Chapter 133: Her Gaze Was Full of Affection

Himan froze on the spot.

She let the winter night wind blow across her cheeks.

West Town rarely snowed, but now, with those starlights floating down from the sky, which were either snow or feathers, it was a little cold.

Himan felt truly cold.

She had never felt so cold.

Nor had she ever been so hurt.

She was thinking that the person was Hall, Hall Faxtius.

Her cousin was letting a vampire suck his blood just now.

And now, her cousin was fighting side by side with the vampire she had been chasing yesterday.

Himan wanted to cry.

She couldn’t accept this scene.

Why had she changed from a willful little girl to a motivated female knight, an heir to the family business?

It was all because of Hall.

Because Hall had told her those words, saying that if she didn’t work hard, she wouldn’t be able to inherit the Duke’s title, and that if she didn’t work hard, the Von Braun family would eventually be controlled by others.

She was a girl, and precisely because she was a girl, she had to work even harder.

It could be said that it was the words Hall had said after she lost a match that had awakened Himan.

Later, Himan often trained with Hall.

That was the scene Lorraine had burned into her mind.

On the lawn in the backyard of the Faxtius estate.

Little Hall and little Himan each held a practice wooden sword and practiced offense and defense.

Lorraine, who was sickly, did not interfere with their activities.

This made Lorraine feel lonely.

She hoped she could also join in.

Hence, she chose to secretly study magic knowledge outside of divine arts.

Himan, as a child, was not completely carefree when training with Hall.

She also had something she wanted to pursue.

She hoped that her future self could fight alongside Hall.

Just like their fathers, fighting side by side in the future, resisting monsters and conquering enemies.

But…

There was still a knot in Himan’s young heart at that time.

She remembered a girl named Hela.

Hela was her codename in the Black Knights.

Himan did not know much about the internal affairs of the Black Knights.

When Hall was first selected as a reserve member of the Black Knights, Himan also wanted to join the reserves, enter the Black Knights, and compete and work hard with Hall.

But her father had vetoed it.

Duke Von Braun did not want Himan to join the Black Knights.

So Himan had joined the White Knights, which had been established for a long time.

And the best way to advance in the White Knights was the Judgment Bureau.

In addition, the Judgment Bureau was an organization that executed justice and judged heretics.

Himan felt that in the future, she would gain seniority in the Judgment Bureau, and Hall would be in the Black Knights.

They could still cooperate on missions.

But Hall was very busy, and he was very busy as a child.

When Himan and Hall were together in Saint Louis, they were mostly with their peers.

And once it was a holiday or the Black Knights had a mission, Hall would not be in Saint Louis and would be out on a mission.

At this time, Himan would think of Hela, the girl who was said to have the same excellent grades as Hall in the Black Knights and had a good relationship with Hall.

Himan had never met Hela, but she intuitively believed that Hela must be very beautiful.

And Hela, who could go on missions with Hall at that time, must have fought side by side with Hall before her.

This made Himan unusually irritable for a while as a child, as if her beloved toy was about to be taken away by someone.

Fortunately, Hall would bring Himan gifts from foreign countries every time he returned from a mission, which would quickly appease her.

Himan herself was not idle either.

She excelled in every subject at school, and she had never neglected her swordsmanship.

With her resume, before entering middle school and university, she could be admitted with a full scholarship without even using her identity as the only daughter of the Von Braun family.

She was so excellent to fulfill her duty as the only daughter of the family to bring glory to the family, and also to prove herself.

At that time, Himan would tentatively ask Hall about Hela.

But Hall would always reply, “We’re just colleagues. We only went on a few missions together. We’re not really close.”

Little Himan was not easily fooled, so she would say, “You’re lying to me.”

“I’m really not close. Anyway, I’m not as close as I am with you.”

This answer would satisfy Himan, and the still-young Himan would slightly lift her proud and fair little chin and say, “Hall, you’re closest to me, your sister, right?”

“Ah, yes, yes, yes.”

But at that time, she actually wanted to hear one more sentence, that she was better than that so-called Hela.

But later, as Hela disappeared and Hall’s reputation was ruined.

Himan stopped paying attention to this.

She focused more on Hall’s reputation and conduct.

She wanted to correct her cousin, who was originally so excellent.

