Shinji Matou at Your Service

Ignoring the reactions of Satsuki and Shiki, Touko continued:

"If that doesn't work, we can rely on him. Shinji, let me ask you, if my disciple is being targeted by those people, are you going to help or not?"

"I didn't say I wouldn't help."

Shinji pressed his temples.

"I just hope you tell me in advance so I can be prepared."

"You didn't tell me you were coming back this time either and even snatched my prey."

"Uh... my bad, I promise it won't happen again. I won't let them target your disciple."

Feeling Touko's resentment, Shinji didn't dare to retort and immediately surrendered.

"Hmm, given our relationship, I should show my appreciation for your disciple. Miss Satsuki, do you believe in Buddhism?"

"I do."

Although she did not understand why Shinji asked this, Satsuki still answered.

"That makes it easier."

Shinji reached into his backpack and took out several pendants.

"These are jade Buddhas that have been blessed. Wearing them is good for your health. If I remember correctly, the monk who blessed them is from Borobudur Temple, and they're quite effective in matters of fate. Choose one that you feel connected to."

"Thank you, Mr. Matou."

The word fate made Satsuki's eyes light up. She seriously selected one, clasped her hands together, and silently prayed.

Seeing her devout expression, Akiha couldn't stay quiet.

"I also want one. What are your conditions?"

"No conditions needed, they are gifts for you all. Everyone gets one."

Taking this opportunity, Shinji distributed the souvenirs. Shiki, Akiha, Kohaku, and Hisui each got one.

Four girls and one boy seeking fate, the focus instantly shifted to Shiki.

"How clever of me," someone praised themselves, completely unaware that the future chaos he would face would be much worse than Shiki's.

The Tohno family's conflicts could wreak havoc on a city at most, but if the girls around Shinji went crazy, the whole world could be in trouble. The scene was indeed thrilling.

Successfully diverting attention, Shinji carried the sleeping Arcueid on his back and, accompanied by Touko, entered the workshop with Sion.

Yes, Shinji had changed his mind. The conversation with Sion was top secret and couldn't be known by outsiders, so security was paramount. No place in the Tohno house was safer than Toukoo's workshop. Considering Sion's physical condition, Touko's knowledge and skills might come in handy.

"To be direct, Miss Sion, your condition is very bad. Your existence is transitioning from human to Dead Apostle."

After activating the bounded field, Shinji's first words made Sion's face change.

"Don't rush to deny it, and no need to explain. If I'm saying this, I'm confident. You've been tracking the Night of Wallachia for three years, not just because he's a disgrace to your family, but because he bit you three years ago—am I right?"

Sion lowered her head without speaking. For an alchemist with high-speed thinking abilities like her, not answering often meant tacit agreement.

"Just as I thought," Touko nodded secretly.

With her understanding of the human body, she had noticed something unusual about Sion at first sight, which is why she helped cover for her. Sion's previous weakness and biting her hand was not due to overthinking and using pain to stimulate herself but to suppress her blood-sucking impulse.

Three years ago, the Night of Wallachia appeared in an Italian village. The Church noticed the anomaly and urgently sent a hunting team. Sion, who had doubts about her lifestyle and wanted to gather information, joined them. In the end, the team was annihilated, and only Sion survived.

However, Sion's survival was not as she had previously claimed by escaping the range of TATARI. Instead, she was bitten by the Night of Wallachia during her escape, losing part of her blood. When she woke up, TATARI had dissipated, and her body started losing temperature bit by bit.

"However, Miss Sion doesn't seem to have fully turned into a vampire and still retains part of her humanity. Generally, after being bitten by a Dead Apostle, the human part would disappear within hours. The stronger the Dead Apostle, the shorter the time."

To Touko's confusion, Shinji provided an explanation based on his memory.

"Because the Night of Wallachia exists in a very special way, he has become a phenomenon. When not meeting the conditions for manifestation, he essentially doesn't exist, so Miss Sion doesn't lose her life as quickly as others bitten by vampires. Her transformation is very slow, and even today she's not fully a vampire. If I had to say, she's half-dead, half-vampire, half-human."

At this point, Sion no longer hid the truth.

"Mr. Matou is right. The reason I've been hiding for the past three years is because I was bitten. During these three years, I've been researching how to stop my transformation into a Dead Apostle, and even further. I don't want to give up my human identity; I don't want to become a vampire."

No matter how slow this transformation was, Sion could still sense the changes in her body. She feared people would notice her abnormalities, so she didn't return to Atlas Institute or seek help from the Church. The Eltnam family couldn't bear to be further disgraced because of her.

Since her body still retained some human parts, she didn't give up. To this end, she broke taboos and exchanged technology with the outside world. She sought the Night of Wallachia to solve the problem at its source.

She had been striving and persisting. Like Arcueid, she had been suppressing her blood-sucking impulses for the past three years. The difference was that her impulse came from her body, not her spirit.

Vampires rely on blood, not nerves, to connect their body parts. A vampire's body is several times stronger than before, and maintaining such a body requires a vast amount of energy and nutrients.

Therefore, she needed fresh blood! She needed to suck blood!

However, due to her attachment to her human identity, she endured it. When she couldn't bear it anymore, she bit herself and sucked her blood, temporarily numbing herself to get through the increasingly intense impulses.

This persistence and resilience were the most dazzling aspects of Sion and made Touko look at her in a new light.

"Incredible. Have you made any progress over these three years?"

"The blood-sucking impulse is triggered by good intentions, that's all."

Saying this, Sion looked very dejected.

Over three years, she had tried countless times without any progress. Her heart, like her body, was dying bit by bit. This challenge against the Night of Wallachia was her last effort or surrender. As her transformation into a vampire intensified and her abilities strengthened, she increasingly felt the gap between her and her enemy.

If she couldn't defeat him, perhaps ending it here wouldn't be so bad. She hadn't expected the challenge she faced with a resolve to die would end this way.

Her near-extinguished persistence now saw a new hope.