It didn't take long for carriages with an assortment of insignias to exit the city walls. They were the other nobles who were joining us.
Today is the best day to leave from Seofenia as we would get there exactly 2 days before the festivities begin. This gives people enough time to rest once they reach the capital. It also allowed them time to figure out what the atmosphere of the celebration was going to be like.
Leading the long line of carriages was the Zocraten clan's convoy. The symbol of the red rose garden with the yellow sun shining brightly upon it. This symbol was beautifully painted on all of their carriages.
The Zocratens only had 5 carriages. One for Erina and her parents, one for the single elder who was going with them, and one for the guards and servants. There was one more where supplies and food were cramped and another for the gifts.
Their group was much smaller so they didn't need the 7 carriages we had. In fact, none of the other families riding behind them had more than 5.
As soon as the first Zoacraten carriage got somewhat close to ours, we started moving again. With that, a convoy of 27, surrounded by well armored guards on all sides, set off for the capitol.
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Elina:
[You've got plenty of time before you reach the capitol. You should start absorbing it.]
The goddess' voice rang in my head as I stared out the window. The scenery of the hilly plains was passing by in a blur.
We had already been traveling for a couple of hours. we had left early in the morning and joined the Vornix convoy ahead of us. There were a couple of other noble families behind us.
"It would have been nice if I had my own carriage. Then I wouldn't have to wait until night." I said in my head.
My parents were in the carriage doing paperwork. I couldn't talk out loud so I was conversing with the goddess in my head.
[Why don't you ride with Ryan then? He won't ask you anything about it.]
She suggested I go to Ryan's carriage when the convoy stops for lunch.
I couldn't absorb the gem I got from the blood god in front of my parents. I was originally planning on doing so every night when we camped out. This would waste precious time so her suggestion was actually good.
"I wouldn't mind doing that but Celes would be bursting with curiosity." I told her my main issue with entering his carriage.
He was riding with Celes who was always full of questions. It was hard for her to stay quiet unless she was sleeping or dead tired from a fight.
[Hmm, you're talking about that girl that's oozing bloodlust?] she questioned.
"Yeah, that's her. It's a side effect of the sword she wields. It makes it hard for her to control her natural bloodlust."
Celes wields a sword called the Bludgot. It is an ancient weapon artifact that can deal pain to souls. She doesn't know it yet but discovers the side effects she has on her in the future. Right no, it only makes her bloodlust harder to control but would later worsen and add more negative effects.
[That sword! I recognize it.] the goddess suddenly yells, making me jerk in surprise. My parents raise their gaze at me.
"What's wrong?" asked my father.
"Nothing I just thought of something." I dismiss his worry and go back to staring out the window in boredom.
They buy my act and go back to work. They had already received information on the fact that many of our branch family relatives had been kidnapped.
I didn't tell them that it was done by me so they were in a frenzy trying to deal with the issue. Even though the father hates them, they are a vital part of the clan.
"Please don't yell like that. My head is starting to hurt." I complain to the goddess about her volume.
[That just makes me want to do it more.] she chuckles while saying.
"Ah fuck you! Just tell me why you yelled." I cursed at her. I didn't give a shit if she was a divine being. I am her vessel, she can't punish me for it.
The goddess starts laughing when I curse at her. She finds it enjoyable when I do it. No one usually treats her like this so it makes her feel giddy inside.
[That sword should be called Bludgot. It was something Varnus wielded during his mortal years.]
As soon as I heard this, the gears started to move. No wonder Celes only got crazier and more bloodthirsty as the years went on. That sword belonged to the Blood God Varnus before he ascended to godhood.
"Does that mean she will feel something when I take out the gem?" I asked. The gem I got from the blood god radiates a bloodthirsty aura.
Given how Celes has been with that sword for years, she might be able to feel something if she saw the gem.
[She should feel some sort of attachment to the gem. You said she had the sword for years right?]
"Yeah"
[You wouldn't be a bad idea to let her absorb it with you. You wouldn't be able to handle the entire gem anyway.]
"What do you mean?" I thought I could absorb the entire gem. Its purpose was to improve the purity of my human bloodline.
It is known that humans in the past had much stronger physiques and ability to wield mana. Over thousands of years, this ability has declined. This was apparently due to humans mixing with the other species on the continent.
Their bloodline was diluted and the ancient talents in man had been lost. Humans in the current era always looked for items that could increase bloodline purity, allowing them to have a massive edge over everyone else.
Unfortunately, these items were incredibly rare. No item like that had appeared on our side of the continent for years. It was so rare that even the strongest nations and organizations gave it their all to find them.
The gem sitting in my space ring was one such item. I needed my bloodline to improve if I wanted to get past my current natural talent.
