After the Black Moonlight’s "Death Escape" Failed [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Wolf and the Whip-Wielder

◎ Warning: Protagonist’s health points are critically low ◎

The sensation of having committed such an atrocity felt far too real, as if it still lingered on Jiao Qingyin’s fingertips, causing her to tremble imperceptibly.

The protagonist opened her mouth as if to say something, but the wound on her neck meant she could only emit short, raspy gasps of air—like a harp with its strings snapped.

Because of this movement, blood seeped from her wound again, making her disfigured face look even more horrific, yet somehow making those sky-blue eyes appear increasingly clear and pure.

The contrast was jarringly fragmented, but… Jiao Qingyin caught her breath, pushed the sudden thought out of her mind, and turned to call out: “Someone, come here.”

The moment her voice fell, the knight guarding the door entered the room. She bore a striking resemblance to the previous knight commander, only younger.

“…Her ugliness disgusts me,” Jiao Qingyin spoke, her expression full of loathing. “Take her for treatment. Looking at her in this half-dead state makes me not even want to touch her.”

Her tone was contemptuous, as if the only value this slave possessed was having a beautiful face to endure her torture.

The knight nodded silently, clearly accustomed to Jiao Qingyin’s instructions. She walked toward the protagonist and reached out to grab her by the hair.

“—Wait. Carry her out.”

The knight paused, then spent a full minute finally using a clumsy movement to half-hoist, half-carry the protagonist on her back.

Jiao Qingyin deliberately avoided looking at the two of them. She kept her eyes lowered, her vision filled only with the trail on the ground formed by the protagonist’s dripping blood.

After the protagonist was taken away, Jiao Qingyin returned to the original owner’s bedroom and summoned the system amidst the crackling of the fireplace.

“Introduce the world background. And… in the task summary, what does the ‘Unnamed’ after the protagonist mean?”

“This world is a derivative world of a dark ‘level-up’ style novel. The original book was written entirely from the protagonist’s first-person perspective, telling the story of her journey from a nameless slave to a powerful Great Mage who eventually rules the world through strength and revenge.”

“Since the protagonist’s name never appeared in the entire book, the system refers to her as ‘Protagonist (Unnamed).'”

“…She doesn’t have a name?”

“Correct. Ownership of the protagonist currently rests with the Host. The Host may name her as you please. Would the Host like to exercise the naming right now?”

“…” Jiao Qingyin remained silent for a moment, skipping the topic and asking the system about the plot background instead.

This was a world where magic and non-human races existed. The country Jiao Qingyin inhabited was the largest human empire. Slavery and feudalism coexisted here. The original owner of her body was named Otillia Hughes, a Princess of the Empire who acted with total impunity within her fief, committing all manners of evil.

The information the system could provide was limited. Aside from inheriting the original owner’s memories, Jiao Qingyin only knew the general direction of the plot. As for plot points unrelated to the original owner, they were blocked by the world’s consciousness.

Thus, Jiao Qingyin knew nothing of the protagonist’s origins. She only knew that according to the normal trajectory, the protagonist would be deceived by the original owner’s mercurial nature, mistaking hypocrisy for sincerity. She would develop a dependency on her abuser—akin to Stockholm Syndrome—obeying her every command.

It wouldn’t be until the original owner grew bored and tore off her mask that the protagonist would finally wake up, setting her on the path of learning magic and growing stronger.

The plot following that had nothing to do with Jiao Qingyin, because the first thing the protagonist did after becoming powerful was lock the original owner in a dungeon and personally visit upon her every agony she had once endured.

The original owner could not withstand the abuse; she was brought back from the brink of death multiple times by the protagonist, eventually losing her sanity entirely amidst endless pain.

However, something had gone wrong. Now, the protagonist—in her period of weakness—had nearly been beaten to death by the original owner. The plot had deviated too far, forcing the Time and Space Management Bureau to send Jiao Qingyin to repair it. Her role was to be the “Black Moonlight,” guiding the story back onto its tracks.

The system had a protection mechanism in place. She only needed to push the plot to the point where she was locked in the “dark room” (dungeon), and then she could use a “Death Escape” to leave this world, avoiding the subsequent torture.

Jiao Qingyin recalled the protagonist’s sinister gaze and thought to herself that she must die cleanly when the time came. Otherwise, she felt that if even a single breath remained in her, the other girl would drag her back.

Just then, there was a knock on her bedroom door. A woman’s voice, clearly laced with tension, drifted in:

“Your Highness, I am Lottis the Healer. Do you require a report on the condition of that slave?”

A healer? Jiao Qingyin adjusted her upright sitting posture and picked up a book by the bedside, making herself look indolent. “Enter.”

Lottis walked to the bedside with her head held stiffly low, explaining the protagonist’s physical condition.

After listening for a while, Jiao Qingyin noticed that the woman was avoiding the main point. Since Jiao Qingyin didn’t tell her to stop, Lottis had to keep talking even after she finished her report, eventually rambling about the roses in Jiao Qingyin’s backyard.

“The tri-color roses you ordered me to improve have been planted; all that’s left is—”

“What about her legs?” Seeing the other party avoiding the topic, Jiao Qingyin put down her book and looked over.

Lottis, who had been reporting fluently just a moment ago, suddenly froze. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.

Jiao Qingyin frowned, sensing a problem from her attitude. “Speak.”

“Your Highness…” Lottis carefully weighed her words, her fingers clutching her hem into a wrinkled mess. “You didn’t give specific orders. I thought… we were to do as we did before…”

As before? Jiao Qingyin was slightly stunned. She remembered that most slaves were viewed as disposable items by the original owner—thrown away once used. If she hadn’t casually mentioned having the knight take her for treatment, the girl would probably be dead by now.

The memories imprinted in her brain required triggers; without deliberate recollection or external stimulation, many small details were easily overlooked.

Seeing Jiao Qingyin remain silent, Lottis gritted her teeth and stammered on: “So… I mainly treated her face. For the legs, I only stopped the bleeding and applied some medicine. Everything else was left as it was…” She didn’t dare mention that she hadn’t even been able to fully heal the slave’s face.

Jiao Qingyin: “…”

“System, check the protagonist’s status.”

While speaking to the system, Jiao Qingyin looked at Lottis, who seemed about to faint, and said: “Don’t let her die—I want to see her appear before me in one piece.”

Her tone was devoid of emotional fluctuation—neither showing concern nor containing a threat—but Lottis still couldn’t stop herself from shuddering.

A branch in the fireplace snapped as it burned through. Lottis suddenly snapped back to her senses, not daring to say a word. After a muffled response, she fled the room.

The system’s feedback sounded at that moment: [Ding! Detecting protagonist’s health points at 9%. Warning: There is a risk of death when character health is below 15%. It is recommended…]

Without needing the system to say more, Jiao Qingyin rang the bedside bell to summon the butler.

The protagonist’s health was down to 9%. If she didn’t go to the scene to supervise, any accident resulting in the girl’s death or permanent disability would mean her mission failed.

The price of failing the mission was being trapped in this world forever. She didn’t want to experience that feeling at all.

She had to go and see the protagonist with her own eyes.