Chapter 58: I Was Clearly First

The fire at Drago Manor had been extinguished, leaving behind nothing but a mess.

Lin Shu took step after step toward Leah and her mother.

Before her, two blonde vampire women stood on the blood-stained grass. Not a single drop of blood touched their gorgeous dresses, as if they had nothing to do with the chaotic battlefield behind them.

Seeing her approach, Leah’s expression instantly turned to joy.

She shouted to the Tepes warriors in front of her, “Stop the attack! Everyone, pull back!”

The warriors who were fighting retreated while fending off the pursuit of the Drago guards.

Lin Shu turned her head back.

‘As I thought, their target has always been me, not Drago,’ Lin Shu thought.

Everything from Drago being abandoned by Tepes to them regaining their footing now had been thanks to her hard work.

‘I have to protect them. As long as I go with Leah, this attack will stop, and Drago will have a chance to breathe. But… I cannot forgive what they just did, whether it was burning the garden or torturing the Drago guards!’

“Look, the little bird has returned,” Leah’s mother said with a smile as she looked at her daughter. “In that case, let’s not let those boring little bugs interfere with your reunion.”

Leah’s mother picked up the red stone powder she had just crushed and chanted a few brief incantations. She raised her index finger and drew an invisible horizontal line toward the manor gate.

*Whoosh!*

A wall of fire several meters high rose from the ground, separating Lin Shu from all the Drago guards who were trying to keep up.

“Miss Lin Shu!” the guard leader roared anxiously, swinging his sword at the wall of fire. But as soon as the tip of the sword touched the flames, the entire blade was charred black, forcing him to retreat.

Lin Shu did not look back or answer.

Leah broke into a smile and walked toward Lin Shu. “Lin Shu, have you finally figured it out?”

“I’m doing all this for your own good. You can’t stay by that hypocritical woman’s side anymore!”

“You saw it. They don’t have the strength to guard you. Only Tepes — only I have the power to protect you!”

Leah reached out her arms toward Lin Shu, ready to welcome her.

Lin Shu walked straight past her. She wasn’t looking for Leah.

“Lin Shu?” Leah’s hands froze in midair.

“Oh? She’s coming for me. Interesting,” Leah’s mother said with great interest.

“Lin Shu, what are you doing? You can’t beat her!” Leah turned around quickly, calling out in a panic.

Lin Shu stared intently at Leah’s mother. It was this woman who had casually turned the Drago garden into scorched earth and planned to torture the Drago guards for fun.

Lin Shu raised her hand and rushed forward. She focused her intent, and several rose vines grew from beneath her feet, lunging straight for Leah’s mother.

“Mother, don’t hurt her!” Leah’s worried voice rang out from behind.

“Don’t worry, I’ll play with her. Let’s see how much your familiar’s strength has improved since she left.”

Leah’s mother took a few steps back and threw the remaining red stone powder in her hand. The powder turned into burning sparks of light, instantly expanding into an arched fire shield that blocked her path.

“Human, your little twigs will be burned away just like those flowers,” Leah’s mother laughed mockingly.

Lin Shu’s vines hit the fire shield and instantly caught fire. The heat wave hit her face, and Lin Shu gritted her teeth, concentrating her mind to activate the absorption ability of the rose thorns.

In an instant, the light of the flames on the surface of the fire shield began to dim and gradually went out. At the same time, an unfamiliar power poured into Lin Shu’s body.

‘Is this mana?’

Leah’s mother’s smile vanished. “What did you do — “

Without the fire shield in the way, the rose vines stabbed directly toward Leah’s mother’s abdomen.

“I’m truly surprised.” Leah’s mother was no longer smiling.

A cold light flashed in her eyes, and a terrifying pressure instantly exploded from her body. Black shadows appeared all over her, turning into tentacles that pounced on Lin Shu’s vines and swallowed them all.

At the same time, Leah’s mother flashed behind Lin Shu. The speed was so fast that Lin Shu didn’t even have time to turn around before she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck.

Everything suddenly went dark. In the last moment before she lost consciousness, Lin Shu heard Leah calling her name anxiously.

—

Leah rushed forward, caught the unconscious Lin Shu, and held her tightly in her arms. She looked up and said, “Mother, that’s enough. I don’t want her to be hurt. I just want her back.”

Leah’s mother looked at her silently, as if thinking about something. Finally, she flashed a smile. “Mama almost got serious. But the goal has been achieved. Let’s head back.”

Leah picked Lin Shu up horizontally and looked down at her pale face. “It’s all right now, Lin Shu. We’re going home.”

The blocking fire wall was still burning, completely separating the two camps. The carriage arrived, they boarded it, and retreated with all the Tepes warriors.

Leah slowly placed Lin Shu on the seat, letting her lie flat. The hair on Lin Shu’s forehead parted, revealing the rose-shaped familiar mark. It was a mark that belonged exclusively to Seraphina.

Leah frowned, finding the mark particularly eyesore. She bent down and pressed her lips against the mark, wanting to change the ownership of Lin Shu’s contract.

She had done the same thing the first time she formed a contract with Lin Shu. But when she raised her head, she found that the mark had not changed at all. Nothing had happened.

A sour emotion clogged her throat, and Leah pursed her lips tightly.

‘I’m not satisfied. She was clearly mine. I was Lin Shu’s first master, the first to teach her how to use skills, and the first to give her a place to stay. Why can’t I restore the contract rights directly? Is it really like the rules say, that her own consent is required? But it looks like Lin Shu still misses Seraphina. Even though that person treated her like a substitute, she still chose to stay. No, I can’t give up.’

After returning to the manor, she would have to do as her mother said and lock Lin Shu up to prevent her from running away again. Besides that, she had to find a way to make Lin Shu understand that Seraphina would not treat her sincerely.

‘I am her true home.’

The carriage landed at the Tepes estate.

“Mistress, Young Mistress, welcome home.” The butler bowed respectfully when he saw Leah carrying Lin Shu off the carriage.

Leah’s mother stepped off the carriage. “Butler, go replace the tools I commonly use in the basement. Get a new batch — the latest ones.”

Leah’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t want Lin Shu to be locked in the basement. She didn’t want to leave Lin Shu, or at least she couldn’t give her mother a chance to hurt her.

“Mother, I want her to stay in my room.” Leah’s grip on Lin Shu tightened.

“Fine. My daughter can have whatever she wants, as long as it makes you happy.” Leah’s mother patted her head dotingly. She seemed to remember something and added, “But she doesn’t seem honest yet. I’m afraid she won’t stay obediently and might even try to hurt you when she wakes up. I have a suppression collar in my collection. Put it on her. That way, she won’t be able to use her abilities anymore.”