Chapter 109: The Dagger and the Poison

Later that evening, Maya returned to the guesthouse. Compared to her previous visit, the young dark elf maiden’s face now bore a distinct air of annoyance and disappointment.

Maya was indeed disappointed. They had spent the entire day debating in the temple, but in the end, Matron D'Anfo’s conclusion remained that they should offer as many sacrifices to Lolth as possible to secure her forgiveness. To Maya, this was insufficient. She knew where the root of the problem lay, and she understood why her mother had chosen such a dead-end path. Had this been in the past, Maya might have waited in despair, but now, she no longer wished to continue this way. The fate of House D'Anfo was sealed; without a complete, true sacrifice, nothing could be undone.

Now, Maya believed it was time to strive for the continuation of House D'Anfo.

"I require your assistance, Master Mage."

Maya stood before Jan, speaking in a soft, gentle voice. Upon hearing her, Jan simply nodded. He stared at the young dark elf in silence, signaling for her to continue. In truth, Jan was filled with his own doubts. Even without reports from Verna, he had noticed that the changes occurring within Maya exceeded his expectations. According to his original plan, once he had bound Maya with her true name, she should have become his servant. Yet, that was not the case. While the system displayed her status as [Subordinate], it failed to list her detailed information, including her attack power or management stats. This indicated that the Dungeon System did not recognize this dark elf as being fully under its management, even though she had become his most loyal slave. Thus, Jan was observing her, looking for what set her apart from the others. He would not be discouraged by this minor setback; after all, the path to truth is always rugged. Failure is the mother of success, but he hoped to find some clues from this dark elf maiden—at the very least, he wished to understand why Maya was not acknowledged by the Dungeon System, especially when even Verna had already been integrated into it.

"My mother has decided to hold another sacrifice. But it is meaningless. Our humble pleas will only anger the Spider Queen rather than win her forgiveness! We must first correct our errors..."

Maya did not continue; she glanced at Jan.

"But this will cost our house dearly, Master Mage. We need time to recover from the impact..."

Hearing this, Jan closed his eyes as if in thought, though it was merely a performance. He already understood Maya's intentions and what she planned to do. Admittedly, this was a great opportunity for him as well.

With that thought, Jan opened his eyes and looked at the girl before him.

"As long as you fulfill what you have promised, you shall receive what you desire."

For Maya, this answer was enough.

***

When the light of the pillar rose to the height of the fifth finger, Jan, led by Maya, arrived once again at the temple of House D'Anfo. This was his first time stepping into such a core area, and he was not alone; Verna was present as well. Coupled with the dark elf warriors, it was evident that Matron D'Anfo hoped to secure Lolth’s favor through this prayer. Yet, even Jan knew the hope was slim. This was not surprising; neither gods nor demon lords were so bored as to concern themselves with every single believer. Lolth had as many dark elves to manage as she had spider hairs; she could not focus her gaze on a house that had already lost her favor. It was much like an ancient emperor casting aside a concubine who had fallen out of favor—he would likely not recall her name until the day he died.

The male dark elf warriors chanted hymns praising Lolth. Matron D'Anfo stood before the spider-shaped altar, her hands raised high as she prayed with eyes closed. To her sides stood Batna and Maya, with Verna and Jan standing further out. Unlike the three priests whispering their prayers, Jan simply lowered his head and stared at the ground in silence. On the other side, Verna was clearly ill at ease, though this was not her first time participating in such a ritual, and she knew how to properly display the appropriate attitude.

"Bring out the sacrifice!"

After the chanting concluded, Matron D'Anfo shouted. Following her call, two dark elf warriors emerged from the side door, dragging a burly male dark elf between them. Jan had never seen him before, but according to Maya, he was the Matron’s consort. He had long been trusted by Matron D'Anfo due to his sturdy physique; after all, only a healthy, strong dark elf could sire more powerful children for her. But now, the Matron had clearly decided to end this relationship once and for all.

The consort did not struggle; due to the influence of drugs, he was little more than a puppet. The dark elves placed him upon the altar, and Matron D'Anfo raised the sacrificial dagger high. She closed her eyes again, pleading for Lolth to heed her summons, then opened them. She handed the dagger to her youngest daughter. It had been decided that Maya would conduct the sacrifice, as she was the only one who had not participated in the recent failed actions, and the Matron needed Maya’s fanatical faith in the Spider Queen to complete the ritual on her behalf.

Maya raised the ritual tool high, and as she did, the dark elves’ hymns reached a crescendo.

In the next moment, Maya brought the dagger down with force.

But it did not pierce the consort's chest as planned. Instead, the sharp blade swerved in mid-air and plunged deep into Matron D'Anfo’s chest.

"You—!!"

Faced with this sudden turn of events, Matron D'Anfo’s eyes widened as she stared at her youngest daughter. Maya still wore her usual innocent smile as she watched her own mother. Yet, the flames in her eyes were so searing and bright that they made Matron D'Anfo feel a stinging sensation.

"You have failed the Spider Queen’s expectations, Mother. Now, you must pay the price for it!"

Maya shouted, tightening her grip on the dagger.

Matron D'Anfo’s eyes bulged. She opened her mouth, attempting to scold her daughter for her foolish actions, intending to use her power to strike her down and make her realize her own stupidity. But foul blood welled up from her throat, choking off the words she meant to utter. Matron D'Anfo could clearly feel her heart being seized by a sharp, piercing force. The blade, shaped like the six claws of a spider, mercilessly gripped her heart and tore the beating organ from her body. Matron D'Anfo watched as her daughter held her heart high, and then she collapsed to the ground, never to respond again.

On the other side, Batna had no time to react. Almost at the same moment Maya’s dagger pierced the Matron, Verna’s longsword swiftly pierced Batna’s throat, turning the dark elf priest into a lifeless corpse.

"I humbly beg for your forgiveness, Great Goddess!"

As Maya held the heart aloft, the dark elves’ chanting grew even louder. The murder that had occurred during the ritual did not cause them panic; instead, every dark elf was thrilled by Maya’s successful usurpation. Maya had successfully deceived, betrayed, and murdered her mother to become the new Matron of House D'Anfo. If she could also gain Lolth’s blessing, everything would be perfect!

No one noticed that at that very moment, Jan tapped his mithril staff against the floor.

"Boom!"

The next instant, flames surged from the brass brazier, completely consuming the heart in Maya’s hand before quickly receding. Seeing this, the dark elves became even more frenzied, shouting and praising Lolth’s holy name to express their reverence and fear.

Maya lowered her head to look at the dark elves prostrating before her, a smug smile spreading across her face. She kicked aside the corpse of her mother, Matron D'Anfo, and sat in her place—the seat that now belonged to her. She had slain the culprit who had led House D'Anfo into its current state of chaos and had successfully earned the favor of Lolth. The flames were proof of that! And not only that...

Thinking of this, Maya could not help but turn her head to glance at Jan, who stood beside her. She was almost certain that later, she would be able to receive further rewards from Lolth through this man. Those were rewards that only she, as the Matron of D'Anfo, was qualified to receive—others had neither the right nor the power to do so!

Noticing Maya’s gaze, Jan looked up and offered her a faint smile. Seeing his response, the smile on Maya’s face grew even softer. She could not wait to enjoy those heavenly, ecstatic sensations.

As for the ultimate fate of House D'Anfo, now left with only one high priest, Maya did not give it a single thought.