Book 12: Chapter 81: A Month’s Change
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Tomoko’s eyes dimmed with disbelief. Was this truly her fate—the proud youngdy of the Tamai n, sold to a filthy demon brothel? Life in such a ce was nothing short of hell.
Even though she lived in Yomi, her mother, Shoko, was a supreme figure of the ancient divine beast n. As her daughter, Tomoko believed she was destined for greatness—not a wretched existence in a brothel.
Tomoko had never feared any opponent in the Hundred Maidens—until Kagami Lily appeared, a woman who defied all logic and expectation.
A deep regret weighed on Tomoko’s heart and spirit. She muttered to herself, "If only I had known… I never would have shattered that jade token."
Yet, even now, standing before Lily, Tomoko refused to yield. She had lived her entire life in arrogance—how could she ept such disgrace?
"Even if I’m sold to a demon brothel, I’ll never submit to you!"
"Oh? Is that so? Very well. Any final words?" Lily asked, her de—Oborozuki Muramasa—materializing in her hand, pressing coldly against Tomoko’s throat.
"What? You really mean to kill me? Kagami Lily, you’re a heartless b?i?t?c?h? hiding behind an innocent face! How despicable!" Tomoko''s voice trembled as the de’s cold edge sent a shiver down her spine."Isn’t being sold to a demon brothel a fate worse than death for any woman?"
"Hmph! Keep your ideals to yourself! Being sold to a demon brothel is better than dying. As long as you''re alive, there’s hope. Plenty of women survive the brothels, rise to fame, umte wealth, and be powerful adepts!"
"So, you’d prefer to be sold to a demon brothel? I wonder if your followers share that sentiment, Lady Tomoko." Lily’s voice was calm but sharp. "You truly are a disappointment."
"Eldest Lady…" The captured women stared at Tomoko, their expressions nk with disbelief.
Tomoko averted her gaze, her face burning with shame, unwilling to meet their eyes.
"Tomoko, you’ve lost. My reason for enving you all was to spare you from harsher punishment after your defeat. Now, will you be my ves, or would you prefer to serve the monsters in the brothel? I don’t care either way. If you refuse, I have other matters to attend to." With that, Lily turned and began to walk away.
"Wait! At least untie us first!" Tomoko shouted after her.
"Hm? And why would I do that?" Lily replied, ncing over her shoulder.
"You know the prisoners are still here! You know exactly what they''ll do if they find us like this…" Tomoko’s voice wavered as she shuddered.
"And how is that any different from being sold to a demon brothel?"
"You! I-I haven’t decided yet!"
"Heh. Haven’t decided yet? I think you’re just stalling." Lily waved her hand, summoning several demon phantoms.
"What!? What are those? Kagami Lily, what are you doing?" Tomoko''s eyes widened in rm as she stared at the summoned phantoms.
With Lily''s ascension in strength and perception, the power of her summoned phantoms had grown as well. Each of these Yomi demons now possessed strength at the Big Dipper realm.
"Rx. They’re my servants. Or would you rather I carry you all back myself, one by one?"
"Where exactly are you taking us?"
"Let me go! Kagami Lily, you wretched woman!"
"I refuse to submit!"
The sound of curses echoed through the dark corridors.
The demon phantoms escorted the captured women back to the dungeon cells, where Lily had confined her other ves. With the new arrivals, the number of prisoners now exceeded twenty.
“Miss Tomoko… even you?” Masako murmured, her gaze falling on the new captives. A leather cor encircled her throat, and she wore only thin undergarments made from the hide of Yomi’s ck beasts.
“Setsujo Masako?” Tomoko gasped, her eyes narrowing as she took in the sight before her. “What are you wearing? Don’t tell me… have you be one of Kagami’spanions?”
“Miss Tomoko, you’ve misunderstood,” Masako replied calmly. “I’m not herpanion—I’m her ve. Just like you. That makes uspanions of a sort.”
“What? A ve? I’m no ve! And definitely not herpanion!” Tomoko roared, struggling against her restraints.
“Please, Miss Tomoko, calm yourself,” Masako said, her voice steady. “We all resisted at first, just like you. But things get easier once you… get used to it.”
“Get used to it? Masako—are you really Setsujo Masako? The woman I once saw as my rival? How can you say such things?” Tomoko’s mind reeled, her very sense of reality beginning to unravel.
“Master, it seems Miss Tomoko hasn’t fully epted her new identity as your ve yet. Perhaps she needs… further discipline.” Masako strode past Tomoko, kneeling gracefully at Lily’s feet.
Lily hadn’t enved the Hundred Maidens members out of cruelty but to protect them from harsher punishments after their defeat. Yet many of them refused to ept their loss and continued to resist. Unfortunately, Lily had no experience in "training" anyone—nor did she harbor any interest in such peculiar practices.
