Strength 99999 but the Holy Sister

"Ruby?"

"It's the black dragon." Aisha added.

Ruby's hair color is black, the same as Tricia's. Pure black hair and white hair are relatively rare hair colors. Ruby also has dragon horns and a tail that have not yet fully transformed on the back and top of her head, making her easy to identify.

Duke Chalblis nodded and glanced ahead.

"She's resting in the courtyard and hasn't left. I've assigned someone to keep an eye on her, so you two don't have to worry."

The atrium was in front of the corridor. Turning the corner, everyone saw the black dragon girl lying on the weapon rack. Ruby seemed to be sleeping at this time, with a slight snoring sound from the corner of her mouth. The sturdy weapon rack and sharp weapons were casually placed under her body as a pillow, or pushed aside, becoming her "bed".

There were a few vampires standing in the corner of the atrium, looking quite tired - probably not because of fatigue, but because the psychological pressure of standing here was too great.

That's a dragon, a real dragon, even though it looks like a little girl.

Charlie blinked: "Is she...sleeping? Is it really okay for her to sleep here..."

"She seems unwilling to leave the courtyard, nor does she want to talk to us..." Chalbliss said with a hint of embarrassment. "With you guys gone, I didn't dare disturb her, so I had to send someone to watch her... She's been staying here since you left, but don't worry, I had Fisher prepare plenty of food, so she didn't starve."

Charlie muttered quietly beside Elsa.

"Dragon food? Could it be sheep? But she's so small, can she eat a whole sheep at once?"

Listening to Charlie's mumbling, Elsa imagined the scene of Ruby grabbing a live sheep with her tiny hands, pressing it to the ground, and then ferociously pouncing on it and tearing it apart with bite after bite, leaving a bloody scene. She always felt that something was strange.

Elsa couldn't help but sniff, but there was no smell of blood in the air.

"After hatching from the dragon egg, the young dragon will feed on the core crystals of monsters. Through eating, it absorbs the abundant magic power in them to fuel its own growth. The amount of food it eats each time varies from one to dozens or even hundreds, depending on the quality of the core crystals. Depending on the level of energy consumption, it will eat every ten hours to ten days.

During their childhood, the meat of animals and monsters is merely a supplementary food. As they reach adulthood, their diet gradually broadens—plants and their fruits, animals, monsters, demons, humans, elves, earth dragons with some dragon blood, and even shed branches from the World Tree—all are edible to them."

Tricia explained at the right moment.

"And among the dragon race, each species has certain differences. Generally speaking, black dragons have the widest food selection - relatively speaking, they are not very picky about food."

"So that's how it is..." Xia Li pondered inwardly for a moment, realizing that a single dragon's meal could potentially consume the entire Adventurer's Guild's nuclear crystal reserves for several months. She couldn't help but exclaim inwardly, "As expected of a dragon... Perhaps only they could take it for granted that such precious nuclear crystals would be eaten as food..."

Only higher-level monsters can produce nuclear crystals. With so many nuclear crystals, both the time required to collect them and the level of danger in the collection process are not low.

"So, the remaining nuclear crystals in the castle shouldn't be enough for her to eat for long, right?"

Charlie asked.

Elsa also thought of this question and turned her inquiring gaze to Duke Charlbliss.

Chalbliss looked thoughtful and replied, "Ten days or so shouldn't be a problem. Fisher used to work for the old leader of the organization, and he has quite a bit of savings—especially these things that can be used to craft the Philosopher's Stone. They seem to be in great need of them."

The Duke of Chalblis decisively betrayed Fisher.

"We need to send this dragon back to where she belongs as soon as possible. She's been here for too long, and we don't have enough food for her."

Ruby seems to be quite well behaved now, but if she has no food to eat, she might not be so well behaved - if she goes out to find food, there is no guarantee that something will go wrong.

"Also, it's not safe to keep her here. If the Empire knew her identity, they would probably be unable to sleep or eat."

Tricia agreed.

"Speaking of which, Charlbris, since you are the Duke of the Blood Clan, do you really not know who the old chief is?"

