"When did you find out? " Elvys froze slightly. After Ina appeared just now, Knox didn't mention his identity, but Ina said his name directly, which showed that she had known him for a while. If he could know when Ina saw through his identity, maybe he would have room to quibble, no, explain.
"From the start." Ina coldly shattered his illusion, "Maybe I can understand what cats are saying"
Elvys started to recall.
Thinking about it, he had basically revealed his identity when they first met.
The second day he came to the Dragon Flame Restaurant, he expressed his views in the discussion about where the food was cheapest in the Silver Empire and declared that the reason he chose Neranka as his territory was that it was the largest. No wonder Ina was not affectionate towards him at first and refused to name him.
With this thought, Elvys actually felt relieved. Then there was no deception or trickery between them, they were honest from the start. If Ina had seen through everything and still chose to let him hide by her side with a perverse mindset, could Ina's attitude towards him be classified as genuine closeness, rather than simply a preference for cats?
Ina hadn't given up her questioning. She raised her chin and looked at Elvys: "You went to great lengths to get into the restaurant, maybe you're coveting my..." She thought for a moment, but couldn't think of anything she had that could tempt the protagonist. This man was annoyingly rich!
Elvys slightly lowered his head and leaned closer to her: "You're right, I do indeed..."
He seemed to lean in too close, Ina was about to push Elvys away, only to find that he had actually passed out.
Ina was so angry that she gritted her teeth. She helped Elvys, who had slumped onto her shoulder, into the room and turned to Vilanthe: "You must be frightened too, the restaurant won't be open today, you should rest."
———
Elvys' condition wasn't looking good.
His magic was in chaos, the energy that should have flowed along a predetermined path was crashing around, even showing intense distortions. This out-of-control magic should have brought immense pain to the host, but Elvys's expression was calm.
He was already accustomed to this pain.
To figure out why Elvys had fainted, Ina cast a detection spell on him.
[Name: Elvys (Cursed) (Weak) (Comatose)
Race: Vampire
...]
Seeing the string of debuffs after Elvys's name, Ina sighed. She neither knew how to heal nor was good at removing curses. Her reprimand had barely started before it abruptly ended, making her feel frustrated.
But the person was already unconscious, she couldn't just ignore him.
Since Elvys was a vampire, should she get some blood for him to drink? Her own blood should contain powerful magic, this method should be useful, right?
Thinking like this, Ina took out a small knife and a porcelain bowl, and after a long struggle, she put down the knife. She remembered the story about the sharpest spear and the sturdiest shield. Since she was known as the most powerful mage on the Moro continent and dragons were the strongest race in terms of defense, could she hurt herself?
The answer was no. Ina looked at the white mark made by the knife on her fingertip, which returned to its original state after a few breaths. She casually threw the knife away, the sharp blade deeply embedded in the wall, leaving only the handle, but it couldn't break through that layer of seemingly soft skin.
Ina glanced at Elvys on the side. His face was as white as paper, his eyebrows furrowed, and cold sweat soaked his black hair.
Ina flipped through her game inventory again, rummaging through a pile of potions, and finally set her sight on the second potion in the first row.
This was one of the most frequently used potions in the game. Health Potion, restores HP, commonly known as the "Red Potion".
Drinking it couldn't harm anyway, Ina supported Elvys with one hand and opened the lid of the potion with the other to feed him.
Unexpectedly, the moment the clear red liquid entered his mouth, Elvys reacted violently. He immediately spat out the liquid he had not yet swallowed, hunched over the side of the bed retching, murmuring, "I don't drink blood... I don't want to..."
Ina's hand holding the potion bottle hung in the air. Was Elvys really a vampire? Why did he have such a strong reaction to the smell of blood?
Actually, although the Health Potion was red and carried an unpleasant rust-like smell, it was not a blood product. This was one of the most commonly drunk potions by players, not everyone had turned into a vampire, normal people couldn't possibly restore HP by drinking blood. Producing Health Potions was one of the ways for player alchemists to make a fortune, and Ina had seen them crafting it multiple times, it was just a bunch of herbs.
The nauseating taste was purely the game designer's bad taste. Some fun instances would even specifically not allow auto-use of Health Potions, forcing players to drink from the bottle. Players had to fight monsters while holding a nearly five-liter max-size "Red Potion". This instance was therefore nicknamed the "Nightmare Instance" by players.
Since Elvys had such a strong aversion to the smell of blood, Ina thought about it and put away the Health Potion.
Elvys was after all a duke. If something happened to him, should she inform Asland? Just as Ina was about to call Vilanthe in, she heard Vilanthe's crisp voice, "Sorry, the restaurant is not open today, you...you can't go in!"
Ina heard hurried footsteps rushing over and stopping at the door. The person still retained some courtesy and raised their hand to knock on the door.
"Come in, Knight Commander," Ina said. Vilanthe, who was following closely behind Asland, tiptoed to see Ina's expression. Ina gave her a reassuring glance, and Vilanthe nodded, returning to her room. It seemed that the situation here was not something she could help with.
Asland had already mentally rehearsed the scene of Elvys' magical power going out of control many times. Therefore, when he saw Elvys covered in blood, he was not surprised. The scene before him was, in fact, one of the better scenarios he had imagined.
No more casualties, no other witnesses, and Elvys didn't seem to be in too much pain—at least he could still lie in the arms of the girl he liked.