Three years later, when Hall’s reputation recovered, she immediately called him to investigate the demon wolf pack on the outskirts of Saint Louis.

It was clearly like this.

She should fight side by side with Hall.

This time too.

She wanted Hall to come to the Bal Empire and deal with the aftermath of the previous incident with her.

But Hall…

Was with the vampire she was chasing yesterday and was letting her suck his blood.

Why?

Why was it like this?

Why had Hall fled with this vampire woman yesterday?

Why, Hall must have heard her shout.

Hall knew her.

Yet he still fled with this vampire woman?

Had he become a traitor?

Had he been seduced by the demon race?

Before, Himan would have been very, very angry and would have gone up and argued with him.

Her cousin, who had disappeared for more than half a month without saying goodbye, was treating her like this…

She couldn’t accept it.

But now, she wanted to question him but couldn’t go forward, couldn’t get close.

She could only watch from afar as the so-called Miss Lucy and the black-haired youth she wanted to fight alongside suppressed the two ill-intentioned men.

It looked like they were about to win.

And how to put it.

Himan looked at Lucy’s speed after sucking blood and felt that she couldn’t keep up at all.

Neither of them could keep up with the other.

She couldn’t keep up with Hall’s speed either.

She remembered Lov’s words.

Lov had said that the Young Master’s swordsmanship had never slackened all these years.

Yes, Himan knew.

She had been clear about it ever since she had rescued her from the demon wolf king.

Hall was better than her.

But why was he so much better than her?

He had never revealed it to her.

The white-stockinged knight stood there in a daze, her heart so complicated it was like a chaotic stew of countless ingredients.

The anger that had risen was calmed by the cold wind.

A sense of powerlessness spread throughout her body.

Her mind was blank, and then quickly remembered a crucial question.

What should she do?

Should she really go and question Hall?

Colluding with the demon race and becoming a human traitor was even more serious than being an Eastern spy.

If the cardinals found out, let alone her, even his father wouldn’t be able to save his life.

The feeling of powerlessness really made Himan unable to think much.

She should have apologized to him when they met again.

Why was it like this…

Did he really hate her so much?

“Forget it. I’ll take care of this matter for him first…”

In the end, she didn’t go forward to acknowledge him.

Instead, she mechanically went to the area where the monsters were most concentrated, cutting them down, opening a clear path for Christine and the others behind her.

---

Parousia had already finished sucking blood with a slurp.

But she hadn’t sucked too much, leaving a faint sense of dissatisfaction in her mind.

What was even more deadly was that there seemed to be a fire burning in her body at this moment.

It was both desire and an endless stream of power.

If Hall hadn’t pushed her away with his cold palm, she would have directly embraced his neck and sucked.

Today was Parousia’s first time sucking someone else’s blood.

She had been a self-disciplined vampire before, only drinking the blood produced by the vampire holy relic [Scarlet Holy Grail].

Her first experience was Hall.

It was a full-on experience.

Even though Hall was dealing with the two assassins from the Lauren family at this moment, his gaze still occasionally drifted to Hall’s beautiful neck.

“I really want to… take another sip there, boo hoo hoo…”

For a vampire, Hall’s blood was definitely a super tonic.

In the game, there were also players who deliberately took the evil route, turning a very biased vampire waste like Parousia into a normal vampire, or even an existence more excellent than a vampire prince, by having her suck Hall’s blood and replenish her magic from time to time.

It was a full-on sense of achievement.

This kind of evil cultivation was good in every way, but it was a bit exhausting for Hall.

Parousia was now really high after sucking his blood.

Just now, when she was sucking his neck, her vampire instinct wanted her to bite Hall’s neck.

“William, William, can I have another sip after we win?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Then that means yes?!”

“Absolutely not!”

“Boo hoo hoo…”

“It’s enough that you had one sip. Go and take the credit from your Prince later. You must not let her see that you’ve sucked my blood.”

“Why?”

Parousia didn’t quite understand.

“Think about it. If you killed these two human assassins with just your own power, wouldn’t the Prince be very happy? Besides, although you gained power by sucking my blood, you also became polluted. But you only sucked a little, so there’s still a chance for self-purification and salvage…”

Hall said as he blocked an assassin’s attack, “If you suck my blood again in a short time, you’ll be beyond saving, and you’ll no longer be a pure-blooded vampire.”

