Volume 1, Chapter 22 – The Vampire Princess in Search of Blood

“Is this Niru City? It’s livelier than I imagined.”

Basking in the rare sunlight, Yisi looked around like a country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time. The streets were lined with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and customers haggling over prices. Everywhere she looked, there were goods like spices, vegetables, meat, and live poultry, with stalls of all kinds crowding the area. One misstep and she might tread on discarded vegetable leaves. The sight of red-faced pedestrians and merchants arguing over prices filled the city with vitality.

What surprised Yisi, however, wasn’t just her own curiosity about the outside world—Camilla, who followed closely behind, was just as intrigued. But unlike Yisi, who was interested in everything, Camilla’s gaze only lingered on stalls selling live animals. Even so, for Camilla, this was an unusually expressive reaction.

“Camilla, have you never been to human streets before?”

Yisi’s sudden question made Camilla blink. Her deep, pool-like crimson eyes reflected a soft glow under the sunlight.

“Yes. Since being adopted by Father, this is my first time in the human world.” Compared to when they were alone, Camilla now seemed more animated—more like a real “person.” “Onee-sama, was there somewhere you wanted to go when you suddenly decided to come out?”

“First, we need to find a carpenter, then buy some clothes and magic books. Most importantly, we have to collect blood.”

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The books in the mansion consisted only of prayer books meant for clergy and historical texts about the continent. To attempt learning magic in this world, a beginner’s guide was essential.

Finding a carpenter was necessary to make chopsticks for meals. Though Yisi had been in this world for nearly a week, she still wasn’t proficient with knives and forks. As for buying clothes, the reason was even more obvious—the eldest daughter of the count’s attire was far too extravagant and cumbersome. If possible, she wanted something simpler.

Of course, these were secondary. The primary goal was collecting blood.

The blood thralls in the mansion were too weak to continue providing blood, so Yisi had no choice but to turn to the human world. If the Church found out she intended to gather blood in Niru City, they would undoubtedly oppose her. Thus, Yisi had left without notifying the Church or bringing any of their guards. After summoning Camilla, she had teleported outside using magic. As for her vampire wings, Yisi had folded them and hidden them beneath loose clothing. With a large woolen cloak draped over her, no one would notice.

Here, it was worth mentioning a unique trait of pureblood vampires: unlike ordinary vampires, whose wings grew from their backs, purebloods’ wings emerged from their waists, making them much easier to conceal.

“You plan to collect blood in the human world? If humans discover your identity as a vampire, there could be trouble.”

“Where there’s enough profit to be had, humans will gladly bargain even with demons. With enough gold coins—I mean, surely there’s a black market in the human world, right?”

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No matter how well-governed a city was, there would always be shadows lurking beneath. And this was a world where order wasn’t particularly strong to begin with. Over the past few days, Yisi had been poring over historical records and general knowledge of the continent. Though the books were compiled by the Church and filled with derogatory remarks about vampires, there was still plenty of useful information.

For example, in human society, certain nobles with peculiar tastes kept vampires as pets. Yet both theocratic and monarchical states forbade the practice. So how did these nobles acquire their pets? The answer was obvious: the black market, or something like it.

In that case, as long as the price was right, black market dealers wouldn’t hesitate to supply her with blood.

The allure of money existed even in Yisi’s quasi-utopian world.

Carefully avoiding oncoming pedestrians, Camilla wore a thoughtful expression.

“But contacting black market dealers usually requires a referral from someone familiar with them. We don’t have anyone we can trust in Niru City, so achieving our goal quickly will be difficult. If you need blood, Onee-sama, I can provide it.”

Was this the surface-level Camilla speaking, or the real one? Yisi couldn’t tell, but it didn’t stop her from responding.

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“No need. One person can only provide so much blood. Camilla, you’re spe—uh, I mean, it’s just not allowed.”

She had nearly blurted out, “Camilla, you’re special to me,” and Yisi awkwardly averted her gaze. It wasn’t romantic feelings—Camilla was the only one who knew she wasn’t the count’s eldest daughter, making her the perfect confidant. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Camilla happened to be Yisi’s ideal type, so there might have been a hint of affection.

“Yes, I understand.”

Her tone was flat.

The real Camilla had returned.

Yisi sighed faintly. Whenever she gave a clear order, Camilla would respond and execute it without hesitation. Yisi wasn’t sure how to handle this. Though she knew Camilla’s behavior was unhealthy, she had no choice but to rely on it for her own safety. The thought filled her with indescribable complexity.

Yisi wasn’t the adventurous, impulsive type. She preferred careful observation and rational judgment—provided it didn’t violate her principles. Keeping Camilla as she was now benefited Yisi the most. Treating her as a tool was the purely logical choice, but her humanity wouldn’t allow it. Or rather, she didn’t want to.

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Camilla was a human being. What Yisi ought to do was free her from her own shackles, transforming her from a puppet into a real person. But that future was far too uncertain, and Yisi had no idea how to even begin. So for now, she could only tread this middle path—neither treating Camilla as a tool nor interfering with her.

With a quiet sigh, Yisi shook her head. This was her first outing, and here she was dwelling on such heavy thoughts. How unsightly.

She quickly changed the subject to distract herself.

“Still, it’s true that we can’t reach the black market anytime soon. If there were another way to obtain blood—” Yisi paused, struck by a sudden idea. “Do humans have hospitals in this world?”

“‘Hospitals’?” The unfamiliar word made Camilla tilt her head slightly, her deep crimson eyes reflecting confusion. “What is that?”

“A place where sick people are treated.”

“Do you mean the Church’s temples? They can only heal external injuries. For illnesses like cold fever, which are said to be caused by demonic possession, the only cure is to find an apothecary, take medicine, and then bleed the sickness out.”