Chapter Fifty-Eight: Words Spoken in Anger

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After exchanging superficial pleasantries with Kardek, Jen promptly turned and departed, paying no heed to the dwarf's invitation to stay and enjoy the evening banquet. He had had enough of the gray dwarves' games; Kardek was trying to use him once more, concocting some dubious tale about a magic book whose authenticity no one could verify... Well, it hardly mattered. Even if it were real, Jen could dig it up after he claimed Brandon Stone City. If there were no humans involved, Jen wouldn't mind playing along with this dwarven governor. But unfortunately, with humans now present—and almost certainly coming for him—he was forced to sacrifice a pawn to save the carriage. Not that it was his own pawn. In matters of generosity with others' possessions, Jen was always exceedingly liberal.

Yet Jen's outing today was not solely for the sake of Kardek.

"Lord?"
Elise, who had been waiting outside, raised her head curiously as Jen emerged from the reception room. But Jen said nothing, merely gesturing to her.

"It's done. Let's head back."
"Ah? Y-yes, of course."
Elise blinked at Jen's words, then nodded obediently, following him out of the dwarven governor's residence. Despite this, her heart bristled with confusion. She had no idea what Jen intended. She had been engrossed in her reading at the library when Jen abruptly arrived and specifically requested she accompany him to Brandon Stone City. Elise dared not refuse Jen's request, though she could not fathom why he hadn't chosen Enoya or Verna. Nonetheless, she followed him.

Much to Elise's frustration, her presence on this trip seemed entirely pointless. Jen had not required her assistance for anything, only had her trail behind him as he circled the city. Even inside the governor's residence, he merely told her to wait outside, like some attendant. This left Elise feeling disappointed—though only the heavens knew the true cause. The heart of a woman is as unfathomable as the sea.

Jen seemed oblivious to Elise's mood. After leaving the governor's residence with her, he led her straight out of Brandon Stone City, heading once more toward Blackstone Watchtower. Elise was not surprised; she knew that behind the watchtower lay a hidden passage connecting the Undercity and Brandon Stone City—a secret route so well concealed that even she might not have discovered it, were it not for Jen revealing it to her. But the Undercity was always shrouded in rumor and mystery. Elise even suspected the dwarves had no idea their city was thoroughly surrounded by the Undercity.

"Elise."
While Elise was lost in thought, Jen's voice suddenly reached her, startling her enough to halt in her tracks.

"Yes? Is there something you need, Lord?"
She spoke as she surreptitiously lifted her gaze, stealing a glance at Jen's face. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks. It was no wonder; ever since she had accidentally uncovered that strange, coverless novel in the library, Elise had been sneaking peeks at its pages whenever she had the chance. She had fully immersed herself in the life of the young heroine, reveling in the forbidden pleasures and joys of that fantastical world. Sometimes, she even dreamed of its contents—where she, as the bibliophile maiden, was lured by the sealed tomes, step by step, into the abyss of delight. Most unsettling of all, the other protagonist in her dreams—the librarian—was always played by Jen.

This dream was not as vivid as the one she had had in the prison, fading upon waking to a hazy recollection. Yet this vagueness only made Elise more unsettled, for in the book, after tasting unimaginable joys, the heroine was hopelessly addicted, eventually drawing the librarian into the same forbidden ecstasy. They indulged without restraint amidst the deserted library, employing every conceivable act and gesture.

To Elise, it was a delirious fantasy: the blush-inducing words of the book became vivid scenes, suffused with an intoxicating atmosphere. Though she and Jen had never even held hands in reality, in her dreams, they had done everything imaginable. Thankfully, after waking, only a fuzzy memory lingered; otherwise, had it been as clear as the prison dream, Elise might never dare face anyone again.

Thus, whenever Jen spoke or she sensed his gaze, Elise found her breath quickening, her heart racing, even her body growing faintly weak. Deep inside, an anticipation surfaced—one she could neither name nor explain.

This time, facing Elise's inquiry, Jen said nothing. He merely pushed up his glasses, silently staring at her. Under Jen's scrutiny, Elise grew uneasy, like a startled rabbit, lowering her head and nervously glancing aside.

"U-um... Lord?"
Jen remained silent, but this time, he reached out and placed his right hand beneath Elise's chin, forcing her to lift her gaze to meet his.

"Eh? Eh, eh?!"
The sudden gesture left Elise utterly flustered, staring blankly at Jen. Yet in that moment, her mind raced through scenes from her dreams and the book.

Was the Lord about to make a move on her right here? In the wilds—what if someone saw? And the dust everywhere... it would soil her clothes... She only wore this one dress... Was he planning to send her out naked, wearing just a collar? Oh... how embarrassing...

