Chapter 508: The Taming of the White Demon

Adam stepped out of the bathroom, a towel draped over his shoulders as he ran it through his damp hair. The cool night air brushed against his skin, and he let out a satisfied breath.

"Good thing the water still works here," he muttered to himself. "Having facilities like this really is something else."

He walked down the corridor, his footsteps soft against the wooden floor. His mind drifted to the journey ahead.

"We leave tomorrow," he said quietly. "I should start preparing. Maybe I’ll ask Selena for supplies before we go."

As he passed by a familiar door, he slowed. The light beneath it was dim, but he could sense a presence inside.

"I haven’t seen Lilith all day," he murmured. "Is she in her room right now?"

He reached for the handle and gave it a light push. It wasn’t locked.

The door swung open. Adam stopped where he stood, greeted by a scene that made him question whether he should have knocked first.

Lilith stood in the center of the room, dressed in a sleek black gown that clung to her figure, its low neckline and high slit revealing just enough to be dangerous. Her silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, and in her hand she held a thin, coiled whip, its leather gleaming under the lamplight.

And in front of her, bound and kneeling on the floor, was Celine.

The White Demon’s arms were pulled behind her back, secured with dark silk cords that wrapped around her wrists and chest in an intricate, humiliating pattern. More cords bound her ankles and thighs, forcing her to kneel in a position that left her completely exposed and utterly helpless.

Her horns were still intact, but her face was a mask of fury and shame. Her cheeks burned red, and her eyes were fixed on Adam with a mixture of rage and mortification.

Her right hand had regenerated. The fingers twitched against the ropes, desperate to move, to strike, to do anything. But the chains of Isolde’s blood still held her will in check.

Lilith turned her head slowly, her crimson eyes lighting up the moment she saw him.

"Adam~ What brings you here tonight?"

Her voice was calm. As if she had just greeted him at the door for tea.

She smiled, the whip resting lightly against her palm.

"I wasn’t expecting you to visit so late."

Adam stood in the doorway, towel still draped over his shoulders, water still dripping from his hair.

"...I think I came at a bad time."

Celine’s head snapped to the side the moment she saw Adam in the doorway. Her cheeks burned brighter, and she turned her face away with a sharp, frustrated huff, refusing to meet his eyes.

Lilith smiled, her crimson eyes gleaming with amusement.

"No, no. You came at exactly the right time."

She crossed the room in slow, deliberate steps, the black gown whispering against the floor. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself close.

Adam felt it immediately, the softness of her body pressing against his, the warmth of her skin, the faint, sweet scent of her perfume mixed with smell of blood. His breath caught for just a moment.

Lilith reached past him and gently pushed the door shut with her foot.

Adam glanced down at her, then toward the bound demon still kneeling on the floor. He cleared his throat.

"Why did you change clothes?"

Lilith released the embrace slowly, stepping back just enough to give him a full view of the black gown. She turned once, letting the fabric swirl around her legs, the high slit revealing a glimpse of pale thigh.

She tilted her head, a sly smile playing on her lips.

"Well? Do you like it?"

Adam looked at her for a moment. The dress clung to every curve, the black lace framing her figure in a way that made it hard to look away. He nodded once.

"It suits you. You look beautiful."

Lilith’s smile widened, clearly satisfied. She reached up and brushed a strand of silver hair from her face.

"I didn’t want my white dress to get stained with blood," she said lightly. "So I changed into something darker."

Adam glanced past Lilith toward Celine’s bound form, then back at her.

"What are you doing to her, Lilith? Isn’t she Isolde’s familiar?"

Lilith turned her head slowly toward Celine, her crimson eyes gleaming with quiet amusement. She tilted her head, studying the kneeling demon like a cat watching a wounded bird.

"She is," Lilith said. "But Isolde handed her over to me for a while. Said she didn’t have the patience to deal with a familiar who refuses to learn her place."

She took a slow step toward Celine, the whip still resting lightly in her hand.

"So I’m teaching her."

Adam narrowed his eyes, studying Lilith with clear suspicion.

"I don’t think ’teaching’ is the right word for this."

