NOVPUB"Miss Beyard."
Just then, a young man with black hair approached, looking similarly young.
He raised his ceramic cup in a friendly gesture, filled to the brim with fresh blood.
Trailing behind him was a beautiful girl with golden long hair - Aiwass had just seen her in the resting room; she was number 15. Her deep blue eyes also exuded a bewitching attachment, thus appearing vacant.
"Sir Lindt."
Beyard was interrupted and, therefore, seemed displeased.
She lifted a finger to push her glasses and responded indifferently, "What do you require?"
"Far from it, Miss Beyard. I wouldn’t dare to instruct you."
The handsome black-haired youth smiled as he poured a pre-dinner drink for Beyard himself. Then when Beyard pinched the porcelain cup with one hand, he gently clinked his cup against hers, producing a clear sound.
"We don’t discuss serious matters in the manor," Beyard warned.
"Of course."
Sir Lindt nodded with a smile, patting the girl by his side, "I’ll trade this girl for number 14 for one night... would that be possible? I haven’t had her blood tonight, and she’s been well-fed for a week, her blood plentiful. Unlike this child... you’ve chosen her three times in a short period, her blood must be nearly drained by now.
"As you can see, I merely wish to taste just a bit - what must be the flavor of blood that has you so enchanted. I am curious and wish to feel the same emotion, to have our common language."
Sir Lindt spoke in a tone as polite and melodious as that of nobility.
Upon hearing these words, the girl beside him gave Lindt a heartbreakingly pitiful look, her vacant eyes filled with the sorrow and pain of abandonment. Yet, she made no move to resist.
"No."
Beyard’s refusal was immediate: "She is mine, until death."
"If you keep sucking her blood," Lindt looked at Aiwass, his expression one of pity, "she might truly die."
But Beyard just scoffed with a mocking smile, reiterating her point: "Until death."
Aiwass felt a rush of sweetness and enchantment - yet, deeper within, a part of him watched everything coldly. This brought him a strange sense of detachment, a flood of irrational emotions that expanded uncontrollably like spilled wine, rampantly flowing. Yet the deeper self merely held the wine cup, allowing the liquid to pass through his arms and seep back into his body.
Lindt received a cold reception, and his tone turned relatively unfriendly: "You’re too in love with her, Miss Beyard. It’s not good for her."
"This is what’s best."
Beyard replied.
Sir Lindt sighed, then bent down to bite into the girl’s neck beside him. Black smoke, the essence of the Path of Love, instantly filled her pupils as her body shook violently, letting out impassioned whimpers.
Her complexion turned pale at a visible rate, while Lindt’s eyes shimmered with a barely contained wild joy.
His handsome, slightly sinister pale face formed an intoxicating smile, even revealing dimples. The girl in his arms gradually quieted down - or perhaps neared unconsciousness.
As he let go of the girl’s body, two black-clad individuals wearing animal masks immediately came forward and supported - or rather, propped her up. Having satisfied himself, Lindt looked at the "pre-dinner drink" in his hand with disdain.
He casually handed the wine cup to a servant: "Give it to Cody."
"Yes."
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The servant responded.
A question flashed through Aiwass’s mind - who is Cody?
And soon enough, she received an answer.
A sleek black hound burst out from the shadows. Its eyes glowed crimson, and it emitted slow-moving black smoke tendrils.
It seemed to understand human speech, wagging its tail and rubbing against Sir Lindt. It then glanced at the girl in his arms, circling him endearingly.
"You can’t have this, Cody. This is mine," Sir Lindt smiled, looking energized with a post-blood-drinking flush, as lively as if still alive, "That’s yours."
The hound named Cody understood his words and approached the servant. The servant fed it the cup of blood.
Blood smeared around its muzzle, and then it dutifully returned to the edge of the area.
—What was this?
Aiwass felt puzzled.
He had never seen such a creature - not even in games.
But the Shadow Demon suddenly spoke, using Miss Assassin’s sweet voice to whisper: "That is a Bloodhound Beast, a synthetic creature that was popular during the imperial era. It was used to track those targeted by the Sons of the Moon... they can find quality bloodlines within a crowd; once they have tasted someone’s blood, they can smell the scent to locate the blood’s owner. Later, the technique became obsolete - mainly because the materials were expensive and not very useful, so the Sons of the Moon switched to rituals to find people instead."
"Which Energy Level?" Aiwass asked inwardly.
"Third."
Shadow Demon knew what Aiwass was wondering and explained, "That’s not Shadow Stealth, just common ’Blur’."
"Blur" meant becoming indistinct under bright light and invisible in low light or darkness. Compared to true invisibility, the movement caused the surrounding air to distort, so once it moved, it was easy to detect.
"Even dogs are at the Third Power Level..."
Aiwass murmured.
He felt a slight sinking in his heart.
If that was the case, then it wasn’t surprising that among the guests coming and going there were those of the Fourth or even Fifth Power Level.
