“I don’t know the details either. I just follow our mother, the queen’s will… but it’s not as if I have no guesses.”
“For example?”
“The ‘Female Mage’ came here, didn’t she?”
It was a statement made with a slight smile.
However, her gaze carried a subtle malice, and I nearly drew my hand axe in that instant.
“Our mother is very interested in that traitor… The future of the continent will become the Master’s grave. Isn’t that splendid?”
“You’re quite confident, considering you couldn’t even win against the original.”
At my remark, the eyes of the retinue grew fiercer.
It seemed to provoke her, but I was only pleased to see the cracks that appeared in her otherwise composed demeanor.
“You think you can conquer the Academy just because you lot have gathered? How many powerful individuals remain here…?”
“…We’re preparing for that.”
With a slightly heated voice, the woman spat out the cold statement.
“You don’t know our mother’s fears… humans can never harm our mother.”
Is it truly impossible for ‘humans’?
It didn’t seem like mere bravado or empty threats. As I cast a sidelong glance to gain certainty, Shi-en continued in a serious tone.
“It’s not a lie.”
“Damn it.”
It was a reality I didn’t want to know much about.
Is it impossible to confront the other party as a ‘human’?
I wanted to gather more information, but I sensed something from the retinue’s furtive glances.
This woman is looking for an opportunity to escape.
My long experience told me that right now, the vampire’s retinue would choose the most effective means to make an exit.
Kill the hostages and slip away in my moment of confusion.
My heightened senses chased after the warmth of blood scattered over the debris. Oddly enough, the blood was becoming increasingly warm.
Just as I was focused on the retinue, they were also watching me closely.
There was no way they wouldn’t notice that I realized something.
As I subtly moved my hand to my waist, the retinue let out a sharp sound.
“…Don’t move!”
Feigning nonchalance, it seemed she didn’t want to die after all.
I swallowed a hollow laugh yet decided to comply with her demand.
For now, I restrained my feet.
I decided to be satisfied with that fact and continued with my ultimatum.
“I have two final questions… Is there anyone among you who has returned to being human? And, have you really never seen Celin?”
“…Will you spare me if I tell you?”
In her quivering voice, I saw a glimmer of possibility.
My gaze deepened.
“Under the condition of telling the truth… By the way, we have means to discern the truth of statements.”
“I swear.”
No longer trying to hide her anxiety, the vampire growled and presented the condition again.
“I swear to the Heavenly Deity… One of your lovers is the Lady Virgin Saint of the Holy Kingdom, right? I’ll stake her honor on that.”
“Well…”
What a crafty condition.
I trailed off, hesitantly closing my eyes.
Although it wasn’t publicly declared, isn’t the relationship between me and the Lady Virgin Saint akin to a married couple?
But to have my husband carelessly invoke the Heavenly Deity’s name?
I wouldn’t have any right to say anything if the Lady gave me a beating.
No, the Heavenly Deity might throw lightning down on me out of anger.
I was not the Lady Virgin Saint. I had no confidence in surviving the flames.
With shivers creeping up, I let out a sigh mixed with a groan.
“…Must it be like this?”
“If you want the truth from me, you must give me at least that much, right? And do not forget that the life of the hostage is in my hands.”
After hesitating for a while, I finally squeezed my eyes shut.
“I swear. As long as you answer my questions truthfully, I will not kill you today.”
“‘Today’?”
“Should I just let you have your way when we meet next time? Let’s be reasonable.”
The retort that spilled out was entirely justified.
No matter how much a vampire’s retinue it was, they couldn’t keep insisting any longer. She nodded obediently and began to provide the promised information.
“First of all, none of our sisters have returned to being human… Why would we have to? We’ve received such abundant grace and can wield power as we please!”
“Don’t you wish to regain your humanity?”
“Not at all.”
With that affirmation, a thick, fierce smile followed.
There was no need to ask Shi-en. This woman was sincere.
“Is the ‘contract’ really that easy? We have received grace, and in return, we can only love our queen infinitely. There’s no way to revoke the decision.”
“What if the contract was enforced?”
“Oh… was it a story about ‘slaves’ and not ‘sisters’?”
Now she seemed to understand my inner thoughts, wearing a playful smile.
