In the dim light brightening the darkness inside, the Witch of Lust, Lily, was staring expressionlessly at her reflection in the mirror. Her reflection was in a truly horrific state. Her left arm had been severed from around her shoulder, revealing a charred surface like burned wood, while half her face was completely mangled from severe burns.
These wounds were the result of an attack from the Witch of Wrath, Scarlet, during a battle not long ago.
Lily gazed silently into the mirror, but suddenly, sharp pain in the vicinity of her wounds contorted her face as she screamed.
“…It hurts, hurts, hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!!”
The agonizing pain had been tormenting her for days since that fateful day. In a fit of frustration, Lily scratched at her wounds with her nails.
Blood flowed freely, almost as if she was trying to erase the marks left by her own hands. The horrific signs of self-harm covered her face and arms, but soon after, her witchly healing powers kicked in and began to erase those marks.
Ironically, that was the very reason she was furious.
Although the blood stopped and the scratched wounds healed, the burns from that day remained immovable.
“Why, why won’t it heal?!”
Even as she shouted this, Lily already knew the answer.
The miasma contained in the flames unleashed by the Witch of Wrath still lingered in her body, preventing her recovery.
The memory was still fresh in her mind—those relentless flames, burning with the intent to erase her from this world.
Given that the flames had consumed her arm before they could truly spread further, she should be grateful it hadn’t gotten worse, but…
That was that, and her anger remained.
Ultimately, unless she possessed a recovery specialization like the Witch of Gluttony from the start, it meant she would bear this scar for life.
Grinding her teeth, Lily glared at her reflection in the mirror, where her detached arm and half-burned face stood out starkly.
With a gloomy murmur, she uttered, “…Not beautiful.”
In reality, if examined objectively, Lily still fell under the category of being beautiful.
Having been an extraordinary beauty from the beginning, a burn covering just half her face and the loss of one arm weren’t enough to diminish her allure.
Men would still drool over her beauty, but for Lily, that didn’t matter.
She needed to be perfect.
She had to be the most beautiful being in this world.
So then, what was this?
Why did such a hideous scar appear on her body, which was meant to embody beauty?
Such a thing should not exist.
An imperfection.
Flaws on something complete stand out even more.
Lily couldn’t accept the reality that a flaw existed within her.
She couldn’t forgive the being that had etched such a flaw into her.
It had been far too long since something had crushed her pride like this.
“Aah, damn it… I can’t help but remember those old days.”
Caught in a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time, Lily found herself recalling distant memories long buried in her past.
Memories of a time that left an indelible mark on her life like the one she bore now.
Once upon a long time ago, there had been a commotion in the world due to a famous explorer who returned from his journey and spoke of his adventures.
This man claimed that there was a city by the sea on the western continent where mermaids, half human and half fish, lived.
He said if you were lucky, you could catch a glimpse of the mermaids dancing on the beach.
The mention of mermaids, a race only known from legends, sparked endless tales among the people.
“Mermaids, that must just be nonsense. Isn’t that a race from legends?”
“How pathetic are you to believe such silly stories.”
Most people dismissed the tales as mere fabrications created by the explorer seeking fame.
Yet among those people, there were a few who became enthralled by the explorer’s words and rushed to seek out a new home by the distant sea.
And then,
“Is… is that a mermaid?! The explorer’s words were true!”
“Oh, dear gods… I must have been born for this very moment.”
Thanks to them, the truth of the explorer’s claims was confirmed.
The dances of the mermaids, flowing between land and sea, were elegant, and their songs were both beautiful and melodic.
Captivated by the sight and life of the actual mermaids they witnessed, some decided to settle down on that beach, creating a new village.
Though this village appeared suddenly as a neighbor, the mermaids established a friendly relationship with the newcomers without any significant conflict.
There was no reason for the mermaids to act otherwise.
Their neighbors, calling themselves “mermaid enthusiasts,” treated them exceptionally well with mere dances and songs.
Thus began the village of the mermaid enthusiasts.
However, as time passed, rumors began to spread.
There was a village on the western seaside where people could witness the beautiful dances and songs of the mermaids.
Once the word got out, people began to flock to the village, and those who returned after seeing the mermaids shared their tales, attracting even more visitors.
This naturally led to merchants setting up shop in the village, capitalizing on the influx of visitors, and the wealth that flowed into the village rapidly led to its prosperity.