“If Master is too busy, may I suggest leaving the task of training these disobedient ves to me?” Masako offered smoothly. Once a powerful force herself, she had been humbled by Lily’s strength. Now, she saw an opportunity to reim her lost dignity—especially from Tomoko, who had once looked down on her with arrogance.
“You?” Lily blinked, startled.
“Yes. Perhaps you could make me the ve manager? I may not match yourbat skills, but I have more experience with… matters like this. We have nothing better to do here, after all. I’ll train the disobedient ones and make them understand their ce. The next time you return, I guarantee they’ll know their roles—and kneel before you.”
“Is that so…?” Lily muttered. “Fine. But don’t go too far. I don’t want them bullied—keep it within limits. Understood?”
“I understand. Thank you for your trust, Master. Please confiscate their treasures, but leave them bound. I’ll handle the rest.” A flicker of excitement danced in Masako’s eyes as her breathing quickened.
“Ah… alright.”
“Take Tomoko to that cell—I’ll personally oversee her education. Move the others to the adjacent cells.”
The other vesplied immediately. Masako had be their de facto leader, not only through Lily’s authority but also due to her former status as one of the strongest members of the Hundred Maidens.
“Masako! Setsujo Masako! You’re really siding with her? How could you do this? Let me go! Release me, damn it!” Tomoko shouted desperately as she was hauled toward the deepest cells.
“Master, leave the rest to me,” Masako said, her aura now calm and collected, exuding aposed, professional demeanor.
“Alright, so be it.” Lily sighed, offering a bitter smile. She suspected Tomoko would suffer under Masako’s care, but there was little she could do to change that now.
Having entrusted Tomoko’s group to Masako, Lily resumed her exploration of the dungeon, searching for any remaining Hundred Maidens members.
Two weeks passed. During that time, even Takiri Rie—the Hundred Maidens’ second strongest—fell to Lily and was enved. Surprisingly, her defeat proved far easier than those of Masako or Tomoko.
On that fateful day, it took only one strike from Lily to bring Rie to her knees. She dropped her weapons without hesitation and surrendered.
“Miss Lily, I concede. The victory is yours,” Rie said calmly, bowing her head in submission.
“Eh?” Lily blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected the second strongest of the Hundred Maidens to surrender so readily.
“Although Miss Lily held back during our duel, I could still sense the depth of your strength. Thepetition in the Female Queendom already proved my defeat. As both a warrior and a woman, I am no match for you, Miss Lily. Continuing the fight would only lead to more humiliation and suffering. Surrender is the only sensible choice—I know that no matter how I resist, the oue will remain the same,” Rie stated calmly, her voice unwavering.
“I see… As expected of Miss Takiri, always so perceptive,” Lily murmured, her expression thoughtful.
“Since I’ve lost, I assume I am to be your ve, correct? Word of your actions has already reached me over the past few days. Compared to a century of hardbor or the degradation of a demon brothel, bing your ve is a far better oue. I ept it willingly.” Rie lowered her head in a graceful, respectful bow.
Rie’s expression was far moreposed than Lily’s, serene and untroubled.
“What has this woman experienced?” Lily wondered silently. “It’s as if she sees the world from afar, detached, like an observer from another realm.” Conquering the second strongest of the Hundred Maidens so effortlessly left Lily feeling slightly overwhelmed, as though victory hade too easily.
With only half a month remaining, Lily had managed to capture just over thirty members of the Hundred Maidens, though the most powerful among them were already under her control.
The vast expanse of Okai Prison made it difficult to search alone, so Lily assigned Masako and Rie to lead teams in capturing the remaining Hundred Maidens for her.
Naturally, Lily instructed them to exercise restraint and ensure the targets were not harmed excessively during the captures.
With thebined efforts of Masako and Rie’s teams, many more members of the Hundred Maidens were sessfully captured.
Time slipped by, and soon only one week remained before the trial’s conclusion. Seventy percent of the Hundred Maidens had already been apprehended.
The dark corridors of the prison echoed with singing and dancing, and the faint, sweet scent of young maidens lingered in the air.
“There is only one week left until the trial concludes,” Rie addressed the group, her voice steady and authoritative. “While Master is away, we must fortify our defenses and ensure we aren’t caught off guard again. Though we are now ves, that does not mean we’ve lost our will to fight. Even ves have their own pride and dignity.”
“Tch. Where do you even find the energy for this nonsense?” Tomoko sneered, slouchingzily against the wall. “We’re ves now—what’s the point of defending anything? Better to let the prisoners kill us and be done with it.”