The blood of a high-ranked transcendent naturally came with a guaranteed quality. Faced with the bottle cap of blood that Gehrman handed ove
The blood of a high-ranked transcendent naturally came with a guaranteed quality.
Faced with the bottle cap of blood that Gehrman handed over, Maria hesitated for a moment but still accepted it. Rather than continuing to endure at the risk of harming Felia, she chose to drink this small mouthful of blood.
How regrettable…
"What, is that not enough?" Gehrman, watching Maria's faintly strange expression as the wound on his wrist healed in an instant, wondered if he should cut himself again. The higher a transcendent's rank, the more precious their blood and other materials became. Just this bottle cap of blood carried enough energy to replenish Maria's overdrawn strength.
"No, that's not it. I just think you're a man, so it makes me feel a bit nauseous."
Honesty was a virtue.
Maria's blunt words made Gehrman's face freeze at once. He had indeed heard that among the blood-drinking races, when they feasted, they often preferred the blood of pure, beautiful maidens or exceptionally handsome men. While Gehrman could perhaps be called a man with a certain rugged, weathered charm, to call him handsome was far too much.
As a Cainhurst Bloodkin, a trueborn sovereign of pure blood, Maria was by nature especially particular about the quality of blood she consumed.
Gehrman's blood… it would do.
The blood of a high-ranked transcendent truly was extraordinary. The moment Maria swallowed with closed eyes, a surge of blazing vitality exploded from her tongue and tastebuds. That sweet, life-laden tang of blood frenziedly replenished her depleted life-currency. In an instant, the ghastly transparency of her face regained that uniquely aloof pallor.
Elegant and exquisite—beautiful as a crimson rose in bloom.
Gehrman, who moments before had still been second-guessing, now looked at his disciple with pride. When this Legendary Path was finished, he would definitely bring Maria back home—let his old friends die of envy!
Look, just look at her! His very first disciple. Beautiful went without saying, and her nature was so kind and resilient besides.
Gehrman could not help but wear a satisfied smile.
He could already picture his old comrades' expressions: envy, jealousy, but utterly helpless to refute. Especially that bookworm Laurence, always showing off his junior in front of him. When Gehrman returned, he would make sure Laurence choked on his pride. Could his precious little ones compare? Could they ever match Maria's noble beauty? Not a chance!
Chuckling, Gehrman guzzled wine in great gulps, wandering off into the pleasant fantasy of returning home with his stunning disciple, ready to trample his old friends in the arena of glory.
"Thank you."
Maria's words of gratitude drifted light as clouds. If one did not pay attention, they might easily float away. To this heartfelt thanks, Gehrman only waved his hand, showing he had heard—while already thinking of fresh ways to roast that bookworm Laurence.
"Papa, Mama… Sister…"
Exhausted from sorrow, Felia had fallen asleep, uneasily burrowing into Maria's familiar embrace. She instinctively clutched tighter at Maria's dress. Even in her dreams, she furrowed her brow—the pain that haunted her life could not be escaped, even in sleep.
Maria sighed softly, stroking her sister's hair.
She had calmed now, and was piecing together the tragedy that had unfolded. According to the course of history, the Seth Territory was not struck by Chaos until the [Feast of the Hunter-King] expansion. That plague had transformed the entire Southwind Province into a deadland, the South's vital breadbasket ruined and abandoned.
In the normal flow, Green would not have lingered so long in Seth Town. Even if he had tried to sway Pastor Lynn toward Nurgle's faith, it never would have happened so quickly.
The anomaly lay in Maria herself.
In her calm reconstruction, Maria realized: in her past life she had been in Seth Town as well, yet no such disaster had unfolded. The only difference was the Chaos power within her own body. Chaos worshippers—minds already unbalanced—were driven to greater madness by her presence. Added to this, her father Lynn had just lost her mother, consumed by the desire to resurrect his beloved and vent his rage at the Radiant Lord. That made him the perfect target for corruption.
Was this… luck?
Maria asked herself. Perhaps misfortune could be another kind of fortune. If her theory was correct, then perhaps the entire Southwind Province had been spared from a future cataclysm.
After all, among the Four Gods of Chaos, Nurgle—the Plague-Father—was the most troublesome of all.
His followers were walking bioweapons, spreading toxins and pestilence with the singular goal of corrupting the world into a state of undying, rotting distortion. The worshippers of the other three dark gods were no small threat either, but in terms of sheer danger, none could match the followers of the Benevolent Father Nurgle, who could so easily wreak devastation on a massive scale.
Maria rubbed at her brow.
Whatever the case, what was done was done.
She could only hope that, as she guessed, this tragedy might truly carry some positive weight for the future. Otherwise, her parents, and all the people of Seth Town, would have died in vain.
The more she thought, the more her heart grew tangled. Soon she cut short her chaotic thoughts.
After all, she had already slain a Chaos worshipper before he could grow to maturity—that, at least, could never be wrong. And with her style, and the Chaos power within her, sooner or later those Gods would turn their gaze upon her. Maria would never choose to sit and wait for death!
Felia. Her little sister.
I have already lost my parents. I have lost my homeland. She is all I have left, and I will never lose her. I will protect her. She will never be alone…
She looked up at the sky, heavy with gloom and smoke.
The silver-haired, red-eyed girl swore silently to herself that never again would her sister suffer harm. Not while she lived. She would never allow such a cruel tragedy to replay before her eyes!
…
Roughly an hour later, forces of the Radiant Church from the nearest city finally reached Seth Territory. Squads of paladins on white steeds joined the encirclement. Along with them came the city guards, carrying the mandate of the noble council, to investigate the cause of Seth Town's calamity.
A prosperous town of several thousand had been burned to ashes. The loss was enough to make the lord of Seth Territory's heart bleed.
The first Silver-ranked Radiant Priest of the Sun arrived on the scene. Gazing upon the still-burning ruins, he swept aside his white robe as he dismounted, issuing the order that all fires were to be extinguished immediately.
In ordinary circumstances, this command would have been correct. But it directly contradicted Maria's earlier instructions.
"Hmph, what absurd arrogance! Just a mere nun—what could she possibly understand? Put out the fire at once!" The Radiant Priest of the Sun barked, his gaze unfriendly as it fell on Maria.
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