“Then… that’s not allowed!”

The black-haired youth’s words sobered up the big-breasted vampire.

Yes, yes, yes.

She had suppressed her desire to suck blood for so many years to maintain the dignity and elegance of a pure-blooded vampire.

An elegant being like Prince Vier only drank the blood from the [Scarlet Holy Grail] for a thousand years.

She also had to maintain her principles.

So she said, “William, why did you seduce me just now and make me commit a crime!”

Her righteous tone was like a person who “put on their pants and felt the same.”

Hall just replied with a number and was too lazy to continue talking to this vampire idiot.

She had clearly been greatly enhanced in strength, but Parousia still felt that her blood was polluted.

It was precisely because Parousia was a bit stupid that he could safely let Parousia suck his blood and bluff her.

The assassins from the Lauren family, although they were here to take advantage, if their strength was enough to control the situation tonight, they wouldn’t have only acted now.

“No, it’s strange…”

After helping Parousia suppress the two assassins from the Lauren family, Hall realized the problem.

Even though Parousia had been enhanced by him, the amount of blood she had sucked was probably not enough for her strength to surpass Trick Rider.

And his alliance with Trick Rider, although there was no communication, their offense and defense in the entire process of dealing with Arjo were quite synchronized.

It was as if they had practiced this cooperation before.

The two assassins from the Lauren family were not weak, and their cooperation was also very good.

On a normal day, they were the elite of the elite, but in a brawl of this level tonight, they could only be considered marginal characters.

The Lauren family was a large family in the Bal Empire.

In the game, if the player chose to help Frida become the emperor, they would be an important mid-to-late-game side quest.

It was not without powerhouses of level ninety and above.

Now they were in the country.

If they hadn’t made a move because of the mutual checks and balances with Frida, it could be explained.

But Hall always felt it was incongruous.

Soon, Hall chose to separate Parousia and himself, each dealing with one person, completely separating the two assassins who were originally cooperating.

“Alright, alright. I’ll deal with this side. Do I need to come over and help you later, William?”

“No need. Just go and find your Prince. She will surely look at you with new eyes now.”

“Alright. By the way, William, your blood is very strange. Why didn’t I feel any unpleasant divinity in it after I sucked it? Isn’t your sanctity very high?”

“I don’t know about that.”

After the two finished talking, they each forced the Lauren family assassin they were dealing with to the left and right sides, completely separating the two who were originally cooperating.

Now Hall looked at the black-clothed assassin in front of him and said.

“Is there anyone else who came with you tonight? Tell me the truth, and I’ll let you go.”

Hall, sensing the anomaly, quickly activated [Black Blade—Flash Step] to gain information.

The explosive dual speed of this stripping technique made his sword’s edge almost completely unhindered and bit at the black-clothed assassin’s body.

“Yes, there’s… there’s one more person. But he left right before he got to the orphanage and said he would guard outside. He split up with us.”

“You mean he’s outside?”

“I think so, Your Excellency. Please let me go. I just took money from the Lauren family to do this…”

The black-clothed assassin, who knew he was no match for Hall after he activated [Flash Step], decided to beg for mercy.

“Do you know his name?”

“No…”

Almost at the same moment the other party answered.

Hall’s heart began to beat violently again.

The Black Rose’s voice appeared in his ear.

“Come quickly! Someone is going to attack the Angel!”

Only then did the incongruity in his heart suddenly connect.

If one wanted to obtain the feather, the best way was, of course, to kidnap Christine.

---

“Hall, Baron Hall!”

“What is it, Maria? Why are you alone? Where is Christine?”

“The cultists have taken Lady Christine away!”

“The cultists? Who is it?”

Hall, after hearing the Black Rose’s voice, immediately came out of the orphanage.

He met Maria halfway.

“It’s a woman in a black skirt holding a black bow. That person suddenly appeared by our side, and then a black tornado rolled up. I and a few guards were suppressed by the wind pressure and couldn’t lift our heads. When I could look up, the black tornado had already run off in that direction.”

From the young nun’s description, Hall confirmed that the Black Rose had kidnapped Christine.

She had probably come back to find Christine, sensed the hidden danger, and didn’t have time to wait for him to return.

