Chapter 53: Awakening and a Daring New Strategy

The two were utterly exhausted upon returning to the inn. Not sleeping for an entire night wasn’t the most crucial factor.

The real issue was that they had maintained constant vigilance throughout the night.

Maintaining such a high state of alert consumed far more energy than merely staying awake. Once back in their room, they had no energy left for further thought.

Both collapsed onto the large pink bed and fell into a deep slumber.

It wasn’t until the afternoon that Lovelenica slowly awoke from her sleep.

“Hmm… this is surprisingly much better than I expected. Having magic really makes a difference.”

Lovelenica hummed softly, rubbing her eyes. Before transmigrating, both during her university days and after starting work, she had experienced many all-nighters.

Whether it was binge-watching shows with roommates, gaming all night, or pulling an all-nighter for work, she would always sleep for most of the next day. Even then, she would still feel utterly exhausted upon waking, never truly refreshed.

This time, however, felt different. Perhaps it was due to the abundant magic flowing within her.

Although she had been incredibly drowsy when they returned that morning, she woke feeling remarkably energetic, completely free of any lingering fatigue from the all-nighter. This sensation was quite invigorating for Lovelenica.

‘Then again,’ she mused, ‘sleeping during the day and going out at night, being nocturnal… doesn’t that make me just like a bloodkin?’

A helpless smile touched Lovelenica’s lips at the thought. She then rolled over, her gaze falling upon Lucia’s beautiful sleeping face.

“Eh?”

Lovelenica paused, slightly startled. Lucia’s eyes were tightly shut, her expression appearing somewhat troubled.

From this proximity, Lovelenica could clearly discern Lucia’s long, golden eyelashes, which seemed to tremble subtly. She wondered if Lucia was having a nightmare or something similar.

‘Perhaps losing her parents at such a young age and then being mistreated by the original owner after being taken in has made this child lack a sense of security,’ Lovelenica mused. ‘Even in her sleep, she feels uneasy.’

As Lovelenica speculated, she tenderly placed her palm on Lucia’s small face.

“…Teacher.”

To Lovelenica’s surprise, Lucia’s expression genuinely softened after she attempted to comfort her. Lucia continued to murmur softly, calling out Lovelenica’s name.

This startled Lovelenica. Normally, when a person sleeps, their subconscious takes over, and their reactions to external stimuli are often the most genuine.

The fact that Lucia found comfort in her presence indicated a real dependence on Lovelenica. Recalling the actions of the original owner, Lovelenica strongly suspected that Lucia might be suffering from a mild form of Stockholm Syndrome.

The original owner had saved Lucia when her parents were murdered and she was in mortal danger. Subsequently, the original owner brought Lucia to the Church, offering her new hope, which fostered a certain emotional dependency in Lucia.

However, after bringing Lucia back to the Church, the original owner’s teachings had been relentlessly harsh and abusive. Because of the initial rescue, Lucia had already developed feelings, which led her to even defend the original owner’s various actions to some extent.

Had Lovelenica not transmigrated, the original owner’s final sword strike might have jolted Lucia into realization. Alas, Lovelenica had arrived, and in the days that followed, she had displayed a kindness utterly unlike her predecessor.

This newfound compassion had magnified within Lucia’s heart, leading to her even greater loyalty towards Lovelenica now.

“Oh, Lucia… what am I supposed to do with you?”

Lovelenica sighed softly, unsure of how to proceed.

Just as Lovelenica was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly noticed something amiss.

“Eh? Wait!”

‘How did I actually end up sleeping next to Lucia?!’

Lovelenica immediately scrambled out of the covers. Although she had compromised yesterday, agreeing to share the one-bed “lovers’ inn” with Lucia, she had intended to give Lucia the bed and sleep on the floor herself.

How had she woken up to find herself in the same bed as Lucia?

Lovelenica recalled that when they returned that morning, both of them had been utterly exhausted. She had been too tired to bother with a makeshift bed, simply collapsing onto the bed and falling asleep.

Lucia, who hadn’t cared about sleeping arrangements, had simply and obediently lain down beside Lovelenica without a word once she saw her on the bed.

‘Oh no…’

Even though they had merely shared a bed innocently, sleeping together in a lovers’ inn didn’t sound innocent at all.

“Tsk… it’s all that damned bloodkin’s fault…”

Lovelenica angrily clenched her small, delicate fists. If that bloodkin hadn’t failed to appear, they wouldn’t have been so utterly drained and drowsily fallen asleep together!

Just as Lovelenica was fuming internally, Lucia gradually awoke and climbed out of bed.

“…Teacher? You’re already awake.”

“Mm…”

Seeing Lucia awake, Lovelenica quickly composed herself, pretending as if nothing unusual had happened.

“Lucia, how was your rest?”

“It was good. We should depart tonight.”

“Alright.”

****

Once deep night fell, the two resumed their activities. This time, right from the start of their journey towards the Northern Outer District, Lovelenica concealed herself in the shadows, allowing Lucia to proceed alone.

They went to the same teahouse as before. After the midnight bells chimed, Lucia specifically navigated through the narrow alleys that were convenient for a vampire to ambush, heading towards the Central District.

However, just like the previous day, the bloodkin still did not appear.

‘Could the bloodkin have already left Kariso City?’

The thought began to weigh on them, and they seemed to gradually let down their guard.

After returning to the lovers’ inn, they found an opportunity to go to the Church and discuss the situation with the Priestess.

If the bloodkin failed to act again on the third day, the Priestess would send a sacred missive to the Royal City. Lovelenica and Lucia would then await further instructions from the Church.

The bloodkin had previously appeared every night, but ever since they arrived, it had vanished. Lovelenica believed that the creature might have learned about the reinforcements sent by the Royal City from somewhere, choosing to temporarily avoid confrontation.

Soon, evening arrived on the third day. This would be their final attempt.

Before they departed for the Northern Outer District, the Priestess called the two of them, ready to propose some adjustments to tonight’s operational plan.

“Saintess… perhaps, we need to alter our strategy.”

“What is it, Priestess? Please elaborate.”

The Priestess seemed to have a new idea and was now conversing with Lucia.

“I’ve summarized the characteristics of the previous victims once more, and I’ve found that they all had rather strained relationships with their families.”

“Their rebellious natures led them to wander out at night.”

“Furthermore…”

At this point, the Priestess abruptly paused. After a brief hesitation, she decided to speak her mind.

“Their attire was all quite… daring. Perhaps, Saintess, your own simple style of dress has failed to draw out the bloodkin.”