"Phield, these past few days Iâve been constantly using the power of Holy Light. I can feel the next outbreak of the curse drawing closer. My body and mind are growing heavier and heavier."
After Charlotte left with the crystal sphere to study methods of cultivating magical plants, Tisiana finally changed into casual clothes and appeared before Phield with a trace of hesitation and shyness.
Her silky long hair draped over her shoulders, while her deep cleavage stirred an irresistible urge to explore. The lace garter around her thigh added several layers of charm and feminine allure to her pale and delicate outfit.
This woman was getting bolder and bolder.
"Youâve really worked hard these past few days."
Phield thanked her sincerely.
"If it werenât for you, I wouldnât have been able to handle everything."
Although his number of Divine Chosen far surpassed other barons, only three of them could truly beæć „ into battle. Next, he needed to help Rosalia advance to the third rank as quickly as possible while also nurturing Tisiana.
The combat strength of a first-rank Divine Chosen was ultimately too limited.
Still, advancing as a Divine Chosen had always been extremely difficult.
Facing Phieldâs heated and slightly invasive gaze head-on, Tisiana still felt some lingering guilt in her heart, but what filled her more was the pride brought by a sense of conquest.
"Why say things like that? Youâre not allowed to mention this to your big sister again." A faint smile curled across Tisianaâs lips. "There are so many things in the territory I canât help with. If I canât even do well in battle, then I really ought to repent."
Although Tisiana and Ophelia were both mature beauties, their personalities were completely different. Tisiana had the temperament of a gentle and caring wife, while Ophelia gave off the feeling of a powerful career woman.
No wonder the two of them couldnât stand each other.
She walked gracefully to the door, locked it, then still didnât feel reassured and pushed a chair against it.
"Um... help me suppress the curse again."
Tisiana bit down hard on her lip as though she had made up some kind of resolve. Strangely enough, after making up her mind, she instead became calm andćŠç¶.
Sure enough, once there was a first time, there would be a second. Phield still remembered the very first time he helped her deal with the curse. It had felt like a spy thriller, with both sides constantly trying to guess each otherâs thoughts.
"Leave it to me."
Phield accepted the troublesome and difficult mission without hesitation.
"As the lord, ensuring the physical and mental well-being of the Divine Chosen is already part of my duty."
"Mhm, whatever Lord Phield says, big sister will listen."
The already-indulgent Tisiana no longer cared about anything else. Her whole body felt light and floaty. Even if Phield ordered her to kneel down and do something right now, she would probably agree.
The two of them talked from spiritual communication all the way to the meaning of "the wave motion of the universe."
In the end, Tisiana benefited greatly from being exposed to modern knowledge and felt several kilograms lighter overall.
Phield also benefited greatly and felt several kilograms heavier.
Knowledge was just that charming.
After resolving the curse, the obedient and meek Tisiana hummed a little tune as she fetched water. Following her memory of how maids behaved, she clumsily began cleaning the study.
"Burp~"
Phield let out a satisfied burp and thought to himself: Normally, lords treat their Divine Chosen like gods to be worshipped. I thought Divine Chosen were supposed to be terrifying. Turns out theyâre actually pretty easy to get along with, burp~
"Forget it, too lazy to think about it. She doesnât seem to mind anyway."
At most, he would help relieve her curse more often in the future as repayment.
He casually opened a knight novel and began reading, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.
Opening the gauze window woven from straw stalks, Tisiana leaned out to look at the sky and murmured, "My lord, itâs going to rain soon. And itâs going to be a massive storm."
"You can tell that too?"
Phield set down his book and also looked outside, but he couldnât tell anything at all.
Nightfall Domain was always gloomy, even in the fogless region around the Grand Manor.
The entire world was filled with unknowns from every direction.
"Yes. Since I fly in the sky so often, Iâm very sensitive to the climate. So, are you willing to trust big sister this time too?"
The usefulness of Divine Chosen was not limited to skills and divine artifacts. They always possessed strange little abilities, sometimes abilities even they themselves didnât fully understand.
"Of course. Iâve always trusted you, and so does everyone else."
Phield affectionately pinched Tisianaâs cheek.
"Notify the people to stop working. Have the army halt training and come back to shelter from the rain."
He barely had any citizens to begin with. If two of them got sick and died from the rain, it would be a huge loss for him.
"Mhm, my lord is truly kind."
The corners of Tisianaâs lips rose upward. Being trusted by others always felt wonderful. She immediately spread her wings and departed to notify everyone.
Meanwhile, Phield organized people to prepare more containers to collect rainwater. Clean water sources were extremely scarce, so they needed to store as much as possible.
Sure enough, only an hour after recalling the laborers, fierce winds suddenly erupted.
The animals in the Grand Manor ranch curled together in fear as they listened to the hurricane-like howling winds. The fruit saplings newly planted in the orchard swayed violently in the storm.
A raindrop the size of a soybean fell.
Then, torrential rain poured down upon Nightfall Domain.
The entire manor seemed submerged beneath a curtain of rain.
The slaves gathered around bonfires, praying or giving thanks for the lordâs mercy. The citizens, finally enjoying some rare free time, mostly slept soundly or studied artificial humans.
"So boring, Miss Nina. Is there anything to do?"
The servants gathered together without even lighting a single oil lamp, casually chatting idly. In an age without electronic entertainment, time always passed painfully slowly.
"Have you heard about it? The strange legends of the Grand Manor."
Maid Nina suddenly revealed a mysterious smile.
"Not those disgusting corpses outside. I mean real strange legends."
"What legends?"
The surrounding young maids all looked toward Nina with curiosity. One maid huffed softly.
"With my lord around, there wouldnât be anything strange."
"Rumors of vampires, and rumors about moving armor inside the castle."
Nina narrowed her eyes and slowly swept her gaze across every maid present.
"Letâs start with the vampire rumors. Do you remember the people from Turnip Village?"
"I know them. The mushroom-growing people. The mushroom soup we usually drink comes from their cultivation."
"Thatâs right, them. They once said that while walking through the gray fog, they would always hear faint footsteps behind them. Whenever they stopped walking, the footsteps would stop too. At first it only happened within the fog, but later things became worse and worse. Eventually, this started happening even inside the territory itself."
"And one night, a camel horse traveling with them had all the blood drained from its body."
Ninaâs voice grew lower and lower.
"If someone pats your shoulder from behind while youâre walking through the territory, never turn around."
"W... why?"
The canine beastkin maid was so frightened that her tail tucked tightly between her legs. Combined with the raging storm outside, the atmosphere became unbearably oppressive.
"Because the vampire will bite straight into your most delicious neck!"
Nina suddenly lunged toward her.
"Ahhh!"
The surrounding young maids screamed and scattered in all directions.
"Hahaha, a bunch of cowards."