"Therefore, I gave him a little punishment... He's still alive now. Or rather, every piece of him hasn't died yet. Hmm... Have you heard of HeLa cells?"
From her understated description, an inexplicable sense of horror rose in Lloyd's heart, palpable, like a bone stuck in his throat.
"Damn it, you freak from the Adeptus Medicae..."
If only this doctor had come alone, he might not have been so apprehensive.
But the oppressive aura from the Burial Attendant holding the greatsword behind her was just too intense. The cold killing intent was clearly evident, as if she would take his head in the next second.
Just one step short... just one step, and he could have tasted the sweet fruit that was Rosalia...
Lloyd gritted his teeth tightly, a sense of frantic irritation rising within him. He clicked his tongue silently, quickly thrusting one hand into the half-open collar of his autumn coat.
Whoosh!
A silver-plated crossbow bolt tore through his coat tails, shooting suddenly at Haida. But she was already aware, tilting her sword to block it.
But this wasn't the end. Seizing this opening, Lloyd rapidly chanted an ancient, nameless prayer. Pitch-black, viscous blood plasma gushed from his body as if collapsing, converging into a pool of blood that continuously spread...
The Red Cup system's second-category, upper-tier secret art, [Blood-Wielding].
For humans, manipulating blood was a secret art that required later study, even placing demands on the deity worshipped. But for vampires... it was just an inborn talent.
"As expected, individuals over a century old can all wield [Blood-Wielding] to some extent. But the proficiency and completion aren't too high yet, and the posture isn't as elegant as Dancer Sines. Is it because you haven't returned to the old faith yet?"
Watching Lloyd hiding within a cocoon of blood, Fran commented with interest.
Just as Fran was about to say more, several chain-like blood thorns suddenly shot out from the blood pool, grabbing her arm, seemingly about to pull her into the pool.
But Lloyd had clearly forgotten one thing... When being prey, no matter what, never turn your back to the hunter.
Haida's gray-chestnut eyes suddenly focused. Gripping the hilt of the power sword 'Nirvana', she hurled it.
The blade's tip tore through the air with a cracking sound, pierced through the blood thorns, and then pinned the entire cocoon to the wall.
"Urgh..."
This sister's strength was much greater than an ordinary Evil Spawn's; she was the real freak...
Lloyd's chest was pierced straight through, and he violently vomited a mouthful of blood. The [Blood-Wielding], hard enough to rival steel, couldn't hold for even an instant, torn apart by the power sword's edge. It couldn't even make the sword deviate an inch.
As his strength weakened, the blood cocoon gradually softened.
Fran gently rubbed the rope burns on her wrist from the blood thorns, smoothly and naturally taking out the brass pocket watch from her pocket to check the time.
Tick, tick, tick, the clock swayed, seemingly rhythmic.
"Originally thought there were only two little White Cup kids, never expected a supervisor-level Secrets-Hunter watching too... Rosalia, the God of Fate favors you."
Lloyd noticed the ring with the Secrets-Hunter holy emblem on Haida's left index finger and gave a low, bitter laugh.
This sword piercing him wasn't silver, but it made his body feel an indescribable weakness. Strength and psyche were slowly weakening, as if being parasitically drained.
"Vampire, not trying to escape using [Bat Transformation] or [Blood Transformation]?"
Haida didn't pull out the power sword pinning Lloyd. Instead, she took out her wooden-handled clasp knife from under her sister's robe, ready to prevent his escape at any moment.
"That's the secret tradition of the Nolaria family; how would I know it? Oh, interesting... You've even hunted them?"
As if sensing life was about to end, Lloyd's tone became resigned.
Haida didn't care about the weakness he displayed and immediately began the interrogation.
"Why did you hunt Rosalia?"
"Not all noble Moon's Favored are willing to associate with livestock. The hypocrites of the White Cup are only willing to humor the antiques of the Elder Council because they're looking for a permanent way to deal with us..."
"I'm just following higher orders, tearing apart the illusions on both sides."
Lloyd looked directly at Haida, revealing a blood-drenched smile.
"Hey, young supervisor, what else do you want to know? How about you give me some blood, let me live a little longer, and I'll tell you more..."
Haida didn't mind his attitude, just glanced at Rosalia leaning in the corner. Seeing Fran had already begun emergency treatment on her, she continued questioning.
"The silver-plated barbed arrows you used are of Secrets-Hunter specifications. Meaning, your original intent was to frame us?"