So she had activated the special effect of the Black Windflower Bow and fled with Christine.

It must be the last person the Lauren family assassin had mentioned.

“What did the other party say? Who is it?”

The Black Rose was so formidable, she must be at least level ninety.

And she was clear that Christine was the key tonight.

She probably had some understanding of Christine and the orphanage’s past.

The bad situation was that the other party also knew that Christine was [Angel].

“Then I’ll go after them. Don’t worry, Christine is relatively safe now. But you, Maria…”

Although Maria and Hall’s relationship was not good, if something happened to the other party, Christine would be sad.

The situation was so chaotic…

“I’m fine, Baron Hall. Please go and save Lady Christine! She was so insistent on coming here earlier…”

The four royal guards had also gone into the black tornado.

If something happened to Christine, Frida would also be under great political pressure.

But Maria vaguely felt that those four people probably wouldn’t be of much help and that they had to rely on Hall.

Christine had trusted Hall so much during this time.

In this moment of despair.

She subconsciously believed Hall.

“I know. Be careful. There are no monsters around. This is the cross Christine gave me. Take it. Ordinary monsters hate this aura. As long as you hide in a place with many monster corpses, and add this aura, they will instinctively be afraid of you.”

The black-haired youth took off the cross on his chest and gave it to the young nun who was crying because of Christine’s emotional state.

“Alright… it’s fine. Miss Himan cleared the way earlier and killed many monsters. There are monster corpses piled up nearby.”

Although Maria didn’t like the smell of monster corpses, to avoid distracting Hall, she immediately said it was no problem.

“Himan?”

Hearing this name, Hall was surprised, “She also came tonight?”

“Yes, she did. Thanks to her clearing the way in front, we didn’t encounter any monsters. She charged very far ahead. She should be at the orphanage now.”

‘Didn’t Baron Hall meet her?’

“No.”

Hall thought to himself that he had sensed Himan’s aura on the way back.

Could Himan have also had an accident?

No, Himan would not be the target of any key figures’ attacks tonight.

And because of this, he had to first confirm the safety of the most crucial Christine.

“Who are you?”

“I am here to save you, Angel… Miss Christine. Just follow me now.”

“Go to the orphanage.”

“What?”

“Take me to the orphanage.”

The Black Rose was currently planning to take Christine to the end of the plain near the orphanage and use the special effect of the Black Windflower Bow to send them over the cliff and into the high mountains.

This way, that terrifying presence would not be able to catch up with them.

But Christine, who was embraced by her in the eye of the wind, was very calm and directed her.

“Miss Christine, you must understand.”

“You’re here to help me, heretic.”

Christine’s voice was still very calm.

She said clearly and slowly, “Take me back to the orphanage. Don’t go into the distant mountains. There are many vampires there. No… not just ordinary vampires…”

“…The vampires may not stop us, but the person who is chasing us from behind, their target must be you…”

The Black Rose, as Mandosha Flower’s fangirl, was very respectful of Christine.

Just as she would not question Mandosha Flower’s decision, she would not question Christine’s judgment in the past.

“Lady Angel must have lost her memory.”

“No, fate wants me to go to the orphanage. Hall will also be waiting for me there. If I flee now, fate will completely lose control.”

The Black Rose thought to herself that since Christine had said this, did she have no reason to object at all?

And she even mentioned Hall.

Lord Angel had such an obsession with the Holy Son.

Although, his decision to stay alone at the orphanage to deal with things was also very commendable.

“He might not be at the orphanage. I’ve already informed him that someone is after Miss Christine.”

“He will be waiting for me there, definitely…”

The clear female voice was like a divine revelation.

“Alright.”

The Black Rose gritted her teeth.

The effect of the Black Windflower Bow was about to end after the high-speed escape.

Taking Christine back to the orphanage meant that the other party would definitely catch up with them.

And she didn’t know the situation inside the orphanage.

Whether Arjo was dead, or if Trick Rider would help them.

If she, Hall, and Trick Rider teamed up, plus Christine’s blessing, they might win.

“Hey, Hall, why are you back? Didn’t you run away just now? You made me fight a two-on-one. Fortunately, one of them was already seriously injured by me, hehe. The other one wanted to sneak attack me, and I cut him down too.”

