Luce slowly raised her body, her eyes still somewhat unfocused.
Her mind was confused, as if waking up after a particularly long sleep. She couldn't tell up from down, simply staring into nothingness for a few seconds.
"Princess!" A concerned voice went closer.
"You woke up already! As expected of the royal blood. Even most grievous wounds can be healed in no time," the voice said with awe and with subtle notes of jealousy.
She knew this voice. It was an annoying old man who kept pestering her to become a princess. Now that's stupid.
How was she supposed to be a royal when she didn't even know the basics of governance? She would ruin whatever little kingdom these guys had.
She only wanted to quietly be a priestess. Why are so many creeps constantly trying to get in her way? Maybe she should get out of the city… But there are so many good things here. It's easy to get food, and the entertainment was plentiful.
Besides, if she left, that would mean there would be one less believer in this hellhole. That won't do.
"Princess!" the voice urged again.
This time it placed a hand on her shoulder. How rude.
"I am not a princess!"
Luce reflexively slapped the hand away, her red eyes turning sharp.
"Stop calling me that. It's embarrassing! Why do vampires even have a princess, ha?! Do you own land somewhere?! Then crawl back there, elect a new ruler, and don't show your ugly mug in front of me ever again!"
The old man froze. Unsure of what to say, he awkwardly stared at her for a few seconds.
"Ahem. We've taken refuge in one of the hideouts to recuperate. Don't worry, Pri… Lucrezia, we are safe here,' he said, pretending he didn't hear anything just now.
Lucrezia. They've said this was her real name. It was at least better than being called princess. And it didn't sound half-bad.
Luce glared at him for a few seconds more. She remembered his name was Herman. A rather persistent but otherwise ordinary old man. He didn't do anything too displeasing yet.
His red eyes stared at her somewhat carefully, like a grandpa who wanted to talk to his grandchildren but was too fearful of being perceived as annoying by them.
"…"
What would the Goddess say about her glaring at a poor soul like that? He was probably just nostalgic about the good old days. Maybe he sees a granddaughter in her or something. She should not be so harsh on him just yet.
"Alright…" Luce sighed, looking away from Herman.
She briefly scanned the room they were in.
The walls were made of metal, their surroundings illuminated only by a dim magic lamp in the ceiling. Thankfully, vampires could see in the dark just fine. There was one metal door leading outside. Behind it, two voices were quietly having an argument.
The room only had the shoddy bed she was currently occupying. It was rather uncomfortable. Do vampires not care for comfort? Or do they actually sleep in coffins, so they have no decent beds? The orphanage had far better ones.
Right, the orphanage. She was there just recently.
Suddenly alarm colored Luce's face.
"What happened after I was knocked out?" she asked.
Her duel with that noble ended up being quite noisy. Pete and Anna even came to check up on them.
But if she were rescued by vampires, then wouldn't they have…?
She glared at Herman's face with desperation.
The old vampire awkwardly looked away, a hint of shame visible on his face.
"I've disgraced you, Lucrezia. There was no choice for me but to let that man go."
"I wasn't asking for that!" Luce interrupted with an impatient frown. "What about the orphanage? Did you see a brown-haired girl when you arrived?"
"We did, but…" Herman hesitantly said.
This hesitation gave her a bad feeling.
"Did you do anything to them?" Luce quickly added, her glare becoming stronger.
"No. Not us! There was a maid there! I don't know what she did, but the brown-haired girl and the priest with her suddenly fell to the ground," Herman replied, putting all the blame on a mysterious maid.
Luce contemplated for a few moments, a frown involuntarily appearing on her face.
Maid? Cyril is a noble. Nobles have maids. Could it have been his?! She knew nobles were no good! She can't stay here!
But what can she do? That maid could be someone powerful…
An idea suddenly struck her. Luce, with hope in her eyes, glanced at the old man nearby.
"Help me get rid of that maid and her master, and I'll agree to be your princess or whatever!" she quickly said, her voice almost pleading.
She wasn't alone. She had an army of vampires behind her! They'll surely act now. As for the price…
Saving her friend was more important. She'll think about how to deal with the vampires later.
However, as such thoughts filled her head, Herman's face gained even more shame.
He hesitated for a long time before bowing to her.
"…"
"What are you doing?" she slowly asked.
"I am sorry, Lucrezia! I am truly worthless as your servant. But as I've said, we can't antagonize them!" Herman uttered with difficulty, his eyes closed.
What was the meaning of this? Shouldn't they have eagerly accepted this deal, called their strongest vampires, and shown those arrogant nobles the power of monsters?
Then in the future she would be forced to repay her debt, leaving with the vampires under Anna's desperate eyes. That would spur her on a rescue mission, and after a long adventure, they would finally be reunited. Isn't this how these stories usually go?!
Perhaps catching the disappointment in her silence, Herman spoke up, his voice quiet.
"Please, let me explain, Lucrezia. That young man you fought is Cyril Thorne-"
"So what?! I know his name is Thorne. I am not asking you to fight his father! Just help me save my friend," Luce interrupted, having known about this from Anna already.
However, in response, Herman shook his head.
"Nostro… is not the issue here," he whispered, his voice ominous as if talking about a terrible secret.
The old vampire cast a spell, and the sounds around her quieted down. Even the heated conversation outside could no longer be heard. In this unnatural silence, her own heartbeat began ringing in her ears.
Feeling bizarrely tense, Luce focused on the old man's words.
"Cyril Thorne is an archdemon, as is his maid. You don't know this yet, Lucrezia, but we've entered into an alliance with demons recently. We cannot antagonize them now, nor can we survive their fury."
Herman said something she never expected to hear. Demons? What? Where did this come from?
Her face blank, Luce stared into nothingness in shock, replaying the encounter with Cyril in her mind.
…
"How the hell does he know?!" Rhamn exclaimed, her red eyes filled with anger.
What?
Cyril glanced at her in confusion. Tigris on his knees suddenly opened his eyes, his hair standing up. On his shoulder, Morpho twitched her antennae in surprise. Atheris didn't react, contentedly coiled around his neck.
They were now sitting in the orphanage's lobby, waiting for Anna before finally leaving this place.
She was currently having some private meetings with the other members of the orphanage, so he had time to spare.
"Lucrezia is not far from us right now, so I decided to listen in. Get this: the old vampire near her somehow knows we are an archdemon!"
"…"
He widened his blue eyes in shock.
"Did Ophelia tell him?! Herman said demons and vampires have an alliance… Why weren't we made aware of it?!"
"And ugh! Lucrezia's thoughts are such a mess! She definitely has an illness of some kind! She needs a lobotomy! I can't stay in her mind!"
Rhamn ranted about one thing after another, telling him about peculiar things that were happening in some hideout not too far from here.
He blankly listened to her, slowly looking at the maid standing silently by his side.
Noticing his gaze, Ophelia tilted her head in response, her pitch-black eyes staring back.
"Is there something wrong, Master?"
"Yes!"