Volume 1 Chapter 69: Pepper Losing Reputation and the Pedestal

[Author's Note: For bonus chapters, the goal is

25 Power Stones

50 Power Stones

Every Week]

Volume 1 Chapter 69: Pepper Losing Reputation and the Pedestal

Eve: "Indeed, master. This is the last entrance to explore unless there is still some hidden opening around the whole cave system. We should be done here."

Upon hearing what Eve said, Pepper, who was initially about to respond with a simple nod and replied "yes" or something similar to Carmilla's words, changed her response. She began to contradict what Eve had said.

Pepper: "I hope not, since I'm eager to leave this cave already. I want to see what's outside and, lastly, experience what the sun is like."

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Carmilla, who was listening to her two clones, replies to her remark. However, when she heard what Eve said, she was about to retort, as she was also getting bored of exploring this cave system. But before she managed to retort.

Pepper managed to retort first to what Eve had said. Carmilla decides to listen first, and upon hearing the first and second sentences, she found herself favoring Pepper's perspective. She even nodded several times. However, upon hearing the last sentence of Pepper's response.

Carmilla's only reaction to this was a facepalm. In the meantime, she was thinking that Pepper might be an impostor, saying something so unintelligent without even realizing her own lack of awareness.

Anticipating that Pepper might continue with more foolish remarks in the same tone and voice as mine, I became acutely aware of how embarrassing it would be if Vanessa were to witness or hear our conversation. I was certain she would burst into laughter.

In response to this concern, I swiftly moved to Pepper's side and covered her mouth.

Pepper: "Mmm Mmmm Mmmm"

Pepper was taken aback when Carmilla suddenly covered her mouth, causing her to attempt to speak. However, with her mouth still covered, all that came out were unintelligible sounds.

Pepper: "Mmm Mmmm Mmmm"

Carmilla said.

Carmilla: "Pepper, that's enough. Initially, I was on your side, but when you mentioned wanting to experience the sunlight, everything you said earlier falls apart. Let me remind you that sunlight is one of our weaknesses as vampires. So, let's explore this final opening to put an end to this."

Upon hearing Carmilla's words, Pepper nodded in agreement, unable to speak clearly.

Observing Pepper's agreement, Carmilla released her grip on Pepper's mouth and stepped back.

Afterward, Carmilla didn't wait for Pepper to respond and she promptly transformed into a bat and took flight.

Upon witnessing Carmilla's transformation and fly towards the opening, Eve and Pepper also followed suit.

While in flight, Pepper began to feel regret for her earlier foolish comments. She had momentarily forgotten that they were vampires, which means they are very vulnerable to sunlight.

With Pepper's reputation now compromised, if Carmilla were attentive to their connection, she could discern Pepper's thoughts and promptly address Pepper's concerns through a quick retort.

Pepper didn't possess much reputation in the eyes of Carmilla and Eve. Fortunately for her, Carmilla wasn't paying close attention, allowing Pepper to retain what little reputation she had left.

Regrettably for Pepper, Eve continued to maintain a strong connection to their bond, resulting in Eve giving Pepper an odd look. Fortunately, Pepper remained oblivious to Eve's peculiar gaze.

Following that brief pause, the three of them proceeded swiftly and quietly toward the final entrance they intended to explore.

The entrance appeared to lead into an extensive passageway, requiring the three of them to land multiple times due to the nearing expiration of their [Bat Transformation Lv: 3] time limit. They were cautious not to revert to their human forms while airborne and still in motion.

After undergoing several more transformations...

Finally, the trio spotted something at the end of the passage. Upon arriving at the opening, they dispelled their bat transformations and cautiously approached the entrance.

They were met with the sight of an expansive and lengthy room, although not as vast as the stone spike chamber they had previously explored.

Despite being slightly smaller than the stone spike chamber they had explored earlier, this room was still sizable, equivalent to two basketball courts placed side by side. Unlike the other rooms they had encountered within the cave system, this room was well-lit. Torches were positioned along the walls, providing ample illumination for the trio to observe the entire space.

On the opposite side of the room, a pedestal stood with a similar-looking hemisphere hovering above it. Adjacent to the pedestal, two knight armor statues were positioned, each wielding a sword that was embedded into the ground, reminiscent of swords in a fairy tale.

Seeing the hovering hemisphere atop the pedestal, Carmilla retrieved the hemisphere they had obtained from the stone spike room. She wanted to confirm whether the two hemispheres were indeed the same.

Noticing that the appearance and color of the hemisphere matched, even though they couldn't be entirely certain about the size due to the distant placement of the other hemisphere, Carmilla, Eve, and Pepper became convinced that the hemisphere in this room was the missing counterpart to their own hemisphere.

Considering the potential outcome of using the "analyze" ability on the hemispheres, Pepper grew eager to uncover the purpose and true nature of these 2 objects are.

Pepper began walking in the direction of the hemispheres.

Carmilla placed the hemisphere she had been holding back into her inventory, having confirmed that the two hemispheres shared identical appearances.

However, as Pepper was poised to approach the pedestal, Eve, who had noticed this, moved to intervene and halt Pepper's progress.

Carmilla swiftly rushed towards Pepper, assisting Eve in restraining her to prevent her from advancing further toward the direction of the pedestal.

After being halted by Carmilla and Eve, Pepper turned to face them with a quizzical expression, questioning their actions.

Observing Pepper's puzzled expression, Carmilla spoke up.

Carmilla: "Pepper, don't be too hasty."

Eve, who was standing by Carmilla's side, nodded several times in agreement with what Carmilla had said.

Upon hearing Carmilla's words, Pepper turned her gaze toward Eve, who was standing beside her, and noticed her nodding in agreement with Carmilla's advice, appearing to support their master's perspective.

Now understanding the reason behind Carmilla and Eve's actions, Pepper comprehended why they had prevented her from approaching the pedestal.