Chapter 6: The Key

Facing the interaction between the two heroines, Vilan naturally wouldn’t make a fool of himself by going over.

After all, the trait of not liking men in yuri games wasn’t exclusive to Seleste—it was a common flaw among all the heroines, including Gloria.

He found a place to sit, lying listlessly on the tavern table.

He had no interest in listening to what the two were saying.

From his chest, he took out the veil his mother had entrusted to him before their parting, staring at it in confusion.

For some reason, after transmigrating, he began to gradually forget the matters of his previous life.

Apart from the plot of this world, he only vaguely remembered losing his parents at a young age and struggling on his own since then…

The details and specific images had become blurry.

He thought he could make up for past regrets in this life, but didn’t expect to walk the same path again.

In the morning, there were fewer people in the tavern, but small groups still sat scattered, talking.

Vilan seemed to sense a figure appear before him.

He looked up subconsciously.

A black-robed person?

“Who are you?”

The black-robed figure before him didn’t utter a word, but Vilan could hear heavy breathing from his mouth.

A pair of cold, blood-red eyes stared at Vilan from the darkness beneath the hood, like a predator watching its prey, sending chills down his spine.

Vilan immediately became alert, putting away his Mother’s Veil.

What was with this guy?

Could he be a pursuer, but why did he look so twisted?

He even felt as if he was facing someone deeply cursed, on the verge of becoming a high-ranked bloodkin.

The two stared at each other.

Vilan didn’t know what this guy was doing.

Secretly, he placed his hand under the table, constructing two arcane sigils.

But if he wanted to make a move, he should have done it already, right?

Was he waiting for something?

Just as he was dazed, the black-robed figure suddenly stood up, swung his shriveled arm, and threw something at Vilan.

Vilan thought it was a hidden weapon and instantly activated the arcane power in his hand, freezing the object in mid-air.

It fell heavily onto the table.

Before Vilan could react, the strange person had already run out.

“What a weirdo.”

Vilan shook his head, focusing on the item that had landed.

“What is this? A key?”

The black-robed person’s movement was large, disturbing those nearby.

Especially since Vilan had released arcane energy, traces of it lingered in the air.

“Vilan, what happened?”

Seleste stood up, looking toward Vilan, clearly checking if any pursuers had arrived.

“It’s nothing, sister. Just a strange black-robed person earlier. He gave me a key and then left. Do you know what this is?”

In Vilan’s view, although the black-robed person was odd, he just wanted to hand over the key.

Then what was his identity and purpose?

“A key?”

Seleste approached, taking the ancient key with intricate patterns.

She examined it carefully, then frowned.

It felt familiar, but she couldn’t say exactly why.

Beside her, Gloria spoke slowly:

“An artifact of the ancient Faren Empire style. Good craftsmanship—looks like it’s quite old. Even the aura of the Disaster God’s Curse on it has weakened.”

“Ancient Faren?”

Vilan was even more surprised than Seleste.

He had studied history for years in the Banshee Clan, so naturally he understood.

At least more than this harem king who only cared about flirting.

Faren’s history was long.

Originally, they were a people who migrated from the east.

At the time, the church had split into two factions due to a dispute between ‘spirit and matter,’ and the cathedral was divided into East and West.

The authority of the church was split in half, leading to endless conflict.

The Faren people came from further east, fought from behind, easily destroyed the East Cathedral, and quickly claimed a region of the continent.

Because their people came as exiles, they worshipped the Disaster God, praying to be spared from further suffering.

The Faren nearly occupied the entire continent, establishing an unprecedented Empire.

The remaining cities were guarded by the gods themselves.

What caught his attention most was the description of the Disaster God in the book at the time:

Undying and eternal, existing beyond all ages, transcending eternity.

Combining it with the Faren Empire’s history, Vilan believed this might be the closest god to a true deity.

However, later, the Disaster God gradually stopped responding to the Faren people.

The unprecedented Empire faced unprecedented burdens.

