Chapter 71: Scarlet Eyes
“I understand. I will return in a few hours when it’s time for lunch.” Edwin’s voice returned after a moment of silence, as he was surprised to hear that Leo was still alive.
‘How long will he last? He’s already survived longer than the previous 102 sacrifices combined…’ Edwin wondered to himself as he walked away from the confined room.
Once they were alone again, Lia spoke, “You don’t have to be wary of me now. My bloodlust won’t return until sunset, so you’re safe until then— that is if you don’t suddenly make me angry.”
Leo nodded.
“If you don’t mind me asking, are you also an Adventurer?” he suddenly asked her.
“Yes, I am a B-Rank Adventurer on the verge of becoming A-Rank,” she calmly responded.
“I see…”
‘Yup, there’s no way I can defeat someone like her!’
“Lilith! Do you have any advice?! At this rate, you will go back to being alone after tonight!” he decided to ask her for help.
Lilith hovered in front of him with a smile on her face, “Yes, I know how you can survive. In fact, if you listen to my suggestion, you’ll not only survive tonight but the next three days as well.”
“Really?! What do I need to do?!”
She shook her fingers in a no-no motion and said, “Before I tell you about it, you should know about her ‘Scarlet Eyes’.”
“Huh? Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because there’s more to it than even the Scarlet Family is aware— probably. Anyways, the Scarlet Eyes actually originated from vampires of a certain bloodline.” Lilith revealed this shocking face.
“What?! So she’s a vampire after all! I knew it! She’s been lying to me to get my guard down!”
“Actually, I don’t think that might be the case. Like I had mentioned just now, the true origin of the Scarlet Eyes is something even her family is probably unaware of.” Lilith quickly said.
“And just because she has the Scarlet Eyes does not make her a vampire. She’s most likely a human, but there’s a good chance that she also has vampire genes in her body.”
“The Scarlet Eyes is a powerful weapon used by the Scarlet Bloodline. They’re vampires with a prestigious bloodline and also one of the strongest vampire clans out there. However, the Scarlet Eyes can be bestowed to others. This is just a theory, but I believe that the Scarlet Family’s founders used to be loyal human servants of the Scarlet Clan, and they were bestowed the Scarlet Eyes for whatever reason.”
‘What?! So the Scarlet Family is actually working for vampires?! Just how far does this hole go?!’ Leo exclaimed inwardly.
“Does this mean the Scarlet Family are spies for the Scarlet Clan? I should probably warn somebody about this, no?” He asked Lilith.
She shook her head, “No, there’s no proof that they still work for vampires. Perhaps even the Scarlet Family themselves are not aware of their true origin. I think it would be for the best if we don’t stick our nose into their business. You’re not strong enough to deal with the Scarlet Family, much less the Scarlet Clan.”
“I agree that we should stay away from their business. I don’t want to be affiliated with them. They’re too dangerous. I will try my best to forget about them after I finish my mission.”
“Are you okay? You’ve been standing there in a daze for many minutes now.” Lia’s voice suddenly resounded.
Leo immediately turned to look at her and nodded, “Yes… I don’t know what else I am supposed to do…”
Lia patted the empty spot in her bed and said, “Come sit down with me. You’ll need all the energy you can get for later.”
‘Is she really innocent?’ Leo couldn’t help but wonder whether Lia knew about her family’s true origin.
However, he didn’t want to anger her and die an early death, so he went to sit on the bed with her.
“Isn’t it about time you tell me about how I can deal with her?” Leo glanced at Lilith without moving his head.
“Of course. It’s actually quite simple. Her mana is the reason why she goes on a ramage. If you can control her mana, you can control her bloodlust. Therefore, you only need to use Mana Drain on her.” Lilith explained.
“Seriously? That’s it? But I can’t use Mana Drain in public. It’s a forbidden magic spell, remember?”
“It’s either that or you have to fight her without hurting her. You won’t be able to defeat her even in a fair fight, so you definitely won’t stand a chance against her while handicapped. Therefore, you only have one choice here if you don’t want to die— use Mana Drain on her.”
“You make it sound so easy. I will need to touch her in order to use Mana Drain, right? Will she even allow me to use Mana Drain on her?”
“You won’t know until you try.” Lilith shrugged.
Leo sighed inwardly, ‘If I anger her, she will immediately kill me. However, I will also die if I don’t try it and she goes on a ramage. No matter what I do, I am at risk of being killed. If that’s the case, I might as well try it.’
“Hey, Lia, what if I tell you that I have a way that will help you control your bloodlust? Would you be willing to try it? Unless you actually like going on ramages…” Leo asked her in a nervous voice.
“You think I like losing control over my sanity? Although I enjoy killing, I hate the feeling of losing control, and when I lose control, I cannot fully enjoy the moment when I kill. It’s just not the same. If you can really help me suppress my bloodlust, I swear that I will never point my blades at you.”
‘It would’ve been fine if she just said the last sentence without the killing part…’ he sighed inwardly.
“Alright, I will help you. However, you have to promise me something— that you’d keep this a secret between us.”
“Are you going to do something perverted to me?” she asked him with a tranquil expression on her face.
“W-What? Of course not!”
“The reason you go on rampages is most likely due to your mana. If I use Mana Drain on you before you can go on a rampage, it should help you control bloodlust.”
“Mana Drain…? You know that forbidden spell used by vampires?” She looked at him with slightly wide eyes.
“That’s why you need to keep this a secret. Promise me that you’ll keep it a secret and I will help you.”
After pondering for a moment, Lia nodded, giving him a silent approval.
“Alright. To tell you the truth, I have never used Mana Drain before, so I would like to do some sample runs before the real thing. Do you mind?” Leo asked her.
“I don’t mind.”
“Then can you give me your hand. I need physical contact to use Mana Drain.”
Lia responded by extending her hand to him, almost like a patient during a pulse check.
Leo took a deep breath before gently holding her hands.
‘Her hand is so cold… It’s almost like I am touching a block of ice…’ Leo was inwardly shocked after feeling her hands for the first time.
After taking a moment getting used to the sensation of her soft and cold hands, Leo said to her, “I am going to begin now. Let me know if you feel any pain.”
She silently nodded.
Leo began using Mana Drain for the first time.
“I should have probably asked you this before I started, but what happens if I use Mana Drain when my mana is already full?” Leo suddenly asked Lilith as he felt Lia’s mana being absorbed through where he was touching her.
“You’ll be fine. The extra mana will just be pushed out of her body. As long as you don’t absorb too much too quickly, you will be fine,” she said, giving him a peace of mind.
“Mmm~”
Leo suddenly heard a cute noise coming from Lia, causing him to subconsciously look at her, and to his surprise, there was a weird expression on her face at this moment, looking oddly blissful for some reason, almost as though she was enjoying the sensation of her mana being absorbed.