Volume 5, Chapter 3 – The Royal Capital, Alvier

“So this is the royal capital… It’s so much more prosperous than the other cities of the Blood Clan.”

“The streets are clean, and you don’t see any misery on people’s faces. Non-Blood Clan members can walk freely in the alleys. If it weren’t for that magnificent royal castle, I might have thought I’d arrived in a human nation.”

Visiting the royal capital for the first time, Yisi and Camilla looked around the city. Unlike any city they had seen before, this ancient capital with a thousand-year history was not a landscape of unchanging scenery. It had ancient, historic buildings as well as newly constructed houses. On both sides of the streets, workers could be seen renovating buildings everywhere.

This was a symbol of a city full of vitality, where the people held hope for the future. New houses meant that people’s lives were getting better, and streets under renovation meant that the ruler cared deeply about the city’s future. Everything was developing in a positive direction.

Yisi had only ever seen such a sight on Earth.

Seemingly reading Yisi’s thoughts, Edith took a proud step forward to the front of the group, turned around, and introduced the city to Yisi with a smile.

“What do you think? The first time I came to this territory under the Queen’s direct rule, I felt the same way you do. There’s a vitality here that no other territory can compare to. The residents walking on the streets don’t have to worry about sudden attacks, and you don’t see starving slaves or vagrants in the alleys. Homeless children are uniformly taken in by shelters directly under the Queen’s authority. It’s a scene of prosperity everywhere. I guarantee you, there is no second city on this continent like the Blood Clan’s royal capital, where all races can coexist peacefully and work together for the future.”

“You seem very happy, Pepe.”

If Edith had a tail, it would probably be sticking straight up by now. Yisi had a feeling.

Edith placed a hand on her chest confidently.

“Isn’t that to be expected? As a member under the Queen’s rule, which of the Blood Clan wouldn’t feel proud after seeing such a prosperous scene? Although Her Majesty the Queen is secretly called a toothless lion, the people who say such things are either superficial individuals who rely on hearsay or petty people who are jealous of Her Majesty’s foresight. No member of the Blood Clan who has seen this with their own eyes would ever have the guts to speak ill of Her Majesty.”

Edith’s words made Mary, who was looking around, nod in agreement.

“Miss Edith makes a lot of sense… This is the first time I’ve ever seen such a lively city.”

Tiffany followed up, twitching her nose. “There’s very little smell of blood.”

“But according to what you said, Edith, was this city’s transformation personally overseen by Andre—Alvier VII?”

Previously, in order to create her new body, Yisi had snatched the necklace worn by the Queen of the Blood Clan. It was at that moment that Yisi realized she had actually met the Queen once before, and they had even exchanged blood.

Alvier VII was little Andrea.

I should have realized it when we first met…

At the time, she had found Andrea’s full name, “Andrea Fred Alvier ¹ must be shortened… the full name is 5 words long ” to be familiar, but she hadn’t looked into it further. It was only after seeing her in person that she remembered Alvier was the name of the Blood Clan’s royal family.

However, it had to be emphasized that although she had only exchanged a few words with Andrea, she was certain that Andrea was the type of person who was so kind she could forgive even those who had hurt her. She was very petite and cute, a far cry from the decisiveness required to rule a territory. The idea that this prosperous capital was the result of Andrea’s governance felt somewhat incongruous.

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Edith snorted lightly.

“Of course. When Her Majesty took the throne, the nobles didn’t think highly of her because she was too young. But Her Majesty quickly showed her talent to the people. In less than a year, she introduced several unprecedented reforms. Then she spent another three years transforming the territory under the royal family’s direct control into a rich and prosperous land.

In my personal opinion, those southern nobles intending to raise the banner of rebellion are simply seeking their own destruction. Even if the power held by the royal family is weak right now, as long as the Queen is given time to recover, their failure is only a matter of time.”

This girl might just be a queen fanatic.

Yisi couldn’t help but smile at Edith’s effusive praise. She wondered what Edith would think after seeing Andrea’s kind side.

Well, Edith was only here to discuss the annihilation of the rebel army with Andrea. She would leave the capital after their discussion, so she probably wouldn’t see Andrea’s soft side.

As for what she herself should do, Yisi planned to find a suitable time to meet Andrea in her [Third Form Awakening] state.

After all, when she had taken the necklace, she had not only defeated all the guards in the royal castle by herself, but she had also withstood the attacks of all the various wards in the castle. If she were to casually reveal her own immense power, she might be treated as a tool to be used.

If Andrea were to tearfully claim that stealing her necklace had caused her huge losses and that she would only be forgiven if Yisi accompanied her for three to five years, it would be a losing proposition. The thought of being a free fighter for three to five years was just bleak.

