The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed-Chapter 222: For Elise (7)

Elise gazed at Karami intently.

The Slave Reaper.

The former master who saw through Elise’s schemes when she was deceiving people in the slave market and made her his slave.

Meaningless actions.

Full of unknowns.

A man shrouded in mystery.

Elise could say with certainty—there was no one more suspicious in this world than Karami.

Yet, at the same time, after spending so much time with him, she had come to a vague realization: perhaps he wasn’t as bad as she thought.

Could she have misunderstood him?

He was like a man whose colors had been inverted.

Not a shade of black imitating white, but a shade of white pretending to be black.

She had even entertained the thought—

What if he was actually a god in disguise, sent to save her?

Of course, it was all a delusion.

He was no Abraxas.

He was nothing more than a passerby in her life.

And that was precisely why Elise hated Karami.

Disappointment is born from expectation.

She had grown used to it—people always let her down, so she never had high hopes for them in the first place.

But with Karami, she had allowed herself to expect something.

And because she expected, she was disappointed.

Why didn’t you save me?

Elise resented Karami.

And yet, there he was again, standing before her.

"Even if you ask, you won’t get what you want."

He firmly denied her desires.

“...Did you come to kill me?”

“I believe I’ve said this hundreds of times—I’ve only ever freed slaves, never killed them.”

“Then why have you returned?”

“Because someone needs my help.”

“No. They don’t. Leave.”

“That’s strange, considering your words and actions don’t match at all. Even you, Saintess, must find it amusing, don’t you?”

Karami smirked, glancing over Elise’s disheveled state.

To put it nicely, she was far from fine.

Elise pressed her lips together, forcing herself to remain silent.

She rolled her eyes, scanning the situation calmly.

Then, she noticed something odd.

“Are you alone? Where are the other women?”

The monstrous beings that had incapacitated an entire army of clerics, apostles, and even a saintess—where were they?

And why had Karami, who was powerless on his own, come here alone?

“They’re waiting outside. I made sure no one would enter, so we can enjoy our little chat in private.”

“You... left them? You came here alone?”

“Is there a problem?”

Of course, there was a problem.

Karami was an intruder.

Elise was the head of the Holy Kingdom.

They were both leaders in their own right.

But unlike Elise, Karami himself held no real power.

If she so much as yawned, she could end his life.

That was the difference between them.

“What the hell are you plotting?”

“Who knows? I always tell the truth.”

“Who would believe—!”

Elise suddenly coughed violently.

Her grip weakened, and the girl she had been holding fell to the floor.

But the girl did not wake up.

She was under a spell.

As Elise struggled to steady herself, Karami walked over to the unconscious girl.

“It seems your condition has worsened from not drinking blood. Tsk.”

With a flick of his wrist, a small vial appeared in his hand.

He uncorked it and let the shimmering, deep purple liquid flow into the girl’s mouth.

“What are you making her drink...? Hand her over. Now.”

“Relax. I’ll give her back soon enough.”

Not long after he emptied the vial, the girl, who had remained unconscious until now, twitched and began to wake.

The substance Karami had fed her was none other than the Elixir of the Untouchable—

A broken item that erased all negative effects.

He usually only used it for drinking games, which always made him feel guilty about wasting it.

Finally, he had found a proper use for it.

“Mmm... Mm? W-Who are you?”

“I’m not a suspicious person. I’m the Slave Reaper. Don’t worry.”

“H-Hiiik! The Slave Reaper?! But I came to see the Saintess at the temple—?”

“No need to be so startled. The Saintess is right beside you.”

Only then did the girl notice Elise.

But what she saw wasn’t the revered Saintess worshipped by all—

It was nothing more than a blood-starved vampire.

“Hiiiiiik! V-Vampire!”

Terrified, the girl recoiled violently.

Even the Slave Reaper seemed like a better option than a vampire—she instinctively clung to Karami.

Desperate to put as much distance between herself and Elise as possible, she kicked at the ground, squirming deeper into his embrace.

“Uuugh...! Ngh!”

Paralyzed by fear, she whimpered and trembled.

“Oh dear. She’s terrified. Shouldn’t you comfort the young believer, Saintess?”

There was no need for him to say it—Elise was already preparing to do so.

She wrapped her hand in divine power, intending to soothe the girl.

But the moment she reached out—

The girl flinched and violently slapped her hand away.

Smack!

“...Huh?”

Elise’s eyes widened in shock.

Why... why is she making that face?

The girl’s reaction was perfectly natural—yet, for a split second, Elise couldn’t comprehend it.

Then, her gaze dropped to the floor.

