Chapter 209: Birth of a Devout Believer

Tiffany’s eyes widened, confusion flooding her at the sudden turn of events.

Her gaze was accusatory and brimming with questions, yet not a single word escaped her lips.

“Sorry, my Princess,” Crow said, his voice laced with false sincerity, but his actions betrayed his words. “Please don’t blame me.”

He yanked his dagger free, aggravating the wound and causing blood to spray like a fountain.

“I’m just following orders from the Emperor.”

It was a brief confession, but with those words, everything fell into place.

Crow had never been hers; he was merely a dog kept by their father, the Emperor! She had been deceived!

This revelation caused a momentary pause among the onlookers… until Arianne sprang into action, leaping forward.

“Fuck off!” she growled, swinging her sword with effortless grace. “I said face me in a duel, and you resort to underhanded tactics again?! Do you have no shame?!”

Crow, though panicked, managed to block her sword with his dagger.

However, the force behind her strike was beyond his expectations. It was as if he offered no resistance at all, and he was sent sliding back a dozen meters across the ground!

“And we’ve known you’re Emperor Alcott’s dog for some time,” Arianne declared, stepping protectively in front of Tiffany. “Your little pets gladly informed us, after all.”

Crow, hands numb, straightened up and glowered at her.

“A typical knight, you are…” he sighed. “But naïve.”

He tossed aside his black robe, revealing his true form.

His features were well-defined, neither handsome nor ugly. His arms and legs were lean yet powerful, his body neither too thin nor too broad—a perfectly balanced build. Just from his physique, one could tell he was capable.

But what truly caught everyone’s attention were his blood-red eyes and the long fangs peeking from his lips.

“I am the Emperor’s shadow. I take pride in my work, no matter how dirty it may be,” he spoke, his voice calm and collected.

With a single glance, the girls recognized the difference. He wasn’t a thrall like the others they had captured and interrogated. He was a true vampire!

Then he assumed a fighting stance, lowering his center of gravity and brandishing his poisoned dagger. “And now that I’ve completed my task, I shall take at least one more of you to hell!”

The loyalty of Crow, the Emperor’s Shadow, to such a scumbag emperor is a mystery that no one could explain.

Arianne, however, was unfazed. She raised her blade, aiming it forward, and grinned.

“Now that’s the right attitude. Come! I’ll show you the right path to knighthood!”

As the two faced off, a curious loli witch moved closer.

She approached Tiffany, who was wheezing on the ground, and assessed her injury. Tiffany had been stabbed in the chest, but by a stroke of luck, the blade had missed her heart. However, Crow’s poison was spreading rapidly, meaning her time was limited.

But…

“She’s lucky she didn’t die instantly,” Ria said with a grin as she pulled an item from her inventory.

Without hesitation, she poured it over the gaping wound.

In moments, the wound closed… but the poison remained.

“I’ll do it next,” Eve said as she stepped forward.

She extended her hand and closed her eyes. Mana gathered in her palm, releasing a gentle green light. “Detoxify,” she whispered softly.

After all, Eve possessed a holy element.

In short, aside from using it to combat zombies, she could also heal wounds and remove ailments—even the strongest poisons!

“…!”

Tiffany felt the pain subside and quickly sat up.

She looked down at her chest, where a bloody hole now marred her dress. From that sight alone, she realized her earlier injury was no illusion, but a harsh reality.

’I was… dying,’ she thought, touching the spot where Crow’s dagger had pierced her. ’But now, I’m healed.’

Slowly, she glanced at Ria, the little witch who had healed her injuries. Then she looked at Eve, who had saved her from pain and suffering—even Nina’s curse had been dispelled by her spell. Finally, she turned to Sophia, who seemed to be acting “subservient” to them, although not too obvious.

All of this clicked in her mind like the final pieces of a perfect puzzle.

“You are…” she paused, her eyes sparkling. “Goddesses who have come to save the world, am I right…?!”

“Huh?”

Of course, the girls didn’t know how to react. They could only stare at her with expressions that seemed to say, “What the heck is this girl saying?”

From enemy to captive, betrayed, almost dead—and now… a devout believer!

Tiffany’s life had become a rollercoaster ride!

“N-No way…!”

Crow was keenly aware of the events unfolding behind Arianne. His red eyes widened in shock.

The poison in his dagger was a fast-acting, deadly concoction, a mix of one hundred different toxins from venomous insects and animals.

It should have been impossible to detoxify it, even if the opponent were a saint blessed by the gods!

Coupled with Tiffany’s mention of the word “goddess,” Crow’s face turned pale.

He glanced at Arianne and recalled her incredible strength. Then, he thought of Nina, who had captured an entire army while standing still. These feats could not be explained by mortal means.

’If they’re not goddesses, then what are they?!’ Such a thought flashed through his mind.

However, he also knew he had no choice but to engage. If he failed to kill Tiffany, his entire clan would…

“AAAGH!”

Crow’s mind was clear, but his actions were reckless.

He charged ahead, dashing like a projectile shot from a cannon.

The sound of rushing wind filled his ears.

Within a few steps, he reached Arianne’s sword range. This was the moment she should have swung her sword. However, as if to grant him a handicap, she stood still, sword aimed forward.

Seeing this, Crow gritted his teeth.

He hoped she would attack so he could dodge and land a fatal counterattack before rushing past and finishing the job he had failed before!

But Arianne’s stillness was, in a way, an advantage for him.

He twisted his dagger, holding it in reverse, and leaped to the left of the female knight, spinning clockwise. Using centrifugal force and his raw arm power, he slashed his dagger at the weak point of all living things—their eyes!

When attacked, the instinctive reaction would be to close their eyes—a quick, reflexive action. Crow anticipated this and planned to exploit the brief opening it created—

“Good!”

But Arianne was an exception. She stared at the dagger without blinking and dodged it with the slightest movement.

Her smile never wavered for even a moment.

Then, as if to “reward” Crow’s quick thinking, she raised her blade and executed a swift, vertical strike toward his right shoulder. It was so rapid that the sword left afterimages, accompanied by a powerful shockwave that quickly followed.

A large gash opened across Crow’s chest, nearly splitting his torso in half.

He was thrown through the air, rolling on the ground before coming to a stop, lying on his back and gazing up at the peaceful, cloudy sky.

In moments, the fight was over.

Crow had failed.

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