Horne was slightly startled.
The black-haired youth named Ize possessed a level of perception that far exceeded his expectations.
As long as a bloodkin did not actively use their abilities or expose their traits, their disguise was almost identical to a human’s. Ordinary people found it impossible to tell the difference.
How had he become suspicious?
Despite his internal vigilance, Horne maintained a gentle smile on his face, his tone relaxed and natural.
“Mr. Ize, you must be joking. If I were a bloodkin, how could I possibly get along so harmoniously with Lady Rose?”
“And how could Lady Rose feel at ease bringing me to meet such important friends like you?”
He skillfully deflected the question back to Rose’s identity and motives.
Ize remained unmoved, his sharp gaze fixed on Horne as he continued to voice his doubts.
“Isn’t it said that the bloodkin’s ability to convert companions is extremely strong? What if… Lady Rose has already been turned into a bloodkin by you?”
“If we go out of the city with you now, wouldn’t we be like lambs to the slaughter?”
He paused, adding pointedly, “Besides, I get the feeling… Lady Rose seems particularly obedient to you. That doesn’t exactly look like a relationship between ordinary friends or even a suitor and his lady.”
The moment these words were spoken, Rose’s face changed drastically, a flash of panic appearing in her eyes.
‘Has he really found out?’
She subconsciously tensed her body, barely able to suppress the urge to strike.
At that critical moment, Horne discreetly reached out and gently took Rose’s slightly trembling hand.
His movement was tender and natural, appearing like an intimate interaction between lovers.
He wore an expression of perfect helplessness and affection as he looked toward Ize, explaining to everyone, “Oh, so that’s where the misunderstanding lies. It’s my fault—it’s all my fault.”
He gave Rose a soulful look.
“To be honest, I’ve been pursuing Lady Rose for some time now, and she… she has already accepted my feelings.”
“It’s just that… considering I’m just a wandering merchant with no fixed home and a low status, she feared it would tarnish the reputation of the Betty family. That’s why Rose hasn’t dared to confess our relationship to her family or any of you yet.”
“I didn’t expect it to cause such a misunderstanding with Mr. Ize. I’m truly sorry.”
His explanation perfectly portrayed the image of a self-deprecating yet devoted suitor.
Upon hearing this, Sarah and Emma both wore expressions of sudden realization.
Emma even gave Swann a sympathetic look, whispering a comfort, “Junior Swann, it’s alright. You’ll definitely meet someone better and more suitable for you in the future.”
Sarah also patted Swann’s shoulder, her tone firm. “That’s right. Starry Academy has many excellent girls. I’ll help you look for one when the time comes. Not only are you Master Cleyra’s personal disciple, but you will also inherit your father’s title and revive the Raymond family. Your future is limitless.”
Even little Dini nodded her small head. Although she seemed a bit disappointed, she spoke obediently, “Although… although I really hoped Brother Swann could be with Sister Rose… I also respect Sister Rose’s own choice.”
Learning that Rose was truly with this man named Kyle did cause a subtle ripple in Swann’s heart.
After all, she was the person Swann had once been engaged to.
It would be a lie to say she didn’t care at all.
However, remembering Ize’s previous warning, the blood feud she carried, and the physical changes occurring in her body, she quickly let it go.
Indeed, her mind should be entirely focused on revenge and increasing her strength. Moreover, with her body gradually becoming more feminine, she and Rose were already on two parallel lines.
Whoever Rose was with really didn’t have much to do with her anymore.
Ize saw the other party skillfully resolve the crisis in a few sentences, even using the opportunity to establish a plausible identity.
He sneered inwardly, but his face suddenly relaxed. He burst into a laugh, as if the previous confrontation had truly been nothing more than a joke.
“Don’t be so tense. Relax a bit. I was just joking to test you. After all, things aren’t peaceful lately. It’s better for everyone if we’re a little careful.”
Horne maintained his smile and responded calmly, “Mr. Ize, I wasn’t nervous.”
Ize pointed a finger lightly toward Rose, his gaze meaningful.
“I meant… Lady Rose seemed a bit nervous.”
He shifted the conversation, his tone becoming seemingly casual, yet every word hit a nerve. “After all, the crisis in the Betty territory has been temporarily resolved, and Lady Rose hasn’t been captured by bloodkin, so there’s naturally no opportunity for a forced conversion.”
“It couldn’t be… that she ran out on her own, willingly became a bloodkin, and then came back to harm her own family, right?”
“Hahaha, that would be far too vile. I’m sure Lady Rose would never be that kind of person.”
When Sarah, Emma, and Swann heard Ize say this, the sliver of doubt that had risen in their hearts mostly dissipated.
Their thoughts were similar to Ize’s.
Rose was the one who had invited them to help. When the Hearts attacked previously, they had clearly intended to capture her, which proved she was still human not long ago.
Now that the bloodkin had just been repelled, how could Rose have had the chance or the desire to voluntarily become a bloodkin to harm her own relatives?
It made no sense logically or emotionally.
The corners of Rose’s mouth twitched slightly, and she forced a stiff smile, echoing, “That’s right… Mr. Ize really knows how to joke. How… how could I possibly do something so… animalistic?”
She lowered her eyelids, hiding the surging murderous intent in her eyes.
‘This Ize has such a foul mouth!’
‘I will definitely be the first to tear his mouth apart later!’
“Since the misunderstanding is cleared up,” Horne spoke up at the right time, as if everything had settled, “let’s hurry out of the city while it’s not yet completely dark. Otherwise, it might really become unsafe later.”
However, Ize waved his hand at that moment and spoke with a clear attitude.
“You guys go ahead. I won’t be joining you.”
Sarah and Emma were both stunned, asking in unison, “Ize, why aren’t you going?”
