When Ben finished dealing with the group of attackers, he apparated into Louise's room. Three disfigured bodies were left lying on a deserted street. No one would have been able to tell what happened to them, but the three of them looked terrifying. The bodies of all three were covered with disgusting purulent boils, and there was no interest in life in their eyes. God only knew what Ben had done to them.
However, Ben was not at all worried about the fate of Marcus and his henchmen. He would have killed them altogether, but that could have had certain negative consequences. So Ben decided to leave them in this state. In the end, the main thing is that they are alive. If luck is on their side, they will even be able to recover.
— Are you hurt!? — Louise jumped excitedly out of bed when Ben appeared in front of her.
— It's okay, I'm fine. — Ben tried to calm the girl down, but he couldn't do it. Louise carefully examined her familiar from head to toe. When Louise was convinced that Ben was really okay, she finally moved away from him.
— Don't ever do that again... — The girl said softly. Besides feeling anxious, she also felt guilty for being useless. The girl wanted to help, but in the end Ben had to protect her after a failed spell.
Ben wanted to tell Louise that everything was under control, but seeing her worried look, he only politely replied: —Okay...
They sat on the bed in silence for several minutes before Ben finally decided to ask a question: — Do you always get this result? — Ben asked, alluding to the explosions. Initially, he thought that she deliberately used explosions, but today he became convinced that this was not the case.
— Unfortunately... — The girl replied, hesitating a little. She was a little ashamed of her lack of talent in magic, which made her unable to even help Ben in any way.
Upon hearing the answer, Ben confirmed his guesses. He was sure that Louise was a void mage, just like Brimir. A lot was said about this.
— Don't worry. — Ben said softly, ruffling Louise's hairstyle: — Not all talents show up at once. It takes many years for someone to start shining.
Ben was sincere. He had experienced everything that Louise went through, so he found something close to her. Ben, like no one else, understood what it was like to feel your own inferiority and be a disappointment even in the eyes of your own family. So Ben decided to support Louise and tell her what he himself had once wanted to hear.
It was hard for Louise to restrain herself, and tears involuntarily poured out of her eyes. Seeing all this, Ben hugged the girl. Louise didn't resist, she needed it now. They sat like that for about an hour, until Louise's arbitrary sobs were replaced by regular breathing.
Ben gently laid Louise down and covered her with a blanket: — Sleep well. And I have to do something else.
After whispering a short goodbye to her, Ben jumped out of the window and turned into a raven. Flying past numerous windows, he searched for Kirche's room. After some time, he finally found what he was looking for. In one window he saw Kirche taking a bath, completely unaware of what was going to happen in the next few minutes.
Ben apparated and found himself directly in front of Kirche, who fell into a stupor when she saw him in front of her.
— Good evening! Ben greeted her with a smile.
— You! What are you doing here?! When Kirche finally realized the situation, she exclaimed, trying unsuccessfully to cover her body with her hands.
— Don't flatter yourself, your body doesn't attract me at all. — Ben said, watching her actions.
Seeing that the man was really not interested in her body, Kirche regained her composure a little: "So what do you need?" Aren't you afraid to break into a beautiful girl's room? Many people may misunderstand you...
— If you're talking about that idiot I met in town today, I don't care. — Ben retorted dryly, recalling the condition of Marcus and his entourage.
— Did something happen while you and Louise were in town? — Kirche feigned surprise. She was determined to deny her involvement to the end.
— Enough of this performance... I know those people were acting on your orders.
"Tsk, idiots... I just shouldn't have entrusted everything to Marcus." — Inwardly, Kirche was angry at Marcus, who, in her opinion, betrayed her.
— You're wrong. He never mentioned your name once. — Ben replied, reading the girl's mind.
— What you... Ahem, that is... Then why did you come to me? — Kirche was surprised when Ben answered as if he had read her mind, but she quickly came to her senses and changed the question.
— It's simple... Thoughts are much more honest than language. — The man explained, and Kirche understood everything. Ben can read minds.
Kirche laughed at Ben's reply: — So you came to me with only mind reading as proof? I have to disappoint you, you won't achieve anything.
