The Cornflower Witch

After the rippling shockwave that could shatter hearts and bloodlines had passed, Sylutia reappeared in the same spot. Though uninjured, her heart raced with panic.

After all, if she truly had only Second Tier strength and no method to dodge or teleport, she would have died from that attack just now.

This Mage Alliance isn't safe either, the girl thought to herself as she watched the lightning streak across the sky, beginning to consider how she should explain herself.

She didn't run around recklessly. Instead, she stood in a corner of the bell tower, weaving threads to densely cover the surrounding space.

A few seconds later, the lightning bolt closed in on the bell tower, circled rapidly in the air, then slowly descended.

Soon, the lightning form dissipated, reverting to a human shape as a figure in dark silver battle armor appeared.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" he asked, spotting the girl hiding inside the bell tower.

"My name is Hedra. I was just attacked." Sylutia dispelled the thread barrier and stepped out, pulling out the dull silver protective orb hanging at her waist.

After taking the spent protective orb, the man's expression softened considerably as he asked for the specifics.

"Two Fourth Tier Blood Clan members tried to recruit me. When I refused, they attempted to attack, and I dodged into this bell tower," Sylutia summarized briefly.

"Fourth Tier, two of them?" The man was somewhat surprised that this girl had survived an attack by the Blood Clan, but this wasn't the time for detailed questions.

"Where did they escape to?"

"I'm not sure. They saw lightning streaking across the sky and suddenly vanished into the darkness."

"I see." He prepared to give chase, but seeing Sylutia standing alone in the bell tower, he hesitated and slowed his pace.

"Never mind. I'll wait for backup a little longer."

The Blood Clan were extremely fast and excelled at fighting in the dark. He might not catch them, and more importantly, this girl clearly needed protection. If something happened to her, it would be his fault.

A few minutes later, backup arrived one after another, and they began tracking down the two Blood Clan members.

Elsewhere.

Two ghostly figures slipped through the dark alleyways. After silently sprinting several kilometers, they relaxed slightly and entered an abandoned public building to rest temporarily.

"What a pain. That girl actually dared to toy with us," the thin Blood Clan member said angrily.

"Hmph." The stocky figure grunted, cutting off his companion's complaints.

"Enough. Stop talking." Dwelling on it only made things worse.

"We're definitely exposed now. We'll need a different approach." He started considering what to do next. They couldn't just slink back north of the Ice Sea empty-handed, could they?

Just as the two were discussing their plans, a cold voice echoed through the hall.

"Why don't you tell me what's exposed?"

Hearing the sudden voice, both tensed up and jerked their heads up, spotting a young woman seated on a circular window. Her silhouette was bathed in the hazy moonlight, her honey-golden hair tinged with a faint silver-gray.

"Who are you?" The two frowned. She appeared to be only Second Tier, yet she had approached and sat there without them sensing a thing.

"Ugh..." The voice sighed. She leaped down lightly, landing silently with an indescribable natural grace.

She brushed her hair aside, and beneath the cascading tresses emerged a pair of truly scarlet, radiant eyes. Both men felt a jolt run through them, a deep, instinctive reverence and submission surging from within their bloodlines.

"You are... Princess Carmilla." The two quickly recalled, uttering the name.

There were only a few royal members of the Sea Cliff Blood Clan now. Based on rumors and descriptions, it was easy to guess, especially since this one was the younger sister of Her Majesty Catella, who had been living abroad.

"Oh, you still recognize me." The woman flicked her hair and sat down on the high podium in the hall, looking down at the two below.

"Tell me, why are you here?" Her tone was flat, making it impossible for them to gauge her mood.

"This... it's on Lord Ross's orders." The two lowered their heads in explanation.

"Ross. Let me think... Oh, that fool." Carmilla rested her cheek on one hand, recalling a brutish man she had never liked.

"What did he send you here for?"

"Lord Ross said to recruit and absorb geniuses from the Mage Alliance. If successful, he would reward us with 'True Scarlet Blood Brew.'"

Hearing this, Carmilla sneered from her seat on the podium.

"And you actually believed that?"

"If he really had True Scarlet Blood Brew, given his nature, he would have consumed it himself long ago. Why would he be generous enough to offer it as a reward?"

"Who do you think he is? A nouveau riche who's only been a Blood Clan member for two hundred years. No, not even that. Where would he get anything good to give you?" Carmilla mocked.

"But..." The two didn't dare argue, though they still felt resentful.

"Alright, I don't care about any of that. How many of you are there in this operation? Was it an order from Catella, or just one of Ross's harebrained schemes?"

"Her Majesty Catella has awakened many noble lords and is currently organizing and preparing some matters. We were sent by Lord Ross to carry out a mission at the Mage Alliance."

"So it was just a random idea Ross cooked up, and the two of you idiots came here to test your luck." Carmilla shook her head, looking as if she had expected as much.

"I knew it. My sister might have a dark heart, but she wouldn't stoop to such a tasteless, clumsy method."

"If I were running this plan, I would have sent a few handsome Blood Clan members. The two of you aren't exactly pleasant to look at." Carmilla shook her head again.

"Tell me, how many successes have you had? What exactly have you done?"

"Well, we haven't succeeded yet. Earlier, that kid Huadelin managed to escape, but we poisoned him with 'Bad Blood Poison.' As for that Hedra we targeted today, we don't know the outcome yet. She should be dead by now."

"Dead?" Carmilla frowned, suddenly struck by an absurd sense of waste.

"Yes. I used 'Blood Heart Shatter.' She was just a Second Tier apprentice. If the shockwave hit her, her heart would surely burst." The stocky Blood Clan member explained proudly.

"Shut up!" Carmilla's eyes widened, and an invisible pressure spread out, forcing the two, who had been so self-satisfied just moments ago, to their knees as their blood trembled in fear.

"You killed her just like that?" Carmilla repeated, her fury building in a way she could barely articulate.

First of all, a genius like Hedra had long been under the Mage Alliance's watch. If she died, not only would they gain nothing, but it would only provoke greater vigilance and hostility, forcing Carmilla to live even more carefully in the Mage Alliance.

Secondly, though she and Hedra hadn't interacted much, they were in the same class. The alluring, sweet fragrance Hedra emitted had long made Carmilla unconsciously regard her as a rare delicacy on her plate. Now, two idiots had ruined everything.

Since drifting on the Ice Sea for months, Carmilla felt that very few things could make her this angry and annoyed. Even being teased by those two lowly humans earlier, she had endured it, planning to settle the score later.

"Princess Carmilla, we... we really didn't mean to." Though they didn't know the relationship between that girl and the Blood Clan princess before them, the two were terrified of Carmilla's wrath and had to explain themselves carefully.

"You say you didn't mean to?" Carmilla felt that every word she exchanged with these two only fueled her anger further.

"Forget it." Suddenly, her tone went flat.

Just as the two felt a weight lift off their hearts and were about to breathe a sigh of relief, a strange sensation of distortion spread through their bodies. Then, they let out terrified, anguished cries.

The screams lasted only a few seconds before they both turned into swirling vortexes of blood foam.

Minutes later, two dark red blood crystals fell into Carmilla's hand. She glanced at them, shook her head with some distaste.

"I'll leave these for someone more pleasant to use." Then, her figure slowly faded into the darkness.