Chapter 334: A Blackened Girl?

Vera spent a long time by Altina's side.

But Altina remained silent, just sitting before the campfire, not speaking a word the entire night.

Her emerald eyes reflected the dancing flames, but they were as hollow as a frozen winter lake, reflecting nothing within.

Vera really didn't know what to do, so she could only run back with a face full of worry.

“Brother... she hasn't said a word. It's like she's lost her soul. She won't do something rash, will she?”

Ansu looked over once again.

Altina pulled out that amulet she never parted with from her collar again, gently tracing its patterns, her head lowered as she stared blankly at it.

“What is she thinking about?” Vera muttered to herself.

“Who knows.” Celia stroked her chin, saying nonchalantly, “Personally, I don't think there's anything to worry about. Hasn't she lived for hundreds of years? She's experienced all kinds of cruel things; she won't break down so easily.”

“But... the god she believes in died, after all...” Vera remembered her brother telling her that the God of Nature had exploded into fragments, scattered everywhere...

This matter reminded her of Sister Freya from before.

She used to be so devout and so stubborn... If someone had told her “Your god is dead!” before she met her brother, her heart probably would have completely shattered...

Thinking of this, Vera's eyes slowly widened, and she blurted out in worry:

“Oh no! Altina... she won't go dark, will she?!”

“Definitely not,” Ansu shook his head with certainty.

Celia chuckled, her deep purple eyes blinking at Ansu.

“Even if she does go dark, so what? Don't you have your brother here? Your brother is a savior, after all, and he specializes in saving girls who have gone dark~”

Ansu looked at her helplessly, while Celia raised the corners of her mouth meaningfully.

“Ah? My brother specializes in saving...” Vera blinked in confusion. “...girls who have gone dark?”

Is that true?

Celia was a bad woman to begin with, so there was no going dark or not for her. So that meant...

Sister Freya had gone dark before too?

“Even though you no longer have your god, you still have me now~” Celia leaned close to Ansu's ear and teased softly, “Ansu, is that what you said to Freya back then?”

“Of course not...” Ansu's expression grew even more helpless.

He had indeed said similar things to Celia, only for her to use it to tease him now...

But speaking of which...

Ansu stared suspiciously at the Witch close at hand. Why did it feel like she was full of thorns lately? Like she was being overly sensitive...

What was wrong with her?

Vera watched the two whispering to each other, blinking even more confusedly.

...

The night grew deeper.

Under the cover of night, this crimson-soaked world presented another bizarre appearance.

The starlight filtered down through that layer of crimson, dyed a dark rust color. The moon, which should have been bright and clear, now looked like a bloodshot eye staring down at the earth.

The temperature was surprisingly cold. Though it was autumn, the night wind was as biting as midwinter.

Ansu and Celia did not sleep. The two walked side by side, their eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

What they were patrolling was not the monsters that might be lurking outside the camp, but their own team.

Along the way, because they carried a substantial amount of the 【inhibiting serum】, the cult had penetrated much deeper into the South than expected.

This 【inhibiting serum】, which used Radish's blood as its original source and was developed under Celia's leadership, had always had a stable effect. Without it, someone in the team would have broken down not long after they departed from Nitre Town.

The entire heart of the South had already fallen into a contaminated zone of the Crimson Plague. As long as one was within it, they would suffer from its negative effects.

The blood mist filling the air, the filthy mana seeping from the soil, and even the dark red moonlight pouring down from the canopy were silently eroding the minds of every living person.

Although the 'Crimson Plague' was similar to the mana plague of the elven homeland, it was even more bizarre. Elune's pollution was black, corrupt and heavy; whereas the South's was red, bloodthirsty and manic.

Even with ample precautions, the team was inevitably affected.

Ansu noticed that the atmosphere of the entire carriage train was much gloomier and more oppressive than before. Several of the executors who were usually active had become quiet lately, the conversations between the carriages had almost completely vanished, and even the horses were more restless than usual.

When they set up camp this afternoon, two executors had started arguing over a trivial matter and even came to blows.

If Elder Matthew hadn't arrived in time, pinning both of them to the ground with a low shout and a gravity spell, it probably wouldn't have been as simple as a mere argument.

The entire team was like a pressure cooker, with hostility accumulating unconsciously. If things continued like this, trouble would break out sooner or later.

“The effectiveness of the inhibiting serum is decaying,” Celia's eyes flickered with a trace of worry. “It seems our team should not go any deeper.”

Ansu nodded, glancing at the row of silent tents behind him. “If we want to continue deep into the heartland to find that Filthy Heart, we'll have to send out a more elite squad.”

He paused, his tone turning heavy. “Specifically—those with stronger mental power, firmer will, and more stable temperaments who can withstand a certain level of mental pollution. Only they can continue with us.”

As for the remaining cult members, they would have to retreat to the border of the contaminated zone and wait in place.

Celia looked up at the blood-red night sky, fell silent for a moment, and said softly, “Are we really going to keep going, Ansu... I truly have a bad feeling about this.”

“Me too,” Ansu didn't deny it. “But we have no other choice. We can only keep moving forward.”

He reached out and gently took her hand.

“Trust me.”

Under the current circumstances, he decided to start a long-term simulation to catch a glimpse of the information for the next week or so.

Unveiling the true face of this crimson mist shrouding the heart of the South.