Saintess? Not Anymore! I'd Rather be a Destroyer-Chapter 44 - 31: Operation Death of the pervert 2
As they arrived at Mavis’ grand mansion, the gates swung open widely, and Aurianna’s carriage smoothly rolled inside. Waiting at the front door were ten teenagers, all appearing younger than twenty, with thick violet collars around their necks featuring a conspicuous keyhole in the middle. As Aurianna stepped out of the carriage, assisted by her loyal knights, the teenagers looked up at her with eyes that mirrored her own - dead and lost.
Aurianna couldn’t help but purse her lips at the sight. She recognized the pain and despair reflected in their eyes; it was all too familiar. Before entering she managed to muster a comforting smile to her knights before being escorted into Mavis’ residence, leaving the knights to stand guard outside.
Her heightened senses, a result of her increased stats from the rigorous training, soon kicked in, and she caught the faint scent of several children within the mansion. Her curiosity piqued, she ventured down the hallways, where a heart-wrenching scene unfolded before her eyes.
Young teenagers, dressed in servant attire as maids and butlers, filled the hallways. Some exhibited striking features like horns, animal ears, or fish scales, and a few even sported majestic wings. These visible differences marked them as more than mere humans. However, what truly caught her attention were the violet collars they all wore - a cruel symbol of enslavement.
As she observed, Aurianna noticed a stark distinction between the younger, otherworldly teenagers and the older ones who appeared fully human. The latter wore no collars, indicating that they were free individuals. It became apparent to her what was happening here.
Her eyes turned dark as she comprehended the horrifying truth. The young teenagers with unique characteristics were enslaved, subjected to cruel treatment, and bearing the scars of whips, bruises, and black eyes.
As Eva popped up inside Aurianna’s head, she couldn’t help but express her disdain, "Seriously, this woman is beyond disgusting."
"I knew she was a pedophile , but I never imagined she would stoop so low as to buy child slaves," Aurianna criticized under her breath.
"Take a closer look at those children all of them have fearful expressions and scars on their bodies," Eva pointed out, though Aurianna had already noticed the grim state they were in.
"So, what do you think we should do?" Eva inquired curiously.
"Honestly, it’s not my responsibility to help them. But since she is coming after me, a princess, she has some gut. However, these kids can’t even fight for their own freedom? I won’t waste my time saving them if they won’t put up a fight for the freedom or die trying," Aurianna sneered in her mind, keeping a cold expression as she continued following the slaves through the mansion’s halls.
"Today, I’m going to put an end to Mavis and make sure she pays for daring to look at me with those disgusting eyes." Aurianna declared with a determined coldness in her thoughts.
Finally, she reached a door that opened up to reveal a breathtaking garden. It was more like a greenhouse, boasting a glass roof that allowed the bright yellow sun rays to bathe the space in light. The enchanting fragrance of tea flowers immediately cleansed her senses of the lingering scent of children she had inhaled while inside the mansion. And a gentle burbling sound in the distance, likely from a nearby stream, filled the air with a soothing melody, bringing a moment of tranquility to Aurianna.
In the middle of the garden, there sat Mavis smiling with three young girls huddled under a cozy wooden garden shed covered in some beautiful purple leaf vines.
Aurianna marched confidently towards Mavis and asked the question lingering on her mind, "Why are there so many children working here?"
Mavis, not even fazed by Aurianna’s serious tone, replied with that bright smile of hers, "Oh, most of them are slaves, princess. But don’t worry, they’re used to it."
Mavis got up and patted Aurianna on the head, "Oh, I’m so glad you decided to show up, dear princess."
"You can have some fun with these girls here. That’s Bean, Fair, and Miho," she said, pointing to the trembling trio like they were three dolls on display.
Aurianna tried to be friendly with the girls, giving them a cute smile, hoping to at least make them feel a bit more at ease in this bizarre situation.
She then sat down on the table beneath the garden shed, and there it was, a feast laid out with cookies, sweets, cakes, and drinks. Aurianna took a sip of the tea and to her suprise, it was pretty good. "This tea is wonderful, Mavis!" she complimented.
Mavis was delighted, as she placed her hand on her cheek, "I’m so glad the princess likes it."
Mavis started crying tears of joy as she stared at Aurianna, "At first, I thought you didn’t like me, princess, but now I’m just sooo happy you’re warming up to me."
Aurianna imagined herself shooting Mavis’s head off, but she did her best to maintain the fake smile on her face, "Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m just cautious about who I meet."