Ize explained with a look of total honesty, “Senior Sarah, Senior Emma, you know me. I value my little life very, very much. I’m terrified of dying.”
He rubbed his temples, showing a fitting amount of exhaustion.
“Besides, teaching Dini magic lately has been a bit tiring. My mental energy is quite spent. I just want to go back and get some good rest.”
Recalling Ize’s consistently cautious personality and the effort he had recently invested in teaching Dini, Sarah and Emma understood his choice.
Sarah nodded. “In that case, Brother Ize, go back and rest well. With me, Emma, and Swann here, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”
Emma agreed as well. “Yeah, Ize, you’ve really worked hard recently. Leave things here to us with peace of mind.”
Rose frowned, secretly hating Ize’s caution and meddling, but for the sake of Lord Horne’s plan, she could only suppress her resentment. She watched as Ize turned around and walked slowly toward the inner city.
However, after Ize left everyone’s sight, he didn’t actually return to his residence.
He quickly ducked into an empty dark alley, moved nimbly to don the **[Shadow Shroud]**, put on a mask, and consumed a **[Presence-Concealing Potion]** and a **[Voice-Changing Potion]** that could temporarily alter his voice.
To be safe, he also quickly set up a small magic teleportation array coordinate in a hidden corner deep in the alley to serve as an escape route for a critical moment.
Only after making full preparations did he silently catch up with Rose’s group, trailing far behind.
This time, facing the system’s three options, a bold idea had formed in Ize’s mind—he wanted to try to complete all of them at once!
Ever since he had unintentionally completed two tasks at the same time, he had been pondering this possibility.
Whether it was the rare magic, martial arts, and magical tools exchanged with Protagonist Points, or the demonic bloodlines and subordinates exchanged with Villain Points, both held significant appeal for him.
Previously, he had been too worried to try, but now that the system’s intelligence had answered some of his doubts, he naturally set his sights on these generous rewards.
Of course, Ize always strictly adhered to his “cautious path” principles.
Trying was one thing, but if he discovered something was impossible or the danger exceeded his control, his first choice would always be to protect himself and make a strategic retreat.
In his set of values, his own life was more important than any reward.
—
The group left the inner city of the Betty territory and, under the lead of Rose and Horne, walked toward the remote outskirts.
Initially, Dini was full of curiosity about the unknown “fun place” and kept asking questions. Rose managed to brush her off patiently with a few words.
But as the journey went on and the surroundings became increasingly desolate, Rose gradually fell silent and stopped speaking.
Seeing that they were getting further from the inner city and that nothing remained but the sound of the wind and occasional insect chirps, Sarah’s sense of unease grew stronger.
She stopped in her tracks, asking again with an undeniably serious tone, “Lady Rose, how much further do we have to go? Where exactly is the place you mentioned?”
Rose remained silent, but Horne smiled and pointed toward a blurry silhouette in the twilight.
“Look, it’s not far ahead. That castle is it.”
Sarah looked in that direction. Under the dim sky, she could faintly discern the dark shadow of an ancient castle.
After walking a bit further, a faint but unignorable scent of blood began to permeate the air.
“We can’t go any further!”
Sarah stopped abruptly, her voice carrying an absolute firmness.
“The scent ahead isn’t right. There’s likely a large gathering of bloodkin!”
Before her words had even fully landed, countless hair-raising hisses and low growls suddenly erupted from the shadows and behind ruined buildings!
In the next moment, dense crowds of low-level bloodkin with hollow eyes and distorted movements surged from all directions like a tide, instantly surrounding them!
Sarah, Emma, and Swann reacted extremely quickly. They immediately formed a back-to-back defensive formation, protecting Dini in the center as their magic surged.
Horne wore a perfect expression of terror mixed with self-reproach, his voice even trembling slightly. “How can this be… Why are there so many bloodkin here?! I’m sorry! I’m truly sorry! It’s all my fault for bringing everyone to such a dangerous place!”
He suppressed his internal sense of playful delight, striving to play the role of an innocent and regretful guide.
Seeing this, the kind-hearted Sarah comforted him despite her anxiety, “Mr. Kyle, it’s not your fault. This is an unexpected situation. Besides, these are just mindless low-level bloodkin. We can handle it. Just protect yourself!”
With that, she, Emma, and Swann moved quickly, starting to clear out the low-level bloodkin surging around them.
Horne retreated to the edge of the battle circle, watching the “performance” before him with leisure.
Looking at the figures of Sarah and the others fighting hard to protect Dini, he licked the corner of his mouth with his tongue, whispering in a voice only he could hear, “What vibrant, energetic young lives… Their blood must be incredibly sweet…”
His gaze finally locked onto Dini like a predator fixed on its prey. She was protected in the center, her small face pale with fear, watching the fighting Sarah and others with worry.
‘Let’s start with this little one.’
Hidden in the darkness, Ize held his breath and concentrated, calculating the distance and timing. He prepared to appear and save the day the moment Horne made his move.
However, at the very moment when the killing intent in Horne’s eyes exploded and his fangs slightly emerged as he prepared to pounce on Dini—
*Whir—!*
A beam of sword light, condensed with blazing battle aura as if it could tear through the night, suddenly descended from the sky!
The sword light did not slash at the surrounding low-level bloodkin but struck with absolute precision on the open ground between Horne and Dini. It left a deep gouge, and the powerful shockwave kicked up all the dust and gravel on the ground!
Immediately following that, a roar filled with endless rage thundered from behind the group, making their eardrums ache.
“Horne! Get! Away! From! Her!!!”
Dior’s figure arrived at high speed!
His eyes were blood-red as he stared fixedly at the man going by the name Kyle, the killing intent radiating from his body almost condensing into substance!