The Faren King believed that the Empire’s rule wouldn’t last long after his death, so he divided it into three parts for his three sons.

The Disaster God still did not answer.

So the three sons decisively chose to worship other gods, and thus the Faren Empire, which revered the Disaster God, slowly fell apart.

Vilan was quite interested in this fleeting Empire, and the legendary Disaster God was so mysterious that he didn’t expect to encounter artifacts from that short era.

“Can you tell what it opens? Is it a key for something?”

“Miss Seleste, I don’t know.”

Gloria’s tone was gentle, her entire presence exuding elegance that inexplicably drew people in.

Hearing this, Seleste handed the key back to Vilan.

“Since the curse’s aura is weak, it probably doesn’t have much effect. If you can’t figure it out, just keep it as a collector’s item. After all, it’s fate that you obtained it.”

“Alright.”

Seeing this, Vilan said no more and put it away.

He vaguely felt that this key was important, but couldn’t figure it out now.

“This must be the companion Miss Seleste mentioned. What a cute little fellow. My name is Gloria Kastain.”

Though Gloria’s voice was gentle and calm, in her blood-red eyes, Vilan still faintly sensed disdain and the look of a predator.

“Hello, Vilan Grey.”

Looking at the two before him, Vilan felt deeply helpless.

Not only were these two contemptuous yuri types, but they were also older than him, making him feel like a younger brother at times.

As for Gloria’s predatory gaze, Vilan didn’t feel concerned.

Although this Gloria was a pervert, yandere, cold-blooded, and had all sorts of issues, the prey she targeted were all women.

He wasn’t even on her menu, okay?

As Vilan looked away, Gloria quietly licked her lips.

She suddenly turned to Seleste beside her.

“I’ve changed my mind. I really don’t need your blood. Sometimes breaking the rules is fine.”

“I wouldn’t lie about such things.”

A smile appeared on Seleste’s usually calm face.

Vilan watched their reactions, utterly lost.

What on earth were they talking about?

In fact, Seleste had been surprised to see Gloria earlier, too.

She sat down and started a conversation.

Since she perfectly fit Gloria’s food criteria, Gloria was quite interested in Seleste.

As they talked, it came out that they were both heading to Aurora Academy.

Seleste hoped that in the entrance trial, this former lover could help her by using her Blood God Curse to unlock a Remnant in the trial.

The reward would be freely providing blood that would absolutely satisfy her.

For Gloria, blood was not just food but also a rationality suppressant.

High-quality blood was very important.

She thought Seleste wanted to offer herself and was pleased, but when she found out it was Vilan, who traveled with Seleste, Gloria’s face darkened.

Though Seleste knew she only accepted blood from women, having lived a second life, she also knew that after the Banshee Clan split and were hunted by Blood God Cultists, Gloria, who was obsessed with banshee blood and abandoned her own, stood out among them.

Although Vilan was male, he also had royal blood.

Seleste didn’t believe Gloria would be unmoved.

If Vilan’s blood wasn’t satisfactory, she promised to feed Gloria with her own.

Just as Seleste expected, though Gloria resisted males, the allure of Vilan’s blood was not something she could resist.

Thinking of this, Seleste looked at Vilan with relief.

She thought that from now on, she should treat him better.

If this guy could help feed Gloria, the glutton, her efforts would be worthwhile.

Her current strength was limited, so she had to recover quickly.

The Remnants in the trial were indispensable.

Vilan: “……”

The group sat for two hours.

During that time, Seleste said borrowing some of her blood could count as repayment for money lent.

Vilan was delighted.

What?

It could be considered repayment for borrowed money?

Then say no more—he agreed.

He didn’t even need to think to know this silly girl wanted to use his blood to entice Gloria.

He even wanted to laugh, not knowing that Gloria only accepted blood from women.

His own blood would probably make Gloria vomit at the smell.

Ruining the heroine’s good thing felt too satisfying.