Ten minutes later, in the living room.
Lola wore a light green dress today.
The moment she saw Kiz enter, she threw herself forward with a smile.
“Kiz — !”
Kiz expressionlessly stepped aside to dodge the pounce and said, “Sit down properly.”
“Ugh, so cold, Kiz…” Lola pouted aggrievedly.
But she still obediently sat down on the sofa.
Then, Kiz took the main seat, and Elia stood behind her.
At that moment, Lola’s gaze immediately fell on Elia, and she said excitedly, “The Lady Saint is here too! Hello, hello!”
Elia nodded slightly and said, “Princess Lola.”
“Oh, no need to be so formal! Just call me Lola! Um… I heard you were poisoned before, Kiz… so I came specifically to see you!”
Kiz picked up her teacup and said expressionlessly, “So you’ve seen me, right? Then go back. The door is over there. Have a safe trip.”
“Hey, hey! I just got here! Besides, I brought gifts!”
She then took two exquisite wooden boxes out of the space bag she carried.
“This one is for Kiz… Life Spring Water, a specialty of the Moonlight Forest. It’s very effective for physical recovery!”
“And, and! This one is for the Lady Saint… a secret hand cream from the Elves. It can nourish the skin and make it whiter and more tender!”
Elia was stunned for a moment, then took the hand cream and said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, you’re welcome! Oh, right! Lady Saint, Kiz painted your nails for you, didn’t she?” Lola suddenly leaned in and asked.
Elia looked at her pitch-black nails and asked, “How did you know?”
“Because the color is exactly the same as Kiz’s! Besides, Kiz doesn’t allow anyone outside the Camarilla family to have this color of nail art! She’s the only one in the entire Blood Clan with black nail polish… If she hadn’t painted them for you herself, it would be impossible for you to get this color.”
“And Kiz~ since you painted the Lady Saint’s nails black, doesn’t that mean you already consider her a member of the Camarilla? Or perhaps…”
Kiz’s face turned slightly red, and she hurriedly said, “Lola, you talk too much.”
However, seeing this, Lola’s smile grew even brighter.
“Oh~ I see, I see!”
“What do you see?” Kiz glared at her.
“Nothing, nothing!”
Standing behind Kiz, Elia quietly watched the interaction between the two.
‘They really are close…’
‘So close they don’t use formal address… they can tease each other… and although Kiz looks stern, there’s no real anger in her eyes.’
That kind of emotion could not be cultivated overnight.
Elia remembered Kiz saying that the Elves were the only race the Blood Clan had been on good terms with for a long time, and Princess Lola was one of Kiz’s few good friends.
This realization made a strange feeling well up in her heart.
‘It’s definitely not jealousy…’
She certainly wouldn’t be jealous just because Kiz had a friend.
It was just… she was a little bothered.
Bothered by the unspoken chemistry between Kiz and Lola… and the past she didn’t know about… and the bond Kiz had before ever meeting her.
Lola was still chattering about interesting stories from the Elves.
Kiz still had a cold expression, but she listened intently, occasionally asking a question or two.
Elia continued to play the role of the perfect servant quietly.
However, her fingernails unconsciously left a few red marks in her palm.
“So, did you really just come here to deliver things this time?” Kiz put down her teacup and looked at Lola.
“Of course not. I have official business to tell you.”
She then took a scroll of parchment from her space bag and spread it out on the table.
It was a map… it seemed to be a complete map of the Dream Spirit Continent, with various lines and symbols drawn on it in different colors.
“What is this?” Kiz asked with a frown.
“In the past month, the Elves’ intelligence network has discovered some strange phenomena.” Lola pointed to several marks on the map and said, “Look at these places. Traces of activity from unknown forces have appeared in all of them.”
“The activities of these forces are very hidden… but they have several things in common. First, they are all collecting blood samples from the Royal Blood Race. Second, they are secretly contacting people from various races who harbor hatred toward the Blood Clan. Third…”
She looked up and said in a heavy voice, “They are all asking about the Saint.”
At this moment, the originally pleasant and warm atmosphere in the living room vanished.
Kiz’s expression also turned cold as she asked, “Have you found out who it is?”
“Not yet… The other party is very cautious, acting through intermediaries every time… But, I do have a guess.”
“What guess?”
Lola didn’t answer directly but looked at Elia instead. “Lady Saint, when you were in the Human Empire, did you ever hear of an organization called the ‘Holy Grail Order’?”
Hearing this, Elia searched through the original owner’s memories but found no trace of any Holy Grail Order… ‘Are they specifically going to fight a Holy Grail War? Just a joke, how could that war exist in this world?’
“No.”
“Well then, has the Church conducted any secret research? For example, concerning Sacred Artifacts, or the origin of Light Magic?”
Elia thought for a moment and said, “Yes, the Church has a special institution that studies Sacred Artifacts and ancient magic, but the specific contents of the research are strictly confidential. I am only the Saint; I do not participate in that research.”
“Then that’s it. I suspect the mastermind is related to the Church’s research.”
Kiz’s frown deepened.
“Are you saying… the Human Empire is planning all of this?”
“Not necessarily. The Church is the Church, and the Empire is the Empire… Although they are technically on the same side on the surface, they each have their own agendas in secret. This matter could be a private action by the Church that the Empire is unaware of. It could also be that the Empire is tacitly allowing the Church to act while distancing itself. Of course, it’s also possible that a third-party force is posing as the Church to intentionally frame them.”
“In short, there are too many possibilities. We need more intelligence to be certain.”
Kiz remained silent for a while before saying, “Thank you. This information is very useful.”
“Why are you being so polite with me? After all, the Elves and the Blood Clan are allies! And…” Lola glanced at Elia. “I also really want to know who is targeting our cute Lady Saint.”
Elia did not speak, only nodding slightly to express her gratitude.
Afterward, Lola sat for a while longer, chatting about small talk before getting up to say goodbye.
“I have to head back. My mother said things haven’t been peaceful lately and won’t let me stay out for too long.”
“Be careful on the road,” Kiz said with a wave of her hand.
“Mhm.”
However, when Lola reached the door, she suddenly turned back and said, “Oh right! Kiz, you’re much happier than the last time we met! Is it because of the Saint?”
Kiz’s face instantly turned red, and she said loudly, “What nonsense are you talking about!”
“Alright, alright, just take it as me talking nonsense then!” Lola winked, then waved to Elia again. “Well then, Lady Saint, see you next time!”
“Goodbye.” Elia gave a very standard, slight bow.
Then, Lola left with her two attendants.
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