Orizio sat upon the throne in the great hall, judging sinful beings as usual. The servants, meanwhile, handled the bloody scene in an orderly manner.
The elf Nicole came to make a report. Looking at the scene before her, she said, trembling, "Today, Lady Luciana drank water."
At this, Orizio's gaze turned cold. "If you came only to tell me that she merely drank water, then disappear from my sight at once."
Nicole was so frightened that she instantly reverted to her original form and fled swiftly.
It seemed this human girl had completely aroused his highness Orizio's interest. She refused food and relied only on holy water to sustain her life. If not for my healing ability, she would probably already be dead by now, Gino thought weakly while hiding behind a giant stone pillar.
Hearing his thoughts, Orizio coldly said, "I know you are hiding there. If you want to live, come out."
Gino hurriedly jumped out from behind the stone pillar. "I was just passing by."
Hearing this, Orizio stood up and his tone grew even colder. "I think I'll punish you first and then listen to your explanation of why you happen to be passing by here."
Hearing this, Gino was so frightened that he almost reverted to his original form. But he still summoned his courage and softly asked the man who had already walked up to him, "Do you really intend to let that human woman live?"
Orizio did not answer, only let out a silent sigh. Here it comes again. Then he slowly poured himself a glass of wine.
Seeing this, Gino continued, "I do not think it is a good idea to let a mortal drink holy water containing your essence. I earnestly beg you to reconsider."
Orizio, who had been lowering his head and staring at the wine in the cup, suddenly lifted his eyes and glanced at Gino. Their eyes met in an instant, and Gino immediately let out a miserable scream. "Ah!" He quickly raised a hand to cover his eyes. "I feel like my soul is about to disappear. Do you really want me to die?"
Looking at the sniveling Gino, Orizio turned his head away in refreshed satisfaction. He leisurely took a sip of wine and spoke. "That human girl can meet my gaze."
A certain elf with missing eyeballs instinctively replied, "Whether she can meet your eyes or not is not important. We need to get rid of her first." Then Gino suddenly reacted. "Did you just say that she looked into your eyes? And her soul remained completely intact?"
Orizio said with great interest, "That is why I want her to live, even if I must force her to eat. Don't you think that is interesting?"
Suddenly, the man's gaze turned icy and light began to glow from his face. The next second, he vanished instantly. Gino stared blankly at the wine glass that had fallen to the ground, having no idea what had happened.
But not long before this, Luciana had resolutely leaped down from the heavenly palace. She had been prepared to exchange her life for freedom. Orizio, who had been closely watching her all along, noticed instantly. He arrived in time and caught her steadily.
At this moment, Orizio was truly enraged. He let out a cold laugh and said lightly, "What I want to tell you is this. Even if your body is smashed to pieces in the fall, I can still bring you back to life."
After saying that, he took the girl back to the heavenly palace and placed her on the bed. Then he picked up a slice of fruit from beside the bed and held it out before the girl, speaking cruel words in a gentle tone. "Revival is a rather painful process. Please remember that."
Hearing this, Luciana took the fruit with trembling little hands. Overwhelming fear instantly swept through her body. I cannot even die if I want to. I can no longer make choices for myself.
Looking at the trembling girl, Orizio felt that she had not truly realized her mistake yet and continued, "I know that when this happened, that daffodil elf was not there."
As he said this, Orizio paused. He raised his hand and gently brushed the air. In the next second, the girl's pupils trembled slightly as a scene of someone's severed head and body flashed before her eyes. Only at this moment did she understand that the god before her possessed such cruel methods. And yet he could still say to her with a brilliant smile, "Now tell me, why won't you eat the fruit? If you do not eat, your daffodil elf will meet the same fate."
From that day on, the girl came under even stricter watch. Every day, Nicole would place food in front of her, and for Nicole's sake, Luciana could only force the food down her own throat. Though she was being forced, the heavenly food she consumed did indeed have an effect, and Luciana seemed to gradually recover her health.
Orizio would also often come to see the girl suddenly, without any warning at all. And every single time, Nicole would be so frightened that she would revert to her original form and vanish instantly. Luciana endured Orizio's merciless smile while exchanging pleasantries with him until it was time to sleep.
Orizio seemed very satisfied with this plain yet quiet interaction. For two centuries, he had avoided contact with others in any form because of his cursed blessing. The souls of those who met his gaze would wither away. But Luciana was different. Her soul remained perfectly intact, and on top of that, he could not read her thoughts. Orizio was finally able to enjoy a moment of peace in another person's company.
He allowed her to shed a few tears. If she tried to jump again, he knew he would bring her back to life again and again. He had even once considered granting her immortality. However, there was one problem. She lacked endurance.
At this thought, Orizio let out a soft sigh. "You should go to sleep."
But the girl who obediently lay down pressed her lips together in grievance, forcing herself to close her eyes. She repeatedly warned herself in her heart. I have to sleep, even if I don't want to.