Chapter Four: Test

Lifting the tent flap, a strong smell of blood rushed into Lilith's nostrils.

As she smelled the blood filling the air, Lilith didn't feel disgusted. On the contrary, she found it somewhat pleasant.

So, Lilith took another two deep breaths.

"..."

Wrong!

Lilith immediately realized. How could a normal person find the smell of blood pleasant?

Although she had known for a long time that this body of hers was unusual, she had never expected it to be so "abnormal."

Lilith let out a long sigh. Could I have turned into a vampire?

Lilith returned to the tent. She needed to find something and confirm certain matters.

Lilith scanned the entire tent but couldn't find a mirror. Just as Lilith was feeling disappointed, she saw a scimitar hanging on a pillar.

Calling it a pillar, it was actually a giant bone used to support the tent.

Lilith walked forward and took down the scimitar.

Drawing the blade from its sheath, a cold glint reflected onto Lilith's face, causing her eyes to narrow involuntarily.

The scimitar was very well-maintained, and Lilith felt fortunate.

Then, she saw her own reflection on the surface of the scimitar.

Having transmigrated to this point, she finally knew what she looked like.

"Hmm, as expected of me."

Lilith was stunned by her own breathtaking beauty. Then she noticed her pupils were blood-red.

"With this color, I can't deceive myself anymore."

Lilith stroked her smooth face, finding it hard to let go.

The possibility of her being a vampire was high.

But she seemed very different from the vampires of legend.

Firstly, she could survive in sunlight. Even though the temperature around her was very low, the blazing sun directly above was undeniably shining on her.

Moreover, when she went out of the tent earlier, she only found the smell of blood pleasant; she didn't have an extremely strong desire to drink blood.

Perhaps it's because I'm not hungry?

Speaking of pleasant smells, the scent of blood had already wafted in through the tent.

Lilith sheathed the scimitar and hung it back in its original place.

Then Lilith lifted the tent flap. She needed to do one final confirmation.

When she found Esdeath, she was skinning an unknown creature.

Seeing Esdeath's skilled movements, Lilith wondered how many creatures she had dismembered to gain such proficiency.

Seeing Lilith emerge, Esdeath touched her non-existent sweat on her forehead and asked, "Why did you come out? Is something wrong?"

Lilith's gaze fell upon the wooden basin beside Esdeath, which was used to hold beast blood.

Esdeath followed Lilith's line of sight, then raised an eyebrow and pushed the wooden basin towards Lilith.

"You want this?"

Esdeath's expression showed interest. It was known that besides certain tribes, very few people were interested in beast blood, even Esdeath herself. Of course, excluding those barbaric foreign tribes who ate raw meat and drank blood.

Lilith hesitated, nodded, and then shook her head.

This confused Esdeath. Do you want it or not?

Lilith crouched down, extended a finger, dipped it into the beast blood in the basin, then brought the fingertip with the small amount of beast blood to her lips, extending her delicate tongue to lick it.

As the blood entered her mouth, Lilith didn't feel anything special.

Unlike vampires, she didn't feel any stronger after consuming fresh blood. Of course, it was possible the amount was too small.

Other than that, as expected, she didn't feel disgusted by the blood entering her mouth. Although it was just a tiny bit, she was starting to like the taste.

What's the difference from a vampire then?

Lilith didn't confirm whether she would become stronger after consuming a large amount of blood.

This was because Esdeath was still there, and her gaze was fixed on her. Lilith didn't want to act too conspicuously.

What if her vampire nature was exposed? She couldn't be sure of Esdeath's reaction.

After all, no matter the world, vampires were synonymous with evil.

She hadn't forgotten that Esdeath was stronger than her. She didn't want to experience the feeling of being killed.

Thinking of this, Lilith remembered something else.

Weren't vampires supposed to be hard to kill?

Whether in novels or films, except for specific weapons like silver, ordinary weapons couldn't kill vampires. Furthermore, vampires' regenerative abilities were incredibly exaggerated, making them virtually immortal. And vampires had extremely long lifespans; she had never heard of a vampire dying of old age.

It's hard to verify lifespan, but self-healing is another matter.

There's a scimitar in the tent.

Lilith pondered whether to make a small cut on her fingertip to test it.

"How is it?"

"How is what?"

"The beast blood!"

Lilith looked at Esdeath and was silent for a moment. "...The taste is just so-so."

Then Lilith stood up and walked into the tent.

"Just so-so... huh?"

"Meaning, you don't dislike it."

Esdeath watched Lilith's retreating back, her curiosity about who Lilith really was growing.

First, she ruled out non-humans. Non-humans couldn't produce a lady like Lilith. But Lilith claimed she wasn't a noble lady, which was truly...

"...It just makes me more curious."

Esdeath only looked away after Lilith entered the tent, then continued processing the prey in front of her.

Esdeath's lips curved into a faint smile.

She hadn't been this happy in years, happier than hunting a powerful dangerous species.

After entering the tent, Lilith went straight to the scimitar, but hesitated when her hand touched it.

The reason was simple: she was afraid of pain.

In the past, when we were injured, it was mostly due to unavoidable circumstances. Making a cut on oneself, even a small one, required courage.

You have to understand, our subconscious rejects injury.

Even if a normal adult male could kill an adult wolf with his bare hands, due to this subconscious rejection, he would avoid trading blows.

This leads many to mistakenly believe he couldn't defeat a wolf.

And Lilith, at this moment, was purely afraid of pain. Besides, an injury inflicted by others and an injury inflicted by oneself are two different concepts.

Many people aren't harsh enough on themselves.

And what if? What if she judged incorrectly and wasn't a vampire? Wouldn't that make her cut pointless?

Then, Lilith looked at her slender, fair arm. If she were testing her self-healing ability, wouldn't a bruise be the same as a wound, even without a cut?

But when Lilith actually tried to pinch her arm, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

This time, it wasn't because of the pain, but because she couldn't bear to mar an "artwork."

That's right, could you bear to see a flaw appear on a exquisite piece of art?