"Cough, cough."
Allen cleared his throat, trying to look less awkward. "What are you thinking? I want to make a deal with you about the City Lord's Mansion. I'll sell you these crystal cores at half the market price. If you turn them around, you'll make a huge profit."
Allen felt a bit of heartburn. That price was way too low; he was practically losing money.
But he had no choice. His plan was to wipe out every single goblin in this dungeon. Doing that would definitely anger Old Dean, so he had to drag Lilia into the loop to protect himself.
"Half the price? Are you sure?"
Lilia's eyes lit up, but she quickly calmed down and shook her head. "No, I can't do it. I don't have any storage equipment either. Between the two of us, we can only carry a few hundred crystal cores."
"What about the other students?" Allen pressed on. "By the day after tomorrow, other trainees will enter the dungeon. You can sell these cores to them at slightly below market price. Many of them are young masters from powerful families, and they'll definitely buy."
"That makes sense." Lilia nodded in agreement, but then she looked confused. "Then why not just sell them directly to the other students? Why go through me?"
Allen sighed, explaining, "I have no reputation. Once we leave the dungeon, they might not pay me willingly. But your father is the City Lord. No one would dare cross him. Also, don't you have the City Lord selection coming up in two months? By doing this, you can boost your father's popularity. It's a win-win."
Hearing this, Lilia nodded rapidly, her face full of excitement. It really would help her father.
But soon, her excitement faded. Without those pills, she couldn't suppress the energy raging inside her. Could she even survive until the day after tomorrow?
She guessed she could.
Lilia decided to take a gamble. If it meant helping her father stay in power, she was willing to take the risk.
"I can agree to this deal, but you have to help me with one thing,"
Lilia said, looking at Allen. "You need to train with me to level up."
"No problem," Allen agreed immediately. He was already at stage 1 level 9 and would soon hit stage 1 level 10. After that, he'd need a full promotion mission to keep gaining levels.
Training Lilia wouldn't affect his plans at all.
Allen glanced at the sky. "It's almost dark. I'll train with you first thing tomorrow morning."
Lilia nodded without objection.
The two of them found a sheltered spot in the canyon and started a fire. Allen had hunted a wild rabbit earlier; he cleaned it up quickly and roasted it for dinner.
Night fell completely. The surroundings were silent, save for the crackling of the fire.
They sat opposite each other by the flames.
As the fire burned, Allen started to feel sleepy. He leaned against a rock and drifted off into a deep sleep.
Hearing his light snoring, Lilia let out a sigh of relief. Curious, she studied Allen closely, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Strange," she whispered to herself. "Why does this jerk give me such a familiar feeling? Have we met before?"
Ever since seeing Allen yesterday, she had felt an inexplicable sense of closeness.
But their backgrounds were worlds apart. She was the daughter of the City Lord, while he was an orphan from the slums. They shouldn't have any connection at all.
"Could it be that I've actually fallen for this jerk?"
A ridiculous thought suddenly struck Lilia. Her cheeks burned hot, and she immediately shook her head to banish the idea.
"He's a sycophant, impulsive, and a bit greedy for money. How could I possibly like a guy like him?"
"Hmph, next time I see him, I'll teach him a lesson!" Lilia grumbled, furiously pumping her tiny fist into the air toward the sleeping Allen.
A wave of fatigue washed over her. She was exhausted.
Today, she had fought for her life, and she was finally starting to buckle.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Lilia's brow furrowed. A chill swept over her, causing her body to tremble slightly.
"No... it's starting again!"
Lilia's face turned pale. Her hand instinctively reached for her chest, only to remember that the pills were destroyed.
This time, the chill hit with abnormal intensity, freezing straight into her bones. She felt her soul trembling.
Panic and terror seized her. She scrambled closer to the bonfire, but the roaring flames offered her no warmth at all.
Blood...
Suddenly, a powerful craving for blood surged in her mind.
Like a ghost possessed, she turned toward the sleeping Allen, her eyes locking onto his neck.
The pulsing vein there seemed to have a deadly pull on her.
"Hm?"