A crimson puddle spread beneath her feet.

Like a mirror, it reflected her image.

Nowhere in that reflection was the Saintess.

Instead—

Crimson eyes.

Elongated fangs.

Two pairs of wings, inhuman and unnatural.

A monster.

Within the crimson waves, the one staring back at her was a grotesque monster.

“──Ugh...!”

Elise reached out and desperately clawed at the pool of blood.

The once mirror-like surface rippled and distorted, breaking the reflection apart. But as soon as the liquid settled, those same crimson eyes stared back at her once more.

Eyes glistening with primal hunger.

And in that moment, Elise finally understood—

The monster was herself.

“No, no....”

Her breath grew ragged.

Her hands trembled violently.

No.

There had to be some misunderstanding.

If only someone would just listen—

She reached out toward the sobbing girl, desperate to explain. But her fingers were already stained with blood.

The girl stared at Elise with terrified, wide eyes. Elise knew that look.

Because she had seen it before.

The same look—

From the countless bodies of girls piled in the corners of the laboratory.

From the trainee nuns who died, thrashing in fear until their last breath.

From the blue-haired girl who had been drenched in blood, beyond salvation.

But this time, it wasn’t a wicked researcher that the girl was cowering from.

It was Elise herself.

“...Ah, aah....”

A choked sob escaped her lips.

Not out of sorrow.

But out of disgust.

She had become the very thing she loathed.

The monster that had trampled her, murdered her friends, and stolen everything from her—

Now, she was no different from them.

The realization hit her so hard that her mind went blank.

“The Saintess seems to be in poor condition,” Karami mused. “Now then, little nun. If you go straight that way, you’ll find an exit. Once you’re outside, you’ll see everyone lying face-down—just do the same, and you’ll be fine.”

The moment he finished speaking, the trainee nun bolted. She staggered clumsily, nearly tripping, but still managed to flee through the door Karami had entered from.

Karami turned his gaze back to Elise.

She was vigorously rubbing her hands and clothes, trying to wipe away the blood.

It was a meaningless action.

She was already tainted.

No matter how much she scrubbed, no matter how desperately she tried to cleanse herself—

The filthy blood had already seeped into her very being.

“That’s enough,” Karami said flatly. “Nothing will change, no matter what you do.”

Elise froze at his words.

She turned her head toward him with a stiff, jerky motion.

“...What?”

“You’ve already realized it, haven’t you?” His voice was calm, devoid of mockery. “No matter how many times you pray, God will never grant you salvation. There’s no point in denying it. You are, without a doubt, a vam—”

Elise lunged at him.

She grabbed him by the collar and slammed him down.

SPLASH.

Blood scattered in all directions.

With their faces inches apart, Elise bared her teeth at him in a furious snarl.

“It’s all, all your fault! If you hadn’t bought me—if you hadn’t brought me here—none of this would have happened!”

“You should be thanking me,” Karami replied, unfazed. “Because I bought you, you no longer had to deceive people °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° for survival. You got to become a nun, and you even rose to the rank of Saintess.”

“What the hell do you want from me?!” she screamed. “Why do you keep tormenting me?! What did I do to deserve this?!”

“I’ve only ever wanted one thing from the start.”

Karami’s voice was quiet, resolute.

“Your freedom, Elise.”

She clenched her teeth so hard it felt like they might crack.

“That’s why you’re trying to make me drink blood, isn’t it?” she hissed. “You want me to drink, become a true Saintess, hear the Oracle’s voice, and free myself from this monstrous body!”

“Even if you drink, you won’t hear the Oracle.”

“Then what do you expect me to do?!”

Elise’s scream shattered the air.

BOOM!

A wave of blood exploded outward.

A crimson downpour rained upon them.

—Don’t listen to that man. His words are deceitful.

“......”

—Tear him apart. He’s not a girl, but you have no choice. Bite into him, drink his blood!

Karami sighed. “Judging by your face, I assume the vampire is whispering to you. I’d recommend not listening.”

It felt like two hands were pulling her in opposite directions.

A tangled mess of voices filled her mind, screaming conflicting truths.

“...I don’t know anymore,” Elise whispered, her voice hollow. “I don’t know what’s real. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

She let her head drop.

A lamb standing at a crossroads.

But there were only wolves in shepherds’ clothing.

She had no idea who to follow.

“It seems my sincerity isn’t getting through to you,” Karami murmured. “Fine, then. I’ll prove it.”

A brilliant white light burst forth within the sea of blood.

On the back of Karami’s hand, a set of gleaming scales appeared.

It was time for judgment.