NOVEL NEXT Chapter 103
After a few days of receiving guidance on a room to stay in the Magic Tower, Jenis finally got the opportunity, at her request, to visit the top floor of the tower to see Reyna’s red eyes.
The sage, Gwen, hesitated to show Jenis the emblem of the Magic Tower, but watching Jenis glance up at the ceiling from time to time during their conversation, it seemed she got the impression that this delaying tactic wouldn’t lead to a good outcome.
“Follow me, My Lady. But be careful. After you see that orb, the consequences will be your own responsibility. No one can fight for you.”
“Is that orb really such a dangerous item?”
“For most people, it’s no more dangerous than an ordinary glass marble, as there’s no risk of getting hurt if you accidentally break it.”
“Then, is it dangerous for wizards?”
“As long as you don’t get overly sensitive about it, it shouldn’t be that dangerous. I’m not a particularly impressive wizard myself, but I use it without much concern. It would actually be riskier not to use it. I might even face a lawsuit from the royal family for neglecting my duties.”
Gwen joked with a smirk. The more this went on, the more confused Jenis looked as she chased after Gwen’s lead.
“Your words are so vague that I don’t really understand. It sounds like that orb is only dangerous for me.”
“According to the Hero’s prophecy, that might indeed be the case.”
At those words, Jenis couldn’t hide her anxious expression. Walter Hellhound’s “Harriet’s Glasses” had a very unique ability known to some.
Those glasses could see the future. Whether it was an unchanging future or a mutable one remained unclear, but there was no doubt that this special item created by the previous generation of heroes had a frightening power, just like Reyna’s red eyes.
If Walter determined through his ability that it might be dangerous for Jenis to approach the orb, it probably served as a warning of a highly likely danger.
“I’ll see. Anyway, I don’t think I can hold out without looking at it.”
“That’s a good judgment. Now, follow me.”
Continuing to follow the unfaltering Gwen, Jenis finally arrived at the top floor of the tower and gasped upon seeing Reyna’s staff precariously placed atop the Magic Tower.
That was the original weapon used by the great sage of old. Considering its historical value, it should have been carefully preserved in a museum long ago, but the magical power contained within it was so strong and hard to replicate that it was still actively used as a magical tool.
At a mere glance at the orb, Jenis could immediately recognize that it was the source of the wicked power she had sensed.
“Look, My Lady. That is the staff of the great sage Reyna Serim, the one who killed the first Demon King, the slayer of the Sword Hero, and the annihilator of the Prios lineage.”
“The great sage’s red eyes…”
“The ancient sage was never a neat person. Rather, she harbored a sinister depth of wickedness like no other. According to legend, her soul is partially contained within that staff, and in order to read that piece of soul, only one who harbors a similar darkness can qualify.”
Jenis found it hard to grasp the meaning of Gwen’s words in her mind.
But she realized there was no need for intellectual understanding now. It dawned on her that this was not the moment to think. There was no need to think. No, she shouldn’t think at all. Thoughts would ruin everything. If she started thinking now, she would hesitate. If she hesitated now, she wouldn’t be able to move forward.
The red star seemed to be emitting its mana in all directions. A crimson and black wave spread out around her, and Jenis understood that this was a very special wave visible only to her.
As if entranced, she reached out her hand towards the orb, and Gwen urged her on.
“Go on, Jenis Harker. Show me who you really are.”
As Jenis stepped forward and placed her hand on the orb resting atop the staff, the world turned upside down.
A circuit of dark mana surged within her. She trembled all over from the thrilling sensation and the shivers coursing through her body as she tightly grasped the orb.
It rises, it rises, it rises once more. Her inherent nature flowed within her veins, the traces of a lineage she couldn’t hide, the undeniable powerful magic surged up.
The cross necklace around Jenis’s neck vibrated violently, emitting white light. To calm the vibration of the necklace, she gripped the cross tightly with her other hand.
Seeing the burn marks on her hand from touching the holy power made Jenis flinch. However, after momentarily taking her hand off the cross necklace, she licked the cross-shaped scar on her hand with satisfaction and clutched the necklace tightly once more.
She felt satisfied. In the moment she instinctively recognized the identity of the blood flowing through her body, Jenis felt no confusion or anger. The only thing that wrapped around her was pure pleasure.
She was a half-demon, a half-vampire. Instinctively craving blood, she had the ability to wield powerful dark magic.
But at the same time, she was also the most perfect half-demon who had learned to use reason to resist her nature for twenty years. Jenis felt no need to resist her nature. It felt joyous. The process of realizing her identity, the stirring of the power that recognized her identity, and absorbing that power as her own was all a source of delight.
Though the time Jenis spent with her hand on the orb was barely twenty seconds, it felt to Jenis Harker like several hours had passed.
As she pulled her hand away from the orb and stepped back, Jenis looked down at her sharply grown claws with a tilted head.
“This is rather unsightly.”
“That… that appearance…”
Gwen’s eyes widened in surprise. Though he had anticipated something unusual would happen, he never expected such a situation.
Turning to Gwen, Jenis smiled mischievously, exposing her sharp fangs as she did so.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t know this was going to happen either.”
“Gulp… A vampire… Are you a half-blood, My Lady?”
