As Helene enjoyed a thick-cut rare steak and creamy chicken and mushroom soup, the surging desire to devour flesh within her finally found a little satisfaction.
Without further hesitation, she removed the Rose Necklace with its enormous ruby from her neck and sealed it in the accompanying Jewelry Box using the method Miss Angelica had taught her. Only then did the incessant whispering in her ears disappear.
Looking at William and Tia, who were watching her anxiously from nearby, Helene smiled faintly and said:
"It's just this Sealed Artifact's negative effect. Eating has eased the corresponding desire, so don't worry about me crawling into your beds in the middle of the night and gnawing on your flesh."
As she spoke, her gaze lingered on the plain Jewelry Box, decorated only with brass edging, and she mentally went over the information Miss Angelica had just given her about the item:
The Rose Necklace was formed by fusing the Shepherd and Black Knight characteristics of the Secrets Suppliant Pathway. It possesses the powerful ability Spirit Flesh Blade, which can damage both the physical body and the Spirit Body, as well as the ability to rapidly heal its wearer's physical injuries. Finally, and most importantly, it can graze a total of six souls from different Pathways, allowing the wearer to use their abilities. A Saint's soul occupies two slots.
These slots are currently full. It is grazing a Sequence 4 Imperative Mage, along with a Sequence 5 Scarlet Scholar, Ocean Songster, Mentor of Disorder, and Desire Apostle. Each soul possesses three to four abilities it mastered in life, which can be switched between at any time and used proficiently.
*While wearing the necklace, the user experiences a progressively increasing need for flesh. This begins as a craving to eat meat, then develops into