The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed

"Director, do you happen to know someone named Roman?"

"Roman?"

"I heard he’s a theologian."

Elise couldn't shake off the “unknown” man’s tip from the previous night for even a moment.

Project.

Experiment.

Novice nun.

When Elise pieced those three fragments together, they perfectly matched a puzzle made up of her memories.

The memory of that day drenched in blood.

The crimson stain that covered everything she was.

She felt uneasy that the man had brought such information, but it was impossible to ignore it.

Still, with the limited information at hand, Elise set out to gather more details.

The starting point was the theologian Roman, mentioned in the tip. She repeated his name to herself constantly to avoid forgetting it.

Hoping the convent director might know, she decided to ask.

The director, who was stroking her chin thoughtfully, responded quickly.

"Theologian Roman. Of course, I know him."

"You do?"

"He’s a theologian who’s gained some fame recently. Why do you ask?"

"I’d like to meet him. Do you know where he works?"

"You’ll find him at the seminary."

"The seminary...."

If she went there, she might uncover more information related to him.

Elise waited for the night to come.

*****

As night fell, it wasn’t the mafia who emerged but the vampire Elise.

Although she was impervious to sunlight and could move during the day, all secrets tended to unfold at night.

It was also true that ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) she became stronger at night. Her vampiric traits awakened, dramatically enhancing her physical and magical abilities.

And even her instincts and way of thinking.

She became closer to a vampire than a human.

In her bat form, Elise infiltrated the seminary with ease.

Elise was convinced that this new project was somehow linked to the experiments she had endured in the past.

Her goal was information related to the experiments.

Documents would be ideal, but people could serve the purpose just as well.

She could simply interrogate them to extract what she needed.

Flying around in her bat form, Elise explored the seminary. While the infiltration had gone smoothly, this was her first time here. Finding Roman’s research lab in the vast seminary wasn’t going to be easy.

She could methodically search room by room, but there was a risk she might only find clues after the experiments were over.

Returning to her human form, Elise located another theologian on night duty.

"Sister? What brings you here at this hour...? And shouldn’t the guards be watching the gates?"

"Shh."

Elise placed a finger against her lips and locked eyes with the theologian.

His pupils began to lose focus.

As he stood frozen in place, Elise made a shallow cut on his wrist and let her blood seep into it.

Her blood spread through his body, enabling her to cast a spell that allowed her to read his memories.

Biting his neck would’ve been far simpler, but that would result in the disgusting taste of blood in her mouth.

She couldn’t stand that.

The extra effort was worth avoiding it.

From the theologian’s memories, Elise extracted the information she needed:

The layout of the building.

The location of research labs.

Among them, Roman’s lab.

Just as she was about to leave, she paused briefly.

"Forget everything that happened in the next hour," she commanded.

She couldn’t afford to take any chances. After all, this was the very heart of the Holy Kingdom.

Having wrapped up her cleanup, Elise headed for Roman’s lab.

"The lights are off...."

The door was firmly shut. Security measures to prevent intruders were thorough.

But Elise’s magic operated on a different level than standard spells.

Swoosh!

Her body turned into blood, flowing like wind through the crack beneath the door.

Once inside, the blood gathered and reformed into Elise’s figure.

"Let’s see...."

Papers were scattered haphazardly across the desk. Elise began to sift through them, scanning each document.

Explorations of the dynamics between Celestials and Demons.

How atheists could receive divine revelations.

Would drinking a Celestial’s yawn increase holy power?

Some projects piqued her curiosity, while others were utterly nonsensical.

But what caught Elise’s attention most of all was:

Experiments on the coexistence of holy power and demonic energy.

What would happen if two completely opposing forces existed in the same space?

If perfect balance were maintained, perhaps a new kind of power could emerge....

Thirteen years ago, a similar experiment had been conducted but was completely lost due to an unexplained explosion....

To continue such experiments, a young cleric or demon with flexible energy flow was required....

"Hmm~"

Elise let out a pleased hum. It seemed there were still fools pursuing these ridiculous experiments.

She didn’t have any heroic desire to save those involved. She simply wanted to thwart their plans out of spite.

Having memorized the location of the lab mentioned in the documents, Elise left Roman’s research lab.

*****

A desolate, gentle hill.

Carriages adorned with torches to illuminate the night gathered one by one.

Priests and nuns stepped out of the carriages, followed by children. Their faces reflected a mix of tension, anticipation, and excitement.