Of course, Yisi didn’t actually think Andrea would make such an outrageous request. She just couldn’t guarantee that Andrea wouldn’t be secretly instigated by someone else to do so. That was why Yisi decided to visit directly in her [Third Form Awakening] state. If she explained things clearly face-to-face, she wouldn’t have to worry about Andrea being used. Also, if that necklace was really important to Andrea, Yisi would have to do everything she could to make up for it—everything except for killing.

“By the way, where’s Refina?” Yisi changed the subject.

“Miss Refina has gone to where we’ll be staying. Miss Edith’s Father owns a house in the capital, and Miss Refina said she was going there first to arrange for the servants to clean the rooms.”

“What a capable maid…”

Refina had transitioned from a “pet” to a maid, so being proactive was a good thing. It could save her master a lot of effort.

“Onee-sama, it’s getting late. We should find a place to stay too.”

“Huh? Didn’t Mary just say? Father has a mansion in the capital. Staying in the noble district is much better than a commoner’s inn.”

“Onee-sama would not accept handouts.”

Camilla’s deadpan statement made Yisi’s whole body stiffen. She had actually been planning to stay directly in the mansion arranged by Count Pescia. It was perfectly normal for a prominent noble like him to buy a mansion in the capital’s noble district for occasional stays, and they were usually absurdly large. It wouldn’t be a problem for all her companions to stay there together.

Just what kind of person am I in Camilla’s eyes…?

Looks like she’d have to find some time to ask her properly.

“Don’t use Yisi as a shield. If you keep backing the person you like into a corner with no way out, they will only grow to resent you over time and start avoiding you. This is a word of advice from the eldest daughter of the Pescia family.”

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“Ahaha, it’s not as serious as Pepe makes it sound. Camilla is the second young lady of the Pescia family, so the house bought by Count Pescia is her home too. Deliberately staying at an ordinary inn would draw strange looks from other nobles, right? So how about we stay in the noble district for now, and then move out after we’ve handled our business?”

Yisi’s mediation made Camilla pout slightly, but she then nodded.

“…I will do as Onee-sama says.”

“Th-Then I’ll go help Miss Refina tidy up the rooms too!”

“Yes, cleaning.” Tiffany placed her hands on her hips proudly. Mary’s natural love for cleaning aside, Tiffany was quite skilled at it, especially when it came to cleaning clothes like bedsheets and quilts. No matter what it was, as long as she ate it and spat it back out, it would become clean and dry.

Seeing Mary and Tiffany’s enthusiasm, Yisi clapped her hands.

“Then let’s go to Edith and Camilla’s house first. If I remember correctly, meetings among the Blood Clan are usually held at night, so we have free time until evening.”

Edith raised an objection. “No, Yisi stays. You’re coming with me to the royal castle. An audience with the Queen requires an appointment in advance, so we need to go wait at the castle now.”

“Can’t you just go by yourself?”

“If I go alone without a handmaiden, Father’s reputation will be looked down upon,” Edith said, waving her hand as if helpless. “Besides, this is a chance for Yisi to broaden her horizons and make a name for herself among the nobles. If my dear sister objects, I won’t refuse, but the responsibility…”

“You just want to take this opportunity to introduce Onee-sama to those nobles as your fiancée.”

They were starting to argue again. What a headache.

Yisi sighed helplessly. “Alright, alright. In that case, Camilla and I will accompany Edith for the audience with the Queen. Mary and Tiffany, you go help Refina clean the rooms.”

Originally, it would have been fine for just Camilla and Edith to go together, but Yisi was afraid of two things: first, that they would start fighting, and second, that Andrea would mistake Edith for the wrong person. When Yisi had drawn Andrea’s blood, she had been using Edith’s appearance. If Andrea were to point at Edith in front of everyone and shout, “This person sucked my blood,” Yisi couldn’t even imagine what the outcome would be. It wouldn’t be surprising if they were convicted of treason.

Camilla bowed to Yisi. “Yes. I will keep an eye on Edith and make sure she doesn’t bring shame upon you, Onee-sama.”

Edith raised an eyebrow in displeasure. “You’re the one who’s likely to cause shame, aren’t you? I hope you don’t disgrace the Pescia family name in front of the Queen.”

Seeing the two of them bickering again, the exasperated Yisi chose to evade, quietly walking over to Mary and Tiffany’s side and patting both of their heads in turn.

“I’m counting on you two to help Refina. Remember to make dinner, okay? I’ll bring back gifts for Mary and Tiffany when I return.”

As if shy, Mary lowered her head in embarrassment. “Gifts… cooking for Master is my duty as a slave. For Master to bring back gifts just for a meal…”

“Sweets.”