Generally speaking, vampires are relatively concentrated. Across the entire continent, there are very few duke-level vampires. Most of them have long lifespans and know each other.

"I really don't know... I, I've actually always been in my territory and rarely go out..." Chalbliss shook his head quickly, fearing that he would be involved in any matter.

Aisha didn't ask any further questions.

Putting aside curiosity, there is actually not much point in investigating the old leader's true identity now.

……

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450. That's Elsa's (6K4)

——At this time, it was late at night. The sound of intermittent cold wind blowing across the window sill could be heard outside the window. Apart from that, there was silence. Elsa, Charlie, Tricia, and Madeleine were the only four people left in the reception room. Adjutant Theofeld and his men were guarding outside, and there was a sound-blocking magic blocking the way.

It was just as Tricia had guessed. The reason the delegation came was not because they encountered any difficulties, but because they had received a commission that they could not ignore from their standpoint. The one who wanted to meet Tricia was none other than Theofred, or rather, Madeleine.

The reason why Madeleine found Tricia through the dispatch mission was because Madeleine chose not to reveal her identity for some reasons.

At this moment, Madeleine looked extremely weak, with a dull complexion and lifeless eyes, which was very different from when she was in the South. Her appearance also made Elsa and Tricia vaguely guess something.

"As for the reason, please listen to my explanation slowly..." Madeleine looked embarrassed and her eyes unconsciously turned to Charlie.

"Or... I should go see Ruby..."

Charlie noticed that the atmosphere had become a little strange. She thought that perhaps there was something important to discuss, so she consciously wanted to avoid it.

"Miss Charlie, please stay. You are someone the Saint Sister trusts, and I trust you too. Besides, you already know my identity, don't you?"

It was Madeleine who persuaded Charlie to stay.

Just now, they had greeted each other and gotten to know each other. Although Madeleine was a little surprised by Charlie's appearance of silver hair and red eyes, which was similar to that of the other vampires here, she did not ask any further questions.

"Then I..."

"Come to me."

Elsa glanced at Madeleine and Charlie, then looked at Tricia. Tricia nodded slightly at her, and Elsa didn't say much. She took Charlie's hand and sat down beside her.

"Then tell me about your story. You've just arrived in the imperial capital, and you've rushed here without stopping. I bet it's something important, right?"

Madeleine seemed to have finally prepared herself mentally at this time. She took a deep breath and took out the holy sword.

Strangely, the holy sword in Madeleine's hand no longer radiated light.

Madeleine stared at the holy sword in her hand and said slowly:

"It's a bit embarrassing to say it... Actually..."

That happened two days ago, when Madeleine had just returned to the imperial capital. In fact, ever since she left the southern border, or rather the ruins, and woke up in Count Abru's mansion, she had vaguely sensed something was wrong with her body. At first, it was just a vague feeling that she couldn't describe. As an excellent warrior, she naturally knew her body well, but she couldn't tell what it was. She simply attributed it to the strange dreams of pregnancy and childbirth and the sequelae of several days of highly intense battles.

But as time went by, that feeling did not disappear, but quickly became uncontrollable. Sometimes Madeleine felt physically weak as if she had experienced a fierce battle, and sometimes she felt hot and sweaty for no reason. She became restless and irritable for no reason, and could not concentrate on anything she did. During self-training, her originally impeccable swordsmanship also became distorted.

To be honest, on the way back to the imperial capital, her condition gradually became worse. She also looked for the priest who was accompanying her, but he could not see anything and just told her that her mental state was not stable.

At first she thought it was because of the frustration and loss brought about by the failure of the trip to the southern border and Timmer's betrayal, but she soon discovered that it might not be that simple - after returning to the imperial capital, because she received the gift of the holy object from the Holy Sister, Duke Ryanfort's mood seemed to have finally improved. He ordered a banquet to be held to welcome the soldiers to prepare for the new task of retrieving the Black Nether Armor.

After eating dry rations for many days, she thought she would be looking forward to the delicious food like other soldiers.

But she kept retching.

