The Reborn Witch had a nice 'Tea Time' with the Dragon Queen today-Chapter 38: Really, Mommy Issues? Selene Vs Manasseh! (1)

As the moonlight seeped deep into every corners of Manasseh's merchant guild, Selene heaved a deep, deep sigh, her eyes bloodshot and her mind racing with thoughts. Her hand rested on the runed stone pillars, the chill of the night ironically calming her beating heart, as she gazed upon the collection report of the guild.

Marag Research Centre for Revival: CM Autopsy Report #56

Objective: The integration of the Chirav's Mercy Spider Silk, or CM silk for short.

Result: Unsuccessful. The subject's spine caved in, resulting termination.

...56? Then...56 humans and vampires have been sacrificed for this? Selene gulped as she read on, her heart barely containing the vile curiosity.

Marag Research Centre for Revival: CM Autopsy Report #124

Objective: The integration of the CM silk along with Mifotti's Eyes, Gorgon's Hair, and fossils from Unspoken Giants

Result: Unsuccessful, but stains of Alice's mana could be found from the bleeding eyes.

For future experiments: More experiements onto vampires' souls are needed. Dragon's mana will be tested for alteration

...aren't those some really expensive materials? And Unspoken Giants? What is that? Cross checking Manasseh Guild's ledger in her mind...didn't have this material. Does it mean it's possible this Marag Research Centre was a partner, rather than a direct affiliate?

A horrible assumption from Selene's mind about an experimental site which would collaborate with vampires devastated her soul, as she read on and on, until the last and final entry.

Marag Research Centre for Revival: CM Autopsy Report #212

Objective: Last attempt. The Sponsor Manasseh's successful conversion.

Result: Unexpected success, the CM silk coiled inside her body rather than the typical rejection.

For future experiment: Manasseh's own mana will be utilised fully to ensure the success of the remaining conversion

Note #457: This experimenter also detected a faint scent of the tyrant's flame melted into her bones, the mana preserving her essence as a vampire, which she was thankful for.

...end of Autopsy Report.

"...so, Manasseh and her families...suffered through all...all this?" Selene's voice trembled as she read through the final autopsy report, the eyes of the young girl scanning the details with a mix of horror and awe.

The knights surrounding their captain, their lord, their acolyte's cherished daughter, grew tense, their eyes glancing around, fearful of the vampire's potential attack. Yet, Selene's gaze remained glued to the reports, her mind racing with the implications of what she had just read. She has only cleared out the buildings of both humans' and vampires' presence, and besides being surprised how Manasseh included humans in her own guild, this report her subordinates gave her was a revelation beyond her innocent mind.

"Hic...no no no...don't cry...I'm working I'm working..." Selene's words trailed off as she stumbled through the darkened halls of the abandoned guild, the echo of her own voice bouncing off the cold stone walls, revolting the sorrow gutted in her stomach. The knights watched her with a mix of pity and confusion, unsure how to respond to their young lord's sudden vulnerability.

Even with the knights now wrapping up the investigation, Selene couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had settled for a trope Uncle Demond would have scoffed at. The silence was eerie, almost taunting, as if the very shadows held the secrets of Manasseh's suffering and the fate of her kind. She had to find Mother and Demond, to share what she had learned, to warn them of the horrors that had been committed here.

More importantly...a dragon...being the experimenter...and this...

"Ah...Lady Adrei will be so mad about this..."

Selene's eyes darted around the room, her heart hammering in her chest. Diplomatic implication...inhumane experiment...Manasseh's willingness to sacrifice her kin and herself...It was all too much. A inexperienced girl who has not even gone through the Divine Washing could not posssibly fathom the depth of Manasseh's pain. She couldn't even fathom her own mother's love for this kind of peace.

She curled up, hands waving out towards her subordinates, the knights' eyes grew wide as they saw their lord's distress, yet they knew better than to interrupt. They nodded solemnly, understanding the need for privacy even in such a tense situation, they retreated into the cold night. The guild's door groaned shut behind them, leaving Selene alone in the sea of darkened murmurs for a coming of a bloody moon.

Selene just kneeled on the floor, the report still in her unsteady hands that once held a 20-tons ogre without a flinch. Her breath hitched as she reread the last line, the autopsy report ending means...they suceeded. Judging from the black eyes and horribly mobid regeneration, they did. They found a way to blend vampire's soul with the spider silk.

The large was eerily silent, the tables in the dining hall abandoned except for the half-eaten plates of food, the stone pillars that once stood proud for the guild's success now spoke of tales for a revenge lost, a kin's desperation. Among the hall sat a young, green-haired girl dressed in the armor of a knight, her eyes reddened from the torment of what she had just read. Selene, the daughter of Lady Adil, couldn't believe the atrocities that had been performed right under their very noses. The research that Manasseh and her kins had been conducting was nothing short of monstrous, but the most monstrous part was...was...

"Why did only vampires have to die through this?" Selene whispered to herself, her understanding belying her sympathy for the kins so desperate to save themselves that they would risk their very essence. Yet, amidst the horror, she found an odd glimmer of relief in the final words of the report. Yes, it is just the silky shadow now tickling her neck, a weird sense of comfort against a hunter who's alive to hunt her prey.

"How unfunny. To weep while living on my kin's graves like a staged mannequin."

"I know right? Mother is too much, having me on this as my first mission...Uncle Demond didn't even help wi-"

Then, she paused. A silk on her shoulder? All the sorrowful quells in her mind quivered into a tingly sense for dangers, as a sharp glint of steeled focus was pulled back to her dried eyes. Her feet twisted around as she drew her blade with a clink and swung backward, the report slicing into bits from the sheer force.

The invader, or the homecomer, jotted backward, sinking in the dark corner, her blue eyes assessing the young knight with curiosity and amusement. It was Manasseh herself, the very creature Selene had been searching for, and she had found her in the most unexpected way.

Selene frowned at the veins of blue sprawling from Manasseh's eyes, a stark contrast to the vampire's usual crimson gaze. The blade in her hand trembled slightly, but she held it steady, this time, as both her hands tightly gripped the sword's hilt. "What have you done to yourself?"

A grin split Manasseh's face, her fangs peeking through as she leaned against the shadows, arms crossed under her chest. Despite the pain aching in her cheeks, she couldn't help but find Selene's reaction amusing. "Alice's mana is quite a wonder, isn't it?" she quipped, her voice a blend of sarcasm and weariness. "It's a rather nasty trick I picked up, but it's the only way to throw Demond's little tracker off my scent for a while longer."

Selene didn't ask more, no need for a knight to negotiate with a crazed vampire who permitted her kins' deaths in a quest for 'revival'. "What happened to the knights outside? How is the commotion not reaching them?" the young knight demanded, her voice firm and unwavering, her hesitation only scatched upon by the glimmering of Adil's runes on the pillars.

"Silence. My . Useless when against a dragon or a witch who would wipe out my armies with a swipe or track my very mana, but more than sufficient for a barrier to keep your little knights at bay." Manasseh smirked, her eyes gleaming with a hint of pride.

Selene's grip tightened on her sword, her minds emptied, her hitched breaths forgotten. The shuttering grew colder than Demond's icy trail as she stared into the blue-veined eyes of the vampire that had eluded them for so long. The reports she read didn't prepare her for the reality of Manasseh's transformation. The blue veins snaked down her face, a stark reminder of the stolen magic coursing through bloods of her dying, meglomaniac kins.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

And without a word, she dashed forward.