Vanessa's beautiful eyes widened in shock.
Magic power—it's depleted already??
She’d only summoned the flame for a few seconds! The flame was even smaller than a lighter's, and in less than five seconds, it had been extinguished because her magic ran out??
The magic consumption of [Holy Flame of All Gods] is insane!
But thinking about it, it makes sense. This is the holy flame that has slain countless Demon Kings, and right now, she’s barely a beginner, someone who’s just started out. To summon even a small cluster of [Holy Flame of All Gods] is no small feat.
Exhausted, the pink-haired girl bent over, holding her knees, and weakly sat down on the bed, gently brushing her hair out of her forehead.
She stared blankly at the flawless girl in the mirror, as if still unable to accept that the girl sitting there, holding her knees, was herself.
Resting her chin on her hands, Vanessa gazed at the pink-haired girl in the mirror, who looked like a pure snow lotus blooming in the ruins, and then something clicked in her mind. Her eyebrows slowly furrowed.
The messy bed, the clothes carelessly tossed on it, the cup of tea on the little wooden table with water that had been there for days, turning dark.
The trash bin overflowing with garbage, some of it spilling out, uncleaned, and the corners of the room thick with dust. It didn’t take much to guess that hidden corners of the room were likely the nests of some small creatures.
...Really, this place is so filthy and messy! Just staying here is driving her crazy.
There has to be a limit to neglecting cleanliness! This is already beyond the point of slovenliness! How had she tolerated living in this filthy, polluted place for so long??
Vanessa pinched her nose, fished out some work gloves from the cupboard, washed them three times to make sure they were clean, and put them on.
With the [Gauntlet] gloves added on, she felt a little better, knowing that touching the dirt wouldn't send her into a full-blown cleaning frenzy.
She grabbed a broom, a cloth, and a bucket of water from the basement and returned to start cleaning.
Normally, she wouldn't even think about it, but now, standing in this mess, she felt incredibly uncomfortable. The smell of rot and decay filled her nose, and she felt like her sanity was rapidly deteriorating. Stopping herself from breathing through her nose, she forced herself to start cleaning.
How had she ever tolerated being so dirty before? It was hard to imagine how she'd let the room stay this filthy for so long without cleaning it.
She first made the bed, neatly folding the clothes and placing them in the wardrobe, then tidied up the bedding.
Vanessa had never done chores before, yet it felt surprisingly natural, as if she were born to do it. She worked quickly, efficiently, without a single hesitation.
After emptying the trash bin into a cloth bag, she tossed it out of the room.
Indeed, it was better not to have a trash bin in the bedroom. It made the place smell like a garbage dump, so unsanitary.
Vanessa placed the trash bin in the basement, returned to the room, and meticulously cleaned the floor three times, wiped the table five times, and even washed the curtains. She didn’t miss any corner where dust might be hiding.
When everything was finally tidy, the room looked as pristine as new. But before Vanessa could relax, the strong, pungent smell of cheap alcohol wafted from the basement, immediately tightening her nerves.
Ah, she almost forgot. She still hadn't dealt with the cheap liquor that Winnie had stored in the basement.
So, Vanessa went downstairs, pinched her nose, and approached the basement door. As soon as she opened it even a crack, the smell rushed into her nose, making her scalp tingle, and every hair on her body stood on end.
The smell was overwhelming, and Vanessa quickly slammed the door shut with a look of resignation, feeling as though she had been subjected to inhumane treatment.
What a horrible smell! Why had she left this disgusting, repulsive thing in the house?
If she could pull her past self out, she’d give the old Winnie a good scolding.
And when she thought of how she had once drank this foul, disgusting liquid, Vanessa felt the odor overpowering her, and she clutched the door, her stomach turning, feeling like she might throw up.
Ugh, it’s so disgusting...
She’d only opened the door for a moment, but she felt like her hair was already coated with that unbearable stench.
