A long time passed.
“I finally found it.”
The girl’s voice was filled with joy.
Found it? Found what…
Lorevil struggled to lift her head, turning her body slightly to look at the girl.
There, a pair of scissors suddenly appeared in Mahina’s hands. They made a *snip, snip* sound that was absolutely hair-raising.
“Soon, I will keep you by my side, piece by piece, Master…”
Mahina walked slowly to the bedside, acting spoiled toward the Lorevil who was bound to the bed. “This way, Master Lorevil will never leave me again. You will stay with me forever, okay?”
The scissors in her hand reflected a cold, piercing light under the lamp.
“Put them down! Mahina!”
Lorevil was so terrified her body went stiff, and her blood felt like it was turning to ice. she hurriedly shouted, “Mahina, put the scissors down! You’ll get hurt holding them like that. Let’s just talk this out.”
“Where should I start?”
Mahina scrutinized the struggling girl. “Master’s feet are the most restless. Let’s start with the feet…”
“Wait, Mahina.”
Lorevil was on the verge of tears. she instinctively tried to retreat, but her hands and feet were shackled by iron chains.
She had been thinking about a swift play-through of this other world to reach the pinnacle of life, but it looked like her journey was about to end prematurely…
Lorevil watched in despair as Mahina raised the scissors. They descended slowly toward her ankle. The sharp blades drew closer and closer until the icy breath of the metal touched her skin.
In the next second, Mahina’s scissors were going to pierce her skin, and her blood would splatter all over the floor.
“Ah, no!”
Lorevil woke up with a start. she sat up in bed, her chest heaving violently as she gasped for air.
She surveyed her surroundings. It was still pitch black outside the window. The only sound in the guest room was her own rapid breathing.
There were no chains on her wrists or ankles, and there was no sign of Mahina by the bed. Those terrifying scissors were nowhere to be found.
It was just a dream.
An incredibly realistic dream.
‘It was a dream… I almost thought I’d die at Mahina’s hands… Thank goodness, thank goodness.’
Lorevil raised a hand to wipe her forehead. Her hand came away soaked in cold sweat. Her heart was pounding, and she worked slowly to calm her emotions.
The sensation of those scissors descending felt as if it were still lingering on her skin, making her feel cold all over.
‘What was that dream? Was it a warning, like that chill I felt from the depths of my soul earlier?’
Lorevil thought in shock, ‘Is the dream telling me how terrifying the consequences will be once Mahina’s black bar is completely full?’
The trigger for all of this was her staying overnight at Madam Sharon’s house.
But Mahina…
How on earth did she know she was here?
Logically, Madam Sharon should have been able to stop Mahina. After all, one was a Tier 4 Vampire and the other was a common Human girl. Could it be… A terrifying thought flashed through Lorevil’s mind, and she didn’t dare think any further.
Lorevil threw back the covers.
She didn’t know when the window had been opened, but a cool breeze blew in, making her shiver.
The black bar above Mahina’s head was dangerous. If it reached a certain threshold, she would die.
She would call it the Blackening Value for now. She couldn’t let it continue to increase. Once the black bar completely filled her health bar, the one who would suffer wouldn’t be Mahina, but herself.
Lorevil had already placed soothing Mahina on her schedule.
Should she go back?
Lorevil had no desire to sleep. She stood up and walked to the edge of the window. The street was empty. There was only a bright, clear moon, casting a pale white lunar halo over her as if it had come to life.
A nightmare like that was as stimulating as a roller coaster at an amusement park, but with a lingering sense of nausea from the massive terror.
She really didn’t dare gamble on what would happen if she stayed at the Madam’s house.
Thus, she gently pushed open the door to Madam Sharon’s house. Seeing that no one was behind it, Lorevil slipped away quietly.
Since it was already the middle of the night, the carriage that had been parked in front of the door was gone. It was unlikely for Lorevil to go home now, as that would disturb her wife, Noxia, who was resting at the mansion. Therefore, she could only find a rental house that accepted guests to stay in.
After lying down on the bed, Lorevil ultimately couldn’t resist the drowsiness. A sense of fatigue slowly washed over her, and she slept soundly.
This time, Mahina was not in her dreams…
***
The next morning.
Lorevil opened her eyes, performed a simple wash, and ate downstairs. She planned to go to Madam Sharon’s house to explain the situation.
Madam Sharon would be worried since she had slipped away in the middle of the night.
“Master Lorevil, I am glad to see you.”
As soon as she stepped onto the street, Mahina’s voice rang out. Lorevil was so startled she retreated over ten steps.
The nightmare from last night was still fresh in her memory, leaving a deep impression on Lorevil…
She never expected the usually gentle Mahina to have such a crazed idea of dismembering her. It was practically the same as being a yandere.
One could say that even now, Lorevil hadn’t fully recovered.
“Master Lorevil?”
Mahina asked in confusion. She turned to look behind her. “Is there something behind me?”
“No,” Lorevil said with a forced smile.
Out of the corner of her eye, Mahina noticed the rental house behind the girl. She blinked her beautiful eyes. “By the way, Master Lorevil, why are you sleeping in a rental house instead of coming to my place to rest? You know which apartment I rented, right?”
“That’s because…”
Lorevil racked her brain and explained, “I was afraid of disturbing your sleep. You have work at the workshop today, so of course you need plenty of sleep.”
As she spoke, Lorevil quickly thrust her trembling hands into her pockets to keep Mahina from noticing anything unusual.
