Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

Chapter 42 Play and Taming

"That's none of your business unless you can tell me where Adela hid the money."

Yurina was speechless after hearing Ryusha's words. She simply lowered her head in shame and said, "I don't know. Miss didn't tell me..."

"Then don't meddle in other people's business. After all this mess is over, you and your brother can find a place in Sochi to live in seclusion."

After saying this, Ryuga left Yurina behind. Ryuga didn't think there was anything wrong with Yurina's wavering loyalty to her master despite betraying Adela; it was just incredibly foolish.

After Ryuga left, the viewing window of the cell opposite Yurina was opened. Before the guards returned, Julian took the opportunity to say to his sister, "Don't think too much, eat something, and get some rest..."

Compared to his two siblings, Hayden, who arrived earlier, has readily accepted his new life, proving himself to be someone who can easily let go. Julian, naturally influenced by Hayden, believes that Ryūka will keep his promise. As for Adela and the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild? Goddess's blessing, that's none of their business.

Passing through this apparent prison, Ryūka arrived at the lowest, secret space. This place was entirely guarded by shadow guards. Sinatiel and Adela were imprisoned here, while the Judgment Knights had been taken away by Clovis. In his capacity as a prince, Clovis had written Ryūka a debt of 50,000 Imperial Gold Coins, pledging some jewelry symbolizing royal status, promising to repay the debt after the Northern Territory was pacified. After all, to implement the provincial system under the old guard in the North, Clovis would even have to contend with his largest base, the Payne family, and these high-ranking officers were exactly the kind of combat power he urgently needed.

As for what methods he would use to subdue these Judgment Knights, that was not something Ryūka should concern himself with.

Hinatil remained asleep. Although the toxins and demonic energy within her body had largely dissipated, she hadn't awakened for some reason. Ryūka could only keep her confined here temporarily, periodically having the captured nuns use holy energy to sustain her life. The woman was as serene as a sleeping beauty, but Ryūka had little interest in unresponsive corpses. Especially considering that even if Ilias kept his promise and dealt with the Papacy, the Papacy would still be a significant threat, Ryūka temporarily abandoned the idea of ​​doing anything that would further anger the Papacy.

After all, he now has a better scapegoat.

Upon reaching Adela's cell, the two female guards discreetly withdrew, making it Ryuka's private space. Adela's cell consisted of open cages on all four sides, offering absolutely no privacy. Moreover, the blonde beauty was firmly strapped to a chair in straitjackets, a measure forced upon her by her previous suicidal attempts. Even her meals and toilet breaks were strictly controlled, and within just one day, Adela's mental state began to deteriorate.

A white, tight-fitting straitjacket bound her hands to her opposite armpits, and her mouth was also constricted by the high collar. Her bloodshot eyes narrowed noticeably when she saw Ryuka approaching, followed by a long breath from her high nose, accompanied by the violent heaving of her large breasts, as if she were adjusting her mindset.

She had expected Ryūka to come to her immediately, but instead, she had to wait a full day and night. This day and night was too agonizing for her; even relieving herself had to be done under the watchful eye of the female guard. If this continued, she really didn't know how long she could endure it.

Ryūka looked at the woman before him. She was indeed beautiful, and had certainly caused him considerable trouble. But as a reward for this victory, Adela's value as a beautiful woman was far from sufficient. The 50,000 gold coins promised by Clovis were a distant solution; Ryūka needed the money Adela had absconded with, and control over the entire eastern trade network of the empire through her—that was what Ryūka truly desired.

"The Chamber of Commerce Alliance is led by the five major chambers of commerce, and its members are located all over the world. At its peak, three-fifths of the world's trade was related to you. As the eldest daughter of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce, one of the five major chambers of commerce, I did not expect you to be such a fool... No wonder Hayden said that your father did not want you to take over the business of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce."

Ryuka gave a mocking sneer, pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Adela, then untied the gag from Adela's mouth.

"Tell me, where did you hide the money you took from Sochi?"

Adela's lips were dry and chapped after regaining her freedom, but she still managed a cold laugh: "Why don't you just use a slave scroll on me? That would have been much easier, young governor."

Ryuka didn't answer, but just gave a playful smile, watching the woman in front of him perform.