Finally, Mavis decided to give them some space. "Well, I’m gonna leave you to your tea party. Wouldn’t want to be a distraction," she giggled and walked away, waving at the girls like she was their mother.
As soon as Mavis closed the door behind her, Aurianna let out a relieved sigh as she found herself alone in the garden with the three girls - Bean, Fair, and Miho. They were all dressed in frilly party dresses, each in a different color. She couldn’t resist grabbing some cookies, but she noticed that the girls didn’t even touch the treats. They looked tense and scared, and it bothered her.
After an awkward silence, Fair decided to break the ice, "Hey, um, are you really a princess from Sandeph?"
Aurianna nodded, giving Fair a warm smile, "Yep, that’s me, Princess Aurianna."
Fair seemed nervous but finally reached out her hand to take a biscuit and started munching on it. Tears streamed down her face, but she quickly wiped them away and continued eating, trying to hide her emotions. Seeing Fair eat seemed to ease the tension for Bean and Miho as well, and they too grabbed some cookies and cakes and began nibbling.
Aurianna watched the girls with concern, especially Miho, who appeared to be trying to communicate something while munching on a cookie. {She is watching us}, Miho mouthed using cookie crumbs to discreetly point at the door.
Curious and worried, Aurianna turned her gaze to the door and saw an eye peering at them. A chill ran down her spine, and she quickly turned back to the girls.
With a genuine smile, she introduced herself, "It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. I’m Aurianna." A couldn’t help but notice the visible signs of abuse they bore, like hand marks around their necks and scars that their dresses couldn’t fully hide.
The girls remained silent, visibly trembling, and putting on forced smiles, making Aurianna feel even more awkward. She desperately tried to start a conversation but found it challenging to break through their fearful demeanor. So, she decided to cut to the chase and get to the heart of the matter.
Thinking of a discreet way to communicate, Aurianna dipped her finger in her tea and quickly wrote on the tablecloth, {Do you want revenge on Mavis?}
The girls exchanged glances, and then their eyes locked on Aurianna. They nodded their heads in unison. "Yes, it’s nice to meet you, princess,"they replied, trying to maintain their composure.
Aurianna grinned, happy about their response, but first, she needed more information. "So, ladies, how does one remove locks?" she asked, hoping they had a way to break free.
Confusion clouded the girls’ faces at first, but then Aurianna scratched her neck subtly while sipping her tea. Bean’s eyes widened in realization, and she let out a dry laugh, "It won’t be possible if the key is in the belly of a monster."
The implication hit Aurianna like a punch to the gut. Mavis had swallowed the key to their collars, making escape seem impossible.
Curious, Aurianna mentally consulted Eva for guidance. ’Can’t they still escape without the key?’ she asked Eva in her head.
’If they escape without the key, the collars will activate causing their necks to fry, so they’ll die,’ Eva warned. Aurianna bit her lip, realizing the gravity of the situation.
Aurianna quickly came up with an idea. "Hey, let’s play hide and seek!" she declared, rising from her seat. "We can find more ’monster bellies’ for locks," she joked, pointing playfully at her stomach.
"There’s only one monster belly," Fair said with a solemn expression, cutting through the levity. Aurianna’s frowned as she understood what Fair meant – there was only one key, and it was in Mavis’stomach.
Aurianna leaned in closer to the girls, whispering to them coldly, "If you wanna get out of here alive, follow my lead, okay?"
Taking charge, Aurianna walked up to the door and opened it, only to find Mavis seemingly coming her way. "What’s up, Mavis? What brings you here?" Aurianna asked, pretending to be casual.
"Oh, just checking on you, princess," Mavis replied with a sly grin. "And what are you doing with the girls?"
Aurianna put on a cute, innocent tone, "We’re playing hide and seek!"
"Hmm, hide and seek, huh?" Mavis muttered, her eyes focused on the girls who trembled in her presence. "Alright, you have fun with that, but be careful!"
Aurianna had to act quickly to devise a plan. "Okay, everyone, come let’s discuss who would be the seeker!" she called out, forming a circle with the girls.
With a swift move, Aurianna summoned her skill [Crystal Rose], a beautiful rose-like crystal that she held in her hand, hidden from Mavis’s view by the huddled girls. "Keep this crystal rose hidden in your dress," Aurianna instructed with a serious tone. "When Mavis leaves, place it on your collars."
The girls looked puzzled but nodded, trusting the princess’ judgment. Fair carefully concealed the crystal rose, and then they scattered in different directions to begin their game.
"Bean’s the seeker!" Aurianna declared, taking off like a bolt of lightning.
