Volume 4, Chapter 19 – First Clash

The sunlit streets were unusually quiet. Most vampires stayed home during the day, and combined with the sunlight, the only people still active in the entire city were humans and demi-humans. Yet even under these circumstances, the vampires who rarely opened their windows on a normal day were now all peeking outside.

A vampire girl was walking down the center of the street.

Fearless of the sun, dressed in a dazzling red gown, and followed by several servants holding umbrellas, the noble aura she exuded made others feel inadequate. Without a doubt, only someone who was a noble from birth could possess such a presence. At the same time, the residents of this city deeply remembered this girl’s name.

Loiswell Edith Pescia.

Although she had no honor guard and pitifully few attendants, the determined will and unquestionable pride in her narrow eyes were something that could never be faked.

Everyone realized that something big was about to happen.

Worried that Edith might be ambushed, Refina quickened her pace slightly, staying close behind her.

“Master, please let me walk in front.”

Edith waved her hand.

“Unnecessary.”

The city guard had already tacitly allowed Edith’s entry, so they would certainly not ignore any attackers. It could be said that everything was developing in a favorable direction.

The only thing that annoyed Edith was that Yisi had left the group with Camilla. If the second young lady of the Pescia family were by her side, the evidence of her identity would be even more substantial.

Of course, to Edith, the absence of Camilla didn’t change anything. Her very existence represented everything. Just like the vampire residents peering from their houses, as long as she stood before the public, everyone would bow in reverence to her. A fake could never impersonate the original.

Glancing at the rotting, stinking charcoal-like corpses in the alleys, Edith reached up and touched her fangs.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been back. I didn’t expect it to become like this. Although the lives and deaths of these commoners are of no concern to me, the thought that the perpetrator is that impostor, disposing of the Pescia family’s property without permission… if I don’t give her a proper reception, it would bring shame to the Pescia family name.”

“If Lord Litt were here, you wouldn’t have to act personally, Master.”

“Litt is reporting his duties in the royal capital. The impostor must have chosen this exact moment to strike.”

Litt referred to Litt Farcia, one of the current thirteen knights of the blood clan, who was also the butler of the Pescia family. In this world, besides Count Pescia, only the butler Litt’s advice could get through to Edith.

Suddenly, Refina’s voice dropped, and she lowered her head slightly, leaning close to Edith’s ear.

“Master, someone is watching us.”

“Ignore them. If anyone attacks, the city guard will intervene immediately. Although they betrayed me by remaining neutral, they won’t stand by if someone dares to start a fight in the city.”

“Yes.”

Following the city’s wide main road, Edith passed through the noble district and went straight to the Count’s mansion. Just as she had said, they encountered no assassins or large groups trying to stop them until they reached the solemn Count’s residence.

The Count’s mansion, with its large courtyard, was no different from usual. If one had to find fault, it would only be that the plants in the garden were poorly trimmed and a bit messy. A stone path paved with white chalkstone extended from the metal gate all the way to the main building. The greenery reflected the sun’s brilliance, the dazzling light making it hard to open one’s eyes.

Rеαd oո ΚαtRеadіոɡСafе

The empty courtyard was unsettlingly quiet.

Is there an ambush? Or has Father already been moved?

Just then, the sound of scissors and a watering can falling to the ground came from behind the iron gate.

“…Y-Young Lady?”

He looked like a gardener, but Edith didn’t remember this person. Servants were consumables to her.

Just as Edith was about to have Refina speak, a squad of guards wearing conical hats ran over from the other side of the mansion. Like the male gardener, when the guards saw Edith, they looked completely stunned.

“Young… Young Lady, the real Young Lady is back!”

If the impostor were smarter, she would have replaced all the servants in the mansion. Edith narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin at the soldiers.

“If you know who I am, then open the gate.”

“Yes!”

Joyfully, the soldiers opened the gate with a key. Although they didn’t dare to openly challenge the impostor Hetty, they were more than happy to provide a convenience like opening the gate. For these vampire soldiers, bloodline was the reason for their loyalty. Even though Hetty had pureblood wings, she was not a member of the Pescia family line, and therefore, she could not win their support.

Meeting no resistance, Edith walked into the courtyard, led by the soldiers.

“Where is Father?”

“The Count is resting in the back garden.”

