The Kingmaker System
Chapter 255 - 254. The Silent Hunt (1)

Chapter 255: 254. The Silent Hunt (1)

The encounter with the dark entity left a heavy weight on my mind. It was no longer a matter of just the Temple’s corruption or the Saint’s hidden plight. Something far more insidious was at play, a third force lurking in the shadows—one that felt ancient, powerful, and calculating. It wasn’t human, of that I was certain. And now, it was here in Denril, most likely for me.

The implications unsettled me. If it had been lingering in the kingdom before I arrived, then perhaps my presence had inadvertently drawn its attention. On the other hand, if it had followed me here, that was even worse. It meant that whatever this entity was, it had been watching, waiting, and now, it was closing in.

I didn’t have the luxury of time to confront it. My focus needed to remain on the task at hand—exposing the Temple and ensuring Mirielle’s safety. But the entity’s presence couldn’t be ignored. It was a shadow in the corner of my vision, a constant reminder that something darker loomed on the horizon.

Days passed, and its presence became more palpable. It no longer stayed hidden in the background of my awareness but seemed to pulse with a quiet menace, growing stronger with each passing hour. I could sense it, a faint ripple in the fabric of reality, always watching, always waiting.

One night, it finally revealed itself.

In my dream.

I found myself in that familiar, haunting dreamscape again—the one with the crying child. The air was thick with an oppressive fog, and the sound of the child’s sobs echoed through the darkness. His voice was weak, broken, yet persistent as it called out to me. Each cry pulled at my chest, a visceral tug that made it impossible to ignore.

But tonight was different.

The child was still there, a fragile silhouette curled in on itself, but something else lingered at the edges of the dream. A presence. It loomed just beyond the fog, its form obscured but unmistakably there. It stayed in the periphery, hovering at the very edge of my vision, never fully revealing itself.

It was mocking me.

I could feel its intent, a quiet, malicious amusement as it watched me struggle to comfort the child. Every time I tried to reach out, the child’s cries would grow more distant, as if the entity was deliberately keeping me from him.

Why are you here? I thought, but the entity didn’t respond. It simply lingered, a dark shadow taunting me with its silence.

I forced myself to focus on the child. His voice was faint but clear, calling out, pleading for help. The desperation in his tone cut through the fog like a blade, making my chest tighten.

"I’m here," I whispered, stepping closer. "I’m coming."

But no matter how far I walked, the distance between us never closed. The child remained just out of reach, his form flickering like a mirage. And all the while, the entity watched, its presence pressing down on me like a cloak.

The dream faded, and I sat up slowly, wiping away the sheen of sweat that clung to my brow. My heart wasn’t racing with fear—it never did. Fear was for those who didn’t understand their own power. I knew mine.

The dark entity? It was dangerous, yes. Malicious, undoubtedly. But stronger than me? Hardly. It could haunt my dreams and lurk in shadows all it wanted, but it had yet to face me directly. That alone spoke volumes.

Still, its presence wasn’t something I could brush off. Not because it frightened me—but because it was persistent. And persistence, even from a weaker opponent, could be troublesome.

I stood and let out a slow breath, shaking off the lingering weight of the dream. It had been toying with me, testing my patience. The child’s cries, the fog, the distance—it was all a game meant to frustrate me. But games only work when both players participate.

Not interested, I thought with a smirk. If it wanted to continue its charade, it was free to try. But it would find that I wasn’t easily rattled.

I was currently in the prayer room told to pray for a couple of hours and I sat there quietly without any supervision. Eventually, I ended up drifting back to my dreams and instead of focusing on the shadow, I focused on the child who persistently called for me.

It knew about my power and it sought my help desperately but I couldn’t recognise the child I could only hear and try to assure that I was there yet, it did no good.

"I wonder who that child is," I mumbled looking up at the Saintess’s statue.

"Can you of all people answer a couple of my questions?" I asked the statue and then snorted.

"I must have lost my mind," I muttered before I stood up stretching my arms above my head.

I was about to leave the room when I felt slightly strange, it was as if someone had touched me. Something cool, almost like a breeze but there were no windows in the room for the breeze to flow.

I looked around with Mana Eyes activated, trying to discern the presence that had dared to touch me but there was nothing.

Was it just my imagination?

I walked out of the prayer room and ran into the High Priest who was walking from the other side. He seemed to be in good mood with the way he was smiling. His face was bright with vigor that betrayed his age and it struck me late as to what was different about him.

My blood sizzled under my skin and seemed to be oozing from the pores of my false body as smoke as he approached.

"Saintess," he regarded me with a smile and it took all the strength in my to control myself from pouncing on him to rip him to shreds.

I gave him a nod and he frowned a bit but it didn’t stay long as he simply held the smiled and that unnerving essence that I felt oozing from his body. It was unmistakably that of a Dragon’s blood.

There was dragon’s blood which was somehow filling his veins but how was that possible? He would die if he consumed the Dragon’s blood. Humans were in no way strong enough to handle the Dragon’s bloodline, let alone harness it.

But then how come he had some Dragon’s blood on him?

I needed to find out. I reached out with my hand and Benedict looked at my halfway stretched hand.

"I... I heard from His Holiness about how my fiance..." I gulped turning my head to one side showing that I was mentally disturbed.

I hadn’t meant to talk to him about it but I needed more information and for that I would at least need to touch him.

"Oh..." Benedict spoke and then lowered his head.

"I can understand that you must still be in shock about that," he spoke in a sympathetic tone and reached out holding my hand.

I activated Mana Sense and Mana Eyes on full scale letting my mana flush inside him through that contact.

"I-I can’t tell you how I feel right now," I kept the act going as I clutched his hand.

"I can understand..." Benedict’s voice seemed a little confused but I didn’t let go as I kept going until I seemed to understand what was going on.

There wasn’t any Dragon’s blood in his veins, it was something else, that contained the Dragon’s blood but then again, the blood wasn’t pure. It seemed as if it was drawn from something which was closely related to a Dragon. And the only possibility that I could reach was that it was either a Lesser Dragon or something like the remnants of the Dragon.

The memory of the Dragon’s remains that were trapped in that lake at Holy place flashed in my head and I wondered if these guys knew about it.

Benedict’s body seemed to have been cleansed or rather purified from inside out which was why he was bursting with so much vitality.

"I-I hope you recover from your pain soon, Saintess." He said and I nodded letting go of his hand.

"If you need anyone to talk to, you can come find me, Saintess. I’ll gladly lend a listening ear." He said placing his hand over his chest and an angelic smile.

I sniffled and nodded, wiping the nonexistent tears from my eyes.

"I will, High Priest."

He nodded before he went his way and I watched his retreating back.

First, that black entity, and now this guy with a strange source of vitality. Just what else was I left to come across?

I returned to my room and was instantly hit by a presence which was familiar, I wasn’t expecting him to arrive so soon but I was glad that he was here.

I walked inside and found the child curled up on the armchair dozing off. He must have been tired of waiting.