Chapter 550: The Invitation (1)

Chapter 550: The Invitation (1)

The soft chirping of the birds outside the window stirred Kristina from her sleep early in the morning. She awoke refreshed as if she were emerging from a deep slumber.

“Ah.”

The sound of rippling water made her pause as she began to sit up, her shoulders tensing. Memories of the events before she lost consciousness slowly returned — Eugene’s baptism. The water in the bathtub was still warm, though it no longer shimmered with that initial, mystical Light.

[Are you awake?] Anise's voice reached her, and Kristina nodded without surprise.

‘Did you wake up before me?’ she inquired.

[I just woke up as well,] answered Anise.

Her mind was clear, not groggy. The only discomfort was her wet clothes clinging to her skin, but aside from that, she felt remarkably well — even better than usual, as if she were as light as a feather. N/nêw n0vel chap/ers are published o/n n0v/e/(lb)i(n.)co/m

[It is morning, but we have not just passed a single dawn. We must have been unconscious for several days,] commented Anise.

But Kristina felt no hunger. She felt a fullness within her as she finally stood up. With a swoosh, the water in the bathtub evaporated completely.

‘Have you not seen Sir Eugene?’ asked Kristina.

[It's true I woke before you, but only by about ten minutes. Hamel wasn’t in the room then,] Anise said with a small sigh. [That's actually worrying. Given Hamel's nature, he wouldn't leave us alone in the room without a good reason. His absence must be because of something important.]

Kristina started worrying, ‘Could something have happened to Sir Eugene? After all the blood he shed for us—’

[Are you being serious? Kristina, I can't imagine Hamel fainting from blood loss, can you?] Anise interrupted her.

‘But Sister, you are concerned about Eugene's safety—’ said Kristina.

Anise interrupted once more with a reminder, [Yes, I am worried. While we were unconscious, something sinister might have lured Hamel away. Don't you remember what happened before the baptism? It wasn’t just us and Hamel in this room.]

Kristina's expression hardened. It had been several days, perhaps, but Ciel had also been in that room, freshly bathed and perfumed.

[We must not overlook Ciel. It’s been a year since they last met, and he did nothing for her. That girl must be harboring some resentment,] said Anise.

‘Gasp....’

[Who knows what tricks she might have tried while we were asleep? She might have forced Hamel against his will...,] Anise continued explaining.

‘How dare she aim for Sir Hamel’s virginity!’ Kristina exclaimed.

Kristina's shout made Anise momentarily speechless. At most, she had imagined a forceful hug or a date. Kristina’s interjection took it to an unexpectedly drastic conclusion.

In the aftermath of Kristina's outburst, Anise couldn't help but feel a tangle of complicated questions.

Was it right to refer to Hamel as a virgin? Anise knew that during his days as a mercenary, Hamel had had his share of sexual encounters. Back then, and even now, such was common practice among mercenaries, so Anise hadn't really dwelled on it. Surely, Hamel was no virgin, right?

‘What are you talking about, Sister? He’s Sir Eugene, not Sir Hamel now,’ Kristina reminded.

[What?] questioned Anise.

‘His body is different, and his name is different. And love did not exist in the reckless escapades of his mercenary days,’ explained Kristina.

[What...?] Anise asked, dumbfounded.

‘Sir Eugene's body is new, and his name is new. That makes him all the more valuable and in need of protection,’ Kristina declared.

With that, she abruptly shed her clothes.

Why was she undressing? Because her clothes were wet. Were there clothes to change into? Yes, there were. Neatly arranged on the bed were garments meant for the Saints, prepared ahead of time for when she might come to her senses.

However, Kristina did not even spare a glance at those clothes. She hesitated only briefly before coming to a decision and crossing the room naked. This was Eugene's room, and one side of the spacious chamber had a door leading to a dressing room.

[Good heavens, good heavens...!] Anise exclaimed, thoroughly shocked.

The devilish and shameless thoughts that Kristina harbored, then the swiftness with which she made her resolve were too much for Anise to handle.

Kristina was now entering a forbidden place that neither Sienna nor even Ciel, who had lived in the mansion with Eugene for the past ten years, had dared enter. Eugene had frequented this dressing room in nothing but his primal state since his childhood. The Saints were the first to invade his room among the females.

No, they were unlikely to be the first, though. Nina had dedicated herself to serving Eugene since his childhood. She might have entered several times, but she had done so out of professional necessity. As such, Kristina quickly erased Nina’s name from her thoughts.

[Good heavens, good heavens, good heavens...!] Anise kept muttering, gasping for air.

Having casually discarded her wet clothes, Kristina had now draped herself in one of Eugene’s shirts. Given the height difference between her and Eugene, the shirt's hem reached her thighs.

[Could it be, could it be...?] Anise's voice trembled.

She was now entertaining thoughts that a priest, and especially the Saint, should never have — thoughts that were lascivious and diabolical. This sacrilegious attire could, by shedding yet another layer of human decency, become a different kind of sacred. The Saint would no longer be the Saint but a saint in a different sense.

