NOVPUBOn the other side, Prohibition held up a goblet filled with blood wine and sipped on it without changing her expression.
Blood soaked her lips, turning into the most resplendent crimson lipstick.
She sat on the woman’s lap and slightly turned around, with her arms wrapped backward around the woman’s neck. Then she smiled, brushed aside the hair by her temple, leaned down, and began to transfer the blood wine from her mouth into the other’s.
After spilling all the blood wine, she first leaned back slightly, their lips parting.
Then she gently exhaled in front of the woman’s nose like a kitten, breathing out a scent that stirred the woman’s predatory instincts. Then she kissed down again, her tongue still laced with the scent of blood, lightly scraping the woman’s palate.
It was akin to brushing a lion’s teeth with fresh meat, an incredibly dangerous act.
But because of this, when combined with her innocent face, it seemed exceptionally seductive.
—Prohibition watched the other’s captivated gaze and her lips curved slightly upward.
"Take me with you, my master…" she whispered seductively into the woman’s ear, her breath a mix of alcohol and blood.
In her bewitched, hollow pupils gleamed an adoration, accompanied by a charming dimpled smile.
She certainly knew how to stir a Son of the Moon’s desires.
The Sons of the Moon were the darlings of the Path of Love, naturally attaining Transcendent level on this Path. Like Giants on the Path of Strength and Gryphons on the Path of Authority, they could progress through the first few stages simply by accumulating enough strength, without needing to complete any advancement ritual. The Path of Love was one that emphasized savagery, bestiality, and instinct, it was a path dedicated to procreation.
For this reason, Sons of the Moon normally wouldn’t choose Blood Slaves of the same sexual orientation as themselves. If they liked men, they would choose female Blood Slaves and vice versa—to prevent themselves from falling in love with them.
When a Hunter falls in love with their prey, it means they have a vulnerability, becoming a joke.
However, for the Sons of the Moon on the Path of Love, their fierce and unpredictable emotions were also very easy to confuse.
To prevent themselves from falling in love with their prey—which in turn meant they were very prone to falling in love and could become extremely dangerous, obsessed, extreme, losing all reason—was also a Curse.
The Path of Love was a cursed path, and walking it resolutely meant one would inevitably face the curse.
The strong possessiveness of Sons of the Moon would also prompt them to take risks for their beloved. Compared with intense emotions, reason could easily be discounted.
From this perspective, Sons of the Moon were a species easily provoked, antagonized, and beguiled into traps. Hence, it was nearly impossible for a Son of the Moon to possess the adaptability of the Path of Wisdom.
Indeed this was the case.
The surviving Daffodil Duke, known to the Son of the Moon community, was destined to die for love in the future.
—Certainly, male Sons of the Moon usually didn’t like to restrain their desires; they preferred using various methods to fulfill their multiple desires simultaneously.
Because of this, regardless of the Son of the Moon’s gender, young, pure, and nobly-born aristocratic girls were the most favored as Blood Slaves.
Prohibition was privy to such esoteric knowledge because she herself was a Son of the Moon.
As a Son of the Moon of the Fifth Power Level, her rank was far above most present in the room.
She had once been caught in the throes of this curse and thus remembered how to properly invoke them.
Because Sons of the Moon could easily confuse emotional impulses while Lifedraining—if hunger coincided with a plethora of complex emotions like bloodlust, the drive to hunt, conquer, possess, or pity, it was easy for affection to be triggered. The more overlapping emotions, the easier it was for feelings to be conveyed.
Even she could not withstand such techniques, let alone a mere Third Power Level fledgling.
"Take me with you, master."
The girl murmured hypnotically, "I belong only to you… I only want to give myself to you."
Her lips slightly upturned, she leaned on the woman.
She gently nibbled on the woman’s neck. Her round, blunt, pale teeth didn’t even break the skin, but it made the woman tense abruptly.
For a moment, the woman was under the illusion—not as if a Blood Slave lay upon her, but rather, a predator of a higher rank than herself. The roles of hunter and prey silently switched between the two.
"...I will take you with me," the woman mumbled in a daze.
"You must make a vow, my dearest master…" said Prohibition in a lowered voice, biting the woman’s ear and softly speaking into it, "Say, ’I swear I will take you away’."
