The Vampire's Curse

Olivia stood still, not feeling discouraged by her earlier stumble over the potted plant. Instead, she contemplated her opponent's likely next move.

If she were on the vampire path, and if she were in this environment facing an opponent not suited for close combat, how would she use her abilities?

The vampire's abilities resurfaced in Olivia's mind.

Curses?

Releasing bats to bite people?

The latter would definitely cause a commotion in the darkness, so the best choice seemed to be a curse.

A vampire of the Pilgrim class rank didn't possess many curses, and they only had temporary effects, but they still required caution.

'Magic mirror, magic mirror, how many curses can a vampire of the Pilgrim class rank use?'

【Slowness Curse, Dullness Curse, Absence Curse, Drowsiness Curse, and Heaviness Curse. A Pilgrim on the vampire path can only master these five curses.】

Olivia understood.

She reached into her pocket with her left hand and gripped a talisman. At that same moment, she felt as if something were pressing down on her brain; her desire to think suddenly evaporated.

Drowsiness Curse or Absence Curse?

It was likely the former.

As the thought flashed through her mind, Olivia pulled out her prepared talisman with maximum speed. However, the process was much slower than she expected. She felt as if she were moving in slow motion—not extremely slow, but clearly abnormal.

Slowness Curse?

As the thought occurred to her, Olivia tore the talisman. Immediately, under the dark ritual, an invisible burst of white light erupted, turning into specks of light that fell upon her like a refreshing drizzle, quickly dispelling the negative status effects.

It was a Purification Talisman!

Cyril, who had been preparing to strike from the shadows, felt his composure shatter at the sight. He hadn't expected his target to be carrying so many talismans, including a Purification Talisman that could counter curses.

His mind raced, and he realized he could no longer handle this target. He began to retreat silently, intending to reach the edge of the barrier, deactivate the ritual, and flee immediately. He had to report the news of the target's change in strength.

But just then, another gust of wind blew outward, causing his clothes to flap loudly.

Cyril's expression changed, and he muttered a popular curse from the Moriah Empire under his breath.

As the curse left his lips, Olivia's Cross Grace was already closing in.

Empowered by a Lightness Talisman, she had made her body lighter and her movements faster, closing the distance to Cyril instantly to launch her attack.

Cyril hurriedly leaned aside to dodge, but as soon as he evaded the first strike, Olivia's next blow followed immediately. He was forced into a series of desperate dodges, his movements becoming clumsy.

His eyes darted around, trying to find obstacles like the previous potted plant, hoping to use his dark vision to gain an advantage. However, the distraction made it even harder for him to evade. With a momentary lapse, a wound was slashed across his arm by Cross Grace. Blood instantly stained his sleeve, and he couldn't help but groan in pain.

He was forced to refocus entirely on Olivia's attacks. But as a vampire, how could he possibly be a match for an Ascetic in close-quarters combat?

Before long, Olivia had carved wound after wound into Cyril's body, leaving him screaming in pain.

The vampire transcendent path would eventually grant the ability to heal wounds rapidly, but that had nothing to do with Cyril, who was still only a Pilgrim.

Finally, Olivia pressed Cross Grace against Cyril's neck, the blade resting firmly against his skin.

"Still not willing to behave? Mr. Vampire, if you still harbor any unrealistic ideas, I'll have no choice but to turn you into a corpse," Olivia said unhurriedly.

During the battle, her wide-brimmed hat had fallen off at some point. Her long golden hair fluttered gently in the residual wind of the Wind-Chanting Talisman. She looked like a lady, yet possessed the aggressive edge of a thorny rose—a sight that was not lost on Cyril.

Cyril was momentarily dazed, then raised his hands with a bitter smile. "I still want to live. What do you want me to do?"

"Go deactivate the dark ritual," Olivia commanded.

Cyril had no choice but to comply. As he moved, Olivia followed him like a shadow, Cross Grace never leaving his neck. The icy sensation made him afraid to try anything extra.

As the dark ritual was deactivated, Olivia could finally see her surroundings clearly.

The fight had more or less affected the environment. It was mainly the wind from the Wind-Chanting Talisman that had blown many books off the shelves and onto the floor. Fortunately, no shelves had toppled, though some had shifted from their original positions.

"Should I go deactivate the barrier ritual next?" Cyril asked with a forced laugh.

Only then did Olivia take a good look at Cyril. The vampire looked no different from a normal young man, except his complexion was paler. He wore a white shirt, a black vest, and black trousers with tapered legs—a common style in Kaliron.

She shook her head. "No. First, you're going to clean up this mess. See those books on the floor? Pick them all up, put them back on the shelves, and straighten the shelves. Restore everything to how it was before."

Cyril squeezed out a smile. "As you wish, beautiful lady."

Feeling the cold spiritual weapon at his throat, Cyril did as he was told.

During this process, Olivia began to ask him questions, such as his name and information about the Bloody Sickle. To these, Cyril played the part of a cooperative prisoner and provided answers.

Whether the answers were true or false, Olivia couldn't be certain.

Olivia didn't ask too much. She felt that professional matters should be handled by professionals. Once she brought him to the church, she was confident the church's interrogators would not disappoint.

After making Cyril restore the library to its original state, she finally let him deactivate the barrier ritual.

The materials used for such rituals were consumed upon setup, making most of them difficult to recover for reuse.

Once the ritual was deactivated, Olivia struck suddenly. A heavy knife-hand strike landed on the back of Cyril's neck, knocking him unconscious instantly. As a Combat Expert, she knew exactly what kind of strike would induce unconsciousness, even if the target was a transcendent.

"Should I take him directly to the church now?" Olivia whispered.

Melanie, inside her pocket, finally spoke. "No, you don't need to do that yourself. Go find the library staff and have them fetch the constables. When the constables arrive, tell them to go to the church and bring the clergy."

The clergy didn't normally have patrol duties and weren't always visible outside the church, but constables could be found on every street.

Olivia nodded and immediately followed Melanie's instructions.

...

Not long after, Olivia and Melanie returned to the church. They first took Cyril to the interrogation room and handed him over to the church's specialists.

"Now it's time for the interrogation. I'll urge them to get useful information as quickly as possible. If it drags on too long, the other vampires might realize something is wrong. You did very well today," Melanie said, not holding back her praise for Olivia.

She had come out of Olivia's pocket and was looking at her with a smile full of appreciation.

She hadn't chosen to intervene herself when facing Cyril, partly to guard against other potential hidden enemies, and partly to give Olivia a chance for real combat.

Although Cyril clearly hadn't mastered all the vampire abilities of the Pilgrim class rank, Olivia was in a similar position. On paper, they were well-matched opponents.

Facing such an opponent, Olivia had won with relative ease. This proved she was calm enough in battle and knew how to analyze the situation—indispensable traits for a transcendent who would often face combat.

Olivia said modestly, "It's thanks to your guidance, Ms. Melanie, that I have such refined combat skills."

Melanie smiled, clearly pleased by the compliment, then said, "Before the information comes out, let's go to the meditation room. I'll teach you some more combat practice."

Olivia nodded immediately.

The two went to the meditation room, but their lesson hadn't lasted long before there was a knock on the door.

A member of the clergy had come from the interrogation room, bringing the results of Cyril's interrogation.