--
Anthony's invitation also extends to Sieg. That's why right now, there are three of them making their way to the Hearthveil Mansion.
"...and then, she told me that she now owes me a favor, which is weird because I didn't really think I did that much, but she insisted, so I was like, 'Okay, fine,' and then I told her to keep in touch."
As they walked, Lily animatedly talked about the recent things that happened to her. She had this wide smile on her face, and she was practically vibrating in excitement and glee because she made another friend.
Sieg listened closely and commented every now and then. Meanwhile, TJ wasn't even pretending to listen; his mind was drifting somewhere else.
"That's awesome, Lily! That's so very kind of you." Sieg clapped while wearing a rather foolish expression.
"Aww, thank you! It's good to know that at least there's someone who's interested in my story!"
Her words started sweet but turned sharp by the end as she glared at TJ.
"Hmm? What's that?" TJ looked startled; it's as if he'd been shaken back to reality and was now under the spotlight.
Sigh
A helpless sigh could only escape through Lily's lips. She briefly shook her head and said, "Nothing. Nice talking, by the way."
"But I wasn't talking...at least I don't think I was. Was I?" TJ looked genuinely confused.
And Lily, well, she'd love to complain, but she knows a losing battle when she sees it, so she ended up just shrugging instead.
Sieg wanted to laugh at their antics. He truly did, but he stopped himself. He didn't want Lily to sulk because he laughed.
It's already late in the afternoon by the time they leave the training area, which is how their schedule usually goes. They don't arrive early, but they do leave late.
The sun was almost down, casting the first few strands of darkness in the District. The road they're following is fairly lit; it's just a little bit of a distance away from where the public usually gathers.
"What do you think next month's tests are going to be?" Lily suddenly changed the subject.
"Aren't you a little advanced to be thinking about that?" TJ asked in return.
"Hey, just humor me, alright? I'm trying hard to maintain this conversation for our sake, you know?"
"I think it's going to be the same." Sieg came to her rescue once more. "Written and practical. If something's going to change, I bet it'll be the contents of the practicals; they should be expecting more from us."
"You know, I was thinking the same thing! I'm sure that—"
Lily suddenly paused in her steps, and her body went visibly rigid.
"Lily? What's wrong?" Sieg felt immediately worried. He then looked at TJ, hoping to get some answers, but to his luck, TJ also froze in his steps.
Both of them looked like they'd seen a ghost, and Sieg's panic was rising. He could tell that something was wrong with how they're acting.
That's when a voice suddenly cut through their silence.
"Oops, got discovered, huh? That's bad, isn't it? Hihihihi."
A languid tone followed by a creepy laugh came out from all sides, making it hard to pinpoint where exactly it was coming from.
Lily was pale, and she subconsciously summoned her long pink staff and held it for comfort.
The emotion-sensing ability she got from the [Empathy] boon was picking up strong signals of perversion, lies, malevolence, and strong ill intent aimed towards her and her friends.
This was on a level she had never felt before.
TJ was similarly stunned, but for a different reason. Unlike Sieg and Lily, TJ could accurately tell where the voice was coming from; he knows where that creepy man is and was actually looking directly at where he's hidden.
He actually saw the man before Lily reacted, and when he did, that's when he froze because he recognized who it was.
Coming out of the dark corner of the street was a sickly-looking man wearing a black hooded cloak. He walked, dragging his feet; his limbs were lengthy, and his eyes released a sanguinous gleam as he stared at them.
His eyes and cheeks were sunken, his skin was sickly pale, saliva pooled at the corners of his blood-stained lips, and the pair of fangs protruding out of his mouth released a sharp gleam with the reflection of light.
"Hihihi, hello little ones. 'Tis a fine night, isn't it? Say, you wouldn't happen to be in a hurry, would you? How about you accompany this old man just for a little bit? I promise, I'll make it worth your while~"
The man's throat glowed with a faint scarlet light, which caused his voice to sound more alluring and tempting.
Zoom!!
Out of nowhere, though, a pulse of mana erupted from Lily's raised staff, passing through Sieg and TJ as well.
In spite of her terror and disgust, she bravely stepped forward and said, "We don't want any trouble. Please, let us go."
"Hihihihi, oh little lady, on normal days, I would've certainly agreed with your request."
"But unfortunately, you met me at a wrong time. I've had a long and really horrible day, you see. Plus, I'm starving. I haven't drunk anything for three days."
"Also, you've already seen my face." The man's voice became sharper as he said this. "With these circumstances, I'm afraid I cannot let you go. So if you could kindly stand there and let me feed, that would be great."
"Hihihi, don't worry. I promise I'll be quick, and I'll try to make it painless, hihihihi! But that's only if you don't struggle."
As the man spoke, the sound of his voice kept slamming into their minds. It's causing them to feel dizzy and faint. Yet Lily fought bravely with her skills, pulsing her mana again and again, to cleanse the effects of the hypnotic voice of the man before them.
Crash!!
The loud sound of something breaking startled them. It came from Sieg, who just took out his great axe and hacked the concrete beneath the feet.
With large strides, he stepped forward, putting his large frame in front of Lily and Sieg protectively.
"Walk away, man, before I lose the last bit of respect I have for you." Sieg's stance was strong and aggressive. His eyes narrowed as he bravely and decisively took the role of the protector.
"Ooh! Scary. How very scary, hihihihi!"
The sarcasm in the man's voice didn't get lost on them. Anybody could tell that he's not scared at all.
"What vigorous blood you have, young man. Ahh, I can't endure this anymore! I WANT BLOOD!!!"
Fwoosh!!
At a speed that nearly defied logic, the man charged at them with fangs and sharp claws out. His speed was too fast, clearly way above what novices like them could handle.
Clang!
Steel and claws met, but not Sieg's great axe. It's TJ's estoc that clashed with the claw.
As if time stopped, both Lily and Sieg saw how TJ went into a strong lunge, intercepting the man's stretched-out claws that would've shredded Sieg's neck if it wasn't for him.
The man looked surprised too, clearly not expecting someone to react to his speed just now.
In his fright and panic, Sieg grunted and swung his axe, only to miss when the man defied gravity by flipping his orientation and lightly tapping his axe with his soles, using it as leverage to disengage.
When the man landed, his eyes immediately landed on the kid who just intercepted him. TJ's defiant eyes glared at the man. But instead of intimidating him, it only served to spur the man's excitement and appetite.
"Marvelous, how marvelous!!" The old man chuckled creepily again.
TJ knows he has his attention now, so in spite of his fear and uncertainty, he readies himself.
"Give me your blood!!!" The man exclaimed in excitement as he dashed forward again.
This time, the trio was more prepared for him. They reacted as soon as he disappeared.
His target this time, despite locking eyes with TJ, was Lily.
He briefly showed up right in front of TJ as if to attack him, but that was a feint; what he wanted was to sink his fangs into Lily's neck because, in his eyes, she's the most delectable target in this group.
Boom!
But he didn't expect that aside from TJ, Lily could also somewhat follow his movements.
With a well-timed barrier, she stopped his attack. Although it broke the barrier, which certainly made her feel horrible, Lily still managed to send a magic missile to attack him.
The magic missile hit the man's stretched-out claws, sending him back but not really hurting him.
Sieg then charged at the man with his axe, swinging it just in time before the man landed on his feet. However, the man lifted his forearms just in time to defend, and like steel clashing, sparks flew out when his axe landed on the man's forearms, making Sieg wonder if the man's skin was made out of metal.
He then retreated, returning to his position as the front line of the trio. In his mind, Sieg couldn't help but say,
'This is going to be a long night, isn't it? '