— Get out! If you leave my room within a minute, this situation will remain between us. I have no desire to waste my time on you. Kirche waved her hand, indicating to Ben to get out of her room.
— I didn't expect any other answer. However, it doesn't matter... — Ben shook his head calmly: — I came here to pay you back for your attempt to harm me. And I will do it anyway.
— I gave you a chance. Emperor, attack him! — After Kirche's command, a fiery salamander crawled out from under the bed and swiftly headed towards Ben, opening its mouth wide. It was clear that the salamander wanted to bite Ben.
The man jumped back, dodging the salamander's bite, and with a quick movement took the sword out of the bag, plunging it into the head of the fire lizard. The salamander quickly took its last breath.
— I hope you'll be more accommodating now. — Ben said, pointing the bloody sword at Kirche, who was clearly terrified by his brutality.
— You're not going to get away with this!"
The cruelest punishment will be waiting for you! — Frightened, Kirche began to threaten Ben in the hope that he would come to his senses and leave. However, it didn't work.
— Punishment, yes... But who's going to know that I did it? — Ben was adamant.
— B-ben, let's talk... — Kirche said, trying to keep the last shred of composure. She was feeling animal fear now.
— I'll do whatever you say... — With these words, Kirche assumed a rather seductive pose.
— Then... Open your mouth. — Ben said calmly, putting away his sword. Kirche was a little surprised, but obediently complied with the request. Life is much more important.
"When it's over, I'll kill you with my own hands." —Kirche thought.
When Ben hid the weapon in the bag, he also took out a bottle of cloudy liquid. The same one he made the trio who attacked him drink a couple of hours ago. Approaching Kirche, Ben squeezed her jaw with his hand so that she could not close her mouth.
— If you're so proud of your appearance, I'll take it away from you. — With that, Ben poured the contents of the bottle into Kirche's mouth.
Immediately after that, Kirche felt a wide range of unpleasant sensations. She was thrown into heat and cold, it seemed to the girl that her whole skin was being torn into thousands of pieces. Simultaneously with these sensations, Kirche noticed how her entire body was covered with ulcers and ulcers, some of which had opened and released their contents. In a matter of seconds, Kirche turned from an incomparable beauty into something that was hardly human. Her entire appearance was disfigured.
— What have you done to me! — Kirche screamed, looking at her body in panic. The girl did not want to believe that all this was happening to her.
— This is just a small punishment for what you did today. Ben replied: — If I had been any weaker, I would have been crippled.
— That's right, you don't have a scratch on you! But look at me! I don't even look like a human anymore! — Kirche has lost the ability to reason.
— That's why I didn't kill you. — Ben snapped dryly. He had no sympathy for the girl.
— You'd better kill me! I don't want to live with that kind of appearance! — Kirche was desperate. For her, what happened was much worse than death.
— If you want to die so badly, I don't mind killing you. But I can offer you something. This is your last chance. — Although Ben punished her, he decided to give her the opportunity to atone for her sins.
— And what is it? — Kirche asked with interest, seeing the light of hope.
— Live with this appearance for a year. After that, I'll probably heal you. — Ben said with a cheerful smile, but his smile for Kirche was like the devil's grin.
— Okay, I agree! Kirche had no choice but to agree. Besides, Ben's condition wasn't that difficult for her. With the capabilities of her family, she could spend this year in a place far from people, where no one would know about her condition.
— That's nice! Oh, yes, I almost forgot... You need to lead an active social life. During this year, you must attend all balls and social events. And don't even think about hiding somewhere quietly.
"Humiliating..." — Kirche was broken inwardly, but could only agree.
— By the way, no one else in this world can save you from the effects of this potion. Well, see you again! — With that, Ben disappeared, leaving the mutilated Kirche alone with herself.
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The chapter may have turned out to be a bit cruel, but I hope you enjoy it. I even wanted to write something in the genre of dark fantasy. I remember that I owe you 2 more chapters, and I will try to finish them this week. All other chapters will be released on schedule.