Lilith suppressed her anger as she descended the staircase, moving deliberately toward the long hallway. Beneath the enormous Gothic oval windows, the Bloodbane Flower slowly turned its "head," its numerous clustered eyes opening one by one. From the jagged split in its center came a voice.
"Greetings, beautiful Princess. How may I serve you today?"
Lilith cast a disgusted glance at it, her feet poised to walk away—only to hesitate.
"So, it really can't see you, can it?" she murmured.
"Of course not. Don't underestimate my power, you venomous princess," the Dark Lord of Fear replied smugly.
[Bloodbane Flower Sanity -1]
"Uh… Pardon my boldness, Princess," the Bloodbane Flower stammered, its many eyes darting nervously. "Whom are you speaking to?"
"Hehe, just talking to myself," Lilith said sweetly, her expression soft but unsettling.
[Bloodbane Flower Sanity -0.1]
"Princess… your smile is truly breathtaking…" the Bloodbane Flower muttered with a shudder.
"I have a question for you." Lilith paused, curiosity flickering in her crimson eyes. "If I offer you a satisfying piece of flesh, would you help me accomplish something?"
The Bloodbane Flower's eyes whirled frantically, its enthusiasm palpable.
"Of course, my beautiful Princess! Anything within my power, I will do without hesitation!" it proclaimed eagerly.
"Although, I must say, Princess… your flesh looks quite appetizing." Its jagged maw curved into an awkward grin.
"I see. I'll come back if I need you." Lilith turned sharply, her silvery hair swaying as she strode off.
"W-wait! Princess! At least consider letting me have an eyeball—"
"It certainly talks too much," the Dark Lord muttered from Lilith's side.
"It's just a flower," Lilith replied nonchalantly. "The fact that it talks at all is impressive."
"I can silence it forever, if you'd like," the Dark Lord offered slyly.
"If you're scheming for my last two contracts again, I swear I'll shove garlic up your nose."
"Unfortunately for you, there's no garlic in this vampire castle."
"Explains why everything here tastes like ash."
Before long, Lilith stopped in front of the third painting in the long corridor.
[Portrait: The Clever Goblin]
Lilith knew what she was looking at wasn't real. But when it came to the Mirror of Delusion, whether its words were truth or lies was something she needed to confirm for herself.
She straightened her back and tidied her silver-white hair in front of the painting, studying her reflection.
The painting remained silent.
Lilith frowned. She leaned closer and inspected her own face.
Still, nothing.
Her brows furrowed further. Why wasn't there any reaction this time?
Taking a deep breath, Lilith adjusted the creases in her dress and smiled faintly at the painting. "Such a fine mirror."
Nothing.
Lilith's crimson eyes widened in frustration. What's going on?!
She slammed her palm against the frame, her voice rising in irritation. "Stop pretending! I know what you are! You're not a painting—you're a mirror, a Mirror of Delusion!"
The painting remained silent, still and unmoving.
"Well, well. I must admit, you're a sharp princess," the Dark Lord commented dryly beside her. "Care to enlighten me, though? How does someone as weak and insignificant as you—a human, of all things—figure out it's a mirror and not a painting?"
Lilith shot him a withering glare. This guy is absolutely destined to die alone.
"Forget it. I need lipstick." Lilith pondered what was different this time. The last time she triggered the mirror's response, what had she done? Was it simply because she wore lipstick?
No, that made no sense.
Or perhaps…
Her gaze flicked to the Dark Lord.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked suspiciously.
"You're handsome, that's all," Lilith replied offhandedly, though inwardly she seethed. Allowing him to follow me was clearly a mistake.
Resigned, she turned and headed toward the lounge. If she wanted to confirm the mirror's claims, she would have to test it herself.
"Oh, come now. You don't need to flatter me, Princess. I know I'm the most handsome thing you've ever seen," the Dark Lord gloated, his mood suddenly bright. "After all, this body is your creation. I'm simply the reflection of your idea of perfection."
"You know," Lilith mused casually, "I've heard the same thing from plenty of flirty little tentacle monsters. They weren't sincere either. But you…"
"Hey, hey, hey! Can you shut up for a second? You're really annoying me," Lilith snapped, rubbing her temples.
The Dark Lord blinked, genuinely puzzled. "Annoying? How curious. In all the eons of my existence, no one has ever found me annoying. Even monarchs have abandoned everything just to hear me speak."
"That's because they couldn't defeat you and needed to use you," Lilith deadpanned.
"But you can't defeat me either," he replied matter-of-factly, "and you're also using me. So your annoyance is illogical."
Lilith stopped walking and turned on her heel.
"It's because you're always following me around! If it weren't for you, the Mirror of Delusion would have shown itself by now! It must've sensed you!"
"That's impossible, you conniving princess," the Dark Lord replied indignantly. "Even if the Mirror of Delusion can see through all falsehoods, it cannot pierce the root of my existence. I've told you—no one can detect me!"
Arrogant as ever.
Lilith recalled what the mirror had once shown her. It claimed that her mental corruption—her visions of blood and horror—were caused by a powerful being, one that forced her to confront her deepest fears.
That meant the mirror could perceive the Dark Lord's presence.
"Do you believe," Lilith asked carefully, "that the mirror noticed you the moment you entered the castle?"
"That wouldn't surprise me," the Dark Lord replied indifferently. "I never tried to hide myself. The creatures here are far too weak to notice me. But the Mirror of Delusion has the power to see through deception—so, naturally, it would sense my presence."
"Then why didn't it appear just now?" Lilith pressed.
"Simple. It didn't want to."
"Didn't want to? Why?"
"There is no why." The Dark Lord shrugged. "Never forget, the mirror's alignment is Chaotic Neutral. Creatures of Chaos act entirely on their whims. They're unpredictable maniacs who follow no rules."
Lilith paused, finally beginning to understand.
"Maybe you're right," she murmured. "But aren't you a maniac too?"
The Dark Lord laughed loudly, his voice echoing through the corridor. "Of course not! Chaos-aligned lunatics will do anything—good or evil—just because they feel like it. But me? I bring only fear and calamity. I am chaos within evil itself. Always consistent."
So in short, you're saying you never do anything good, huh?
Lilith rolled her eyes and nodded faintly.
Still, as she walked on, she silently added a new entry to her mental Known Information:
Rule 6: The Dark Lord of Fear is even crazier than a lunatic. Proceed with extreme caution. Extreme caution. Extreme caution.