Chapter 595: Nightmare Building

Everyone immediately looked up, their gazes following the direction of Joy’s gaze.

And there it was.

At the far end of the road, half-shrouded by mist and trees, stood a massive warehouse.

No, a fortress.

It towered over the surrounding landscape like a sleeping giant, its sheer scale enough to make anyone stop in awe. The structure was enormous, so vast that it could easily fit an entire stadium inside.

The dull metallic walls reflected little to no light, and what struck them most was that there wasn’t a single visible window anywhere on it.

Not one.

The whole building was sealed shut, cold and expressionless, like a monolith that didn’t belong to the world around it.

The only signs of access were a few small reinforced doors spaced far apart, each guarded by multiple soldiers in black and silver armor—alert, unmoving, their eyes scanning every direction.

If that wasn’t enough to make it look rather eerie, round the warehouse stretched a tall metal fence topped with iron spikes, with watchtowers at every corner.

Each tower had guards stationed in them, crossbows drawn, their silhouettes sharp against the setting sun.

It didn’t look like a warehouse or storage site.

It looked like a prison.

Even Aqua’s lighthearted face turned serious as she muttered under her breath.

"That...looks way too fortified to be a simple warehouse."

Carmela narrowed her eyes, carefully studying the pattern of the patrols.

"This level of security isn’t normal. Not even for noble properties."

Maria frowned softly, her voice full of unease.

"Why are there so many guards? I’ve never seen this many posted around a single building. Even the palace doesn’t have that many soldiers around its gates."

"I honestly can’t even blame you for being suspicious about this, Lady Joy."

Aqua admitted reluctantly.

"Even to me, that looks...odd."

Then Carmela turned her head toward Joy and asked,

"Do you have any predictions or theories as to what’s inside that place?"

Joy’s pink eyes glinted with intensity. "I do. And not just me—rumors have been spreading among the townsfolk and travelers for months now."

Maria looked uneasy. "Rumors?"

"Yes." Joy said coldly. "Some say it’s a brainwashing facility. That Cassius brings in those women who have been through all sorts of horrors and performs ritualistic magic on them. Dark magic."

"He rewires their minds, binds their souls, and enslaves them through unseen spells so they’ll worship him blindly."

Aqua immediately frowned. "That’s ridiculous."

But Joy ignored her, continuing with an eerie calm.

"Others believe it’s where he keeps his trophies—women he’s already enslaved and stripped of will, locked away like prized pets in golden cages, only to be admired when he feels like it."

Maria’s hand flew to her mouth in shock.

"That’s...monstrous!"

"Oh, it gets worse." Joy went on, her tone disturbingly steady. "There’s also talk that it might be a hidden auction house."

"That Cassius invites high-class nobles and merchants in secret, where they bid for women, treating them like property. It’s said the building itself was designed for that purpose."

"So he could be calling people inside, hosting such unholy events under everyone’s noses..." Maria gasped softly.

"Exactly. But personally..." She smirked "...I think it’s simply his private extension, a place where he indulges in his darker desires. A den for sin and lust, built for himself alone..."

"...The Devil’s Playground or a Sex Dungeon as he called it in his video transmissions."

Aqua groaned. "Oh, for heaven’s sake—"

"Complain all you want..." Joy’s voice rose slightly, her eyes narrowing. "...but nothing about this is normal."

"The secrecy, the guards, the lack of knowledge of what’s going on inside—it’s practically screaming corruption."

Carmela frowned deeply as she asked,

"If he truly were running something like that, why would he build it so close to town? Why not in some hidden valley, or underground? It doesn’t make sense to flaunt it like this."

"That’s exactly the point." Joy said, her voice sharp. "It’s right out in the open that’s its the ideal location. He wants everyone to see it and yet be powerless to act. That’s what makes it so brilliant."

She glared toward the warehouse, her pink hair fluttering in the wind.

"Every time people pass by, they whisper. They suspect. But they can’t prove anything. And that’s what he loves—the fear, the helplessness."

"He probably sits in his mansion laughing at them, knowing that no one can touch him."

Her hand tightened around her reins.

"But today that ends." She said quietly. "Today, we find out the truth. And when we do, I’ll bring his crimes to light for everyone to see."

"Neigh!" Her horse snorted and slammed at the ground as if echoing her conviction.

