Returned to the room. Camila opened the door without a word. She held a bowl of water. Saki took it. Her fingers trembled. The water's surface rippled. One sip. Cold water slid down her throat. "[cold]Rest tonight." Camila said only that. Then sat down beside Saki. She said nothing. She was just there. Her cold silver eyes stared into the darkness outside the window. Saki lay down. Her body felt heavy. The bruises all over her throbbed dully. She closed her eyes. Darkness descended. "[cold]Tomorrow night." Camila's voice came from beyond the darkness. "[cold]A guest is coming. Be ready." She tried to ask who. But her voice wouldn't come. Camila stood and left the room. Her back seemed to carry some unspoken reason. Saki felt it. —Who's coming. She didn't want to think. But somewhere in her head, she already knew. She fell into sleep. Pain and exhaustion forced Saki down to the bottom of consciousness. She woke up. Morning light streamed through the window. She raised her body. Her ribs creaked. The bruises on her arms had turned purple. Saki stood slowly and left the room. She walked down the hallway. Cold stone under her bare feet. Someone's laughter echoed from far away. The brothel remained dim even in the morning. A sickly sweet perfume smell soaked into the walls. She walked toward the entrance hall. She could see outside through a window. The hitching post. The cobblestones shone white in the morning light. —A horse is coming. The sound of hooves. Saki's feet stopped. A black horse. A man dismounted from the saddle. Leather armor. Stubble. A scar over his left eye. —Right hand. The metal prosthetic hook claw glinted dully in the morning sun. Her breath stopped. Dagan. The hook claw burned into her mind for seven days. The bandit leader who caught her in the forest. Who sold her to his comrades. Who started this hell. All the blood in her body froze in an instant. The next moment, it turned hot. Rage. Something black surged up from the pit of her stomach. Her hands trembled. Her fingertips scraped the stone wall. —I want to kill him. Her first true emotion. For seven days, she had only been scared. In pain. Unable to think. And this had been inside her all along. Saki pressed her back against the wall. She steadied her breathing. Dagan headed for the brothel entrance. That hook claw pushed the door open. She hid in the shadows of the hallway. She must not be seen. Not yet. Not yet. She was summoned to the office. Madame Vespa sat behind the desk. Cold golden eyes. A black dress. The jewel on her left ear reflected the candlelight. "[cold]Tonight's guest." She placed a parchment on the desk. Tapped it with her fingertip. "[cold]Lord Dagan. Leader of the Kerbeck Fangs. A valued regular. Treat him with care." Her heart pounded deep in her ears. "[cold]You understand." Saki nodded. She erased her expression. Pretended to feel nothing. Vespa picked up her quill with satisfaction. The conversation was over. She stepped into the hallway. She closed the door. In that instant, both hands began to shake. They wouldn't stop. The trembling spread from her fingers to her arms. Reached her shoulders. —I want to kill him. The same words surfaced again. But this time, it wasn't fear. It was murderous intent. Real, pitch-black murderous intent. Crimson Dream Powder. The leather pouch the assistant had used in that underground special room. Saki knew where the drugs were stored. Knowledge soaked into her body on that hellish night. Not internet knowledge from her old world. This world itself had taught her. A method of revenge. —I'll use it. Night. Shown to a guest room, Dagan leaned back in his chair. The hook claw on his right hand tapped lightly against the armrest. A click. "[cold]Wine." Saki silently picked up the wine bottle. Her hands did not tremble. Calmly, she poured wine into a cup. The amber liquid swayed. The moment Dagan looked out the window—she pinched Crimson Dream Powder with her fingertips. Mixed it into the cup. The powder dissolved into the wine. She stirred. It vanished completely. "[cold]Here you are." She offered the cup. Dagan took it. Took a sip. —That instant. Dagan's eyebrow twitched. He slowly placed the cup on the table. "[cold]You little—" A low voice. "[cold]I know the taste of Crimson Dream Powder. Don't underestimate a former mercenary." The next moment, he grabbed her wrist. Not the right hand with the hook claw. His left hand seized Saki's thin arm. Crushing it. —She was pulled down. Her body slammed against the floor. Impact shot through her back. Her breath choked. Her vision warped. Dagan laughed. "[cold]Not bad, little girl." That smile was terrifying. She was dragged to the office. Dagan explained what happened. Vespa's golden eyes pierced through Saki. "[cold]Oh my, how unfortunate." Her voice was cold as ever. No emotion. Just business. "[cold]Lord Dagan, my apologies for the trouble. Please deal with this girl in the dungeon