Chapter 170: The Interlocking Gears

“I… I have brought shame to my mother, I’m sorry.”

The duchess did not get angry at being directly called by her name; she understood that in Blood Clan etiquette, only those particularly close companions would call each other by name, without adding titles like “Your Highness” or “Lord.”

Not to mention that this person, whose full name was Augustin Constans, was of a higher standing than her, being a prestigious figure ranked the lowest among the six princes of the Blood Clan.

Even as the Sixth Prince, he was still a prince, the child of the first ancestor of blood, and moreover, a prince’s rank never had a direct correlation with their strength.

Glancing at the bloodstains on the duchess’s abdomen, Augustin shook his head helplessly again, setting down the vase in his hand. He approached Afalyj as an ordinary old man, squatting down before her.

“Let me take a look.”

“Thank you for your trouble…”

Saying this, the Blood Clan girl simply obediently released her hand that was covering her lower abdomen, revealing the torn inner side of her dress, where three streaks of bright red blood were still seeping out, and she pouted sulkily.

“Got tangled up with a weird guy, and their weapon is disturbingly powerful, what a stroke of bad luck…”

“Mm…”

Inspecting her, the old man gently pressed his somewhat rough but clean fingers against the gruesome wound on the girl’s exterior, unfazed by the smooth skin’s sensation. After a moment of silent contemplation, he gathered some crimson energy between his fingers.

With a firm press!

“Poof poof poof!”

Three shadows shot out from within the girl’s abdomen, but Augustin merely waved his other hand casually, easily catching them in his palm, preventing them from crashing into the wall and ruining the exquisite decor of the elegant hall.

“Ouch! That hurts, hurts, hurts!!”

Although she had been quite courteous in her outer demeanor, in front of this old man, Afalyj seemed to lose all pretense and reserve. As the “bullets” were forced out of her body, the excruciating pain brought on by her flesh being pulled made the duchess wince and howl in agony.

It seemed as if she were not some noble Blood Clan duchess, but just an ordinary girl from next door.

But the old man didn’t mind, giving a few instructions before quickly standing up.

“Alright, that should be fine. Later, you can get some supplies to replenish your lost blood.”

He didn’t bother with Afalyj, who was using blood energy to mend her body, but instead opened his palm, examining the three “bullets” he had just captured, which still bore traces of the girl’s blood.

These were silver metal objects resembling round nails, wider at the tail and sharp at the front, about 2-3 centimeters long. Upon closer inspection, one could see intricate, densely packed magical inscriptions carved with exquisite craftsmanship.

Clearly, the power that prevented the Blood Clan from regenerating flesh and blood was derived from these engravings.

The old man picked one up and examined it closely for a moment.

“Ah, so this is a magical material forged from demon-slaying silver… This pattern should be ‘Armor Break,’ ‘Bloodletting,’ and ‘Evil Suppression.’ It’s fascinating to see three magical properties engraved on such a small object. It reminds me of an old friend.”

“Eh? Uncle Augustin knows about this craft? Who the heck came up with this? It feels so targeted against us Blood Clan, could it be an old enemy from ancient times?”

Having completed her wound healing and restored her dignified noble appearance along with her gown, the Blood Clan girl stepped forward curiously, her voice tinged with irritation as she raised her question.

The old prince shook his head as if reminiscing.

“Not exactly an old enemy. Although we haven’t had much contact, we met a few times by chance. That guy… is indeed remarkable, but unfortunately, he got entangled in his own obsessions and wasted all his talent.”

At his words, Afalyj couldn’t help but show an expression of surprise.

Knowing this gentle old man well, she realized just how exceptional the individual who earned such a description from Augustin Constans must be.

She couldn’t help but ask further.

“Is there such a person in the City of Angels? What is his name? Why haven’t I heard of him before?”

The gentleman-like old man in a black tailcoat smiled and shook his head once more.

“His name… can no longer be spoken, and I never said these were things he crafted with his own hands, nor have I expressed my views on whether he is here now, right? It’s perfectly reasonable that you’ve never heard of him because when that guy was making a name for himself, Afalyj Constans hadn’t yet been born into this world.”

“Eh? Is that so?”

Though a bit curious about the so-called “cannot be spoken” reason, the true name of a powerful individual often involved countless relations, curses, or lingering thoughts. It was understandable that Augustin wouldn’t disclose it.

The time he mentioned when this individual was active was naturally not the day Afalyj was born but referred to the day she received her mother Lucini’s first embrace, reincarnating as a Blood Clan duchess, becoming Afalyj Constans.

Her original name and race had lost all meaning since that day, and she didn’t wish to recall the past. However, since Augustin described it that way, the time should be at least three hundred years ago.

Though the Blood Clan was nearly immortal, three hundred years was still a distant past for Afalyj.

Seeing the girl awkwardly unsure of what to say next, the old man didn’t mind, pointed toward the stairs leading to the second floor of the manor, and set aside the silver nails, picking up a cloth to return to his task of cleaning the antique display case, speaking slowly.

“Well, you should head back and rest early. You’ve lost quite a bit of blood, and although it’s not source blood, it’s still a loss. I’ll discuss today’s situation with Lucini when she returns, and we’ll decide how to handle it then and inform you.”

“Ah! Do I have to tell mother? That… since she’s not around today, Uncle Augustin, what if we… hee hee hee…”

Hearing the girl suddenly soften, making a slightly guilty and anxious request, the old man understood her meaning but merely smiled faintly, continuing his task without giving any response.

Thus, his intentions were quite clear.

Knowing this matter probably left no room for negotiation, the defeated duchess could only droop her head and scurry up to the second floor of the manor.

…

“Hmm… The daily life of the Blood Clan is more normal and ordinary than I imagined. It doesn’t seem like they’re plotting any grand conspiracy, how strange…”

Miss Vilyric, who had followed the traces of a certain duchess using her spiritual form and witnessed the events in the suburban manor, muttered in slight confusion as she returned to the park where she had been separated from Edwina.

Although the entire manor seemed extraordinarily exceptional, even a few decorative items randomly chosen were probably worth millions of gold, in the end, it was just worldly wealth.

After listening to the exchange between Afalyj and the old man, Vilyric walked through walls with her spiritual form, but she hadn’t found anything of true significance or worth…

Yet at least she now knew that there were indeed Blood Clan members hidden within the Holy City and that there were at least two individuals of prince-level strength among them.

Lucini Constans, Augustin Constans.

These two Blood Clan princes had previously crossed paths with Miss Priestess during the historic capital city of Courage.

Though later, for reasons unknown, after the gathering ended, there was a riot in the city, and they never appeared again, this had left Vilyric with quite the impression.

Who would have thought that after a year, they would meet again in such a manner?

The forbidden magic “Inverse Cross Blood” that appeared on the Mount Belgen, seems to be tightly intertwined with the Blood Clan alongside the demons. I wonder if these two are aware of it?

And that one, the one who cannot be named… the one entangled in obsessions…

Hehe, things… seem to be getting interesting.

   

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