Ina asked straightforwardly, "Are you here to take him away? Elvys is not in good condition right now, but I guess this state has been going on for quite a while. Have you brought any potions, or is there any way to alleviate this?"
Actually, seeing Asland standing still, not approaching, and his expression unchanged, Ina already had an inkling of the answer.
Sure enough, she heard Asland slowly say, "The curse on the duke's bloodline is still an unsolved problem."
"Tell me more," Ina's tone was a bit urgent.
"Due to some reasons, the duke was cursed by the former Vampire Night Tomb Duke before his death," Asland repeated the content of the curse,
"The bloodline you stole from me will turn into lava, scorching your body every moment!
My kin might obey you for a short time, but they will ultimately reap the poison of betrayal.
You will become a tyrant, a madman, and a butcher, destroying everything you create with your own hands!"
"Each sentence corresponds to a curse. First, Elvys obtained the power of the Night Tomb Duke through plunder, and this power always brings him great pain, and it is not stable, just like now.
Second, vampires maintain their rule by using the same bloodline, the higher-ranking vampires are the relatives of the lower-ranking ones, and they have the right to take the lives and power of the lower-ranking ones. Duke Elvys replaced the Night Tomb Duke as the head of this bloodline, so the Night Tomb Duke cursed him to be betrayed by his kin. This curse no longer exists because the duke has eradicated the Night Tomb bloodline."
"The last sentence is also what has been troubling the Duke. He is likely to face an even more terrible situation after losing control of his magic, that is, becoming a tyrant who has lost his sanity."
Ina noted down these words and asked again, "Is Elvys' weakness also related to the curse?"
"This is the Duke's own decision, but it is not completely unrelated to the curse." Asland looked at a blooming lily of the valley in the vase, "He doesn't want to drink blood, which will gradually make him weak. But drinking blood will not solve the curse. After all, this is a curse from the vampires. We are not sure whether drinking fresh blood will strengthen the Duke's power or the power of the curse.
Perhaps this curse has lasted for nearly two hundred years, but it still hasn't taken Elvys' sanity, thanks to his own persistence in resisting the temptation of instinct."
"Really haven't found a way? You've had two hundred years!" Ina couldn't help but ask.
Asland's expression was as calm as a statue: "I'm sorry, we still haven't found a way to lift the Duke's curse, but," his tone was difficult, "according to the Duke's order, we will try our best to deal with the Duke himself, to prevent the last curse from coming true."
Ina was not happy to hear this. She tightened her fingers holding Elvys' sleeve, her tone is a little harsh, "Then I won't give him to you. I will find a way, you go."
Ina had given the order to leave, and Asland did not insist on staying. The moment he stepped out the door, he thought, if anyone could save Elvys, it would probably only be Ina.
He admitted that he had used a little trick, deliberately revealing Elvys' desire to end his life before completely losing control, hoping to gain a little pity from Ina. Asland just felt that Elvys had lived for the Empire for many years, and now that he had met someone he liked like a pool of unchanging water finally causing ripples, he shouldn't be forever silent.
Ina looked down at Elvys' face. His skin was cold and white, making his eyelashes especially dark, like a butterfly with drooping wings, concealing his delicate brows and eyes. A hint of red liquid was smeared on his lips, making him look fragile like a doll that would break with a touch.
Well, let her check what helpful potions she has in her bag. If Elvys is truly incurable and becomes a madman without reason, she won't hand him over to Asland. At that time, she might as well lock Elvys in a castle built of gold, glance at him from time to time, and consider him a collection of precious jewels, Ina thought with self-deprecation.
Just as Ina was focusing on searching for potions, checking the specific effects of each, a tickling sensation suddenly came from her neck. Looking down, Elvys, who was on the edge of losing control, had opened his eyes. His pupils were dark and his sharp fangs were rubbing against her collarbone, unable to break through the thin layer of skin despite the tempting smell of blood.
Like a puppy grinding its teeth. Ina called his name, seeing no change in Elvys' expression, she knew he was still in an unconscious state of chaos. So she helplessly pushed his head aside, saying, "It's itchy, stop it."
Elvys stubbornly moved closer again.
Ina really couldn't spare a hand to manage him, she had just found a potion that seemed to be suitable and was halfway through reading its description. By the time she confirmed that this potion might be somewhat effective in restoring Elvys' sanity, Ina's white neck had been rubbed red in a small area.
She looked at him with a bit of annoyance, pressed Elvys down on the bed with one hand, opened the potion bottle, and tried to pour it into his mouth. But Elvys, who had just extended his fangs actively seeking food, clamped his jaws tightly and refused to let a single drop of liquid in.
Ina thought back, it was possible that the life potion she had last administered had stimulated Elvys, making him think that the potion she was giving him was blood, so although his consciousness was chaotic, he stubbornly refused to cooperate and open his mouth.
She steeled her heart, and drank the blue-purple potion that looked unappetizing, her expression twisted for a moment. Ina lowered her head, pressing against the thin lips that were so close at hand.
Whether it was because the potion was too bitter or Elvys' body instinctively rejected the potion, he struggled and refused to cooperate. Ina had one hand on his chest, the other firmly pressing on Elvys' shoulder, transferring the potion over without spilling a drop.
When she got up, Ina unexpectedly saw a trace of confusion and grievance in those lifeless red eyes.