Chapter 600: Memories of a Terrifying Stance

Mages, Druids, Vampires, Witches.

Liszt had encountered four types of special casters.

In Curtis Truth's posthumous notes, there was an illustration of Truth’s Eye, where the three corners of the triangle represented matter, magic power, and spirit, each corresponding to specific caster professions.

The matter branch included Alchemists, Vampires, and Necromancers.

The magic power branch included Mages and Druids.

The spirit branch included Witches, Sorcerers, Prophets, Succubi, and Shamans. Among them, archaic Witches often transformed themselves into Liches—meaning Curtis Truth and the Bovine Marquis Andy Sapphire belonged to the Witch category.

It was unclear whether all these casters truly existed.

But at the very least, it could be inferred that they had, to some extent, existed on this continent. The Sapphire Duchy was remote, with a founding history of only a little over 150 years, making it relatively "untouched." Even if these arcane practitioners existed, they were likely scattered across the various nations of the continent.

"Take this black cloak, red-lined from Tubote as a reward for swearing fealty to me. Wear it from now on. I’ll have Thomas arrange a cabin for you on the ship—you’ll live there and serve as my vampire servant from now on. If you prove your worth, I may consider returning your heart to you."

After talking in circles and failing to extract more information from Elizabeth, Liszt began assigning her a new identity:

"You are no longer a vampire of the Black Knight family. Go back to your birth name, Mary... Bloody Mary. It sounds good."

Bloody Mary was somewhat reluctant and tried to ingratiate herself:

"My lord, why not let me absorb Tubote’s heart? Once I advance to a Pureblood Vampire, I can serve you even better."

"When you’ve earned enough merit, everything is negotiable. Without merit, don’t ask for anything." Liszt stated calmly, "By my old standards, anyone who dared plot against me wouldn’t live to see another day. The fact that I’m sparing you now should make you counting your blessings."

This was a blatant lie.

Back when Parris had infiltrated the castle with ill intentions, he hadn’t killed her either—or perhaps his thoughts were deeply influenced by the Mist Missions. The force of fate represented by the mist might have already merged with his own mental power, making them indistinguishable.

Parris and Bloody Mary were both rewards from the Mist Missions, so he naturally couldn’t bring himself to kill them casually. Back then, Parris had her sister as a leash, and now Bloody Mary had her heart as a leash. With a leash in place, the goal was to milk every advantage and gain more benefits.

When Parris first arrived in Flower Town, Liszt had been weak and relied on playing the sympathy card.

Bloody Mary had missed her chance. By the time she arrived, Liszt was already a quasi-Dragon Knight and had no use for sentimental games. With her heart in his grasp, no matter how much Bloody Mary schemed, she couldn’t escape his control—keeping the heart in the gemstone space made it impossible to steal.

"I’m going to bathe now. The other four vampires might arrive soon—you’ll receive them and make sure they understand their current situation."

"Understood, my lord." Bloody Mary answered curtly with a stern expression.

She finally realized that this young Sky Knight was not some green boy easily swayed by beauty. Besides, she wasn’t particularly attractive—approaching forty, she had been turned into a vampire at seventeen and had existed as a vampire for two decades since then.

Though blood magic kept her from aging visibly, her body still retained its youthful vitality.

But she was no longer young.

And she clearly sensed Liszt’s enthusiasm waning the moment she mentioned her age. "Tch, typical men..."

*Knock knock knock.*

The sound of knocking snapped Bloody Mary back to reality. She responded in halting Serpent Tongue: "Come in."

The door opened, and a maid—already aware of Bloody Mary’s presence—entered with a glass of juice, placing it on the table.

"Here you go, miss."

"Thank you." Bloody Mary behaved amiably toward Liszt’s servants.

She was clever, knowing her looks wouldn’t cut it anymore. She had to rely on her true abilities to win Liszt's appreciation and rewards; only then could she get her heart back and be free again—or even take Tubote’s heart and level up to pure-blood.

So she couldn’t afford to piss off Liszt’s servants—a servant’s offhand remark could wreck her rep with Liszt.

The maid smiled back, but when she saw Scarlet Mary's red eyes and pale complexion, she couldn’t help gawking.

She quickly recovered: "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to."

"It’s alright. I’m not a Sapphire native, and my eyes are a bit different from yours."

"Ah, yes, madam, but your eyes are very beautiful."

"Thank you."

"If that’s all, I’ll head out."

"Please do."

After the maid left the room, Scarlet Mary suddenly called out to the window: "Peggy, hurry up and come in!"

Flap-flap.

A bat fluttered its wings and flew in, landing and quickly transforming into a human figure—a tall blonde with the same pale skin and crimson eyes. "Mary, Lord Tubote summoned me here. What's the matter? This place reeks—bad vibes for us."

"There is no Lord Tubote anymore. Now, your master is Viscount of Black Horse Island, Lord Liszt Tulip."

Scarlet Peggy, plain in appearance and with a sharper voice, exclaimed, "You kidding me?"

"I’m not joking. Lord Liszt dusted Tubote in a heartbeat, even crushed every one of his bat forms—he’s deader than dead. Now, our hearts are in Lord Liszt’s hands. He summoned you here, clearly intending to recruit you."

Scarlet Peggy still didn't believe it.

Mary picked up the cloak on the table: "See? Tubote’s cloak has already been awarded to me by Lord Liszt. So, Scarlet Peggy, accept your new identity and serve Lord Liszt loyally. If you perform well, freedom’s on the table."

Scarlet Peggy's eyes flickered. "Then, where is this Lord Liszt?"

"The boss is busy but will return shortly. I’m here waiting for you—and soon Hamil, Wimbledon, and Uso—to make you understand the truth: Tubote’s end was no joke."

"Mary, tell me more about Lord Liszt. That name rings a bell—the youngest sky knight in the Sapphire Duchy?"

"You heard right. But let me clarify one thing: Lord Liszt’s strength is terrifying, so much so that he could dust Tubote in a heartbeat. As for how terrifying he truly is, you’d have to witness him annihilate Tubote firsthand to truly grasp it—that sheer, unstoppable rage!"

Mary said slowly, recalling the earlier battle. She still felt the shock deep within—Liszt going up in flames and loosing three arrows was something she would never forget.