"Hisss! Ah!"
A certain vampire grimaced as he held the right side of his waist that had been pinched severely by her wicked claws. His expression so exaggerated, as if a chunk of meat had been dug out of it, looking so pitiful and shameless at the same time.
"You humans are really despicable, biting the hands that feeds you. If it weren't for me just now, you would have been blasted to pieces while retracting that spell halfway after it was cast and taking on half the impact of the explosion onto yourself."
"Heh! Still blaming me? If it weren't for you taking advantage of me just now, would I have laid my hands on you? Shameless and perverted, very typical of you vampires."
"How can that be called taking advantage? I'm so good-looking, it's not like you lost out."
"Shut up!"
Maia's face heated up and turned red. Although, it was unknown if it was out of shame or anger.
Walking away in a huff, she just wanted to find a quiet and secluded place to rest and calm down her emotions, but unfortunately, a certain vampire refused to leave her side and kept chattering on behind her.
"Hey, Woman! Are you sure you're fine walking barefoot? The ground is so rough and hard to walk on. How about you let handsome me carry you over? My service isn't too pricey. Just one gold coin per hour. Cheap and affordable. With hugs and kisses for free!"
Maia took a deep breath. Her patience running thin. "No need! You can scram now!"
"What? Can't afford it?" The man rubbed his ear, acting as if he hadn't heard her words clearly. "Otherwise, I can also give you a piggyback ride free of charge. My back is very comfortable to lean on and my arms are quite strong and sturdy. No worries of being dropped halfway."
Maia gritted her teeth, determined to ignore him.
Walking a fair bit of distance, it was already sundown when she finally found an abandoned cave hidden in the crevice of a cliff, facing away from the wind. Although it was quite dirty, Maia no longer had the strength nor the luxury to complain.
At the very least, she didn't have to sleep out in the open and worry about being carried away and devoured by nocturnal beasts in the middle of the night.
Looking at it this way, she was indeed quite lucky.
The only problem was...
Maia cast a gloomy gaze at the smiling man who had followed her into the cave.
"What exactly do you want?"
"Me?" The man chuckled. "Guess..."
"If you want my blood, then hurry up." Maia exposed her neck. "Leave after you're done and stop bothering me."
Hearing her words, the man pursed his lips and stared at her silently, making her feel a strange sense of discomfort. As if he was peering right into her soul. It was quite unnerving.
A few moments later, he turned away and exited from the cave. However, just when Maia was about to sigh in relief, he came back with a bundle of firewood, leaving her agape as he started setting up a bonfire to light and warm up the surroundings.
Maia frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Warming you up, obviously." The man answered, although this time, he had lost his usual smile. "Injured and helpless prey are not to my taste."
Maia scoffed. "So sophisticated? Sorry to tell you then. I don't have wine glasses here for you to drink from. Just the bare flesh of a woman who hasn't bathed in weeks."
"Pffft! Hahahaha!" The man laughed. "You're quite the funny one, aren't you?"
"I'm being serious. I reek of dried blood and sweat and I'm dirty all over. Don't tell me you haven't noticed yet?"
"Oh. I did. It's just that your blood smelled far too fragrant that I tend to overlook it." The man smirked.
Maia harrumphed and was about to go find a comfortable spot to lean on and get some rest when her stomach suddenly rumbled.
How long has she not eaten anything again?
One day...
Two days...
Maybe three.
She could no longer remember. Those people were determined to torture and starve her. It would be a miracle if they actually did feed her properly.
Clutching her stomach, Maia felt embarrassment coming up in waves. It was already enough to look so pitiful and disheveled. And now this! She never thought that one day, she would look so pathetic in front of her enemy.
It was downright mortifying!!!
She wanted to pretend nothing had happened when suddenly, she caught a whiff of something that made her mouth water and caused her stomach to rumble even more vigorously.
"Want some?" A voice sounded behind her.
Turning her head stiffly, Maia saw the man roasting a few slabs of meat by the fire, brushing some oil that he got from god knows where and turning them over from time to time to scorch them evenly.
"No!" Maia gritted her teeth. Can't this man just leave her alone?!
Turning her back to him, Maia leaned against the stone wall and cast a spell on herself to seal off her senses.
It was pathetic, yes. But that was the best she could do under the circumstances.
After all, no matter how low she had fallen, there was no way she would accept help from her enemy.
Some might say that she was just being stubborn. But with how things stand, could she really let go of her pride and beg the other person for food?
No.
She couldn't do that.
Even if she was betrayed by everyone she held dear, she was still a Saintess!
Maia clutched her tattered dress, trying to suppress the grief and emptiness that was welling up inside her. Even so, she was still unable to keep her tears at bay.
Sob!
Maia's shoulders trembled as she cried in silence. Having spent so many days in that underground chamber, she never cried nor begged for mercy no matter how much they tortured. She had thought she had long steeled herself to never cry for unworthy people.
Turns out, she wasn't that strong after all.