Super Righteous Player
Chapter 298 - 296 Don’t eat candy from strangers_1

Chapter 298: Chapter 296 Don’t eat candy from strangers_1

Philip, who was always eating sweets...

Annan was deeply impressed by this image.

A few words spoken, and he would chew a handful of candy.

He unwrapped sweets faster than cracking sunflower seeds...

Even now, when Annan closed his eyes, he could still recall the taste.

Should I say... it was good that I didn’t eat any back then?

However, Annan had checked at the time, and the candy was not cursed.

"I remember,"

Annan nodded and asked further, "What exactly was that candy?"

"It was one of Prince Philip’s ritual materials."

Even though Kafney knew that Philip was planning to harm her, she still referred to him as "His Highness" with great politeness.

Kafney was polite to everyone.

In a gentle voice, she explained, "He is different from us... He does not worship the Silver Baron but is a devout follower of the Goddess of Cup.

"As for Saul... I think he only wanted to use Him."

To use a deity...

No, indeed, there was that possibility.

Annan narrowed his eyes slightly, lost in thought.

He had only met Philip once.

But at that time, Philip did not seem like a fool.

His words were clear, his plans solid, he was proactive, courageous, looked young, could make a good impression on first meeting, and had his own loyalists.

A person like that clearly had his own thoughts.

He was not easily deceived by others.

Rather than saying he was a "follower of Saul" or that he "used Saul," Annan was more inclined to believe they were working together.

"Have you ever felt... that Prince Philip looks much younger than he appears?"

Before Annan could continue, Kafney spoke softly, "This is a ritual of the Goddess of Cup, called the ’Blood-eating Holy Rite.’ It’s a ritual that all followers of the Goddess of Cup carry out over a long period... Taking refined food containing the blood of any living creature daily to enrich their own blood.

"If special blood is used in the ritual, there will be some special effects. Such as... rejuvenation."

Kafney spoke earnestly, "He used honeyed wine mixed with demon blood to make milk candies for performing his ritual. As long as he continued to take it, he would maintain his youthful state... but once he stopped, he would age rapidly.

"And this milk candy was also Prince Philip’s antidote to alleviate his Curse Binding."

"...Curse Binding?"

Annan heard a familiar term, "Is he a Transcendent?"

"No, he is not a Transcendent, and he dislikes Transcendents. He’s just an ordinary person who once fell into a nightmare and received a Curse Binding—since then, he no longer needs sleep and can always stay energetic, but his lifespan is passing at double the speed."

Kafney denied, "Prince Philip is not a Transcendent, nor is he a Ritualist or a Priest. But though just an ordinary person, he is very adept at using rituals to achieve his goals. Whether it is to return to his youth or to curse someone..."

"...You said, ’return to his youth’?"

"Yes."

Kafney nodded earnestly, "Prince Philip once made a covenant with a deity. He sold half of his lifespan in exchange for a certain ability. But which deity it was or what ability... I do not know, he never told us.

"I was very young at the time and don’t remember clearly. But I remember Prince Philip became very old afterward, and every day he aged more than the day before... until at the end, he was almost about to die."

"—I do not want to grow old. It’s something that once experienced, you’ll never want to..."

Philip’s words from that time suddenly echoed in Annan’s heart.

...No wonder.

Annan realized.

No wonder Philip said something strange like "only once experienced."

Because he had indeed aged before.

Annan pressed on, "Did he tell you about making a pact with a deity?"

He was still skeptical.

Annan was filled with doubt about every word from a person like Philip, who was habituated to lies.

Kafney frowned slightly, trying hard to recall before uncertainly answering, "I don’t quite remember... I think he said it himself. It’s different in our place compared to yours... If someone is particularly attentive to another sibling, it would raise suspicion from everyone—and the King. His Majesty has always disliked his children forming cliques, so our family relations are quite distant, we seldom visit each other and don’t inquire too much into each other’s troubles if something happens. Because Prince Philip had to keep the ability he gained from that ritual a secret, we didn’t feel it appropriate to ask him.

"Less than a year after that, Prince Philip gradually grew younger again, and after that, nobody cared about it anymore."

