"Shadow theater – body augmentation.

"

The black-haired boy said and felt his mana moving through his body - then suddenly it was all sucked out by the bracelets and was forcefully dissipated into the air after passing through the milky crystal without actually forming into a proper spell.

"You did not expect me to have the real ones?

"

Surou asked in a cold tone suspecting that Zoemi was doubting him.

"No, my prince, if anything I was doubting the artifact itself – you must admit that the ability of those bracelets sounds like straight out of a cautionary fairytale - I would never doubt you.

"

|You inferiority-complex-filled bastard...|

The last part Zoemi added only in his mind and clenched his fists satisfied with making sure that those bracelets weren't fake.

Then, the shirtless black-haired attendant with the ugly burn-scar disfiguring his right cheek and many burns covering his torso walked toward the torturer with a smile and put his hands up to the pole so they could be tied to it.

"It's like this, right, sir?

"

"...a... um...

"

He asked politely and the man awkwardly scratched his cheek.

"Well... yes...

"

The pale-blue-haired man nodded dumbfounded...

Was that child unaware of what was going to happen to him...?

"I'll be in your care then, sir. Oh, I almost forgot, can I drink something beforehand?

"

Zoemi bowed his head to the torturer but then suddenly straightened his back and looked between the second prince and the pale-blue-haired man.

"Well... um... I... don't think there's anything … wrong with... that... so... yes...?

"

The torturer seemed almost flustered with the politeness that the black-haired boy was showing him.

"I allow it.

"

The blue-haired second prince nodded his head benevolently.

"Thank you, my prince, sir.

"

After getting the confirmation Zoemi pulled up a non-transparent bottle and poured the content inside his mouth.

He loudly gulped down and once more assumed the position.

The torturer took a piece of rope and tied Zoemi's hand to the pole, after checking the knot he changed the grip on the whip and looked at the second prince waiting for the signal to start...

"...

"

Surou took a deep breath - he glanced at the anxious Burushiitto by his side and she grabbed his hand tighter.

"Begin.

"

And the blue-haired boy nodded – even though the teacher who should be at the scene was not present yet.

"...

"

The torturer stepped back and took a massive swing.

And then the whip's song drilled through the air.

*SNAP*

"!!!!!!!!!!

"

When the whip hit him Zoemi almost spat out the magic potion he stored in his mouth beforehand – after faking swallowing it.

The black-haired boy realized that he severely underestimated the pain that he will have to endure..!

His back burned as if it caught on fire and one of his knees bent from the impact...!

"...!

"

But even so, Zoemi didn't kneel down.

He fixed his stance and gritted his teeth stronger, preparing for what was coming next.

|Just as I did while practicing on the crystals... Focus on the mana flow, not the spell itself...|

He breathed through his nose and concentrated.

The mana in his body obediently moved and started flowing to the hungry bracelets.

It was almost like creating the destructive darkness blade but without actually giving mana the shape.

*SNAP*

"!!!!!!!!!!

"

Then came the second hit, cracking through the air and Zoemi has bent his back from the impact.

It was only the second hit and felt like his skin was already peeling off from his muscles...!

The black-haired boy's mind wavered and he had to focus again in order to continue feeding the corrosive mana to the hungry bracelets.

*SNAP*

"!!!!!!!!!!!

"

The third hit made Zoemi blackout for a second - but the black-haired attendant managed to regain his consciousness by gulping down a portion of the mana potion stored in his mouth.

|This looks terrifyingly real and painful, he really did call a skilled person...Still... was Zoemi made aware of that beforehand...? His follow up is extremely realistic...|

Surou thought to himself looking at the bleeding wounds appearing on the black-haired attendant's body.

|This kid is really tough, I'm using my full strength and he won't even groan!|

Thought the best torture master in the entire Kingdom of Bellcephora, while taking another swing at the black-haired attendant.

|He must have really pissed someone off to get himself in this situation...|

*SNAP*

"!!!!!!!!!!!

"

Another hit made Zoemi wriggle in pain.

|What was it again...? Taking a punishment for his master... It almost makes me want to go easy on him...|

The pale-blue-haired torturer sighed internally - but a contract was a contract - he was paid in full to make the scarred black-haired attendant suffer as much as possible, and the man's reputation was at stake there.

|What is this guilt...? I am getting too old for this job...|

*SNAP*

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"

The torturer frowned and his whip whistled again.

------

It was only twenty hits in and Zoemi discovered that the bracelets started refusing even the tiniest speck of his mana!

|GHAHAHAHA! Screw you, script...!|

Zoemi thought to himself with wild satisfaction – and relief – he had already downed the remains of the mana potion...

It was a good thing that he kept the contents of seven vials in one bottle - if he just took one or two vials he wouldn't be able to muster anywhere near enough mana to make his plan work.

Now he only had to worry about the splitting headache from the mana hangover...

...or not...

*SNAP*

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"

Just as he was in the middle of triumphing, another hit came and Zoemi almost vomited.

The pain was getting worse and worse and worse, making the black-haired attendant realize with horror that now when he wasn't concentrating on the movement of the darkness mana in his body, the suffering caused by the whip was unbearable...

*SNAP*

"...gu-huaaah...!

Another hit made him gasp for air like a drowning person.

Well... and he was drowning...

In agony.

"...

"

Zoemi gritted his teeth so hard that they started creaking and when his eyes were wandering around he accidentally saw the heroine.

...and she saw her smiling at him as if nothing was wrong...

"...!

"

|You...!|

Zoemi felt a wave of pure aggression submerging him in the ocean of hate.

|It's all your fault! If you didn't exist my lady wouldn't be in trouble at all! She would have a happy li...!

*SNAP*

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"

His thoughts were abruptly cut off by another hit and his mind flashed white.

|I-is it really working as Surou wanted...? No... it should, right...? Zoemi's back looks horrible, but he didn't even groan or anything so it must be an act... right...? it must be...!|

The heroine's smile fade away as soon as the black-haired boy lowered his head from another hit, and she bit her lips from anxiety...

After the pure-show-no-substance punishment will be over, she would approach the black-haired attendant, acting as if she is unable to bear to watch his suffering and heal him – which wouldn't be hard because the wounds on his back looked EXTREMELY convincing and were making the blond girl slightly nauseous – she will make sure to properly heal his scars so that he will be grateful to her, and everything will be fine right...?

Right...?

RIGHT?!

It must have been – after all Surou promised her that he called for the best, most capable person for pulling off a stunt of fooling everyone into believing that the punishment was real – and the blue-haired boy would never lie to her, at least that she was sure of...

But then again... what kind of wound only looks bad and doesn't hurt...?

Certainly not a bloody mess that Zoemi's back has become by now.

Not even talking about his cut skin, even his muscles started to peel off of his bones...

Is there actually a spell from any attribute that can make something like that happen....?