Outside the orphanage church, Parousia was immersed in the joy of her successive victories.

Ever since she went to Saint Louis, she had been at a disadvantage.

It had been a long time since she had fought so fiercely.

“Go and find your Prince and tell her about your great victory.”

Hall said to her.

He had decided to go after the Black Rose after saying goodbye to Maria, but he had thought that Christine’s personality was also very stubborn.

She would definitely not give up the feather that belonged to her.

And the Black Rose was very respectful of the Angel.

She would likely come back.

What’s more, his meeting with the Black Rose, and the battle that ensued, was not bad.

Trick Rider might even briefly be on the same side as them.

At that time, the very complicated “four people from the Salvation Church” would control the situation.

“That’s right, but the Prince seems to have left the orphanage…?”

Because he had given the cross to Maria.

Hall could not judge the situation of the vampires in the orphanage by the light of the cross.

‘I wonder what she went to do? Besides, the monsters outside were not summoned by the Prince either…’

Parousia was very perceptive after drinking blood.

She could roughly sense that she and Vier were of the same Masara bloodline.

“She probably went to deal with an incident. Phew phew… William, remember to give me the feather after you get it. I’ll go and find the Prince.”

Then Parousia released the familiar she used to communicate with Vier in front of Hall.

“Ah, Your Highness, you’re really not in the orphanage anymore…”

“What? Prince Charles is also here and is being suppressed? So you…”

“Sigh… Princess is here…”

“Oh, oh, oh, I’m coming, I’m coming, Your Highness. Vampire Viscountess Parousia will be there right away, and I’ll protect Your Highness’s safety with my life.”

Parousia, who was stammering a lot, was a little surprised.

She was panicking and immediately ran away from the orphanage.

Hall was too lazy to bother with her, but he had clearly heard the first sentence Parousia had said before she ran far away, and he had a general idea of the second sentence.

Prince Vier was no longer in the orphanage.

“Prince Charles? Isn’t that the Prince who guards the border with the Cateline territory for the vampire empress? How did he end up here?”

He thought for a moment.

The surrounding area was very quiet.

Only Trick Rider had gone inside the orphanage.

Trick Rider couldn’t get the feather, so he wouldn’t interfere for now.

“This [stage] is about to reach its end.”

The black-haired youth maintained his state, and the two legendary-grade weapons were not yet ready for use.

They had not been formally used.

“Hall, you’re actually here!”

Soon, the Black Rose’s voice came with the black wind.

“Hall…”

When the Black Rose pulled Christine down, the blonde girl in the white Saintess robe looked at Hall.

With just one look, Hall subconsciously turned his gaze away.

Because that loving gaze, how to put it.

If he looked at it for too long, coupled with Christine’s current weak state and pure attire, and her flushed knees and graceful calves, he would feel a little bit like a criminal.

“Quick, let’s go into the church! Before the person who is chasing you gets here, let Christine get the feather first.”

“What about Trick Rider? What about Trick Rider? He’s still inside, right? He probably won’t let us…”

“You just hold him back. There’s no time to hesitate. Although he’s a colleague, and he helped me just now, the situation is very special now.”

Hall’s voice was unquestionable.

Then he slightly avoided Christine’s eyes, which were more moving than the spring water, and grabbed her hand.

“Where is that feather? Can you sense it, Saintess Candidate Christine?”

“I can, Hall… let’s go together.”

She tried hard to suppress the throbbing in her heart.

Then the three of them began to move.

The Black Rose went to find Trick Rider to hold him back.

Hall accepted Christine’s guidance.

“Hold me…”

“Mm?”

“Carry me and run. It will be faster this way. I don’t have the strength… that person is coming. Before he gets here, we have to find the feather.”

Before Christine could finish her sentence.

Hall no longer hesitated and directly embraced the golden-haired girl in a princess carry, running towards the inside of the orphanage church.

At that instant, it was as if a scene had surfaced.

But the direction was opposite to the present.

It was a black-haired boy carrying a golden-haired girl, asking a purple-haired girl beside him to escape from the big fire through the gate of the orphanage church.

In that scene from the past, snowflakes were falling outside the orphanage church.

In the starlight of the night today, the same objects seemed to be falling.

“Hall, over here.”

The Black Rose had entered the church before them.