“Still, nothing changes. The weak are devoured by the strong… it’s the nature of the great world.”
Before I could ask more, she uttered the question that she had truly been curious about.
“And you said ‘Celin’? Unfortunately… I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“…What?”
Ceria had discovered gray hair on the scene.
Wasn’t it highly likely that it was the vampire’s doing? But Shi-en was silently glaring at the vampire.
The implication was clear.
Truth.
I clenched my teeth, suppressing the rising questions within me, just as the vampire continued to speak.
“Why do you think I’m hiding here? To monitor the ‘slaves’… In other words, most of the kidnapped women remain in my memory. But I swear I’ve never seen the person you described even once.”
“That’s not saying much…”
“You said you could verify the truth, right?”
Shi-en nodded quietly before I even had the chance to ask.
I wanted to let out an expletive, but the other party had only spoken truthfully.
In the end, I had no choice but to clench my teeth and swallow my anger.
The face of my childhood friend drifted in my mind.
If something were to happen to Celin, how would I face Reto?
It was then.
“I was wondering how you distinguish lies, and it’s the torn pupils… Dragon’s Blood, that girl.”
It was a voice soaked in hollow desires.
The vampire’s blue eyes glinted, fixated on Shi-en. Her mouth, slightly ajar, looked ready to drool at any moment.
The emotion that her expression conveyed was clear.
Hunger.
Shi-en wasn’t so oblivious as to be unaware of this. Her face turned pale as she stepped back.
It was a turn of events that left me feeling confounded.
“What’s going on… weren’t you after me?”
“Ah, your blood smells sweet enough. But the brat next to you… somehow, it smells too delicious.”
Tilting her head slightly with a grin, the vampire flirted with me.
“I promised, right? At least ‘today,’ I won’t kill you… no matter what I do.”
At those audacious words, my hand instinctively moved towards my waist. The vampire let out an even clearer laugh.
“Hahaha! Calm down, what do you think I would do? Just… just let me taste a little bit of your blood. For the sake of our queen…”
Even so, when I showed no signs of retreating, the vampire took a subtle glance around.
The lives of the hostages were still clutched in the vampire’s grasp.
The conditions were the same.
If I raised my aura, she would kill the hostages.
She was delicately walking on a tightrope to avoid breaking her promise. If she made excessive demands, I could very well break my oath.
As I maintained my silence, Shi-en gripped my sleeve with terrified eyes.
“S-Sir Ian…”
Even in that pitiful voice, I remained unmoved.
I simply let out a sigh, slowly removing my hand from the hilt of my sword.
“…You’ll regret this.”
It was the moment when the expressions of the two women collided awkwardly.
Shi-en, unable to believe that she had been abandoned, became teary-eyed. Meanwhile, the vampire took slow steps with a face filled with delight.
“Don’t… don’t abandon me! Sir Ian, I was wrong… I won’t speak badly from now on! I’ll stay a good girl! Actually, I’ve thought wicked thoughts about Sir Ian for a long time… but I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong… Look, look! I can even mimic that dragon’s roar well… Hiii?!”
But that long plea could not even finish.
As Shi-en made a claw shape with her hands, she screamed at the vampire’s approach, which had come too close instead.
“Don’t worry too much, little dragon… it will all be over in an instant…”
It was right after that.
A rustling sound echoed startlingly.
It was a speed that no one could react to. Even I, who was standing right in front of the vampire, couldn’t even flinch.
It was an absurdly unreal scene.
No one moved, yet there was a crimson gash on the vampire’s wrist. Soon, a scarlet fountain erupted as the dismembered hand flew through the air.
It was a very brief moment until consciousness returned from the surreal to the real.
“K-Kyaaaaaa! Who… who dares! Which bastard!”
Spitting out foul words, the vampire grabbed her severed wrist and savagely surveyed the surroundings.
But no matter how much she looked around, she wouldn’t be able to see anything.
Thud thud.
As the sound of footsteps approached, the Imperial Princess and I naturally turned as the path for the girl opened.
A small girl with dark blue hair.
But her gaze was luminous.
If one were to encounter her on an unknown roadside, they might first think of the dance of fireflies.
Finally, a low declaration was made.
“It’s just me.”
A death sentence.
