The room was silent, save for the rhythmic, heavy breathing of the one still caught in the pull of exhaustion.
For a long mont, there was nothing—just the vast, hollow emptiness of a mind trying to anchor itself back to reality after a night of sensory overload.
'Is this what it's like?' phistopheles wondered, her gaze fixed on a singular, peeling crack in the ceiling.
'To sacrifice a legacy of sanctity just to tangle oneself in the ssy, fleeting heat of mortals and half-breeds?' She felt ancient, yet strangely hollow.
The silence should have been a comfort, a sanctuary for a forr Saintess now draped in shadow.
But then, the silence broke.
Smack.
The wet, unmistakable sound of lips eting.
Ngh… mmm.
A low, vibrating moan that seed to resonate through the very mattress.
phistopheles' eyes didn't move, but her internal monologue sharpened into a jagged blade.
'It's barely dawn.
The sun hasn't even fully cleared the horizon, and they are already back at it.
Do they have no sha?
No stamina limits?
No regard for the fact that a Duke-level threat is currently sharpening his taphorical knife for our throats?'
The sounds continued—a soft rustle of sheets, a sharp intake of breath, and the low, rumbling chuckle of Valerian that sounded far too satisfied for her liking.
'Doesn't this bastard know I am here'
Twitch.
Her left brow arched involuntarily.
Twitch. Twitch.
The rhythmic pulsing of her forehead was the only warning before she snapped.
The "holy" patience she once possessed had been burned away centuries ago, replaced by the short fuse of a demon who desperately needed a cup of coffee and a lot less public displays of affection.
With a growl of pure exasperation, she reached for the nearest projectile.
...
...
The pillow hit Liliana and squarely in the faces, breaking us apart with a startled yelp.
We turned to see phistopheles sitting up in bed, glaring at us with a mix of annoyance and amusent.
"Seriously?" she muttered, running a hand through her ssy black hair. "Can't you two keep it in your pants for five minutes? So of us are trying to sleep here."
Liliana pouted, rubbing her nose where the pillow had hit her.
"But ph,"she complained, "it's morning. Morning ans breakfast. And Valerian is my favorite breakfast."
phistopheles rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, so of us need our beauty sleep,"she retorted. 'Especially after previous night' she added inwardly. "And so of us have important things to do today that don't involve getting distracted by your constant humping."
I sighed, knowing she was right.
"Alright then Liliana get dressed we'll head to the dining room"
Liliana sighed dramatically, but began to gather her clothes and get dressed.
phistopheles watched her with a smirk, shaking her head.
"You're incorrigible," she muttered, swinging her legs out of bed and standing up.
She stretched languidly, her muscles popping and cracking.
"I'm going to take a shower," she announced, grabbing so clothes and heading towards the bathroom.
"Try not to start without ."
She disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Liliana and alone in the room.
Liliana finished dressing quickly, then turned to with a grin.
"Race you to the dining room?" she challenged, already heading for the door.
I laughed, shaking my head as I followed after her.
"You're on," I called back, hurrying to catch up.
....
...
The dining room was filled with a tense silence as everyone gathered around the table.
phistopheles sat beside , her grim expression making it clear that business was about to be discussed.
"Alright,"she began, her voice stern and serious."Are you ready for killing a duke?"
She looked around the table, making eye contact with each of us in turn.
Liliana sat across from , her earlier playfulness replaced by a focused intensity.
Aisha was seated beside her, her hands clasped tightly in her lap as she nodded solemnly.
Itook a deep breath, steeling myself for the task ahead.
Killing a duke was no small feat - it would require careful planning, precision, and a great deal of luck.
But I knew it had to be done.
"Yes," I said firmly. "I'm ready."
phistopheles nodded approvingly.
"Good," she said. "I managed to lure Austin in with the deal," phistopheles began, her voice cutting through the morning air like a cold blade.
"The promise of having Valerian for twenty-four hours was too much for his greed to resist. He'll almost certainly attempt to harvest your blood to fuel his recovery."
"So, what do we do?" Liliana asked, her usual playfulness replaced by a sharp, protective edge.
phistopheles leaned over the table, her gaze locking onto mine.
"We poison the well. Specifically, we poison Valerian's blood."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
phistopheles' expression softened slightly, her purple eyes clouding with uncharacteristic concern.
"Are you truly sure about this, Valerian? Letting Austin drain you... it will be agonizing. And even with your constitution, there is a risk the toxin could damage your own core before it ever touches his."
