The Vampires

Joli stood frozen in place, somewhat dazed.

He had inexplicably ended up in a fight with that young lady, and the battle had ended in a draw.

At first, Joli thought he had encountered another formidable opponent.

But according to Aina, this Lady Feina was merely responsible for tidying up rooms—in other words, a maid.

So his own strength was barely enough to handle a maid from the outside world? And here he had been smugly thinking he could exchange a few moves with someone as powerful as Xia Lun, believing he had reached the level of an ordinary adventurer… Reality had dealt him a harsh blow.

Joli had even wondered if perhaps the maid had a special background—maybe she was some kind of combat-specialized maid or something. But upon further reflection, that was just too ridiculous. He decided he should accept his own weakness rather than blindly attributing the outcome to external factors.

Resolved, Joli vowed to train even harder.

Taking a deep breath, he began swinging his longsword by the lakeside.

"Breakfast is ready!" Liyana called out from inside.

The wooden cabin naturally had a kitchen, which, after a thousand years, was finally back in operation.

Incidentally, Xia Lun had been the one responsible for cooking in the past, while Aina handled cleaning with magic.

The division of labor between the couple was clear, and they never had any disputes over it.

"What’s wrong with him? Did something upset him?" Liyana glanced at Joli, who was stuffing dry bread into his mouth without even bothering with jam, then leaned toward Xia Lun and whispered.

She had been too busy in the kitchen earlier to notice what happened outside.

"If it’s Joli… there’s no need to worry." Xia Lun took a sip of hot tea.

Truthfully, Xia Lun wasn’t entirely sure what was going through Joli’s mind either—he could only sense that the young man’s mood was a bit off.

But Xia Lun believed in Joli. He wouldn’t be crushed by something so trivial. To have reached this level of swordsmanship through self-study and dedication required more than just talent…

Mo Lini lifted her head, oblivious to what Xia Lun and the others were discussing.

But she didn’t need to know. She only needed to focus on the meal before her.

Breakfast consisted of bread with jam and condensed milk, along with the earlier warm milk, a vegetable salad, and fried eggs.

Not exactly lavish, but nutritionally balanced—enough to make Mo Lini decide to do an extra set of planks on the road.

Aina didn’t eat much, only drinking a cup of sweet milk, clearly treating it as a dessert… though her lips seemed a bit dry as she drank, and she kept licking the corners of her mouth right in front of Xia Lun.

After breakfast, the group resumed their journey.

Xia Lun turned back to glance at the wooden cabin he had built with his own hands. They had only stayed there for a single night.

"Once we’ve traveled the world, let’s come back here," Aina said, holding Xia Lun’s hand. "This is our home, after all."

Xia Lun shook his head gently, then kissed Aina’s cheek. "No… wherever you are, that’s our home."

...

Feina returned to her ancient castle.

The Vampire Castle was a quintessential Gothic structure—thirteen obsidian spires rose like swords thrust toward the heavens, while the ashen walls were covered in iron thorns, making climbing impossible.

The castle wasn’t heavily populated, with only a few of Feina’s subordinates managing its operations.

Feina spread her crimson wings and flew straight to the highest spire.

Inside the room at the top stood two coffins—one crystal, belonging to Feina herself, and the other white, brought over by Niya yesterday when she came to visit.

"Feina-jie, why are you back so soon?" Niya’s muffled voice came from within the white coffin.

"I ran into Lady Aina. She stayed in that wooden cabin last night," Feina replied.

Thud—

A dull sound echoed from the coffin—clearly, Niya had bumped her head against the lid.

"What? Lady Aina? You met Lady Aina?"

Boom—

With a deafening crash, the heavy coffin lid slammed onto the floor as Niya burst out, clutching a teddy bear.

Feina’s dark red robe dissolved into a pool of blood, writhing before reforming into an elegant crimson gown.

"Take me to her! It’s been so long since I last saw Lady Aina!" Niya urged impatiently.

"Too bad. Lady Aina has probably already left by now," Feina shrugged. "Besides, I don’t recommend disturbing her at the moment."

"Why not?"

"Because she’s traveling with a group of adventurers and seems to be enjoying herself," Feina answered.

"Adventurers? Why would Lady Aina do something like that?" Niya frowned.

"Why wouldn’t she? Don’t forget, a thousand years ago, that’s how she met that human hero…" Feina suddenly covered her mouth, recalling Aina’s warning before she left.

"Feina-jie… are you hiding something from me?" Niya eyed her suspiciously.

Feina chuckled nervously, her gaze shifting. "W-what? Of course not, haha. Niya, I know how you feel about Lady Aina. After all, she saved you from the darkness, and I believe you’re the most loyal to her… But this time, you should listen to me. Lady Aina doesn’t want to be disturbed by us right now."

Niya stared at Feina for a long moment before finally relenting. She still trusted this rare friend of hers.

"Anything unusual happening in your territory lately?" Feina asked casually.

"Peaceful as ever," Niya shook her head. "Same as always… Though I heard something big happened among the humans—a new labyrinth appeared in the Grand Cathedral of the Goddess’s Church, keeping Dorian busy."

"Why would the Goddess Church’s affairs concern him?" Feina asked, surprised.

"He took over the royal family on Lady Aina’s behalf, didn’t he? He has to make a stance…" Niya replied flatly, hugging her teddy bear.

"What about Xie Lun?"

"He’s been quiet lately. No trouble."

"That’s unusual." Feina covered her mouth lightly.

Niya’s face twisted in disgust. "He recently tricked another pretty human girl into becoming his subordinate…"

Then, her expression darkened further, her crimson pupils dilating as her fingers dug deep into the teddy bear’s body. "That damned beast… and yet he still dares to pursue Lady Aina! Why did Lady Aina ever promote such a creature to Duke of the Bloodkin?!"

Feina gently patted Niya’s head, calming her down.

Niya looked at the teddy bear in her arms—now tattered from her violent outburst, its stuffing leaking from the holes.

"Ah… sorry. I’ll fix you up later."