The air paused as Evelyn's words settled in. Entel found herself laughing slightly, a sound closer to a giggle than anything else.
Her laughter grew louder as she raised her hands to cover her mouth, struggling to keep it in.
"Evelyn, I do respect you, but are you out of your mind? You want me to face one of the few Third-Degrees in the whole world?!" Entel exclaimed.
"That's quite an insane… proposition," Entel muttered, still smiling at the absurdity.
After another sip from the Lady of Velvet, her eyes gleamed, she asked, "Aren't you curious yourself? Don't you want to face him? The man whose name alone makes Inklings fear for their existence?"
Entel's expression turned intrigued. "Suppose I want to test myself… push myself into facing him."
"How on heaven's name are we even supposed to encounter him?" she added, shaking her head.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding," Lady Evelyn said, making herself clear.
"Killing Laevin is not the priority I seek. The first thing you'll do is cause a massacre within Elysium. I'll handle the arrangements for you to meet the Leviathan."
Entel frowned. There were more questions that needed answering. "Why do you want me to face him? What do you and I gain by risking my life against such a monster?"
Evelyn sighed. "To see how far your capabilities reach."
"Entel—as it stands, you can kill beings two degrees above you because you're different. You're a vampire, and most scripters are human."
"Physically, you outclass the majority of them."
Entel felt herself slightly blushing at the compliment. "Oh, why, thank you. Now that's clear."
"But what about the massacre you want me to carry out in Elysium? What's the purpose there? There are quite a lot of things in our way, after all. That place is heavily guarded by numerous scripters, and it's close to the royal guards."
Evelyn's gaze turned serious, though a smile lingered. "Along with the massacre, you'll gather the blood, and we'll make the elixir for you."
"Oh, but wouldn't it make more sense if I simply target those in Gravenhurst, far from any threats? Then again, I won't be able to face Laevin," Entel thought.
If it's only ingredients for an elixir, there are safer ways. Yet the vampire realized, "Evelyn, is there someone else you want me to deal with during the massacre?"
"Tell me, who is it? It's not every day I see you wanting someone dead... other than the Empress and that one brat with the... Leviathan..."
Suddenly, Entel held an enlightened expression, as if everything was finally clicking for her, "I see," she murmured.
Evelyn ignored most of her words, especially anything about the Empress, and proceeded to speak. "Precisely. However, the brat can wait; ignore her."
It seemed they were talking about another girl who was always with the Leviathan, yet that was not whom Lady Evelyn was aiming for.
"You've heard of him." Evelyn paused, then said the name of the man she wanted dead: "Karlen Magnus."
Entel went silent as she listened carefully to Evelyn's next words.
"You will handle Karlen Magnus. At the same time, you'll kill as many as you can for your blood elixir, and in the end, I'll arrange for you to face the Leviathan."
Evelyn leaned slightly on the table, her forearms placed on the surface, and rested her chin on her hands for support.
"And if everything goes dire and you're in danger, I'll save you, you won't die, Entel.
"You'll even have the most fun of your life, and you'll be one step closer to achieving a perfect signature," Evelyn said slowly, letting the words settle in Entel's mind.
The vampire relaxed and, with a sly smile, murmured, "Then let me handle this performance. I accept, Evelyn." At last, she had made her decision.
"That's what I like to hear..." Evelyn said, finishing her tea. Entel offered her more, but Evelyn politely declined.
"Then we have an accord," Lady Evelyn declared. Entel nodded in agreement. "Indeed."
She picked up the crimson vial resting in the center of the table.
"Make sure you consume it, Entel," Evelyn advised.
"With pleasure," Entel replied.
The Lady of Velvet then rose from her chair and moved to a more open space within the bloody garden. It still amazed her that, despite the numerous corpses around, none of them seemed to be rotting or emitting any foul odor.
This was a rather intriguing Imperfect Signature on Entel's part—what exactly had she meant when interpreting such an ability?
Lady Evelyn was prepared to depart, and she didn't need to say a word; the hair-like beast was already ready to devour the Lady of Velvet and transport her back to the surface.
"You know, Evelyn, you're the first person to enter here and come out alive," Entel said in a teasing manner, while finishing her own blood tea.
Lady Evelyn had a few words to say. "That's adorable…"
She paused, "You're one of the few fortunate women to face me..."
"...without being turned into one of my paintings."
"How terrifying~" Entel replied whimsically.
Evelyn ignored her remark and continued explaining as the black, hair-like beast circled her, ready to devour her. "One of my men will send you a letter. I advise you not to feast on him."
Entel quickly reassured her, "I won't do such a thing. You have my word."
"Good..." Evelyn said. Then, without warning, she was devoured, and the black, hair-like beast soared into the sky above the palace, carrying Evelyn back to the surface beneath the damp, black mire bridge.
The hair-like beast emerged onto the surface and opened its mouth as it passed through the floor. Evelyn was transported safely, though she found the experience rather disgusting.
The black hair-beast then submerged itself back into the palace. The Lady of Velvet noticed her feet were still covered in the red mist, which rippled and glowed violently with crimson hues.
The maniacal laugh of a vampire can be heard echoing from the blood garden.
"She had already drunk the elixir?"
"I wonder what kind of Imperfect Signature she'll interpret..." Evelyn murmured to herself, slowly walking away from the palace's shimmering surface.
Yet one could still hear the laughter and cries of a vampire within the palace, a vampire that just recently ascended to the 6th Degree of power.
As Evelyn's senses returned, she once again heard the distant rush of rivers, the rumble of trucks and locomotives, and breathed in the fresh air that mingled with the misty, gothic landscape of the Black Mire Bridge.
"Maybe it's time I return home."
However, one thought came to mind.
Lady Evelyn recalled a troubling oversight; she had forgotten her promise to gaze at the night with her servant.
The sun had already dipped past the afternoon.
"It might be a good idea to get Silvie a gift."
Chapter End...