“My apologies. I forgot to mention that the dark elf I found is a vampire. I hope that poor creature still interests you.”
A vampire?!
Finding the location of any velmoryn wasn’t something Athena could outdo me in, but if they were vampires… that changed everything. I wasn’t certain at this point whether vampirism was considered a race or a class, but if becoming a vampire meant they were no longer considered the race they had been before, then it all made sense. Only under that condition could Athena have found a velmoryn I had no connection to.
“You’ve piqued my curiosity,” I said. I hoped she would reveal the details before presenting her proposal. I would likely reject her offer and I didn’t want to ruin my chances of finding this vampire velmoryn.
“That pleases me. But unfortunately, I couldn’t find much about her. And I wouldn’t dare share speculation or unconfirmed tales,” Athena said calmly. Although as she spoke, her fingers kept nervously folding and unfolding the edge of her dress. “However, I know for certain that she is over three hundred years old. She lives among humans now and recently married a high noble. That is how we found her.”
Taking a pause, she extended her hand, and a small vial appeared atop her palm. Inside the transparent vessel, a single drop of red blood shimmered faintly.
“I obtained her blood so that Your Lordship may easily find her, even if she attempts to hide from your sight.”
She made the vial float toward the God of Velmoryn seated on the throne.
Accepting it, I reconsidered Athena once more. This time, I genuinely couldn’t decide how I felt about her. Her believer approaching Aurelion had been nothing but a careless move. Her willingness to enter my dominion only doubled down on that. And offering a tribute before securing what she wanted was simply too much.
Either she was incredibly gullible and thoughtless, to put it mildly, or she was a master manipulator and everything that had happened so far was part of a larger plan.
Guidance.
[A Droplet of Blood]
Blood is a potent medium. It may be used to enforce a divine contract, uncover secrets, or trace the location of its owner. The scope of what can be achieved depends on the wielder’s ability and the strength of the one from whom the blood was taken.