Free Web NovelChapter 15: A Strange Pendant.
I slipped out of Aria’s arms, knelt beside the assassin we had won against. The aftermath, exhaustion of the battle, was still lingering in my bones. Aria even looked in better shape than me.
Though her dress, white, super clean, her glow was dulled. Her dress had a slit at the side. Still dotted with blood, she looked menacing, but her eyes carried genuine concern for me, rather than just a queen’s command.
Now it was time to unmask who was sent to kill me — who was behind the garment. The unreadable writings on his veils.
I reached out and ripped the veils away. Aria closed in to get a better view of his face. I checked his features — this was actually a human. He was heavyset, unconscious, his eyes white out.
No horns or any unique features a human had. He looked like an average farm man, coarse beards, middle-aged. How did he have such power that I couldn’t answer — my something unusually was wrong.
"Aria, does he look familiar? Like a noble with ties with the dragon kingdom?"
"No, I don’t think so."
With him, I studied him better. And noticed a glint of metal jewelry, hidden under his scarf wrapped around his neck. I adjusted the scarf, unveiling a grey silver jewelry with a pendant, which had a vessel filled with red liquid. His blood?
"Aria, do you recognize this pendant?"
She didn’t reply. I caught her staring at the pendant. Something flashed in her eyes she tried to bury away.
"Aria, if you have information that will help, tell me."
"It’s... impossible. I don’t know if this is real... maybe it’s..."
"You’re scrambling. I don’t understand what you’re saying." I snapped the necklace, feeling the pendant’s cold metal in my palm.
Just after, the mana of the assassin faded away completely. What? It wasn’t a fluke. I scanned him with mana scan.
*[Mana Scan: Zero mana level]*
*[Subject does not possess mana.]*
Yet the pendant I held — I could sense the mana in it, recovering. Like a living thing.
"Aria? What is this..."
"That’s an artifact. It’s a magical item that can cast spells without the wielder being close. That one you’re holding was programmed to control that man — he wasn’t the one fighting us. He was possessed."
"How do you know?"
"I’ve seen it before, in our former world. It’s a forbidden magic. No one practiced it." freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"So whoever used this broke the rules."
"Not only that, but... it might be them."
I raised an eyebrow. "Who? Exactly." A second time she hesitated, thinking about it.
Then she avoided me. "No, it’s nothing. I don’t think that’s possible."
I could tell from her reaction this had to be about their hometown — people who attacked the dragons’ original world, so they fled here. Did their oppressors follow them to this world? If so, they’d want them dead, because I’m the solution to keep the dragon breed alive.
But...
It doesn’t change the fact some baronesses might be involved, betraying their own kind.
"If you’re not going to tell me, it’s fine, but help me understand. Who can get access to forbidden magic?"
"No one is, but we... have a vault. Where all the forbidden magic we carried into this world was stored. Baroness Maltie is the one in charge."
"Then we have our culprit. We’ll question her once we’re back."
Presently, I had to put my plan on hold. This was far greater and needed my urgent attention — not as their hero, but if other forbidden magic was in that vault, the political instability of this kingdom, a war will start against humans using forbidden magic — we might get wiped out easily.
But I can’t go there pointing fingers. I needed evidence. I surveyed the body of the artifact. It was new, no sign of rust, dents, or anything else. This wasn’t an old artifact forged ten years ago — it was newly made. So they used the knowledge alone, which is harder to pin on her.
Evidence. Eventually something clicked into place.
"Aria, if he was possessed, the village the bandits said they met their hire — we could take him there, get more info on this made, its origin. Or how he got possessed."
"The artifact — if you don’t destroy it, it will latch onto a weak soul too, controlling them."
"I have a different use for it." I pocketed it. "Come, let’s go. Can you carry me?"
"As you wish, amor."
Aria then carried the man, flying with him in the sky, while I walked.
"I can hold onto you. I’m not that exhausted — still enough strength to lift you."
"It’s fine. You go ahead to the village, I’ll meet you there."
I kept dragging myself forward. I clutched my ribs — my adrenaline from the fight washed away. I could feel the pain gnawing at my ribs. When Aria was already sky-high, going ahead with the man, I stopped walking and checked properly if she was really gone. Her figure in the air was distant, so it was safe. It was good to see she actually trusted me to meet her up ahead.
Now the reason — I slipped out the pendant from my pocket, gauging the vessel in the middle which held blood.
It was already common knowledge that to pass power to a person, it’s done through taking in the active mana holder’s blood. Well, this was reversed to control the person.
That was the point. Of course I had second thoughts — if I didn’t adapt to the possessing magic, it will take over my body. But.
The properties this blood contains could actually strengthen me to an S+ or I evolved into something far more stronger. There was only one way to find out, which was taking the blood.
I forced the glass vessel out of the pendant, holding it up.
It looks fresh — another reason I couldn’t use this against her. The artifact inside that vault, blood wouldn’t be this fresh.
So I placed it in my mouth and bit down, breaking the glass vessel in my mouth. I swallowed, spat out the pieces of glass in my mouth. Seconds passed, nothing. I waited patiently. The iron taste was still bitter on my tongue. A cold sensation sank into my chest, a dark energy crawling through my veins like it was corrupting me. My breath was hooked in my throat.
[Dragon Potent: Evolution Detected]
[Warning: Corruption Spreading]
[Evolution Adapting: Blood Genes: Unknown]
