Tatiana Grachel was a priest who worshiped the Ancient Gods of another world.
Given that she served such mighty beings harboring ancient curses, it was only natural that her mind did not easily yield to ordinary challenges.
Such a strong mental fortitude also increased her adaptability to sudden situations.
âŠWhere is this placeâŠ?
She struggled to look around.
Around her was a pitch dark place.
While still fighting her dizzinessâŠ
She tried to remember her last memoryâŠ
"...!"
She immediately covered her mouth.
Because she remembered the sensation she had felt when her head fell off and rolled on the ground.
It was a scene that she remembered for sure.
The black monster before her eyes, as it detached her head in one strike.
She was killed.
By Dowd Campbell.
âUmphâŠHeuurkâŠâ
As the nauseating feeling rose from within her, she immediately covered her mouth again.
Fortunately, even in such a state, her strong mental fortitude still allowed her to analyze her current situation.
Is thisâŠthe Image WorldâŠ?
That was the conclusion she reached after looking around for more.
She felt as if she was floating around, a sensation that could never be felt in the Material World. All the physical stimulation that she should feel all over her body also felt faint to her.
This was something that she was familiar with, albeit only theoretically, as the feeling one would feel when they entered the Image World as a âSpirit Formâ.
"..."
But that begged the question, why exactly was she here?
Especially since she was someone that had died not too long ago.
âHm, I guess the processing went well.â
As her mind wandered like that, she heard an odious voice.
The voice she would never be able to forget.
âAs expected of Dean Walter. Itâs my second time asking him for a favor, but he did a really neat job.â
Since it was the voice of the culprit who took her life away!
âDowd CampbellâŠ!â
She called his name with a growl.
A wicked Killing Intent began to flow through her body.
Even though she became a Spirit Form, the power she had built throughout her life seemed to be intact.
There was no catalyst she could use to refine such a power, but she could still use the forbidden knowledge she had accumulated about the curse even if she was a Spirit Formâ
âThere you go, youâre better off like that.â
Dowd said with a yawn.
âOtherwise you wonât be worth using.â
As he said those words, he flicked his finger.
At that momentâŠ
A strong twinge, so strong that it felt like it was burning her mind blank, traveled throughout her whole body.
It felt as if her legs were being cut off, her skin was being ripped out, and her body was being torn apart by the things âinsideâ her as they threatened to burst out.
âAhâŠAackâŠ! Aaaargh, aaackâ!!â
She let out a desperate scream as she wrapped her arms around her head and entire body.
Her throes caused her to unconsciously lose control over her body and roll on the ground like a writhing bug.
It wasâŠ
As if she was experiencing âdeathâ while being alive.
And Dowdâs next words proved that such an assessment was accurate.
âThis is exactly what youâve done to Riruâs family.â
The Garda Clan.
People who she sacrificed for her âritualâ, sparing nothing including their dead bodies.
âI asked Valkasus to render it as similar as possible.â
Basically, what Dowd did was to get her to âexperienceâ what those people had gone through in the moment of their deaths.
He explained as such in a calm tone.
âYou bastardâŠ!â
She gritted her teeth again.
Her eyes were bloodshot as she glared at him. She wanted nothing but to tear him down to death.
However, before she even threw another curse at him, Dowd flicked his finger again.
This time, she felt a different sensation of pain from before. Her body felt as if it was burning, as if her limbs were bursting apart, as if her head broke after falling from a high place and hitting the ground.
âAhâŠhaâŠahâŠ-!!â
She had the urge to vomit. Drools already slipped out of her mouth. But, all she could do was to moan in pain with a pale face.
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âFrom now on, Iâm going to recreate and inflict every sensation that the people you killed had experienced on you.â
Even after seeing her like this, Dowd continued peacefully.
He didnât seem to be bothered by the sight, as if it was ânaturalâ that she was treated like this.
âIf you want me to stop this, you need to promise me one thing. So, will you?â
â...What?â
Though she showed him a vicious look, Dowd continued without a change in his expression.
âInstead of the Prophet, submit to me.â
"..."
