Veldiana froze instantly, the words tearing open her old wounds with precision.
"...You're right. The Karlarna family fell because we couldn't protect our own treasures."
The down-and-out noble girl smiled bitterly and slumped back onto the bed helplessly.
The Karlarna family had paid an enormous price to excavate Nina Adelard from the ruins, hoping to ride the coattails of the Fourth True Ancestor and rise to prominence.
Yet unexpectedly, this very act drew Zaharias' attention to their family, leading to near-total annihilation, the seizure of their territories, and the loss of the crucial Ninth.
Did she not know that Kojou Akatsuki had given her the crossbow to use her for unsealing the Twelfth?
Of course she did!
Though naive, she wasn't foolish.
But she had already lost everything—she simply had no other choice!
With nothing left to lose, she could only gamble what remained!
Nina Adelard gently patted Veldiana's shoulder, only to have her hand swatted away irritably.
"Given your tragic past, I shall refrain from further comnt."
The golden-haired beauty lightly brushed her sand-gold silky hair, her brown skin radiating vitality. Though only seventeen or eighteen, her tone carried an air of aged maturity.
"Little girl, Balthazar Zaharias has been slain by my master. Your enemy is gone—you should be thanking my master."
"I wanted to kill that bastard with my own hands!"
"Could you have done it?"
A single soft question silenced the agitated Veldiana once more.
He had wiped out your entire family. What could you, alone and powerless, with diocre strength and not even the funds to hire assassins, possibly accomplish?
"However, whether you thank my master for avenging you or not is irrelevant."
Nina muttered indifferently.
Nina Adelard glanced at her in surprise.
Nina was a woman who regarded her master's will as her highest purpose—her master's joy was her joy, her master's anger her anger.
This was the first trait Nina Adelard had recognized about Nina during their days together.
Veldiana's earlier remark—"This is my family's vessel"—had provoked Nina's fury precisely because of her unwavering loyalty to her master, refusing to allow others to claim what wasn't theirs.
Since her master had killed Zaharias, Nina would never tolerate Veldiana showing no gratitude.
Why was she acting indifferent now?
"But the fact remains that my master rescued you from the den of the Ghouls. To you, this is a life-saving grace, and I will not allow you to forget it! To repay this debt, you will serve as a maid here for the ti being."
Nina declared Veldiana's fate in a tone that brooked no argunt.
"A maid? I don't have the luxury for that!"
Veldiana's face tightened, her expression growing anxious.
"I will rember the life-saving grace and repay it in the future. So please let leave. I can't stay here now—I have a mission to restore my family!"
Zaharias was dead.
This left Veldiana feeling sowhat hollow. Not being able to personally exact revenge was a regret and a frustration.
But she wasn't soone who beca useless just because she lost her desire for revenge. She rembered clearly that she had two goals—revenge was only one of them, while reviving her family was the top priority.
"You want to go find Kojou Akatsuki and take back Augustra?"
Nina had already seen through her thoughts, revealing a pair of pitying eyes.
"That's really stupid!"
Veldiana choked up instantly, her face flushing with anger.
She did think that way, but so what?
She admitted she wasn't particularly clever and had been played for a fool, but that didn't an she was downright stupid, right?
"Veldiana."
Nina Adelard gently tugged at her clothes.
"Right now, both I and the Second are in this monastery."
"?"
Veldiana threw out a question mark.
"So what?"
"...The master here also has his sights set on the Fourth True Ancestor."
"W-what kind of look is that... O-of course I thought of that! I'm not really dumb!"
Veldiana's face turned bright red.
Being looked at by Nina Adelard with that kind of "you're an idiot" gaze really hurt her pride.
However, with Nina's explanation, she finally understood.
Since the master here also targeted the Fourth True Ancestor, he would eventually seize all the vessels. In this "Blazing Banquet of Dawn," anyone holding a vessel would beco his enemy!
Once she stepped out of these gates, it would an she too would beco his enemy.
Then she would likely be eliminated at the fastest speed possible!
After all, she had already released Augustra, had no other vessels by her side, and no territory—she was utterly worthless now.
"I'll stay!"
Veldiana shakily raised her hand, but her eyes faintly glead.
On the contrary, by staying here, she would indirectly beco part of this faction. She could fully leverage the influence of the master here—that armored man's strength was terrifying. Having such a powerful figure as backup suddenly made her feel much more confident.
Moreover, she could also use Augustra as her own capital to invest!
When the Fourth True Ancestor was revived, she would have at least so credit and contribution. Using the Fourth True Ancestor's na to revive her family wouldn't be too much to ask, right?
"Whatever needs to be done, just order to do it!"
Once she figured it out, Veldiana beca full of motivation.
"Anything at all?"
Nina gave her a thoughtful glance.
Her gaze lingered particularly on Veldiana's full chest and lower abdon for a mont.
As a liquid tal life form who had long transferred her soul into the Sage's Blood, while she gained immortal vitality and imnse magical power rivaling a True Ancestor, she lost the qualification to serve her master personally.
No matter how realistic liquid tal might be, it still fell short compared to a real person in terms of sensation.
This young girl seed quite attractive with a good figure—maybe she could have her serve the master?
"Let make this clear upfront—I won't do any work that involves selling my body!"
Startled by that strange look, Veldiana imdiately jumped up, covering her chest with both hands, her face full of refusal.
"Hmph... Forget it. Having one more love rival isn't what this concubine desires either."
After so thought, Nina abandoned the idea.
"In that case, start with the most basic tasks!"
...
The harbor.
The ship that sank two days ago hadn't been salvaged yet, and today another ship had sunk.
The salvage team workers already felt like cursing.
Not only was their vacation gone, but they also had to work overti!
This feeling was especially intense when soone stood by watching them arrogantly without doing anything themselves.
Even if that soone was a loli, it was unacceptable!
"Instructor Nangong!"
The young girl who was coldly surveying the harbor wore an exquisite black gothic dress, yet her tender face displayed an authority that brooked no refusal.
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