I thought could absorb all of the gem in order to maximize my purity. Giving it to Celes who is only slightly less talented than Ryan would be a waste.
[Letting that girl purify her bloodline will be useful to you. The only reason she can even wield Varnus' sword is because it recognizes her as a descendant of him.]
'What!? A descendant of the blood god?!" I yelled in my head while trying my best to keep my expression normal.
I was freaking out inside while trying to not let my parents find anything amiss. Me being a descendant of a goddess was already shocking to the young me. The chances of another one being so close by were so low that I didn't know what to say.
[Yes. She can only wield it because of her bloodline. The fact she could even find the sword in a random temple is something that luck can't explain. It can only be that she was led there by the sword and her bloodline.]
That made sense. It was the only way it made sense. It couldn't be a coincidence.
"How would it be useful for me for her bloodline to improve?" I asked, accepting the ridiculousness of the situation. It was getting crazier day by day.
[You need capable allies for what is to come. Celes might have enough talent to become a major player but that won't be enough.
Plus, the side effect of that sword was something even young Varnus had trouble with. He was only able to sanely wield that sword after improving his bloodline.]
"Does a better bloodline make it easier to cope with the side effects?" I asked.
[With a better bloodline, not only do you get a better talent and physique but it also improves your mind. It toughens your spirit and mental tolerance, preventing humans from going insane.]
The goddess started to seriously explain the ancient human race that was shrouded in mystery. She explained that the stronger one got, the likelier it was that one became drunk on power. This didn't apply to ancient humans since their minds were always rational by nature.
"Alright, we should be stopping for lunch very soon. I will talk to her after that."
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I stared at the red gem in my hands. It was as big as my head and weighed quite a few pounds.
The blood-red color gleamed from the sunlight shining upon it from the window. It's brilliant color and aura lured on in with its uniqueness.
"Wh..wha..why do I feel like stabbing you and taking that for myself." Celes stammered as she spoke.
Her body was trembling as she shakily held onto the sword on her waist. I was across from her and Ryan sat next to her. Beads of sweat dropped down from her forehead.
The look on her face was that of struggle. She was doing her best to hold back her urges.
"What's going on?' asked Ryan with a frown. He put his hand on top of Celes' hand that was holding the sword.
"Calm down.' he told her while slowly loosening her grip on the sword. Once she had let go of it. He took her sheathed sword away from her and tossed it to his other hand.
"Haaaa!" Celes let out the breath she was holding. her chest started to heave as she looked at the ceiling.
She took deep breaths as Ryan patted her back.
"So it was the sword..." Ryan muttered. He turned to me and asked "I wasn't going to ask but now I need to. What in the world is that gem that the blood god gave you?"
He had revealed the origin of the gem with Celes right there. This meant that he trusted her enough to tell her how we had gotten it. I can never get how he trusts her so much while only knowing her for 3 years.
"It's a gem that purifies bloodlines," I told him outright.
There was no need to say anything else. Ryan had studied ancient humans and their bloodlines at the SSS. He knew the importance and the use of such an item very well.
His eyes widened when he heard this. he quickly called down though while adopting a confused expression.
"That doesn't explain why Celes would react like that?" he questioned.
I sighed and got to the troublesome part. I looked at Celes who was gazing at me menacingly with her blood red eyes. She had calmed down already but didn't appreciate what she had just felt.
"She is a descendant of Blood God Varnus. That sword was one of his and is the reason she can use it." I explained to them what the goddess told me.
Celes sat there silently for once as she carefully listened. Once I was done Celes turned her gaze back to the sword.
She stretched he hand out reaching for it. Ryan gave it back to her without hesitation. She took it and fastened it to her waist.
Her expression twitched for a moment when she first touched the sword but recovered herself quickly.
"This sword has been with me for the past 7 years. I was merely 12 when I first found it on a mission. The moment I laid my eyes on this sword, I knew that i wanted it.
As soon as I touched it, my body felt like it had gained an extra limp. Like it had gained something that it had been missing all along. I felt complete."
Celes carefully stroked the sword with the care of a mother to a child.
"I knew what the sword was doing to me but I didn't care. The bloodlust and moments of insanity are what make me a perfect host for it. Those aspects are what makes me a great swordsman."
Celes spoke with a serious tone that I had never heard from her before. She always sounded so playful or unhinged that I forgot that she was human too. She also had things she held dear and was serious about.
"I don't care if I'm the descendant of a god and that's why the sword was picked. At the end of the day, it picked me. The reason why it did so doesn't matter.
But, as much as I hold my sword dear, I cannot be consumed by it. A swordsman wields the sword, not the other way around.
I will allow the gem to keep me in control but I will also allow the sword to fuel my bloodlust."