Adela looked at Ryūsha without speaking, then gave him a smug look: "You're afraid of offending my father, aren't you? I'm still his only daughter, and the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild has cooperative relationships with half of the nobles in Otus... But let me tell you, forget about it! That man doesn't care about me or my mother at all! All he cares about is his business! If you only care about money, then you might as well just give me a straight answer. But if you let me go, I guarantee you'll get much more!"

Adela dared to say this because she had her reasons. Slave scrolls could make people obey orders, and ordinary women like her, who had no fighting spirit or magic, were easy to control, unlike those high-ranking knights who needed to use certain methods to make the magic work.

However, the slave scroll can only turn people into obedient puppets, lacking their subjective initiative as 'human beings', which is its biggest drawback.

She started this way to gauge whether she had room to negotiate with Ruka. If Ruka was truly as ambitious and rational as he appeared, Adela felt she still had a chance…

Over the course of that day and night, she came to a realization: even if the price included her own body, she would do everything in her power to fight for more freedom. This thought surprised even herself, because before this, she would rather die than be violated; she didn't want to be a subservient person, she wanted at least some dignity.

“In fact, I did have concerns about your father…” Ryusha’s words brought a hint of joy to Adela’s eyes, but what she heard next plunged her into despair.

"After all, as far as I know, he has more than one illegitimate child, and I seriously doubt your value to him. If you send those 50,000 gold coins to the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild, I'll be in trouble. After all, once the slave scroll is used on you, your father can abandon you without caring about what others think... If I were him, I probably would have done it long ago—especially after your two foolish failures, I'm afraid there would be no place for you in the Merchant Guild Alliance anymore..."

These words clearly provoked Adela, who struggled violently. Even though the chair was nailed to the ground, it creaked and groaned as she writhed, like a wooden bed on the verge of collapse groaning in despair. Even Ryūka was astonished by the astonishing strength that this ordinary woman, Adela, displayed at that moment.

"You're a beast! Just like him!"

Seeing Adela's pitiful expression and the few tears welling in her eyes, Ryuga felt no sympathy. He didn't care about the melodramatic family stories of the wealthy man in the intelligence report, nor did he care what those things meant to Adela. He simply enjoyed the process of gradually breaking down his enemy's mentality... just like hunting and fishing, the sense of accomplishment from conquering one's prey bit by bit is something that can't be replaced by simply buying prey from the market.

After her outburst, Adela fell into a helpless silence. She chuckled coldly and muttered to herself, as if trying to comfort herself: "You can't sort out these messes on your own, not to mention the pressure from Elias and the Church... You want those 50,000 gold coins? Fine~ But even if you turn me into a slave and find those 50,000 gold coins, it will probably be too late!"

Adela was right; she took more than 50,000 gold coins from Sochi, but the bad debts and bubbles caused by the chain reaction in the market from those 50,000 gold coins far exceeded that number.

"I can help you."

Adela said, panting heavily.

"Kira under your command is a talented woman, but you need more people with expertise in trade to handle things. Hayden, with me on your side, you can weather this crisis. Your productivity and power, combined with our trade network, will allow Sochi's trade to dominate the entire country..."

Adela's offer was very tempting, and for anyone aspiring to great achievements, talent is crucial. No matter how strong a person is, they cannot be omniscient and capable of handling everything perfectly; Kira was indeed often overwhelmed with financial matters.

But for Ryukatsu, watching Adela struggle was a kind of enjoyment.

“Hayden is quite capable. But you, Miss Adela, I have serious doubts about your worth…”

Ryuka relentlessly belittled Adela, then moved closer to her body, tearing open her collar to reveal her perfectly alluring, white upper breasts. This caused Adela to shiver; the chill seeped into her skin, which had been stuffy for a day and a night. Ryuka's flirtatious gaze felt like a knife, slicing across her collarbone and causing a stinging sensation in her tender flesh.

"I was a bit arrogant, and I lost to you twice, but not everyone is as smart as you..."

The upper hemisphere. This made Adela shiver. The chill seeped into her skin, which had been stuffy for a day and a night, while Ryusha's flirtatious gaze was like a knife, slicing across her collarbone and making her tender flesh feel a little stinging.