The greasy, slippery, and peculiarly fishy smell of wild game lingered in her nostrils for a long time, several times stronger than usual, and even spices could not cover it up. She was the only one experiencing this situation at the scene, and the soldiers around her were all stunned.

They thought someone was trying to poison their respected hero.

But only Madeleine herself knew that it was not the case. It was Madeleine herself who could not stand the fishy and greasy smell. This seemed so incredible to Madeleine - she could even endure the stench and eat the bloody monster's flesh raw without any expression. As an excellent warrior, she had undergone long-term rigorous training in this regard, but now she could not swallow a piece of cooked, fully and properly processed barbecue.

That night, she practiced swordplay alone with heavy doubts in her heart, but was shocked to find that her strength had weakened to the point where she could hardly sense the contract with the holy sword. This frightened her - the power of the holy sword was absolutely indispensable for her revenge.

Consumed by tension and panic, she went alone to find a reliable doctor.

"My dear hero, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with your body...it's just..."

"What is it?"

"You're pregnant... I don't know if this is the reason for the loss of your power, perhaps..."

——When Madeleine heard these words from the female doctor, she was stunned.

She didn't remember what the doctor said next.

Her mind was full of those words.

——She is pregnant?

——She has never even been in love, let alone had any physical intimacy with any man, so how could she become a mother?

It was true that she was a complete blank when it came to matters between men and women, but that didn't mean she knew nothing about it. She at least knew that pregnancy was something that happened after a man and a woman slept together. She swore she had never had such an experience, and as a woman, she had a good way of judging. She immediately secretly checked her lower body, which made her feel relieved.

In this case, things became extremely clear. All of this must be because of that hateful Star God, just like what happened in that strange nightmare - the Sage said that the Star God seemed to have done something to her in the ruins, causing her to almost become someone else's mother, but the Sage and the Holy Sister joined forces to rescue her from the clutches of the Star God in time.

She had thought that everything that had happened in the southern border was just a near miss, something that would soon pass like countless yesterdays. But now it seemed that the Star God had already succeeded. However, the Sage had examined her body more than once. Could it be that even the Sage could have overlooked something? So—had a new life finally been born within Madeleine's body?

Madeleine couldn't think any more. She knew that this new life was originally the body prepared by the Star God for her rebirth, and it was not a naturally grown life. But now that the Star God was gone, the "seed" in her body continued to grow.

How should she judge this situation? What should she do?

There was no way she would leave a seed of unknown origin to take root and sprout in her body, so her first reaction was to get rid of the child - but Madeleine couldn't help but ask, this seed was, after all, a means left by the Star God. No matter how despicable and unbearable the Star God was, he was still the Wild God, a genuine god. Could ordinary means really be effective?

Madeleine didn't dare to gamble.

The sudden pregnancy made Madeleine a little confused for a while. It was then that she remembered what the Sage said to her when he said goodbye. She wanted to contact the Sage, but she had no way to do it herself, so she sought help from Duke Ryanfort. Duke Ryanfort was the person she respected most after her father, and he was also someone who would never turn a blind eye to this - no matter what the reason, Ryanfort would not sit idly by and watch his hero lose the contract with the holy sword.

Therefore, Duke Ryanfort immediately dispatched an absolutely loyal team to escort Madeleine to the Barony of Fisher as quickly as possible.

"Sage, this is what happened after I left the Southern Territory. As you can see, I am now too weak to wield the Holy Sword."

As Madeleine spoke, the holy sword lay flat in her hand, but it no longer had its former glory.

This made Aisha and Tricia frown tightly, while Charlie opened her eyes wide.

As a person who grew up in a small town, Charlie had experienced many things that had happened in the past month that had shattered her cognition one after another. Moreover, when she saw the current Brave Lord in person for the first time, Charlie unexpectedly discovered that the Brave Lord's attitude towards Elsa actually revealed a hint of restraint that could not be ignored. All of this made Charlie choose to keep her mouth shut and be a quiet bystander.

Aisha also felt a little strange. She didn't believe that Tricia would fail.

But the one who found it most strange was Tricia herself.

