An Aura Farmer's Guide to Another World
Chapter 55: Sacrifice

Chapter 55: Sacrifice

"60, 59, 58...0"

The second body dropped.

"60, 59, 58...0"

The third Body dropped.

Lady Beatrice’s eyes, wide and unblinking, were fixed on the scene, her jaw slack as her face turned a sickly white.

The entire hall fell into a graveyard silence, everyone watched helplessly as young women succumbed to death on what should have been the happiest day of their lives.

Joseph paused at the second-to-last bride, lifting her chin. He stared into her eyes and said, "You have sixty seconds until you die."

The bride pressed a trembling hand over her mouth, muffling a cry. She glanced at the Bishop standing beside the podium near her, then shifted her gaze toward Lady Beatrice.

Tears welled in her eyes, not from pain, but from pure, overwhelming terror. "Save me," the bride whispered, her voice shallow and barely audible.

She exhaled slowly through her pursed lips, almost like whistling. With each inhalation, her nostrils widened, and her shoulders rose and fell significantly.

Could it be she can’t breathe?

’Bam!’

The bride’s knees buckled, and she finally collapsed, her body transforming into a cold corpse.

Kicking the corpse, Joseph’s gaze snapped to Lady Beatrice. "Over forty-nine women have died in two days, all because of you. How much longer will you be complicit in their deaths? Just marry me and end this needless suffering."

Lost in the horror, Lady Beatrice sat on the floor in the center of our protective circle, her eyes unblinking for over ten minutes.

I couldn’t tell if she was still breathing, if not for the light murmurs leaving her lips. "I can’t marry Joseph, I can’t marry Joseph," she kept repeating over and over again.

Cupping the cheeks of Annelise, the final bride, Joseph watched her dead eyes swivel to meet his gaze.

He turned her groom into a frog, then compelled her into marriage, solely to take her life in the end.

Wait a minute, could it be that he gains the ability to kill whoever signed a blood contract with him? If that is the truth, then what conditions allow him to turn people into frogs?

Leaning in, Joseph lifted Annelise’s chin, his gaze falling on her as he brushed her pale skin with his thumb. "You are going to die in the next sixty seconds," he warned.

Moving towards us, Joseph paused before Joséphine. "My love," he urged, "give up and marry me already."

Lady Beatrice remained silent, her gaze fixed on Annelise.

Joséphine took a quick look at Lady Beatrice over her shoulder, but instantly looked away as if something had stung her eyes.

"Leave Beatrice alone," Josephine said, pushing her blade closer to his neck, "or I will fucking kill you right now."

Pushing her sword away, Joseph quickly closed the gap. He then seized a handful of her black curly hair, studying it.

"Don’t touch me," Joséphine said, slapping his hands away.

"If you kill me," he chuckled, stepping back, "then all the men here will turn into frogs and all the women will die."

Joséphine’s nose wrinkled as if she’d caught a foul scent. "Including your father?" she asked.

"Yes," Joseph answered, a slight grin touching his lips as he cast a glance at the Bishop over his shoulder.

"How about this?" He invaded Joséphine’s private space, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Marry me, and I will leave Beatrice alone."

Joséphine jolted back, an eyebrow raised. "Marry you? Are you serious?" she questioned.

Joseph lifted his hand from her shoulder and walked toward the podium.

He gestured toward Annelise. "Thirty seconds until this one dies," he warned, "keep that in mind while you keep me waiting."

Joséphine turned and glanced at Cupcake. Cupcake nodded, and Joséphine then shifted her gaze to me.

Her eyes told me she’d already made up her mind, but I shook my head. "Don’t do it," I said, "I have a bad feeling about this."

"I am Lady Beatrice Knight, and if marriage is what it takes to protect her, then I will do it," Joséphine said, beginning to walk toward the podium.

As Joséphine approached the podium, Lady Beatrice suddenly yelled. "Stop!"