"I was a bit arrogant, and I lost to you twice, but not everyone is as smart as you..."

Adela swallowed hard, trying to reassure herself that Ryūka's rough behavior meant her body was attractive to him.

"You can trust my abilities and experience. As long as I do as you say and don't cause any unnecessary trouble, not many businessmen can surpass me..."

That was true. Putting aside Adela's pointless ambition and competitive spirit, her schemes and methods this time made Ryūka think that this woman had some skills. But Ryūka did not respond to Adela's words, only letting out a "hmm~" to indicate that he was listening, while his palm had already swept along the meridians of Adela's neck across her collarbone, and then grabbed one side of the smooth, soft flesh, kneading it wantonly without any pity.

Unlike her body, which had been honed by battle aura and magic, Adela's body was incredibly flexible, so much so that Ryuga felt she could break it with the slightest pressure. She immediately cried out in pain, gritting her teeth and speaking faster.

"I can be your mistress! As long as you don't go too far... Ah!"

His fingers didn't stop, penetrating deeper into the gaps of the straitjacket, slowly parting the tender flesh and climbing to the tip. Ryuka's touch was devoid of tenderness and affection, leaving Adela with only a strange discomfort, no pleasure whatsoever, only endless fear. This caused her voice to tremble with tears; being played with like a toy by a boy much younger than herself was so humiliating, yet she stubbornly refused to break down.

However, when Liu Xia's fingers pinched her delicate and sensitive tip and squeezed it hard without any mercy, this pampered young lady from the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild burst into tears.

"It hurts!! Please! Stop!"

However, Ryuka slowly bent down and whispered in Adela's ear. Those two seconds felt like an eternity to Adela. The intense pain made her feel as if half her flesh was being ripped off; it might even be bleeding. She cried out hoarsely. This lesson would definitely teach this woman a lesson…

"Tell me, stop what?"

Ryuka's mocking voice rang in my ears, like that of a demon.

"Stop! Stop pinching!"

However, Adela's pleas only brought her greater pain. After increasing the pressure, Ryusha asked again, unhurriedly:

"Stop pinching! How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me?" (The rest of the text appears to be nonsensical and unrelated to the initial question.)

This time, Adela spoke almost without hesitation, gritting her teeth and saying painfully:

"Stop pinching my nipples!"

Hearing this piercing plea, which seemed to penetrate the ceiling, Ryuga smiled and withdrew her hand. Fortunately, there was no blood on her fingers, which told Adela that nothing was wrong with her. But Ryuga's next action only made her feel more humiliated, pushing her already fearful state closer to collapse.

This is exactly the result Ryūka wanted.

After withdrawing her hand, Ryuka immediately covered Adela's mouth and nose. Her hand was covered in Adela's sweat, and after the pain, her skin secreted even more sweat. Combined with the stuffiness from being restrained for so long, Ryuka's palm carried Adela's faint body odor.

Chapter 43 A Month of Training and a Bet

"Be my mistress? That's hilarious! You're clearly a businesswoman, yet you can't even assess your own worth?"

Accompanied by suffocation and her own body odor, Adela received only Ruka's merciless mockery. Adela's face was small, her chin so delicate it fit snugly against the palm of her hand. Ruka, like a bully, pinched the tip of her nose, shaking her head from side to side, emitting bursts of sneer.

"Your supposedly charming personality isn't that appealing to me. How many people in Sochi have you thought were driven to their deaths because of your sins and stupidity? You've done that kind of thing plenty of times before, haven't you? Now you think you can just spread your stinking legs at me and that's it? There's no such easy thing in the world."

After Ryūka finally stopped, Adela, who was nearly suffocating, frantically and greedily gasped for fresh air. She coughed incessantly and cursed at Ryūka:

"If you're not interested in me, you might as well let me go! Otherwise, I'd rather die than tell you where the money is hidden! You perverted brat! I think you just want to satisfy your desires as a stinking man!"

"Still bringing up money? You woman, all you think about are gold coins and transactions."

Ryusha had plenty of time to play with Adela. He looked at this stubborn woman and laughed, grabbing her hair and forcing her to look at him.

