System's POV

A crisp and loud slap echoed inside the room as the Queen of Valoria, Amara, slapped Kate, making her collapse on the floor.

"You thought you could really run away from me, huh?" Queen Amara kicked the fallen young lady, making Kate groan.

She had curled up into a fetal position, protecting her abdomen from any impacts, afraid the Queen might hurt her baby.

Of course, Queen Amara thought that Kate was just protecting herself from her kicks, so she didn't pay it much mind.

After having her fill of inflicting pain to the girl that had eluded her for nearly ten years, the Queen shifted her attention to the members of the Hero Party, who had managed to capture the thorn to her side, once and for all.

"Thank you for bringing her to me," Queen Amara said with a smile. "I knew I could count on you. All of you would be rewarded properly for your heroic deed of capturing this Heretic. Please, stay for a day or two as we hold a feast for your return.

"We will also execute this witch in the plaza by beheading her in front of everyone at noon tomorrow. So, make sure to be there to ensure that she would not be able to escape a second time."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Neil replied. "But what are we to do with him?"

The young man then glanced at Thirteen, who was lying on the floor, chains binding his hands from behind.

"Who is he?" Queen Amara frowned after giving the young man a good look.

"He's that girl's companion," Morwen replied. "I think they eloped together."

"Oh?" Queen Amara gave Thirteen a second glance, a devilish smile appearing on her face.

She hoped that the Hero Party would be able to kill Kate, but they had brought her back with them alive, which was something that Queen Amara didn't expect.

However, she thought that it was also a good opportunity to inflict as much pain and suffering on Kate before she died.

As for Thirteen, the Queen thought of a good idea to make Kate suffer, which brought out her sadistic tendencies.

"Since he is her companion, he is also a Heretic," Queen Amara stated. "You can leave him here. I'll deal with both of them myself. Guards, take them to the Blue Tower!"

""Yes, Your Majesty!""

Several guards dragged Kate and Thirteen away to bring them to the Queen's personal tower, where she conducted experiments that only she knew about.

Neil watched them go, but since their duty was done, he ushered his team out of the palace.

"I will go to the Temple to pray to the Goddess," Medea said. "I'll meet you guys tomorrow."

"Aren't you going to join us in the celebration?" Neil inquired, not wanting for her to leave right away.

"I'm sorry," Medea replied. "I promised the Cardinal that I will make my report as soon as I return to the city."

In the end, Neil could only watch as Medea rode the carriage that would take her to the Temple of Valoria.

Truth be told, Medea thought that she would feel at peace once the Heretic was turned over to the Queen.

However, instead of getting some peace of mind, she was starting to feel anxious instead.

It was as if she was in the calm of a storm that would soon show its might the moment she lowered her guard.

'Goddess, am I really doing the right thing?' Medea asked. 'Why do I feel like I opened a door that will lead the world to its destruction?'

The Goddess Medea prayed to didn't give her reply.

Perhaps, she was too preoccupied with the war that was happening against the Demon Race or dealing with matters that were more important than the fate of the young lady and the young man, who were now under Queen Amara's mercy.

———

Inside the Blue Tower…

"You monster!" Kate shouted in anger. "Get away from him!"

Queen Amara sneered as she continued to whip Thirteen until his body had turned bloody.

The satisfaction she felt as Kate's face contorted with anger made her feel incredibly satisfied.

Thirteen was under a very powerful sleeping spell that prevented him from waking up despite the injuries he received from the Queen.

"Hey, who is this boy to you?" Queen Amara asked as she used her hand to prop up Thirteen's face, who was unscathed from the suffering that his body had received. "Well, he is not as handsome as Neil, but his looks are above average. Also, this body… of his is a true work of art.

"I just added my own touch, making him look more attractive. Say, how do you like my Masterpiece?"

She had stripped Thirteen of all of his clothes, and mercilessly whipped him nearly everywhere.

"I'll kill you!" Kate struggled to free herself from the chains that bound her to the wall of the tower. "I'll kill you!"

The Queen smirked before glancing at her maids, who stood not far from her.

"Heal him and pour potions on his body," Queen Amara ordered. "It's about time for the real fun to begin."

""Yes, Your Majesty.""

Some of the ladies used their Healing Magic to heal his injuries, while the rest poured potions over his body to help him recover faster.

One of them used Water Magic to remove the trace of blood from his body, cleaning him up from head to toe.

Once the treatment was done, the Queen smiled because Thirteen looked as good as new.

The body he received from the System Shop had a very high regeneration rate, which allowed him to recover from his injuries faster than others.

"He really has a good body," Queen Amara said as he caressed Thirteen's chest, making sure that Kate could see everything. "I wonder, is his skills in bed as good as his looks?"

"You b*tch!" Kate roared. "Get away from him!"

Queen Amara chuckled before sitting on the chair that her maid had brought for her.

"Hey, all of you—do you want to see a good show?" Queen Amara asked.

""Yes, Your Majesty!""

The maids already knew that the answer to their Queen's question would always be yes, and anyone who dared to say no would suffer a fate worse than death.

"Great!" Queen Amara clapped her hands. "Bring the slave girls who are being trained by the Head Maid. I am going to do them a favor."

Knowing what the Queen was planning to do to her beloved, Kate struggled to free herself, until her wrists started to bleed.

"Ah… that won't do, Kate," Queen Amara laughed. "We can't have you hurting yourself, you know?"

The Queen cast a paralyze spell on the young lady, making her body sag as she lost the strength to move it.

"Heal her injuries," the Queen ordered. "We don't want her to die until tomorrow at noon do we?"

The maids obeyed and healed all of Kate's injuries. The young lady could do nothing but cry as they watched them lower Thirteen, making him lie on the cold stone floor.

Queen Amara then forced his mouth open and poured a potion inside his mouth, not caring in the slightest if he were to gag on it or not.

When the maids brought the slave girls to the tower, Thirteen's eyes finally opened.

However, his gaze was blank as if he was conscious and unconscious at the same time.

"Watch closely, Kate," Queen Amara said. "This will be my last gift to you before you go to hell."

The potion that she had given Thirteen was a potion that increased a person's sensitivity, so they would feel great pain even with only a small scratch on his skin.

She then handed the five slave girls a dagger each, and ordered them to stab any part of Thirteen's body with the exception of his head and heart.

Since they were wearing slave collars, they couldn't defy her will, so they stabbed the helpless young man, who couldn't defend himself from the pain that was being inflicted to him.

The reason she didn't want them to stab his head or heart was to prevent him from dying. She could just heal him once more after he reached a critical stage.

What she truly wanted was to hear his screams, which would in turn make Kate suffer as if she were the one being stabbed by the daggers.

But despite all this, Thirteen didn't utter a scream of pain, nor did a pained groan escape his lips.

His eyes stared blankly at the ceiling as his body was stabbed repeatedly, dyeing the floor with a pool of blood.

But within the very core of his being, something stirred.

An unprecedented error suddenly came into existence and was slowly but surely eating him from the inside out.

A darkness that the System God thought he had erased in the past had once again appeared from the depths of Thirteen's Soul Core.

And at the same time, the Saintess who was praying in the temple suddenly shuddered as she read the prophecy of the end, which she believed was tied to Kate, who would be executed at the plaza tomorrow at noon.