So that’s what the environment of the Noah family is like...

"Is it fitting to say that this family deserves their lion emblem?"

...Still, I remain skeptical of that statement.

Annan nodded thoughtfully.

He gradually became clear on the attitude he should maintain towards Philip.

This guy... even if he really did perform the ritual, selling half of his lifespan for something, there’s no doubt that he’s a madman.

The "lifespan" in rituals always refers to the first half.

If it were an ordinary person deceived by a lack of knowledge, that would be one thing.

But Philip is a Prince; he couldn’t possibly lack such knowledge.

Moreover, he had directly offered Annan that strange candy.

...Wait, hold on?

Suddenly, Annan realized something.

He looked up and asked Kafney, "What happens if someone else eats his candy?"

"Nothing much, besides feeling happy and calm, since it’s made of blood and milk after all. But since it disgusts everyone, no one eats it."

"...Blood?"

Annan was stunned.

As a transfiguration of demonic blood... it should logically be some form of demonic essence, right?

He suddenly understood where the problem lay—

Annan himself learned the effects and origins of the demonic blood through the system panel’s verification.

And it seems that the Decree School’s spells also have a specialized type for verification...

—The problem lies here.

From Salvatore’s understanding of that hammer, this verification might not include functionality, or perhaps has something missing. But its name could still be verified.

Annan did not hesitate to press further, "Kafney, do you know what the function of the demonic blood is?"

"...Isn’t it to enhance the properties of the object itself?"

Frightened by Annan’s suddenly raised voice, Kafney stumbled over her words.

Just as I thought.

Annan was silent for a moment before asking, "Is that what he told you?

"Have you ever drunk his wine?"

"No, Your Highness. I have never drunk his wine nor eaten his candy," Kafney replied with a slight smile of self-satisfaction, "You can rest assured about this. As a child of the Noah family, we are subjected to kidnappings and assassination attempts before we even have memories. The earliest assassination I remember was when I was five years old. There were poisons placed in my snacks and tea... I do have experience in identifying poisons."

"No, what I mean is."

Annan spoke slowly: "The blood of demons is not the fresh blood of a demon... but rather a transmutation called ’demonic blood,’ whose main component is the demon’s soul. Those who consume demonic blood will have their corrosion level maximized, and even ordinary people will become peak bronze-ranked Transcendents right away, but they will soon lose control and become demonized due to the Curse Binding. Are you aware of this?

"Even if that candy was extremely diluted... if consumed in large quantities, it could likely increase corrosion levels.

"Considering your high level of corrosion... could it be possible that you unwittingly drank poisoned wine?"

"..."

Hearing Annan’s words, Kafney suddenly fell silent.

She slowly shook her head.

Her tone gradually became solemn and serious; she reached out and grabbed Annan’s hand.

She rarely addressed Annan by his name, whispering urgently, "Annan... could you, please, not go to the Royal Capital?"

"...What’s the matter?"

"It’s true, I haven’t consumed anything from Prince Philip, but I did receive some liqueur-filled chocolates gifted by the King," Kafney said word by word. "At that time, I had already become a Transcendent. Not long after that, I almost lost control due to high corrosion levels and eventually embarked on the path of degeneracy following guidance in my teacher’s dreams.

"Later, my teacher would secretly take me to hunt illegal Transcendents. It wasn’t until he asked me to hunt a Wizard from the Black Tower that I refused to follow his orders. By that time, I could resist that person’s mental control without my teacher’s help. But my father’s mind was still controlled; he knew nothing and just lived in a daze... I wouldn’t let him know too much because whatever he knew, that person would know too.

"So he doesn’t know I’m a degen, that I’ve killed people, or that I have a terrifying alias like ’Shadow Fiend.’

"The effects of demonic blood aren’t just as Philip described; involving food and cursed materials, I wouldn’t believe what he says. I specifically asked my teacher for an explanation, but the answer he gave me was the same as what Prince Philip said."

With that, Kafney took a deep breath.

She calmed her emotions before slowly continuing:

"—And as I told you before, the teacher who led me down the path of degeneracy is the very Nicolas Flamel you were previously searching for.

"The ’Sage’ from the Hermes School."

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