Feeling a sudden sense of danger, Allen snapped awake. Right in front of him was a breathtakingly beautiful face.
Smack!
Almost instinctively, he slapped her. The sharp crack echoed loudly, leaving both of them stunned for a moment.
"W-What were you doing?" Allen asked, his palm going numb. On Lilia's face, a clear handprint now stood out.
The force had been a bit strong this time, but he couldn't really blame himself. If anyone was sleeping soundly and suddenly had a face appear inches from theirs, they'd react defensively too.
But this time, Lilia didn't get angry. Her body shook, her eyes were hazy, and her mind seemed off. She stared at the pulsing vein in Allen's neck and whispered, her voice trembling with desperation: "Allen, I... I'm in so much pain. Let me take one bite, okay?"
"A-Are you really sick?" Allen covered his neck, taking a step back.
This woman's state was too bizarre; she looked just like a vampire from hell.
"Sick? Yeah... the medicine..."
Lilia suddenly snapped out of it. Trembling, she stood up unsteadily and stumbled toward the rock face.
That was where the porcelain bottle had shattered, and where the pills had been stepped into a bloody, muddy pulp, filling the air with a stench of raw blood.
But right now, she didn't care. Squatting on the ground, she miserably scooped up the pills mixed with dirt and flesh, shoving them toward her mouth.
Smack!
Just then, Allen dashed forward, swatting the bloody mess out of her hand. "Are you crazy? You're going to eat that filth?"
"Don't tell me what to do! If you try to stop me, I might lose control and hurt you!" Lilia trembled violently, her words slurring. She struggled fiercely against the urge to pin Allen down and bite into his neck, instead grabbing another handful of the mud-and-flesh mixture.
"Fine, fine. You just want blood, right? Here, have a bite." In the end, Allen couldn't bring himself to be cruel.
He didn't know what disease Lilia had, but since her medicine was made from his own blood, his blood must be the cure.
"R-Really?" Lilia's eyes lit up. Suddenly, she unleashed terrifying strength, pinning Allen to the ground and lunging for his neck.
"Wait! Don't bite my neck! I just want to give you some blood. Here, take my wrist."
Allen jumped in panic. He held her head down and slashed his wrist with his spear. A sharp sting followed, and bright red blood began to flow.
Lilia caught the faint scent of blood. As if her sanity had completely snapped, she grabbed Allen's wrist and greedily sucked the blood.
A sweet, intoxicating taste filled her mouth.
Gulp!
The hot blood slid down her throat. Lilia felt instant relief, her expression one of pure bliss.
She had never imagined human blood could be this delicious.
As the hot blood entered her stomach, the bone-chilling cold vanished instantly. Instead, a powerful surge of energy coursed through her body.
Seeing that Lilia had stopped trembling and her body was no longer ice-cold, Allen let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, that's enough."
He tried to pull his wrist back, but Lilia held on tight. She looked almost like a well-behaved cat, clinging to his arm and sucking greedily.
At first, Allen didn't think much of it. But then, he noticed something strange. My lifespan was draining away wildly, even faster than the cost of casting a Forbidden Spell.
In just a few moments, over seven years of the 100 years he had gained from his Art of Immortality were gone.
"What's going on? Why does this drain me more than selling my blood normally does?"
Allen was terrified. At this rate, he would never be able to recover enough to replenish his Art of Immortality.
"Lilia, stop! You're going too far!" Allen was truly angry now. He pushed down her head, trying to wrench his wrist free.
But a massive force slammed back. His wrist felt like it was locked in steel; it didn't budge an inch.
How could this woman be so strong?
Panic surged through Allen. Watching his lifespan deplete rapidly, he even considered using a Forbidden Spell to kill her.
However, he noticed her mental state was off. She didn't seem to know what she was doing; she was just instinctively sucking his blood.
The fireball he had been gathering in his palm dissipated. Watching the life drain from him, Allen decided to wait. He would only strike back if the 100 years from his Art of Immortality were completely gone.
...
Allen's face had turned pale. He could even hear the sound of his own blood flowing inside him, being consumed by Lilia.
It seemed like this woman wanted to drain him dry.