The more she thought, the more her mind tumbled into chaos, though she seemed to overlook some crucial question... But that wasn't the part we needed to focus on, so it hardly mattered.

Suddenly, as Jen's gaze drove Elise into a corner, unsure what to do, a dark crimson sword-light flashed across her vision!

"Get away from her!"

Elet was utterly livid, his entire being and blade transformed into a raging storm, lunging at Jen's back. He had intended to observe Jen's background and discover the true state of his daughter. But to his shock, this damned scoundrel dared lay hands on his daughter right before his eyes! How could he endure this?!

Elet's fury was boundless, his sword now wielded at full strength. In a single stride, the hundred meters separating them vanished; one moment, the sword flashed, the next, it thundered toward Jen's heart with unstoppable force!

At last, he had arrived.

Hearing Elet's roar, a smile flickered in Jen's eyes. The reason he had brought Elise to meet Kardek was that, earlier, his system had alerted him to infiltrators from Black Onyx Stone City in Brandon Stone City. Thus, Jen deliberately paraded Elise through the city, knowing the Black Onyx agents would not let her escape their notice. As he expected, they not only spotted him and Elise, but had trailed them here. Elet believed his stealth would elude Jen's detection, but the moment he set foot in the Undercity's domain, Jen had his position and movements perfectly mapped out.

"Boom!"

Just as Elet's sword was about to pierce Jen, a bolt of lightning erupted from thin air, crashing down upon Elet. Facing this sudden strike, Elet remained unperturbed. He had prepared for every contingency upon realizing Jen was a mage. As the lightning descended, Elet gripped his sword with his right hand, while his left flicked rapidly through the air, accompanied by a low chant. The lightning, striking as if upon an invisible lightning rod, scattered above his head and burrowed into the earth.

Though Elet's speed was formidable, he still faltered slightly to ward off the lightning. In that brief pause, Jen seized Elise by the waist and stepped back, watching the man before him with an icy smile. Seeing Elet repel his lightning attack, Jen showed no surprise, merely snorted. The next moment, tongues of flame erupted, surging toward Elet in a torrent.

This was it!

Having barely fended off the lightning, Elet had no time to cast another spell, nor was he willing to retreat. As the flames neared, he gritted his teeth, clenching his left hand. With a sharp crack, the ring upon his finger shattered, forming a faint red elemental shield against the advancing fire. Elet pressed forward, his sword slicing through the dense flames, tearing open a gap!

This exchange had occurred in an instant—from Elet's ambush to Jen's fiery retaliation, no more than five seconds had passed. In Elise's eyes, all she saw were flashes of light, then the flames split as Elet emerged, his blade glowing red-hot from the heat, striking relentlessly toward Jen!

In response, Jen made but one move.

He clenched his fist and swung it forward with force.

"Thud!"

In a blink, Elet crashed as if into an invisible wall, sent flying backward and sprawling to the ground. He scrambled to his feet, but now the vampire count wore an expression of shock and disbelief, staring wide-eyed at the mysterious man clad in robes before him.

What just happened?

Elet had no idea. By rights, his sword should have pierced that bastard's heart, yet he sensed only a shadow flicker before his eyes, then he was struck and hurled away—even with the power of a count, he could not discern how he had been hit!

"Father!"

Seeing Elet thrown to the ground, Elise finally cried out. Hearing her call, Jen raised an eyebrow and looked at Elet.

"He's your father?"

It was a reasonable question. Elet appeared barely past thirty—smart, capable, dashing. Though his costly attire was now sullied from his fall, his charm remained undiminished. Judging by their apparent ages, Elet hardly seemed Elise's father. But half-vampires... such matters are inconsequential. At least, as half-bloods, they matured somewhat. If it had been a pureblood, one might witness a white-bearded elder respectfully addressing a young girl as "mother."

"Yes, I am her father!"
Elet's face was dark, his glare fierce.

"I don't care who you are—release my daughter at once! Or you will face the wrath of Black Onyx Stone City!"

"The wrath?"

Jen chuckled. Beside him, Elise's face instantly turned pale. Elet might not know Jen's identity, but Elise certainly did. She rushed to explain, hoping to reveal Jen's true nature to her father.

Elet, meanwhile, was livid, his right hand gripping his sword until the veins bulged, as if desperate to tear Jen limb from limb.

"Your daughter?"

But facing Elet's murderous gaze, Jen only smiled coldly, adjusted his glasses, and uttered a phrase guaranteed to drive every father mad.

"I'm afraid... she's already mine."