Chapter 149: Iona's Observation Diary (4)

Chapter 149: Iona's Observation Diary (4)

Thanks to the lights left on, I could take in the whole scene of the laboratory at a glance.

Unidentifiable experimental tools. A large desk. Piles of books on it.

And lastly, a portrait of Iona in the center of the wall, asserting its presence.

Oh my.

Who would hang such a large portrait of themselves?

It felt as if I were hearing a phantom voice announcing, Iona has arrived! from the portrait.

Sigh.

It was somewhat absurd, but the laboratory itself was quite well organized.

However, since I didnt know when Iona might return, I couldnt stay long. I must quickly finish my business and leave.

For that reason, I first headed towards the desk.

After all, even if I looked at the experimental tools, I wouldnt understand any of them.

If I had to say, maybe the bubbling dark red liquid emitting a smell of blood?

Even if not, it was like a magicians instinct to record important matters. Something would turn up if I searched.

Lets see

The first thing that caught my eye was a book, opened as if someone were just about to read it, and a sprawled notebook beside it.

First, I skimmed through the book.

The genius magician does not kneel!

Pink Lotus squatted down with her legs spread in an M shape.

It was a natural and dignified pose.

Yikes.

Wasnt this the so-called genius magician book I borrowed from the library last time?

I read it out of curiosity, but it was just a plain erotic story.

No. Maybe it was an exceptional erotic story because it was somewhat arousing?

Anyway, it didnt feel like it contained any great secrets.

Well, there could be a cipher that only appeared if you knew the decryption method

But thinking that far was endless. Id have to see if I could get another copy at the bookstore this weekend.

Since it seemed to be a mass-produced book with a publishers logo on the cover, not a one-of-a-kind item made by an individual.

Nodding to myself, I returned to the original page and reached for the notebook beside it.

The touch of soft, durable, high-quality leather. It even seemed to be enchanted with some kind of magic, as I could feel a strange flow of mana.

If it was an enchantment that could be useful for a notebook, maybe a preservation spell?

It was a relatively common magic, but permanent enchantments were quite expensive on their own.

This notebook alone was probably worth all the books piled around it.

Realizing that made me snap back to reality.

Using such an item meant that Iona treasured it greatly.

A student sneaking into a professors lab and peeking at a treasured notebook?

Even in the best case, wasnt this stalking, and in the worst case, was it spying?

Hesitating at the thought, I realized it was too late to second-guess.

Once inside the lab, there was no turning back.

Suppressing my racing heart with the thought of doing something wrong, I opened the notebook.

Rustle.

I wondered if the Lord saw something in Iona? Or was it just, as Iona said, a way to encourage her to live strongly from now on?

Either way, it doesnt matter.

I couldnt know for sure since there was nothing written about Ionas human days, but her past was certainly a bleak one.

To Iona, the affection of the other clan members and the Lords occasional silly pranks must have been a great source of strength.

Indeed, the newly turned vampire Iona was gradually brightening up, delighted, and moved by even the smallest things.

A story never mentioned in H&A. Now, a tale known only to herself, meticulously recorded in this notebook.

Now I understand the Iona who was blindly obsessed with revenge.

From the start, the Francesca Clan was different from ordinary vampire clans more like a family in a good sense.

Having been massacred, the grudge was embedded in her bones, unforgettable even if she wished to forget.

With mixed feelings, I sighed deeply and continued reading the notebook.

The Iona, in the notebook, learned magic, learned to fight, and learned to handle blood.

Thus, she gradually became a complete vampire.

-Today, I won in training again. Now, excluding the Lord, there seems to be no one in the clan stronger than me.

Its also because the other clan members do not like to fight but maybe my talent is exceptional.

To think I caught up with everyone in just 10 years.

Of course, my abilities are still but a faint light compared to the Lords.

-Once I was no longer getting beaten up wherever I went, the Lord allowed me to roam freely outside.

Being cooped up in the castle under the guise of training had been stifling. Ill pack my bags today and start traveling and enjoying myself tomorrow.

-The abandoned castle where the clan resides had a barrier created by the Lords power to block out sunlight, and I realized anew how amazing that was.

Avoiding sunlight and only moving at night was quite troublesome.

I found myself missing the warmth of the sun a bit.

-The outside world, which I hadnt seen in a long time, hadnt changed at all, even after 10 years.

I went to see what had become of my birth parents, who had tormented me so, only to find out they had both been dead for a long time.

Apparently, some noble who was originally going to buy me killed them all in a fit of rage?

Serves them right.

However, I became a bit depressed when I heard that my sister, Ayla, had gone missing.

Could that noble have taken her? Im not sure. I hope not

I investigated all the suspicious nobles just in case, but I couldnt find any traces of Ayla.

-I beat up some guys who picked fights with me here and there, but that should be okay, right?

-For some reason, there were people who came to capture me, so I beat them up, too. Thats okay right?

From here on, the notebook detailed Iona, causing havoc here and there.

So this was why she was famous even before the War of the Gods.

Iona thought she was using her power at a reasonable level, but to others, she must have seemed like a crazy vampire.

After all, even if someone provoked her first, she did things so easily, like beating up a large band of mercenaries or smashing knights heads in front of people.

And when a lord issued a decree to subdue her, she half-destroyed the lords castle and escaped.

It was no wonder her notoriety grew quickly with all the crazy things she did.

Even more so because Iona tried to avoid killing as much as possible at the time, the survivors spread the rumors and her infamy far and wide.

I knew Iona had made a name for herself in her younger days, but I didnt realize it was like this

Anyway, by the time Ionas notoriety had spread across the entire now-extinct Nerthia Kingdom.

-An Evil God descended.

The Great War began.