The Terrifying Side Effect

Irina was sent as a hostage—how could a hostage possibly have her nation's Extraordinary protectors? In the end, the Bright Moon Kingdom only sent Irina and her maid Filine, who was an ordinary person.

As for the protection from the Kingdom of Night, that did exist.

"Warriors? Second-rank profession? No wonder the original owner of this body died so silently—the one responsible must have been a higher-ranked Extraordinary. But who could it be?"

A few thoughts flashed through Irina's mind, but she quickly put on a pitiful expression and said in a grievance-filled tone, "Filine, do we really have no extra means of self-defense?"

Filine thought for a moment before replying, "Actually, before we departed, the Queen secretly gave me an Extraordinary item. But the side effect of this item is so troublesome that I've kept it locked away in a box all this time."

Although Filine wasn't an Apprentice, she had undergone training. However, since she was unable to complete the advancement ritual, she had no abilities and was essentially no different from an ordinary person. Yet, she could still use Extraordinary items.

Extraordinary items referred to mystical artifacts from the Extraordinary world. Their origins varied—some were naturally formed, some were man-made, and others came from the bodies of deceased individuals, with certain body parts transforming into Extraordinary items…

However, every Extraordinary item typically carried a negative side effect. If not properly managed, even an Extraordinary individual could suffer grave consequences from using one.

"What kind of Extraordinary item do we have?" Irina's eyes lit up with excitement. "Filine, bring it out and let me see!"

Based on Filine's words, Irina could tell that the original owner of her body had never known about this item, so it was safe for her to ask about it.

"Alright." Filine nodded and turned to retrieve it from her room.

Meanwhile, Irina quickly finished her fried eggs and gulped down her milk. She then licked her lips, which were stained with the creamy liquid.

Filine returned shortly, carrying an antique-looking box. She carefully placed it on the table. Seeing Irina's eager expression, she opened it.

Inside lay a chain—pure white, without a speck of dust.

"This is the Chain of Night," Filine explained. "As long as you hold it, it can extend, thicken, and harden according to your will, binding whatever target you wish to restrain. It even possesses the power to strangle someone to death."

Irina nodded, then curiously asked, "And its side effect?"

Filine fell silent for a moment before finally answering, "The side effect… is that as long as you hold it, you will automatically start menstruating. If you don't put it down, your period will never stop. Over time, the user would inevitably face life-threatening consequences."

Irina: "…"

She instantly understood why Filine had locked it away in a box.

Suddenly, a bizarre thought crossed Irina's mind. She hesitated, then asked, "What if the user is male?"

Filine pondered for a moment. "He would probably start menstruating as well."

Irina's expression turned to sheer disbelief. She smacked her lips and said, "But… how? Men don't have the necessary organs."

Filine thought more deeply, then replied, "Maybe blood would just come out from the corresponding area? Humans have many orifices—there has to be a way for it to be expelled."

Irina: "…"

She could no longer bring herself to even look at this Extraordinary item.

Given the terrifying nature of the Chain of Night, Irina dared not touch it and had Filine put it away again.

Night Fell Once More

After being forcibly dragged by Filine to practice dancing for an entire day, Irina collapsed onto her bed.

Just thinking about all the different dance styles she had been forced to learn made her face flush with embarrassment. There was absolutely no way she would ever dance in front of others. Never!

After resting for a while, Irina sat up. She intended to sleep in Filine's room again and earn some more experience points.

"Filine, tomorrow is the Starlight Festival… I'm feeling anxious, so…"

"…Alright."

And so, Irina successfully stayed in Filine's room once again.

Just like the previous night, she lay in bed with Filine and wrapped her arms around her, holding Filine's hand as well.

Filine struggled slightly but, seeing that Irina had no intention of letting go, ultimately chose to tolerate it.

"You have embraced a female for one minute. Experience +20."

As expected, the notification arrived after a minute. However, that was the only one.

Irina frowned in thought. "So when both hugging and hand-holding happen at the same time, only the one with the higher experience gain is counted?"

Just as she was about to test another method, she realized that Filine had already fallen asleep. She sighed regretfully.

She had already confirmed that experience could only be gained while the target was awake. That meant there was no more experience to earn until morning, when she would get the overnight bonus.

With that in mind, Irina hugged Filine's soft body and slowly drifted off to sleep.

September 19 – The Third Festival of the Month: Starlight Festival

"You have slept beside a female for one night. Experience +100."

Irina's eyes opened to the sound of the notification.

Strictly speaking, the mechanical female voice wasn't particularly pleasant, but considering the 100 experience points it just awarded her, it suddenly sounded beautiful.

Filine had already left to prepare breakfast. Irina sat up and summoned her Extraordinary Panel, then allocated her newly acquired experience points to the Ignition skill.

"Ignite!"

She whispered, her violet eyes fixed on a spot in the air.

A flickering flame suddenly appeared in midair but dissipated after about a second.

"This skill doesn't seem to have much offensive or defensive potential either… but at least it's more useful than Speed Reading. If I really want combat strength, I'll need to reach the second rank."

Taking a deep breath, Irina got up, washed up, and had her breakfast. Afterward, she followed Filine to her room.

"Your Highness, at nine in the morning, we must head to King's Avenue in the northern district to join the procession led by King Dawn VII. From there, we will proceed to Wind Whisper Chapel, a location under the Starlight Church, to participate in prayer and listen to the church choir. Finally, we will recite the Starlight Doctrine alongside His Holiness, Pope Meister VIII, inside the chapel…"

Listening to Filine's rundown of the schedule, Irina felt her head spin. But what could she do?

The only silver lining was that as long as she stayed close to King Dawn VII or Pope Meister VIII, her safety would likely be ensured.