A silvery white glint appeared in her pupils—it was the trace of Transcendent power from the Path of Authority taking effect.
There were many in the hall, and she did not want others to notice this.
As a "Bound One," Prohibition could suppress her Lifedraining impulse, thus becoming more rational, and use vows to bind the actions of others.
She had limited Mana at her disposal, not even enough for a single "Binding," but her Path’s traits allowed her to acquire temporary Mana and life force through drinking blood—the blood wine she had just consumed had now become her Mana.
"I swear… ’I swear I will take you away’ from here."
When the other party unconsciously opened her mouth, a fleeting glimpse of silver-white shackles shimmered in the depths of the woman’s eyes.
Prohibition smiled satisfactorily, then clambered off her.
After achieving her goal, her expression almost immediately turned much colder. That delicate and juvenile visage exuded an aura of superiority and self-confidence. This demeanor caught the sidelong glances of the other Sons of the Moon in the hall.
— This time Prohibition’s assigned identity was that of an Informer.
But she wouldn’t inform unless it was necessary.
It wasn’t out of kindness or hope for others to escape—The fewer the people remaining after the New Moon Ritual, the higher the likelihood of promotion. They were all rivals, all enemies; there was no need for mercy.
The real reason was that once she informed, it meant she voluntarily entered the fray and stepped into the light. With enemies hidden and herself exposed, while everyone’s mana was low and their constitutions weak, the advantage of numbers and intelligence gained significance. Considering special victory conditions, concealing one’s identity was even more crucial.
Besides, even if an Informer completed their task of informing, it didn’t mean victory, it only meant additional points. In the end, she still had to find a way to leave this place.
As for tasks like meeting up with others...
— Let whoever loves doing it do it.
Prohibition chuckled, picked up the blood wine again, swirled it, and took a sip.
She tasted the blood not as a vampire, but as a human—this was still a rare experience.
How could the sweet blood become so bitter and fishy...
Just like herself when she died as a human... before she became a Son of the Moon.
She slightly raised her head and swallowed the now unpleasant blood. Her lips curled into a gentle smile as she turned back to look at the woman she had beguiled, her smile coy and charming.
She held her head high, extended her crimson tongue, licked her lips, and allowed a thin line of fresh blood to trickle down from the corner of her mouth, dripping onto her neck. It was almost like a hint to "tear along the dotted line."
The woman finally couldn’t resist her own instincts and swept her up in an embrace, kissing her neck.
Elsewhere.
Lily, who had transformed into a black-haired youth, felt nothing but boredom.
He wore thin pajamas and an unbuttoned robe, revealing strong pectorals and abs, and carefreely feasted in the waiting hall.
Unexpectedly, the food here was pretty good—there was roast beef, chicken, lamb soup, and oysters. Additionally, there were plenty of fresh fruits and strong liquors, only lacking in some carbohydrates.
Even after he had eaten his fill, nobody picked him. n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
— What am I doing here?
Lily, with a chain hanging around his neck, squatted beside a pillar, boredly watching as his companions were led away, while he nibbled on a turkey leg and belched.
He heard that on the girls’ side, they could only eat fruit and had to drink a lot of liquor.
Wondering whether the young master would get hungry...
He courteously tossed the bone into the trash can and lifted his glass for a drink.
— This liquor isn’t bad.
Let’s have some more oysters, folks.
And just then, Lily suddenly felt something extra in his shadow.
"Listen up, sir, remain calm."
A deep, hoarse voice that roared like a lion emanated from within her heart, "I’ve taken you hostage, don’t speak now..."
"— Shadow Demoness!"
Recognizing the familiar voice and feeling the response of the essence of shadows bestowed by the Shepherd’s Nurturing within her, Lily felt a mix of surprise and worry as she responded mentally, "You’re here? But... without your protection, what will become of the young master?"
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The Shadow Demon paused uncharacteristically at those words.
"... He said he doesn’t need my protection."
The Shadow Demon answered coolly, "And how did you get here?"
Hearing this, Lily also paused in the act of eating an oyster.
He looked up and downed the oyster in one gulp.
"How else," Lily replied lightly and composedly in his mind, "captured by the Sons of the Moon, obviously."
"... Hah, a bunch of depraved monsters."
The tone of the Shadow Demon was complex, filled with hatred.