In the spacious main hall of the church, the Black Rose and Trick Rider seemed to be in a standoff.

But Christine pointed to the corner.

“There’s a secret passage there. The secret passage leads to the basement of this orphanage, or rather, church.”

Christine narrated calmly.

In her memory, she and her sister often played in the basement.

And in the basement, there were ancient murals, some extraordinary murals.

“Oh, alright…”

Hall thought to himself that he knew about this basement.

It was also in the game.

So he didn’t need Christine’s detailed guidance and immediately found the entrance to the secret passage leading to the underground.

“Is the feather inside?”

“Mm, it’s inside. I’ll call it when we go in.”

“You go in first.”

Hall put Christine down.

“Alright, Hall. You be safe. Wait for me to come out.”

Christine knew that if they were blocked in the basement, it would be troublesome.

The terrifying presence that was chasing her and the Black Rose had an extremely ominous aura.

The other party had already arrived outside the orphanage.

If he stayed here now, if the situation changed, he could still team up with the Black Rose and Trick Rider.

“Mm.”

“Make a promise with me.”

She held out her little finger to him.

Hall was stunned for a moment, but quickly hooked his little finger with hers.

Because there was no time to waste.

Then Christine ran down to the basement with a satisfied look.

He, on the other hand, turned to look behind him.

That person was here.

So he said, “Black Rose, Trick Rider, let’s deal with the common enemy first, and then we’ll consider internal fighting.”

---

Walking along the path of the orphanage church, coming towards the main hall was a man in black.

The man was quite young, not much older than Hall.

In terms of facial features, he was handsome, but because of the gloom that was not suitable for his age, his overall appearance was a notch and a half lower than Hall’s.

But the moment the Black Rose and Hall saw the other party’s face.

They were both a little surprised.

“Ancestor Demon?”

“Ancestor Demon, as a newly appointed Sage, how dare you come here, and even show killing intent towards Lady Angel!”

The first sentence was Hall’s private thought.

The second sentence was the Black Rose’s angry retort after being greatly surprised.

Hall knew that Ancestor Demon was one of the two most crazy and extreme Sages among the seven Sages of the Salvation Church in the game.

This guy’s codename came from the fact that he controlled the power of the Demon God.

To be precise, he was a guy who had transformed his body through a special method, and in the later stages, he was almost non-human.

And he always boasted, “I will return as the Demon God of the new era.”

However, judging from the Black Rose’s words, Ancestor Demon should not have been a Sage before.

After all, Christine herself was not a Sage in the game, which meant there was one extra Sage position.

“Isn’t it normal for a new Sage to come and kill the old Sages? I was very disappointed when I found out that the old folks were still alive…”

Ancestor Demon’s clean-looking face showed a few black lines.

That was the state of him gradually activating the Demon God’s power in his body.

He looked at Hall, his gaze never leaving him for a moment.

If it weren’t for this guy appearing out of nowhere in the name of the Holy Son, he should have been the one leading the Salvation Church in the true sense.

“It’s a good thing I cooperated with the Lauren family. Otherwise, Mandosha Flower and the evil spirit would have blocked my information sources, and I would have missed this grand event.”

“It’s useless to say more. Even if the three of you die here, I can still tell the vampires, well, as long as everyone dies here…”

Ancestor Demon’s faint voice echoed in the church.

---

In the basement.

Christine looked at the murals and knew she had no time for nostalgia.

She began to pray, wanting to summon the feather that belonged to her.

When the feather was summoned and appeared.

The golden-haired girl showed a hint of confusion.

This feather was clearly not the feather that had transformed into that blade in her dream.

The starlight it emitted was also not as grand as in her dream.

She had originally wanted to get that dream blade and give it to Hall to use.

It would surely be a great help to him.

But Christine still immediately reached out to touch the feather.

But in that instant.

The golden-haired girl’s eyes lost their focus, and a great sadness suddenly appeared on her face.

Two streams of clear tears flowed like a small stream.

She did not speak.

But countless voices and images came into her mind.

She had received a divine revelation again.

No, that was not a divine revelation at all.

It was not the voice of God.

She had never received a divine revelation.

Since the dream that had made her investigate Hall two years ago, it had all been her own voice.

It was all her past self, speaking to her present self.

—You must never forget him, Christine.

---