"Alright, I'd like to see how long you can last. Not just the 50,000 gold coins, I'll squeeze you dry until you have nothing left. I'm really looking forward to seeing how much profit the young lady of the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild can generate for me."

"What...what do you mean by this...?"

Under Adela's horrified gaze, Ryusha retrieved a number of strange and prepared 'torture instruments' from the underground cell. There were no knives or nails; the pile of bottles and jars Ryusha produced left Adela unable to imagine what kind of torture instruments they were, which only intensified her fear.

"I just want to see when you, this useless sow, will honestly show your true colors in front of me."

Ryūka's dangerous smile sent a shiver down Adela's spine, but she couldn't tolerate Ryūka's continued belittling. She admitted she had lost to Ryūka, but that was because Ryūka was a governor with an army and power. Perhaps Ryūka was a little smarter than her, but Adela couldn't bear being constantly called incompetent…

Her angry gaze clearly conveyed this to Ryuka.

"You think I went too far? Then let me ask you, if you're really as tough as you claim, how come you don't even have the courage to commit suicide? Although Yulina knocked the dagger out of your hand, I clearly saw that you didn't dare to stab yourself. And now you dare to pretend to be fearless in front of me..."

Ryusha's words made Adela blush instantly, but that wasn't all.

"Also, as the young lady of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce, your life must be incredibly affluent. So I'm curious, how come your battle qi, which can be cultivated with enough nutrition and time, is still so weak, not even at the level of an ordinary apprentice?"

As she spoke, Ryuka slammed Adela onto the table, tearing open her straitjacket with a ripping sound, revealing a large expanse of skin glistening with sweat. Her soft belly, plump thighs, and the patch of golden pubic hair between her legs were all laid bare before Ryuka's eyes. But Ryuka wasn't impatient with Adela's body; instead, she pinched Adela's soft, un-trained body with her fingers, mocking her impotence.

Yes, while talent in martial arts varies from person to person, it is essentially a skill that can be continuously improved through sufficient practice. Even some noble children with less natural talent can, with the support of their family resources, reach the level of a full-fledged knight, thus creating a significant gap between them and ordinary people; it's just a matter of time.

Even magical engineers like Anyaberg and unprofessional dark mages like Kira, as long as they have money and time, will pay attention to daily training to cultivate some fighting spirit and improve their physique. This is also why slaves and the lower classes in this world cannot resist noble rule. After all, even Esther, who was once a fallen noble, could still fight on the battlefield as a young girl, carrying a staff and magical tools. Although she couldn't compare to a real knight, her physical strength was still stronger than most civilian conscripts.

Adela's body showed almost no signs of being tempered by battle aura, something Ryuga could tell as soon as he touched her. Although her delicate body looked flawless, it was incredibly weak. Arms, thighs, buttocks... Ryuga wantonly kneaded Adela's flesh, leaving red handprints, enjoying the soft touch while simultaneously making a face of utter disgust.

"You're as limp as a limp womb, and you still say you're not a useless sow! If you were even slightly stricter with yourself, you wouldn't have such a pathetic body! And you still have the nerve to pretend to be ruthless in front of me!"

*Smack! Smack! Smack!*

Accompanied by relentless humiliation, Ryusha's slaps landed relentlessly on Adela's buttocks, creating waves of flesh and chaotic sounds, slapping her snow-white buttocks until they turned bright red, causing Adela to cry out and groan as she twisted and turned.

"You! Shut up! I didn't... Ah!! You just want to humiliate me! Go ahead and do it! Don't play house like a child!!!"

Despite Adela's stubborn denial, she knew in her heart that what Ruka said was true. She was confident in her beauty and 'talent,' believing these two things were enough; a successful businesswoman didn't need exceptional fighting prowess. However, this was merely an excuse for her spoiled and willful upbringing…

“I did humiliate you, but if that's all you think it is, then it's a real shame. I was originally going to offer you a chance to be free…”

Liu Xia laughed as he played with Adela's crotch, feeling the stuffiness and slipperiness inside. He pinched the neatly trimmed golden pubic hair with his fingers, and looked at Adela's distressed expression while laughing.

"W-what opportunity?"

Although Adela's remaining rationality told her that Ryukyu was just toying with her, she still couldn't help but ask the question in the face of such humiliation.