Facing Joséphine, Lady Beatrice extended an empty hand, a silent plea for her to return. "Just kill me," she said, "and all of this suffering will end."

A single tear escaped Joséphine’s eye. "You know I can never do that," she replied, turning her back to Lady Beatrice and advancing toward Joseph.

Lady Beatrice sank to her knees, her royal gown pooling around her as she sat on the floor, despairingly glancing toward the high ceiling.

With his hand already cut and blood on the contract scroll, Joseph passed the knife to Joséphine as she arrived at the podium.

"Blood Art Technique: Inverted Square."

I observed Joseph from above, using my third eye to find any clue about how his unique skill works.

If Joséphine signs the contract, I’ve confirmed he can kill her instantly. But if I try to attack him, he can turn me into a frog before I even reach him.

What I noticed was that first, he told a group of men he would go home with eleven wives, then turn them into frogs. Later, he kissed Annelise before turning her groom into a frog.

Why did he kiss her before turning her groom into a frog? Was he trying to get a reaction from him?

"Quick question," I whispered to Cupcake.

"Can someone awaken a core out of jealousy, an intense emotion of jealousy?"

"Yes,"

"Why did you ask?"

"Nothing."

Cupcake and I returned our gaze to Joseph after our small exchange.

At that instant, Joséphine sliced her palm and dripped her blood on the contract scroll, making their marriage official.

Grabbing her shoulder, Joseph attempted a kiss, but she pushed his mouth away. "Just because I married you doesn’t mean I love you," she said.

Joseph hugged her, trying to bite her ear, but she shoved him away, nearly making him lose his balance.

Her actions puzzled me, and I couldn’t make sense of them. I was under the impression he had total control over whoever signed the contract; was I wrong?

Furthermore, I think his ability is related to jealousy; he first makes someone jealous and then gains the ability to turn them into a frog.

If my assumptions are true, I can flash step and cut his head off; that will solve the problem. But if I am wrong, I will transform into a frog for the rest of my life.

Joséphine’s expression softened as she asked, "Before we go, may I say goodbye to Beatrice?"

"Make it quick," Joseph responded, leaning on the podium to steady himself.

’Thud-thud.’

From three vantage points, one using my third eye from above and the other two using my ocean eyes, I watched Joséphine approach us.

Cupcake, Lucy, Evelyn, and I all turned to face Lady Beatrice, who was seated on the floor.

As Joséphine neared, Lady Beatrice stood. Joséphine immediately opened her arms, ready to hug her.

’Bang.’

Joséphine’s forehead hit a transparent barrier, blocking her access to Lady Beatrice.

Joséphine glanced at Cupcake. "Could you allow us?" she pleaded, referring to the barrier.

"Take that thing off you," Cupcake remarked, poking Joséphine’s sheathed sword with her extended twelve-inch blade.

"I see, you no longer trust me," Joséphine said, taking off her scabbard and throwing it at Cupcake.

Cupcake stepped on the sword, still refusing to undo her barrier.

Knocking on the barrier, Lady Beatrice fixed her gaze on Cupcake. "Remove the barrier," she ordered.

"I am sorry, but I can’t comply," Cupcake responded.

Lady Beatrice threw her hand into the barrier, punching so hard that she bled.

’Bang!’ ’Bang!’ ’Bang!’

"If you’re going to separate me from my best friend and childhood friend, I’m going to keep punching until I break your barrier," Lady Beatrice said.

Thirty punches later, her knuckles were stripped of skin, with blood oozing from every angle.

"Fine, I’ll remove the barrier, but only for thirty seconds," Cupcake said.

She split two of her fingers that were crossed together.

Simultaneously, as Cupcake released her barrier, and before she could even speak, I saw something with my third eye: Joséphine was straightening her palm, shaping it into a blade.

"Blood Art Technique: Positive Touch."

I gripped my sword tightly, then flash-stepped toward Joseph.

With a clean slash, I sent his head flying, and blood erupted from his neck, showering me in it.