Vivian, forced to survive on animal blood, was hungry almost every day.
It was just a substitute for human blood, after all. It couldn’t satisfy her hunger, let alone restore her strength.
Just last week, the Valorion Kingdom announced a new policy. If a member of a non-human race married a legal resident of the country, they would have the opportunity to obtain legal status.
When the news broke, Vivian was overjoyed. She finally had a chance to escape this sewer-like residence and start a new life.
Since then, she had staked out the main road by the city gate every day, searching for a suitable marriage partner. Like a mouse hiding in a corner, she peeked at every passerby.
Hard work paid off. After waiting for five full days, Vivian finally selected her target this morning!
A young, somewhat handsome knight had appeared at the city gate. Most importantly, he was strong enough. This meant an ample supply of blood. She was salivating at the thought.
Vampires were born with the power of hypnosis. As long as she hypnotized her target and made him see her as a long-lost lover, she could drag him to the church to get married. This way, Vivian would not only get legal status and no longer worry about being arrested and deported by guards, but she could also just take a bite whenever she was hungry in the future.
Vivian felt as if her beautiful future life was waving at her. To this end, she even prepared a little combo move. First, she would pretend to be bullied by thugs, bump into him while crying, and trick him into an alley.
Then, she would perform the rest: ‘Knock him out, take him away, hypnotize him, and get married — a one-stop service.’
***
Back to the present.
The demon that was acting all high and mighty a moment ago was now lying on the ground, lifeless. For Vivian, dealing with a troublesome demon was not difficult. Despite her short stature and soft-looking muscles, she could unleash unimaginable power if she was well-fed. She could take it out with one punch and even gain some XP.
It was a sweet deal.
Vivian chuckled inwardly. She then closed the panel that only she could see. She straightened her clothes, put on a friendly smile, and skipped over to the groom’s side, shyly taking his hand.
“Dear~ let’s continue our wedding.”
Nolan finally snapped back to reality. He was pulled up by Vivian’s hand. Wiping the dust off his face, he said, “Wait, there’s still Priest Derek.”
‘Oh right, I almost forgot there was an old priest…’
Vivian tilted her head. “Maybe he hid in a corner because he was scared.”
“Find him, quickly!” Nolan sounded worried, his tone unintentionally urgent.
“Okay.” Vivian shrank her neck, startled by his tone. Her blood-red eyes quickly scanned the ruins of the church, looking for where the priest might be.
Collapsed walls, the demon’s corpse… but there was no sign of the priest. Vivian’s heart sank. ‘No way…’
“Children, I’m here…”
A weak voice came from a pile of rubble in the corner. It was Priest Derek. He sounded like he could be saved.
“Priest Derek, don’t worry. I’ll get you out right away.”
She jogged to the rubble and threw a light punch. A fierce gust of wind rose. The debris was pushed aside by the gale. The elderly priest, curled up on the ground like a cooked shrimp, was revealed. A thin, pale gold shield surrounded him, protecting him from the falling stones.
“Thank you for your help, Miss Vivian.”
Priest Derek stood up and brushed the dust off his robes. He looked up and saw the demon’s corpse with a large hole in its stomach. He froze for a moment, then sighed in relief.
“It seems you two solved this menace. I was planning to call for backup, but now casualties have been avoided.”
“Is there a reward?” Vivian asked expectantly.
“There is, but I’ll have to give it to you in a few days,” Priest Derek said cheerfully. His tone then shifted. “Because the trouble hasn’t been completely resolved.”
“Right, a demon like this couldn’t enter the city silently,” Nolan added. “It must have been summoned through a ritual.”
“Just as you said, Sir Nolan.” Priest Derek nodded in approval. He couldn’t help but look at Nolan a few more times. The boy didn’t look old, but his conduct was experienced, unlike the flippancy of other young people. His evaluation of Nolan rose.
“It’s likely the work of those cultists. We just caught a few of them the other day, and now they’re acting up again.” Derek snorted, his voice cold.
He then raised the holy cross in his hand and chanted an obscure incantation. The holy symbol emitted a faint golden light, and a pale red trail appeared in the air. This was a spell used by priests of the Holy Light to track demons, showing the aura left behind by the creature.
“Please follow me.”
Without waiting for a reply, Derek took the lead, following the trail. Vivian and Nolan exchanged a glance and chose to follow silently.
***
After some time, the three of them arrived at the entrance of a small alley not far from the church. Priest Derek held up his holy symbol, the light shining into the depths of the alley. The light only reached a few meters before being blocked by wooden boards at a corner.
“It’s in here.”
Old wooden houses hid in the shadows on both sides of the alley, their doors tightly shut.
“It looks so scary…” Vivian instinctively shrank her neck. Her bare arms felt chilly, and she couldn’t help but hug herself.
“Stay alert. These cultists could jump out from any corner at any time. They’re very good at it…” Nolan warned vigilantly.
Derek chanted again, and a golden shield covered each of the three. “Let’s go.”
With that, he took the lead and walked straight into the unknown alley.
Seeing this, Vivian couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, ‘Do priests in this world always stand so far forward?’
Priest Derek showed no fear when facing a possible ambush. This was somewhat different from the image of priests Vivian knew from movies and games. Weren’t priests supposed to give blessings and healing from behind their teammates?
***
The two followed closely behind as they entered the alley. Only a dead silence filled the complex paths, save for the rhythmic *thud-thud-thud* of their footsteps. The expected cultist ambush did not occur, making them wonder if they had found the wrong place.
Moments later, the continuous old wooden walls on both sides suddenly broke away, and the path ahead opened up. They reached a clearing deep in the alley, about the size of a basketball court. Sticky mud with a strange odor covered the ground, and several cracked wooden crates were scattered around.
Most striking of all was a blood-drawn magic circle in the center of the clearing. Nine figures in black robes lay scattered around the circle, with dried blood pooling beneath them.
Looking at the scene, Vivian rubbed her smooth chin and began to think. She had been in this world for over three months and had a general understanding of it.
About 500 years ago, the Gates of Hell were opened. Brutal demons swarmed out, treating this world as their hunting ground. They began to wreak havoc and poison the world. Several human kingdoms were forced to unite, forming a defensive line to keep the demons out of the Hammerfall Tundra. This allowed the cities in the rear to remain peaceful and stable.
But the kingdom was not a solid block. For example, the people in black robes lying on the ground were the Fallen within the kingdom. They were bewitched by demons and chose to believe in the demon gods of Hell. They were cultists whom everyone wanted to destroy. They believed demons brought hope, and that their endless destruction would reshape the world and make it better.
‘Heh, what a bunch of self-deprecating idiots who don’t even realize it!’