Volume 4, Chapter 12 – Termi City

Before entering the city, Yisi and her companions got off the carriage and parted ways with Edith and Refina.

They weren’t going separate ways, but Yisi simply didn’t want to attend the welcoming reception for nobles. Refina had long since had her assassins inform the lord of Termi City in advance to prepare an honor guard, so if they didn’t get off the carriage early, they would be drawn into the troublesome social circle of the nobility.

Finally free from the psychologically twisted count’s eldest daughter, Yisi, floating in the street in her Magic Fairy form, stretched with a long sigh.

“I can’t believe that person is so arrogant. Not only did she inform the city lord of her arrival in advance, but she also had him arrange a huge welcoming ceremony. Doesn’t she know she’s being hunted right now? What if the lord of Termi City has been replaced or has defected?”

Of course, Yisi said this, but deep down, she understood the reason. The lord of Termi City was a direct descendant of the Pescia family and, by seniority, was Edith’s uncle. Combined with a personality as twisted as Edith’s—the two often exchanged notes on torture methods—the lord of Termi City would absolutely side with Edith.

“Onee-sama, aren’t you worried that she might run away secretly? Even if she doesn’t try to escape, it would be troublesome if she were assassinated.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already considered that.”

There was no one in this city with a higher rank than Edith, and with the highly vigilant Refina constantly by her side, it was basically impossible for them to encounter danger.

Using her Magic Fairy ability to float, Yisi remained at eye level with Camilla, turned around, and waved at her as she moved backward.

“Oh, come on, since we’re in a vampire city, let’s not think about serious business. Just relax. Mary and Tiffany, is there anything you’d like to eat?”

Overall, Termi City was very desolate. The buildings were generally short and dilapidated. There were very few humans on the streets, and most of the lower-class vampires looked gaunt. There were hardly any vendors on the roadside, and a faint scent of blood hung in the air.

It was so rundown that it felt like a famine could break out at any moment.

Even Mary and Tiffany could sense this atmosphere.

“It feels so desolate…”

“Unhealthy.”

The one who answered was Camilla.

“The blood clan doesn’t have a sun, so the people who live here have pale skin and are very thin. Coupled with the blood shortages and a strict hierarchical system, the lives of lower-class vampires are miserable. Having two meals a day is already considered a good life.”

“Just like slaves.”

Yisi, who had never lived among the blood clan, couldn’t help but sigh, while Mary looked at the passersby with a gaze full of worry.

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“Can’t they go and live in the human world…?”

“Besides the fact that very few cities are willing to accept the blood clan, there’s also the reason that they cannot see sunlight. Unlike the blood clan, the human world is not willing to be constantly covered in clouds. If possible, humans prefer every day to be sunny.”

“What happens if a vampire encounters sunlight?”

Mary asked curiously. Camilla was silent for a moment before giving her answer.

“They’ll be burned to death. Sunlight is no different from a potent poison for lower- and middle-class vampires. As soon as they are exposed to sunlight, their skin will be scorched. If this lasts for more than half an hour, they will eventually turn into a lump of charcoal. Sunlight is a form of punishment for them. Holy water and crucifixes have the same effect. It’s ironic that although holy water is something the church invented and created, and the blood clan strictly forbids its trade and transportation, many nobles still pay a high price to buy these very things that were originally meant to be used against them.”

“Why?”

“To kill their own kind, and for torture—”

“Stop!” Yisi forcibly interrupted the conversation, stepping between Camilla and Mary. “Mary is too young. She doesn’t need to know these things.”

“Oh…”

If she hadn’t interrupted Camilla’s conversation, Camilla would probably have gone on to say something like “to add a bit of fun.” It was something the count’s eldest daughter used to do, so it wasn’t strange for Camilla to have seen it.

“Alright, alright! Let’s put all the painful things aside and try to visit all of Termi City before the sun sets!”

“Okay.”

As if to cooperate with Yisi, Tiffany raised her fist and gave a cheer with no emotion.

◇

Soon, led by Yisi, the four arrived in front of a dilapidated inn.

“Although I found this place myself, is this really an inn?”

A strong smell of blood emanated from inside, and the old and disrepaired door frame made one feel that the sanitation conditions inside must be terrible.

With a hesitant look, Camilla said, “Onee-sama… do you really want to go in?”

“…We’ve come all this way. How can we turn back now?”

“But—”

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“I-I’ll go with Master!”

As if to encourage Yisi, Mary took a step toward the inn door, but Tiffany pulled her back.

“Don’t.”

However, attracted by the commotion at the door, a man with a feminine appearance and lipstick on his lips walked out of the inn. ¹ ….ew The man’s gaze first lingered on Yisi for a second, then glanced at Camilla and Tiffany in turn. Then, when he saw Mary, who was exuding healthy vitality, his dark eyes burst with a strong light, like an adventurer who had discovered a new continent, and he excitedly rubbed his hands together.

“Oh my, oh my, this is the first time I’ve seen such a healthy child. What a premium item. Did you come here by yourself? Or with an adult? For a child like you, I’m willing to offer two, oh no, three Hyurent gold coins.”

However, the man quickly noticed Mary’s pointed ears, and like a rejected suitor, the excitement on his face quickly turned to disappointment.

