As she was present, Val masked his immunity to such emotions.
He summoned an artificial tremor in his voice that sounded more real than the voice of a deeply disturbed person and admitted to Eliana, “For a moment, I was terrified I would die at the hands of Shaxil, leaving you alone. Fortunately, it wasn’t a powerful devil, and I managed to turn the tables on it. You can’t imagine how grateful I am to have survived and see you again.”
His tone, touched with a gentle sincerity that was in total contrast to his internal indifference, only served to pull Eliana further into his deceptive web. As if he was the devil fooling the masses with his sweet lies and empty promises, his words held an effect on her she couldn’t ignore.
Not to mention, his gaze bored into hers, causing her heartbeat to quicken.
Seeing that was in need of comfort, Eliana wrapped her arms around him without hesitation and patted his back reassuringly.
“There, there… Everything’s okay now,” she murmured in his ears as if coaxing a child.
Val hugged her back, holding her cherishingly in his embrace at least that was what she felt.
With her head buried in the crook of his neck and his resting atop hers, she didn’t notice him smirking like a villain!
Val thought that he was playing this part well – the vulnerable hero who’d narrowly escaped a demonic threat, earning the sympathy of his lover, and causing their relationship to strengthen even further.
However, he felt a twinge of annoyance as he thought that he would have to continue giving such spectacular performances when in her presence to ensure that his divine asset – Eliana – would never slip through his fingers.
‘The life of an actor is really hard,’ he sighed internally. 𝑜𝑣𝓛xt.𝗇𝓔t
Then, Val hung the talisman on the door, believing that it would provide them protection from whatever haunts the house. From his experience, he knew that the talisman could bar evil from entering the house and weaken any evil entities already inside to the point where they couldn’t physically manifest. He was confident in its protective capabilities.
Val turned to Eliana with a serious expression on his face. “There might be other Shaxil haunting this house. They can mimic appearances and create illusions that are hard to differentiate from reality. We must not trust everything we see when we are alone in the house. Also, we must always hang the talisman. It’s our most effective countermeasure against the hidden evil in this house.” He issued a warning to her.
“I understand.” Eliana nodded her agreement with a solemn expression on her face.
Switching the topic, Val asked, “So, was your venture successful?”
Hearing his words, Eliana smiled, the corners of her rosy lips lifting with joy. “Yes, it was. Alfred helped me, and he also told me to say hi to you. I now work as a healer at the God’s Hand Clinic, and the pay is pretty impressive. Just today, I helped over 30 patients and made more than 200 contribution points.”
She continued enthusiastically, “On top of that, because I’m acting as a priestess of the God of Light by healing people, my bloodline is also growing stronger. If things continue as they are, my bloodline will upgrade in no time.”
The principles governing the bloodlines of the priests and priestesses of the Holy Church of Light deviated from the norm.
Instead of necessitating the use of Bloodline upgrading potions or rare, wild herbs for advancement, their bloodlines operated on a concept of faith and roles in the early stages.
By being faithful to their God and dedicated to their divine roles, they could enable their holy bloodlines to evolve and reach level 3.
This principle, aptly named “staying in character,” denoted the alignment of their actions with their divine calling.
Eliana, as a priestess, was tasked with healing the injured and combatting the evil forces encroaching upon the land. Thus, the more she fulfilled these roles in line with her bloodline, the higher her chances of advancing to level 3.
But even for a priestess like Eliana, the journey to greater power wasn’t without obstacles.
After reaching level 3, she would face the same challenge that other bloodline holders dealt with – the necessity for Bloodline upgrading potions to progress further.
This was a universal law, and even the path of a priest or priestess was not exempt from it.
“Just remember not to overwork yourself,” Val reminded Eliana, a hint of concern in his stoic tone. It was fake but sounded so real that Eliana believed he was genuinely concerned for her.
Val leaned closer to her and continued, “And know that I am here for you. Let me know when you reach level 2. I’ll help you slay some evil monsters, which should hasten your advancement to level 3.”
Eliana smiled gratefully at his offer. “Thank you, I will.”
Val reached out, patting Eliana gently on her head. The unexpected affectionate gesture from him caused a rush of warmth to spread across her face, making her cheeks turn a lovely shade of pink. She was, after all, quite fond of Val, and his rare displays of tenderness that were only shown to her always caught her off guard.
“Actually, I wanted to celebrate getting my job by inviting you to dinner at a fancy restaurant in the lower city. How does that sound?” Eliana said after a moment.
“That sounds delightful, Eliana. It’ll be a nice change of pace. Let’s do it.” Val agreed with her without a moment of hesitation. “But, are you planning to go like this?” He asked, gesturing towards her current attire: the formal dress of a nun.
Eliana laughed lightly before she replied, “No, I’ll go and get dressed. Just give me a moment.”
With that, she disappeared into her room, leaving Val to stand alone in the entryway of the haunted house.
He wandered back into the kitchen, where his eyes landed on the slowly spreading crimson pool of the Shaxil he had killed.
His gaze hardened as he commanded, “Absorb.”
His eyes turned red as the blood on the floor levitated, floating towards him and seeping into his body through his pores, accumulating in his blood bank.
[System Notification: Blood Bar has increased to 1500 units.]
A small smirk formed on Val’s face as he observed the massive surge in his strength.
“The blood of a devil is really invigorating,” he noted, the satisfaction clear in his tone.
The units of blood he had earned from killing and absorbing the blood of a single Shaxil were more than he had gained from an entire pack of beasts.
The difference was clear, and Val couldn’t help but feel satisfied with the results.
For a Blood Devil bloodline user, the advantage of killing a devil that could bleed was clear. Sadly, encountering such a devil was easier than done. Most devils don’t even have blood, so how would they bleed?!
Val also blew away the ashes using wizardry. The Shaxil’s ashes were thrown out of the house through the window.
“Alright, I am ready,” Eliana’s voice came from the foyer.
Val stepped out of the kitchen and walked up to her with a smile as if nothing had happened.
Seeing him coming out of the kitchen, she couldn’t help but ask, “What were you doing there?”
“Just cleaning up,” Val replied with an air of nonchalance. ” “I figured I’d better get rid of the Shaxil’s blood and remains while you were getting dressed. Such filth shouldn’t linger in our homes. You know what they say. It’s important to ensure the house remains unmarred by the filth of devils if you don’t want to invite more of their kind to your place.
His words rang true to Eliana.
She was aware of the dark implications of leaving remnants of such an evil entity lingering in one’s home. So, she simply nodded in understanding, a soft sigh of relief escaping her lips.
“You look beautiful by the way.” Val praised.
Eliana felt happy, hearing his words. All the efforts she had put into looking good for him hadn’t gone to waste!
“Thank you,” she said.
Then they went out and had dinner.