"Yes, be careful. Go slowly—watch the angle."
"Mmm~"
"Just a little longer."
"Ah~ I can't take it anymore. I'm so tired."
Sybil raised her head, her face flushed with exhaustion and a pitiful expression in her eyes.
"Alright, let's stop here," Vlad said.
Seeing Vlad's pained expression, Sybil felt a wave of guilt wash over her.
"Brother Vlad, if you're still feeling uncomfortable, we can..."
"It's alright. I made a promise to Mirena—we can't do anything before her," Vlad replied.
Hearing that, Sybil suddenly shot to her feet, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Sister Mirena… she knows?!"
"You silly girl. Your feelings were written all over your face. Unless your sister Mirena is blind, there's no way she didn't notice."
"I-I didn't mean to..." Sybil said, her voice small and filled with guilt.
Looking at her delicate and lovely face, pale with anxiety, Vlad pulled her soft, curvaceous body into his arms and gently comforted her.
"Don't worry. Mirena has known about your little tricks for a while. She just chose not to say anything."
"Was I really that obvious?"
Vlad raised an eyebrow at her confused look. "What do you think?"
Sybil groaned, her voice full of anguish. "Ugh~ How am I supposed to face Mirena now?"
"Weren't you brave before? Why are you worried now?"
Sybil looked down, embarrassed. "Before… I thought I was going to get married, so I risked everything."
Seeing how tangled and anxious she looked, Vlad stopped teasing. This girl really could cry when pushed too far.
He gently lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "Relax. Your sister Mirena doesn't hold it against you."
Sybil's big eyes sparkled with hope. "Really~?"
"Really. I wouldn't lie to you."
"Otherwise, why would she say what she said?" Vlad added, his voice soft.
Sybil finally let out a breath of relief.
Then, her face turned red again, and she asked shyly, "Then… Brother Vlad, do you still want to? I can keep going."
Vlad shook his head. "Forget it. It's getting late. Let's wait for another day."
"Oh~ In that case, go and spend time with Sister Mirena tonight."
"Ai... no..."
Bang~!
Staring at the closed door in front of him, Vlad—once again kicked out of the room—stood there, a little stunned.
"Hah~ What a pair of good sisters," he muttered with a sigh and shook his head in frustration.
Left with no other option, he picked a random room and went to sleep.
Vlad didn't stay long at Downton Abbey.
By the evening of the next day, he had already left.
Coo Coo
In the dead of night, an owl's hoots echoed from a tall tree.
The cries were sharp and repetitive, almost as if warning the forest of something lurking nearby.
If one looked closely, they'd see a faint, eerie light flickering in the owl's eyes as it stared unblinkingly into the distance. Its calls grew increasingly urgent and shrill.
Then, a wave of chilling cold swept silently through the forest—and the owl's cries stopped, just like that.
Blinking in confusion, the owl kept staring ahead. Yet the woods remained still. Its round head tilted, unable to comprehend the source of that haunting chill.
Just as the owl gave up pondering and prepared to resume its night watch, a massive, moving shadow broke across the silent night sky, heading westward.
From the reflection in its dimly glowing pupils, one could see what it saw—a vast swarm of black bats blanketed the forest sky like a tidal wave.
Velvia.
The territory of Count Victor.
Blazing flames cut through the night, casting light across a crumbling village. Bloodied villagers littered the ground—some dead, others clinging to life.
Black-armored soldiers with torches moved methodically between homes, setting everything in sight on fire—bodies, survivors, buildings, all reduced to ash.
The cracking of burning wood, acrid smoke, the stench of charred corpses, and a faint musky odor mingled in the air, overwhelming every breath.
Occasionally, pained screams rang out from villagers not yet dead, their cries swallowed by the relentless flames.
But the armored soldiers watched with cold indifference. None flinched, none pitied. It was as if they were butchers, watching over livestock.
Click Clack
Creak~
Amid the scraping of armor, a fully armed soldier pushed open a tightly sealed farmhouse door.
Behind the helmet, a pair of piercing pale-blue eyes scanned the room with calm detachment. He stepped forward when he spotted a villager lying motionless on the floor.
He raised his longsword and cautiously rolled the man over.
Without warning, the villager's eyes flew open—and he sprang up with a roar, lunging at the soldier.
Startled, the soldier instinctively thrust his sword, stabbing through the villager's chest. Blood sprayed across the floor.
But just as the soldier breathed a sigh of relief, the body before him convulsed. The villager's skull suddenly elongated, his entire frame trembling violently.
Before the soldier could react, a monstrous creature covered in thick, gray fur took shape.
"A werewolf! The villagers are mutating—everyone, on alert!"
The warning had barely left his lips when chaos erupted outside.
Clashing steel, savage howls, and panicked neighs filled the air. In the blink of an eye, the village became a battlefield.
Complete and utter chaos.
ROAR~!!
Before the soldier could even process what was happening, the fully transformed werewolf lunged at him with a terrifying growl, jaws wide open.
The beast's immense strength shattered the wooden wall as it slammed into the soldier, pinning him to the ground.
Its sharp fangs dripped with foul-smelling saliva. The sticky fluid dribbled onto the soldier's face, blurring his vision just as terror overtook him.
He opened his mouth to scream—only to lose his head in an instant, blood gushing like a fountain and soaking the ground in red.
But before the werewolf could howl in triumph, a sharp arrow pierced through its skull, bursting through the eye socket.
From the direction of the shot came a knight astride a powerful warhorse, crossbow in hand. She pulled off her helmet, revealing sweat-slicked hair.
Beneath it, a cool yet soft face emerged—it was a female knight, a rare sight on any battlefield.
As she dismounted, her long, armored legs displayed her striking height and agility.
She glanced down at the werewolf's corpse and the soldier's twitching, headless remains.
A flicker of disgust crossed her wildcat-like, blue-green eyes. The sharp teeth visible between her slightly parted lips revealed the truth—
This female knight was not human.