Volume 2, Chapter 15 – The Fallen with Dual Abilities (Part 1)

After leaving Mary’s room, Yisi and Camilla made their way to the tavern’s first floor. Aside from the counter and tables, the first floor also connected to a kitchen where meals could be prepared, as well as a backyard. However, like the rest of the tavern, the kitchen was covered in dust from long neglect.

Cough, cough. “Even the kitchen has been ransacked by nearby vagrants?”

Choked by the dust, Yisi covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve. Fortunately, it was winter—if this were the sweltering heat of summer, the cramped kitchen, barely two meters high, would have been unbearably stuffy.

Camilla immediately took out her magic staff and began chanting a cleaning spell. Just like the day before, a gentle breeze laced with white sparkles swept through the room, swiftly gathering the dust and carrying it out through the small window into the backyard.

Thanks to that, Yisi lowered her sleeve and began inspecting the kitchenware. According to the bald man, Darc, everything in the tavern—including the kitchen utensils and decorations—now belonged to her.

“I can understand taking the pot, but why would they even take the bowls from the cupboard?”

“They probably thought the bowls were valuable enough to sell for food. Those people will try anything to get a meal.”

As she spoke, Camilla began tidying up the clutter in the room. The cleaning spell could only remove dust and small debris like wood shavings; things like twigs and torn rags had to be picked up by hand.

“How long does Onee-sama plan to keep her—Mary—here?”

“At least until she recovers enough to live independently. If she wants to stay, she could help out at the tavern.”

“But she’s hiding something. Her eyes aren’t normal. We should at least find out her background to avoid any potential harm to you.”

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“I will.”

Judging by Mary’s earlier reaction, that red eye had likely subjected her to harsh treatment. Getting answers anytime soon would be difficult—people instinctively conceal unfavorable information, and Yisi knew that well. Even if she asked, Mary might not be willing to reveal the truth.

With the two of them working together, the small kitchen was soon cleaned up. It had to be said that aside from cooking, Camilla was absolutely perfect at household chores. By the time Yisi finished wiping down the brick stove, Camilla had already cleaned every other part of the kitchen. All it needed now was a set of clean utensils to look brand new.

Though neither of them had a large pot to place on the stove, there was a small furnace in the corner of the kitchen, solving the problem of having nowhere to cook. Of course, given the lack of seasonings in this world, the food Yisi prepared was merely filling—far from delicious.

After sharing a simple breakfast with Camilla as usual, Yisi took a bamboo basket filled with sliced bread and meat broth upstairs. Meanwhile, Camilla stayed on the first floor to clear out the broken tables and chairs, tossing them into the backyard. The first batch of custom furniture would arrive in the next couple of days, so they needed to make space quickly. The blood reserves in Yisi’s storage would only last five more days, meaning they had to open for business soon.

That said, Yisi didn’t expect to find regular blood donors immediately after opening. So, she was also considering alternative ways to replenish her supply.

According to Camilla, vampires who were critically deprived of blood would either lose their minds or faint. The latter was manageable—with Camilla around, she could always take care of her. Yisi had already instructed Camilla that if she ever passed out, she should feed her some animal blood as a stopgap.

But if it were the former… Yisi couldn’t even imagine the scale of disaster she might cause. Given the appetite of the eldest daughter of a Count, a single feeding could drain a human dry. And if Camilla happened to be nearby at the time… the consequences would be unthinkable.

“The worst part is that Camilla wouldn’t even resist…”

Though Yisi tried not to dwell on it, she had recently noticed that Camilla’s clinginess had escalated several levels. In some ways, she was even starting to resemble Refina and the others, as if she were eagerly waiting for Yisi to drink her blood.

Did I push Camilla into another extreme?

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Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Yisi gently knocked on Mary’s door.

“Still awake? I’m coming in.”

The moment her voice faded, hurried footsteps sounded from inside. Then, as the wooden door opened, a petite girl with a white bandage over her left eye and a blanket draped over her shoulders appeared before Yisi.

She’s already able to walk around after just recovering? Considering how fragile Mary’s limbs looked—as if they might snap with the slightest squeeze—Yisi couldn’t help but feel curious. But there Mary stood, full of energy.

“M-Master, what do you need?”

Whether from cold or nervousness, Mary—with her lovely chestnut hair—stammered slightly, forcing a smile that came off as overly ingratiating. Yisi couldn’t help but think of a shop dog that stopped barking to please customers. That was exactly how Mary looked right now.

Given Mary’s past living conditions, such a fawning smile was probably a necessary skill to earn food from her masters. Though Yisi found it rather unsightly.

“Let’s talk inside. Don’t drag the blanket on the floor.”

“Yes.”

That said, the way she wore the blanket like a cloak—since she had no proper clothes—was somewhat endearing.

Yisi kept that thought to herself.

“You must be hungry. I brought some food. After this, I have some questions for you. You must answer truthfully—it’ll determine whether you stay or go. While keeping you here at no cost isn’t a burden, I won’t keep someone around who might cause trouble.”

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She expected these blunt words to make Mary look dejected, but to her surprise, Mary simply stared eagerly at the bamboo basket Yisi placed on the bedside cabinet.

Yisi sighed.

“Eat first.”

Unexpectedly, Mary didn’t reach for the food. Instead, she fixed that eager gaze on Yisi’s face, swallowing nervously.

Being stared at so intently by this half-elf girl who still carried an air of childish innocence, Yisi couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”

“N-No.”

“Is the food not to your liking? If you’d prefer porridge or milk—”

As she spoke, Yisi picked up the basket, ready to head downstairs and change the meal. But Mary frantically shook her head, her voice tinged with urgency.

“No, no, no! I’m happy with anything!”

“Then why aren’t you eating?”

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Completely baffled by Mary’s logic, Yisi sat back down and placed the basket on the cabinet again.

“I… I can really eat this…? Such extravagant food…”

So that’s what it was.

“Of course. This is made just for you.”

It was just plain white bread and ordinary meat broth.

With Yisi’s permission, Mary’s bandaged face immediately brightened. She lifted the cloth covering the basket, then grabbed the bowl of broth in one hand and the bread in the other, she began to wolf down the food with great gusto ¹ great enthusiasm and energy .

“Don’t choke.”

“Mhm! Mhm!”

As if savoring the finest delicacy, Mary nodded vigorously while the bread disappeared at an alarming rate. The sight made Yisi break out in a cold sweat—she had been far too wasteful with food in the past.

Midway through her meal, as if struck by a sudden fear, Mary jerked her head up and stared at Yisi with timid, trembling eyes.