The True Ancestor’s Blood Debt

Iqiyah paused her kneading. Through Seraphina’s clothes, she pinched a roll of soft flesh from the other woman’s abdomen, twisting and tugging at it playfully.

“You… you’re not one of those transmigrators who feign weakness to prey on others, are you?”

“After all, this world certainly has beings who deliberately suppress their own levels.”

“Surely you’re not that kind of shadowy individual… my little Seraphina?”

Iqiyah’s grip tightened, her sharp nails digging into Seraphina’s stomach, causing a pang of pain.

“Huh? Ahahaha, how could that possibly be?”

Seraphina was drenched in a cold sweat.

‘Damn it, she truly is the Blood Princess; she guessed it instantly.’

‘Yet, she only guessed half the truth. Feigning weakness to prey on others? With my utterly useless abilities, that was a feat beyond my reach in this lifetime.’

“Then explain yourself,” Iqiyah demanded, her voice thick with suspicion. It was difficult not to wonder if she had suffered some unpleasant experience in the past.

“This… this is a curse, you see, one I acquired during an adventure outside…”

Seraphina looked up at her mistress, who still held her close.

“A curse? Then I’ll have the manor’s physician dispel it for you once we return.”

“Yes, that would be wonderful,” Seraphina quickly agreed.

‘In any case, the physician likely wouldn’t be able to dispel the curse bestowed by the [Divine Blessing]. Let her try; once the physician confirmed its nature, it would surely assuage Iqiyah’s suspicions.’

Noticing her mistress still harbored doubts, Seraphina blinked innocently.

A flicker of guilt seemed to register in Seraphina’s eyes, causing Iqiyah’s brow to furrow. She narrowed her crimson eyes, though the tension quickly eased.

“Never mind, never mind. As a mistress, I should place my trust in my kin.”

“Besides, your role is merely my pet, not my combat familiar. There’s no need for me to be demanding about your fighting prowess.”

Iqiyah closed her eyes, shook her head, then rose to her feet. As if lifting a small cat, she took Seraphina by the arm and pulled her upright.

“Come along now. The patrol is over; it’s time to return home.”

Before Seraphina could fully react, the noble Blood Princess swept out of the room, heading directly into the opulent depths of the Blood Manor.

Seraphina had just moved to follow when her peripheral vision caught sight of three inert forms sprawled on the floor.

They were still breathing.

Left here, however, they would surely perish.

Seraphina instinctively touched her neck. The wound had long since healed, yet it had left an indelible scar upon her psyche.

‘Perhaps it was best to simply ignore them.’

As the dark thought took root, an unexpected sense of liberation washed over her.

‘Thousands of adventurers perished in dungeons each year. Adding these three—no, their entire four-person party—to the count would cause not a single ripple.’

‘Given the dungeon’s rich life essence, they would likely transform into Corpse Men upon death.’

‘It was a twisted form of strengthening, in a way.’

‘Indeed, a bright future awaited them all. How truly commendable, how truly joyous.’

With one final, fleeting glance at her former teammates, Seraphina turned and strode out of the chamber.

Yet suddenly—

“Save… save me…”

A chilling, hoarse whisper, like a phantom’s plea, echoed directly behind Seraphina. Her hairs instantly bristled, and her heart stumbled, skipping a beat.

In that single instant, countless films about vengeful spirits seeking retribution, memories from her previous life, flashed through Seraphina’s mind.

‘If these individuals simply perished here… would they not become vengeful spirits?’

‘She was the one who had drained them to this state. What if, one night, they came knocking while she slept…?’

A faint ache resonated in Seraphina’s throat.

‘They always said the greatest taboo for a transmigrator protagonist was to be a bleeding heart. Yet, at this moment, Seraphina was genuinely terrified that these three might one day transform into vengeful spirits, seeking her life.’

‘Perhaps she should save them after all. No, not fully save them, just partially.’

“[Excellent Life Recovery].”

A soft luminescence gathered in Seraphina’s hand as she cast a healing spell upon the three figures on the floor.

While it was indeed healing, it didn’t fully restore them. Their forms merely shifted from utterly unrecognizable to vaguely humanoid.

