Alucard didn't fully trust himself, but at least from now until the end of the ceremony, Elena believed that he would be on her side without reservation. Alucard was the most important part of her survival plan. Now that Alucard was on her side, her plan was finally free from worries.
Not long after, Elena put on her mother's hairpin again and left the room alone. She came to the auditorium again, glanced at the seventh seat of the seventh table, and then smiled at the empty seat without any hesitation, and walked towards the corridor. "Does it really take Nini so long to count to a hundred?" Elena muttered to herself as she got closer and closer to her rest room.
But at this moment, a respectful greeting suddenly rang in her ears. "Beautiful Princess, if I'm not mistaken, you are going to look for the little girl holding the teddy bear, right?"
Elena's high heels stopped, and she turned her head slightly. She found that she was standing right in front of the third painting on the corridor. [Portrait: Clever Gnome] And the gnome in the painting was staring at her with a pair of cunning eyes, with a sly smile on his face like a shrewd merchant, closely watching Elena.
Elena's mouth opened slightly. "Your surprised expression is just like you didn't expect a portrait to speak," the gnome in the painting said with a wider smile. "Indeed, I didn't expect it," Elena quickly composed herself and nodded.
This painting had always been mysterious in Elena's memory. Even in the three "Future Visible" events, it only appeared once. And it didn't appear as a portrait but in its original form - the "Illusory Mirror". Now it didn't restore its original form but suddenly spoke to her as a "gnome in the painting", which meant that she had triggered some kind of flag of this "Chaotic Neutral" guy.
Elena gracefully turned around and stood calmly in front of [Portrait: Clever Gnome], smiling and saying, "Hello, Clever Gnome. I'm indeed going to look for my blood contract partner. May I ask why you suddenly stopped me? Is there something you want to tell me?"
"You can't go to her, beautiful princess," the gnome in the painting seemed to be very kind, "The Bloody King will be reborn today. If he finds out that his daughter has become your blood contract partner, he will surely turn you into a pool of stinking blood immediately!"
"Bloody King..." Elena was suddenly shocked, "You said he will be reborn today?"
"Exactly, beautiful princess. The day of his rebirth was determined the moment he was born into this world," the goblin in the painting solemnly warned. "So you are in danger, beautiful princess. If you go to find the Blood Baby now, you will be with her forever, and the Blood King will come looking for his daughter the moment he is reborn, and by the way, he will shatter your body to pieces."
"But if you don't go to her, the Blood Baby will keep counting her endless numbers until the Blood King arrives," the goblin in the painting said.
Elena's breathing grew heavy: "If I don't go to her, will I be able to live?"
"Of course!" the goblin affirmed. "The best way now is for you to escape the castle before the Blood King is reborn. Three hundred miles west of the castle is the Lost Forest. Even a king-level being would never be able to get out once they enter. If you can escape there, I'm sure the Blood King won't dare to go in after you. But as a price, you will also be lost in the forest forever. But, that's better than dying, don't you think, princess?"
Hearing the goblin's kind reminder, Elena felt a chill run down her spine. What's going on? She hadn't even finished her coming-of-age ceremony, and now a new situation was about to arise! Is it so hard for her to just live!
Fortunately, Elena quickly calmed down because she remembered Aunt Mary's first piece of advice - the third painting in the corridor always lies. So she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and smiled again: "What a perfect suggestion. But why are you helping me?"
"No, no, no, the cool-headed princess. I never help anyone," the goblin in the painting cackled. "The reason I'm giving you advice is because I have the 'Survival Manual' in the Lost Forest. If you want to survive in the Lost Forest, I think you will definitely need it."
"You... want to do business with me?" Elena's lips curled up.
"Yes, smart princess. And my manual is very cheap, very cheap. Just... the small hairpin on your head is enough," the goblin in the painting cackled.
"That's not cheap at all, goblin boss," Elena said with a smile. "The key to the 'Gate' is only worth a 'Survival Manual'? You really know how to do business, don't you?"
"Oh! You are even smarter than I expected, princess. Your wisdom is like that of a true goblin. But I think that compared to life, nothing seems so important. What do you think, hehe."
Elena nodded: "Indeed. I just want to live." However, she asked again in the goblin's anticipation: "But why should I trust you? Just because you say the Blood King will be reborn today, does that mean he will be reborn today?"
"You should know that not everyone can see through the illusion of time. I know the day of his rebirth better than anyone. Please believe me on this, princess," the goblin in the painting affirmed.
Elena's lips continued to curl up: "Let me guess. The reason you can see through the illusion is because you are the 'Mirror of Illusion' yourself, and you are full of lies! How can I trust someone who doesn't even dare to show their true face?"
This time, the goblin's expression clearly froze, and his cunning smile also solidified. "Smart princess, you really surprise me. I really don't know how you were able to see through my illusion?"
This time, the goblin in the painting didn't speak again. Instead, a sharp crack suddenly appeared at the bottom of the frame. Then, a row of terrifying eyes suddenly emerged from the top of the frame, spinning around in different directions before all turning towards Elena, all filled with shock. At this moment, the goblin in the frame vanished, replaced by a smooth mirror that clearly reflected Elena's face.
"Look! You are indeed dishonest. Your actions and words are full of lies. So it's impossible for me to believe you." Elena shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, but our business is off."
"No, no! Clever Princess! I'm the most honest mirror in the world!" The lying mirror anxiously rolled its eyes, eager to prove itself.