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A few days later.

I received an unexpected telegram from the Emperor.

The content was that he wanted to postpone our weekly game for a while.

The reason was that he was busy preparing for the recapture of the North.

This was a pretty good sign.

I thought he was hell-bent on killing me, but it seems that even ‘they’ chose the future of the Empire over personal grudges.

Of course, this is only a temporary truce. The Emperor’s hatred for the Ruelberta Family runs deeper than one might think.

In the not-too-distant future, the blade of that hatred will undoubtedly target me. Until then, I must not let my guard down.

No amount of preparation is ever enough.

To put that into practice, I’ve been busy non-stop these past few days.

I’ve had many conversations with Arthur, who oversees the Ruelberta Family’s business and finances.

We’ve already poured a lot of military funds into Aslan, but as the time for the recapture of the North approaches, even more funds will be needed.

Even though the Ruelberta Family is the wealthiest in this country, when preparing for something as massive as a war, funds must be used carefully and efficiently.

After days of intense discussions with Arthur, I’ve roughly finalized where the family’s funds will be allocated.

“Well, I’ll be off now.”

Arthur said as he boarded the carriage.

“Tristan, I’ve taken care of everything you mentioned, so don’t worry.”

“Yes.”

“And the construction at the place we talked about earlier is finished, so you can go and check it out today if you’d like.”

“It’s good that it’s not late.”

“By the way, you really had some strange ideas. At first, I couldn’t understand what value such a place could have…”

“Please go in now. Didn’t you say you have another appointment?”

“Oh… right. Time has flown by. I’ll head off first.”

I saw Arthur off.

As I quietly watched the carriage disappear into the distance, Helga, who was beside me, spoke up.

“Count. You know today is the last day, right?”

“…Hmm.”

Has it already come to that?

I’ve been so busy with work that time has flown by.

“Honestly, I think I’ve done enough.”

“Right. We’ll see about that.”

Returning to the mansion, I headed straight to the dining hall. The unnecessarily lavish and large dining hall of the Ruelberta Mansion. There was already a guest waiting there.

“Oh… you’ve arrived, Count…”

Rian greeted me with a very nervous expression.

She was no longer dressed in shabby clothes but in a neat dress. At a glance, she looked like a noble lady.

This was the result of ten days.

Rian, a half-vampire who has tasted blood, is like a ticking time bomb. If, by any chance, Rian were to go berserk, Helga would be the only one capable of subduing her.

That’s why I had Helga take charge of Rian’s education, and it seems Helga’s ‘education’ was more effective than I thought.

However, Helga shook her head as if dissatisfied.

“That’s not it. Rian, what did I say?”

“Ah… Great leader, eternal light, and the only hope, has the Count arrived?”

For a moment, my head throbbed.

I unconsciously raised my fingers to my forehead.

“…Helga.”

“Yes?”

“Can I hear what you’ve been teaching Rian?”

“Of course. First, I taught her about the Count’s greatness.”

“…Greatness?”

“Yes. If Rian learns of the Count’s greatness, she’ll naturally come to understand the joy of serving you, won’t she?”

It seems that instead of education, she’s been teaching idolization.

If it had worked, that would be one thing, but from the way Rian has been looking at me, it’s not respect in her eyes but fear.

I let out a small sigh.

“…Cut out all the unnecessary embellishments.”

“Ah… Then what should I remove…? How can I possibly describe the Count, who is great, eternal, and the only one of his kind…?”

“No. Don’t describe me at all.”

“Ah… Aah! I see!”

Helga finally seemed to understand as she clapped her hands.

“I get it! It’s impossible to describe the Count with mere human words! I didn’t realize the depth of that…”

“Right… Never mind. Just cut out all the embellishments.”

“Yes! Did you hear that, Rian?”

“Ah, yes…!”

Rian nodded so vigorously it was almost pitiful. This was a far cry from the way she spoke just a short while ago, when she had lost her reason and sounded almost like a child.

Perhaps this is her true self, the one she had before she was consumed by bloodlust.

The fact that she’s maintaining her sense of self is likely due to her being a half-blood of human and vampire, with only a trace of demonic blood, and Helga’s education.

However, Helga hasn’t yet agreed to accept Rian.

As the deputy commander of Aslan, who has faced countless monstrous beasts in the borderlands, her aversion to demons is only natural.

So, I proposed to Helga.

We would give Rian ten days of education and decide whether to accept her based on the results.

“Then, Count… would you like to test her?”

“Yes.”

As I sat at the dining table, Rian hesitantly sat down as well. There was some time before the meal was served, so I decided to ask Rian a few questions.

“Do you remember anything before you were imprisoned?”

“Yes. I remember being hungry, but after that, my memories are hazy…”

It was probably right after she drank my blood, when her instincts awakened.

At that time, her instincts had definitely taken over.

The sight of her laughing as she slaughtered and devoured prisoners was that of a monster, pure and simple.

“You ate many people while you were out of your mind. They were all death row inmates beyond saving. How was it?”

“Ah, that…”

Rian hesitated at my question.

“You can be honest.”

“I don’t know…”

“You don’t know?”

“I know it’s wrong… I know it shouldn’t be done… but even though I don’t remember much, I do remember feeling ecstasy. Killing and eating people wasn’t disgusting… it felt like I wasn’t myself anymore.”

“Hmm.”

I felt relieved seeing Rian so confused.

At least she still had a sense of guilt.

“I see. Can you control your appetite now?”

“Ah… yes. I think I can manage…”

“I’ll have a meal prepared for you.”

Once again, steak was served.

Rian gulped as she looked at the bloody steak in front of her.

“C-can I eat it?”

“Yes. Eat to your heart’s content.”

“Thank you…!”

Rian picked up her fork and knife and began cutting the steak.