“Whether it’s through the paternal line or the maternal side. That’s right, Sage. It seems that has become apparent. I feel a bit bewildered, but honestly, other impressions are taking precedence.”
“So… What kind?”
“Just amazing.”
With a great flap of a single wing sprouting from her back, Jenis floated into the air. Gwen, thinking Jenis was about to attack him, raised both hands in fright, but Jenis merely tilted her head up to look at the ceiling of the tower instead of at him.
“There was something I’ve really wanted to try if I grew wings. Is that alright?”
Gwen took a moment to understand Jenis’s innocent question. Despite her terrifying claws and fangs, and her dark wings, there was no malice detectable in Jenis’s eyes.
Certainly, Jenis had lost a certain level of restraint and rationality. But it still felt premature to conclude that she had immediately fallen into the path of evil just because she recognized her identity.
“Of course, if you grow wings, you’d naturally want to fly.”
“I wanted to fly above myself. Under the sun, wings spread wide.”
“I wouldn’t really recommend it…”
There were two reasons why he felt compelled to say that. First, from appearances, Jenis seemed to be a vampire hybrid. No matter how much a vampire could be active under the sun, actively flying around in sunlight wasn’t a good choice.
Second, Gwen, who understood the situation to some extent, was already greatly confused—what kind of chaos the ordinary citizens who knew nothing would feel seeing a flying vampire was hard to imagine. Moreover, she was the Harker family’s young lady. If she acted recklessly, it could severely damage the Harker family’s honor, possibly leading to chaos in the Imperial Assembly…
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Jenis had already leaped into the air, crashing through the ceiling of the tower and shooting up into the sky. Gwen stared blankly at the gaping hole in the ceiling and muttered.
“I can only hope the Hero foresaw such a situation…”
With no means to stop Jenis, the sage of the Magic Tower was left behind, and Jenis Harker soared high into the blue sky, spreading her wings and laughing with delight.
Her two black wings and blue combat robe fluttered as if resembling three wings, lifting Jenis into the air. From such a height, she gazed down at the intricately designed streets of Caprice, the royal palace of Caprice protected by countless walls, and the streets of the marketplace that were beginning to grow desolate, all while laughing delightfully and flapping her wings.
The power of the cross wrapped around her pleasantly, and the sunlight, only slightly blinding, didn’t bother her in the least.
As if intoxicated by something, as if hooked on something, Jenis twirled around in the air, emitting joyful sounds.
Naturally, her actions attracted the attention of the Imperial Army.
Believing that a sudden raid by the Demon King’s army had occurred in the sky, the royal guard summoned the archers to prepare to fire at Jenis.
Among those who noticed the commotion and stepped out to look up at the sky was Rose Caprice, who had temporarily stepped back to treat her wounds.
“Wh-what… on earth is that?”
Rose stared at the vampire in a blue robe spinning in midair, tilting her head. Though her right arm was bandaged, it wasn’t as if she couldn’t use her arms at all, so Rose had come out wearing her red uniform to ascertain the situation.
With capable officers participating in the Northern Expedition and Alex being among them, the total responsibility for this circumstance fell solely on Rose Caprice.
“It seems to be a vampire, but what about that robe… Isn’t that something plundered from the slain wizard?” the captain of the royal guards speculated. Rose shook her head, denying his thoughts.
“I’ve never heard of a wizard wearing the robe of a slain wizard.”
If Margaret were present, she would probably recognize Jenis’s face even on the ground, but due to the brightness of the sun blinding the human eye, it was difficult to discern the identity of the figure up close.
However, Rose’s sharp eyes briefly caught sight of the white cross symbol fluttering on the robe. Though it was hard to tell in detail, the figure of the vampire flying in the sky looked like a young woman.
Her attitude showed no dread of the sun; her movements somehow seemed non-threatening, along with the occasional melodious laughter; and the swirling dust seemed to suggest some kind of explosion had occurred at the tower…
Putting together all these clues, Rose decided to directly investigate the strange situation she sensed might be occurring and drew her duel sword from her waist. Though it would hardly see use in battle, it was an ornamental rapier she carried in her uniform.
Of course, there was no fool in this world who would challenge Rose to a duel, so this duel sword was just an ornamental piece in ordinary times.
“Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. Leave this situation to the guards…”
“I would still fight better tied up than you combined with thousands. Just watch quietly.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
At Rose’s command, the soldiers of the guard all lowered their bows to allow Rose passage. Rather than strapping on armor and carrying her duel sword, Rose started running toward the Magic Tower in just her red uniform and holding her rapier.
And instead of entering the Magic Tower, Rose placed her foot on the wall of the tower and leaped up, climbing the wall like a monkey. Such an act was hard to imagine unless you were someone as skilled as Rose or Margaret.
“Yes, kid, let’s see what you can do…”
Muttering as she climbed the wall of the Magic Tower, Rose noted that Jenis, who was merrily soaring around in the sky, seemed to notice the presence of her climbing and looked down, tilting her head.
“Isn’t that the Crown Princess?”
Jenis muttered to herself.
“Why is she struggling to climb up? If she just wanted to see the view from above, she could have asked me. I would have gladly lifted her here. Hmm, unless that’s not the case…”
Jenis smiled wickedly, spreading her wings wide.