Chapter 1262: Chapter 1262: Demon, Spiritual Medicine, and Morning
"Demon? What does this have to do with that deity?"
Shard asked slightly puzzled, and the witch explained:
"Some people often confuse the Evil God [Stone Heart Demon] with the legendary ancient demon [Stone Mirror Demon], but they are completely different. The former is an ancient deity renowned since the Second Era, who often uses statues rather than living beings as saint vessels during godfall, causing any non-stone material nearby to petrify instantly. The latter, however, is an Evil Spirit Demon from the Third Era, quite ancient, plays with contracts, turns people’s hearts to stone and steals them, thus trapping the soul. This demon, in this era, even through clever contracts, has destroyed a kingdom in the southwestern part of the Old Continent."
Shard didn’t know about this matter, as he was only investigating the Evil God.
"We cannot handle the issues of the Sect of the Evil God for now, the True God Church will not let them succeed. The critical point now is to stop the spread of Crazy Earth. Thomas Granger and Wylan Lathes definitely know more than we do. However, they seem unwilling to easily appear before the living."
Just after Shard left the manor, the soul of Mr. Lathis purified the earth at the Black Mud Spring Eye and then vanished immediately.
"With the Sect of the Evil God now involved, the future is becoming harder to predict. The Evil God [Stone Heart Demon]... Their activities locally are most likely related to The Chosen, though it’s unclear what they’ve done tonight."
Because of the warning from the Butterfly God, the shadow in Shard’s heart was even heavier than that of Miss Benanis. The small flower with six pink and white petals had now turned into a toy lying in his pocket. It was truly an ordinary item; otherwise, it could not possibly become this "souvenir." Therefore, this flower was insufficient to counter possible occurrences, and he now had more reasons to obtain that drop of divinity at all costs.
The potential threat mentioned by the Butterfly God, which could reach the material world through the banquet, could hardly be the [Lord of the Blood Feast] again.
Miss Benanis sighed rather troubled, and then glanced at Shard:
"Speaking of which, your body really is..."
"No problem, did you see me acting strangely on the way back to the city?"
The witch subtly shook her head, placing the hand previously resting on the arm of the chair onto his thigh. Without expression, she watched Shard while her fingers danced like little people on his knee, continuing until witnessing a satisfactory outcome, she retrieved her hand:
"See, I knew it, it’s not just me reacting violently to that essence, it’s you as well."
"Where did this meaningless rivalry come from?"
Shard mumbled a sentence, and the blonde witch smiled triumphantly:
"This is not rivalry; I’m proving that last time’s embarrassing display wasn’t due to my low resistance. Also, you didn’t show any expression earlier, are you questioning my charm?"
"Miss Vanessa Benanis, I would never question your charm. Even among all the witches I’ve met, your beauty is unique and unparalleled."
For the beauty of each witch is unique and unparalleled.
"Save those nice words for Galina."
Though saying this, a smile still curved on her lips. She wanted to say more to Shard but noticed the painful tone added to the sobbing of Miss Lathis.
The two quickly got up to check and found Miss Lathis collapsed on the ground. The witch went to help her, while Shard’s expression changed as he ignored Miss Benanis’s astonishment and directly lifted Miss Lathis’s skirt.
Sure enough, beneath the skirt, her legs wrapped in white suspender cotton socks were showing petrification signs on more than two-thirds of the region below the knees.
Shard gently said, "Sorry," and reached out to touch her leg, feeling a hard texture:
"Was this caused by being touched by Black Mud during the manor battle?"
"Oh, Ciris, why didn’t you tell us earlier, why not on the way... Oh, I won’t say it, just cry, young girl, I shall give you the right to cry."
She helped Miss Lathis onto a bench, letting her rest her head on her lap and sob, while the witch tenderly caressed her hair, then signaled Shard to prepare the spiritual medicine.
The rune Shard acquired from the Soil Holy Grail was "Warm Food," probably because he didn’t complete the purification thoroughly, so its effect was merely reheating cold cooked food.
Apart from this, he had also obtained the four Holy Grails: "Pure Water," "Fruit of Success," "Healing," and "Sweetness." Pure Water and Fruit of Success were already used during healing the witch and Iluna, so this time he utilized the recently acquired "Warm Food."
The preparation of the "Earth Mother Goddess’s Spiritual Medicine" was simple, and he carried the materials with him.
Once prepared, he brought the Holy Grail containing the spiritual medicine over. Miss Benanis then supported the petrified-to-above-knees Miss Lathis to sit up, letting her lean on her shoulder. Shard also sat on Miss Lathis’s other side, offering her the Holy Grail:
"Drink quickly, I’m unsure if excessive petrification will cause permanent damage."