She wasn’t very skilled, but compared to the way she used to tear at her food with her hands, this was much more human-like.

Having grown up in poverty, she never had the chance to learn table manners, so this much was within the realm of education.

I picked up the knife in front of me.

Seeing this, Helga shook her head.

“Count. Use my blood.”

“It’s fine.”

This was essentially a test to see if Rian could resist her vampiric instincts.

I lightly cut the tip of my finger with the knife.

A drop of blood welled up.

Until that moment, my eyes had been fixed on Rian as she ate her steak. So, the moment I bled, I could see her pupils tremble.

But it was only for an instant.

Rian calmly chewed the piece of steak she had cut.

“…Well done.”

“Gulp… th-thank you.”

Rian, who had just swallowed the piece in her mouth, gave a slightly brighter expression.

She had overcome her instincts. Helga, who had been watching, nodded in satisfaction, as if to say this was enough to pass.

But I had no intention of letting her pass with just this.

“There’s still one final hurdle.”

“Huh?”

“Count?”

The two looked at me in confusion.

I called Rian with an air of ‘pride.’

“Rian. Come here.”

“Ah, yes…”

Rian, who had wiped her mouth with a napkin, approached me nervously.

“Once you’ve tasted blood, you’ll have to fight your instincts for the rest of your life. And if you can harness the instincts of a vampire, they could become a great source of power for you.”

I held out my still-bleeding finger in front of her.

“Drink.”

“…!”

“Count! You can’t!”

Helga, of course, stepped in to stop me.

“Don’t worry.”

“It’s too dangerous! Rian won’t be able to resist!”

“I think she can.”

“Count…!”

“Then Rian, I’ll give you a choice.”

“M-me?”

“Yes.”

I looked down at Rian, who was kneeling before me.

“If you can drink my blood and resist, I’ll accept you as a member of our family immediately.”

Rian’s eyes widened.

To be able to work under the great Ruelberta Family.

As a poor thief, she must have understood what an enormous privilege that was.

But it was not something she could obtain easily.

“However, if you drink my blood and can’t resist, if you turn into a monster, I’ll kill you right here.”

“…!!”

“At least you’ll die as a human.”

“Th-that…”

“Of course, you also have the option not to drink my blood. I’ll at least let you return to your normal life.”

Rian hesitated at my proposal.

Helga, who had been watching nervously, spoke up.

“Count, are you really going to let her drink…? If something goes wrong, you…”

“Even if she can’t resist, you’re here, Helga. You’ll protect me, won’t you?”

“…That’s too cowardly of you.”

Like Helga, Rian seemed to have made her decision.

“I understand… I’ll try it.”

“Good.”

Rian carefully opened her mouth.

Her sharp fangs came into view.

She gently bit my finger with her lips.

“…Hah!”

The moment her tongue touched the tip of my finger, she flinched.

Rian tightly closed her eyes.

I was worried she might bite my finger, but she quickly swallowed my blood instead.

*Lick…*

Rian’s tongue was licking my finger inside her mouth.

Trying to savor every drop.

Her tongue moved greedily.

Her red eyes were trembling violently.

“……”

I silently watched Rian.

Appetite must be controlled by oneself.

I would simply wait until she could restrain herself…

We didn’t look away from each other.

A few seconds passed like this.

Finally, Rian managed to pull her mouth away from my finger.

“Hah… haa…”

Rian’s breathing was rough.

Having barely regained her senses, she spoke.

“Haa… Count’s blood… it’s so… stimulating. Haa… it’s so rich… I wanted to keep tasting it…”

“That’s enough explanation, Rian.”

“Ah, yes…”

Helga wiped my finger with a handkerchief, which was now covered in Rian’s saliva. But her expression seemed a bit off—was it just my imagination?

I spoke to Rian, who was still catching her breath.

“You did well.”

“Th-thank you.”

“How do you feel?”

“It’s like… my heart is racing… and I feel a surge of energy.”

“That’s from drinking blood. You didn’t drink much, so it’ll subside soon.”

“Yes…!”

“Remember this. I can make as much appetite-suppressing medicine as you need. But it’s important that you control your appetite yourself. If you don’t have the medicine, you’ll become a monster again…”

“I-I’ll remember…!”

Rian seemed a bit emotional.

Perhaps she felt a sense of accomplishment for having resisted her desires on her own.

“Um… Count…”

“What is it?”

“Thank you… for taking in someone like me…”

“No. You’re human.”

“Count…”

I gave Helga an order.

“Helga. Tell Wylie to send Rian to Aslan. From today, she’ll be working for me and the family, just like you.”

“Yes. Did you hear that, Rian? Do your best from now on.”

“Yes! Thank you so much…! Thank you, Count!”

Rian kept bowing her head.

I left the dining hall, leaving her behind. Helga quickly followed after me.

“Count.”

“What is it?”

“Earlier… could I also… taste your finger… just a little…?”

“……”

“Rian looked like she was enjoying it so much… I thought I should check too… haha…”

“……”

“Ah, if not your finger, then maybe your toe… or something else…”

“……”

“……I’m sorry. Forget I said anything.”

I didn’t respond, but seeing my expression, Helga quickly became sullen and bowed her head.

I watched her quietly for a moment before speaking.

“Helga.”

“Yes?”

“What’s my schedule like next?”

“Ah… you’ve already taken care of everything, so there’s nothing special until tomorrow…”

“Is that so? Then you’ll have to come with me somewhere.”

“Where to?”

Helga tilted her head in confusion.

“Where are we going all of a sudden…? Ah?! Don’t tell me we’re going to a nice hotel for a private vacation?! Or maybe you’re going to let innocent me taste every part of you…… No way. I’m sorry. I got carried away today.”

“No. You’re right. We’re going to a hotel now, so get ready.”

“……What?”

 

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