[Vol. 7] Chapter 169: The Pact
"Of course. Whether it's with the naked eye or an intangible divine sense, any attempt to observe something creates an exchange of information," Lucine explained casually.
"Ordinary beings might not be able to detect it, but I’ve dealt with such things countless times before. And besides, your gaze isn’t the only one directed at me. It’s nothing surprising."
It seemed she truly intended to have an open conversation with Violet. The petite vampire princess, despite her loli-like appearance, radiated a sense of calm maturity. Her dark red hair, thick and flowing, shimmered slightly as she tilted her head.
With a snap of her fingers, the pure white space around them shifted and transformed, turning into a sunlit afternoon tea room.
Lucine gracefully pulled out a long bench, took a seat, and gestured toward the black-haired girl with a polite motion. Then, she poured them each a cup of fragrant black tea.
Her small feet, wrapped in white stockings and low-heeled shoes, barely reached the ground. As they swayed gently, she started dropping sugar cubes into her cup one by one.
"The [Fantasy Sky Courtyard] is built upon a domain under my absolute control. In this space, time is nearly frozen compared to the outside world. So aside from you and me, no other being will notice this conversation. Not even the Goddess of Life, who has descended here, nor those lurking beyond this world, secretly watching."
"You really have a lot of hidden tricks, don’t you…?"
A pseudo-god realm.
Hearing Lucine's explanation, Violet, who had already suspected something, now fully understood the true nature of this space.
So the entire [Fantasy Sky Courtyard] was essentially a special realm modeled after a divine realm. Only this kind of power can simulate [Origin] creations with external assistance or extend time to an almost frozen state like this.
Violet had encountered a similar ability once before in the Sky Temple of the Azure Sky Kingdom, where Minerva, who was falsely revered as the Sky God but was actually Archangel, had demonstrated something similar.
However, Minerva had already reached, or perhaps even surpassed, the divine threshold. Lucine, on the other hand, was known to be only at the peak of mortal power, not even at the level of a pseudo god.
That left only two possibilities.
First, Lucine was hiding her true strength.
Second, she was borrowing power from an external source.
At this point, it seemed likely that both were true.
Lucine having already figured out Sethlin's true identity wasn’t all that surprising, compared to the other shocking revelations, this one seemed minor. After all, the so-called Goddess of Life hadn't even tried to fully suppress her presence. If she had, Violet wouldn't have noticed her so quickly earlier.
After a brief moment of thought, the priestess decided to steer the conversation in a particular direction.
"You don’t seem to have any fear or reverence for gods at all. And also, who exactly were you referring to when you mentioned ‘watchers from beyond’ just now?"
Still dropping sugar cubes non-stop into her tea, Lucine didn’t even bother looking up as she replied.
"Let’s not pretend we don’t know what we’re talking about. You literally fought one of their members yourself not too long ago. With the kind of abilities and methods you displayed, I find it hard to believe you know nothing about that organization. As for why I don’t fear gods…"
At this, she finally lifted her head, her pale, delicate neck tilting slightly as her deep crimson eyes met Violet’s gaze. In that instant, a dark red glow seemed to flicker within them.
"Tell me, would you be afraid of something you once personally killed?"
"Oh~"
Now that’s interesting.
Violet chuckled, narrowing her silver-blue eyes slightly before abruptly shifting the topic.
"By the way, with all that sugar you're dumping in, can you even still call that tea?"
"......?"
Lucine froze mid-motion, still plopping sugar cubes into her nearly overflowing cup. She blinked, momentarily thrown off by the ridiculous shift in conversation. Not to mention Violet’s utterly random concern over something so trivial.
"Hah…"
After a long pause, she sighed, shaking her head like some world-weary elder dealing with an impossible junior.
"I’ve met gods who don’t act serious, but you are the first strange person whose personality is incompatible with the authority of your powers, yet you still act as if nothing is wrong. It's really strange. Could it be that your spiritual nature didn't come from your divine nature? That's right... perhaps that's the reason why you can move freely in this world right now."
Muttering this to herself, Lucine's expression remained unreadable.
"Because of the effects of merging with the [Godslayer Spear: Longinus], my power is now limited to below the seventh tier in my normal state. On top of that, I’ve completely lost my sense of taste and smell, except for blood. Adding so much sugar makes the tea thick and syrupy, which at least gives me some psychological comfort… Satisfied?"
"Ahaha… I guess?"
Violet awkwardly scratched her head. She did want to ask why the [Godslayer Spear: Longinus] caused such strange side effects, but seeing the way Lucine was glaring at her, she decided it was best to hold back her curiosity for now…
Seeing that Violet had finally dropped the odd topic, the vampire princess let out a small breath of relief. Then, without any trace of elegance, she downed her lethally sweetened tea in one gulp before smoothly shifting the conversation.
"Now, back to the main topic. Violet, how much do you actually know about that little dragon’s situation and the danger she’s in? Why are you protecting her?"
It sounded like a question, but before Violet could answer, Lucine continued on her own.
"She’s an anomaly. Even among dragons, she is something entirely different. That alone makes her a target. Right now, the world is heading toward the greatest upheaval it has seen in a thousand years. You, me, and even Sainz, perhaps we can protect her for a time, but none of us can stay by her side forever.”
"The dragons once did me a great favor, so I want to help that child."
"But this isn’t something I can accomplish alone. That’s why I’m asking for your support, as her protector. I propose an alliance between us, to face the coming threats together."
"Of course, you have every right to doubt my motives. I have no proof to back up what I’m saying, nor do I have any leverage that could sway a god-level being like you. But if you truly care about that child’s well-being, then please, try to trust me. The forces at play are beyond what any individual can handle alone. Even a god like you is no exception."
"...That’s all."
When the conversation shifted to important topics like Xiao Guang and the Twilight Council, the playful look on Violet's face quickly faded. She nodded slightly, her expression turning serious as she considered the situation.
"It seems the Headmaster knows quite a lot about them... Your proposal is interesting. I'm open to further cooperation, but I’ll need more information and sincerity from you first. Let me hear what you have in mind."
"Alright. Let’s start from the very beginning, our Bloodline’s origins and the Vampire Ancestor, the one who created us. But before we get into that, Violet, have you ever heard the name Morst?"
……………………………………………
"[Morst Underground Labyrinth]?"
Hearing that name, Lenka, who had been idly swinging her legs while sitting on the bed, suddenly bounced up, her dragon-like vertical pupils gleaming with excitement.
"No way! The tournament is that hardcore? They're actually sending everyone to explore the Underground Labyrinth, the world-famous Morst? Honestly, I’ve never been there before!"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Violet, who had just gotten some top-secret intel from a certain Headmaster, gently nodded. Smiling, she reached out to ruffle the golden-haired dragon girl lazily sprawled across her lap. The little dragon girl lifted her head, eyes filled with curiosity.
"Your [Experimental Class] has a team participating in this tournament as well. For certain reasons, I’ll be placing a seal on Light, temporarily limiting her power to around Legendary level. Of course, she can choose to break the seal if necessary, but I’d prefer that she not do so during the tournament unless absolutely required. Do you both understand?"
"Huh? Why seal Sister Light’s power? I thought we’d have an easy win…"
Lenka immediately groaned in disappointment, mourning their lost advantage. But Xiao Guang herself only blinked in surprise before sitting up straight. She curled up like a little duck on Violet's bed, nodding thoughtfully.
"Hmm… That actually sounds interesting. Do you have any other instructions, Sister?"
"Yes. Aside from completing the tournament’s official objectives, I need you to do something else while you’re exploring the labyrinth. Here’s the plan…"