Chapter 7: The Gift from Karrola!

Unexpectedly, the blood did not taste fishy or astringent.

“Uh…”

Phyllis opened her eyes and saw her injuries recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Not only that, the sense of weakness in her body had eased considerably, and her mind felt clearer as well.

Moreover, Phyllis sensed that another kind of power within her seemed to have been stirred by that cup of blood.

Bang.

The cup was crushed in Phyllis’s hand.

This power was not an illusion.

Yet it felt so distinct that it was almost unfamiliar.

‘What is this power?’

Phyllis opened the system interface to check her attributes and status.

She was shocked to discover that several of her attributes had increased significantly.

In particular, her strength had risen from six points to fifteen points.

And in the status column, there was a new entry.

Karola’s Gift: Under the influence of the master-servant contract, Karola bestows this gift upon you.

“The foundation of the master-servant contract still exists, and my gift to you will take effect gradually.”

Karola’s words echoed in Phyllis’s ears.

‘So this is the gift?’

Only then did Phyllis gain some understanding.

However, what puzzled her somewhat was this.

Was this gift not a bit too strong?

‘Is it because Karola’s own power is absurdly high? Or is it because…’

Because of herself?

Because her adaptability was so good that she received more from the gift?

Phyllis felt that both were possible.

Furthermore, after drinking the blood, fragments of memory came flooding back.

Phyllis finally remembered how she had come here.

First of all, it was certain that she had been captured by Karola.

But the problem was that, in Phyllis’s memory, she had never left the catkin people to venture into the wider world.

After receiving the blessing of the Cat God’s Protection, she had always cultivated within the sacred land of the catkin people.

Hmm… by this world’s standards, she counted as the catkin people’s holy maiden, right?

Of course, a trainee holy maiden.

Back to the point.

Karola seemed to have directly entered the sacred land of the catkin people and taken her away?

‘That… that strong?’

Phyllis suddenly gained a new understanding of Karola’s power.

No wonder she had been subdued so easily.

Clink.

Phyllis slowly loosened her grip on the fragments in her hand. They fell onto the stone floor with a crisp sound.

She looked at her palm. There was not even the slightest scratch left.

And the bite marks Karola had left on her arm last night had already disappeared as well.

Phyllis stood up. Her movements were lighter and swifter than ever before, and in just a few steps she reached the window.

Using the reflection in the glass, Phyllis examined the changes in herself.

She still looked like the black-haired, blue-eyed catgirl she always was, but somehow… something was different.

‘I still need to continue exploring the castle before I can make an escape plan.’

What Phyllis needed now was information.

‘It would be even better if I could get books about the master-servant contract from Karola’s study.’

That way, she might be able to find a method to the master-servant contract.

Pat, pat.

Phyllis lightly straightened the brand-new blue dress she was wearing.

The fabric was soft and comfortable, the tailoring perfectly fitted, as if it had been custom-made.

At this thought, Phyllis felt a bit uncomfortable.

‘While I was unconscious, did Karola really take my measurements?’

Phyllis pushed open the door and stepped back into the corridor.

The corridor was still silent.

The two small bats flew out and followed closely behind her.

Phyllis decided to go take another look at the garden that had frightened her yesterday.

She planned to observe those skeletons again. After all, Karola had said they would not harm her.

And with her newly enhanced strength, she was not particularly worried about those skeletons.

Even if she could not beat them, could she not still run away?

Moreover, she also planned to see what usable things existed in the garden besides skeletons.

Yesterday, because she had been frightened by the skeletons, she had not taken a close look.

Although Karola had mentioned that the garden was planted with things that did not require special care, in a bloodkin castle garden, there was no way it was just ordinary flowers and grass.

Just the flower she had seen by the pond last night would, in Phyllis’s estimation, sell for at least hundreds of gold coins in the catkin people’s marketplace.

If Phyllis wanted to unilaterally the master-servant contract, even if there was a method, it would probably require some magical materials for neutralization in the end.

And Karola’s garden was currently one of the few places where Phyllis could access magical materials.

Walking through the familiar corridor, Phyllis soon arrived at the double doors leading to the garden.

“Gulp… meow.”

Phyllis swallowed and reached out to push the doors open.

Even fiercer sunlight than yesterday poured unimpeded into the garden.

Phyllis narrowed her eyes to adjust to the light.

Once her eyes adapted, she saw that among the flowerbeds and neatly trimmed shrubs, the skeletons were still busy at work.

They held small pruning shears, watering cans, or rakes, their movements slow but precise.

Sunlight passed through their hollow eye sockets and the gaps between their ribs, casting shattered patches of light on the ground.

They seemed to notice Phyllis’s arrival. Just like yesterday, their skulls all turned toward her in unison.

“Mm, meow.”

Even with mental preparation, Phyllis stiffened all over, and the fur on her tail instantly stood on end.

But this time, she did not run away.

Phyllis forced herself to stand in place and even slightly raised her chin, trying to imitate Karola’s casual, unconcerned demeanor.

The skeletons quietly ‘looked’ at Phyllis for several seconds.

Then the one closest to her, wearing a tattered apron, slowly raised a bony hand and made a gesture that was… similar to ‘please come in.’

The movement was stiff, yet inexplicably carried a hint of politeness.

After that, they all turned back and continued their work, as if Phyllis did not exist at all.

‘They really will not attack?’

Phyllis cautiously moved forward a few steps, approaching a cluster of deep red, thorny shrubs that were being trimmed.

The skeleton holding the shears showed no reaction to her approach and simply focused on cutting off a protruding branch.

Phyllis felt her courage grow a little.

She cleared her throat and spoke in as steady a voice as she could manage, “Um… can you understand what I am saying? Meow.”

Snip, snip.

The sound of scissors rang out rhythmically. The skeletons did not respond.

“Ahem… I mean, have you been working here for a long time? Meow.”

Still no response.

The skeleton beside Phyllis finished one section of pruning and moved on to the next shrub.

‘It seems these skeletons have limited intelligence and can only carry out simple commands.’

Phyllis began to move her feet, slowly strolling through the garden while carefully observing with her eyes.

Although she did not understand garden layouts, she could still sense the ingenuity of the design.

Phyllis did recognize some of the plants.

Honeysuckle, blood roses, blue-silver grass, and the like.

All of them were usable medicinal materials.

“Hmm? This one is…