But just as they neared the outer fence, two figures suddenly appeared from the shadows near the trees.

Both wore the distinct robes of the Holy Order—Joy’s own sisters of the Church.

"Lady Joy." One of them said respectfully with a bow. "As you instructed, we have been monitoring this location for the past two days."

Joy’s eyes sharpened. "And?"

The sister continued. "Nothing major has been moved in or out of the facility. No carriages, no crates, no shipments of any kind. So it’s safe to assume they haven’t transferred whatever’s inside elsewhere. However..."

She glanced toward the massive warehouse, her expression darkening.

"...since the last time we monitored this place, which was around two months ago, there have been quite a number of new developments."

"Not only that, but we also noticed some strange patterns ourselves that...honestly, we can’t even explain."

That caught everyone’s attention immediately.

"What kind of developments?" Carmela asked.

The sister hesitated for a moment, then gestured toward the guards standing by the fence.

"The guards...They are rather strange or rather they always do something bizzare."

At first, no one understood what she meant.

But then the second sister raised her hand quickly.

"Look—look now! They’re doing it right this

moment!"

All heads turned at once toward the gate.

Sure enough, every guard standing near the perimeter suddenly lowered their weapons in perfect unison.

Then, to everyone’s astonishment, they raised their hands into the air and began tracing shapes with their fingers, as though drawing invisible symbols or letters.

Some even mouthed silent words, lips moving in unison, like a prayer.

It was eerie. Too synchronized. Too deliberate.

"What in the world are they doing?" Aqua whispered, her voice faint.

"It looks like..." Maria murmured hesitantly. "...like some sort of ritual incantation ."

"Ritual?" Joy frowned deeply. "They’re guards, not priests. What could they possibly be praying to?"

Carmela’s tone was low and cautious.

"Whatever it is, it doesn’t look like anything holy."

"Okay, that’s rather weird." Aqua rubbed her arms, her skin prickling. "I’ve never seen a guard, any guard do something like that before."

"It’s like they’re...possessed."

"That’s what we thought, too." The sister nodded. "And that’s not even the worst of it."

Joy’s eyes snapped to her.

"Go on."

The sister hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and said,

"Two nights ago, while we were watching from the ridge, we heard sounds coming from inside the facility."

"What kind of sounds?" Maria asked carefully.

The sister’s expression turned pale.

"Screams. Women’s screams."

Everyone froze.

"S-Screams?" Aqua echoed, horrified.

"Yes." The sister continued shakily. "At first faint, but then clearer. It sounded like women crying, begging, shouting for help."

"We heard things like ’Let us out!’ and ’Please, no more!’ It wasn’t just noise—it was pure agony."

Her words sent a shiver down everyone’s spine.

Carmela’s hands unconsciously drifted toward her weapon.

"And you’re absolutely sure you heard that?"

"Without a doubt." The sister nodded, her face solemn. "It was unmistakable. The sound carried through the night air. And when it happened, we saw something even more terrifying."

The sister looked toward the massive structure again, her eyes dark.

"Even though the warehouse has no windows, there are small ventilation openings near the upper walls. And through them...we saw red light."

"Glowing, flickering light. It looked like fire—bright and alive, pulsing against the walls. And the screams echoed along with it..."

"...It was as if the entire building had turned into a portal to hell."

For a moment, no one spoke. The wind carried only the faint hum of insects and the clink of armor from the distant guards.

Aqua swallowed hard.

"You have to be exaggerating...there’s no way—"

But the sister shook her head firmly.

"No, Lady Aqua. We would never fabricate something like this. We our lady’s hate for your brother, but we would not lie or exaggerate in an investigation."

"Everything I’ve said is exactly what happened."

The second sister stepped in quietly. "And there’s more."

Joy arched an eyebrow. "More?"

"Yes." The second sister said grimly. "It’s about the women who go inside every morning and come out in the evening."

Joy leaned forward slightly. "What about them?"

"When they come out..." the sister said slowly. "...some of them have strange markings on their faces."

"Inscribed letters, symbols, sometimes full lines of text written faintly across their cheeks and foreheads almost like curses. And when we tried to ask them what those markings were, they simply looked at us and laughed."

"They said, ’What are you talking about? There’s nothing on my face.’ almost as if they don’t even know about the markings on their faces."

