Chapter Twenty-Five
Since the day Elia swung that sword, the entire Dream Spirit Continent had been in an uproar.
The power of the Saint’s strike had been felt by almost every top-tier powerhouse across the lands.
First, the Council of Sages of the Human Empire convened an emergency meeting. Those old men all had grim, ashen faces. As for the bishops of the Church, they prayed through the night, though no one knew exactly what they were praying for.
The elders of the Heavenly Saint Race remained silent, and the previously restless Paladin Order suddenly grew quiet.
As for the Demon King of the Demons, he rarely failed to lose his temper. This time, he simply told his subordinates, “It is a good thing — a very good thing — that we did not provoke that Saint.”
The chief of the Dwarf Clan stroked his beard and said to his son, “If you see anyone from the Blood Clan in the future, remember to be polite, okay?”
The Elf Queen wrote a letter to Laura containing only one sentence: “That friend of yours, the Saint — what is her true background?”
Laura replied: “A very cute older sister.”
On the side of the Blood Clan, reconstruction work on the Vampire Castle destroyed by Elia began immediately. The one in charge of directing the construction was still Elder Selina.
One had to admit, Selina was a truly qualified workhorse… no, a truly qualified Elder! In just a few days, the castle had regained its basic functions.
The soldiers who had sacrificed their lives in the battle were buried with great ceremony, their names carved into a monument. Kiz, as the Princess, personally attended the funeral, standing in silence for one full hour.
Elia, naturally, stayed by her side the entire time.
After the funeral ended, Kiz exchanged pleasantries with the two Princes.
Before the two left, Vian grabbed Elia’s hand with a face full of admiration. “Lady Saint, you are too amazing! That sword strike was simply the coolest thing ever!”
Elia just smiled and said nothing.
Lisa gave her a meaningful look. “That strike came with a heavy price, didn’t it?”
Seeing that Elia did not deny it, Lisa nodded and added, “Rest well. If you ever need us, just let us know.”
Once they departed, the castle returned to its usual tranquility. Of course, that was relatively speaking.
A large number of secret reports still arrived from various places every day. Most were about the reactions of different factions to that single strike.
For example, the border troops of the Human Empire had retreated 50 miles… the Paladin Order of the Heavenly Saint Race had canceled their drills… the Demons had sent an envoy saying they wanted to renegotiate the Trade Agreement… and so on.
Looking at those secret reports, Kiz breathed a sigh of relief. “At least no one will come looking for trouble in the short term.”
“That’s good. I don’t want to draw my sword every day,” Elia teased.
“But the real Wolf King…”
“He’ll surface sooner or later. There’s no rush~”
Elia then used her Relentless Iron Hand to pull Kiz into her arms, taking a deep breath of the little Princess’s scent. “For now, let me recharge.”
“Again… again?”
“What? Is it not allowed?”
“…It is.”
Elia smiled and lowered her head to give Kiz’s neck a gentle bite. It wasn’t very hard, leaving only a shallow tooth mark.
*Hiss—* Kiz gasped from the pain but did not struggle.
“But… Elia, do you think the real Wolf King will still come after seeing that strike of yours?” Kiz asked, gently rubbing the tooth mark.
“He will, but he’ll be much more cautious,” Elia replied.
Kiz went silent for a few seconds before whispering, “Mhm. But I’m not afraid… as long as you’re by my side, there’s nothing to fear.”
“Mhm. So, about those ten bites I mentioned before — when do you plan on letting me have them? Hmm?”
“You…”
“I’m just joking~ how could I bear to bite you, my little Princess?”
***
One week later, the reconstruction of the castle was mostly complete.
The new Council Chamber was grander than the original, its walls covered in carved Defensive Magic Arrays, and a special dome designed to observe the sky had been added.
Elia stood beneath the dome, looking out at the clear sky. “Not bad, your Blood Clan engineers.”
At that moment, a certain workhorse Elder who was still outside directing road repairs sneezed.
Kiz walked up to Elia’s side and asked, “Do you like it?”
“Mhm.”
“Then you can look at the sky when you accompany me to meetings. It won’t be too boring.”