âNo, rather, instead of her, worship me.â
Even when her whole body was suffering from the terrible pain.
Sparks shot out of Tatianaâs eyes.
Because those were something she would never let go.
She sent him a glare, there was a spiteful look on her face.
âTry making me do it yourselfâŠ!â
If it was anything else, she might have reacted differently.
But, even if he were to kill her hundreds, thousands, or even ten thousands of timesâŠ
Her loyalty towards the Prophet would never waver.
Because the Prophet was the greatest benefactor in her life, she was the equivalent of her mother.
Yet this man, the man who had killed her, was telling her to betray the Prophet and worship him instead?
Sheâd rather let her whole soul suffer from this kind of pain for eternity instead.
âAs you wish, then.â
HoweverâŠ
As if mocking her desperationâŠ
Dowd continued, the peaceful expression didnât leave his face.
âLetâs see how long those words will last, shall we?â
She told herself that sheâd never waver.
Then, she closed her eyes tightly.
Even if this man kept on doing wicked things to herâŠ
No matter what kind of terrible things she had to suffer throughâŠ
Sheâd never let wills give in!
âAlright.â
At that moment, when the sound of a finger flicking droppedâŠ
A terrible sensation took over her whole body again.
It felt as if there was a tentacle wringing inside the blood vessels all over her body.
"...!"
A scream that she failed to let out came from her vocal cords as a moan.
âAh, keu, heuukâ!â
âItâs Alan Ba-Thorâs death this time, so itâs going to hurt a bit more than before.â
Dowd Campbell continued.
âI learned it just a little while ago; The Image Worldâs rules are different from the Material Realm. Well, to put it simply, I can keep doing this to you without worrying about time and physical limitations.â
Saying such a scary thing without batting an eye.
âBy the way, I wasnât joking about being curious to see how long you can hold on.â
As he said thatâŠ
He flicked his finger again.
Again, and again.
And again.
"---!!!!"
Tatianaâs scream endlessly echoed in the Image World, as if responding to his actions.
How long had it been since she started to suffer from the terrifying pain?
Tatiana's sanity was being submerged into greater depths.
âŠProphetâŠ
Her consciousness was sinking.
To somewhere far away, to the place where she had kept the most precious scenes in her memory. The scene that had created the âwillpowerâ that let her endure this ongoing torture.
-Oh, is she a survivor? She's still breathing.
-...Leader, are you interested in this person? Looking at her injuries, it seems like sheâll die soon.
-Come on, everyone from the clan from the bottom of the sea is a powerful Curse User. She won't die from this.
It was her memory of the first day she met the Prophet.
She could remember the warmth that touched her bare body which was swept out to the seashore.
And she could remember the face behind that bizarre-looking mask, which strangely made her feel comfortable despite how it looked.
-...Who�
She could also remember how that person, while carrying her, answered the question that came out of her mouth like a moan.
-Hm⊠I canât tell you my name since everyone who knows it would die.
-...Mm�
-Call me the Prophet. That will do.
That day, she became the sole survivor of a certain clan that lived under the sea. The clan whose members worshiped the Ancient Gods and were purged by the Tribal Alliance Hunters because they deemed the clan as âsinisterâ.
With her body ridden with wounds, with no place to come and go, her young self could only wait for her certain death.
Yet, the Prophet had accepted her unconditionally. She fostered her power and provided her the conditions where she could enact her revenge.
Her consciousness sunk even more.
With the memory of the day she began to truly worship the Prophet as her ânew masterâ, a turning pointâ
âAh, finally.â
Amidst thatâŠ
A voice intervened.
âI found it.â
Suddenly.
Tatiana felt shivers running down her spine. There was no way that she could hear that voice here.
Because this was the memory of the Prophet and herself.
There was no way that anyone would be able to enter her âconscious memoryâ.
Yet, she really had heard someone elseâs voice here.
âŠWhat theâŠ
Upon hearing the voice that echoed in her head, Tatiana looked up, clearly horrified.
Then, she saw him, Dowd Campbell, looking down at her, who was lying on the ground.
There was a subtle smile on his face.
