The Aftermath of True Ancestor’s Blood

…Ugh… my head aches so badly…

Seraphina Scarlett rubbed her forehead, slowly rousing from her slumber.

‘I’m so tired… Claire, what exactly did you make me drink?’

Still groggy, Seraphina Scarlett could discern nothing around her. She simply extended a hand, attempting to grasp Claire’s body.

“Claire?”

“Claire!?”

Yet, strangely, Claire—who was always so responsive and eager with Seraphina Scarlett—offered no reply this time.

‘Could she have fallen asleep? But the lights are still on, and she doesn’t have a habit of sleeping with them on…’

“Cardo?”

Sensing something amiss, Seraphina Scarlett instinctively called out to Cardo, who had claimed to be up to something. “Are you playing tricks, Cardo? Cardo?”

“Cardo? Why isn’t anyone answering me…”

Receiving no response, a helpless Seraphina Scarlett could only blink her eyes repeatedly, striving to regain her vision.

‘Fine, ignore me, all of you. Just wait until I super-fly all of you into oblivion… Claire?’

But when her vision finally cleared, the sight that greeted her was one that would strike anyone as utterly bizarre.

Claire lay sprawled across the bed, her body twisted as if she were a drunkard knocked to the ground.

Her sheer white gauze dress was drenched in sweat. Startled, Seraphina Scarlett quickly glanced at her own body, only to find it unexpectedly clean.

“Abba abba.”

Just as Seraphina Scarlett was examining herself, Claire suddenly uttered a string of gibberish.

“Claire? What are you saying?”

“Abba abba…”

Leaning down, Seraphina Scarlett pressed her ear close to Claire’s lips, finally discerning the words she was mumbling.

“Mighty Celestial Dragon!”

“Grand Luo Incantation!”

“Prajna Mama Hong!”

The tone, the intensity, the pitch—all were distinctly different. It was abundantly clear that two individuals were battling within Claire’s body.

“Cardo, you really did get inside Claire’s body, didn’t you!?”

Seraphina Scarlett’s brows furrowed, her anger rising.

“Didn’t I tell you not to do that? How could you still…”

“Vampire!”

‘Vampire?’

Suddenly catching an intriguing word, Seraphina Scarlett, who had been about to straighten up, couldn’t suppress her curiosity and leaned down once more.

‘Let me hear what this is about…’

But in that very moment of leaning in…

“A vampire is a vampire! How dare you bluster like that!”

Thwack!

Claire suddenly unleashed a right hook, striking Seraphina Scarlett squarely in the face.

Claire’s eyes snapped open, a golden light erupting from them.

Following closely, with a soft ‘pling,’ a golden speck shot out of Claire’s eye like a fleeing fly, landing on the floor.

‘My goodness… How did Iqiyah’s maid manage to severely injure you before? You’re clearly so powerful…’

“Oh, I forgot to tell you.”

As if propelled by a spring, Claire abruptly sprang upright. “That time, I consecutively slashed five vampires. I was utterly exhausted afterward, which is why I accidentally left an opening for a corpse-person, and that’s how I ended up in the vampires’ hands.”

“As for direct combat power… let’s see if you can withstand this strike of mine!”

“Take this! [Sky-Shattering Ice Slash]!!!!”

Claire swung an invisible greatsword with both hands, leaping into the air to deliver a crushing blow upon Cardo, like Mount Tai descending.

However…

“Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo!”

To Claire’s surprise, just as she was about to ‘slash’ Cardo, the golden body suddenly vanished!

Faced with the suddenly vanished enemy, she couldn’t stop her momentum and succumbed to gravity, falling hard onto the ground.

“Hiss… that hurt like hell…”

Claire struggled to her feet, swaying unsteadily, then raised a hand and pointed forward.

“You rat! Where did you run off to? Come out right now!”

However… no matter how she scanned her surroundings, Cardo’s figure was nowhere within sight.

‘Strange, where is she… Wait!?’

As Claire stood bewildered, metaphorically drawing her sword and looking around, she discovered another blind spot.

‘No, where’s my sword?’

‘Wearing pajamas, where would you get a sword from…’

Seraphina Scarlett eyed Claire’s furious face with suspicion.

With a face still smarting from Claire’s blow, Seraphina Scarlett slowly picked herself up.

