Chapter 68: Want to protect important matters

“Do we really have to destroy it?”

“Sister, is that abyssal holy artifact’s awakening ritual really something we must destroy?”

On the steps of the rear garden of Trandi Castle sat two figures, one large and one small.

Beside Annabell, the beast-eared loli Antonella, who was carrying a heavy battle axe, took a big gulp of high-calcium magic beast milk from her cup, then blinked her dazed eyes and asked. The ahoge on her head swayed gently in the breeze, utterly adorable.

Annabell habitually reached out to rub her fluffy head, then couldn’t help but give that stubborn ahoge a light tug: “Of course. That abyssal holy artifact is nothing good—it only brings disaster and endless slaughter.”

Antonella tilted her head, thoroughly confused: “But… the Training Elder and the family elders all say that if Sister takes hold of that divine artifact, you can transcend mortal limits.”

“Our Trandy Family will become a Grand Duke’s house, and we can even directly overthrow the Empire’s people. Why must we destroy it?”

“That’s right, the divine artifact is indeed powerful—one artifact can grant a person strength rivaling a Demi-God.”

Annabell’s gaze flickered slightly.

But before what truly matters in her heart, no matter how powerful a divine artifact is, it’s nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.

If she had to sacrifice what mattered most in her heart, then she would rather personally shatter it into scrap.

A faint smile curled at the corner of Annabell’s lips as she looked at the loli and said, “The important materials for forging a magic weapon can be sought later. But if it requires sacrificing what’s precious in my heart—like… you, and Xue Lei.”

Antonella froze, blinked her big eyes, and sank into deep thought.

***

After a long while, her underdeveloped little brain still couldn’t figure out why.

A Demi-God or not, Antonella certainly couldn’t be more important than a divine artifact.

Annabell gave her head a light smack: “Can’t you just become a strong one above Demi-God yourself?”

“Having a god-level berserker as my subordinate—isn’t that a hundred times more impressive than holding some broken holy artifact?”

Antonella suddenly had an epiphany and wore an expression of “I see now.”

“That’s right! Sister’s words make perfect sense!”

“Antonella will definitely train hard in the berserker battle art and become a ultimate weapon a hundred times stronger than the abyssal holy artifact!”

Antonella waved her little fists and declared loudly with conviction.

Watching Antonella’s innocent, hot-blooded demeanor, Annabell couldn’t help but stare in slight wonder.

That innocence reminded her of fragments of the original owner’s childhood memories in this world.

In fact, when they were very young, Annabell and Xue Lei were just as innocent and happy.

Back then, the original owner hadn’t yet awakened the truth magic eye, and the Trandy Family’s cruel bloodline ranking system hadn’t yet descended upon them.

Back then, she often held her black-haired little sister’s hand, running through the castle garden at dusk, laughter scattering along the path…

Annabell shook her head and tucked away the memories: “Antonella, that plan we discussed earlier—have you memorized it well?”

Antonella patted her flat little chest and loudly guaranteed, “Sister, rest assured! Antonella has a great memory! Once the ritual destruction plan begins, the scene will surely fall into chaos. All I need to do is…”

“No matter what happens, even if the Elder Council members try to stop me, I will definitely shield Sister Xue Lei with my life! When Sister isn’t around, I, the strongest guard, will protect Sister Xue Lei!”

Annabell nodded in satisfaction and delivered another head pat.

Antonella squinted her eyes in bliss, even letting out a purring sound from her throat like a kitten’s.

In the cold and cruel Trandy Family, the single-minded Antonella was one of the few people who could make Annabell let down her guard. She was truly a rare and fierce warrior.

“As expected of my Chief Student!”

Annabell generously rewarded her with a few more bottles of high-grade magic herbs.

***

After parting with Antonella, Annabell went alone to a secluded small palace behind the main hall.

This was where she and Xue Lei had once lived together as children.

In the Trandy Family, the treatment of sisters living together was cruelly torn apart after their bloodline awakening test at age six.

Annabell walked into this old bedchamber that had been unoccupied for a long time, yet was still kept spotless by the servants.

Following the deep memories in her mind, she arrived before a small double wardrobe.

No one would ever imagine that the cold, cruel Villainess, as rumored, had carefully preserved some childish broken trinkets at the very bottom of this wardrobe.

A trace of mana flowed from her fingertip, easily unraveling the miniature formation. The wardrobe door sprang open with a click.

Inside was empty, holding only a crystal pendant covered in cracks but forcibly pieced back together with rough craftsmanship.

The pendant’s shape was two little girls holding hands.

Annabell’s memories instantly became clear.

This crystal pendant was secretly commissioned from a Royal Capital craftsman when she was little.

A pair was made back then—one for her and one for Xue Lei—symbolizing that the sisters would always hold hands together.

But later, the original owner awakened her villainous personality and, right in front of Xue Lei, personally shattered her own piece into dust.

So the one in the wardrobe was Xue Lei’s piece.

It had been broken—stomped to pieces by the original owner’s foot.

But Xue Lei had secretly used magic glue to painstakingly piece it back together bit by bit.

Perhaps because it was too fragile to wear after being repaired; but more likely, Xue Lei was afraid that if the original owner discovered it, it would be destroyed again, so she didn’t dare keep it on her person.

Annabell could almost imagine the desolate scene of a frail young Xue Lei sneaking back into this old room, tears streaming down her face, crawling on the floor to search for the fragments, struggling to piece them together.

A wave of intense bitterness surged in Annabell’s heart.

She picked up the fractured crystal pendant. Though the repair was careful, the cracks ran deep and were nearly impossible to heal.

Annabell immediately thought of the top-grade materials she had brought back from the Elven King Ruins in her storage ring.

“Let me have the finest alchemy master reforge a pair, using this broken crystal as the base, with top-grade star meteorite and elven mithril as materials.”

That afternoon, Annabell secretly slipped into the Underground Black Market and found a top-tier Magic Conduit Artificer.

Using precious materials enough to buy an entire city, paired with this most ordinary broken crystal, she reforged a pair of magic pendants.

High-grade defense and mana-gathering runes were engraved on the pendants. Not only could they block a fatal blow, but their hardness rivaled dragon bone—ordinary magic couldn’t leave the slightest mark on them.

Annabell was quite satisfied with the finished product.

She planned to personally give it to Xue Lei after rescuing her.

Hoping it could make up, even a little, for the missed years.

The next day.

The bells of Trandi Castle rang out, and an atmosphere of murderous cold shrouded the entire domain.

Attended by over a dozen maids, Annabell bathed and changed into the magnificent ceremonial robe befitting the Trandy Family’s Heir status.

Grasping her staff, she pushed open the heavy doors.

Outside, a group of elders with fervent expressions and black robes had long been waiting.

After offering prayers to the ancestral Great Demon God according to ancient rites, they surrounded Annabell like stars around the moon, placing her at the very center of the procession.

The mighty procession marched toward the underground forbidden ground at the castle’s deepest depths—the “abyss furnace.”

Today was the day of the Abyss Blood Sacrifice that would decide the Trandy Family’s fate.

It was also the day originally fated for Xue Lei’s death.

And in the original story, it was the day Xue Lei fully awakened, cast aside all weakness, and explosively counterattacked to escape the family.

From that day onward, Duke Trandy’s house entered its countdown to ruin.