Though there was a cunningness in his smile that sent shivers down her spine.
âYou see, among the people Iâm close with, thereâs someone whoâs very familiar with going around in a ghost-like state. Thereâs also someone whoâs a master of sorcery. One who isnât any worse than you, if not more talented than you are.â
As he said so, Dowd reached out and grabbed her head.
At that momentâŠ
The memory of her first meeting with the Prophet was âerasedâ.
"...!"
She wrapped her arms around her head in horror.
It was an unsightly gesture, but the shock she received was so great that it didnât even cross her mind.
âWhatâŠ!â
She could not remember.
The warm touch, the face she saw for the first time, the first conversation they hadâŠ
Anything about her at allâŠ
As if everything was painted white.
âIndeed, precious memories are something to rely on. Itâs the one thing that allows humans to have such an endless mental fortitude.â
Dowd rambled on as he took his hand off her head. Meanwhile, her eyes shook frantically.
âI figured youâd recall such memory if I torture you for long enough. Then again, everyone would do the same. In this Image World, I can lay my hands on you as long as you recall such a memory.â
He calmly explained.
âTo put it simply, the torture is just a means to get to this part.â
It was at that momentâŠ
Tatiana finally realized this manâs intentions. Her eyes were filled with horror.
âYouâŠyouâŠyouâŠevil fuckerâŠâ
She said in a trembling voice.
Her expression that had never been shaken even by the cruel torture, collapsed instantly.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
âMe⊠Me⊠My âexistenceâ...! You tried to throw it all awayâŠ!â
Mind manipulation. Brainwashing.
His goal wasnât just to give her pain.
But to take away all of her âmemoriesâ!
âNo, not really.â
At her cry, Dowd replied mockingly.
âIâm only doing this so that âI can use youâ. You did the same thing when you killed Riruâs family, no? I mean, you even pulled the dead into something when you didnât have to.â
As he said thatâŠ
He grabbed her head again.
âAh⊠AhâŠâ
Once againâŠ
Another memory of hers was erased.
Black ink was sprayed on her memory of the day the Prophet wished her a happy birthday for the first time.
Again, he held her head.
âStopâŠâ
And there went another memory.
This time, it was her memory of the Prophet complimenting her.
And the memory of the Prophet hugging her tightly, telling her that she was her family.
âNoâŠ! PleaseâŠ! StopâŠ!â
Then, another memory was gone.
And another one.
All of it was erased.
This continued.
Until everything was gone.
"...!"
This lasted for so long that she couldnât even scream out anymore.
Suddenly, she realized a terrifying fact.
She could not remember anything.
Just like the food she ate for dinner a long time ago.
She knew that someone precious, so precious that sheâd wholeheartedly give her soul to her and worship her existed.
ButâŠ
âŠWhoâŠwas itâŠ?
Her face went pale as she fell on the ground.
She had stopped caring about the physical torture she was suffering from.
InsteadâŠ
She felt such an emptiness that felt as if it took her âsoulâ away.
That feeling filled up her whole body.
â...No way.â
Tatiana crawled as if wriggling on the ground.
Her head, that hadnât dropped lower even once when she was being tortured, sank deeply.
She repeatedly bowed her head to the man in front of him, kneeling down, as if she was going to lick his feet if he were to tell her to.
â...PleaseâŠâ
Her voice sounded weak as she begged.
âIâll do anythingâŠyou want me to⊠If you want me to be your slave, Iâll do it, if you tell me to become your toy, Iâll gladly serve as your toyâŠâ
With such sincerity, she swore to give him anything she could give him.
âJustâŠpleaseâŠdonât take this away from meâŠâ
The memories she truly cherishedâŠ
All the things that served as her âfoundationâ... She begged for him to not take them away.
Again and again.
Though her vision was blurred by her tears, she prayed that her voice could touch his heart even for a bit.
âOkay.â
Then, he dropped such a casual reply.
âI wonât erase it. That isnât my intention from the beginning, anyway.â
"...!"
Hearing those words, Tatiana looked up at him with a bright expression.
âInstead.â
But, when she heard what he said nextâŠ
âI'm going to rewrite it.â
That bright expression turned into despair.
