Volume 2, Chapter 29 – The Fallen

Night fell quickly. After escorting Mary back to her room—since there weren’t enough beds, Mary would be sharing with Camilla—Yisi brought Camilla back to their bedroom and deactivated her Second Form Awakening.

As usual, countless white specks of light flashed, and Yisi reverted to her vampire form. The silver hair streaked with dark blue transformed back into the white hair of the Count’s eldest daughter, and the vampire wings at her waist instantly caused her clothes to puff up. To avoid damaging the outfit, Yisi hurriedly removed her coat.

“These wings are such a nuisance. I’ll have to leave gaps in my clothes for them.”

“There’s no helping it.”

Standing by the mirror with a formal dress in hand, Camilla gave a wry smile.

Though wearing backless or midriff-baring clothing was traditional for vampires—since the appearance of their wings was part of their beauty standards—Yisi had no idea what constituted “beautiful” wings. So, rather than exposing them, she prioritized staying warm.

“I feel bad having to trouble Camilla every time I change clothes.”

“Serving you, onee-sama, is my duty.”

Formal dresses were impossible to put on alone, so Yisi had no choice but to rely on Camilla. Of course, while Camilla helped her into the white dress accented with blue, Yisi wasn’t idle either. She let down her twin tails, allowing her waterfall of white hair to cascade freely. Under the flickering firelight, the already cold and aloof face of the Count’s eldest daughter grew even more icy.

Once dressed, Yisi sat on the bed to tackle another troublesome and embarrassing task:

Applying nail polish.

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This was a habit of the Count’s eldest daughter—not just her fingernails, but even her toenails had to be painted a seductive red. Back in the vampire clan, the Count’s eldest daughter often walked barefoot on the carpeted floors of the mansion, making this her signature look.

To speed things up, Yisi painted her own fingernails while Camilla handled her toes. Though her pureblooded physique meant no unpleasant odors, and the Count’s eldest daughter’s body was perfectly proportioned—her porcelain skin and exquisitely sculpted legs were dazzling—Yisi still felt embarrassed. At its core, being waited on like this made her skin crawl.

Especially when Camilla held her cold toes, sending warmth creeping up her legs. Every time Camilla did this, Yisi couldn’t help but pause what she was doing.

—It tickles a little, but it feels so good.

If it weren’t Camilla but one of the mansion’s maids, Yisi might have even abandoned her shame and indulged in the pleasure.

Once all preparations were complete, Yisi stood before the mirror again.

“After all this effort… compared to before, I look like a fairy now.”

Her loose white hair had been tied into a side ponytail with a large red ribbon by Camilla, accentuating her sharp, cold features. The white-and-blue dress highlighted her unnaturally pale skin, while her smooth legs bore no adornments—not even stockings. Her bare feet, with their slightly curled, red-painted toes, made her look like a fairy straight out of a painting.

Add in the fangs peeking from her red lips, and Yisi was certain that her appearance alone could make countless people willingly offer their blood.

The earlier Yisi had been charming, but compared to the current Viel, she lacked a certain refinement. If she walked outside now, she’d drive men wild. Even Yisi herself was stunned by this bewitching allure.

Given the Count’s eldest daughter’s looks and her wicked personality, it was a miracle she’d survived this long.

“Onee-sama, when you take the time to dress up, this is the result.”

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Camilla stood behind her with a respectful expression. Yisi quickly waved her off.

“No, no, Camilla would look just as lovely if she dressed up.”

Thud.

Again, the sound of something being knocked over. After a moment of silence, Yisi rubbed her face in the mirror, forcing her expression back into its usual unapproachable coldness.

“Alright, I’ll head out now. Camilla, you should rest first.”

“Understood. Please inform me when you return—I’ll help you change.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Tightening the bow at her collar, Yisi draped a black cloak over her shoulders, donned a silver mask covering half her face, and left the room.

◇

Instead of taking the stairs directly, she exited the tavern first and used flight magic to reach the rooftop. The attic was a cramped, gabled space with a skylight—using the stairs risked alerting their quarry.

“Still five of them… but their injuries have worsened.”

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All five were women, and none were nobles—nobles had both given names and surnames, while commoners only had a single name.

Names weren’t something one could choose freely. Only after being bestowed by a magic caster or priest with the Naming spell could one have an official name. Unless renamed, this name would follow them for life.

Under the cover of night and snow, Yisi quietly approached the attic skylight. Voices arguing inside reached her ears.

“I’ve already said—I’ll never side with the Empire.”

“But we have no other options left, Shinku! Do you want to just wait here to die? Even if you do, don’t drag the rest of us down with you!”

“Siding with the Empire will only make things worse. Have you forgotten what happened to those who did? Enslaved, treated as expendable, thrown onto the battlefield to die under a hail of arrows!”

“I agree. I won’t side with the Empire either.”

A third voice joined the debate.

“If we don’t go to them, we’ll just die here.”

“I’d rather die here than live as slaves. The whole reason we banded together was to avoid enslavement and find a place where we could be free. Now you want us to side with the Empire? Fran, this isn’t like you.”

“I’m just choosing the option that lets us all survive.”

It seemed this group of Fallen formed a small faction of their own. Yisi silently nodded. From the situation, the Fallen were split into two camps: the woman called Shinku refused to submit to anyone, while Fran, whose voice sounded gentler, leaned more toward choosing whatever would keep them alive.

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That said, the name Shinku really was unusual… The pronunciation resembled the language of J Prefecture in the comics, clearly not part of the Hels Kingdom’s official tongue.

“…Fine. If you want to leave, I won’t stop you. The same goes for the rest of you—if you want to go with Fran, stand up now. But you have to swear not to reveal our whereabouts afterward.”

“Shinku! If we split up, Goran and the others will have died for nothing!”

“Ugh—cough!”

A fit of violent coughing cut off the argument, followed by the sound of a wooden jar being knocked over. Someone inside was scrambling for herbs.

“The corruption has reached her forehead… Sera doesn’t have much time left…”

A low voice, followed by the sound of labored, wheezing breaths—as if every inhalation was agony.

“Let’s end it before Sera loses control. That was our promise to each other.”

“…Yeah.”

Oddly, the previously feuding Shinku and Fran now agreed. The atmosphere grew so heavy it felt suffocating.

Peering through the skylight, Yisi couldn’t help but click her tongue.