Chapter 22 The Big Fish Has Taken the Bait

In the silent basement, Maggie reached out and pushed open the iron door that looked like Pandora's box.

A hoarse, terrifying roar faintly echoed from the pitch-black room. Sensing someone entering the room, an unknown creature in the corner began to struggle frantically, seemingly having bumped into something, making a violent noise.

The only source of light in the room was a deep purple drop of blood in the very center, emanating an ominous aura. It was currently shrouded in a magic array, and one could vaguely see the drop of blood relentlessly eroding the array.

The transmission devices connected to the four corners of the magic circle supplied power and continuously repaired the magic circle. Looking along the transmission device in one corner, the other end disappeared into the darkness, which was the direction from which the roar came.

"That's really cruel."

Maggie gazed into the darkness, a flicker of emotion in her eyes that was hard to describe as either pity or sorrow, and murmured softly.

In just a second, Maggie regained her expressionless state and turned to Roy.

"Find me an old key; it's on them."

Roy nodded and flew toward the corner. As the soft white light from his body illuminated the darkness, the roaring creature lunged at Maggie. Maggie didn't move an inch and just watched him quietly.

With a clanging sound of chains, the creature stopped half a meter in front of her.

Maggie wasn't afraid and looked at the creature in front of her with great interest.

It had bloodshot eyes, grayish-white skin, and sharp, pointed teeth...

Human beings.

Calling it human isn't quite accurate, since this guy looks more like a vampire.

He was opening his mouth wide as if to roar, but for some reason, he couldn't make a sound, only hissing.

He bared his teeth and claws, trying to bite Maggie's neck hard with his sharp teeth, but due to the heavy shackles on his feet, he could only stay half a meter away and could not get any closer to Maggie.

"Using blood servants to power the magic circle, and then using magic to remove their vocal cords because they found it noisy—the Green Tower is truly a terrifying bunch of guys."

Maggie was amazed.

“Maggie, we’ve found her.”

While she was observing the blood servants, Roy had already circled around each of them and found the 'worn-out key' that Maggie had mentioned.

"Roy, thank you for your hard work."

Maggie rubbed her temples and turned in the direction Roy had pointed. Through the blood-stained, tattered linen clothes of the servant, she saw the Demon Key.

Basic spells have short casting times, and the levitation spell at the dust level is not difficult; Maggie had already learned it.

As magic surged, the key slowly floated up from the Blood Servant's waist and flew towards Maggie.

"It came without any effort."

Maggie smiled and reached out to grasp the key in her hand.

"It went much more smoothly than I expected."

After obtaining the Demon Key, her initial goal, Maggie remained motionless for a while, feeling a slight sense of regret.

Is it because her talent is too low, making her unsuitable to be used as a tool?

Having seen 'Blood of the Night' up close for so long, why hasn't Ulysses cursed her yet?

"never mind."

Maggie turned around helplessly, pushed open the door, and prepared to leave, but before leaving, she took a deep look at the drop of 'Night Blood'.

Since Ulysses doesn't approve of her, they'll have to find another way.

As she was thinking this, she had just stepped out of the iron gate when her heart suddenly pounded twice, her blood rushed to her head, and a deep, ancient male voice murmured from the depths of her soul. It was indistinct, yet it made her body tremble involuntarily.

A chill shot up from her feet to her head, and the overwhelming fear nearly crushed her reason, causing Maggie to almost collapse to the ground.

She pressed her hand tightly to her chest, forcibly suppressing all the discomfort in her body, and, controlling her nearly out-of-control body, took another step forward with difficulty.

Maggie's lips curled into an almost insane grin, her head lowered, her expression gloomy in the shadows. She silently uttered three words, and the aura emanating from her was even more terrifying than that of a demon.

If someone were in front of her right now, they would know what she was saying...

'They've taken the bait.'

...

The head maid returned to the back garden and saw Maggie sitting in the center of the flower pavilion from afar. Her saintly dress made her look even more holy and elegant, and even dispelled the terror brought by the darkness.

At this moment, Maggie was gazing at the roses in the garden with her eyes slightly lowered, looking incredibly beautiful.

The head maid couldn't bear to spoil the beautiful scenery before her, so she approached gently and slowed her pace, afraid of disturbing Maggie's enjoyment of the flowers.

"Your Highness, here's your tea."

The head maid gently placed the tray on the table before whispering a reminder.

"Yes, thank you."

Maggie raised her head, revealing an extremely gentle expression, and deliberately leaned closer, her eyes focused intently on the head maid.

"No... it's what I should do."

The head maid seemed to be bewitched, stunned and at a loss for what to do, her words rambling incoherently.

Maggie then turned her attention to the tea. Two flower petals floated on the teacup, and the rising steam carried a faint fragrance of the petals.

"It's very good tea, and it's all thanks to you."

Maggie praised him without batting an eye.

"Your Highness is too kind."

The head maid's cheeks flushed crimson; she hadn't escaped Maggie's charm after all. Feeling dizzy, she didn't notice the unusual cold sweat on Maggie's forehead and her pale face.

Maggie sipped her tea slowly, the warm tea gradually dispelling the chill, and her discomfort slowly subsided, which meant that the curse had ended.

After an unknown amount of time, as the end of the banquet and ball approached, the stars twinkled in the sky.

Maggie's complexion regained its rosy hue, and she lazily stood up, smiling at the head maid.

"Take me back. The garden is covered in dew at night and it's not a good place to sit for long."

The head maid immediately stepped forward, speaking in a gentle tone.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The moment Maggie returned to her room, the expression on her face vanished completely, leaving her as expressionless as if she had transformed into a giant iceberg.

She wasn't particularly good at feigning gentleness to deceive innocent girls.

After resting for a while, Maggie took out the Demon Key hidden in her sleeve, waved it in front of her, and briefly fell into deep thought.

The key in front of me was unusually worn, and upon closer inspection, one could see bluish-red rust. The symbol of the devil was also corroded to the point of being almost invisible, no wonder it was mistaken for an ordinary key.

If it weren't for the Temple of Light's special identification method, this key might have remained with a blood servant in the Green Tower forever.

"It looks so plain, could it be a key to summon low-level demons?"

She couldn't help but have some doubts.

"Never mind, it works as long as it's usable. It'll just be a bit more troublesome when I break through to the intermediate mage level later."

Maggie sighed. She didn't have a chance to get any more Demon Keys now. Time was of the essence. She had just offended Arlin, and when she returned to the Temple of Light, there would be a pack of wolves and tigers waiting for her.