tonight. To your heart's content. As compensation." —To your heart's content. The language of business. Offering a human being as a tool for punishment. The tone of her voice was the coldest thing Saki had ever heard. The dungeon. She was shoved onto the stone floor. The iron-barred door closed with a creak. Damp air. The smell of mold and iron. Moonlight slipped thinly through a gap in the wall. Dagan opened the iron bars and entered. He removed his cloak. Took off his hook claw prosthetic. The claw fell to the floor with a clatter. "[cold]One whole night. I'm going to enjoy this." A fist flew at her. Impact on her face. The inside of her mouth split open. The taste of iron spread. She collapsed. He grabbed her hair. Pulled her up. Another blow. This time to her stomach. She couldn't breathe. —I can't die yet. In the center of her heart, Saki repeated only those words. Dagan tore her clothes. Her breasts were exposed. He flipped Saki's body face-down. Forced her hips up. From behind, a hard penis pressed against her vagina. —She was pierced. "Ugh… aah!" Pain shot through her entire body. But she didn't scream. She didn't cry. Dagan's hips pounded violently. The sound of flesh slapping flesh. Saki's body shook. Only gasps escaped her mouth. "Ah, aah…" Dagan ejaculated. Hot semen filled her vagina. The man pulled out. Saki collapsed onto the floor. But it didn't end there. After a short rest, he raped her again. This time on her back. Inserted in missionary position. As Dagan thrust his hips, he choked Saki's neck. "[cold]Good eyes. The eyes of someone being fucked while still alive." Her breath constricted. Her vision blurred. Still, Saki did not close her eyes. Closing them meant losing. If she erased this man from her sight, she would lose. —I can't die yet. He ejaculated many times. On her vagina. On her face. On her chest. Her entire body was covered in semen. Still, Dagan didn't stop. This time he shoved his penis into Saki's mouth. "[cold]Suck it." He thrust deep into her throat. Nausea. But she couldn't vomit. Dagan ejaculated in her mouth. Salty. Fishy. She had no choice but to swallow. "Ngh… guh…" Dagan pulled away. Saki collapsed face-down on the floor. She couldn't move. Her whole body was soiled with semen and blood. —How long that night was. She didn't remember. Only that every time her consciousness broke, Dagan started raping her again. Waves of pain and humiliation. But Saki felt a small flame deep inside herself. It did not go out. Dawn. White light slipped thinly through a gap in the wall. Dagan had left. The sound of the iron-barred door closing. Distant. Saki lay collapsed on the stone floor. Unable to move. Her whole body was heavy. She couldn't move a single finger from the pain. The blood on her face had dried. Her skin pulled tight. The semen had dried. Caked onto her thighs. —She couldn't cry. Tears no longer came. —Her voice wouldn't come. She just stared at a single point on the stone wall. A long silence. Saki slowly raised her upper body. She leaned her back against the wall. Held her knees. The dim dungeon. The moonlight was gone. Morning light drew thin lines on the stone floor. She opened her mouth. "[whispers]Someday." Her voice did not tremble. "[whispers]I'll kill them all." There was no tremor in her words. No tears. After seven days of hell, something had finally solidified inside Saki—a purpose named revenge. Only her eyes held an eerie light. —Someday. Not right now. She had no means. No power. Still, she had found a reason to live. How much time passed? The dungeon door opened quietly. It was Camila. She held a bowl of water and a dry cloth. Her usual expressionless face. But her silver eyes quickly scanned Saki's entire body. Camila crouched down. No words. She wiped the blood from Saki's face with the cloth. Her movements were rough. But gentle. "[sad]Why." Saki asked in a hoarse voice. "[sad]Why do you help me?" Camila's hand stopped for a moment. "[cold]Because it's troublesome if you die." Her usual tone. Curt. Short. But Saki understood. Those words were a lie. —She didn't press further. Saki silently accepted the water. One sip. The coldness soothed her throat. She finished the water. Slowly stood up. Her knees nearly buckled. As her body began to fall, Camila silently supported her. Lent her shoulder. "[gentle]…Thank you." A small voice. The first words of gratitude she had offered anyone in seven days. Camila didn't answer. But her gaze dropped slightly to the floor. Her profile looked just a little softer than usual. They left the dungeon. The morning light was dazzling. Saki narrowed her eyes. Borrowing Camila's shoulder, she climbed the stone stairs. One step. Then another. Her body was broken. She had no means to achieve revenge. No power. No freedom. No weapons. No knowledge. Still just a slave prostitute. Even so—Saki's eyes alone were no longer the same as before. Quietly. Certainly. They gazed at the future.