"Angela, hold Yumeha and come with me."
With the whisper and noticing the situation, Angela does as told while Enrico picks up Rina and Aoi on his shoulders and leaves without making any noise along with Angela. Since they still couldn't be seen, he had to take advantage and leave quickly without a sound. As he was close to the necklace that erased the scent, they couldn't be tracked.
"The smell disappeared?"
"Looks like someone doesn't want to share."
"Would you?"
"Not even dead."
The vampires were powerful beings but could only use one type of magic and its branches, which they could apply in different ways, being blood magic. They had great powers, and there were powerful beings of the ninth circle, only able to reach the tenth circle if they broke the curse that was on their necks.
Now you may wonder why those with two ninth circles were not added to the list of the seven ninth circles: two reasons—because they lived in a different dimension and were not part of the continent, and second, since they were in different places, they were not fully seen but rather considered enemies below the Nartheis and demons.
"This is the first time I see vampires, and they're all so pale…"
Managing to leave the city, now they were on the road outside of it. Rina and Aoi, who had also noticed the situation, had covered their mouths with their hands. Enrico put them down, which seemed to disappoint them.
"If you wanted, you could've carried us a bit longer."
"Well—"
"Enrico, why did you come to a city full of bloodsuckers?"
They were interrupted by Angela's voice, who wore a face of disapproval. She hadn't expected him to head to such a dangerous place. With Angela there, it was difficult to invent an excuse; if it were just Rina and Aoi, he could have revealed to Aoi that he had returned from the "future," which would've been a good enough excuse.
"Lady Angela, what I'm going to tell you is something very important, so I'd ask you to keep it a secret."
"Depends, after all, I don't intend to let Lady Virelle remain unaware."
'Damn, I could come up with many excuses, but only the future one would really work on her.'
He gave her the excuse, helped by Yumeha and Rina who confirmed it by speaking about how he had helped their territory and cured her father. Aoi seemed to have shining eyes when she heard it all.
"Dear, you're amazing."
"I don't know if that's true. What if it was a demon who put those future memories in you and has been manipulating you?"
The reason she distrusted it so much was because this situation had already happened many times in the past, only for it to be revealed that demons had manipulated events to make it look like they foresaw the future and thus gain the trust of others. That was why he didn't want to use this excuse often, only using it in Tsuyokuni because it had been a good moment to prove it could sound true.
"I don't think you're a demon, but it could've been one who planted this in your head."
"I thought that at first too, but the feelings I had were real. I truly went through the end of the world."
The three girls behind him looked at him with worried eyes while Angela thought for a long time before starting to speak.
"If this is true, I'll have to apologize, but we cannot keep it a secret—at least not from the king. So when we return, we will analyze part of your memories."
A bigger problem now arose, making Enrico tense, but he calmed down and nodded in confirmation. This was very bad—if they saw his memories, all his plans and objectives would fail, so he'd have to think of something quickly.
"How do we get out of here?"
"I need to make another magic paper, so it'll take a few days."
That was a lie; he was just buying time to think. He decided then to consult the system, asking if it could do something about this.
[ I can do something, yes—like blocking their access to your memories. But that would make them suspicious. And not only that, if the one analyzing your memories is that tenth circle, he will be able to break that block. And knowing how curious he is, you can be sure it'll be him doing it as soon as he finds out. ]
This was the first time he felt tense—and not just him, for he was sure even the system itself was nervous about it. Seeing his slightly tense face, Angela tried to calm him.
"Young master, stay calm, because the only ones who'll know about this are Virelle and the king, who will decide what to do. So you can be sure it'll be fair to you."
"Thank you… I was nervous about what they would see in my life."
"What is it, some embarrassing things you're trying to hide? Don't worry, only the important parts will be seen."
Everything depended on what the king would say, but Enrico already knew what would happen. It could be something good and, at the same time, something bad for him, since he'd be under the eyes of the most powerful. But the main thing he had to think about was how to keep his real memories hidden. Clenching his fist, he decided what to do.
'I'll have to use a pact for this.'
He would have to give up a way to get stronger in order to gain total security. It was a loss, for sure, but he had to do it.
'System, I want you to analyze this pact…'
While Enrico seemed calmer, Angela kept watch around to check if any vampire was nearby. The three girls were tense for him. If before he had been safe, now depending on the King of Sanos he could be in great danger, so they came closer to talk to him as he started walking ahead.
"Master, what do we do? We can trust our father since he guards secrets well, but…"
"This is very risky. Lady Angela knows what could happen?"
"She knows, but she's making the best decision possible…"
Enrico looked at her back, which was also a bit tense. He knew that, in her view, what was about to happen was the end of the world for them, so she was making an important decision that could save him.
"I can't blame her, because this is the right thing in her eyes."
"But—"
"Don't worry, I'll try to convince them not to tell anyone else beyond those I'll ask."
The three girls quickly raised their heads when they saw Enrico smiling as always, with confidence that calmed them. This might be one of his most problematic moments, but he would take advantage of it and adapt to make something even better arise.
'I'm forming a new plan that might surpass the previous one.'
[ It's amazing how you can change your expression to that confidence after all this… ]
The system seemed relieved and excited to discover what he would do. Not only it—constellations also seemed curious.