Furthermore, Seraphina made no effort to restore their equipment, leaving them essentially powerless to fight.

‘After all, if they were fully restored, they might just turn around and stab Seraphina again.’

Having done this much, Seraphina felt she had fulfilled her obligations to the fullest.

‘As for whether they would survive to leave… that was entirely up to their own fate.’

Having played the role of a good Samaritan, Seraphina had no intention of lingering. She took off at a sprint, eager to escape.

Then, she witnessed a sight she could never have anticipated—

In the dim, damp corridor just outside the room, Iqiyah lay sprawled on the floor, motionless, like a puppet with its strings severed.

‘What in the world just happened?’

“What’s wrong with you?”

Seraphina immediately rushed forward, cradling Iqiyah’s body. The princess’s eyes were tightly shut, her lips ashen, and her already pale face was now utterly devoid of color.

“N-nothing…”

Feeling Seraphina’s embrace, Iqiyah trembled as she pushed herself up slightly, her eyes fluttering open.

“And… haven’t I told you? You are to call me Mistress…”

Seraphina was utterly speechless. ‘In this state, and she was still quibbling over that?’

With her words barely finished, Iqiyah’s eyes closed, and she slumped backward, collapsing into Seraphina’s embrace.

“[All-Seeing Eye]!!!”

Iqiyah’s status information instantly appeared. Seraphina’s eyes widened, then went dark with dread at the sight.

Iqiyah Scarlett:

—[True Ancestor’s Blood] effect active: suffers 33.333 Life Steal per second. This effect cannot be dispelled by purification below [Divine] rank.

—[Status: Starvation]: [True Ancestor’s Blood: Blood Debt] detected as overdue. [True Ancestor’s Blood] effect amplified to 1000%, additionally inflicting [Sensory Blockage], [Mana Blockage], [Sanity Erosion], [Bloodline Suppression], [Power Deprivation], [Life Deprivation], [Endurance Deprivation], [Mana Deprivation], [Weakness], [False Death], [Sensitivity Reduction]…

—[Warning]: Please repay [Blood Debt] as soon as possible—

It was as though all the debuffs Seraphina had ever known decided to hold a grand celebration on Iqiyah’s body.

‘And what in the world was [Sensitivity Reduction]?! That was just malicious!’

Fortunately, despite the overwhelming number of debuffs, Seraphina considered them mere trifles.

‘After all, the [True Ancestor’s Blood] explicitly stated: “Cannot be dispelled by purification below [Divine] rank.”

‘Oh, you’re having a super cool debuff party, are you? But guess whose skill level is [Divine] rank?’

A surge of secret delight swelled within Seraphina. She raised her hand, her lips softly murmuring—

“[Divine Status Purification].”

The instant the skill was unleashed, Iqiyah’s body abruptly arched, as if someone had pressed a hidden switch on a toy.

“Ugh↑uh↓uh↑uh↓uh↑uh↓uh…”

Seraphina was utterly startled by the sight before her, resembling a creature from a horror game suddenly adopting a grotesque, spine-arched form.

Before her very eyes, the once noble Blood Princess had utterly shed all semblance of her aristocratic bearing. She lay convulsing on the ground, eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth, hands twisted grotesquely, her body rigid from her toes to her thighs.

Seraphina was utterly bewildered. Even if she hadn’t used [Divine Status Purification] a thousand times, she had certainly used it hundreds. While some individuals did experience discomfort from powerful debuffs being abruptly cleansed, this reaction was beyond anything she’d ever witnessed.

‘But such an extreme reaction… it’s so familiar, so very familiar.’

Concerned for Iqiyah’s well-being, Seraphina hastily reactivated her [All-Seeing Eye]—

Iqiyah Scarlett:

—[Level: ???] [Strength: 1], [Endurance: 5], [Life: 10], [Mana: 1]

—[Danger Warning]: [True Ancestor’s Blood] detected as dispelled, stats rapidly diminishing!

—[Danger Warning]: Bound attribute detected as missing. [Unknown Blessing] effect active. Error report sent to developer…

‘Error report?’

Seeing those four familiar words, reminiscent of her previous life, Seraphina froze in disbelief.

‘Seriously, are you Windows or something!?’