Volume 2, Chapter 28 – Uninvited Guests

The sky was soon draped in the veil of night, with a faint purple glow lingering over the distant mountain peaks. The bright moon was obscured by clouds, and snowflakes carrying a slight chill began to dance in the air. If one were to look down upon the town from above, they would surely notice the warm light spilling from shop windows onto the snow-covered ground, creating an atmosphere of quiet serenity everywhere.

Due to the cold weather, Yisi had set up a fire in the first-floor hall of the inn. Nearby taverns often left a stone-enclosed space in the middle of the main hall for burning firewood. Though Yisi found the smoke a bit irritating, given the limited conditions, she had no choice but to endure it for now.

“Kinda boring, isn’t it…”

Yisi, sitting on a stool and poking at the fire, yawned. Nights in this otherworld lacked pastimes to kill time, and to save on lamp oil, people usually went to bed early. Wealthier households might have men repairing farming tools by the fire while women mended clothes or wove bamboo baskets.

“How did Viel pass the time back then?”

Yisi glanced at Camilla, who was sitting on a nearby stool practicing magic by the firelight. “Viel” was the name Yisi used to refer to the eldest daughter of the count—Lord Pescia’s affectionate nickname for his daughter.

Camilla set down her staff, seemingly pondering how to phrase her response more tactfully. The flickering firelight cast hesitation across her profile.

“…Viel-sama would spend her leisure time with Refina and the others.”

“Ah.”

In other words, she was engaging in adult activities.

Yisi couldn’t help but feel she’d chosen the wrong topic.

Seeing Yisi turn her gaze back to the fire, Camilla tentatively pressed further.

“Does Onee-sama wish to try it as well?”

“N-no, that’s unnecessary.”

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Even if she did want to try, she certainly wouldn’t do it with Camilla. There were plenty of establishments with older women in Celtic City.

As this conversation unfolded, Mary, sitting across from them, widened her eyes in curiosity. At her feet lay two yawning ice wolf pups. Thanks to her prior experience raising ice wolves, Mary had quickly bonded with them.

“Um, Miss Camilla, who is Lady Refina?”

“She is Onee-sama’s pet.”

“Like a slave?”

Camilla nodded in response to Mary’s question. Mary murmured thoughtfully,

“I see…”

“Wait, shouldn’t the appropriate reaction here be, ‘How can you treat people as pets?!’?”

“But if it’s Master’s pet, they must be very happy.”

Mary earnestly countered Yisi’s sarcastic remark.

This girl is definitely an idiot.

Yisi cleared her throat, adopting a serious expression.

“Let me make one thing clear—what I’m about to tell Mary must never be shared with anyone else. If you do, I won’t just kick you out. I’ll sew your mouth shut with a needle.”

“Or cut out your tongue.”

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No need for such a bloody threat! Yisi couldn’t help but chuckle wryly. It seemed she wasn’t the only one who found Mary fun to tease—Camilla felt the same.

Mary nodded cautiously.

“I… I’ll keep it a secret…”

“—Actually, I’m a vampire.” Yisi watched Mary’s reaction closely. Perhaps not fully understanding, Mary showed no change in expression, so Yisi added, “The kind that needs blood every day. If I don’t get it, I’ll eat people.”

“Mhm, I understand.”

Mary nodded repeatedly, her big purple eyes filled with sincerity.

“Wait, does Mary really get it? I’m a vampire. A vampire.”

Mary’s reaction was so indifferent—like a comedian performing to dead silence—that Yisi felt almost embarrassed.

Mary merely blinked.

“And?”

“Don’t you know what vampires are? Normally, people would be terrified, right?”

“If it’s Master, I don’t think there’s any danger… Master is very kind.”

“Being praised by Mary doesn’t make me happy.”

If Mary knew what the eldest daughter of the count had done in the past, she probably wouldn’t have such an impression. But Yisi had no intention of correcting her. It was good that Mary wasn’t afraid of her. Earlier, she’d worried about Mary seeing her drink blood during meals—now, she wouldn’t have to hide it anymore.

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Thinking this, Yisi took out a small vial of blood from her inventory. Since this world lacked thin, transparent containers, she had to use a test tube from Ragnarøk, originally meant for collecting liquids.

“Since Mary isn’t scared, I don’t need to hide it. This blood is… Refina’s? Maybe I should pick another one.”

Refina’s blood was second only to Camilla’s in taste. Like a high-grade recovery potion saved for critical moments, it was a luxury Yisi reserved for special occasions.

I wonder what Mary’s blood tastes like.

Glancing at Mary, she saw no fear—only keen interest.

“I’ve never seen such a beautiful cup before.”

“Cup?” Yisi shook the test tube. “You mean this?”

“I’ve heard from servants that the thinner and clearer the glass, the more expensive it is.”

“Is that so?”

“Mhm. A container like Onee-sama’s would sell for at least 20 Hyurent gold coins in the Vampire Clan.”

For a moment, Yisi felt the test tube grow heavier in her hand. Initially, she’d thought using it to hold blood might seem tacky. Now, she realized people probably saw it as a display of wealth.

Thud. Thud.

Without warning, the sound of something being knocked over came from upstairs. Like a startled cat, Mary jumped to her feet, while Camilla stood protectively between Yisi and the staircase.

“Onee-sama, someone has broken in.”

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“Yeah.”

They must have climbed in from the second-floor balcony. Yisi recalled the balcony she’d seen while flying earlier—she hadn’t had time to set up any magical traps. Judging by the noise, the intruders were in the attic above the third floor. Due to time constraints, Camilla and Mary had only cleaned the first and second floors, leaving the third and attic untouched.

Motioning for Camilla and Mary to stay calm, Yisi opened her Omnipotent Map.

“Five people… Levels 3 to 7, most of them injured—and they’re the Fallen? I see.”

They were likely a Fallen seeking shelter.

Nodding in understanding, Yisi waved the two over and whispered,

“Don’t mind them. Pretend you didn’t hear anything.”

“Master, are you sure that’s okay? If they’re bandits, Miss Camilla and I might not be able to handle them…”

Worry flickered across Mary’s adorable face.

“Trust Onee-sama’s judgment.”

“Like Camilla said, I have my reasons. Just act like nothing happened, Mary. We’ll deal with it after nightfall.”

The Fallen were far below her in level, so rather than driving them out, Yisi felt sympathy. The Fallen were executed even if they did nothing wrong. While she had no grand ambition to save all of the Fallen, occasionally sheltering a few unfortunate souls was well within her tolerance.

I’ll check on them under the guise of Loiswell later. It’ll also help reinforce that the mysterious figure and I are separate identities.

Having decided this, Yisi stretched lazily by the fire and settled back into her seat under Mary’s uneasy gaze.