“Seraphina Scarlett?” Seeing Seraphina Scarlett, Claire’s eyes lit up, then she frowned. “Come here quickly! There’s a bad person nearby! Don’t let her…”

“Bad person?”

Seraphina Scarlett looked at Claire with a resigned expression, propping herself up on the bed with one hand, her delicate shoulder slightly exposed.

“Is this the ‘guy’ you’re talking about?”

With a snap of her fingers, Cardo flew out of Seraphina Scarlett’s body.

“Yes, yes, yes! That’s her… Wait, how could she…?”

“Oh… haha, haha, how should I put this…”

Seraphina Scarlett suddenly realized that perhaps she shouldn’t have so hastily acknowledged her connection with Cardo.

‘However… she should have the [True Ancestor’s Blood] inside her now, shouldn’t she?’

Seraphina Scarlett clasped her hands behind her back, secretly gathering a ball of light.

“Seraphina Scarlett… how are you with that ‘thing’?”

“Thing? What thing? Which ‘thing’ are you talking about?”

Feigning ignorance, Seraphina Scarlett bought time for her [Purification] to charge.

“It’s that golden thing behind you…”

“The golden thing? Are you referring to this?”

With the swiftest possible motion, Seraphina Scarlett abruptly raised her hand, aiming the ball of light at Claire.

“Boo-goo-oh-er-er-er-er-er-er-er…”

The instant the ball of light emitted its radiance, Claire’s body convulsed violently, as if struck by an electric current.

“This… what kind of spirit pearl is this, oh-ho-ho-ho…”

“You can actually form complete sentences now? How impressive, Claire.”

Kneeling beside the flushed and trembling Claire, Seraphina Scarlett gently embraced Claire’s violently reacting body, and then—

Increased the dosage.

“Oh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!!!”

“Oh dear… I do apologize,” Seraphina Scarlett said, narrowing her eyes and smiling helplessly. “But… it would be best if you forgot everything that just happened~”

“Oh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo what’s happening oh-ho-ho-ho I don’t know anything oh-er-er-er-er-er…”

“Still talking… Looks like I need to increase the dosage even more~”

A burst of light erupted, and amidst Claire’s wails, Seraphina Scarlett set a new record for continuous use of [Purification].

****

“Anything you want to say, Cardo?”

In the dorm’s attic, Seraphina Scarlett summoned Cardo from her mental space.

“Why didn’t you listen to me and insist on implanting the [True Ancestor’s Blood] into Claire?”

“Ugh… wasn’t I just trying to help you…”

Kneeling on the ground, Cardo lowered her head in remorse, avoiding Seraphina Scarlett’s gaze.

“Oh? Is your ‘help’ supposed to make Claire suspicious of me?”

Crossing one leg over the other, Seraphina Scarlett used an ice cream bar to lift Cardo’s chin, forcing her to face her.

“If I hadn’t thought quickly and used [Purification] to put her into a stupor… I doubt we’d be able to sort out this mess anytime soon, would we?”

“But wasn’t it you who snapped your fingers and called me out, exposing my identity…?”

“Hm? Still daring to talk back!?”

Seraphina Scarlett forcefully pushed with her toes, using the ice cream bar to tilt Cardo’s head high, revealing her tender golden neck.

“Answer me!”

“Wuwu… Yes, it was my fault…”

“Sigh…” Seraphina Scarlett lowered her foot, ignoring a somewhat reluctant Cardo, and propped her chin in her hand, gazing off to the side with a troubled expression.

“Since the raw rice has already turned into porridge… we should think about how to get Claire through this without her realizing.”

“Hehehe…” Hearing this, Cardo chuckled. “I have a plan~”

“Did you already plan this?” Seraphina Scarlett asked, looking at Cardo with a gloomy, reproachful expression.

“No, no! …Perhaps, maybe, a little? Hehehe…”

“Hey, you big oaf! Hurry up and tell me!”

“Yes, yes, my little ancestor.”

Like a ghost, Cardo floated to a corner of the attic and retrieved a suitcase that seemed exceptionally large to Seraphina Scarlett.

“What are you doing with that suitcase?”

“Oh-ho, can’t you guess why?”

As if lifting air, Cardo effortlessly hoisted the enormous suitcase, a wicked smirk spreading across her face.

“Inside here are the mysterious, wonderful tools we’ll need next~”