Solin drew a magic circle in the air, which was very different from how Enrico had entered the vampire dimension.
"It's ready, I'm sending you to the place you asked for."
"That's incredible—though I expected nothing less from the new SSS vampire after decades."
"All of this was thanks to the blood you gave us, and I hope the owner sends more soon."
Looking back, he saw Verlate, Valen, and Nyxaria. All of them seemed to want to follow him, mainly to know where their new master was.
"I hope Lord Sylas delivers the letter."
"Calm down, I'll deliver it."
They had been a great help during that fight, taking care of their opponents—except Verlate, who didn't even need to use everything he had. That damned lucky bastard. Nyxaria, with eyes that seemed to want to cling to something, took a step forward, approaching him.
"Can I really not go? I want to meet my new master."
"You will meet him, just follow the instructions I gave you."
She clutched the letter behind her back, containing strict training instructions. She didn't know why Sylas had given her that—perhaps he had already discovered she was the vessel of an evil goddess.
"Alright, I hope you keep your promise."
"Hey, Sylas, can I have a word with you?"
Ysabella approached, pointing to a more secluded spot. He nodded and told the others to wait a bit. As they moved aside, she had a doubtful look in her eyes.
"Why don't you care about your body? And don't give me that excuse about it being dirty."
She truly wanted to know why he didn't care at all. But to be honest, he was finding this annoying now—almost regretting telling her. He had only done so to get closer and be seen as trustworthy, which was why he had shared that part of his story.
"If you think there's some great reason, you're wrong. I really don't care what happens to my body as long as I get what I want."
"You shouldn't think like that…"
"That's why we're different people and deal with things differently. Just as you don't understand why this happens with me, I don't understand why you care so much."
Her doubt seemed to deepen, and she even began to look at him differently, as if she had realized something.
"Don't tell me you…"
"I suspected we went through the same thing, but it seems I was right… Sorry for not showing up sooner. My level back then was low, so I couldn't. Really, forgive me."
"You don't need to blame yourself, especially since you arrived in time before he could go further. You made it on the day it was going to happen."
"What?"
What did she mean, "before going further"? That meant he had misunderstood. No—he realized that in those eyes, the disgust was directed at her own race, especially Malakar.
'I see…'
"I never really thanked you, so I'll thank you now. Thank you for taking me out of there and also giving me the chance to take my revenge."
Yes, she had been drugged, and she felt disgust toward Malakar. But it seemed he hadn't gotten very far with her. That didn't erase the fact that she had suffered, but it made him more at ease, knowing he had arrived in time before her innocence was completely stolen.
'That's good.'
He didn't care about his own body, but it was very different with others. He preferred no one go through what he had, since he knew how terrible it was the first time. A thought crossed his mind—when he was a child, with his arms tied. But before it could go further, he slapped his own cheek to wake himself up, startling Ysabella.
'I had forgotten that for a long time, but because of these damned dreams, I'm starting to remember everything.'
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just shaking off some thoughts."
He turned and began to walk back, leaving her behind while she stood there, thinking deeply about something. Realizing he was gone, she ran after him, wanting to ask questions about the blood's owner—but received no answer.
"Well, time to go, Lord Sylas."
"Alright, see you soon. And we will surely meet again in the future. Oh, and please keep your vampires calm with the blood you already have here—at least until the alliance is formed, or I bring more blood."
"Understood."
Seeing Solin's calm face, he turned toward the magic circle where Angela, Rina, Aoi, and Yumeha were waiting for him.
"Enrico, if we went through the same thing, then know this: I care even more about my body now and don't want anyone but the person I love to touch it. So, even though we're different people, care for yours the way I care for mine."
"Daughter, what do you mean? Did something happen?"
Her father's eyes were filled with worry and seemed fearful. She knew that when she told him, it would become one of the biggest arguments of her life—for not having told him everything. But it was something she wanted to overcome on her own. And surely, there would be people who acted differently than she did—just as Sylas had said.
'At the very least, I'd like to help him after he gave me the chance to take revenge.'
The only problem was that Sylas simply raised his hand as if it were nothing before vanishing into the magic circle along with the other humans and elves—mainly the mages who had helped in this small war. It seemed it would be difficult to convince him to share her way of thinking.
"Daughter, explain it to me now."
Solin's face was serious. Now she had to settle things with her father and apologize for not telling him.
'Well, I guess even if I get scolded by my father, I'll be able to get this off my chest.'