Chapter 190 - Martha, the Torturer Maid

  Era Asalon:

  "Focus!" shouted Sebastian.

  "Yes, sir!" the knights responded in unison, adjusting their stances with their swords, sweat trig down their focused faces.

  The training was taking p a restricted area of the academy, reserved for students ted the rigor of enlisting in the royal army. This secluded field was surrounded by magical barriers, making the enviro even more intense and challenging. These extra training sessions were essential to shape the students, honing their skills over the five-year academy course until they were ready for the rank of Recruit Knight. Every move recise, every mistake corrected firmly, aian watched with a keen eye.

  From where I stood, I observed the grueling rhythm of the training, but I soon made my way toward the Student cil room. The holidays were approag, but for me, this period rarely mea. Even during breaks, work tio chase me. My mission, once I returned, would be to meet the first-year students selected by Director Victoria to form my small support force. They would be traio, iure, hold positions withiudent cil, a responsibility that could not be ed.

  Upon opening the door to the room, I saw my friend Rose pletely immersed in a pile of dots, her serious expression refleg the weight of the responsibilities we shared.

  "Still w?" I asked, approag her.

  "Look who's talking. I bet you're here to do the same," she replied without looking up, tossing some papers in my dire with a tired but knowing look.

  I let out a light ugh, breaking the tension a bit, and sat beside her, pig up the papers she had pushed toward me.

  "Looks like we have more work ahead," she remarked while flipping through another dot.

  "Excursion to the Ied Tower?" I read aloud, trying to decipher what this mission would entail. Curiosity mixed with fatigue, and once again, I realized the holidays were far from restful.

  As the years progressed, academy students gained access to the mysterious dungeon, one of the most intriguing and dangerous pces for training. There, they could uake missions while honing their skills. Each floor of the dungeon was a true ecosystem, where monster s were left to multiply naturally, providing students with stant opportuo desd the tower’s levels and face creatures bred in that enviro. In addition to maintaining the bance of the monster popution, this practice offered mages realistic training, preparing them for the dangers of the outside world.

  Some of these creatures stood out for their strength, dominatiain floors and ag as natural leaders. These monsters were known as "Bosses," formidable challenges for the bravest and most experieudents. The dungeon, called the Ied Tower, was a structure dating back to a civilization, and to this day, no one knew for sure who had built it. It was believed that in aimes, it also served as a training ground for warriors seeking to grow stronger.

  "The academy is pnning a major excursion to the Ied Tower," Rose said, interrupting my thoughts. "I heard that even first-year students will be brought along. They want us to go too."

  I sighed, reading the details on the dot she handed me.

  "At least it seems simple," I ented, analyzing the pn. "They’ll only be in the easier floors, expl areas that now serve as museums. Still, there will be monsters present."

  Rose tinued reading the dot a out a chuckle, casting a pyful gnce my way.

  "It’ll be fi’s a team effort between csses, and the first-year students selected to participate will be excited. After all, it’s a rare ce to ehe Ied Tower ahead of schedule," she remarked with a slight smile.

  I looked at the dot once again, analyzing the floors that would be explored during the excursion.

  "Yeah, it really seems simple," I said, tossing the dot bato the table. "A tour through the excavation museums of the A Civilization."

  The Ied Tower held many relics discovered in its depths. Rooms filled with a furniture, paintings, stone murals written in unknown nguages, and moal statues—all preserved and dispyed like a museum. Iingly, the dungeon’s monsters, instead of mere threats, seemed to act as guardians of these treasures, patrolling the halls. Apparently, our role would be to act as security while the senior csses guided the youudents through the tour.

  "At least there’ll be a bit of a," I erying to see the positive side of the mission.

  Ricardo:

  My body burned with stant pain, and I found myself in a miserable state. Every breath was torture, and the sword embedded in my stomach made my whole body feel like it was being corroded by acid.

  My vision was blurry, but I could make out the silhouette of a woman in front of me, dressed like a maid. I tried to move, but the metal s binding my broken, burned arms and legs made any attempt futile.

  "Take it out… please…" I begged, my voice barely esg as I looked at the sword pierg my body. The pain was so overwhelming that I had lost trol of my bodily funs; my pants were soaked with urine and feces.

  The woman g the filthy floor, her expression marked by disgust.

  “You’ve already started to soil yourself, and I haven’t even started to py…” she said, moving her hand slowly. A crystal-clear ball of water appeared, ing the mess and draining it into a nearby grate.

  “This metal is quite useful, but it does take away some of the fun,” she tinued with a tone of sadistic satisfa, as she turo pick up a wooden case. She ope on a nearby table, revealing an array of shiny, sharp tools. Eae was examined with a sinister whistle, as if she were choosing a toy.

  Two irls, also dressed as maids, appeared beside her.

  "My darlings, Mommy is going to teach you some ricks," the woman said, her smile blending tenderness with perversity.

  “Fuck you…” I cursed, desperately trying to trate what little magic I had left.

  "Let us have some fun too, Mommy," one of the twins pleaded, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

  The woman chuckled softly.

  “I’m very proud of you, but this is a delicate job,” she replied, caressing the girls’ faces.

  A scream of agony escaped my lips as a new wave of suffering rippled through my body. Every attempt to use my magic seemed to multiply the pain, as if my insides were being torn apart from within.

  The woman then picked up a giant needle and a hammer, approag me.

  “You try to use your power all you want. This metal reacts to mana—it pierces your soul els. It’s a ing creatio to trap magical creatures… ical humans,” she said, her voice dripping with morbid delight.

  "This is a damn ented relic…" I muttered, as the pain caused me to drool untrolbly.

  "A talented mage, at 14 years old, tied his own hands a and asked me to drive this sword into him. The young master tried to remove it using magid ehis same pain for quite some time. The result? He failed. If that boy couldn’t use magic to pull out the sword… you won’t even e close," she said, relishing my torment.

  She leaned in closer, holding the needle in front of my face, her eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure. With her other hand, she spun the hammer, the metallic sound cutting through the air ominously.

  "The method I created to amplify the pain while you’re already suffering is quite simple. I’m going to carve the bones in your body. I’ll break you slowly, and every little piece I shatter… will hurt a lot," she said, smiling.

  Despair overwhelmed me.

  NO! HELP! THIS WOMAN IS INSANE!

  "I’ll tell you… whatever you want… please," I begged, my sanity slipping away rapidly.

  She simply shook her head, maintaining that disturbing smile.

  "You have your job, and I have mine. Don’t deprive me of my fun."