"Shard, Vanessa, thank you both."
The girl, having accepted the fact of her father’s death, sobbed while speaking, with Shard worried she might accidentally spill the spiritual medicine she held.
"Don’t thank me, Shard uncovered the truth, and the Holy Grail for preparing the spiritual medicine is also his property."
Miss Benanis said, watching Miss Lathis cry and drink the potion simultaneously.
"How are you feeling? Have you recovered?"
The witch asked concernedly, leaning against Miss Lathis in a way that made bending over impossible, while Miss Lathis tried to calm herself, her tears smudging her delicate makeup, paying no attention to her own body:
"Much better."
This reply sounded perfunctory.
"Shard, check it out."
So the witch said, and Shard thought she was joking:
"But I..."
"Do you think either of the two ladies here would mind?"
Thus, Shard had no choice but to bend down, lifting the hem of Miss Lathis’s lavish gown to look at her legs underneath.
Feeling gradually restored, Miss Lathis’s face blushed instantly, and she struggled to stand, but due to the long-term half-petrification causing a lack of blood flow to her legs, she sat back down as soon as she got up.
"Sorry."
Shard apologized again softly, reaching out to touch the cotton socks, but this time his hand felt the warmth of her skin. Of course, given the era, the stockings were still quite thick, so he didn’t actually feel the skin.
Yet even so, Miss Lathis’s face was red as if it were about to bleed.
(Mia running...)
The Monday morning sunlight bathed the Yordle Palace in Tobesk City, with the rooftops of the palace complex reflecting golden sunlight, seemingly indicating that the Royal Family would be in good spirits today.
In Princess Lecia Cavendish’s bedroom, even in the morning, the gas lamps were still lit. Her Highness the Princess, feeling quite cheerful, sat before a redwood dressing table crafted from four giant vanity mirrors. The room was quite warm, so she wore only a thin nightgown, while two personal maids attended her — one arranging her hair behind her, the other standing guard at the door.
Her Highness the Princess tilted her head, looking at the mirror as she adorned herself with red earrings, the Sage Level relic "Disenchantment Stone":
"So, this is why you barged into Yordle Palace yesterday, forcing yourself on me...? "
She asked in good spirits, glancing at Shard in the mirror.
Her Highness the Princess’s bed, draped with silk canopies, lay just behind her, and Shard, yawning as he buttoned his shirt, sat nearby. The cat, newly released from the wardrobe, sulkily perched on his leg, while on the red wool carpet at their feet lay scattered clothes of both men and women.
Miss Maid blushed slightly, smiling at the corners of her lips, while Shard complained:
"Royal ladies shouldn’t talk like this. Besides, how do I remember it was Dorothy feeling unwell yesterday, so you let me find you? You were the one who opened the window for me."
He recounted the events of last night, as it was his first sleepover in Lecia’s bedroom. Admittedly, Her Highness the Princess’s bed was indeed soft and warm.
He picked up the cat and let go, allowing it to bounce on the bed before curiously eyeing its surroundings. Shard shook his head with a laugh, searching for his clothes on the floor.
"No need to look, why be formal when you’re here? I’ve had new clothes ready for you, knowing this day would come when you’d stay the night."
Lecia remarked, feeling that such a morning was the life she longed for, only regretting that there were two people instead of three waking up together.
Meanwhile, the voice of the maid sounded outside; Little Princess Angelina had arrived at the door. Lecia invited her sister in, instructing the maid arranging her hair to hasten with Shard’s attire, then let Angelina continue styling her hair.
The Little Princess didn’t know Shard was also there, and evidently had no plans to leave Yordle Palace or meet guests this morning, thus wore a relatively simple three-layered underskirt and a gemstone-studded beige corset.
Entering, she saw Shard dressing beside the bed, her cheeks flushing slightly, greeting him shyly, glancing at the mess of clothes on the floor, then promptly moved behind Lecia to assist with her hair. Clearly, she often helped Lecia style her hair.
"You sure were amusing last night."
Lecia continued their conversation, after adorning herself with the relic earring, she also wore the ruby earrings Shard had gifted:
"I never realized you had such an interest in a girl’s legs."
Angelina smirked, helping her sister with her hair while subconsciously looking at her own skirt.
Shard blushed, feeling embarrassed at Lecia’s exaggerated words:
"There was a reason..."
After all, while he could tolerate the side effects of that bottle of Pink Essence, he only managed to barely endure it without being completely unaffected.