Fortunately, a sliver of reason remained within Kristina. She shook off the stern thoughts wandering through her mind, modestly fastened the shirt's buttons, and stepped outside. She then dressed herself with neatly folded undergarments and trousers that were laid out on the bed.

[Ah... well done,] complimented Anise.

While many things distinguish humans from beasts, Anise considered clothing to be one of them. Yet, a part of her felt a slight regret. If Kristina had truly abandoned her reason and fallen, and if Hamel had witnessed that, Anise was just a little curious about what his reaction would have been.

"Let's go find Sir Eugene,” said Kristina.

Kristina had not lost her grip on reason, largely because this was the Lionheart estate. Had this been a sanctuary shared solely by Eugene and herself, she would have acted without hesitation, as it would naturally have been right, irrespective of propriety or reason.

But this was the Lionheart mansion, home not just to Eugene but to others as well. While she was fine with showing things to Eugene, they were not for the eyes of the others.

Just an hour earlier, Eugene had been in his room, waiting for the Saints to awaken, but now he was in the Lionheart's conference room.

Click, click, click.

The skeletons’ jawbones snapped, and their teeth clattered. From the hollow eye sockets, a faint malevolence flickered.

—Why?

—Why only you....

A voice laden with despair and malice reached her. Kristina unwittingly covered her mouth. A chill crept deep into her bones. The pile of bones in the fount stirred. Underneath the gurgling bubbles, someone raised their head.

—Kri... Kristina....

It was a face, decayed and disintegrated. Yet, Kristina recognized that face and voice. It was Sergio Rogeris, Kristina’s foster father.

—What did I... do wrong....

She covered her mouth with her hand as she looked at him.

She had never thought of him as a father. Nor had Sergio ever shown paternal love towards her. To Kristina, her foster father was a symbol of resentment, oppression, and fear. For Sergio, Kristina was nothing more than a saint to be meticulously crafted and perfected.

—If you.... If you... didn’t exist....

But seeing him made Kristina shudder. Emotions about her foster father that she thought she had completely shaken off began to stealthily crawl up from the depths of her heart.

Under normal circumstances, she would not feel this way. Sergio’s death had truly had no impact on her. All the despair of her childhood and the emotions and duties implanted in her while being made into the Saint had disappeared after she watched the fireworks with Eugene and with the journeys that followed.

But....

No matter how much of the resentment and negative emotions she had shaken off, Kristina was still human. Seeing such a scene recreated a flicker of emotion.

The despair and resentment vomited by the bones of past Saints. The curse of her decayed foster father. These small emotions were amplified against her will. Thus, Kristina's mind was briefly seized by a nightmare.

"My goodness." A voice drifted from beyond the twilight. "One would expect such a vision, but your nightmare is rather dull and uninteresting."

A chuckle followed. Kristina was startled and turned her head.

Noir Giabella appeared, her figure silhouetted against the dusk. She had her arms crossed, and she was grinning.

"Ah, don’t feel too embarrassed. You’re not the only one who has had a nightmare. My Hamel, who saw the invitation first, Sienna Merdein, and...."

Noir's smile deepened.

"Anise Slywood, who is intertwined with you, also experienced nightmares. Each one different."

"You.” A voice came from beside Kristina. Anise had appeared next to her. She steadied her trembling legs and stood upright, glaring at Noir. "You whore...!"

"It’s good to hear your voice directly. It’s been a while, Anise,” responded Noir.

"What is this trickery? Why did Hamel—" Anise started asking.

"Why did he show you the invitation, you ask?" Noir interrupted.

She smirked maliciously. The words were ones Kristina hadn’t dared to utter. This unpleasant nightmare had been induced by the invitation. There was no need to show them.

"Did you really think I didn't know about you two?" questioned Noir.

She laughed softly.

"Ah, let me be honest. Until I saw you at the duel arena, I wasn’t sure either. I had my suspicions, but no confirmation. But at the arena, I instantly knew. I could see how entangled you all were,” said Noir.

Anise just listened with narrowed eyes.

"And this invitation, in such a form, heh, is due to my kind consideration,” continued Noir.

"Consideration?" Anise spat. She scrunched her face in disgust.

"Yes, consideration,” said Noir.

The playful smile vanished from Noir's face.

With a serious look, Noir said, "It's different from three hundred years ago, Anise Slywood. Back then, I was trivial and weak. I showed you nightmares several times, but I couldn't bring you to despair or break your spirit."

She took a step forward.

Wooooooo...!

A menacing sound emanated from the twilight behind her.

"But not anymore. Now, I can show you a nightmare that will never end. No matter how complete Kristina Rogers is as a Saint or how Sienna Merdein has transcended humanity, it means nothing to me now,” Noir stated.

"...What are you trying to say?" questioned Anise.

"It's simple,” said Noir.

The twilight twisted, and an overflowing red engulfed the sky.

"If you don't want to die, don’t come to my domain,” she warned.

Noir's figure blended into the crimson backdrop.

"Don’t come to interfere with Hamel and my end."

1. This is the first time we have seen this name. From this and later chapters, we realized that it is associated with Noir’s conjured dreams, more like a constant that’s seen in most of them, but it's not always there. I feel its associated with her powers of the Demoneye of Fantasy. ☜