Divine Intervention and Noble Invitations

“Hoo—”

The moment the skill was unleashed, the entire crowd erupted in an uproar.

“This, could this possibly be a [Divine]-tier divine skill?”

“How is that possible? How could such a young girl master a [Divine]-tier divine skill?”

“She’s not just shouting it out for show, is she? How can she joke about human lives? Shameless…”

“Exactly, little girl, you shouldn’t just say things carelessly…”

Paying no mind to the whispers around her, Seraphina focused solely on unleashing her skill.

Unlike the violent torrent from the Epic Baldy, the currents emanating from Seraphina’s hands were merely sparse flickers, coiling around the young woman like silken threads.

Yet, these faint, seemingly powerless currents produced an effect far surpassing anything seen before.

They danced across the young woman’s body, drawing together each fragmented tissue.

Then, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle falling into place, blood surged back, flesh regenerated, and the disparate tissues seamlessly coupled, re-adhering into a single, complete form.

The instant the reconstruction was complete, the young woman’s eyes snapped open, and she gasped for breath in ragged, deep gulps.

Witnessing the young woman’s return to life, the crowd’s demeanor shifted entirely.

“Wow! She’s really alive!”

“I can’t believe she’s actually [Divine]-tier!”

“I must be seeing ghosts; this has to be a dream. Someone slap me awake…”

Hoo~

Gazing at the revived young woman before her, Seraphina let out a breath of profound relief.

To be honest, she had never before used the skill [Cellular Reconstitution], and she wasn’t even certain if she could successfully cast it.

Yet, she chose to trust the [Divine Blessing], for only [Cellular Reconstitution] could simultaneously restore life and repair the body, ensuring the most efficient recovery for the young woman.

Sigh… It truly lived up to its name as a skill bestowed by a higher power. Its success was a tremendous relief.

“Ugh, I… I’m still alive?”

The young woman stared at her hands, then touched her chest, her face etched with disbelief.

“No, it’s impossible. I was so terribly injured…”

“Hehe, indeed, you were practically dead.”

Before Seraphina could utter a word, Iqiyah stepped forward instead.

With her hands on her hips, she proudly gazed down at the young woman near her feet.

“But it’s your good fortune that you met our Seraphina~”

“Hey… don’t say that…” Seraphina scratched her head bashfully. “You’re making me blush…”

“Hmm~ I was merely stating facts, you know~”

“Excuse me, may I interrupt for a moment…?”

Just as the two were publicly bickering playfully.

“May I ask if your name is Seraphina?”

Aided by the old man, the young woman shakily rose to her feet, her gaze fixed on Seraphina.

“Yes, I am Seraphina.”

“And this is…?” The young woman gestured towards Iqiyah.

“Iliya Muromets.” This was the alias Seraphina and Iqiyah had agreed upon beforehand.

“Ah, Miss Seraphina, Miss Iliya, please allow me to introduce myself.”

The young woman curtsied, lifting the hem of her skirt-armor in an elegant gesture.

“My name is Claire Krieg, born of the Krieg family, and currently an adventurer.”

“This is my butler,” Claire indicated the old man beside her. “You may call him Gus.”

“Thank you for saving my life, Miss Seraphina.” Gus bowed deeply. “Without you, I might have already…”

“Oh, it’s alright, it’s alright…”

Just as the four were engaged in their rather uninteresting introductions—

“I heard there’s a [Divine]-tier priest here!”

Suddenly, a piercing shriek rang out from beyond the crowd.

“Is it here? Is it here? Is it here, here, here, here, here…?”

Well, to be precise, it wasn’t a single cry, but countless voices.

All four simultaneously looked past the crowd, only to see a throng of disheveled, haggard-faced, yet fanatical humans suddenly appearing on the street.

“It’s her! It’s her!”

Upon seeing Seraphina, the person at the forefront immediately pointed her out. “The short, black-haired priest! It’s her! It’s her!”