I took a deep breath, steeling my resolve. The phantom pains of what was to co already seed to tingle in my veins.
"I'm sure," I said grimly.
"Austin is a Duke-level threat, even in his crippled state. We can't beat him with a fair fight; we beat him by letting his own gluttony destroy him from the inside out."
Liliana reached out, her hand warm and grounding on my arm.
"We'll be right there, hidden in the shadows," she murmured.
"The mont he weakens, we finish him. You won't be alone."
Aisha nodded, her knuckles white as she gripped the edge of the table.
However, a flicker of doubt crossed her face.
"But wait—how can we be so certain he'll try to consu the blood? Austin is a Mage, not a Vampire. He doesn't strictly need blood to survive."
phistopheles leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table as she clasped her hands together. "Because I've seen his original blueprints," she offered a small, knowing smirk.
"He doesn't need it to survive, but he needs it to rebuild. His original plan involved a ritual using the heart-blood of a Dragon—a rare, potent catalyst for broken mana circuits.
Since he can't get that, he has convinced himself that Valerian—a unique hybrid of the highest order—is a suitable, perhaps even superior, substitute.
To a man as desperate as Austin, Valerian isn't a person; he's a walking elixir of immortality."
So," I muttered, "he doesn't need to be a vampire. He just needs the essence within the blood to jumpstart his core."
"Exactly," phistopheles confird.
"He will likely attempt a Blood-Mana Transfusion. He'll siphon your life force directly into his own veins through a magic circle."
"And that," Liliana interjected, a dark smirk playing on her lips, "is where the poison cos in. If he wants to drink from the well, he should be prepared for the water to be tainted."
Aisha looked between us, her face pale.
"But the poison... if it's in Valerian's blood, it will be in his heart, his lungs, his brain. How can we ensure the 'taint' only affects Austin?"
phistopheles reached into her robe and pulled out a small, obsidian vial that seed to swallow the morning light.
"It isn't a physical poison. It's a Cursed Blood Catalyst.
It remains dormant in the host's body—harmless, almost invisible—until it is introduced to a foreign mana signature that is actively trying to absorb it.
The mont Austin's broken circuits try to pull the power out of your blood, the catalyst will trigger, turning that 'recovery' into a localized magical explosion inside his own veins."
I stared at the vial. The plan was elegant, brutal, and incredibly dangerous.
"And what happens to when it triggers?" I asked.
phistopheles didn't blink.
"You'll feel like your veins are filled with liquid glass for a few minutes. But if you survive the initial shock, you'll be the only one standing while Austin is busy lting from the inside out."
phistopheles' smirk turned into a frown as she looked up at the ceiling, sensing the sudden magical disturbance.
Suddenly, two figures plumted through the air, crashing onto the dining table with a loud crack.
I jumped to my feet, my heart racing as I recognized the fallen individuals - Victor, my friend and fellow vampire hunter, and Mariabell, the powerful sorceress who had been helping us.
"Victor!" I exclaid, rushing to their sides.
They were both unconscious, their bodies sprawled across the broken tableware.
Liliana was already there, checking Mariabell's pulse.
"She's alive,"she said relieved.
"But barely."
phistopheles knelt beside Victor, examining him with a critical eye.
"He's in bad shape,"she muttered.
"Looks like they were attacked by so powerful magic....ah probably my gaurds outside."
Aisha hovered nearby, her hands glowing with healing energy. "Let help,"
Victor's eyes snapped open, his body tensing as he prepared to defend himself. Butas his gaze landed on , he paused, confusion etched on his face.
"Valerian?"hecroaked, his voice weak and raspy."Is that... is that really you?"
I nodded, relief flooding through ."It's ,"I said softly.
"You're safe now. We're all friends here."
Victor relaxed slightly, but his eyes were still wary as they darted around the room, taking in the unfamiliar faces of Liliana, phistopheles, and Aisha.
"What... what happened?" he asked, trying to sit up with a groan.
"The last thing I rember is being attacked by so kind of dark knight..."
Mariabell stirred beside him, her eyes fluttering open.
She looked around dazedly before focusing on Liliana.
"Liliana?" she murmured weakly.
"Is that... is that you?"
I sighed and looked at phistopheles with a twitching eyebrow....
She avoided my gaze and retorted "I didn't know alright! That these two would barge in...besides its not like I can disable them".
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