The Seven Mysteries (6)

Hearing Alexy shouted, the bearded man inside the picture changed his face expression, expressing his displeasure.

"Boy, shouting other's name like that before they could introduce themselves is extremely rude. Did your parents not teach you any manner?" the man said, there's a hint of anger in his tone.

"Therefore, I, Vlad the Impaler, former Voivode of Wallachia challenge you to a duel of honor!" said the man as he stepped out of the picture.

Probably because the painting had not been reserved well in the course of the history of its long existence, the blood red clothes on Vlad in the painting had become burgundy. But the moment he stepped out of the painting, the blood red color on Vlad's clothes shone brightly.

(Calm down, calm..., I can't let myself lose control like before.) Chongyun told himself the moment he saw the full attire of Vlad.

"Ready, boy!" said Vlad as a blood red lance appeared out of thin air.

Vlad grabbed the lance and performed an upward thrust, heading straight for Alexy before the boy could say anything.

"Ah sh*t!

CLANG

"AHHHHHHH!"

The knights of Favonius and Chongyun looked toward Alexy and they sighed with relief. The scene before them was Alexy had prevented Vlad's attack with his Dull Blade.

"Tsk, I thought I could impale you in one go!" said Vlad before he withdrew his lance and dashed back.

"Huhuhu, I thought you would be impaled, Alexy!" Paimon said.

"Shut your unlucky mouth up, Paimon! No one here screamed except you!"

"Hey, Mister!" Paimon ignored Alexy and went on to face Vlad with her words, "Alexy hasn't accepted the duel yet and you already dashed at him, ready to impale him with your weapon. Is that how a former Vovoda ... Voodoo ... uhm ... whatever like you should act!"

"It's Voivode, you...floating baby-like fairy! Well, you are not wrong, but since I'm dead, earthly honor does not matter to me anymore . . . I HAVE BEEN CONDEMNED . . . WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?"

"Oops...uh, I think I managed to provoke him!"

Before Alexy could react to the confession of Paimon, Vlad dashed to Alexy, using an upward thrust just like last time, which Alexy blocked with his Dull Blade. However, this time, Vlad withdrew his lance and then did consecutive strikes, up and down, left and right, which made it hard for Alexy to block all.

"What the hell are you guys doing!? Help him!" Paimon shouted.

". . . Alright, I think that's enough real fighting for him." said Kaeya as he made a sign for other knights not to interfere and dashed forward and swung his sword at Vlad, who had to withdraw his lance, using the spear shaft to block Kaeya's attack.

"I can tell that you are a good swordsman, unlike..."

Before Vlad finished his word, Chongyun was already behind him, a lot of talismans were in his hand. However, before Chongyun could do anything, the painting lighted up and Vlad disappeared from where he was standing and reappeared beside the painting.

"I though you were taking care of the spirit girl...oh..."

The ghost girl looked quite resentful like she was to become an evil spirit like before, but she couldn't do anything as there was an array with a lot of talisman around her.

(Tsk...the situation is not good at all...better escape. I can tell that person that this group is the one that has been obstructing the organization that he's looking for.)

"Well, I think I have to go now!" said Vlad as he went inside the painting again.

"Next time, I'll impale you, boy!" said Vlad as the painting began to float into the air and flew away.

"Pervert...", Alexy felt a chill down his spine.

"You won't have next time!" said Amber as two fire arrows were shot from her bow.

. . .

Thuck thuck

The painting began to be on fire, but it carried on flying far away.

. . .

"Sorry, Alexy, he still gets away!" said Amber as Vlad's painting still carried on escaping.

"Don't worry about that, Amber!" Alexy said as he looked at the progress of the quest.

<<5/7>>

"The spirit girl should calm down once that Vlad gets far enough for his evil influence to wear off...that should make the progress 6/7...I guess..." Chongyun scratched his cheek.

"The progress needs all 7 to be taken care off...that's 200 primogems...200..." Alexy said as he looked at his hand, still shaking since the fight with Vlad.

"If only we had the Adepti here..."

"A...dep...ti...wait..."

. . .

<<Cloud Retainer is summoned>>

"One understand your situation...but one can't help you. Unlike the blue haired exorcist and others with you, one's contract with the system is about a different kind of help for you." the blue-white crane Adeptus said.

"Oh...can you make an exception?"

"One cannot."

"Ah, Cloud Retainer, Paimon has something to say...well you see, Zhongli's contract with the system is one with helping the Host in his quest and you also have a contract with him related to the system, right!? So you have...um...an indirect contract with the system to help the Host, the same type with Chongyun and the others..."

"Fine, but one can't help directly...exorcist, get on, one will carry you."

"WHAT!?"

===

(I can feel that person near here...huh!?)

---

(I'm riding on an Adeptus...I'm riding on an Adeptus...) Chongyun could not escape the thought that he was riding on an Adeptus, the creature he reveres so much.

"One can see the evil spirit in sight, one can only help you to this point, whether you can defeat him or not depends on yourself."

"Stop right there, evil spirit!" Chongyun looked up and shouted.

"Not even in your dream!!!"

"Help me, fire, BURN THE EVIL SPIRIT UNTIL NOT EVEN ASHES WILL REMAIN!!!" Chongyun took out a red talisman and shouted.

The talisman floated into the air, an Eastern dragon made of fire came out of it and chased the painting. Soon it caught up to Vlad and devoured him.

"Arghhhhhhhhh!"

"Spirit Blade, attack!"

Three giant ice spirit blades appeared mid-air and slammed down to the fire dragon one by one.

MELT

===

After getting off the Cloud Retainer, Chongyun gave the melted painting to Alexy.

"Don't worry, he's gone! This is what remains."

"I know, the system alerted me, thanks!"

(Oh gosh, another property of the school is gone, this is gonna cause a large ruckus when school resumes on Monday.)

"Alright, Chongyun, let get this painting back to the Art Room!"

"Ok..."

BAM

As Chongyun turned around, the frame of the painting fell to the ground, and other parts began to fall out too.

"It's not me...they just fell out by themselves!" said Chongyun, as Alexy and others looked at him as if he was the destroyer of school's property.

"This symbol is strange to one's eyes." said Cloud Retainer as she used her crane leg to point at a symbol on the backing board of the painting.

It was symbol of a tree, on which a serpent was coiling around , inside its mouth was an apple.

***

AR: 6 (125/1500 EXP)

Primogem count: 310

Mora count: 29, 675