"The Burial Court fanatics... disregarding commandments to kill a Moon's Favored envoy, how fitting. No need for ironclad evidence; just suspicion existing... the rift will spread on its own."
Lloyd's condition was strange.
He seemed to answer whatever was asked, and the content wasn't complete nonsense; it had some reference value. This made Haida, used to die-hard fanatics, quite unaccustomed.
Could there be fence-sitters even among the Blood Plague-inflicted madmen?
At the same time, although Lloyd's aura grew weaker, his spirit was nearly exhilarated...
In an instant, a sudden change occurred.
Pure, clear moonlight shone from the holy emblem on Lloyd's skin. Crescent-moon-like patterns rapidly spread until covering his entire body. His shell began to decay at a visible rate, but something new seemed to be gestating within.
Like a scaly butterfly pupating, a cicada molting, his pale spirit floated in the air, breaking free from the shackles of the flesh.
The Molting Moon system's second-category, upper-tier secret art [Separate Spirit and Flesh].
The reason Lloyd was so cooperative with Haida's interrogation was just to buy enough time.
Ordinary secret arts were easily detected when cast, but [Separate Spirit and Flesh] had high concealment... and was cast through the holy emblem inside the body, making it even harder to detect. Once his spirit became independent, he could easily escape the current desperate situation.
Lloyd, now a pure spirit, quickly passed through the walls of the guard hut and vanished into the shadows under the moon.
Although he had lost his physical body, as long as he became a wraith, he could still freely enjoy blood. Much better than dying under Haida's sword.
"Hey, Secrets-Hunter supervisor, Adeptus Medicae freak... Only this much."
Lloyd sneered, stretching his body under the night sky in gleeful madness.
—
"Hehe, hehehe..."
Watching Lloyd, eyes vacant, with a smile occasionally curling at the corner of his mouth, Haida narrowed her eyes slightly and asked Fran.
"Dr. Fran, why is he laughing foolishly... and waving his arms around?"
"In Lloyd's perception, his secret art [Separate Spirit and Flesh] succeeded, and he has escaped as a spirit. He's probably in a state of being beside himself with joy now."
"Exactly like his eldest brother back then."
Fran shook the chain of the brass pocket watch and put it back in her white coat pocket. She had now activated Drive Away Dust and Filth; a luminous, clear hemispherical field spread out from her.
"Miss Rosalia, disinfection and anesthesia are complete. I'm going to prepare to remove the arrowhead."
Rosalia's crimson eyes blinked slightly, wanting very much to respond to Fran. But due to the effects of anesthesia and muscle relaxants, she couldn't even speak now...
And this was only because vampires had basic drug resistance; an ordinary person would likely have lost consciousness already.
Under the cuts of the wraithbone lancet, the silver-plated barbed arrow, along with the surrounding burned flesh, was removed by Fran and placed on a nearby tray.
"Lloyd's camouflage work was very meticulous. The arrowhead was also coated with silver filings... These tiny silver particles can travel deep into the victim's body through blood vessels, causing continuous, deep damage."
"Indeed a technique commonly used by Secrets-Hunters for preparation."
"Fortunately, the silver filing particles were large enough to be separated using [Drive Away Dust and Filth]."
As she spoke, Fran put her devised medical plan into practice... About ten seconds later, she had a small box of silver filings still stained with blood.
"Done. Now we just need to wait for self-healing."
A large amount of flesh in Rosalia's abdomen had necrotized, including parts of her organs and intestines. But as long as the silver was removed, a vampire's vitality would probably restore it to normal within a few hours.
"Hmm~ Just in time for dinner. Miss Rosalia, would you like something to eat to replenish your strength?"
With a faint smile, Fran offered her wrist, which had been scratched by the blood thorns, to Rosalia's lips.
This... Rosalia was momentarily alarmed.
Who knew what the consequences of drinking this doctor's blood would be? Glancing at Lloyd, pinned to the wall and acting madly, she didn't quite dare to take a bite.
But the fragrance of blood lingered at the tip of her nose, sweet and mellow, brimming with an intoxicating vitality... She really couldn't convince herself to give it up.
A few seconds of decision felt like an entire century to Rosalia. In the end, she set aside fear and reservation, extended her pale pink tongue to lick the wound on Fran's wrist.
