Monster Girl Development Master

Page 35

Nott was stunned into silence, realizing from Ange's annoyed table-flipping words why it was him who had come, and not Nils. But at this moment, it was his turn to speak. Ange and the group of Leons looked at him coldly as he spoke: "I request that you, my lords, personally go and gather manpower and troops around Radiant Manor to block the caravan's movement, attract the attention and manpower of the Falao Merchant Guild and the Church of Vengeance, and, if necessary, prevent their retreat."

As Ange listened to Nott's tense and unwilling plan, a strange feeling crept into her heart. She felt that something was amiss, but she didn't show it. Instead, she immediately said, "Alright, everyone has heard Priest Nott's perfect plan. Does anyone have any objections?"

"No, okay, then let's do as Priest Nott orders. Hopefully he knows what he said." Ange stretched. "Let's disperse. By the way, don't notify the ones who didn't come, lest the news leak out."

As the crowd dispersed, Priest Nott slumped down in dejection.

……

Meanwhile, opposite the entrance to the Red Horse Temple, Bishop Rosa sat on a bench, slowly sipping her black tea, and sighed contentedly like an old lady taking a stroll.

"Rosa, you really have it easy."

Bishop Charles walked out of the gate, exhausted and resigned, with Wall following behind him, both remaining vigilant.

Bishop Rosa put down her teacup and smiled kindly, saying, "Charles, Wall, you two actually came out on your own initiative. It seems you were covering for your little ones?"

Charles's heart skipped a beat, and he sneered, "Rosa, give up your probing. Do you really like Johnson that much? To go to such lengths?"

Bishop Rosa shook her head inwardly: If Zhuang Sen had brought you a level 5 bloodline user as well, you two might be living in Thorn Manor right now.

However, she certainly wouldn't say that on the surface. She just chuckled and said, "There's nothing I can do. My child just likes Zhuang Sen so much. I can't let her become a widow at such a young age... You two didn't come out just to talk to me about this, did you? At least bring some tea, right?"

Seeing Rosa's apparent intention to simply wait it out, Charles and Wall were increasingly speechless. They didn't want their plan to be seen through so easily, but Bishop Rosa was very likely to do just that. They had to find a way to distract her, and the best way was...

Charles lifted his robe and sat down next to Bishop Rosa: "Wall, go and get some tea and snacks."

Bishop Rosa picked up her teacup, blew on it, and chuckled, "How can we let High Priest Wol do such a thing? Please sit down as well."

Wall, who had just lifted his leg to leave, stopped and squinted along with Charles. But after a while, Wall sat down as well. It wasn't that they were afraid of Rosa; Rosa was only a level three bloodline user. How could they be afraid of two against one? At worst, one of them would be seriously injured and on the verge of death.

"It seems you do have a plan. Let me guess... an attack on Thorn Manor?" Bishop Rosa picked up a cookie and popped it into her mouth. "Who are you planning to send?"

Charles stared at Bishop Rosa with a cold expression, as if he had been struck by a thorn. Bishop Rosa nodded slightly and called out, "Loris, go."

Loris, who had been standing quietly, nodded and turned to walk towards the horse tethered to the roadside. Charles and Wall followed her gaze, as if worried that this excellent bloodthirsty bee, Loris, might ruin their plans. Wall even "couldn't help" speak up: "Loris is excellent, but she has only just awakened for the second time."

"Shall we make a bet?" Bishop Rosa squinted, seemingly casually scrutinizing the expressions of her two old enemies, trying to fathom their plans. No matter how she looked at it, they now only had one path: to target Thorn Manor and those blacksmiths.

“To bet with someone like you who never keeps his bets? Forget it.” Bishop Charles retorted coldly, trying to distract Bishop Rosa. “Besides…”

Bishop Charles's words were interrupted by a raven that landed on his shoulder. He took the note from the raven's leg, opened it, and glanced at it. His cold face was replaced by a smile: "Rosa, it seems that Priestess Loris won't have time to go to Thorn Manor."

Bishop Rosa frowned, about to speak, when another raven swooped down and landed in front of her, its foot outstretched. She reached out, untied the note, and unfolded it to reveal sharply written characters:

Bishop Rosa:

Stop interfering excessively with the heirs of the Leon family!

Yelena.

The bright red patriarchal seal of the Church of Vengeance indicated the origin of the note. Bishop Rosa's amiable smile vanished, replaced by a cold, hard expression. Bishop Charles, however, was no longer afraid. He smiled and spread his hands: "It seems I don't need to say anything more, Bishop Rosa. You must obey the Patriarch's orders."

