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In fantasy, vampires are often depicted as nobles. They are portrayed as elegant and upper-class, considering themselves superior to humans. At the same time, they are also objects of human fear.

In that regard, the vampires in this world are quite different. They are not nobles, nor are they elegant or upper-class. Vampires here do not consider themselves superior to humans, just as we do not consider ourselves superior to livestock.

In short, the vampires in this world are simply monsters.

To put it more simply, they are monsters that embody the negative perceptions humans have of demons, combined with the disgust of cannibalism.

In that sense, the appearance of Rian before me now was no different from the monster that devoured prisoners. I felt a similar sensation when I faced Blanshe, who had a monster’s heart transplanted into her.

It was a strange feeling, as if I wasn’t facing a human. Her gleaming eyes and sharp fangs were unmistakably those of a monster thirsting for my blood.

Her low self-esteem was nowhere to be seen, and Rian had transformed as if she were a completely different person.

Vampires grow stronger by drinking human blood. They are grotesque beings who sustain their own lives by sacrificing the lives of others, gaining extraordinary abilities in the process.

Rian, being a half-human, half-vampire, doesn’t need to drink blood to survive, but her abilities rival those of a true vampire. Moreover, having consumed blood, her physical abilities had dramatically increased.

*Clink.*

As if to prove this, the chains restraining her were taut, as if they might snap at any moment. Anyone could see the threat in her appearance, and I understood the meaning of the letter Wylie had sent.

Before me stood Rian, the murderous subordinate of the Demon Lord who had slaughtered countless humans and served as a wall blocking the protagonist’s party in the original story.

But Rian’s opponent was none other than the mad dog of this region—no, the madwoman Helga Wolfbert.

“Why are you hesitating? Come at me.”

The tension was palpable.

Helga seemed ready to fight at any moment. But Rian shook her head.

“Rian doesn’t need Helga’s blood. Rian needs the Count’s blood.”

“…What?”

Rian pouted her lips, like a child throwing a tantrum.

Helga looked at me and then back at Rian, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“You just drank the Count’s blood. What are you talking about?”

“That’s not enough. Rian wants more of the Count’s blood.”

Indeed, Rian had changed as if she were a different person. If I had to compare, her current state was closer to a regression to infancy.

The only saving grace was that she still called me “Count,” so it didn’t seem like she had completely lost her rationality.

Then, let’s test it.

How strong is the thread of Rian’s rationality?

“Do you really want my blood that much, Rian?”

“Yes! Rian wants it! Will you give it to me?”

“No. I won’t.”

“Why! Why!”

“I don’t like it when people throw tantrums like children.”

“Rian didn’t throw a tantrum. Rian asked nicely.”

“…You don’t seem to understand the difference between throwing a tantrum and making a request.”

I spoke in a stern and dignified voice.

“Listen carefully. Throwing a tantrum is making unreasonable demands. On the other hand, a request is politely asking someone for something. Do you understand? These two are as different as heaven and earth.”

“Hmm… Okay! Then Rian wants to drink the Count’s blood. Please give it to me!”

Hmm. That’s better than before.

Of course, I had no intention of granting her request.

“I won’t give it to you.”

“Why! Why! Why! Count, you’re mean! You’re stingy!”

Rian stomped her feet and grumbled.

Despite her size, she was no different from a child. Her mental age seemed much younger than Wendy’s.

“Rian.”

“Rian won’t talk to the mean Count anymore!”

“I was going to give you some blood.”

“Huh? What? What?”

Her emotions change quickly.

“Rian, tell me your affiliation.”

“Yes! Rian is Aslan!”

Rian declared confidently. But that was all.

Perhaps her memory had deteriorated in proportion to her lowered mental age after drinking blood. Still, it was better than when she had lost her confidence.

From this brief conversation, I learned the following:

Thanks to her appetite suppression training, Rian did not see me as an enemy after drinking my blood.

Not only did she call me “Count,” but she also remembered that she belonged to Aslan.

Then, there is still hope.

“Did Rian do well? Will you give me blood now?”

“One more question. If I give you my blood, what will you do for me?”

“Huh? Does Rian have to do something?”

“Nothing is free. I’m asking what you can do for me in exchange for my blood.”

“Hmm…”

Rian pondered for a while.

But it was obvious what answer she, in her regressed state, would give.

“Anything! Rian will do anything the Count says, so give me blood!”

Rian pleaded with me with a desperate expression.

Now was the time to shackle her.

“Fine. Then, from now on, don’t attack humans. And don’t fight without my orders.”

“What about hunting?”

“Of course not.”

“Okay…”

“And from now on, only drink my blood. I won’t allow you to drink the blood of other humans.”

“Yes! The Count’s blood is delicious! Rian will only drink the Count’s blood from now on!”

“Good. Don’t forget.”

I handed her another bottle of my blood from my pocket.

Finally, Rian smiled brightly. Her face no longer showed the hungry beast from before, but rather a child who had just received ice cream from her parents.