“Miss Priest! Please save me! My daughter is paralyzed…”

“Paralysis is nothing! Miss Priest! Please save my child, he has a problem with his brain and can’t learn…”

“Forget them, save me first! I have rhinitis, migraines, ingrown toenails, sore throats, chronic pneumonia…”

“Uwah…”

Having been ostracized since childhood, Seraphina had never witnessed such a spectacle. Gazing at the crowd surging towards her like a flood, she instinctively wanted to flee, yet her legs felt as if they were nailed to the ground, utterly unable to move.

“Miss Priest! Miss Priest!”

“Gah! Miss Priest! Help!”

The frenzied crowd was about to overwhelm Seraphina.

It was at this moment—

“Everyone, stand back!”

Claire, reinvigorated, tore the necklace from her chest and held it high.

“I am the third daughter of the Krieg family! Who dares to offend me!”

At these words, the boisterous crowd instantly fell silent. They lowered their heads, then looked up at the silver-white necklace held high above, at the dazzling emerald embedded within it—a symbol of the Krieg family.

No matter their profession or work, no matter their status or standing, everyone was inevitably connected to the Krieg family.

No one dared to provoke the Krieg family.

“Make way, all of you!”

With Claire’s sharp command, the crowd automatically parted before her, silently and with uncanny coordination, clearing a path.

“Ah, Miss Seraphina, Miss Iliya.”

Shedding her noble demeanor from moments before, Claire turned to Seraphina with a smiling face, bowing and extending her hand.

“If you don’t mind, allow me to invite you both to my humble abode for a rest—”

****

Leaving behind the chaotic streets and clamoring crowds, the carriage rattled onward, heading straight for the outskirts of Emes Town.

“Wow… so this is a human estate? It looks quite good~”

With half her body leaning out the window, Iqiyah excitedly watched the grand mansion draw nearer. Had her black contact lenses not obscured the light, her eyes would surely have been sparkling.

“Look, look! These blue glazed tiles are so beautiful! I want to build one near our mansion when we go back…”

Following the direction of Iqiyah’s finger, a palatial building with distinct Eastern aesthetics came into view. Flagstone paths, crimson apricot walls, and a blue-tiled roof marked its presence. A straight avenue led directly to the front, flanked by a central pond and two fountains, lending it an exceptionally grand appearance.

“Lady Iqiyah… you haven’t fully recovered yet, so perhaps you shouldn’t use sound-amplifying spells for now.”

Seeing Iqiyah engaging in such dangerous behavior, Seraphina quickly wrapped her arms around Iqiyah’s waist, pulling her back from the window.

“Furthermore, as the esteemed Mistress of the Blood Manor, don’t you think it’s a bit undignified to get so excited by a mere human estate?”

“Ugh… I was just curious…”

“Hehehe~”

Noticing the two whispering, Claire smiled faintly. “Little Iliya seems quite excited~”

“Hmph, not at all! I’m just curious! Our mansion is just as beautiful!”

Perhaps her pride had been piqued, for Iqiyah immediately declared the estate to be “nothing special.”

“Hehehe~” Claire offered a knowing, aunt-like smile. “Curiosity and surprise are quite normal~ After all…”

“My Krieg family is a pillar of the Empire, and naturally, we must display the grandeur befitting a ‘pillar.’”

“Please forgive my necessary arrogance, but the blue building you see now is merely an apartment complex we constructed for our estate staff.”

“And behind it, there are probably… another thirty minutes’ worth of such apartments.”

Thirty minutes?

What did she mean, thirty minutes?

“This… is this reasonable?”

Upon hearing such an extravagant statement, Seraphina could barely control her facial muscles, her expression slowly twisting.

‘Um, are you hiring servants? Like, a bloodkin, immortal, who could work for you until your grandchildren’s generation!’

Yet, for the sake of appearances, she desperately pressed down the corners of her mouth, striving to keep her astonishment from showing too clearly.

The young Iqiyah, however, was different. From her raised eyebrows, it was evident she was already caught in a spiraling anxiety of comparison, unable to extricate herself.

“Seraphina…”

Even through her colored contacts, the longing in Iqiyah’s eyes was visible.

‘Don’t ask me, I’m not your father…’

‘Hey, hey, hey, Lady Iqiyah, isn’t the Scarlett family the owner of the Blood Manor? Ugh, don’t look at me with that gaze; I’m just an unpaid worker, I really don’t have any money!’