Ivy finally returned to the suspended state she was in when she first fainted.
But the little strength she had recovered was already completely drained by her earlier movements, and exhaustion wrapped around her like a heavy shroud.
Still, the tearing sensation on her wrists and the aching from being suspended by her arms never let her rest even for a moment.
Ivy felt as if her arms no longer belonged to her.
After such a short time, she already felt like her hands were about to break off.
She didn’t know how she had spent the time while she was truly unconscious, nor did she understand the exact condition of her body.
But Ivy guessed that she was probably a little dead.
However, Ivy felt that even death would be more comfortable than this state—after all, death is a one-time event, but this state didn’t even allow for dying.
Only then did Ivy suddenly recall what Flossi had faintly said before she lost consciousness.
She said she wanted Ivy to be trapped between wanting to live and unable to die.
Ivy pursed her lips.
She should have made a better choice back then. Perhaps Flossi had already softened when she took Ivy to bathe.
But Ivy still took the chance to attack Flossi while she was off guard.
No matter how you looked at it, this was an extremely foolish and reckless act.
But she still did it.
Yet she did not regret it, nor did she blame herself, and she certainly would not want to go back and change her choice.
Since it was done, there was no turning back. The only option was to keep moving forward.
That was Ivy’s life motto.
At that moment, Ivy felt a sudden surge of energy she couldn’t explain.
Maybe it was a fleeting moment of clarity before the end.
Ivy thought so.
Her body grew hotter.
Yet at the same time, it also grew colder.
She felt like a burning ember had been thrown into an ice cellar, steadily evaporating.
Ivy lowered her gaze, suddenly thinking of Leah.
One of the few people who had given her warmth since she had crossed into this world.
Although Leah had only told her about Flossi’s mood today and given her a bottle of healing medicine after Flossi had hurt her, it was still a rare warmth for Ivy to feel.
She wondered how Sister Leah was doing now.
Though Ivy had taken all the blame on herself, she didn’t believe Flossi would keep her promises.
After all, Flossi was temperamental. Ivy had treated her this way; in her anger, anything was possible.
Ivy didn’t want to drag down anyone who had helped her anymore.
*****
East Wing of the Vampire Castle, Violet Empire, Norton Territory.
Flossi wore a black dress as she walked along a narrow dirt road. The sky was overcast, and the air was thick with the mixed scent of earth and rain.
The air felt heavy and warm—rain seemed imminent. Few pedestrians were around; only a few merchants were packing up their goods, preparing to head home.
Walking beside Flossi was Emilia, adorned in luxurious jewelry and a purple gown that would make anyone mistake her for a noble lady at first glance.
Flossi glanced at Emilia, who radiated wealth from head to toe, and instinctively stepped away a bit.
She simply couldn’t get along with Emilia; walking beside her made Flossi feel embarrassed.
“I heard you got bitten by your little pet?” Emilia asked casually as they walked.
Flossi ignored her, shooting Emilia a cold glance that clearly said: say one more word, and you’ll regret it.
But Emilia was obviously unfazed by Flossi’s threat; today, she was determined to be a pest no matter what.
“I’m just saying, even a cornered rabbit will bite. You keep abusing little Ivy like this, aren’t you afraid she’ll play you to death?”
“If it were me, I’d starve her for a few days, then feed her again. Do that a few times, and little Ivy will naturally behave.”
“See? I just said one thing and you’re already so upset.”
The next second, Emilia was struck on the head with a duang by Flossi and dramatically fell to the ground.
Flossi watched Emilia’s performance quietly.
After a few seconds, Emilia stood up, surrounded by a purple aura, without a speck of dust on her.
Emilia dusted off the nonexistent dirt and sneered at Flossi’s still expressionless face.
“Really boring. You’re not as interesting as that little pet of yours.”
Suddenly, a crack of thunder sounded sharply in the distance, echoing across the sky.
Emilia looked toward the small manor not far away and slowly dropped her teasing expression.
They had arrived.
Flossi stepped forward to the manor’s entrance.
Weeds had started growing inside, and many of the rare flowers planted there had withered. It was obvious that no one had tended this place for some time.
Flossi lightly leapt up, and a simple levitation spell formed under her feet, allowing her to easily jump into the manor grounds.
“Hey, little Flossi, why do you always like to just jump in like that? It’s not elegant at all.”
Emilia scolded Flossi’s unrefined, bandit-like style, then gracefully pushed the manor’s unlocked door.
But it didn’t open.
The door was locked from the inside.
Her elegant action faltered for a moment, but soon Emilia blasted the door open with magic.
She used wind magic to blow away the scattered dust and walked over to Flossi with grace.
Flossi glanced at the gaping hole in the door and was speechless for a moment.
She said nothing and instead headed toward the lord’s castle inside the manor.
According to the scouts Flossi had sent over the past few days, this was the residence of Devin Norton, nephew of Lord Asher Norton.
But not long ago, Devin Norton suddenly went mad, brutally killing all his slaves, his children, and several of his wives.
It was said that multiple knights were dispatched to subdue Devin Norton, but he suddenly burst into hysterical laughter and, before anyone could react, committed suicide on the spot.
However, these facts alone did not attract Flossi’s attention.
What really caught her interest was the knights who had dealt with Devin Norton.
Seven Radiant Knights were present at the time; five participated in subduing Devin, with two getting injured.
After returning, these two knights both showed different cognitive disorders and even attacked civilians, ultimately killed by other Radiant Knights.
Among the remaining five knights, only one developed cognitive issues. This knight killed several civilians before deserting and disappearing without a trace.
This was the main reason Flossi linked this seemingly simple rebellion to the “Contamination” incident from years ago.
Flossi entered Devin Norton’s residence. The decor was extremely lavish; the furniture remained mostly untouched.
Only the lingering stench of blood betrayed the terrible events that had unfolded here.