"You bitch!" Bishop Rosa cursed, tearing the note into tiny pieces that scattered on the ground.

Charles was not surprised. He hadn't expected to completely control Bishop Rosa by tattling; it was merely a prelude to further actions and a way to divert Bishop Rosa's attention.

However, this did not stop him from continuing his taunts: "Bishop Rosa, do you intend to disobey the Patriarch's orders? No way! That's a treasonous act. Be careful, or the Patriarch might excommunicate you."

"Let her come here and expel her if she dares! She'd rather leave the capital than risk being expelled! That wretched woman from Vania!" Bishop Rosa was genuinely furious. Although she knew the current patriarch was an excessively jealous and power-hungry fool, she never imagined she would do something so stupid as to heed her nemesis's advice and hinder her own family's progress!

Charles and Wall exchanged a knowing glance, both pleased with themselves.

Go ahead, everyone go to Thorn Manor, and then have a big battle. That way, nobody will care about the "safe" Glorious Manor.

The author says:

Author's note: The battle begins tomorrow.

Chapter 82: Preparation

The next day, Zhuang Sen was awakened by knocking on the door.

He sleepily pulled his arm out of Dantalian's broad chest and pulled the blanket up: "Who is it? What do you want?"

"It's me, Mira." Mira's voice came from outside the door, already calm. "There's also a letter from Starry Night City."

"Ah, just a moment."

Zhuang Sen sat up with a yawn, and Dantalian and Nia also opened their eyes and began to get dressed.

A moment later, Zhuang Sen, dressed neatly, opened the door: "Good morning, Mira, why are you here to deliver the letter?"

“I brought it along since I was on the way.” Mira sniffed, but didn’t smell anything strange, which made her feel very strange.

Zhuang Sen shook his head: "Too much blood was drawn last night, so we didn't do it—tsk, it seems we're about to make a move."

The letter was sent by Bishop Rosa. It contained a concise account of her confrontation with Bishop Charles and Wall the previous night, as well as her speculations. It also mentioned sending Loris to provide support, but made no mention of the Patriarch's questioning.

After reading the letter, Zhuang Sen handed it to Dantalian and looked at Mira: "How does it feel? You should have grasped it by now, right?"

Mira blushed at Zhuang Sen's blunt words and kept her head down until Zhuang Sen asked her a question, at which point she raised her head again: "Of course, bloodline abilities are instinctive, just like breathing and walking. Although it's a bit much at once... Speaking of which, I tried it out. In human form, as long as the skin isn't exposed to direct sunlight, I can maintain my mobility. But in vampire form, it's different. Even when I'm wearing clothes, it feels like I'm being burned by flames, and if it goes on for a while, it could be life-threatening."

After listening attentively, Zhuang Sen suddenly asked, "You want it again?"

Mira pursed her lips, not surprised that Zhuang Sen saw through her. She had been starving all night, and now her eyes lit up when she saw Zhuang Sen. She couldn't wait to pounce on him and start drinking.

“I can’t give you too much today, there might be a battle tonight.” Zhuang Sen gestured for Dantalian to bring over a cup. “Speaking of which, can’t you drink other blood? Like cow’s or sheep’s blood?”

Mira stared at Zhuang Sen's hand and replied, "It's possible, but that would only slightly alleviate my hunger. It wouldn't get me into an excited state like your blood does, and it wouldn't taste good either; it's awful."

Zhuang Sen cut open his palm: "What about the others? Or rather, those with the bloodline?"

Mira unconsciously licked her lips and shook her head, saying, "No, it doesn't smell as good as yours, Zhuang Sen. How should I put it? If your blood is a delicious potion, not only tasty but also with special effects, then ordinary people are like black bread mixed with sawdust, and those with bloodlines are just white bread. It's not that we can't compromise, but the difference is too great—by the way, virgins taste much better. Miss Hana's taste is second only to yours, Zhuang Sen, but it's still only at the level of cream and honey bread, not on the same level as a potion..."

Miss Mira resisted the urge to pounce on Zhuang Sen with a long and detailed explanation until Zhuang Sen healed the wound on his palm and handed her the wooden cup that was only slightly filled with water. She then stopped and quickly drank it all in one gulp.

"Hmm~"

The delicious taste made the thirsty Mira let out a satisfied moan. Her delicate face, which had gradually calmed down, was flushed again, her bright eyes misted over, and her small nostrils flared, giving her an amorous look that Zhuang Sen found somewhat strange. As for Mira herself, she realized something was wrong the moment Zhuang Sen's blood entered her mouth.

So full! So excited!

