Crimson

Blackstone Manor.

Aaron, who now held the title of Baron of Blackstone, had returned to his domain.

Well, after this martial tournament, Theodore had begun handing out noble titles left and right. Nearly all the knights from the Lower Green Forest had been promoted by one rank, and some had even become viscounts.

However, they were all empty titles. No one had gained so much as an inch of land.

In Aaron's eyes, at least the title of baron sounded better than knight...

Besides that, there was another curious matter: Colin's son Xia Ya had been knighted as an honorary lord, while Colin himself had received nothing at all... Aaron had originally thought he might snag an honorary title like Viscount of Sothos, but it seemed Theodore was expressing some displeasure toward Colin while showing great approval of the third-generation heir.

There seemed to be undercurrents at play, but Aaron paid them no mind.

In the bedroom.

Aaron opened his eyes, sensing the changes in his body.

It was his first time receiving a ritual and offerings in the dream world. The disappearance of the crimson essence at the very end had given him an indescribable feeling.

"The crimson essence used as an offering is actually the concentrated essence of the crimson's spirituality. In terms of quantity... it might be enough to awaken the spirituality of an ordinary person completely and set them on the extraordinary path."

"And when it disappeared from the ritual, my consciousness sensed that it might have come here... to my body in the real world?"

Aaron's eyes lit up slightly. If that was really the case, perhaps he had finally found a way to become extraordinary in the real world!

"My lord!"

He rang the bell and had Daili come in to help him dress, eager to feel the changes in his body.

Maybe it was just my imagination... but I feel especially energetic today.

Aaron looked at Daili in front of him. He couldn't deny that his body had reacted a little.

Daili seemed to notice something too. Blushing, she helped Aaron straighten his clothes.

This is a bit of a problem... I can feel my desires growing stronger... Is the crimson naturally connected to reproduction and vitality?

Aaron felt awkward. I'll have to be careful from now on. I can't just eat anything or accept offerings recklessly...

"What would you like for breakfast?"

Daili asked.

"Steak, well-done... No... medium-rare. And a glass of deer's blood!"

The words slipped out of Aaron's mouth.

Daili looked surprised, but quickly composed herself and left.

In the villa's dining room.

A nearly raw veal steak lay on a white porcelain plate, blood still seeping from it.

Aaron usually had a light breakfast of vegetable salad with bread and jam, which was why Daili had been surprised.

Now Daili stood to the side, watching Aaron pick up his knife and fork with graceful ease. The cold fork pressed lightly against the veal, and more blood welled up, as though the meat were struggling, crying out, resisting...

But it was useless. The knife came down without mercy, slicing through the flesh and sending blood spilling out with a predator's grace.

A pinch of coarse salt and a pinch of black pepper were sprinkled over the animal's carcass, like a funeral offering...

At last, the meat was brought to his lips, as though it were falling into an endless abyss...

"Hmm, it tastes surprisingly good?"

Aaron took another sip of deer's blood, mulling over the sensation. "So this is the pleasure of eating flesh and blood? The crimson really is inside me. It's influencing me!"

At least I can still keep my reason in check. Is that because the being on the Crimson Moon isn't in this world?

As for Lin, she was affected quite badly from the start. She's practically half a favored one of the Mother Tree of Flesh... Of course, it happened unconsciously. The Mother Tree probably doesn't even know she exists. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to save her...

The Black Sun Cult members were influenced gradually. They weren't as affected as Lin at first, but the influence would deepen over time and grow more terrifying...

And Daili... what's with that expression? Why is she looking at me with a mixture of fear and longing?

Has she been influenced by me?

Aaron put down his knife and fork. "Clear the table!"

"Oh, yes!"

Daili startled, as if she had finally come to her senses. She stepped forward to clear the table, her breathing unconsciously growing heavier.

"I'm going out to train!"

Aaron felt his self-control slipping. He didn't dare stay any longer; one Daili might not be enough to satisfy him. He immediately went to the training ground outside the villa and began swinging the massive Cross Sword.

Normally, swinging a heavy sword through a few moves would quickly drain his strength.

But now, Aaron could feel the difference.

It wasn't that his physique or strength had improved. Rather, whenever he was about to reach his limit, a new surge of strength welled up from inside him.

It was as if he had gained a new source of power within his body!

"So this is the extraordinary power of the crimson!"

Aaron's eyes shone. "Although... I don't really like this path... I can't deny that all things extraordinary are so dazzling and alluring..."

After exercising for several hours, he was drenched in sweat. He grabbed a towel and wiped himself off, then suddenly picked up a dagger and made a small cut on his arm.

Blood flowed freely at first, but as he watched closely, the bleeding soon stopped on its own. A tingling sensation followed.

"Vitality that promotes wound healing?"

"But it seems to come at a cost..."

Aaron frowned. Lin had offered up the condensed essence of a great deal of crimson spirituality, enough to let someone open the door to the extraordinary.

But in his case, only a little seemed to remain.

"Is this... the loss from crossing between two worlds? Still, it doesn't matter. If I have Lin make offerings a few more times, I'll have enough to open the door to the extraordinary. But... I don't like the crimson path..."

"Hmm, next time I'll have Lin offer up something with a different kind of spirituality... But she only knows how to gather crimson essence. To each their own, I suppose. It seems like a good idea to have her establish a cult with multiple paths after all."

A moment later, Aaron stood up and shook his arm. The wound had already vanished, leaving only a faint white mark.

"Excellent!"

He glanced at the sky and realized he was a little hungry. "Time for lunch... Should I have another medium-rare steak? No... I want it medium."

Aaron felt the hunger and thirst inside him, and his expression gradually changed.

As it turned out, that wasn't the only change.

By evening, he was staring at a medium-rare steak and couldn't bring himself to take a bite. In the end, he had Daili take it back to the kitchen and cook it well-done.

"Damn..."

The rich, tender taste of the beef never reached his mouth. Aaron sighed inwardly. "My spirituality is fading... So its influence on me is gradually weakening too..."

"I need to observe this."

The next day.

Aaron rang the bell and had Daili come in.

As he watched the maid go about her tasks, his heart remained calm, filled only with endless regret. "So this really is a world without magic... Even the spirituality I struggled so hard to gain is steadily fading with time..."