected the blame away from himself and toward Crestia, all while exploiting her past trauma. He was a master of deception, and I vowed to seek revenge on this cunning manipulator.
"All right, for the second punishment, Will will take it once more!" Alad announced.
"To be clear, as you will bear the second punishment, it will be tripled. You'll endure thirty lashes," Alad added.
I steeled myself for Alad's whipping, but before I had a chance to prepare, the whip struck my left arm, taking me by surprise.
"That's one! Twenty-nine more to go!" Alad declared, evidently enjoying my suffering.
I endured the remaining twenty-nine lashes, even though each one was painful. I did my best to conceal my agony, but it was impossible to hide, especially when I cried out in pain after the first twenty.
Alad continued to taunt and revel in my suffering, making it clear that he derived
pleasure from this sadistic game.
As Alad continued whipping me, Crestia's eyes were filled with tears, and she kept repeating, "I'm sorry, Will. I'm so sorry."
Finally, after I had endured the thirty lashes, my body was aching, but my determination to protect Crestia remained unwavering.