"Is the sanctuary inside?"

"Yes. Beyond here lies the Gate of Trials to test your faith."

"If we pass the trial, can we become saints?"

"You will gain the minimum qualifications required to become one."

At the mention of becoming saints, the girls could not hide their joy.

"Saints now, huh? Back in my time, they were just nuns."

A voice descended from the sky.

Startled, everyone looked up.

Against the moonlit backdrop, a silhouette hovered. She sat in the air, legs crossed, her wings fluttering lazily.

The backlight obscured her features, but her crimson pupils gleamed ominously, exuding a menacing light. Her smile revealed two sharp fangs.

"A va-vampire!"

Elise’s attire was no longer a nun’s habit. Instead, she wore a black, gothic dress adorned with white lace—a look far closer to a vampire than a nun.

"Demon!"

"Sister, I’m scared!"

"Calm yourselves, everyone. Hide behind me," the priest instructed.

The priests and paladins formed a protective formation around the children.

Elise glanced down at them with disdain, then let out a mocking laugh.

"Who’s protecting who here?"

Pretending to be virtuous wouldn’t fool Elise’s eyes.

She could see it.

No balance, only their pitch-black inner motives.

They weren’t protecting the children—they were safeguarding their precious test subjects.

Elise pointed to the entrance of the underground passage they had been about to enter.

"Do you know what lies inside?"

Long before they arrived, Elise had already explored the interior.

The guards stationed there, so desperate to keep outsiders away, had all been reduced to mere puddles of blood in her hands.

"Inside, it’s full of disgusting piles of flesh. There’s no trial to become a saint, no holy crusade. Only Abaddon, where the voice of God is silent, awaits you."

"You vile vampire! How dare you spew such lies!"

A priest fired an arrow of light at Elise to silence her, but with a simple flick of her hand, the arrow was deflected effortlessly.

"You’ve wasted time on pointless endeavors and neglected your training. This is how you wield holy power."

Elise mimicked the priest’s action.

A pure white bow and arrow materialized in her hands, radiating an intensity of divine power far superior to the priest’s.

When the bowstring snapped, the arrow of light shattered a paladin’s armor and pierced his heart.

The paladin collapsed, his body recoiling from the impact.

Screams echoed across the night-clad hill.

The priest stared at Elise in disbelief.

"That power! Could it be that you...?"

"Do you know me?"

"There’s no doubt! The past experiment was a success! Hahaha! They’ve created a saint capable of rewriting the order of the world, a being of perfect balance!"

The priest’s face lit up with ecstasy. His expression was that of someone who had witnessed the divine itself.

Elise frowned at the priest’s fanatical behavior. Not long ago, they were enraged by her vampire nature, yet now they groveled before her.

"A saint?"

What even was a saint?

What did rewriting the order of the world mean?

"Disgusting."

She found the sight of a deranged believer worshiping her utterly repulsive.

Blood flowed from the dead paladin’s body, forming thorny vines.

"What is this?"

"Deploy a shield!"

The clergy cast holy barriers and struck at the vines with maces, but to no avail. Half of Elise’s magic was imbued with divine power, making it impossible to counter.

The same nature of magic nullified their blessings, and the thorny vines ensnared the priests from head to toe.

Clench.

Elise lightly clenched her fist.

The vines tightened around the clergy.

Thorns dug into their bodies.

"AAAAARGH!"

"KYAAAA!"

"Ah... glory. Immaculate glory! Saint, guide this humble servant to the world of order!"

The vines constricted further, contorting the clergy’s bodies until their joints twisted like broken dolls.

Their grotesquely misshapen bodies fell to the ground. Even in his final moments, the priest had his hands clasped together in a beatific expression.

Click.

Elise clicked her tongue and turned away as if looking at filth.

The surviving children huddled together, trembling. Some squeezed their eyes shut and prayed fervently.

Elise smiled sweetly.

"No amount of prayer will help you. Begging for mercy won’t bring down God’s grace."

She snapped her fingers as if flicking away dust. A droplet of blood flew from her fingertips and touched the foreheads of the children.

Their pupils grew vacant.

Their praying hands fell limply.

"Now, follow me. I’ll take you to a place untouched by the clutches of adults."

Elise floated forward at a leisurely pace.

The children followed her, one by one, disappearing into the night.

The blood-soaked hill was left devoid of any trace.