â...ExcuseâŠmeâŠ?â
âI said, Iâm going to rewrite it.â
Dowd reached out again, holding her forehead as light vanished from her eyes.
âI wonât erase your memories, butâŠâ
To Tatiana, who was crying with an expressionless face, like a doll.
He dropped a stern declaration.
âIâll rewrite the target of your loyalty from âthe Prophetâ to âmeâ. This is why Iâm doing all this.â
Over the memories of the Prophet, which had been painted blackâŠ
The memories of someone called âDowdâ were painted.
It took over the Prophetâs position, which basically meant that he brainwashed her in this way.
As he did this, Tatiana, who was looking at him finally realizedâŠ
That this man, from the very beginningâŠ
Had never thought of giving her mercy even a little.
â...Devil.â
At the same time such a word came out of her mouth like a moanâŠ
Tatiana's consciousness was cut off.
A while after thatâŠ
Inside the Image World, Tatiana Grachel was trying hard to lick my feet.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Both Valkasus and Caliban alternately looked at her and me, astounded.
All that shit might have felt like forever for this bitch, but only 15 minutes had actually passed.
That was how the Image World worked. The time axis worked completely differently from the Material World.
Entrusting Walter to take care of the details was the right thing to do.
âWait.â
âAh, aahâŠMasterâŠâ
âNo, I said, wait.â
âAh, euh, aahâŠâ
She looked up at me with a desperate look in her eyes.
From her eyes, it seemed like she was begging me to let her lick my feet just once.
As planned, I managed to âoverwriteâ the loyalty she had for the Prophet onto loyalty toward me.
It was justâŠ
The plan worked a little too well.
âŠWait.
Does that mean she had been treating the Prophet like this?
Not only is she a lunatic, sheâs also a pervert?
â...Do you think you have any right to say that?â
â...Agreed to that.â
"..."
The gazes they sent me actually hurt me.
â...But, why?â
âWell, Iâll say that, at this point Iâm genuinely considering this as an art. Hats off to you.â
âI agree, Boy King.â
"..."
Honestly, I knew that I deserved to be treated like that this time.
But, it wasnât like I had another choice.
< Item Info >
[ âČ Tatiana Grachel ] [ Processed ]
[ Specialty: Curse ]
[ Form: Soul Spirit ]
[ Processing Options ]
? Subordinate as a familiar
? Use as an enhancement material for an item
? Resummon in full form (Becomes annihilated after one use)
Adding her soul into an item as a reinforcement material wasnât a good option. She was too good of a bitch to not be used extensively.
That was why I didnât consider summoning her in her full form either, since I could only do that once. Using her as a Familiar would be better in this case since Iâd get to use her more than once.
The problem was, if I wanted to turn her into my subordinate, as a Familiar, without âher own consentâ, Iâd have to deal with a penalty; Most of her abilities would be reduced in strength.
To put it in another word, unless I gained her consent, the option was useless.
â...Is that why you brainwashed her? So that sheâd consent to submitting herself to you?â
âYes.â
"..."
âI mean, sheâs a bad person anyway. Feels nice that I didnât feel guilty after doing all that to her.â
Like, she deserved all this being done to her, considering the things she had done to Riru.
Compared to when I used Lana, when I actually felt guilty for doing so, I really didnât feel anything because this woman was such a bitch.
â...Well, you do have the tendency to be so merciless when handling your enemies. Youâve always been like that and the tendency feels like itâs gotten stronger now.â
"..."
WellâŠ
Maybe that was because Iâve been influenced by the things that I used to do for a bit.
To be exact, the things that I did before I transmigrated into this game.
Then, Caliban said with a sigh.
âAnyway, what are you going to use her for? You even went out of your way to turn her like this.â
Huh? I thought I told him about it already?
âHavenât I told you about it before I did all these things?â
I put the lion breastplate with Tatianaâs soul in it into my inner chest pocket before continuing.
âI have someone to see in the Holy Land after this.â
Archbishop Luminol.
He was someone I needed to deal with before the ordeal /genesisforsaken