Chapter 18: Money lover

Damien let out a long sigh and regained his composure.

"Hey, Nephelia, what rank did that person I confronted belong to?"

"Rank 0."

Damien swallowed—should he join this group? The reward was incredibly generous, maybe even too good to be true!

Working in the library for years wouldn't even come close to earning that kind of money!

'Ever since I drank Nephelia's blood, I've become stronger. I could probably handle missions like that. As for the pills... I'm a vampire so I could deceive others and pass myself off as an Ascendant.'

'For the money, it's worth a shot.'

Damien had reached a conclusion.

He had heard that money couldn't buy happiness, but that wasn't entirely true.

If he had money before, he wouldn't have gone through so much hardship. He could provide nice things for Sophie and give her everything she needed.

So, even if money wasn't happiness itself, it could be a means to happiness. A means, not an end. Improving the lives of those he loved was valuable.

Maybe it was worth taking a chance with the Morigerants, at least for a while. The promised reward was substantial, and Damien felt stronger since his last fight. If he could keep his true nature a secret, he could be of use to them without much risk.

As for the Morigerants' purpose, Damien didn't really care all that much.

"Um, I'm interested in the opportunity to act like a hero," he said, flashing his best 'Please believe me' smile.

Nephelia shook her head in amusement. Her husband could be very stubborn when he put his mind to it. She knew that even he didn't truly believe those words. Nonetheless, she preferred to remain silent.

He turned to her with a questioning look. "What do you think?"

"Umu, you can do whatever you want, Darling. I'll be by your side no matter which path you choose."

'Ugh!' He put a hand over his chest. The warmth in Nephelia's gaze melted Damien's heart. 'Hey, isn't my wife just too cute?'

"Fine." Helene regarded Damien with a scrutinizing gaze. "All aspiring Morigerants must undergo an Extermination Mission as a test."

She shifted her emerald eyes towards Nephelia. "You will accompany him alone to provide support if necessary. The objective is for him to successfully complete the mission on his own."

She focused then her gaze back on Damien. "This way, we'll determine if you possess the strength, abilities, and mindset required to join our faction. If you survive, it will be proof that you have what it takes. Only then will you be formally accepted into our ranks."

Once the meeting concluded, Helene nodded and told Nephelia to lead Damien to the armory. They walked down a long hallway that led to a thick metal door.

As they made their way across, a strong scent of gunpowder and metal greeted them. Before them lay a spacious room filled with an array of firearms. There were also various types of ammunition, swords, and neatly stacked peculiar objects.

"This is the armory," Nephelia explained. "Here you'll find ammunition for every type of weapon."

She picked up a gold-colored bullet. "This one is called 'Demon Slayers.' The white ones here are 'Purifying Bullets,' effective against out-of-control Ascendants. And these red ones... they're 'Anti-Vampire' bullets. Each bullet is crafted with special materials that weaken a specific race."

"Oh, I see. I certainly sense a slight discomfort coming from those red bullets," Damien nodded.

The Morigerants seemed well-prepared to confront various threats.

Apparently, Ascendants were not invincible and had vulnerabilities to firearms. For instance, lower-ranked Ascendants still had weaker bodies, and bullets could penetrate their flesh.

And when an Ascendant lost control, they would transform into something akin to a monster, which is why the "Purifying Bullets" had been specifically designed to hunt them down.

He carefully examined the options before him. Finally, he settled on a sleek silver Desert Eagle revolver, along with a cartridge of Purifying Bullets.

Nephelia took note of his choice. "To acquire weapons or other items here, you must earn Contribution Points with the faction. You accumulate them with each completed mission. Luckily, I have some extras we can use."

Damien nodded and expressed his gratitude with a deep kiss on her lips—she truly was his lucky charm!

They quietly left the Manga Coffee and got into the car, with Camille at the wheel. The vehicle maneuvered through dimly lit streets in the direction of their destination.

Damien shyly asked Nephelia for her phone. As he scrolled through the contacts, he noticed there was only one name: MY Damien.

'Wow...'

He felt a little guilty since he didn't have a phone himself. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but wonder how she had obtained his number.

'Well, for a Yandere, nothing was impossible when it came to her beloved...'

He entered a number and quickly typed a message to Sophie:

[Damien: I'm Damien. I'll be at my girlfriend's house. I won't be back tonight, don't worry]

Almost instantly, a reply came back:

[Sophie: I see]

A shiver ran down Damien's spine. He had a fleeting sense of a dark mist emanating from those words. 'Hey, that's creepy!'

'... I just dug my own grave, didn't I?'

Damien shook his head to dispel the absurd foreboding that had taken hold of him.

After a few more minutes, they reached the designated area. It was situated in a secluded spot, only accessible through a narrow alley at the far end of the main avenue.

Alex's house was surrounded by several figures dressed entirely in black, displaying the distinctive silver emblem of the Morigerants on their chests.

"These aren't Ascendants, but personnel assigned to install the Artificial Domain and ensure the threat doesn't escape," Nephelia explained as they stepped out of the car.

As the men approached, they nodded quickly in greeting. Their eyes briefly rested on Nephelia and then they averted their gaze wuth someting akin to awe. They seemet to respect her and even fear her.

Damien observed everything attentively, furrowing his brow and bowed slightly. "Why are they so afraid of you?"

In Damien's eyes, Nephelia was one of the most cute creatures on Earth. He couldn't comprehend why they would fear her.

"It's because Miss Nephelia shows no mercy," Camille interjected with a sigh.

Nephelia shot her a dark look that could send shivers down anyone's spine. "Camille, keep your mouth shut."

However, the maid ignored her mistress's implied threat, secretly pursed her lips, and continued. "When she joined the Morigerants, she was in a foul mood. Any man who dared approach her ended up with broken bones. She is merciless when she's angry, and no one has dared to bother her since. She's even earned the nickname 'Bloody Princess'."

"They deserved it," Nephelia muttered, grimaced and spat to the side. She wasn't pleased when men looked at her or approached her.

Nephelia felt a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. She wasn't sure how Damien would react upon learning that detaul of her past. Would he see her as an uncontrolled barbarian?

No! She couldn't let him think that!

She clutched her head, her eyes swirled, and her mind went blank. She had a mental breakdown...

However, Damien simply let out a brief laugh, slipped a single hand into his pocket, and gazed at her tenderly. "Really? You're even more lovable, Nephy."

The nickname made her shudder. 'Nephy...' she repeated to herself. She kept the warm feeling in her heart.

"We've arrived. Quit flirting," Camille chimed in, growing bolder by the minute, even in front of her mistress...

Nephelia shot her a warning glance. 'Umu. I'll deduct your pay.'

Damien retrieved his Desert Eagle from the holster at his waist, clicked it, and reloaded it with Purifying Bullets. As he took the next step, he felt the familiar otherworldly tingle run across his skin.

It was like slowly sinking into warm water as the surroundings distorted unnaturally before stabilizing.

They were still in the same house, but the people had vanished.

"Why couldn't those people come in here when they were just a few meters away?"

Nephelia shook her head. "Only Ascendants and supernatural beings can break through the barrier of a Domain. For everyone else, it's as if it doesn't exist."

"But the first time I entered, I was still completely human," that was something that genuinely confused him.

He remembered what the werewolf had told him—that Damien was a special being for trespassing a Domain.

A complex expression glow crossed Nephelia's face. After a few seconds under her husband's scrutiny, she spoke softly:

"You, my Darling, were an Ascendant from before."