Chereads / the smudged man / Chapter 21 - ch.21

Chapter 21 - ch.21

"Disappointingly, it seems our session is over." There was palpable sadness in her voice, hinting at her desire to prolong the torment.

The Commander coolly poured a gleaming blue liquid over my battered body, riddled with lacerations and whip marks. The corrosive liquid inflicted additional agony, adding to the already excruciating torment. Despite my exhaustion, I lacked even the strength to flinch, remaining conscious until the early hours of the morning. The Commander tormented me fiercely all night, not allowing me to breathe.

The heavy curtains remained closed from the previous day, but the soft, crimson light piercing the room hinted at the sun's morning arrival. The spacious apartment looked like a disaster zone, wrecked as if an earthquake had struck. The sofas were in disarray, strewn in various corners. Numerous shattered dishes were dotted with my greenish blood splatter, even the television that I'd tried to avoid now lay shattered on the floor.

As the Commander had stated, there was a genuine treasure trove of tissues in all corners and crannies of the living room, which was the site of the majority of our nightmare torment, as well as dispersed throughout the other rooms. It seems she meant to keep herself from becoming bored with the pattern, varying the sites of our suffering in a conscious effort to avoid monotony, with the exception of the bedroom, which she stated with a blushing face she is not yet ready for.

From the very start, I sensed that something was off about this woman. I initially assumed she was merely a self-assertive, power-hungry individual seeking to establish her authority. I had no inkling of her true nature as a deranged, sadistic being who took perverse pleasure in inflicting torment. I had anticipated a painful punishment, and assumed she would strive to swiftly end it, given her apparent disgust towards my presence.

It appeared that the sadistic Commander had been devising plans to torment me from the very beginning—nay, even before my arrival. She had manipulated the system, leveraging a lack of conjurers in her division to secure my assignation to her ranks. Under the guise of deserving a conjurer, she had fought tooth and nail to obtain me—all to satisfy her twisted desires.

This Commander, who had consistently demonstrated such an intense animosity towards me during my month-long residency on base, was now caressing my body with a visible fervor, her excitement shaking me to my core. It was a chilling sight, and deeply unnerving.

The stinging sensation from the blue liquid subsided, and I cautiously glanced down to find my body miraculously unscathed, as if it had never been under the torment. Surprisingly, all evidence of injury had vanished, and my body appeared in perfect condition, free from any marks of pain. Despite the disappearance of the wounds, however, my exhaustion remained palpable. The true nature of the liquid soon became apparent—it was a mere healing agent, having no effect on my fatigue.

I had heard whispers of this liquid before, recognized for its rarity and potency. It is that each soldier received a single dose per mission, and I myself had obtained one on our last assignment, though I had never used it. Never did it cross my mind that this Commander would squander one of the Empire's most precious resources—three bottles of this vital liquid—to indulge in her deranged desires.

"How are you feeling now, dear?"

She had suddenly started addressing me with the affectionate term 'dear' throughout last night.

"I'm fine," I responded, hoping for some rest from this unhinged Commander.

"Good to hear," she replied. "Unfortunately, the size of the bed may not be suitable for someone of your stature, but don't worry—I'll have a bed made to your specifications soon enough."

Please don't do that. I'll be an obedient soldier; just stay away from me.

"Unfortunately, you'll have to slumber on the floor," she stated. "While I would have enjoyed sharing you since exhaustion from my use of my imaginary weapon has left me weary. However, as the commander of this division, I must attend to my duties."

She then planted a feather-light kiss on my cheek before giggling like an innocent maiden and dashing towards the elevator, covering her face in mock embarrassment. What a freak.

"Wait..." I hastily called out, but the Commander had already entered the elevator, its doors closing just as I spoke.

"Beep beep..."

The suit's alarm sounded, prompting me to address a matter I had intended to discuss. The alarm wasn't solely triggered by excessive eating. It also activated if I consumed too little.

The Empire could not risk leaving me hungry, so it had meticulously established a meal plan for me to prevent any potential berserk outbursts that could result in catastrophic consequences.

There was no need to search the room for Aloki's meat. I was aware that it was nowhere to be found. This unique meat was highly toxic to humans, with the exception of the limited supply provided in our daily meals for us smudged men. The rest of the meat was promptly disposed of after extracting every last bit of magical energy. As such, there was no possibility that the Commander had any stored in her refrigerator.

Yesterday, I should have heard the warning beep indicating my empty stomach. However, the torment inflicted upon me had distracted me from the sound, and it appeared that neither the Commander had noticed it. Or perhaps she had heard but chose to ignore it, immersed in her twisted desires.

This was the first instance of starvation I'd experienced. The Empire, well aware of the dire consequences should my hunger remain unchecked, had always ensured that my needs were met. They understood that should such a situation arise, I would inevitably resort to hunting—and what I would seek as prey would be none other than humans.

I'm not on a state where I considered consuming human flesh to satiate my hunger, but the sensation of emptiness in my stomach was irksome. The exhaustion prevented me from standing to seek out my daily ration. Thus, I patiently waited within this hateful place, confident that food would be brought to me soon. The Empire must have undoubtedly received a warning about my hunger, and they would surely hurry to bring me sustenance as quickly as possible.

Just as I had expected, the elevator doors opened half an hour later. However, my hopeful smile instantly faded when I noticed the person standing in the elevator, carrying a massive metal plate. It was, to my dismay, my lunatic Commander.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm stupid..."

The Commander rushed towards me, tears welling in her eyes as a stream of fluids cascaded down her face.

"It's okay, it's okay, Commander. Please, just give me the plate," I urged. At that moment, my only concern was satisfying my hunger. I had no time for her emotional outburst; I just wanted her to hand me the plate and leave.

The Commander placed the plate on the ground and then wrapped her arms around mine as I finally managed to get up and sit.

"Thank you, Commander. You can now go and continue your work," I stated, hoping for a reprieve to enjoy a peaceful meal.

To my dismay, she replied with a smile, "Don't worry about it. I informed them that since you may be on the verge of a rampage, I'll be staying to ensure your safety and prevent you from harming anyone."

Please, no. I just want to eat in peace.