Only after 99 cycles did she finally “get her happy ending” with Allen—how rare was that!
Compared to that, a bloodline left behind by an Evil God was nothing in the face of “true love.”
Even if the Evil God whispered in her ear every day, she would only think: “Allen gave his first time (the honor of recruiting an apostle) to me, I am his favorite! All you lot, shut up!”
Mhm, this person was already lost in her own world, knowing nothing of heaven or earth.
With Allen’s pragmatic mindset of “it doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice,” Marianne finally overcame her disgust for the Engraved Mark, and the two began to study the concrete abilities of the Brand of Shadow.
Marianne used to be a Pseudo-Mark Knight, so she had some foundation in using Engraved Marks. But a pseudo-mark is an externally implanted thing, requiring much more cost and effort to use.
Her natural talent for the Mark was actually very high—this was why she’d been able to compete with the protagonist Livia von Stern in her own storyline.
Now, with a true Engraved Mark bloodline, she was able to sense its presence and master its use almost instantly.
The true Engraved Mark felt wondrous to use; the shadows of reality seemed like an extension of her body and will, allowing her to merge into them easily.
At the same time, the power of shadow could be both offensive and defensive, just like Livia’s starlight energy: it could absorb damage, or become black tendrils to attack and restrain the Enemy from behind.
This power was far superior to the flawed pseudo-marks of the Cult! It was total invisibility, nearly undetectable.
Most terrifying of all, shadows were everywhere. That meant Marianne could infiltrate virtually anywhere; even the most formidable defenses were meaningless to her.
For an assassin, this ability was nearly invincible.
Allen’s earlier comment about “reporting the bloodline to the King” was actually a warning: a commoner gaining such terrifying power would only be seen as an aberration—an Enemy.
The Engraved Mark was not exclusive to nobles, nor was it inherently sacred—this discovery alone was enough to overturn the established order!
After getting used to the power, Marianne gradually came to understand many traits of the Brand of Shadow.
The Mark’s power functioned like spending Blue Bar to activate skills; the bloodline concentration determined the maximum Blue Bar and the power of abilities.
A normal Engraved Mark’s Blue Bar could recover naturally; pseudo-marks, on the other hand, required a permanent reduction in the Red Bar (vitality) maximum to recover.
Now that Marianne had a true Mark, she no longer had to worry about burning up her lifespan every time she used her power.
Moreover, the concentration of her Brand of Shadow bloodline was no less than Livia’s or Hugo’s, meaning her combat power was already considerable, and would only rise as she mastered the power.
However, the Brand of Shadow was not without weaknesses—for instance, it was utterly countered by Hugo’s Sun Emblem.
In brilliant light, all shadows disappeared. Livia’s Star Emblem could have a similar effect.
The Brand of Shadow was more of a support-type Mark; in direct combat, it depended on Marianne’s own experience, and her best style was still the assassin’s one-strike kill.
If her trait was exposed, Marianne as an assassin would have a hard time fighting strong, prepared Enemies head-on.
In addition, Engraved Marks had a hidden property: they didn’t just drain Blue Bar—they also drained the hidden Sanity Bar.
After staying in the shadows for long periods, Marianne could clearly hear eerie whispers.
As her Sanity dropped, the whispers became more distinct: “Marianne…join us, won’t you? Didn’t you…hate him the most? Be true to your desires…”
These voices sounded like all the fallen “her”s from past cycles tempting her, stirring up all sorts of negative emotions.
It was a terrifying state—like ten thousand people whispering at once, making her head feel like it would split, almost impossible to think—making Marianne realize the danger lurking deep in her bloodline.
But she laughed.
“No! Morally unacceptable. You’re just jealous I got the young master’s love. Sure, you’re also me, but I got redemption—what about you? You’re already dead. So let the living move on. You are nothing but ghosts of the past…or the shadows of an Evil God!”
Without hesitation, Marianne pulled herself out of that state, and when she saw Allen again in the sunlight, she threw herself into his arms, overjoyed.
“…That ‘Crest Corruption’ you mentioned—I felt it. But as long as you’re with me, I won’t fall.”