The soldier’s answer brought a cold smile to Edith’s face.

“Hehe… That impostor hasn’t run away, has she?”

“The fake who is impersonating you was taking a walk in the courtyard earlier. We don’t know where she is now.”

“So she ran away. You may leave. I’m going to see Father.”

“Yes!”

Without refusing, the soldiers quickly dispersed. The only ones following Edith were Refina, holding an umbrella, and the remaining seven assassins.

It was unbelievably smooth, yet also perfectly logical. Just as Edith had thought, no matter what tricks the impostor used, as long as she stood in the Pescia mansion, everything would be resolved.

She began to laugh at her earlier caution. Perhaps she had been influenced by Yisi’s way of thinking and had become overly nervous—she had to get Yisi out of her mind as soon as possible. To do that, she needed her father’s help. Perhaps only the power of the Tower of Alexia could subdue that inscrutable creature.

Thinking about the future, Edith arrived at the five-story main building of the Count’s mansion. She placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted it forcefully.

She didn’t succeed. The door was pushed open from the inside before Edith could apply force.

Reaⅾ on КαtRеaⅾіոɡCаfе

Inside was a girl of about eighteen with wings growing from her waist and long white hair. Her clothes were made of very little fabric, as if to show off her figure, and the large expanse of exposed fair skin was enough to make one swallow.

Although she was also a rare beauty who could be rated a ten, the emotion in her eyes was fundamentally different from Edith’s. Hetty’s eyes were full of seductive charm, while Edith’s were of pride and indifference.

Completely unafraid of Edith standing right in front of her, Hetty covered her mouth and yawned.

“Yawn~ You made me wait so long. You’re too slow.”

“Stay away from my master, you inferior thing.”

Refina immediately stepped between Edith and Hetty and mercilessly swung a fist at Hetty’s face.

The metal gauntlet, whistling through the air, reached Hetty’s eyes in an instant. But Hetty only glanced at Refina with her red eyes, and Refina froze like a controlled puppet, her fist stopping motionless in front of Hetty.

“Kneel.”

The voice, lacking in authority, made Refina slowly retract her hand. Her golden eyes gradually lost focus. But just as she was about to kneel, her eyes regained their senses. However, as if she had been pushed hard, Refina stumbled back several steps, her forehead covered in beads of sweat.

With a surprised look on her face, Hetty touched her chin.

“She broke free on her own? It seems she’s a loyal dog. The blood clan isn’t entirely useless.” Hetty looked at Edith. “Well then, as a gesture of mercy to this fallen young lady, I’m not interested in your position. If you leave now, I will naturally return your status after I’ve finished my business. We can pretend none of this ever happened. Also, as a lady, it’s not a good habit to casually draw your weapon.”

“One need not observe noble etiquette with the shameless.”

Holding Gungnir in one hand, Edith took a few steps back, creating distance from Hetty. A long spear was only suitable for use in open areas; fighting in close quarters was not a wise move.

Summoning a purple flame at her fingertips, Hetty sized up Edith while speaking in an unhurried tone.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hetty the Faceless, subordinate to the Demon Lord of the Earth, Lord Tartaros. My current name is Loiswell Edith Pe—”

Before Hetty could finish, Edith thrust her spear directly at her.

Clang.

As if striking a shield, the tip of Gungnir let out a wail and stopped about half a meter from Hetty’s head.

It was a defensive magic.

“Oh my, so this is the young lady of the Pescia family? The rumors say you’re famous for your tyranny and cruelty. Looking at you now, I think ‘irrational’ would be a better word. You’re nothing like the Loiswell in Count Pescia’s memory. If the gap is too large, you won’t be able to win against me even if you stand before him, you know?”

Realizing that normal attacks were ineffective, Edith took a few steps back. She quietly infused Gungnir with magic, then had Refina order the assassins to disperse. If they charged now, they would only have their minds controlled.

“Once I kill you, Father will naturally break free from the mind control.”

Hetty, however, had no intention of fighting Edith and continued to explain in a lazy tone.

“As the master of the Tower of Alexia, even I cannot control Count Pescia. At most, I can only interfere, read his thoughts and memories, and then make myself look like you in his eyes. Of course, this is just physical appearance. If we were to call him over to verify memories now, he would only see me as the real Loiswell. Memories deviate over time, and the consistency in impression means you cannot win against me. So I’m warning you one last time: get out of here.”