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In contrast to Mary’s hesitation, Tiffany directly stated what she wanted.

Imperceptibly, Yisi felt Mary’s body stiffen for a moment.

She really wants sweets, doesn’t she? Desserts like cake were rarely seen in the Pescia Territory, and it had been a while since Yisi’s group had seen any.

Amused by Mary’s bashful yet honest reaction, Yisi felt the urge to pick her up and hug her.

“Well then, I’ll see if there are any dessert shops around before I come back. For now, I’ll take Mary and Tiffany to the house Count Pescia bought.”

“M-Master, you’re playing dirty…”

“Mary, cute.” As she spoke, Tiffany held Mary’s face and gave her a peck on the cheek.

But this time, Yisi didn’t show her usual smug grin. Instead, her expression was complex and subtle, a mixture of jealousy and vexation.

If I were a little girl like Tiffany, I could do the same thing to Mary, right—no, Tiffany and Mary just have a pure friendship.

Unfortunately, she had seen too many dirty things and could no longer be a little girl in the true sense. The sincere friendship between Tiffany and Mary, in her adult eyes, was mixed with many things that shouldn’t be there. This contradictory feeling of being self-consciously impure but unable to restrain it was hard to describe.

Well, I’ll just use my imagination. They often eat each other anyway, so there’s plenty of room for imagination.

Yisi didn’t notice that her own azure eyes had unknowingly turned heart-shaped.

Tiffany stood on her tiptoes and pinched Yisi’s cheek. “Pervert.”

“Tiffany! Even if Master was just thinking about something bad, you can’t do that to her!” Mary quickly stopped Tiffany from pinching Yisi’s face.

Mmm… Mary is truly an angel.

But for even Mary to see that she was thinking about something bad, her expression must have been very obvious.

To save face, Yisi flashed a bright and friendly smile at the two of them. “Mary and Tiffany, you must have seen wrong. Now, let’s head back first.”

“Liar.”

Ignoring Tiffany’s comment, Yisi left the still-bickering Camilla and Edith behind and took Mary and Tiffany towards the Count’s mansion in the capital.

◇

A familiar yet strange, dimly lit room.

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A group of ‘people’ with diverse appearances sat at a long table. Some had horns on their heads, while others had skin as dry and rough as tree bark. One of them was even a spiritual body.

After a long silence, the one sitting at the head of the table spoke.

“…I heard Samael has returned.”

“Yes. With a slave contract on him. It was the work of Hetty, one of Tartaros’s subordinates.”

The female spirit responded. Her words made everyone present frown, and one of them expressed his anger by slamming his hand on the table.

Bang.

“I think they’ve grown tired of living! Hyurent is Lord Ouranos’s domain. Tartaros and his kind have no right to interfere. To place a slave contract on Samael, this is tantamount to declaring war on us! This is a provocation!”

“Calm down, Rahab. The Demon Lord is not here right now, and the Saintess is not yet ready to take his place. We can only choose to forbear.”

The woman’s words silenced everyone.

After a while, someone finally brought up a new topic. “Cook ² yes… its a name from vol1ch8… weird name smh should i do literal with Kuke? ignore this if it’s not that bad said that the Demon Lord’s aura has completely vanished recently. According to the rules set by the Demon Lord, it’s time to prepare for the Saintess’s baptism.”

“What does Violet say?”

“No interference. They want us to handle it ourselves.”

“What about the issue of territory grabbing?”

“Hmph. Since these short-sighted natives won’t accept Lord Ouranos’s goodwill, then let them be. They won’t have the energy to manage the Blood Clan’s lands after conquering them. At that point, Violet will not sit idly by. When the day comes that they start acting recklessly, Violet will deal with them.”

“Azazel! Hyurent is Lord Ouranos’s territory! Are you planning to just hand over the land our lord protected?!”

“I have thought much more about this than you, Rahab. Instead of worrying about outside affairs, we should first protect Valhalla—no, it’s called Hermes now. We cannot afford any mistakes until the Saintess has received her baptism.”

Seated at the head, Azazel, the leader of the fallen angels, paused for a moment. “However, this does not mean we will not respond at all. We must also give a small ‘feedback’ for Tartaros’s reckless actions in the Blood Clan’s territory. Rahab, I leave this matter to you.”

The atmosphere in the meeting hall suddenly became cheerful.

Rahab stood up, laughing loudly. “Haha, I knew you wouldn’t just sit back and watch, Azazel. I owe you one for this. I’ll repay this favor later. Leave it to me to vent our frustrations for Lord Ouranos.”

“Hmm,” Azazel smiled and gestured with his hand for Rahab to sit down, then continued the meeting in a gentle tone. “Now, for the next agenda item.”