"How could this happen... The Star God's reincarnation ritual wasn't completed at the time, and the seed should have already 'died'..."

Tricia didn't say anything, but just thought in her heart.

Just as Madeleine thought, even Tricia, a secret sage, did not notice the "seed" in Madeleine's body at that time.

And now, through her magical vision, Tricia could clearly see the crystal growing in Madeleine's body - the magic circuit of a pregnant person would undergo subtle changes. This was a kind of inheritance and a gift from a mother to her offspring. The more powerful the mother, the more noticeable the changes in the magic circuit would be in Tricia's eyes. On the contrary, it was not easy for a woman with no magical foundation to be seen in this way after she became pregnant. On the contrary, as a contemporary hero, Madeleine was already a strong person even without the holy sword. If there was a vibrant "seed" left in Madeleine's body, Tricia would never have missed it.

"Because the cause of this matter is rather intractable, involving the Wild God—the Star God—our best doctors are helpless, so I have no choice but to come to you again... I am deeply sorry to have caused trouble for you and Lady Faris."

"Does anyone else know about this?"

Aisha asked.

"At present, only our doctor, Lord Ryanfort, and Mr. Theoford know about this—Lord Ryanfort has kept it a secret for me."

After all, the people of the empire would not want the brave man they admired to be an indecent guy who got pregnant with someone else's child before getting married - even if all this was not the case, not many people would be willing to believe the facts. At this time, Madeleine's situation was kept strictly confidential by Duke Ryanfort.

"This may be beyond my ability. If I try again, it may not really work. What's even more worrying is that the baby in your belly is growing abnormally fast. Judging from her current state, she is already two months old."

At this time, Tricia had already drawn some conclusions through observation, which made Madeleine's expression even more awkward - especially when Tricia said "the baby in your belly".

Elsa, Charlie and Madeleine all listened attentively.

Tricia didn't know when she had formed a magic circle floating in her palm. The magic circle floated up and surrounded Madeleine inside. The faint blue light reflected Madeleine's weak face, but in the next moment, Madeleine suddenly raised her eyes, and her shoulders seemed to lighten and she let out a very light moan.

"Sorry..." Madeleine quickly covered her mouth, then showed gratitude, "Thank you, I feel much better now..."

"I sealed her for you temporarily."

Tricia nodded and continued:

"The reason you feel weak is because of the child in your belly. She's constantly absorbing vast amounts of magical energy to fuel herself, and all of this magic energy comes from you. This is why you're losing strength. Thankfully, you chose to come here sooner rather than later. Otherwise, if you continue to let her grow like this, it would undoubtedly threaten your health. Her growth is out of control, and she'll devour any external energy as nourishment. And your current strength isn't enough to stop her from taking it away."

Madeleine pursed her lips slightly.

The Star God's original plan was to use his own power to cultivate the "seed" and strengthen Madeleine's body as a well-conditioned mother body, so that the new body born in this way would be the most perfect. However, now that the Star God's power is gone, the "seed" has unexpectedly survived. In order to grow, the "seed" began to absorb Madeleine's own power. This is not a good thing. At least in Tricia's opinion, Madeleine now definitely does not have enough power to support a body shaped by the Wild God.

Rather, it is rather strange that Madeleine looks very healthy now.

"So, the reason I can no longer awaken the Holy Sword isn't because it's abandoned me, but because my power is too weak to resonate with it?"

"Yes, and not entirely. Your bloodline is being plundered by her, which is one of the reasons for the current situation. Once she completely takes away your bloodline power, the holy sword will no longer respond to your call."

"what?"

Madeleine was stunned.

The holy sword is everything to her: her revenge, her desire, and the power she relies on.

Without the holy sword, there would be no her.

This made Madeleine panic for a moment.

Elsa and Charlie knew very little about this. Even Elsa, who had experienced pregnancy in her previous life, had no experience of pregnancy, let alone in such a strange way. She could only offer comfort from the side.

"Madeleina, trust Tricia, you'll be fine."

"Yes, yes, Tricia is a mystical sage!"