“You’re quite considerate.”
Kiz turned her face away again. “I-It’s not like that…”
“Right, right, it’s not.” Elia pinched her cheek.
Kiz didn’t swat her hand away this time. She only said, “By the way, after that strike, many factions on the continent sent gifts to the Blood Clan.”
“Gifts?”
“Mhm. The Human Empire sent a chest of gold coins, the Church sent a Holy Scripture, the Heavenly Saint Race sent a Holy Light Crystal, the Demons sent a Dragon Crystal… the Dwarf Clan even sent a specially made dagger, and the Elves sent a carriage full of Moonlight Flowers.”
“Oh? Are they trying to bribe me?” Elia arched an eyebrow.
“It’s just a gesture of goodwill. They were frightened by you, so they want to show that they have no hostile intentions.”
“Heh, how did you respond?”
“I accepted them all. There’s no point in refusing free things.”
Elia suddenly asked, “And what about you? What are you giving me? You know, I’m the great hero who saved the Blood Clan!”
“I… don’t I let you bite me every day…” Kiz shrank her neck.
“That’s the Blood Contract and a personal necessity. It doesn’t count as a gift.”
Kiz’s face flushed. “Then… what do you want…”
Elia thought about it very seriously and then said with equal seriousness, “Give me one extra bite every day.”
Kiz: “??”
“So, starting today, one extra bite per day.”
Kiz opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, she just buried her face in her arms. The tips of her ears were so red they looked like they could drip blood.
In a great mood, Elia grabbed the little Princess — who was lost in whatever thoughts she was having — and bit her neck directly.
“Ahhhhhhhh!”
After a high-pitched cry, Kiz pouted, her face puffing up like a pufferfish. She turned her head away. “Another sneak attack! I’m ignoring you!”
“Hee hee hee, it’s fine. I can let you bite me back~”
Then, while still throwing a tantrum, Kiz took a large gulp of Elia’s blood.
***
By evening, Kiz was in the study handling documents.
“By the way, Kiz, you mentioned before that the real Wolf King might have several body doubles, right?” Elia asked suddenly while admiring Kiz’s cute face from the side.
Kiz’s pen paused. “Mhm.”
“Then what were they trying to find out with this test?”
“Hmm… probably our strength, our hidden cards, and… Mother’s condition.”
“You mean the Vampire Queen?”
“Yes. Mother has been sleeping for 100 years; it is almost time for her to wake. But to the outside world, her status has always been a mystery… if they realize she is about to wake, they might act prematurely.”
“So they’re waiting for an opportunity?”
“Exactly. An opportunity for a full-scale invasion.”
“Then we need to be prepared.”
“Mhm. But they shouldn’t move for a short while… the deterrent of that strike is enough to keep them behaved for a bit.”
Kiz stopped halfway through and looked up, staring into Elia’s blue eyes.
“So, next…”
“Next?” Elia stared back into Kiz’s eyes.
The little Princess’s face turned slightly pink. “Next… we can… take a good rest for a while.”
“Oh? A good rest?” Elia gave a meaningful smile.
“J-Just a normal rest! Don’t get any wild ideas!”
“I don’t have any wild ideas. You’re the one thinking the wrong way, aren’t you?”
Kiz glared at her again, but she lost the staring contest after a few seconds.
Collecting her emotions, she continued, “Elia, let’s go for a walk in the Garden tomorrow. I want to see the Black Roses again.”
“Mhm.”
The two embraced quietly, enjoying the rare moment of peace.
In the distance, the reconstructed castle stood silently under the moonlight… and the new Council Chamber was even sturdier than before.
Just like their relationship… having weathered the storm, it would only become more unbreakable.
Tomorrow would be a new day.
***
Suddenly, Kiz remembered something and looked up. “Right! That strike of yours split the castle in half. I haven’t settled that debt with you yet!”
Elia blinked. “And how do you want to settle it?”
“I’ll punish you by — I haven’t thought of it yet, so you’ll just have to owe me.”
Elia burst out laughing instantly.
“Pfft! What kind of punishment is that?”
“I like it this way!”