Lilith smiled and reached down, hooking a finger under Celine’s chin. She tilted the demon’s face upward, forcing her to meet her gaze. Celine’s cheeks burned, but she couldn’t look away, the invisible chains held her in place, and the angle left her completely exposed.

"This is exactly the right method for someone who doesn’t know their place," Lilith said softly. She glanced back at Adam, her smile widening. "Would you like to join us, Adam?"

Adam stepped closer, his gaze moving slowly over Celine’s bound form. The silk cords pulled tight against her body, pressing into her curves, making every line of her figure painfully clear. The way her arms were pinned behind her pushed her chest forward, the fabric of her torn uniform stretching taut across her breasts.

He studied her for a long moment.

"I thought when someone became a familiar, they’d become obedient right away," he said.

Celine felt his eyes on her. Her whole body trembled, and she turned her face away as far as the chains would allow.

Lilith laughed softly, the sound low and satisfied.

"Of course that wouldn’t be fun, Adam. This way, we can make her understand exactly who her master is."

Adam’s gaze shifted to Celine’s right hand—the one that had been severed during the battle. It was whole now, the fingers flexing weakly against the ropes.

"Her hand healed. Did you do that?"

Lilith nodded.

"I did. I couldn’t bind her properly with only one hand." She ran her fingers lightly along Celine’s jaw, tracing the line of her throat. "Thanks to Isolde adding a little more mana output, this lowly demon managed to regenerate it. It seems her regeneration follows the vampire’s now."

Celine shuddered under the touch, her eyes squeezed shut.

Adam watched her for another moment, then looked at Lilith.

"...You’re enjoying this way too much."

Lilith’s smile didn’t waver.

"Of course I am."

Adam let out a long sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah... I agreed to this too. Besides, a familiar who won’t obey isn’t going to be useful anyway."

Lilith’s smile widened, her crimson eyes glinting with satisfaction.

"You understand, don’t you?"

Adam glanced at Celine one more time. The White Demon was still trembling, her face turned away, her pride crumbling piece by piece. He didn’t feel sorry for her, she had tried to kill Seraphina, ordered attacks on Myrta, and served the Thanatos Faction willingly. With that kind of behavior, he wouldn’t hesitate to torture her either, as long as she proves useful.

"Just don’t break her," he said quietly. "She might still be useful."

Lilith tilted her head, amused.

"Don’t worry. I know exactly how much she can take."

She turned back toward Celine, the whip coiling lazily in her hand.

"Besides," she added, "she’s already learning. Aren’t you, Celine?"

Celine trembled, her voice cracking as she forced the words out.

"I won’t submit."

Lilith’s eyes lit up at the defiance. She stepped closer, the whip trailing lightly against her palm.

"That’s fine. We’ll enjoy this slowly."

Adam found himself intrigued by the demon’s defiance, and his gaze drifted to the ropes binding her.

"But this is interesting." He tilted his head. "Where did you learn to do things like this, Lilith?"

Lilith turned toward him, her smile bright and completely unashamed.

"I learned it from a book I borrowed from Selena’s library."

Adam thought back to that time he’d caught Lilith reading in her room with those glasses on. For some reason, he still hadn’t forgotten it.

’That book?!’

Lilith pressed both hands against her cheeks, her eyes sparkling with genuine enthusiasm.

"That book was incredible. All kinds of torture methods, illustrated in perfect detail. I learned so much from it."

Adam stared at her, his eyes widening slightly.

’What the hell does that library keep?!’

Celine forced her head up, jaw clenched, eyes burning with defiance despite the shame staining her cheeks.

"You think this kind of torture will make me obedient?" Her voice cracked, but she pushed the words out anyway. "Too bad. I won’t submit that easily."

Adam’s eyes narrowed.

He took a slow step forward, then another, until he stood beside Lilith. His gaze swept over Celine’s bound form, the silk cords biting into her skin, the way her arms were pinned behind her back, the way her chest rose and fell with each ragged breath.

He tilted his head, studying her like a curious predator.

"She’s still got the nerve to say that," he muttered. "Looks like she hasn’t learned her lesson yet."