"Rumors say there’s a terrifying monster that devours human blood?"
"Hah? Where’d you hear that nonsense? Probably some rogue dark mage hiding in the shadows. Once the Knights catch him, he’s done for. If things get too messy, the Sage can erase him across dimensions."
Strange whispers had begun spreading through a remote corner of the Crystal Orchid Empire.
In this world, sudden disappearances were commonplace—adventurers lost to peril, rogue mages passing through, beast attacks, or Demonfolk schemes. Life stretched long, yet snapped short when danger struck.
Lilithia’s uncontrollable clone was stirring ripples across the empire.
Had she known, she might have been shocked. Perhaps even afraid.
The victims’ blood wasn’t drained directly. Instead, their own zombies—or others’—sucked the blood first. Then the clone consumed the zombies’ blood. This wasted energy but stayed hidden. Even if a bloodsucking zombie was caught, the empire would blame faulty magic or clumsy necromancy—not a shadowy puppet master.
The empire never deployed high-level resources for such cases. After basic checks confirmed a "rogue" zombie, they’d erase it and close the file.
The clone learned caution. It no longer fed in one place, exhausting itself to drift unpredictably between towns.
Its intelligence grew. Left unchecked, it would become a shadow swallowing the empire whole—while the empire remained blind.
—
Lilithia was swamped.
Before tackling anything else, the Tulip Empire had started pressing for her overdue orders. She hated being rushed, always preferring to finish tasks early.
But this delay was her chance.
She couldn’t drain too much blood yet. First, she needed to master abilities befitting an Advanced Mage. As a transmigrator, she knew unconventional paths held power—but she still had to outshine tradition.
She’d earn merits, secure a noble title—any title—to gain standing.
She recalled Lisanna’s smug face during their last meeting.
*Abolishing nobility? Spare me.* Blind revolution without matching productivity meant ruin. This world wasn’t ready. Staying in the shadows to grow stronger suited her darkness.
Time to launch her signature style!
As she’d always known:
*"Tank build? Thousands of HP?"*
*"Warriors truly sustain."*
The Blood Gear project was finally underway. She’d patent it. The pious Knights might scorn it—*the Church might brand me a heretic*—
But Fiore existed!
She felt shameless thinking it, but... *he did say he liked me, right?*
And the Tulip Queen surely wanted such gear. After all, Lilithia’s closeness to Fiore had likely drawn the Empress’s watchful eye since magic academy days. *Why hadn’t the Queen acted sooner?*
When she forged the blood-drinking magic sword, reality hit: unlike games, battlefield wounds didn’t heal just by sucking blood. Unsealed cuts bled out. Survival meant extending life, not true recovery.
So she crafted inner armor with "forced wound-sealing" magic.
As long as the armor held, wounds sealed. Then the sword drained blood to fuel strength and vitality. A true bloodsucker!
*After one battle, your entire bloodline would be replaced!*
She even wrote a thesis detailing the gear’s use, precautions, and introduced "blood-type compatibility."
Standard armor converted enemy blood at only 5% efficiency. But for specific wearers, her Blood Magic could rewrite the Magic Arrays after blood analysis—boosting efficiency to 10-20%.
She submitted it to the Tulip Empire.
Now, to wait for the Empress’s reply.
If rejected? She’d sell duplicates via black-market clones. A pity—no noble title then.
—
Lilithia’s thesis and prototype lay on the Empress’s desk.
"Fiore, your thoughts?"
Fiore studied the sword and armor long. "These were forged to my measurements. Then again... she’s only seen my build up close all these years."
The Empress: "?"
Fiore chuckled. "Don’t stare. Just a jest. This reeks of Lilithia’s handiwork."
"I didn’t take you for the joking type."
Fiore guarded the Empress, bound to the empire—but he wasn’t chained to palaces. He trained his swordsmanship or handled what Lilithia called "side quests."
"Lately, I’m trying a new way. My past life was... joyless."
He hadn’t been unhappy before. But now, freedom bloomed. He helped not from duty, but desire.
*Seeing their smiles—that’s why I act.*
Lilithia!
"So your verdict? Militarily, this gear is invaluable. Especially for our Knights—they hit hard enough to make it count."
Nations shaped their Knights. The Crystal Orchid Empire’s were elegant beauties who hosted dignitaries.
The Tulip Empire’s? Hulking muscle-monsters.
Their recruitment standard was pure brawn—*definitely the Empress’s personal taste*. Fiore, a finesse fighter, never quite fit in.
But these brutes were perfect for blood gear. As long as they stood, they’d fight on—a relentless war machine.
"I’ve wanted such weapons for years. The Tower of Sages banned them, calling them abominations. Fools. If we won’t wield them, the Demonfolk will. They thought they controlled the world’s order—until the Demon King stormed their tower. This one isn’t like past Demon Kings. He’ll crush the Tower first, then duel the Hero. We *must* arm ourselves."
Fiore thought of the Hero.
A likable fool. Too straightforward compared to Lilithia.
"Decree this," the Tulip Empress commanded, swift as thunder. "Grant Artificer Lilithia the title of Blood Viscount. Order her to equip the Knights with custom gear. Let her name her price."
"I’ll convey her gratitude."
"My empire rewards talent. You included. Loyalty to the Tulip Empire brings no regrets."
