Betty stuck out her pink little tongue and cautiously licked the arm Bell had extended.
It was a warm, slippery sensation.
Bell's brow twitched imperceptibly.
It was a bit itchy.
The next second.
Two small, sharp fangs pierced his skin with precision.
There was no sharp pain as he had imagined.
Instead, it felt more like a weak electric current, surging from the wound on his arm and instantly spreading throughout his body.
It was a tingling, numbing sensation.
Bell could clearly feel his blood being drawn away through those two hollow fangs by some force.
The speed wasn't fast.
But it was steady.
Betty closed her eyes, a look of near-obsessive intoxication appearing on her face.
Her little tongue continued to restlessly lick the edges of the wound, like a kitten tasting cream for the first time.
A few seconds later.
Betty suddenly looked up and released her hold.
Her ruby-like eyes were now wide and round, looking as if two flames had been ignited within them.
It wasn't pain, nor was it dizziness.
It was pure, ultimate ecstasy.
"Waaaaah!"
A sharp cheer, loud enough to pierce eardrums, exploded within the spacious carriage.
Betty sprang up from the floor like a spring compressed to its limit.
She stepped onto the velvet seat, jumping with force, her feet leaving deep indentations in the soft cushions.
"It's so delicious! It's so delicious!"
She shouted as she jumped, waving her arms, her skirt fluttering like a happy butterfly.
"Ed! Ed! Look! I feel like my wings are about to sprout!"
She spread her arms and spun in circles inside the carriage, uttering joyful, nonsensical syllables.
"I tasted sunlight! Golden! Warm! And it bubbles! Just like the elven fruit wine Father keeps!"
The eternally elegant smile on Ed's face, sitting opposite her, cracked for the first time.
He watched Betty jumping up and down like a madwoman, his Adam's apple bobbing uncontrollably.
His fingers, resting on his knees, turned slightly white from the force of his grip.
"Betty."
For the first time, Ed's voice carried a hint of imperceptible tension.
"What exactly does it feel like?"
"Feel like?"
Betty stopped spinning, tilted her head, and thought seriously for a moment.
Then, she grinned, revealing a smile so bright it looked silly.
"It feels like a little sun is having a party in my veins!"
With that, she began another round of jumping.
Bell watched all of this expressionlessly.
He lifted his arm.
The two tiny puncture wounds from the fangs had vanished without a trace.
Not even a red dot remained.
It was as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
...
Meanwhile.
At the tightly closed gates of the Royal Magic Academy.
The night was as dark as ink.
Tia stood silently on the stone path before the gate like a silver statue.
A gust of strong wind swept past.
Leon Wolfgang's figure appeared beside her, hands in his pockets, his face full of impatience.
"Women are such a hassle."
The words had barely left his mouth.
Margaret's figure stepped out from the shadows of the trees like a ghost.
She had changed into a set of deep green combat gear that was easy to move in. Her usual gentle temperament was gone, replaced by a killing intent born from long experience on the battlefield.
"Let's go."
She didn't look at anyone, her voice cold as she uttered only those two words.
The next second, the three figures disappeared from the spot simultaneously.
...
The carriage stopped in front of an unremarkable-looking grocery store.
Inside the shop was only a dozing old man.
Ed tossed over a purse of coins. The old man woke up instantly and led them into a dusty back room.
A complex teleportation array was inscribed on the floor.
Accompanied by a blinding purple light and a slight sensation of weightlessness, the scene before them changed instantly.
Cool air, mixed with the scent of tuberose and a faint metallic tang, rushed into their nostrils.
Bell opened his eyes.
The sky was a vast expanse of black velvet, studded with brilliant stars.
Two purple moons, one large and one small, hung high above, casting a soft glow.
They were standing in the central plaza of a city.
Beneath their feet were black obsidian tiles as smooth as mirrors, reflecting the twin moons above.
All around, gothic spires towered into the clouds, with menacing gargoyles perched on the eaves, looking down at the bustling streets below.
This was not a dead city.
Quite the opposite.
It was startlingly prosperous.
Vampire nobles in ornate formal wear moved elegantly through the crowds.
Burly werewolves with bulging muscles, clad in standard-issue armor and holding halberds, served as the city's guards.
Slender, dark-skinned dark elves sold exquisite magical ornaments in the shops along the street.
There were even some short goblins pushing creaking carts, hawking strange, steaming food.
Various races coexisted here in harmony.
Forming a bizarre yet orderly and peculiar ecosystem.
"Lord Bell! Look! That's the banshee's ice cream shop! Their ice cream is made from resentment—if you eat it, you'll have nightmares!"
The now-normal Betty had turned back into a lively little guide, excitedly pointing at a shop nearby.
Bell looked in the direction she was pointing.
A translucent banshee was handing a scoop of black ice cream to a werewolf child.
Ed walked at the front, leading the way for Bell.
They proceeded along a wide avenue.
On both sides of the road, brilliant magical lamps lit the entire city as bright as day.
After walking for about ten minutes.
A massive palace, crafted entirely from black crystal, appeared at the end of the avenue.
Countless blood-red thorn vines wound around the palace walls and spires, their roses emitting an eerie red glow under the moonlight.
Ed stopped, stepped aside, and bowed slightly to Bell.
"Lord Bell."
"We have arrived at the Night Rose Palace."
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