"Prove to me that you have a strong enough will, simple enough? Then I'll admit that you have value working for me."

Adela's pupils contracted slightly: "Willpower?"

"That's right~ In my opinion, you're just a cowardly and weak piece of trash, so you're not qualified to negotiate with me. But if you can withstand my 'training' for a month and not take the initiative to get aroused by me, then you'll win."

The word 'discipline' and Ryūka's wicked smile sent a chill down Adela's spine. What Ryūka was doing to her was already excessive; she could hardly imagine being subjected to anything more terrifying.

But Ryuka immediately ignited her competitive spirit with a few words.

"If you can hold on, I can agree to your previous conditions and give you a certain degree of freedom. I will formally hire you as my business ally, and we will share the profits normally. You won't need to be my mistress. Of course, you'll still have to return the 50,000 gold coins. At that time, you can choose to return to the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild, or even join forces with me to build your own business empire. You can use all my resources at your disposal..."

"Is there such a good thing?" Adela sneered twice. "The 'training' you're talking about isn't just about 'subduing' me, is it? I'd rather be your mistress."

"Of course not. I won't take your virginity, nor will I make you serve me in any other way. Because that will be our wager. If you beg me to have you, you lose. The time limit is one month, which I negotiated with those noble loan sharks..."

Adela found it hard to believe what Ryūka had said. She began to mock Ryūka in her heart, thinking that this must be the competitive spirit of a young man at work, and that Ryūka wanted to make her submit willingly rather than accept the slave scroll.

“I understand.” Adela’s eyes flashed with a hint of mockery. “You like to use this method to slowly succumb to the torment of unattainable hope, don’t you? What a disgusting man!”

Adela's words didn't hurt Ryūka at all; instead, they made him want to laugh: "Thank you for the compliment. I do like you. You've caused me a lot of trouble lately, so it's only right that you help me relieve some boredom. To gamble or not to gamble? You can refuse, but I'm going to enjoy your rotten flesh right now~"

What a joke! Adela wasn't willing to give up, even if there was only a sliver of hope. She gritted her teeth, seized the opportunity, and took the initiative:

"If you use magic or potions, I have no chance of winning! This is blatant fraud!"

“I won’t use those methods,” Ryuka sneered. “You’re neither a knight nor a mage, so of course you can’t resist them. My training will only be within the scope of what an ‘ordinary person’ can do…”

Just ordinary methods? Adela glanced suspiciously at the 'torture instruments' that Ryūka had taken out. Although she was somewhat skeptical, she gritted her teeth and nodded firmly at Ryūka:

"You must swear a magical oath!"

"can."

Ryūka immediately produced a magical contract and had Adela sign it. Although Adela was skeptical that the contract's magic could restrain this genius-like boy to much extent, it was at least a psychological comfort.

After both parties signed their names, Ryuga smiled with satisfaction. He had a month to try out many different ways with Adela, but getting Adela to submit would probably not take that long at all.

Just as Adela said, Ryusha wanted to see this wicked woman chase after a fleeting hope like a monkey trying to catch the moon's reflection, gritting her teeth and struggling under his tutelage, only to beg for depravity in the end.

If one falls into depravity too quickly, it loses its meaning.

“Very good, Miss Adela, you’ve preserved your virginity for now. Now tell me, in your life, have there ever been moments when you resented being a woman, thinking, ‘If I were a man, things would be so much easier…’”

Adela watched as Ryūka carried her to the pile of 'torture instruments,' and wondered why he would ask such a question, but she still frowned and snorted coldly:

"Of course it happened. If I were a man, the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce would definitely be mine! Instead of finding me some kind of husband, as my father said! Even Hayden and the others always looked down on me because I'm a woman!"

Adela didn't understand why she was venting her grievances and true feelings to Ryukyu at this moment. Perhaps she had nothing left to lose or hide from Ryukyu, and her current extreme experience had made her psychological defenses extremely fragile, so she started to complain incessantly.

"Mmm~"

Ryuka neither refuted nor agreed with Adela's complaints and thoughts. Instead, holding a strange little object in her hand, she turned around with a smile and said to Adela: "You haven't thought about it yet... you haven't thought about it yet..."

“Then, Miss Adela, I will grant your wish.”