“Then the person from last night… wasn’t Master Lorevil,” Mahina murmured to herself in a voice only she could hear.
“What?”
Lorevil was still suppressing her fear, so she naturally didn’t hear it.
Mahina turned around. “It’s nothing, Master Lorevil. I’m going to work now.”
“Wait a moment.” Lorevil thought of the scissors. “Mahina, do you happen to have a large pair of scissors?”
“Master Lorevil, you even know about that?” Mahina’s eyes widened in surprise.
Lorevil: “…”
Not only did she know, she had almost experienced them firsthand.
After parting ways with Mahina.
Lorevil realized that cold sweat had already broken out on her forehead, and her palms were damp.
She had originally thought she had never seen such a wonderful starting position, but it turned out she had planted a time bomb!
She shouldn’t think about that. She needed to go to Madam Sharon’s house.
Lorevil took a deep breath and boarded a carriage.
Arriving in front of Madam Sharon’s Gothic villa, Lorevil suddenly thought about how the Madam also had a Blackening Value similar to Mahina’s.
Could it be that Madam Sharon, like Mahina, would blacken into a horror from a nightmare?
At that thought, Lorevil’s hand paused as she went to knock on the door.
Did that mean interacting with her would cause the Blackening Value to appear?
That didn’t seem right. Fini had a very good relationship with her, so why didn’t she have a Blackening Value?
Just as Lorevil was struggling to find peace of mind.
The door suddenly opened.
Madam Sharon, wearing a black lace dress, looked at Lorevil with a look of surprise.
“I’m sorry, Madam. I had some business to attend to last night and went out,” Lorevil explained politely. “I didn’t have time to tell you. I’m truly sorry for making you worry.”
“It’s alright. I guessed you might have had something urgent.”
A gentle smile played on the corners of Madam Sharon’s lips. She didn’t seem to mind at all.
Seeing this, much of the fear in Lorevil’s heart dissipated. How could such a gentle Madam turn into someone like Mahina?
Madam Sharon stepped aside to make room and invited Lorevil inside. “The wind is strong outside. Come in quickly. I’ve already had the kitchen warm up some blood berry tea; it’s perfect for warming the body.”
Lorevil hesitated for a moment, her gaze instinctively drifting toward the top of Madam Sharon’s head.
The pale white bar was still there. The black section occupied about one-quarter of it, looking perhaps a bit lighter than when they met yesterday. Nothing seemed unusual.
But thinking of Mahina’s terrifying appearance when her Blackening Value was full, she couldn’t help but feel her heart tighten.
“What’s wrong?”
Madam Sharon noticed her pause. Her tone carried a hint of concern. “Are you feeling unwell? Or… did you not rest well last night?”
“No, no!”
Lorevil waved her hands quickly and followed her into the living room. “I was just a bit surprised that you aren’t angry.”
“Why would I be angry? You were sent by Master Jerwen to protect me, not as my private property.”
Madam Sharon poured her a cup of warm blood berry tea and handed it to her.
“Besides, young people always have their own matters to attend to.”
“However, I am quite curious. What was so urgent that you had to leave here in the middle of the night and stay at a rental house?”
Madam Sharon also knew she went to a rental house?
Of course. With Madam Sharon’s strength as a Tier 4 Vampire, it was impossible for her not to notice Lorevil’s departure.
Lorevil gripped the warm teacup, her brain working at high speed to find an excuse.
“It’s… I remembered my fiancée at home. I haven’t been back for two nights and was afraid she would worry. I originally intended to rush back through the night, but I got too sleepy halfway there, so I found a rental house to rest for the night.”
This reason was half-true. It mentioned her fiancée and explained her movements. It shouldn’t cause suspicion.
“So that was it. It seems I was overthinking.” Madam Sharon smiled.
However, Lorevil saw the Madam’s Blackening Value rise slightly.
Why did the value above her head rise because of those words?
What was the motive? What was the key behavior…
After that nightmare, Lorevil knew that a full Blackening Value would be extremely dangerous. As long as it didn’t exceed 90% and stay at that limit, she would likely be safe.
But that didn’t mean she could just sit by and watch the Blackening Value increase.
She needed to.
No.
She had to understand the cause of the entire situation, find the most critical part, and reduce the Blackening Value.
Lorevil took a sip of the rich, sweet blood berry tea. The chill in her body slowly receded. She asked calmly, “Then, Madam, do we need to check the security of the mansion again today?”
Yesterday she had only gained a general understanding of the layout of the first floor and second floor. The entire villa had a barrier maintained by blood crystals, so it seemed Madam Sharon was very concerned about safety.
“There is no need.”
Madam Sharon lowered her beautiful eyes and shook her head gently.
With no inspection today, Lorevil’s task was practically non-existent—extremely simple. She really couldn’t figure out Madam Sharon’s intention for seeking her out.
Given the current situation.
There was only the ball tomorrow.
Was Madam Sharon planning to use this end-of-term task to find a suitable dance partner? Lorevil could only think that far. After all, her memories contained very little information regarding Madam Sharon.
She didn’t have any sources of information either.
Fortunately, the time limit for this task was three days. After three days, it was unlikely she and Madam Sharon would have any further interaction.
If that was really the case, Lorevil could breathe a sigh of relief.
But was the reality truly as simple as she thought…
Lorevil set down her teacup. Her fair fingers lightly pressed against her brow as she let out a nearly imperceptible sigh.
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