Celia opened her eyes. Before her stood the towering, solemn cathedral, its spire's cross gleaming under the direct sunlight, while the surrounding stained glass windows refracted a kaleidoscope of colorful light.
I'm... back? Wait, what time is it now...?
With lingering doubts, Celia turned her head. On the towering bell tower nearby, the hour hand pointed directly to eight in the morning.
“Eight in the morning... That means Rena has just left, and I am about to head in for morning prayers,” Celia thought.
She had undergone another death rewind...
Her memories of what had just happened were still somewhat blurry. Celia only remembered that at the very end of her consciousness, her craving for blood had reached its peak. She could feel her body slowly ceasing to belong to her, and her soul beginning to drift away...
The Destiny pathway? But could the Destiny pathway truly possess such abilities?
The blood array, the contract, and the final changes to her appearance all seemed to suggest that things were far from simple.
“Perhaps they were hiding their true pathway to make me lower my guard...” Celia surmised.
But why would they do that?
If they wanted her blood, they could have just taken it directly. After all, with the barrier of the Crafter's Sigil, her clone couldn't get inside, and she had no power to resist...
Did the stability of the Crafter's Sigil require time? Or did the activation of the blood array take time?
If so, how much time did they need?
And how did that man know she was coming?
Celia was still completely in the dark about these matters, but she knew that there might be one person who would know the answers!
At this thought, she put on the concealment black robe once more, held her holy scripture, and prepared to head to the black market.
As for morning prayers... she would skip them for now. The bishop wasn't around anyway!
...
Having just thrown the corpse of a troublemaker into the fire pit, John returned to his shop. He leaned back in his chair, wiped the sweat from his brow, and complained:
“Sigh, doing divination is so exhausting these days...”
“Man, once I've made enough money, I must buy a larger manor, hire a few obedient servants, and find a gentle, virtuous partner to settle down and live a peaceful life!”
He deeply envied the environment of the Northern Territory—stable, safe, and perfect for long-term residence. He was definitely going to move there in the future.
Just as he was lost in his daydream, a pale little hand suddenly reached onto his counter, catching him off guard.
“Hmm? Who is it?”
Could it be a remnant of the troublemakers from earlier whom he hadn't cleaned up properly?
As he pondered, an ethereal voice drifted up from below.
“Um... excuse me, I was wondering if I could...”
However, before a figure could even be seen, a loud crash suddenly echoed from the floor. The crystal ball that had been on the counter was now gone, leaving only a restless little hand.
His fists clenched in sheer annoyance!
Suppressing his anger, John looked down and realized that it was a black-haired girl dressed in coarse burlap clothes. She was standing in front of the counter, her bright, watery black eyes gazing up at him timidly.
A girl?
Seeing her cute face and hearing her somewhat ethereal, timid voice, John felt a slight flutter in his heart, and much of his anger melted away. However, he knew that doing anything would be a crime.
“Um... I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I just wanted to ask you for a favor...” The girl's voice carried a hint of a sob. The corners of her eyes were red, as if she had just finished crying.
Seeing this, John felt a pang of sympathy, but he still tapped the counter, pretending to be stern as he said, “Little one, this is no place for you.”
“I-I'm sorry...” The girl's voice was ethereal and beautiful, yet it could not hide her deep sorrow.
Hearing this voice, John's heart softened. He sighed and said:
“Sigh, little one, what kind of help do you want from me? Let's get one thing straight first: this is a divination shop. I can't grant your wishes, and my services aren't free.”
“Yes, I know... I just wanted to know some things... about the meaning behind the surname Claire...” The choking in the girl's voice subsided slightly.
However, upon hearing this, the man suddenly stood up, his eyes widening in utter disbelief.
“Why are you asking about that?!”
The man's trembling voice could no longer conceal the tempest raging in his heart.
The surname Claire... That bunch of vampires was not someone he could afford to provoke...
He just wanted to be an ordinary Astrologer and occasionally bury some bodies. How did he end up entangled in this kind of mess?
“Well... I just wanted to, I just wanted to...”
Before the girl could finish, John sternly cut her off. “No, absolutely not!”
“Even if I am despised by the Goddess Verdandi, choked to death by the stars, or bury myself in a fire pit, I will never reveal a single thing about those madmen!” John swore to the heavens.
“Oh... then what should I do...” Large, teardrop-like tears rolled down the girl's face, making her look incredibly pitiful.
John also seemed to realize that his outburst was a bit uncalled for. He sighed and asked calmly, “Uh, little one, tell me the truth. Why are you asking about this?”
“Well, because... I-I'm being hunted by them... They want my blood, they want to enslave me, and they want to force me into a contract... sob, it's so terrifying, truly terrifying. I just want to live a normal life, is that too much to ask...?”
That was indeed the kind of thing those madmen would do. Was she really being hunted?
A flicker of sympathy couldn't help but rise on John's face, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper, more profound dread.
“While I sympathize with your plight, a 'no' is a 'no.' You should leave. I really cannot help you with this.”
Ah, still not working? Since her clone acting pitiful didn't work, she would have to resort to Plan B, Celia plotted in the shadows.
Just as John was about to explain further, he was stunned to find that strange black flames had suddenly ignited around the girl. A faint mental contamination emanated from them, though it wasn't enough to drive him mad.
“Th-this is...”
“Shit, the Abyssal Order?!”
John retreated several steps in a hurry, instantly putting distance between himself and the girl.
Why them? What were they doing here?
He was just a diviner in a tiny shop!
In his shock, he suddenly felt a chill spread through his spine.
Something was pressed against his back...
Who was it...?
At that moment, a soft, sweet voice rang out from behind him:
“Don't move. This is an Abyssal Order robbery. Hands in the air!”
Rate on N.U.
