Hearing Eros’s words, Mary let out a long, soft sigh. Her petite frame slumped forward, resting against his chest, as she buried her small face in the fabric of his shirt. Eros didn't press her for an answer; he simply looked down at the tiny bundle that was Mary with a gentle gaze.
After a long while, Mary finally lifted her head. Her face was clouded with a deep, lingering bewilderment. "Tell me... can we really survive this?"
"Of course we can!" Eros replied with unwavering confidence.
Mary gave a bitter smile, her voice still trembling with doubt. "The assessment has only been going on for three days, and my Sixth-year Class 1 has only ten survivors left. Princess Claire’s Class 2 is down to ten as well."
"Charlene’s Fifth-year Class 9 only has eight people left, and little Doreen’s Freshman Class 97... she’s the only one. And this has only been three days. There are over ten days left. Can we truly make it back alive?"
"Absolutely!" Eros’s face remained a mask of total certainty, as if surviving were the simplest task in the world.
Mary stared blankly at him for a long time before finally giving a heavy, resolute nod. "Okay! We will definitely make it back alive."
Eros placed a hand on the side of her face, his voice softening. "I remember telling you before—if there was a chance, I would do my best to help you."
Mary nodded. "I remember those words."
A smile spread across Eros’s face at her reply. "Then let me say it again. I will protect you. That’s why we will definitely return alive."
Looking at the seriousness in his eyes and hearing the sincerity in his voice, Mary suddenly broke into a radiant smile. "What should I do? I think I’m actually starting to like you for real!"
Eros replied nonchalantly, "Even if you didn't like me, I wouldn't let you go anyway."
Mary burst into a giggle, leaning back against his chest and murmuring, "You’re so overbearing!"
Eros gave a light snort but didn't speak. Neither did Mary. The two fell into a comfortable silence. Aside from the never-ending whispers of the night and the sound of their own breathing, the air beneath the crimson moon was still.
Eventually, Mary sat up, bracing her hands against Eros’s chest. She looked directly into his eyes and whispered, "Were those words just to comfort me... or were you serious?"
She was referring to his promise to protect her. It was common knowledge that a Warlock with low morale was prone to contamination and madness, especially inside a Sin Realm. Moments ago, her spirits were at an all-time low because she saw no hope of returning.
But Eros’s two confident answers had infected her with hope. Hearing him say he would protect her had warmed her heart. Yet, in the end, she was afraid—afraid that he was just pacifying her, and that he might not be as confident as he appeared.
Eros looked her straight in the eye, his tone stern and serious. "Trust me. We will get back alive. That wasn't just comfort."
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"Kiss me!" Mary proactively pressed her soft, delicate lips against his.
A few minutes later, looking at the flushed, breathless Mary, Eros asked seemingly offhandedly, "If for some reason, I had to carve a Soul Sigil into you—making you belong to me for the rest of your life—would you hate me?"
Mary blinked and whispered, "Would I lose my mind and become a puppet?"
"No. You would still be you; you’d just be unable to disobey the terms carved into the sigil," Eros replied firmly.
"Then... would you treat me like a toy? Throw me to other people for their amusement? Or take me to those perverted masquerade balls?"
Eros’s face darkened. What kind of logic is that? He pinched her small face and snapped irritably, "No! You would belong only to me!"
Mary nodded and said seriously, "Oh. Then carve it! Do you want to perform the spell now, or later?"
"I think it’s better if you do it now while I’m still touched by your words. I won’t refuse you right now. If we wait until later... once this surge of emotion passes, I might regret it."
Eros replied indifferently, "It’s fine. You can't beat me anyway. When the time comes, I’ll just forcibly carve the Soul Sigil into you."
Mary rolled her eyes. "You really are overbearing." After a pause, a thought seemed to strike her. She looked at Eros with a mysterious, inquisitive expression. "Are you... a loli-con?"
"Cough, cough, cough!" Eros suddenly choked on his own saliva, coughing violently. After a moment, he caught his breath, his expression a bit strained. "Why would you ask that?"
Mary replied as if it were obvious, "Because with my figure, only a loli-con would like me—even though I'm already twenty-two."
Seeing Eros remain silent, Mary gave a cheeky grin. "Just admit it! Don't worry, I won't laugh at you."
Eros cleared his throat, choosing not to answer. He shifted his gaze to the side and changed the subject. "To be honest, when I found out you were twenty-two, I was quite surprised. You don't look like those... those..."
"Dwarfs?" Mary finished the sentence for him without any offense.
Eros remained silent. Mary sighed, her tone turning a bit helpless. "There are two ways to become a Warlock. You know that, right?"
Eros nodded. This was basic knowledge taught at the very beginning of the craft. To become a Warlock, one's ancestors must have reached at least Sequence 5.
At Sequence 5—The Flame Bearer—a Warlock can engrave their spiritual genes into their bloodline, leaving a hereditary mark. By designing a ritual array that points toward this mark, their descendants can trace their bloodline's source to awaken those spiritual genes, receiving the "ancestral gift" to become a Warlock. This is why Sequence 5 is called "The Flame Bearer"—they pass down the spiritual fire through their blood. This method is relatively safe.
The second method is to survive an encounter with the Mystery. If you come into contact with the Mystery and survive, you will be contaminated by it. Your body will naturally accumulate Ling (spirituality), and you will become a Sequence 9—The Mystery Peeper.
If Eros’s father hadn't discovered his situation early on, he likely would have become a Warlock through this second path. When you gaze into the Mystery, the Mystery gazes back at you. Once you become interested in the Mystery, one day, you will witness it with your own eyes. If you survive, you spend your life walking the line between sanity and madness. If you fail, you become a monster.
Hearing Mary bring this up, Eros understood. "You became a Warlock through the second method?" he said with certainty.
Mary gave a soft "mm." "When I was eleven, I accidentally saw my uncle use a fingertip-fire spell to light a cigar. I didn't know it was the 'Mystery' back then; I thought he was just holding a lighter. My uncle didn't know I saw it either."
"That very day, my body was contaminated. I stopped growing. Luckily, the 'Eldritch Intrusion' I suffered was weak. I thought it was just a nightmare and I endured it, so I became a Warlock."
"From then on, I suffered an intrusion once a month, but I always thought they were just bad dreams. Since I didn't have any formal training, I didn't know how to actively accumulate Ling, so it built up very slowly."
"It wasn't until I was sixteen that the Ling in my body reached a detectable level and my family found out. I was sent to this Church Academy. After studying here for a while, I realized just how lucky I had been. Without that luck, I would have died during those Eldritch Intrusions long ago."