She decided to leave the liquor for later, after she changed back, as she clearly wasn’t capable of dealing with it right now.
She found a few cloth rags, cut them into strips, and sealed the gap in the basement door. Vanessa sighed with relief.
Tonight, she would definitely take a long bath to wash away the filth from her body and hair.
Returning to her room, she thought about sitting on the bed but remembered that she was still dirty, so she refrained.
Looking at the freshly cleaned room, Vanessa found it hard to believe that she, who had never done any housework, could do it so efficiently. It was as if this body had been pre-programmed with housework skills—she moved with such grace and precision.
Glancing out the window, it was already afternoon. She hadn’t felt tired at all from cleaning the room all morning. Instead, she felt full of energy.
Vanessa was astonished. She walked toward the mithril war hammer hanging on the wall, a feeling tugging at her as her gaze seemed naturally drawn to it.
Ever since becoming Vanessa, she had subconsciously been attracted to it. The mithril war hammer seemed unusually captivating to her.
She took it down, swung it a few times with ease.
Then, as if realizing something, she gasped in disbelief.
It’s so light.
Vanessa tried swinging the war hammer again, and it felt weightless. But the sound of the wind it generated made it clear that it wasn’t the hammer that had become lighter—it was her strength that had grown to an almost terrifying level.
That’s when it dawned on her: historically, the Fanghui Saintess had always been a strong, beautiful warrior. On the surface, she appeared to be a gentle healer, but in reality, she was the Church’s most powerful fighter.
This Saintess knows the teachings, but if you can’t understand them, she also knows a bit of fist and foot.
Vanessa tried lightly tapping a nearby old wooden stool with her fist. There was a dull thud, and the stool immediately shattered into pieces.
Uh-oh.
Now she was sure—her strength had really increased to a terrifying level after the bloodline awakening.
This war hammer, which she had originally dragged back herself, now felt weightless in her hand.
Although her strength had drastically increased, there were some downsides.
Vanessa looked down. Well, she couldn’t see her toes anymore, blocked by the vast mountain-like chest.
Guess it’s true, the milk really is... cough.
Vanessa blushed and quickly averted her gaze.
She weighed the mithril war hammer in her hand and found that not only did it feel incredibly light, but there was a sense of ease, as if the weapon’s techniques and strategies were perfectly integrated with her instincts. It felt like this body was naturally adept at close combat weapons, especially the war hammer.
It was a good thing she hadn’t sold the war hammer. If she had, it would’ve been a huge loss.
With her bloodline and Divine Blessing awakened, and with the ability to change back, Vanessa was now extremely excited. She felt like she could change her destiny from this point forward.
With the Blessed Angel bloodline, the entrance exam to Kareliman Academy would be a breeze, right? She could...
...No, wait.
Vanessa narrowed her eyes, falling silent.
She recalled the spies deliberately placed in her family and the malicious rumors targeted at her. It was clear that someone had been secretly scheming against her.
The servant who had stayed even after her parents died proved that the forces behind the scenes wanted to monitor not only her parents, but her as well.
Why? She was just a useless, reckless, nobleman’s son with a one-star magic aptitude, unable to awaken Divine Blessing—nothing but a failure. So why were they going through such lengths to watch her? Who was afraid of her?
The Church...
The reason she was still alive today was perhaps precisely because she was a Dead Bloodline. What would happen if the Church found out that she had now awakened her bloodline?
Would they welcome her like the Saintess? No, they wouldn’t.
Instead, they would likely silently eliminate her in the cradle, or worse, control her with some method, making her a puppet Saintess, losing her freedom, every action controlled.
Moreover, the great nobles would likely covet her in secret. She would become a target for everyone.
After considering all this, Vanessa sat calmly on the bench, hands placed on her knees.
She realized that if she revealed her bloodline awakening now, it would only bring trouble, even leading to her death.
At least, until she became strong enough, no one should know about her awakening.