The Way to The Soul-Strengthening Realm (3)

A stunning silver-haired girl in a red and black dress walked gracefully through Eldoria's halls just as the class bell, signaling its end, rang. Heads turned instinctively, drawn to her presence and beauty.

"Isn't that Princess Seraphina?" whispered some in awe, while others murmured admiringly.

Normally, she would respond with a polite smile at the attention, but today her mind was filled with other thoughts. 

'That way of using blood magic during the trial… was extraordinary. But how do I refine it?'

She pondered deeply. 

'Maybe I should consult with Mother, she's far more experienced in blood magic and could guide me.'

'This is very interesting, I've always believed blood magic was purely offensive. I've never heard of anyone using it as support magic before,' she thought, her mind racing. 

'Could this discovery be helpful in the war against the demons?'

As she neared the exit of Eldoria's main building, something caught her attention.

'Oh, isn't that the human boy Elion? The one who managed to trigger a Natural Phenomena Resonance while still in the third realm?'

'I remember telling about him to Father, and he was impressed. I didn't know that he came to Eldoria, although it would be weird if he didn't, considering his talent.'

'Why is he heading into the forest instead of going to the training facilities to train?' 

Intrigued by this unusual behavior, Seraphina's curiosity piqued. 

She had originally planned to head to the training grounds herself, but now her attention shifted. Deciding to follow him, she quietly trailed after Elion, eager to see what he was up to.

She soon spotted him halting in a secluded area and unsheathing his katana.

'Has he chosen the warrior path?' she thought, a hint of disappointment crossing her mind. 'What a waste, I was sure he would continue down the mage path.'

Seraphina's train of thought was abruptly interrupted when she noticed Elion utilizing gravity magic as well.

'What?!' Seraphina nearly gasped aloud, quickly catching herself before making a sound. She was here in secret and didn't want to be caught looking like a stalker. This would hurt her image as a princess.

'Why is this guy… still training in both mage and warrior path? Worst of all, he didn't break into the Soul-Strengthnening Realm yet!'

'I can't believe he is delaying his training because of this futile attempt to practice in both paths. How was he even able to enter the academy? No one under Soul-Strengthnening Realm should.'

A few seconds later, the answer dawned on her. 

'Oh! Of course... I gave him my badge,' she thought, feeling a pang of embarrassment. 'That's why he's allowed here without anyone questioning it.'

'This guy deserves a spank, I'll beat some sense in his head after he is done. This also explains why he is here. With such a meager mana level, he must be the last ranking and can't use any facilities.'

Seraphina thought about her own rank while looking at her academic badge.

[Name - Elion]

[Rank - 1]

[Class - S]

[Department - Mage]

She was the highest rank! This allowed her a free pass anywhere in Eldoria.

Of course, as the Princess of the Vampire Realm, it's not like she'd be denied access anywhere within the Vampire Realm.

She focused on Elion once again and saw his weird practice. He was just putting weight on the sword and swinging it like crazy.

'He seems determined to increase his strength, but what's the point? He's already reached the peak of the third realm in both paths. The only way to grow stronger now would be harnessing mana, connecting with his soul, and breaking through to the next realm.'

Despite her frustration over Elion's squandered potential, curiosity got the better of her, compelling her to continue observing his training.

She soon noticed Elion pushing himself beyond his limits, his muscles straining as if they were about to tear, and his core almost cracking—a clear indication of someone overusing their strength.

'Why is he pushing himself like this? I don't understand why someone so dedicated wouldn't simply choose a path and breakthrough. If he did, he might have already stepped into the Body and Soul Fusion Realm.'

Elion's arm soon tore, and his mana core cracked, yet, she noticed a look of sheer joy on his face, as if he had accomplished the task he set out to achieve.

'Is this guy dumb?'

Seraphina gazed at the blood flowing from Elion's wounds, a mesmerizing fragrance floating through the air. 

A rush of excitement coursed through her veins, and her pupils dilated with hunger. 

Her mouth watered involuntarily as her canines elongated.

'What a captivating aroma,' she thought, her heart racing. 'How can human blood smell so perfect?'

A thrill of temptation gripped her heart, igniting a conflict between her regal upbringing and the visceral craving clawing at her senses. 

The intoxicating scent awakened a yearning deep within her, one she had never experienced.

Vampires, revered as the noblest race in the Vampire Realm, had unlimited access to blood, often receiving generous donations from willing subjects. 

Some individuals even offered themselves as personal blood sacks, eager to serve their vampiric lords. 

Seraphina's diet primarily consisted of blood from these donations, along with beasts' blood that were hunted across the kingdom. 

While she liked the rich taste of beast and elf blood, having eaten human blood in the past, none had ever possessed such an intoxicating fragrance. 

She approached Elion slowly while noticing his current hurt state. 

She couldn't bring herself to bite him and make him bleed even more, but it wouldn't hurt to taste a little that had already been spilled, right?

She knelt, ignoring the risk of dirtying her beautiful dress, and leaned in to take a small lick from the blood dripping down Elion's arm. 

The moment her tongue made contact with his blood, an overwhelming rush of pleasure surged through her, igniting her senses and sending shivers down her spine.

'How can blood taste this good?' Seraphina thought, her heart racing faster with each beat. 

She realized, at that moment, she had fallen in love… with his blood.

Not wanting to waste such a delicious treat, she licked Elion's blood again, savoring the taste, but reason soon returned to her, urging her to stop.

"Alright, consider this a payment for your blood," she thought.

With a flick of her wrist, she conjured a healing spell. Its energy enveloped Elion as his mana core began to mend, his torn muscles knitted back together, and within a few minutes, he was restored to his former self.

Seraphina wasn't a genius mage for nothing! Even when using not using her primary elements–fire, and blood–she was still able to show her remarkable skills.

"All right, I should head to the training facilities and get in some practice myself. He'll wake up soon, and I'd rather he don't find out what happened," she thought, feeling her cheeks flush with warmth as she recalled her shameless actions. 

The memory of kneeling beside Elion, licking his blood, sent a wave of embarrassment crashing over her. 

Her heart raced at the memory, and she quickly looked away.

'If he plans on coming here every day to train, can I… also have more chances to taste his blood?'

Her cheeks flushed with a deep red as the thought crossed her mind. 

She was, without a doubt, a maiden in love… with the allure of a delicious food.

'What am I thinking? Of course, I'll come here with him, but only to heal him, I can't have him getting hurt and staying here alone with his battered body.'

'It's also better to keep it a secret. If anybody knew that this shameless guy was using me as a personal healer, they'd be furious with him and make his school life even harder.'

'That's right, I, Seraphina, am a good Princess who worries about her subjects!'

And like that, she made up a random lie to trick herself and taste Elion's blood every day.