The revelation sent a visible chill through the group.

Maria’s hands clasped together instinctively, whispering a prayer under her breath.

"Goddess preserve us..."

The sister’s voice wavered slightly now.

"And it’s not just the markings. Some women come out with sunken eyes—completely lifeless, empty, as though the soul inside them had vanished. And when we asked them about they would brush it off casually, while talking in a monotone manner. Like puppets..."

"...Like puppets are being controlled."

Carmela’s brow furrowed. "Is that all?"

The sister looked away for a moment, her expression troubled before she said,

"No...Some of them also smile."

"Smile?" Aqua asked cautiously.

"Yes." the sister whispered. "They come out smiling. Wide, unblinking smiles that never fade. And even when we tried talking to them, they just kept smiling at us...staring right into our eyes."

"It was...unnatural. I can’t describe it."

"It felt like we were being pulled into something dark just by looking at them."

Maria shivered like a little girl hearing a ghost story.

The first sister added quietly.

"There are other strange things too, but honestly, Lady Joy the suspicion level here has gone through the roof. It feels wrong. This whole place feels wrong."

"It’s as if the air itself is whispering to you, trying to draw you in. Sometimes, even when we leave, I still hear the voices in my head."

The entire group had gone pale.

Even Carmela, unflinching Carmela looked visibly tense.

Earlier she had begun to believe that Cassius might not be the monster Joy claimed and she actually trusted in him.

But now...doubt crept back in.

She wasn’t the only one who was feeling strange.

Aqua’s arms trembled around Isabelle’s waist.

She opened her mouth—ready to beg Isabelle for reassurance, to ask if her brother could really be involved in something so terrible—

But before Isabelle could answer, Joy suddenly snapped her reins sharply.

"Enough waiting!" She declared. "If what they’re saying is true, then lives could be in danger right now."

She leaned forward, eyes blazing with resolve.

"We’ll find out what’s happening inside, and if there’s even a fragment of evil in that place, I’ll tear it down myself."

Without another word, she kicked her horse forward, galloping toward the massive front gate.

Behind her, more horses appeared—several more sisters of the convent emerging from concealment in the trees and bushes.

The small party suddenly became a full unit—armed, determined, moving with purpose.

Seeing this, the guards at the main gate tensed immediately.

Weapons came up.

The lead guard—a tall, broad-shouldered man named Gerald stepped forward, hand raised.

"Stop! This is private property in the name of Lord Cassius! Trespassers will be prosecuted! I advise you to stay back!"

Joy opened her mouth to respond—

But then Gerald’s eyes landed on Isabelle.

His entire demeanor changed.

The dangerous tension melted away and a huge, relieved smile broke across his face.

"Oh! It’s Lady Isabelle!" He exclaimed. "I’m so sorry—I didn’t even notice you there! Please forgive me. I thought you were intruders for a second."

He hurried forward, bowing deeply.

"It’s all right, Gerald." Isabelle smiled calmly. "You’re only doing your duty."

She then reached into one of the baskets strapped to her saddle and lifted two hampers filled with pastries and sweet breads.

"Here." She said kindly. "I made some treats yesterday. You and the others can have these. Share them with everyone on duty, all right?"

Gerald’s face lit up with genuine gratitude.

"Lady Isabelle, you’re too kind! The boys will be thrilled!"

Up in the watchtowers, several of the other guards were already craning their necks, clearly eager as they recognized Isabelle and her signature baskets.

Some of them were even smiling down from above, anticipation gleaming in their eyes.

Aqua blinked, whispering, "Wait...she brings snacks to the guards guarding a supposed demonic facility?"

Maria stifled a small laugh despite her nerves.

"Keep up the good work, all right?" Isabelle simply smiled, handing over the baskets with her usual grace. "It’s a long shift, after all."

Gerald nodded eagerly. "Of course, Lady Isabelle! You always think of us."

He then turned toward the gate and raised his arm, signaling the others.

"Open the gates!"

The enormous metal doors began to groan and rumble, slowly swinging open as the chains clanked and the guards inside stepped aside respectfully.

Isabelle turned toward the group with a serene expression and said lightly,

"Well, shall we?"

The others still in varying states of disbelief could only stare at her as she calmly led her horse forward, into what was supposedly Cassius’s Sex Dungeon.