I finally understood why Veia became my servant. I had met Beelzebub, a Divine Favorite, while Veia was just a normal believer and a lower-ranking vampire. In religious terms, my status was much higher than hers.
Moreover, sharing blood is an act with profound mystical significance. Whether it was status, posture, or the ritual itself, it dictated that I was the one to nurture Veia, and her attempt to turn me into a blood servant was insubordination.
The moment I realized this, my vision blurred. I saw Veia in front of me suddenly transform. Her lower body became a giant insect abdomen with six insect legs, her hind legs being exceptionally developed.
Her delicate upper body remained human-like, but her hands had become insect mandibles, and her head was a fusion of human and insect. She had compound eyes, her nose had become a needle, and her mouthparts were bivalve.
She was a half-humanoid monster composed of a mosquito, a flea, and a louse, exactly like the insect maid I had seen on the street that day.
“Blegh!” I stumbled back several steps, closing my eyes. The previously cute and lovely little Veia now appeared as a horrifying monster in my eyes, scaring me so much that I wanted to turn and flee.
“Parul, what’s wrong?” Jayad asked, concerned, steadying me. I immediately said, “Look at little Vi.”
Jayad looked at Veia with confusion. “What’s wrong? Little Vi is fine, isn’t she?”
Even Veia asked me with confusion, “Sister Parul, what’s wrong with me?”
Her voice was still cute and soft, but the thought of it coming from a disgusting giant bug made me feel even more queasy. However, when I looked up and opened my eyes, my vision flickered, and the insect parts vanished, returning her to her little lolita appearance.
A wave of relief washed over me. Luckily, Veia wasn’t speaking to me in that terrifying form the entire time. It was much more bearable now. Although my previous impression might never recover, whenever I saw Veia now, I would recall her appearance just now.
“I’m fine, I just felt a bit dizzy,” I said with a smile, making up an excuse. I must have seen Veia’s true form after understanding it, which allowed me to see through her disguise. It was truly frightening.
Perhaps it was because she looked so ugly that Veia was embarrassed to talk about being an insectoid blood race.
“Little Vi, let’s talk about the ritual just now,” I quickly changed the subject. “You chose Older Brother Jayad as your blood servant for your Coming-of-Age Ceremony before. But why? You should know he’s a Holy Knight, which is very dangerous for you.”
Earlier, when Veia followed Older Brother Jayad to the ward to save me, Jayad had used Holy Light. Later, when Jayad mentioned using Holy Light on the street, Veia had also dissuaded him. Therefore, Veia should have known Jayad’s abilities clearly.
“I can’t help it. The three different Blood Races have their own preferences, pursuits, and special weaknesses. Although I know Holy Light is very dangerous, we just really like it,” Veia said helplessly.
Phototaxis. That was the first thing that came to my mind. Insects are drawn to light. Could Jayad’s Holy Light also be unconsciously attracting insectoid blood races?
“But that will kill you. You know that, right? Just a slight accidental leak of Holy Light before severely injured you. You can’t even go out during the day,” I said. Veia’s behavior reminded me of another idiom, moths to a flame.
“I’m not pursuing it solely on impulse. It’s clearly documented in our family’s books that drinking the blood of a Saint allows us to achieve perfect evolution. It’s said that the original progenitors of the Blood Race all drank divine blood,” Veia said.
Oh, I didn’t expect your blood race to have such a tradition. Isn’t that a rip-off? Blood Race evolution requires the blood of a Saint, while Holy Light can almost instantly kill them. What’s the difference between advancing and committing suicide?
“Regarding this, little Vi was actually prepared and informed me before the ritual,” Jayad said suddenly.
He pointed to the magic circle drawn on the ground with fresh blood. “Little Vi said she prepared this magic circle in advance, and all the materials placed on it were used to suppress Holy Light, ensuring she could safely complete the blood servant ritual.”
“This is an ancient formation recorded in the family. It’s used to restrain Saints and aid growth during advancement. I stole all the materials here from my father’s warehouse. Theoretically, it should have been fine. Why did it fail?” Veia couldn’t understand.
Good heavens, she’s so bold, even stealing from her father’s warehouse. And she even studied ancient texts specifically. It seems she was well-prepared, but something still went wrong. It seems that ancient text isn’t very reliable after all.
“Actually, when I sat inside, I did feel my Holy Light being suppressed. I couldn’t exert any strength. But when she started injecting blood, another energy suddenly broke through the blockade and lunged directly at my neck. Then it erupted and turned into Holy Flame, burning little Vi,” Jayad recalled his feelings at the time.
In other words, the formation Veia prepared was indeed effective, at least initially. All the accidents started when she began injecting blood. Did Jayad’s Holy Light inside his body sense a threat and automatically come out to protect its master?
“Sigh, I can’t figure it out. Why don’t you ask Lorna tomorrow? She knows more about Holy Light. I’ve never even seen Holy Light condensed into a flame,” I said to Jayad.
“Okay,” Jayad nodded.
“Oh, right. Remember not to mention little Vi, otherwise Lorna might come and kill her. Just say that you were attacked by a vampire tonight, and for some reason, your Holy Light inside was suppressed and you couldn’t fight back. But when you were being bitten, the Holy Light automatically turned into Holy Flame and burned the vampire to ashes.”
I concocted a plausible reason for Jayad, similar to tonight’s situation. I figured Lorna probably wouldn’t investigate too deeply. Jayad nodded in agreement.
“Next, how do we remove your crest of allegiance? Do you know how to do it?” I asked. Although there was a compulsion to reduce the risk of her exposing my secrets, I absolutely didn’t want to raise an insect. She would need food, clothing, and blood in the future.
Considering Veia had no desire to return to her father, I thought I could grant her some freedom, increasing trust and interacting on equal terms.
“I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve heard that if a higher-ranking blood race wants to dismiss a blood servant, they have to suck back the blood they bestowed,” Veia said.
“Ha? Suck it back?” I was shocked. Is that even a thing?
“Yes. The amount of blood bestowed symbolizes the Blood Race’s status towards a subordinate. A little bit is a blood servant, more than half is a vampire descendant, and if all the blood is replaced, it’s a newborn offspring, known as the Embrace Ritual.”
“So, if I want to remove your allegiance, I have to suck back the blood I gave you? I’m not a vampire,” I said, frustrated.