If drinking Zhuang Sen's blood before was like a sudden downpour on parched land, mainly activating her physiological thirst and the pursuit of food to sustain life, then now, with this mouthful of fresh blood entering her mouth, her hunger was quickly satisfied, her body, which had been somewhat weak since last night, rapidly recovered, and strength surged forth.

The problem is that it's not just power that's emerging.

Her hunger was satisfied, but her thirst erupted. Things the girl had never imagined suddenly burst forth from her body and from the depths of her heart, making her want to pin Zhuang Sen down and suck his blood, to carve her bite marks on every inch of his skin, to—

Mira raised her head, her face flushed, her crimson pupils glowing red as she stared intently at Zhuang Sen like a predator, her feet taking a step forward against her will. But that was all she took, because the blood in the wooden cup was finished, and because Dantalian squinted at her. The vampire and Lamia, two equally powerful demon girl races, faced off in silence, until finally the vampire took a step back.

Mira tried to ease the tension, opening her mouth to say, "Hiccup~"

The atmosphere has indeed changed.

Zhuang Sen chuckled and said, "It seems your appetite has decreased since you awakened, which is a good thing... Speaking of which, how long can you last after drinking one cup? You're not drinking three meals a day, are you?"

Mira didn't know what expression to make, so she could only pretend nothing had happened and calmly say, "I don't know, but we'll definitely make it through today."

"Well, then I need to trouble you with a task right away. The Church of War should be making its move in the next few days, and it will definitely be at night. I hope you can help keep watch around the area at night these next few days, and notify us if you find anything unusual."

With the ability to fly and possessing both darkvision and sonic detection, Mira is arguably the best scout for the night.

“No problem.” Mira readily agreed, but then added, “However, if the Church of War makes a move, we can’t stop them, can we? Even if the two third-stage awakeners don’t come, they still have two second-stage awakeners and three first-stage awakeners.”

Seeing Mira's serious expression, Zhuang Sen knew it wasn't appropriate, but he still laughed out loud: "Mira, Nia, Dantalian, and I have all completed our second awakening, and the Church of Vengeance has also sent Priestess Loris. In addition, with you and Hana, it's six against two."

“You’re undergoing a second awakening, but it’s completely undetectable… Well, looks like I’ll have to start a new school of thought.” Mira sighed, accepting reality, then became excited: “Does that mean we can win anytime?”

"A battle isn't about size; no one knows what might happen, so we need to be cautious." Zhuang Sen wasn't as optimistic as Mira. Although normally they would definitely win against this level of combat power, it didn't mean they could win without suffering any losses. And Zhuang Sen couldn't accept anything happening to any of the monster girls.

"In short, starting today, Nia and I will stay at the blacksmith shop. That should be their primary target. Dantalian, you will stay at the church to prevent them from taking advantage of the situation to attack the Church of Vengeance. Mira, you will be responsible for scouting the enemy's situation to prevent us from being ambushed. Once the fighting starts, you will choose when to strike. In short, try to avoid anyone getting surrounded and beaten up."

Everyone naturally nodded in agreement, with no objections.

Zhuang Sen then checked his bloodline development progress, which had reached 61%, and nodded. He wondered if Miss Mira would be able to perceive the effects of his bloodline if he didn't mention it.

Chapter 83: Night Raid

Three days later, late at night.

Nott, Nils, John, and Jack, the four priests of the Church of War, arrived at the designated location. They gazed at the Thorn Manor, now shrouded in darkness, but their expressions were devoid of smiles. After all, they now knew that Priestess Loris was in the manor, and none of them were confident they could defeat her in a one-on-one fight.

Fortunately, their mission this time was not the main objective, but rather a feint attack.

Nott pulled a bottle of potion from his pocket: "Prepare according to plan. Nils and I will go to the blacksmith's shop. Loris will definitely be there. Jack and John, you two go and burn down which church of the Church of Vengeance to attract the enemy, and then run away immediately."

No one objected, and they all drank the same potion in unison, instantly illuminating the previously dark environment in their eyes.

To ensure the success of the operation, each of the four of them brought three bottles of potions: the Night Vision Potion they were currently drinking, the Rejuvenation Potion for healing, and the Berserk Potion for burst damage. In total, they each carried 330 gold coins, enough to buy a set of plate armor and still have some left over.

And this is just the basic preparation.

Although it was a feint, it would be even better if we could actually destroy Zhuang Sen's blacksmith workshop.

As the potion took effect, the attackers began their operation.

In the center of Thorn Manor, Mira, hidden in the watchtower, slowly opened her eyes. Although the war priests were very careful, they still couldn't escape her, who was constantly maintaining [Sound Detection]. After confirming that there was a suspicious person, Mira spread her wings and soared into the night sky.

