173: Death Magic and the Perfect Vessel
At this point, Lola's face rarely showed a grave expression.
"The very next second after he revealed the cloaked figure's true identity as a girl within the Watchers' base, his heart suddenly burst without any warning. He died on the spot, right in front of everyone's eyes."
"Hah?"
Lina blinked in confusion, asking with some puzzlement.
"Shattering someone's heart from a distance? Isn't that the Blood Clan's high-tier Blood Magic [Extinction Heartbeat]? And if I remember correctly, even that technique has a range limit, right? It also requires the target's blood as a 'catalyst' to cast."
"...Indeed, it does resemble our [Extinction Heartbeat], but I suspect the power that cloaked figure wields is far above that. In a certain sense, that technique could also be considered a 'super-tier spell.'"
"The moment her true identity was discovered, that cloaked figure probably sensed it through Death Magic's [causal] nature. After that, she immediately reversed the application of karmic threads and delivered a fatal finishing blow to that Watcher from who knows how far away."
"I admit, I misjudged that cloaked figure this time. I originally thought she had barely approached the level of a 'Perfect Vessel,' but from what I see now, perhaps in the past she really did have the potential to become a true 'Perfect Vessel'..."
"Wait! Lola, you know about the 'Perfect Vessel'?"
The instant she heard this term from Lola's lips, Lina shot up in shock, and even her tone became urgent and agitated.
"...That's just a figurative expression. Death Magic is special because its essence is that black mud you saw before, the kind that cloaked figure was manipulating. To truly master Death Magic without losing one's life to its backlash, one's body must be able to perfectly contain that black mud symbolizing the abyss and corruption. Therefore, someone who can theoretically contain it perfectly, we call them a 'Perfect Vessel.'"
"Then what did you mean just now by 'perhaps in the past she really had the potential to become a Perfect Vessel'!? Does that mean that per... that cloaked figure now no longer has the possibility of becoming a 'Perfect Vessel'?"
"Tsk... I can't say for certain. After all, I've never used this kind of magic myself~ But based on my observation, although that cloaked figure has mastered the black mud to a consummate level, the black mud ultimately never truly became part of her body. From beginning to end, she was still merely borrowing the black mud's power."
"Then... what happens to someone who can't become a 'Perfect Vessel'?"
"Death, of course! To put it bluntly, the only difference between such a person and others who treat Death Magic as a forbidden last resort is just dying sooner or later~"
"..."
Hearing this, Lina immediately fell into silence. After a long while, she raised her head again, but this time her voice had become somewhat weak.
"And after that? Regarding that cloaked figure, was there any other news later?"
"Mmm... After this incident occurred, the upper echelons of the Watchers were furious. After all, someone assassinating their people right on their turf, and even finishing them off in such a nearly provocative manner, how could they not be angry! The archives record that the Watchers originally wanted to directly dispatch the [Sword Saint] to handle this matter, but for some unknown reason, after that incident, that [Witch of Death] suddenly vanished."
"Witch of... Death?"
"Yes, that was the title the Watchers gave her after learning of her female identity. But 'witch' here is purely derogatory, very different from those actual witches who have gone into hiding nowadays."
As she spoke, Lola took the stack of documents from Lina's hands, casually searched through them for a moment, then pulled out one sheet and handed it to Lina.
"After that, there was very little news about this Death Witch. She only appeared again about a year ago, killing a Church Bishop and four priests under his command. Incidentally, those killed by her this time, contrary to those killed when she first appeared, were your adoptive father's most steadfast supporters."
"..."
Lina silently flipped through the documents in her hands. By now, the clues related to that cloaked figure had connected into a line in her mind, basically confirming her earlier conjecture.
"Alright~ My task is complete~ I still need to go prepare afternoon tea for Her Highness, so I'll take my leave now~"
"Wait, Lola!"
Just as the red-haired maid was about to step out the door, Lina suddenly called out to her once more.
"Can you tell me why you're so familiar with Death Magic? Please, I need to understand as much as possible about anything related to this magic. It's very important to me!"
"Hmm... alright then. You'll become part of our family sooner or later anyway, so telling you isn't a problem~"
"The one truly familiar with Death Magic isn't me, but Her Highness's mother, our Blood Clan's current Queen, Her Majesty Britney Torido."
"However, Her Majesty doesn't actually know Death Magic herself. The reason she's so familiar with this magic system... is because, according to her, this magic system has countless ties to one of our Blood Clan's progenitors."
"Tian Cappadocia. Her Majesty only told me this name. Don't bother trying to look through the texts in the mansion either. That would just be a waste of time."
"To be honest, even as a Ventrue, I know nothing about this progenitor by that name. In fact, before Her Majesty mentioned her to me, I had never even heard that our Blood Clan had such an existence."
With that, Lola departed, leaving only Lina sitting alone in her room, staring blankly at the Recording Orb in her hands.
"...Sigh, forget it. Let's get back to the matter of the experiments. I definitely missed something."
"Father went to such great lengths to set up an entire large orphanage. It definitely couldn't have been just to open a secret room in the director's office to record experiment procedures. The Christian Orphanage must definitely be hiding other secrets..."
"It's even possible... that the true location of the experiments back then was right there!"
Thinking this, Lina sat up from her bed and reached back into her wardrobe to pull out a black cloak used by Executors.
She also grabbed several dozen Black Keys to carry on her person.
"It seems... I still need to make another trip to the Christian Orphanage."
But just as she was about to step out of her room, her hand, originally reaching for the doorknob, suddenly stopped.
A new doubt emerged in her mind.
"But I already searched the entire Christian Orphanage thoroughly. I basically turned the place upside down... yet I didn't find anything else particularly strange!"
"Just where... is the problem?"
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