In no time, the small village of mermaid enthusiasts became the continent’s top tourist destination.
With the lights from the stages for the mermaids’ dances and songs,
And the lights from the shops enticing visitors,
There were no more nights in the village of mermaid enthusiasts.
It swiftly transformed into a proper city, now dubbed the City of Luxurious Nights.
Another catalyst that led to the rise of the City of Luxurious Nights was the strict prohibition against harming the mermaids, enforced by the mermaid enthusiasts who occupied a place there, as long as they didn’t break the law too severely.
“The City of Luxurious Nights sells whatever you desire.”
Staying true to that slogan, of course, there were businesses.
Selling the oldest and most traditional offerings in the world.
“Hey there, handsome! Over here!”
“I can give you a sweet deal, what do you say?”
Prostitution.
A house selling spring.
“Hello there, what’s a young girl like you doing here?”
“……?”
“Aw, you look quite shabby but still cute… If you don’t have anywhere to go, want to come with me?”
And there, the girl was picked up by a woman selling spring.
There was a little girl.
“Lily, you’re out!”
“Sis, you’re here!”
The girl’s name was Lily.
The woman who took her in named her Lily, saying she looked like a beautiful lily flower.
“Oh dear, the customer I had today was so rough… my whole body aches.”
“Hehe, you must be tired! Let me give your shoulders a rub.”
“Oh, thank you, dear. You’re the only one I have!”
Lily was raised in the brothel where spring was sold.
Of course, it didn’t mean she participated in that industry.
Even with the City of Luxurious Nights offering nearly everything, there was still an unwritten rule against engaging in these activities until reaching a certain age.
“Oh, just look at the scars left here… there are truly some awful people out there. Every time I see things like this… I honestly get a bit worried. Thinking that one day I might have to deal with people like that…”
But through what she had seen and heard growing up, Lily was coming to terms with her situation.
Someday, when she got older, she’d have to do the same as the woman before her, and others too.
“Why are you worried, Lily? You don’t need to think about that! You’re a special existence! Why would I ever let someone sell my beautiful Lily to those scoundrels? Not even for a million gold!”
But whenever Lily said such things, the woman would respond like this.
She would tell Lily that she was a special existence, and even for a million gold, she would never sell her.
Though the woman sold spring, as the owner of the establishment, it was truly in her hands whether to sell Lily or not, but honestly, Lily didn’t believe it.
She had heard that a girl in the same establishment as her, Yuna, had started working as soon as she reached the right age.
“Really? Am I a special existence?”
“Of course, our Lily is special. If such a beautiful girl isn’t special, then who even is? So you don’t have to worry about being sold like the other girls. Just trust me!”
“Hehe, then as a special existence, I’ll only trust you, sis!”
Yet every time she heard such words, it was impossible not to feel a sense of anticipation within her.
What if I really am a special existence and don’t get treated like everyone else?
Maybe sis really does cherish me?
That anticipation.
She knew that if she hoped too much and got betrayed, it would hurt, yet she wanted to believe.
As time flowed on, the little girl, Lily, reached an age where she could start working.
And by that age, Lily had indeed blossomed into beauty.
The signs had already been there.
From the moment the woman took her in and named her after the lily flower.
Men frequenting the brothel were eagerly awaiting the day when Lily would come of age.
Among all the alluring spring girls, Lily stood out like a single perfect lily.
And everyone craved that lily.
Whose first would she sell? That became the city’s most pressing topic for some time.
Then, suddenly,
“I’m not selling.”
“…What?”
“Lily won’t sell. I refuse to sell, I can’t sell!”
Something nobody ever imagined happened.
The woman, the owner of the brothel, declared a boycott against sales.
This was an unprecedented event that had never occurred, something nobody had even begun to think possible.
Lily, too, was left speechless in the face of such an extraordinary situation.
All she could do was give a look of disbelief toward the woman firmly expressing her refusal to sell to the customers demanding Lily be sold.
“Uh… sis. Is this really okay—”
“I told you.”
Then the woman pulled Lily behind her, as if to shield her from view.
“No matter how much you offer, I won’t sell her. Lily, you’re special.”
Hearing those words, Lily looked upon the faces of the men gazing at her with burning desire.
And the envious, jealous looks from the other women.
Receiving those stares, Lily couldn’t help but realize.
Ah, I truly am a special being.
Immediately after that realization, Lily was engulfed in a dizzying sense of superiority, giving the most alluring smile.
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