At this point, it would be fine to include Rian in the northern expedition.

Helga, who had been ready to fight, also had no choice but to lower her guard after seeing Rian’s state.

But it seemed her curiosity had been piqued.

“Hmm… Is the Count’s blood really that delicious?”

“Yes!”

Rian’s pure smile contained not a hint of deceit.

“So that’s how it is…?”

Helga picked up the fallen bottle. Before I could stop her, she quickly licked the remaining blood inside.

Her face twitched slightly as she muttered.

“Wow… This… really is… delicious… As expected of the Count’s blood… It’s like honey…”

What do you mean it’s delicious? You’re not even a vampire.

*

A few days later.

I had given them enough time, but in the end, nothing unusual happened.

Now that I think about it, the Annihilation Maids have all decided to serve me.

To be honest, I felt uneasy about rehiring them as maids after they had lived as Millennium’s puppets for so long. It felt like I was using them, just as Millennium had.

Killing innocent humans and then using their bodies as they pleased is an unforgivable act.

As the head of the Ruelberta family, I cannot escape responsibility for that.

I wanted to give them the greatest compensation I could. Even if I offered them an astronomical sum, it wouldn’t bring back the lives they had lost, but I wanted to atone for their suffering in this way. Their hatred was something I deserved to bear, and I was prepared for it.

But they didn’t hate me. They didn’t even resent me.

They stayed by my side, looking at me with the same infinite trust I had seen in Tristan’s memories.

Perhaps it was because they had no memory of what happened after their deaths.

If they had remembered the time they slaughtered countless assassins sent to kill Millennium as Annihilation Maids, they would have surely struggled to maintain their sanity.

It’s a selfish thought, but I did want them to stay with me.

From my perspective, as someone who needs to stop the players invading this world, they are undoubtedly valuable assets. Moreover, I had already marked them as potential members for the northern expedition…

Muiry, Cynthia, Rika, and Bess.

They asked to serve me under the same conditions as before.

Additionally, they made the audacious request to continue calling me “Young Master,” but I couldn’t bring myself to refuse, feeling somewhat guilty.

Well, they deserve that much privilege.

For now, I assigned them as Exclusive Maids, temporary positions to assist Wendy with her duties.

While Wendy was at school, they would take care of the mansion.

Like today, for example.

“Oh my… It’s the Princess who attended the tea party last time.”

“Nice to see you, Muiry.”

“Welcome, Princess.”

Muiry, the de facto leader of the Annihilation Maids, greeted Bella with a polite bow. Her every action exuded experience.

“What brings you here today?”

“Well, I came to give the Count a good beating.”

Bella smirked at me as she spoke. She seemed eager, perhaps because she hadn’t had a proper spar with me last time.

“Please go easy on him, Princess.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to take care of him.”

Look at her lying without batting an eye… She’s serious about this spar.

“Ah! Princess, I have a question for you!”

“Yes?”

Rika raised her hand enthusiastically and spoke.

It might have been somewhat rude, but Bella chuckled at Rika’s carefree personality.

“Hoho… What is it?”

“Excuse me, but what is your relationship with our Young Master… I mean, the Count?”

Ah…

Now that I think about it, they had been watching Bella closely since the tea party. Her striking appearance made her stand out, but they were probably curious about her relationship with me. Judging by the atmosphere, Rika had taken the lead.

‘Tsk…’

The moment those words were spoken, Bella and I locked eyes.

What should I say?

It was obvious what she was thinking.

It’s no use asking me what to say.

No matter what I said, I had a feeling Bella would get angry, so I just shrugged in response.

But… It seemed that even that action to avoid her anger didn’t sit well with Bella.

She immediately bit her lip.

Moreover, her eyes were telling me:

Just you wait.

In the end, Bella spoke to the maids with a pout.

“Well… Let’s just say we have that kind of relationship.”

When will you ever say we’re more than lovers but less than married?

“Oh my… That kind of relationship…?”

“Could it be…? Have you two gone all the way?!”

The maids’ eyes sparkled at Bella’s answer.

“I’ll leave it to your imagination.”

As she said this, Bella casually brushed her hair to the side, subtly showing off the ring on her finger.

“So that’s how it is. Congratulations, Count.”

“No, don’t misunderstand.”

“We understand. If you have such a beautiful partner, you’d want to keep it a secret, right?”

Cynthia, who was like a mentor to Tristan, had tears in her eyes.

No one is listening to me…

But among the four maids, the one who misunderstood the most wasn’t Muiry, Rika, or Cynthia—it was Bess.

“Um… Princess…”

“Yes?”

Bess stood in front of Bella.

Her small stature meant her gaze was level with Bella’s navel.

Perhaps it was because the training uniform Bella wore for sparring concealed her slender figure.

Bess, with a pale face, looked at Bella’s stomach and asked:

“How many months along are you…?”

“I’m not pregnant?!”

 

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