As she drank Fran's blood, Rosalia felt a blissful sensation as if falling into clouds. Rich life force intertwined with pure psyche; even just a few drops were enough to make her sink into an unforgettable, intoxicating drunkenness.
At the same time, due to the Nolaria family's secret tradition, extremely fragmented memory fragments flashed through her mind.
—First to sound was a woman's voice, gentle almost to the point of softness.
"Teacher Flamel, how is the potion I brewed this time?"
"Inadequate proficiency, imperfect proportions, insufficient extraction of active ingredients. I can give you 70 points, but I suggest you redo it. If this is your level even after graduating, remember not to give your teacher's name if something goes wrong."
The woman's voice responding was cool and languid, with a hint of teasing.
The memory images were fragmented almost to the point of tearing, the two figures blurred and illusory, like a skipped-frame, faded film reel... unclear.
The brief scene completely vanished, and Rosalia came back to her senses from the immersion.
By now, Fran had stood up and bandaged the wound on her wrist with a bandage. Although an injury of this degree didn't need treatment for her, practicing on herself from time to time could effectively prevent her skills from getting rusty.
...
[The 'Moon's Favored' Rosalia Nolaria has been healed. This month's routine house call task is complete. Completion: S. Your next monthly house call will be randomly triggered next month.]
[This consultation's fee: Unknown biological material x1 (Fine quality. Unidentified)]
[Your Parsing Rate changes: Xenology (33.5% → 34.0%).]
Since the house call target was a vampire, the Xenology Parsing Rate increased... Pity the increase wasn't high, far less than the emergency with Luyala.
"Rest for a while, Miss Rosalia. By my estimate, the Error-Purgers should be arriving soon."
Fran rubbed her slightly dark eye circles; she could already hear neat, hurried footsteps outside the hut.
Bang!
The hut door was kicked open, and Utus was the first to enter the room.
After looking around, his expression quickly switched from alertness to bewilderment.
Rosalia was lying on the floor, surrounded by unfamiliar medical equipment; surgery seemed to be over. Sister Haida stood with a doctor, and a vampire was pinned to the wall, constantly cackling...
"Sister Haida, pleased to see you again. But... why are you here?"
After a moment of silence, Utus spoke first, breaking the awkward silence.
"A Confidential Division agent discovered Miss Rosalia was attacked at the North District boundary. I came to perform a rescue mission."
Haida maintained a straight face, speaking officialese almost earnestly.
Although the Secrets-Hunter commandments stated "may conceal, but not deceive," sometimes a reasonable lie was more believable than an absurd truth.
She lightly touched the knuckle of her index finger; the brass ring engraved with the horizontal edge shimmered subtly.
Had she been promoted to supervisor of the Burial Court already? Utus nodded slightly, understanding in his heart.
But the Confidential Division could react so quickly even to an attack at the North District boundary? No wonder the heterodox proverb said "Ravens are everywhere."
And Haida was also observing Utus. This professor from the Oceanography Department rarely acted during the last purge mission, making it hard for her to accurately judge his specific strength.
In the sewers, Utus mainly used a relic flintlock pistol. And aside from shooting, he didn't show any other talents. But just now when entering the room, he wasn't holding a gun.
Knowing there might be danger inside, this was clearly unwise.
Meaning, Utus also mastered some form of close-quarters combat. And he was quite confident about it. Perhaps a secret art, perhaps a relic...
—
Utus made a tactical gesture to the Error-Purgers waiting outside to enter, signaling "safe."
...But this didn't mean he completely trusted Haida. The Error-Purgers responsible for inspecting the attack site found residual shell casings and arrowheads, all of Secrets-Hunter cult standard specifications.
What capacity and standpoint the hunters were involved in was still unknown. Maintaining vigilance was proper courtesy to both sides.
"Sister Haida, could you briefly describe what happened?"
"A traitor among the Moon's Favored planned to disguise himself as a hunter to ambush and kill Rosalia, tearing up the Budding Moon Covenant... I spent some time tracking and subduing him."
Haida pointed at Lloyd pinned to the wall, then grasped the hilt of 'Nirvana' and pulled the power sword out.
The vampire, losing support, immediately collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud.
"A traitor among the Moon's Favored... I think I understand the situation." Utus frowned, his expression turning serious.
If this attack came from the Red Cup, Sigil Stone, or other heterodox cults, then its nature could be very simply determined. But if it involved internal strife among the Moon's Favored... things would become complicated.
+++
T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL