Chapter 1229: Chapter 1229: Side Effects
Miss Vanessa Benanis looked quite confident, so Shard had no choice but to uncork the bottle, wipe the mouth of it, and hand it to Miss Benanis:
"I’ll repeat once more, its side effects are really strong."
The Witch nodded noncommittally, took it and flared her nostrils to sniff lightly. Although her face turned slightly red, she didn’t seem to feel there was much of a problem. The essence of [Desire] is not an ordinary lust-inducing potion; it only brings out genuine inner thoughts, which is a very natural and elegant process:
"How much can one drink in a go?"
"Two or three small sips will do, please be sure to drink slowly, not too fast, the side effects of this relic are still too strong."
This was Shard’s response based on his own experience.
He wanted to advise once more, but Miss Benanis didn’t have much to say, she raised her hand and took a small sip, savoring it for a moment without feeling much of a problem, and so drank two more small sips.
When she raised her hand, due to the angle, it covered her face; when the Witch lowered her arm, Shard immediately noticed the blush on her face and the strange expression in her eyes:
"The taste is really quite nice."
The bottle was put back into Shard’s hand, and the Witch herself didn’t even notice her own voice trembling. Shard watched as the flush on her face rapidly spread over her body, not the reddish spots from an allergic reaction, but an enticing blush on naturally fair skin:
"I tasted green apple, rain-soaked earth, cumin roasted lamb leg, and clam chowder flavor."
She squinted her eyes, covering her forehead:
"This sensation, it’s like drinking spirits."
As Shard put the bottle back into his pocket, with a clatter~ the longsword fell to the ground, and she collapsed into Shard’s arms.
"Hmm..."
Shard found it hard to describe his feelings at this moment; all he felt was the warmth of the woman in his arms. Even though he guessed that the side effects of the essence would be obvious, the Witch’s reaction was still unexpected. He was very thankful that he had always been very cautious, avoiding letting others try these essences.
Witches are generally very tall, and Miss Benanis was only slightly shorter than Shard. At this moment, she wrapped her arms around Shard, buried her face in his chest, and let out a moan that Shard didn’t quite want to describe.
She seemed like she wanted to nuzzle her head into Shard’s chest.
Shard couldn’t break free even if he wanted to, especially since he was still maintaining the [Power of the Earth: Healing Aura] spellcasting. He tried to push her away but found that he couldn’t, so he gently placed his left hand on the back of the Witch’s head, the serene silver moonlight representing a miracle that heals the spirit.
Although every time he drank the essence he acted as if nothing happened, that was because he had been exposed to [Desire] several times, even having personally witnessed its nature deep beneath Aphrola Manor when they first met. It even enlightened him on what he truly wanted. Even so, he dared not drink more than a small sip at a time.
The Witch’s body temperature continued to rise. She felt the gentle power on the back of her head, her nose twitching as if sniffing at Shard’s scent. The scene looked strange, especially with the Holy Grail of spiritual energy floating before them, and the eerie coffin trembling not far away.
[If you expected this to happen, you should have stopped her then.]
"She was right, she does need to recover the spirit. And I wanted to see just how strong others’ reactions could be... I’ve learned my lesson this time."
The Witch lost her reason and control over her body, which lasted for about three minutes. When she barely regained her senses, she found herself tightly embracing Shard, her mouth biting on Shard’s neck.
It was indeed a bite, and as she slightly raised her head, she clearly saw the red mark and wet traces on Shard’s neck.
Shard raised his left hand to allow Miss Benanis to lift her head, and then placed his hand directly on her forehead. The serene moonlight before her calmed the Witch’s agitated spirit more quickly, although the sourceless heat in her body had not dissipated and her body instinctively resisted letting go of Shard.
Vanessa Benanis felt that her wet skin and clothes sticking to her were so uncomfortable, while the scent on Shard was so... pleasant.
In reality, Shard didn’t carry much of a scent; the Outlander was more hygienic than most people of this era.
She looked up at Shard, under the glow of Silvermoon, the one she embraced was clearly that indescribable, serene, mysterious, ancient, and elegant Moon. He seemed... to hold special significance for this world.
"Hmm..."
A gentle hum came from her dainty nose, as the unnatural warmth dissipated from her body, the heat inside her rekindled. She was very sure that the thoughts she had now were indeed her real thoughts, and she thought she had an idea of how Shard Hamilton managed to attract Galina.
After another half minute, she finally loosened her embrace of Shard; Shard also removed his hand from her forehead. Vanessa Benanis didn’t exhibit any shame in avoiding eye contact with Shard; instead, she met his gaze for a few seconds:
"When you drink it, is this the effect you feel too?"
"Yes, but I’m already used to it, and I drink less."
The blush on the Blonde Witch’s face had not yet faded; on the contrary, words like "radiant" could not describe her appearance at this moment. She gathered her thoughts, and only then did a shy expression emerge. She feigned composure, but the inner stir just a moment ago was utterly uncontainable.
Biting her lip to suppress the restlessness with a slight pain:
"This matter... don’t tell anyone else, especially Galina."
"Alright."
"..."
She nodded slightly with her lips pressed together, but her heart was still pounding. The Grand Witch tried hard to adjust her mood and expression. Only when the heat of her body gradually receded did she feel a chilly sensation from being drenched. But at least the spirit truly recovered, though the instant of nearly losing control and getting lost was truly terrifying.
The memorable moment hadn’t faded, and it probably wouldn’t fade anytime soon. Just like the rising tide that, even when it slowly retreats, still leaves marks on the beach.
"Everything you’re thinking about now could be caused by the side effects of the perfume. Miss Benanis, keeping the spirit focused is the first lesson of a Circle Sorcerer, please..."
He couldn’t think of the right words for a moment, and the Witch gently shook her head:
"Let’s go, quickly resolve the issue here, maybe we’ll be back in the city before dawn."
Instinctively pulling Shard’s hand as they headed towards the coffin, but realizing her action after two steps, she released Shard’s hand. She walked in the front, not wanting Shard to see her expression, but after picking up the "Night Watchman," Shard tugged at the Witch’s sleeve, signaling her to step back:
"Because of the Power of the Earth, the petrifying bodies and souls’ black mud are not lethal to me, please let me go ahead. Calm down, Miss Benanis."
The Witch instinctively "hmm’d," but her mind was no longer on tonight’s adventure.
Shard’s purification sorcery was effective, and the Witch’s all-out attack just now also had a significant effect. When the two came to the edge of the suspended coffin, the earthy yellow spiritual energy bubbling in the Holy Grail gradually dissolved the black mud scattered on the surrounding ground, leaving only the coffin as the remaining problem.
The coffin wasn’t particularly high, Shard and the Witch could see the overflowing black mud within it just by standing beside it.
The mud filled the entire coffin, bubbling on the surface as if it might overflow at any moment. It was Miss Benanis’ first time observing these semi-physical substances, rich in toxins, curses, plagues, and negative energy, so closely. The Witch quickly concluded:
"Being contaminated by this means that even a single drop, if not removed timely, would surely be fatal. The only method I can currently think of is using your Holy Grail to concoct the ’Universal Earth Elixir.’"
"Yes, after all, it’s the madness overflowed from the essence of the Earth."
Shard said softly, carefully releasing his grip on the Holy Grail in his hand. The cup, emitting an earthy yellow spiritual energy, slowly descended over the coffin, but upon contact with the mud, it floated above, as if the mud’s density was insufficient to allow it to "sink."
"Use your sword to press it down?"
Miss Benanis suggested cautiously, but Shard shook his head:
"Why make it so complicated?"
With that, he gripped the Soil Holy Grail with both hands and directly pressed it into the pitch-black mud. This meant that Shard’s hands also entered the dreadful black mud.
The Witch, in a moment of shock, wanted to grab Shard’s hand but was stopped by him:
"Don’t worry, I’m fine."
He could feel a force trying to push the Holy Grail out of the coffin, so he clenched his teeth and used the sorcery of "Power of the Red Dragon" to press it down. Entering the coffin’s interior, the Holy Grail continued to perform its function. As Shard’s spirit continued to consume, the black mud was gradually dissolved by the sorcery, while the opposing force against Shard was gradually reduced.
Purifying the entire coffin took a full twenty minutes, during which Shard’s hands remained inside the coffin. Miss Benanis even took out that small pink bottle she’d somewhat feared and gave Shard a dose of perfume.
It’s worth mentioning that when she took out the bottle, it was still full of liquid.
In any case, when the last trace of black mud was thoroughly dissipated, and the whole church seemed to be revived, Shard’s sorcery naturally ceased. He took a deep breath, collected the "Healing Holy Grail," then together with Miss Benanis, looked into the coffin.
There was no complete skeleton left inside; the remains stained by the black mud had long been absorbed into it over the millennia. However, three items still lay inside, their resistance to the black mud indicating their extraordinary nature.
"This is what I’m looking for."
Shard immediately spotted the silver flute, reaching out to retrieve it. It’s a pure silver metallic flute, adorned with carvings of fluttering butterflies. Because the carvings were inscribed in fine lines, one had to observe closely to see the intricate, dense patterns.