The mugwort tilted its head slightly.

She could clearly see that she had been stabbed through, but she felt nothing.

Ai Cao examined her wound more closely.

There was no blood at all, as if the wound didn't exist.

The system gasped.

Artemisia asked, "Have you turned on pain shielding?"

The system replied curtly, "No."

The man behind her let out a soft "Eh." His hand twirled inside the mugwort's chest, making a crisp sound.

...A crisp sound?

Ai Cao bowed her head. The pendant she used to wear, which she had almost forgotten, slipped out from her collar.

It shimmered slightly.

The mugwort reached out and grasped it.

The pendant transmitted a soft, warm touch to her hand. The star patterns scattered on one side shimmered with light and shadow, making Ai Cao a little dizzy. Ai Cao then turned it over, and the woman in the center of the sword-shaped decoration calmly looked at her. The woman on the pendant held the strip of cloth that had previously covered her eyes in one hand, and reached for a sharp sword at her side with the other.

The woman on the pendant gripped the sharp sword.

Almost simultaneously, the man behind Ai Cao cursed under his breath, severed his own arm with a flick of his cloak, leaving it embedded in Ai Cao's body. But Ai Cao had already turned and grabbed him swiftly.

Lillian gritted her teeth. She gently stroked her pendant, calling upon all the unknowable beings present to stop the man. Artemisia had already exchanged several blows with the man, successfully knocking out two of his fangs.

As the two fought in the air, all that remained for onlookers was their afterimages. Fortunately, there weren't many people nearby, so it didn't cause any disturbance.

The Pope glanced over from afar. Lillian's eyes narrowed, and she swiftly retrieved the souls into the pendant, watching as a pale golden, holy light enveloped the area. Artemisia's D-rank mental power couldn't perceive it, but she could sense her opponent's movements faltering. Her attacks grew increasingly fierce, her fingertips flashing with a silver light similar to the pendant.

She struck successfully, slamming the man to the ground. With his bones shattered, the man lay on the ground like a dehydrated fish, shuffling and inching his way away.

Ai Cao caught her breath. She felt as if she had returned to the days of fighting wild beasts, but now she was the winner. She took out her ever-present silver spear and aimed it at the man.

"Wait a minute," Helen said hurriedly as she climbed in through the window. Her red skirt was covered with grayish-white snow, but she didn't have time to straighten it before rushing to the man and pinching his chin to examine him closely.

Ai Cao sighed and lowered the gun. She tucked it back into her waistband and asked in a low voice, "Do you know him?"

Seeing that the situation was under control, Lillian lowered her hand from the pendant. She quickly went to Artemisia's side and checked her body—Artemisia's body was unharmed—there were some old wounds, but no new ones.

Lillian breathed a sigh of relief.

The man, whose chin Helen was gripping, barely opened one eye. His sclera was bloodshot, blending with his red pupil, making it almost impossible to discern his original color. He had deliberately protected his face during his fight with Ai Cao, but Ai Cao had still managed to punch him until he had several bruises.

The man met Helen's gaze. He shuddered in Helen's hand, momentarily forgetting to continue secretly repairing his injuries.

Helen said, "I know him." She smiled and met the man's gaze. "The little brat who used to follow me around has now become..." She searched her memory for the vampire hierarchy. "Viscount? He hasn't made any progress in hundreds of years."

Her fingers pressed against the man's jawbone. His jaw creaked, followed by a crisp sound, and then a small notch appeared beneath her fingers.

The man trembled as he murmured her name: "...Helen?"

Helen smiled.

She turned to Ai Cao and asked, "I'd like to borrow him for a bit, is that alright?" She casually dislocated the man's jaw.

Ai Cao shrugged. "Just let him become a corpse." She touched the spot where she had been stabbed earlier. Although it didn't hurt at all, she didn't want this person to get away so easily.

Helen laughed again: "You think I'd let him go?" She glanced at Ai Cao, grabbed the man by the head, and dragged him out of the window.

The Pope in the distance withdrew his gaze and gently curved the corners of his mouth into a smile.

The pale golden light surrounding this area faded, and the area returned to the realm of human perception.

Although she was unable to leave her post, she could still use her divine power to help her allies.

The Queen's coronation ceremony was over. Those on the fringes of the relationship had tactfully left, leaving the venue for the new ruler. The Queen and the Pope proceeded hand in hand to the next banquet—they had many human matters to attend to.

Artemisia and Lillian followed the crowd out of the palace.

The mugwort raised its head. The snow fell even heavier. The swirling snowflakes landed on her face and body, which she simply wiped away, leaving only white ash on her fingers.

Ai Cao asked, "This doesn't look like something a low-level vampire would die from."

Lillian nodded. She also stopped and looked up at the sky, which was covered in a layer of snowy gray.

“It’s possible that the vampire from earlier died,” Lillian said. “Helen is coming over.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Helen, clean and tidy, walked around the corner. Helen waved away the snow dust that drifted in front of her and said, "He is dead."

Ai Cao responded and asked, "What's his background?"

The system said quietly, "Male supporting character. Originally, he was supposed to imprison Lillian in his castle after she left the male lead... From a plot point of view, this would promote the relationship between the female lead and the male lead."

Ai Cao exclaimed, "Huh?" She hadn't expected that the man who had appeared for just two minutes was also a supporting male character, and felt a little embarrassed: "But he's dead now."

"Yes, he's dead," the system said quietly. "You've gained new fortune... that's how it should be. But this world is too terrible; the little fortune you've gained isn't enough to upgrade your skills."

Ai Cao asked, "Then where should I go to obtain new fortune?"

The system hesitated for a moment. In that short time, Helen had already walked up to the mugwort.

Helen said, "I really don't know how I ran into that guy right after we finished dealing with the castle issue..."

She frowned in annoyance. "We're in a bit of trouble. Some old vampires have noticed us." Seeing that Ai Cao looked confused, she continued, "He was sent to ruin the Queen's coronation. The original plan was to kill the Queen directly, but for some reason he was attracted by your blood."

Helen glanced at Artemisia and said, "Anyway, he's dead now, and more vampires will come after him."

Ai Cao stroked her chin and asked, "Then let's get ahead of them and take down their lair?"