"Aurianna, wait!" Mavis called out, trying to catch up, but the princess was too agile and vanished among the hallways.
As Aurianna raced through the mansion, following her instincts, she finally came to a stop in front of a particular door. Eva’s voice echoed in her mind, urging her to halt.
"Aurianna, check out this room. I’m sensing a massive amount of death energy from inside," Eva said, squinting her eyes as she peered beneath the door. However, Aurianna couldn’t feel the same energy, but revaluating Eva’s words made Aurianna gulp, but she wasn’t afraid. She decided to try opening the door, but no matter how hard she pushed, it refused to budge. Frustrated, she conjured a shotgun, ready to blast her way through, until Eva swiftly intervened.
"Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how loud a shotgun is?" Eva berated Aurianna, giving her a firm knock on the head.
"Ouch! Okay, okay, I get it," Aurianna rubbed her sore head, realizing her mistake.
"But what other option do I have? This door is made of elemental stone, so I can’t use normal magic to break through," Aurianna complained, eyeing the aquamarine door with frustration.
"Why not try a silencer on a rifle?" Eva suggested.
"I didn’t think of that. System, can I have a silencer on a rifle?" she asked..
And then came the unexpected response: [ That would be 2000 quest points ]
"What the heck? Since when do I have to pay so much for a weapon?" Aurianna protested, crossing her arms in disbelief as she stared at the white system screen.
[ Your free trial’s up, Aurianna. Now you have gained enough points from your quests, so you can use them to pay for weapons. ]
Aurianna pouted, feeling a little peeved about the sudden implementation of payment for weapons. "This is totally unfair! Why should I have to spend so many points on a single weapon?"
The system, seemingly unperturbed by Aurianna’s complaints, chimed in with an explanation, [ The silencer rifle is made with high class technology, designed to deliver powerful shots while keeping things quiet. Hence the cost is reasonable. ]
"Eva, tell the system this isn’t fair!" Aurianna turned to her ever-faithful companion, seeking some support.
Eva shrugged, "Well, not like I can do anything."
’Could’ve just given her a gun, but hey, it’s better she pays for her stuff,’ Eva thought, nodding to herself, ’Besides, she wouldn’t even be able to handle my personal guns. They’d wreck her body in no time.’
Aurianna grumbled at the system, annoyed but resigned, "Damn, fine, I’ll pay. Take the points."
[2000 quest points deducted. You have received a silencer on a rifle.]
In front of Aurianna appeared a sleek rifle with a silencer which had a sci-fi twist to it. Luckily she was able to understand the gun because of her lesson with the system during her training in the training grounds. The rifle had a more rectangular and larger build, and the pistol grip felt comfortable in her hand. What puzzled her was that it didn’t look like it could hold any bullets at all.
"Alright, let’s see what it can do," Aurianna said with a grin, pointing the rifle at the door with her right hand. She focused her mana into the weapon, preparing to fire. As the shot rang out, she closed her eyes, waiting for the loud bang, but to her surprise, there was nothing. No sound at all.
When she glanced at the door, she noticed the keyhole was smoking slightly. Her smile widened at her little achievement. She then activated her Invisibility Magic, turning herself invisible before stealthily stepping into the room.
However, as Aurianna entered the supposedly empty room, she couldn’t help but feel puzzled. A locked door for an empty room? Something didn’t add up.
"Something isn’t right," Aurianna muttered, and Eva nodded in agreement.
Aurianna swiftly activated her Nero Search tool, which promptly revealed a concealed room right below her. She couldn’t contain her excitement at the prospect of delving into uncharted secrets and exposing Mavis, which fueled her determination to conclude the investigation as quickly as possible.
Without hesitation, Aurianna retrieved the green cube she had stored in her inventory. She approached a specific marble floor tile, taking aim and blasting it open with her rifle. The hidden staircase was exposed, and with the green cube in one hand and her rifle in the other, she briskly jogged down the steps.
Aurianna uttered, "Activate recording!" Suddenly the green cube emitted a soft glow as it diligently captured her every move while descending towards the mysterious blue wooden door.
Kicking open the door, Aurianna was immediately confronted with a sight that left her utterly appalled. The sheer horror of what lay before her overwhelmed her senses, and she couldn’t hold back the visceral reaction. Disgust washed over her, and she promptly vomited on the floor, quickly wiping her mouth with her dress. The anger that surged within her was palpable.
"How can anyone be so horrible?" Aurianna muttered, her teeth gritted in frustration.
