novelraw Chapter 176: Test
Chapter 176: Test
"Ready, Master, they're all waiting outside."
After Loren had closed his eyes to rest for a while, Mirrorheart had already gathered everyone else. As soon as Loren stepped out the door, he saw the three maids kneeling in a row outside.
"......"
Given the urgent situation, Loren couldn't be bothered to dwell on formalities. He directly drew Requiem.
The moment she saw the blade, Corolla's mind instantly conjured up a whole dramatic narrative. For instance, Mirrorheart wasn't the real ogre;
the one behind her, Loren, was. Mirrorheart was originally Loren's prey, but under his torment, she developed Stockholm syndrome, ended up falling in love with him, and ultimately became his loyal hound, aiding the villain in his wicked deeds...
After finishing this mental fanfiction, Corolla's terrified body tried to flee. The only reason she hadn't already run was that her legs had gone so weak with fright she needed to support herself with her hands on the ground just to barely remain upright.
"I have something to say."
"What?"
Just before Loren could begin his test, Flossie suddenly raised her hand.
"If we're going to be beheaded, could you let me ** first, and then die? I want to die smiling."Loren didn't say anything, just glanced at Mirrorheart. Mirrorheart shook her head, indicating this had nothing to do with her.
Among the three maids, only Seraphina maintained her composure. She knelt obediently on the ground, still wearing her usual gentle smile, no different from her normal self.
Compared to the others, Seraphina was far too steady.
"Don't be afraid. It's just an experiment. I have a method to identify Pseudohumans, but I need to draw blood with this blade first."
Loren fabricated an excuse and casually used the knife to nick his own finger. Immediately, a few beads of blood welled up on his fingertip.
"Really...?"
Hearing Loren's explanation, Corolla breathed a sigh of relief. Only now did she realize how ridiculous her earlier conjecture had been.
How could someone as gentle as Loren possibly do something like that?
Corolla was the first to extend her finger. Loren grasped her index finger and lightly pricked the tip with the point of the blade.
Requiem was too sharp. Corolla's skin didn't even have a chance to resist the puncture.
In that instant, Corolla suddenly felt as if she had plummeted into the deep sea. A Deep-sea Leviathan was charging straight towards her. Her pupils violently trembled. By the time she regained her senses, Loren had already moved on to stand before Flossie. Unbeknownst to her, she had broken out in a cold sweat.
Based on Corolla's reaction, Loren confirmed she was not a Pseudohuman. Flossie was the one Loren felt was least likely to be a Pseudohuman. A Pseudohuman might display some anomalies different from normal people, but they wouldn't act like a complete lunatic.
When the tip of Requiem pierced Flossie's finger, her expression didn't change at all. It seemed she didn't even feel the pain.
Loren wasn't overly tense either. Everyone's tolerance was different. Loren had already minimized Requiem's effect to the lowest degree. Even so, Corolla had been terrified out of her wits. But Flossie's tolerance was strong, so her lack of reaction was within Loren's expectations.
"That just now failed. Can I try again?"
"As you wish."
Flossie maintained her smile and extended both her hands.
Seeing her be so brave, Loren simply released his control over Requiem. Flossie would now experience the full brunt of the fear, though the other effects were still suppressed by Loren.
Second finger, third finger... Stubbornly disbelieving, Loren pricked every single one of Flossie's fingers. But Flossie stubbornly didn't utter a sound, only to suddenly faint from fright just as her last finger was pricked.
"......"
Loren was finding it hard to keep a straight face. He had even started to get a bit panicked, thinking Flossie was a Pseudohuman in disguise. But he never expected she was genuinely toughing it out.
Flossie was a real piece of work, not only immune to pressure but capable of turning it back on Loren.
"She's afraid of blood..."
Loren helplessly made up an excuse on the spot. That left only Seraphina. Loren didn't need to treat her like he did Corolla, preventing her own fear from interfering with the experiment.
Even with Flossie fainted, Seraphina's expression still hadn't changed. Her courage was indeed considerably greater than Corolla's.
Seeing Flossie faint, Corolla's eyes immediately widened, and she began wildly imagining scenarios again. But her test was already over, and Loren couldn't be bothered to deal with her.
To be safe, Loren still controlled Requiem's potency a bit before pricking Seraphina's finger.
In an instant, Seraphina's smile vanished, replaced by sheer terror. Her entire face froze. She didn't make a single sound, only silent tears began to flow.
Not only that, water began to spread outwards from Seraphina as the center. Loren had to take a step back, and Mirrorheart seized the moment to take a photo.
"Mmm..."
When Loren released Seraphina's hand, she immediately covered her mouth, doing her utmost not to let out a sob. This was undoubtedly the manifestation of extreme fear.
Loren hadn't expected Seraphina to be so much more fragile than Corolla. He had already suppressed Requiem's power as much as possible, yet she was still frightened to this extent.
"Ma... Master..."
In a state of fear, a normal person would instinctively call out to a deity or their parents. Seraphina chose to call for her master.
"Don't be afraid..."
This was indeed Loren's fault. Loren didn't know what to do either, so he could only first reach out and wipe away Seraphina's tears. Suddenly, Seraphina tightly grasped Loren's wrist.
"Master... I... I'm so scared... What's wrong with me...?"
Requiem's fear had no source. It was like directly stuffing fear into someone's brain. But precisely because of this, Requiem's effect was so potent.
You simply didn't know what you were afraid of, only that there was endless terror.
"It's okay..."
Loren felt a bit guilty, but there was no other way. For everyone's safety, Loren had to verify whether they were Pseudohumans.
"Everyone sleep in my room tonight. Go move the mattresses over..."
After a moment's consideration, Loren still picked Seraphina up. But first, she needed a change of clothes...
"Mirrorheart, you take the others and tidy up the room."
There were too many Pseudohumans, far more than Loren had anticipated. And Loren was quite certain the Pseudohumans had their sights set on him.
At the very least, the Pseudohuman disguised as Clemens would make a move against Loren.
After Loren carried Seraphina towards her dormitory, Mirrorheart began leading the others in tidying the room. No matter where they went, they stayed together to prevent any possibility of being attacked by a Pseudohuman.
Seraphina controlled her body, leaning her weight against Loren. This made it easier for him to carry her.
As she pressed closer to Loren, Seraphina gradually felt reassured. What followed was a wave of intense embarrassment. She had wet herself in front of her master.
"Master... my legs are still weak. Could you help me change my clothes?"
"Mhm."
It was only after Loren subconsciously agreed to Seraphina's request that he realized something. He had instinctively treated her like one of his children just then, so he hadn't avoided the issue... But seeing her, she still seemed quite happy about it.