“Ah… so it’s a half-elf. In that case, there’s no such high price. Aww, what a pity. If it were a human or a more flavorful half-dragon, I would have been willing to pay five Hyurent gold coins.”

“Hey, old man, what are you talking about?”

Because of the man’s man-eating words, Yisi shielded Mary behind her. Tiffany on the other side also held Mary tightly in her arms, as if to declare ownership, and glared at the man with a wary look.

“She’s mine.”

“Oh my, I was mistaken. My apologies. So who’s the cargo?”

The man happily rubbed his hands again, his gaze wandering among Yisi and the other two.

Camilla, who understood the situation, stepped forward.

“We are guests from out of town.”

As if struck by a huge blow, the feminine man with lipstick and unnaturally pale skin stood still, stunned. After a full five seconds, he recovered and mumbled to himself,

“Oh my, oh my, oh my… my God, they’re guests. I’ve made such a mistake… People of other races also have the right to taste blood besides the blood clan. I am such a fool for overlooking such an important thing.”

The man patted his own chest. His frivolous demeanor from earlier was completely gone, and he looked ready to introduce himself.

“Nice to meet you, and welcome to the Blood House. I am the owner of this establishment. I apologize for thinking that the guests were people who voluntarily offered their blood in exchange for food. Besides some forbidden blood types and rare species, the Blood House has all kinds of blood. Welcome.”

“…Do you have any normal food?”

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“Food? Of course, we don’t have such a thing. Although we, the blood clan, need to supplement both blood and ordinary food, ordinary food can never compare to the taste of blood. Rather than spending money and resources on preparing complicated dishes, it’s better to dip bread in more delicious blood—ah, I’ve strayed from the topic. Since this is the first time I’ve met people of another race who want to taste blood, I got a little carried away. Please forgive me.”

The man’s passionate introduction made Yisi stand still, stunned.

Hmm… I should have thought of this.

Since this was a city of the blood clan, the delicacies in the inn should naturally be blood.

If she were alone, Yisi would certainly have been curious enough to go in and taste all kinds of blood, but with Mary behind her, her bizarre interests had to wait for another time.

Yisi gave an awkward cough.

“Ahem, I’m sorry, I just remembered something urgent. We’ll come back after we’ve taken care of it.”

“You’re welcome anytime. Also, as a local, I should warn you not to go out at night. The lower-class vampires will attack travelers at night. Once caught, you will be sucked dry by a group of hungry ghouls. I wouldn’t want to see such promising guests meet with an unfortunate end.”

The feminine man with lipstick winked at Yisi and blew her a kiss. Yisi’s Magic Fairy body immediately felt a layer of non-existent goosebumps rise. ² eeek

“Thanks for the advice.”

Then she quickly took Camilla, Mary, and Tiffany away from the inn.

I’ll come back to visit at night.

After sprinting for a while, Yisi and her companions successively went to what looked like a high-end inn and a snack shop, only to conclude that the term ‘normal food’ simply didn’t exist in Termi City.

The so-called snacks were just grilled bread with a layer of blood sprinkled on top, or a sweet substance called ‘Blood Clot,’ which was said to be blood refined by alchemists, with one drop being worth ten drops of ordinary blood.

Besides that, their greatest gain was a type of crop called ‘Red Lettuce.’ Because it could grow without sunlight and had low demands on soil and water, and could also satiate hunger while alleviating the craving for blood, it was the daily staple food of the lower-class vampires. Yisi bought half a bamboo basket of it for just one iron coin.

Taking a piece of peeled red lettuce, which was only as thick as a chopstick, from Camilla, Yisi held it with both hands and took a bite. A large amount of red juice immediately splattered out.

“This body really has no sense of taste…”

“Only lower-class vampires who can’t afford food eat red lettuce. Onee-sama doesn’t need to try it. It’s very bitter.”

“Did you eat it before, Miss Camilla?”

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Mary and Tiffany each held a strip of red lettuce. The red lettuce Yisi bought was a processed product, cut into pieces the thickness of chopsticks.

“Only once. Red lettuce is very common among the blood clan. It matures again within a dozen days after being harvested.”

“Ugh… so bitter.”

As if eating a Pocky stick, Tiffany’s brows furrowed after biting half a piece of red lettuce, and she was about to spit out the remaining half. Mary saw this and bit the other half that was in Tiffany’s mouth.

“Dhon’t waashte.” (Don’t waste it.)

From Yisi’s perspective, the two looked like they were doing something rather intimate.

Hmm…

She blinked her red eyes, and several special effects and lines of dialogue immediately appeared in her mind. Yisi’s expression quickly turned into a ‘-w-‘ face.

It’s so good to be alive.

“Onee-sama seems very happy.”

“Huh? Ah! No, no, I definitely wasn’t healed by the sight of two people being intimate and loving, absolutely not.”

“Intimate and loving? That’s certainly something that only people with a good relationship do, but I wouldn’t say it’s intimate and loving…”

Just the delusional thoughts of a disgusting otaku.

Making a snarky comment to herself internally, Yisi quickly changed the subject.

“The sun is about to set, let’s hurry back. Let’s go back.”

“…Alright, Onee-sama.”

“Master is flying so fast!”

“Yisi, pervert.”

Pretending not to hear Tiffany’s cold pronouncement, Yisi stuck out her tongue and flew with her companions toward Edith, facing the setting sun.