“That’s good.” Allen, who’d been there himself, knew all too well the bizarre horror of lost Sanity.
He’d once thought this was a unique drawback of pseudo-marks, but now it seemed the noble Mark-bearers’ claim—“the stronger your bloodline, the more you hear divine revelation”—was true. Even an Evil God’s revelation counted, after all.
“Livia’s Engraved Mark is so strong… the whispers she hears must be terrifying.”
“Exactly. If she can just chat away normally with those voices, that’s even scarier. She always seems perfectly sane, completely rational. But if she can keep up that composure while listening to all those seductive, evil whispers, it either means she’s more rational than any mortal—or…she’s been hiding her true self all along. No matter which, she’s a complete monster.”
Marianne thought to herself, You fit that description perfectly too, young master.
“All right. I’m very satisfied with your abilities. I’m going to put you to good use next.”
“Yes, young master.”
Allen gave Marianne her assignment: tomorrow afternoon, she’d infiltrate the Thieves’ Guild headquarters alongside Hugo and Finn. More precisely, she’d hide in their shadows, slipping in without a sound.
Even if Hugo blew his cover during infiltration, it didn’t matter—he was strong enough to handle those small fry.
If he drew the Enemy’s attention, Marianne would have an even easier time sneaking into the most confidential areas, stealing vital intelligence and gathering evidence of various crimes.
With these key secrets in hand, Allen would have the Thieves’ Guild by the throat.
Allen never considered his plans infallible—any step could go wrong.
But with Marianne, none of those problems mattered anymore.
In fact, the moment Marianne gained the Brand of Shadow, the Thieves’ Guild was already doomed.
Leaving aside any Cult agents still hidden, she alone could clear the entire Thieves’ Guild headquarters; Allen himself could easily beat this “dungeon.”
It was a total walkover.
But Allen’s true purpose was to give the organization a chance for real-world practice.
This time, it was a joint operation—the complexity and coordination would be a true test for his still-immature organization.
With Marianne serving as a behind-the-scenes “nanny,” at least the casualties this time would be minimal.
“Marianne, as the Torchbearer, this mission is also your big test. How to achieve the greatest victory at the smallest cost, how to use your advantages, how to complete all the objectives perfectly and efficiently…these are all real challenges.”
“Don’t fear failure. We are a force of justice. If we can’t even wipe out these rats, how can we talk about destroying the old order or defeating the Evil Beings?”
“Young master, whatever you want to do, it will be done. Just give the orders—I won’t let you down.”
Allen affectionately patted her head. “Take care of yourself. You are my sharpest blade—don’t let it break. Leave the dying to my convenient brother Hugo and the Judgement Court.”
“Understood. We are ‘villains,’ young master—villains would never throw away their own lives so easily, would they?”
“Indeed. That’s my style. But…” Allen put on a puzzled expression, “Who was that person just now, wailing about dying?”
Remembering her earlier meltdown, Marianne bared her teeth. “No making fun of me!”
But since she’d made a secret confession earlier and Allen hadn’t rejected it, she blushed a little—
Hehe, young master must be really, really fond of me!
This time, Marianne was not imagining things—Allen truly liked her new power, and was already planning how to maximize the Brand of Shadow’s use.
If even the Church couldn’t detect Marianne’s Engraved Mark, then Allen essentially had a map hack in an RTS game: the Enemy’s movements would be one-way transparent to him.
But that was just wishful thinking.
Allen remained wary of any power he couldn’t fully control or guarantee.
What if, during infiltration, the Evil God suddenly revoked her blessing and the Enemy surrounded her?
Most intelligence worth stealing wasn’t even that valuable, but the Evil God’s corruption and scheming were very real threats.
Given the huge gap between risk and reward, Allen decided Marianne’s powers should be used with caution.
Marianne’s yandere tendencies already gave Allen enough of a headache.
If the Evil God’s subtle influence ever magnified her twisted possessiveness, she might really lock Allen up in some underground chamber undetectable by any sensor, and torment him every day!
Hey! That kind of nightmarish future would be even worse than a bad ending!