Reаԁ оո КαtReαԁіոɡСαfе

“[Pierce].”

With a red light like a flash of lightning attached to the tip of her spear, Edith thrust at Hetty’s heart with a standard lunge. Unlike the previous thrust, this one, enhanced with [Pierce] magic, could easily pierce through defensive barriers.

Bang.

The sound of shattering glass rang out. Gungnir barely touched Hetty’s defensive barrier before piercing it, then continued with a momentum that seemed to want to pierce through everything, reaching Hetty in an instant.

Then it stopped.

It wasn’t because it hit something, but because Edith had voluntarily relaxed her grip.

She had seen Hetty’s red eyes.

Like someone who had been fighting for three days and nights suddenly taking a bath and being able to sleep soundly on a soft, large bed, an indescribable sense of drowsiness enveloped her body. Her hands uncontrollably loosened their grip. After a second, Edith even had the thought that the person in front of her was her closest relative and that she had to obey her commands.

But in this world, the only person who could command Loiswell was Loiswell herself.

Gathering her will in her chest, her mind cleared. Then, an unexpected and light “Huh?” completely ended Hetty’s mind control.

‘Huh?’

BOOM!!!

With Edith at the center, an invisible wave that only Hetty could see spread out in all directions. The tsunami-like wave seemed to want to devour everything, and the howling sound it created struck a deep fear into Hetty’s heart.

She wanted to run but failed.

“Ugh.”

Unable to dodge in time, Hetty was hit head-on. As if her internal organs had been smashed by a sledgehammer, blood flowed from her eyes, nostrils, mouth, and ears, and she uncontrollably fell to one knee.

“You… your soul…”

“Go to hell.”

Not wanting to miss this opening, Edith charged directly at the half-kneeling Hetty.

“Samael!”

As soon as Hetty’s voice fell, Edith heard the sound of wind by her ear. A sense of crisis from her intuition forced her to take evasive action.

She tilted her head slightly, and the spear in her hand missed its mark, stabbing into Hetty’s shoulder. At the same time, a white light flashed past where Edith had been standing. If she hadn’t changed her posture in time, that attack would have instantly slit her throat.

Her unbalanced body fell to the ground. Edith immediately scrambled up, wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Tch, so Samael was lurking around after all.”

Reαⅾ оո ΚаtRеαⅾіոɡСafе

But Samael was nowhere to be seen. To guard against his possible appearance at any moment, Edith gave up pursuing Hetty and instead became alert to changes in the air, spreading her wings to accelerate her magic recovery.

Taking this opportunity, Hetty gasped for breath and stood up from the ground. Unlike her previous composed appearance, she now looked like a defeated general. Her disheveled state had completely lost its feigned noble aura. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Edith.

“I didn’t expect you to sell your soul to someone else just to deal with me. Samael, there’s no need to keep her alive. Kill her.”

There was no answer, but the sound of wind in her ears had already told Edith the answer.

To the left.

She spun her spear, blocking a blow with the shaft, but the force transmitted through her hand felt like being run over by a chariot, and a cracking sound came from her left hand as the bone broke.

“Ugh—”

Before Edith could endure the pain, the sound of wind came again from behind her.

If I don’t block it in time, I’ll be cut down.

But her left hand holding Gungnir had lost its strength. Edith could only choose to evade as much as possible—by jumping to the right. But the sharp sound of wind approached again, this time at her neck.

There was no escape.

“Get away!”

Bang.

A metal gauntlet collided with a short blade, and the sparks that flew made one subconsciously close their eyes.

The recovered Refina had pushed Samael back.

But Samael had disappeared again.

A troublesome ability.

Cursing inwardly, Edith began to think of a way to escape her predicament. Even if Samael’s abilities were not suited for frontal combat, there was an absolute power gap between them. If the fight continued, and if Hetty, who was skilled in mind magic, joined in, the only outcome would be defeat.

“Do I have to use ‘that’…”

Gripping Gungnir tightly, Edith stood up from the ground and took a deep breath.

It was at this moment that a majestic voice, one that only a ruler could possess, echoed throughout the mansion. Along with it came armored soldiers who surrounded the entire courtyard.

Decreya Cyril Pescia.

“That’s enough.”