The church was closer, so Mira arrived first, saying, "Two people are coming this way," before flapping her wings and flying towards the blacksmith's shop.

"Thank you." Dantalian, who had been praying with her eyes closed, stood up. Her golden pupils lit up in the dark church as she looked precisely at Loris beside her. "Loris, two have arrived. Shall we have a contest to see who can take them down first?"

The Bloodthirsty Bee yawned: "What if they're all level one?"

"Then let's see who goes to support Zhuang Sen first."

Are you sure you want to race me?

"The Bloodthirsty Bee is only a third-level bloodline."

"Having a level four bloodline really makes you confident."

Just as Dantalian and Loris were bickering for the first time in a long time, waiting for the enemy, Mira suddenly returned, angrily saying, "Those bastards are burning down the villagers' houses, probably trying to lure the enemy in."

……

Inside the walls of Thorn Manor, Jack once again tossed out a handful of shimmering scales in the darkness. These beautiful-looking scales landed on the nearby cabin and instantly burst into flames, turning the cabin into a fireball.

Level 1 Bloodline Blazing Butterfly, Bloodline Ability: [Burning Scale Powder]

"How about that? I told you it worked well, didn't I?" Jack looked at the screams and turned to John, who looked somewhat reluctant. "Alright, stop making a fool of yourself. What's the difference between burning down a church and burning down these farmers' houses? They're both burning. If you really can't stand it, go to that church and see that so-called Level 4 bloodline user. Maybe you can even take the opportunity to kill her. After all, she's only awakened once."

John turned his head away from the flames and went into the darkness.

……

Upon hearing Mira's words, Dantalian and Loris immediately became serious and went straight out of the church. Sure enough, they saw the firelight not far away and the gradually rising noise of people.

"What are they thinking? Do they really think nobody knows this attack was carried out by their war church? How could they do something like this!"

Loris was furious. She bowed slightly, and illusory bee wings materialized behind her: "I'll go and kill those bastards first. Dantalian, be careful not to get ambushed."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Bloodthirsty Bee's signature ability, [Bee Speed], was activated. Loris swept across the ground in an almost flying manner, heading straight for the place where the fire was burning.

Dantalian lowered her raised hand and shook her head: "Miss Mira, you don't need to worry about this. Go and inform Lord Zhuang Sen."

Mira gritted her teeth, spread her wings, and flew back to the blacksmith's shop.

……

At the blacksmith's shop, Zhuang Sen had already seen the flames and naturally guessed what had happened. To be honest, he was somewhat surprised, but not particularly surprised. He wasn't surprised because burning villages was all too common in the Middle Ages. What surprised him was that the Church of War, as an orthodox church, would burn a village. Surely they didn't think they could hide it? Who wouldn't know who attacked Thorn Manor? This was completely harmful and offered no benefit.

“Zhuang Sen…” Nia glanced at the firelight, then looked at Zhuang Sen with concern.

"Don't worry, I won't go. Dantalian and Loris will handle it." Zhuang Sen rubbed Nia's head and forced a reassuring smile, but it was so ugly that Nia only felt sorry for him.

"Lord Zhuang Sen, two people are coming. I recognize one of them; he's a level three bloodline user!"

Mira's voice came from the sky, and the nobles in the darkness looked somewhat nervous, "Priestess Loris has gone to deal with the arsonists, and Priestess Dantalian has stayed in the church."

“Thank you, Mira. Don’t join the battle yet. These are probably Second Awakeners. They probably think Loris is guarding here.” Johnson picked up his warhammer, and Nia picked up her custom-made battle axe. “I remember one is the Flame-Treading Horse from the War Church’s tradition, and the other is a Thunder Wolf?”

As soon as Zhuang Sen finished speaking, a thunderclap suddenly rang out, and the independent wall of Nia's Workshop broke through. Amidst the flying brick and stone debris, a humanoid flame suddenly shone brightly and rushed straight towards Zhuang Sen.

【Thunderous Explosion】

【Swift Strike】

Although Nils and Nott had a bad relationship, they cooperated very well in battle. Their two abilities were linked very cleverly. The thunder and broken walls attracted the enemy's attention, while the already extremely fast Flame Horse took the opportunity to attack the enemy at full speed. With this move, the two of them had taken down many enemies.

It could be said that they dared to come even though they knew Loris might be here, because they believed in their combined strength—no matter how strong Loris was, she couldn't possibly be stronger than the two of them combined, right?

After breaking through the wall, seeing only Johnson and Nia, Niels and Nott were overjoyed: "That woman Loris has gone to save those lowly farmers again! Thank God!"