Demon Sword Maiden

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 young lady of the Tamai clan, sold to a filthy demon brothel? Life in such a place was nothing short of hell.

Even though she lived in Yomi, her mother, Shoko, was a supreme figure of the ancient divine beast clan. 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 accept 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 blade—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 b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲ hiding behind an innocent face! How despicable!" Tomoko's voice trembled as the blade’s cold edge sent a shiver down her spine.

"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, accumulate wealth, and become 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 blank with disbelief.

Tomoko averted her gaze, her face burning with shame, unwilling to meet their eyes.

"Tomoko, you’ve lost. My reason for enslaving you all was to spare you from harsher punishment after your defeat. Now, will you become my slaves, 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.

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"Wait! At least untie us first!" Tomoko shouted after her.

"Hm? And why would I do that?" Lily replied, glancing 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 alarm 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.

"Relax. 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 slaves. 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 collar encircled her throat, and she wore only thin undergarments made from the hide of Yomi’s black 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 become one of Kagami’s companions?”

“Miss Tomoko, you’ve misunderstood,” Masako replied calmly. “I’m not her companion—I’m her slave. Just like you. That makes us companions of a sort.”

“What? A slave? I’m no slave! And definitely not her companion!” 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 accepted her new identity as your slave yet. Perhaps she needs… further discipline.” Masako strode past Tomoko, kneeling gracefully at Lily’s feet.

Lily hadn’t enslaved the Hundred Maidens members out of cruelty but to protect them from harsher punishments after their defeat. Yet many of them refused to accept 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 slaves to me?” Masako offered smoothly. Once a powerful force herself, she had been humbled by Lily’s strength. Now, she saw an opportunity to reclaim 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 slave manager? I may not match your combat 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 place. 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 slaves complied immediately. Masako had become 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 a composed, 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 enslaved. 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. The competition 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 outcome 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 become your slave, correct? Word of your actions has already reached me over the past few days. Compared to a century of hard labor or the degradation of a demon brothel, becoming your slave is a far better outcome. I accept it willingly.” Rie lowered her head in a graceful, respectful bow.

Rie’s expression was far more composed 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 had come 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 the combined efforts of Masako and Rie’s teams, many more members of the Hundred Maidens were successfully 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 slaves, that does not mean we’ve lost our will to fight. Even slaves have their own pride and dignity.”

“Tch. Where do you even find the energy for this nonsense?” Tomoko sneered, slouching lazily against the wall. “We’re slaves now—what’s the point of defending anything? Better to let the prisoners kill us and be done with it.”