Chapter 48: Listen to the Echoes

【Seven Sins Eye】!

Eulalia clearly hadn’t expected the sudden shout. She recoiled instinctively. Seeing her rare retreat, Sevitis’s smile grew more arrogant.

If she were still in that human body, she wouldn’t dare be so reckless.

But now, she possessed a vampire physique far superior to her former self! Combined with her Soul Vein, she would definitely take down this arrogant Saint Candidate today!

‘Come on, let me see your weakness!’

【Name: Eulalia Olive.】

【Race: Human Race.】

【Rank: Fifth Rank, Mid Stage.】

【Introduction: Saint Candidate of the Holy Light Church; origin ???; valued by the Pope for ???.】

【Weakness: True Heart.】

【Soul Vein: Elegy of Heroic Spirits.】

【Ability Effect: ???】

Sevitis: ?

The question marks on her face were no fewer than those in the panel.

Though she’d long suspected this girl was hiding something, actually seeing the glaring “Fifth Rank, Mid Stage” and the string of obtrusive question marks made Sevitis doubt her own vampire existence.

‘Seriously, is this for real?! Is she even human? A twenty-year-old with Fifth-Rank strength? That’s rare across the entire continent—even high-blooded races can barely achieve it! What kind of freak are you?!’

‘Sure, the amount of info the panel shows depends on the power gap, but giving only two words for the “Weakness” field? That’s way too sloppy!’

‘What a scam!’

‘And what the hell is “True Heart”? Are hearts fake?’

‘What a useless comment! Any living creature’s heart is a fatal weak point. The problem is, if I had the ability to rip this woman’s heart out across levels, why would I need your crappy Soul Vein to find weaknesses?!’

Hope of relying on the panel was completely dashed. Sevitis gritted her teeth.

Since the panel was useless, she’d have to rely on herself. Surrender? Never!

I control my own fate, not the heavens!

“Fireball Art!”

Sevitis raised her hand and chanted, but the blazing fireball didn’t fly toward Eulalia.

Eulalia blinked in slight confusion.

Boom—!

The fireball struck the ground at Eulalia’s feet, exploding with a violent upward gust.

Seeing this, Sevitis’s lips curled into a triumphant smirk.

She’d tried direct attacks before. Since she knew they’d be blocked by that barrier, she wasn’t about to try again.

So this fireball wasn’t meant to hurt the girl—it was to use the blast’s airflow to flip up her skirt!

No matter how strong she was, the Saint Candidate was still a young girl.

If her skirt flew up, she’d instinctively reach down to cover it.

That moment of distraction would be Sevitis’s best chance to escape!

Only a fool would use Third-Rank strength to fight a Fifth-Rank monster.

Under Sevitis’s wicked gaze, the wind howled toward the hem of Eulalia’s skirt. The pure white fabric swayed…

…and then nothing.

Sevitis’s smile froze.

‘Why isn’t it moving? Don’t tell me Saint Candidate skirts come with built-in anti-exposure protection?’

Worse, that last attack had drained her remaining mana. She couldn’t even muster a second fireball.

If she’d known she’d run into this girl, she wouldn’t have wasted all her mana on a moment of satisfaction!

The golden-haired girl clearly hadn’t expected Sevitis to resort to such a dirty trick. After a brief shock, she understood her intent. Her pink cheeks puffed slightly.

“Honestly, pulling such bad tricks makes even me angry,” Eulalia said, narrowing her blue eyes. “If you apologize now, it’s not too late.”

Seeing her plan fail, Sevitis responded with action.

Like a cornered beast, the silver-haired girl lunged forward, opening her mouth and baring sharp fangs at the golden-haired girl’s pale neck.

‘No mana? So what? Even if I have to bite, I’ll make this girl taste vampire power!’

‘Sevitis would rather die than surrender!’

But before her fangs could touch the soft skin, a golden light burst forth.

When the light faded, Sevitis found the wicked woman gone. She herself was hanging in midair, limbs dangling, with someone gripping her waist from behind.

“Huh?” She stared blankly.

Where’s the golden hair?

Where’s the blood?

“It seems a naughty little wildcat needs a proper lesson,” Eulalia’s slightly annoyed yet gentle voice came from behind.

Before Sevitis could process the meaning, a sharp, stinging pain shot through her rear—

Smack!

“What the hell! Are you insane?!” Pain like an electric current shot from her butt to her brain. Sevitis flailed, but her mouth didn’t relent. “Are you brain-dead, you damn woman?! Let go!”

“A lady shouldn’t have such a foul mouth. Looks like I need to increase the force.”

No sooner said than Eulalia’s raised hand came down again.

Smack!!!

“Eep—!”

“I, I warn you! Let me down right now, or else!”

“Apologize nicely, and I’ll let you down.”

Smack!

“Dream on! I’m a proud demon race, I’d never apologize to a human…”

“Apologize.”

“If you hit me again, once I recover my mana, I’ll hang you up and…”

Smack!

Each time Sevitis shouted a threat, Eulalia ruthlessly spanked her perky little butt.

The crisp slaps and the girl’s angry curses echoed in the cave, even taking on a rhythmic pattern.

There was no point hoping anyone outside could hear—even right at the cave entrance.

After all, Sevitis was now painfully proving that the barrier used to block perception was indeed working diligently.

…

Meanwhile, outside the forest, the sun shone brightly and all was calm.

A girl with short, light-green hair blended into nature, silently crouching on a thick branch not far away, monitoring the still cave entrance.

“Wendy, did you find them?”

With a light flap of wings, a pink-haired girl descended, landing gracefully beside Wendy on the branch.

“Their last traces are near here, but I can’t pinpoint exactly where they went,” Wendy reported softly.

“Actually, those two must have jumped straight off the cliff last night. That’s why I couldn’t track their direction before.”

Wendy’s eyes showed a hint of admiration.

“Truly impressive—their intelligence and courage. Not only did they see through the truth beneath the cliff, but they also had the guts to take the leap.”

“An ordinary person, even knowing it was safe below, would be stopped by the survival instinct of facing a bottomless abyss. To reach this level… No wonder the Master specifically sent me to track them.”

“That really is impressive. But where is Miss?” Irene asked curiously.

“The Master just went into that cave. She said her intuition told her they’re inside, and told me to guard the entrance.”

Wendy clenched her fist, her green eyes full of self-blame.

“But in the end, the Master still had to act personally. I failed.”

Seeing her companion’s distress, Irene gently patted her shoulder.

“Hey, don’t think like that. With our current strength limited, you did an amazing job narrowing it down to this area. She trusted you with this task because of that.”

“Let’s just wait outside.”

“…I suppose so.” Wendy nodded.

“Oh, do you want some watermelon?”

Irene pulled out a large, round green watermelon from who knows where. With a wave of her hand, it split neatly into several slices.

“Watermelon? Where did you get that?” Wendy was stunned.

“Picked it up on the way here. On a hot day like this, nothing beats some icy watermelon,” Irene said with a smile, handing over a slice.

“But we’re on a mission…”

“Think of it as a reward for your hard work all night.”

“…Alright.”

Wendy finally gave in to temptation and took the slice from Irene.

And so, in the perilous forest, two girls sat side by side on a high branch, staring at the dark cave entrance while happily munching on watermelon.

“Mmm… red watermelon is the sweetest.”