Myma stared at the figure before her in shock.
Until this moment, she hadn't sensed the presence of another living being in the room—not until she had clearly laid eyes on him.
The little demon had two curved, sharp black horns atop his head, golden demonic runes covering his muscular chest, and a scaled tail that shimmered faintly in the dim light of the underground storeroom.
He tilted his head back, licking the remnants of honey from a jar with such single-minded focus that he looked like nothing more than a particularly troublesome bear.
Myma was speechless.
The little demon finally set the jar down, licking his lips with obvious satisfaction before grabbing a large chunk of smoked meat and devouring it in huge bites. Only then did he lazily turn his gaze toward her.
That was when Myma saw his golden eyes.
She felt as though she were staring into the blazing, arrogant sun high in the sky—a sun that burned with terrifying flames.
Rooted to the spot amidst the wreckage of her storeroom, Myma could only watch as the little demon swiftly demolished every scrap of food in sight. In the blink of an eye, he had stuffed the last piece of smoked meat into his mouth. Then, as if noticing something new and intriguing, he stared straight at the stunned girl who was gaping at him in disbelief.
The two of them stood there, locked in an absurdly awkward staring contest.
Then, suddenly, the little demon flicked his tail—and vanished.
Myma didn't even have time to process what had happened before she realized she was alone in the storeroom once more. A faint shadow flickered past the stairwell, disappearing in an instant.
Myma snapped back to reality.
No—wait!
She hastily gathered her skirts and bolted upstairs.
Don't touch my—
Too late.
The little demon was crouched on the table, eyes gleaming with delight as he devoured an entire loaf of bread in mere seconds. He even licked the crumbs off the plate for good measure.
Myma watched the scene unfold in numb horror, her emotions a tangled mess.
Once the bread was gone, the little demon glanced around the kitchen, but there was clearly nothing left to eat.
He paused, as if considering something, then flicked his tail and leapt off the table. In a flash, he darted out the door and vanished into the garden beyond, leaving no trace behind—as if he had never been there at all.
What kind of absurd misfortune was this?!
She had been warned time and again to be wary of the magical beasts lurking nearby. Even the weakest of them could easily destroy a vegetable patch or slaughter livestock. And then there were the occasional orc rangers who passed through the village—though most headed straight for the town, it was best not to refuse them food or drink if they were short on coin.
Compared to the constant need to feign fanatical worship of The Deity of Light or shrieking in terror at the sight of angels fresh from battle, Myma had thought she could handle all of that.
But no one had ever told her that these creatures would raid her storeroom and steal her lunch.
—Why would a being on par with angels, one of the most formidable Nightkin in existence, do something so petty?!
Her expression twisted in frustration as she stepped outside. The garden was peaceful once more, and after a moment, the noisy red sparrows returned, perching on the branches of the oak tree and chirping away.
Myma had no desire to clean up the mess in the storeroom just yet. Still hungry and exhausted, she forced herself to throw together a meal, ate half of it, and then collapsed onto the sofa, falling asleep almost instantly.
By the time Sophia knocked on her door the next day, the house still reeked of chaos.
Sophia stood in the doorway, staring at her in disbelief before her gaze flicked to the half-eaten bowl of oatmeal and untouched cheese on the table. "Don't tell me that was your lunch. You've been asleep for nearly an entire day!"
Myma blinked blearily at the morning light. "You've known me long enough to not be surprised."
Sophia sighed. "Are you going back to sleep?"
"No." Myma rubbed her eyes, slowly regaining her senses. "...I need to find something to eat."
"Your house smells—" Sophia paused as she stepped inside, sniffing the air. "By the Creator, please don't tell me you spilled that cask of fruit wine. I'll have to wait until next year to taste it again!"
Myma stiffened, her silver knife clattering against the plate.
She angrily slathered butter onto a slice of bread. "That wasn't my fault! It was that wretched—"
Sophia waited, but Myma didn't finish. "Did a magical beast break into your house?"
"A greedy, thieving beast!" Myma bit into the bread with more force than necessary. "He destroyed my storeroom. I thought they only caused trouble in the vegetable patches."
"Usually, they do. And your garden doesn't even have a single chicken—I thought you'd be safer than most." Sophia patted her shoulder in sympathy. "Come on, I'm heading into town today. I can teach you more demonic language between meetings with clients."
The town of Eloven was as lively as ever, the festivities showing no signs of slowing down. Sophia led her through the maze of streets, past bustling shops and stalls. Even a few sharp-eyed goblins weaved through the crowd, clutching glittering jewelry as they searched for potential buyers.
"We're not interested!" Sophia firmly shooed them away, dragging Myma along.
Myma couldn't help glancing back at the sparkling gemstone necklace.
Sophia pinched her cheek. "Stop looking! Those are just ordinary rocks enchanted to look fancy. My uncle fell for that trick once—they're absolute swindlers!"
They stopped outside Master Cana's smithy, where the heat from the forge spilled out into the street, mingling with the scent of sulfur and smoke. The rhythmic clang of hammer on metal and the roar of the bellows blended into the market's cacophony.
"It's too hot inside. Let's sit here."
Sophia guided her to a bench outside and began their usual demonic language lesson. After a while, she nodded approvingly. "You're learning quickly, Myma. You'd make even more progress if you didn't spend so much time sleeping."
Myma slumped. "I don't want to sleep so much. But I'm always exhausted. Half the time, I only drag myself out of bed because I'm starving—"
The memory of her ransacked storeroom resurfaced.
"Do magical beasts often raid your family's orchard and garden?" Myma leaned against Sophia's shoulder. Though they were neighbors, the houses in Eloven's outskirts were spread far apart. Aside from occasional visits, she rarely saw the Cana household. "I mean… is it only magical beasts?"
"What else would it be?" Sophia gave her a puzzled look before softening. "Don't worry, it doesn't happen often. The rangers from Morandi usually patrol this area—they clear out any beasts they find. Oh, Morandi is the Dusk Continent—that's the demonic pronunciation."
Myma nodded. "I know. The first city built by The Deity of Darkness on the western side of the Red Mountains!"
She had read about the geography of the Dusk Continent back at the academy. The authors, likely devout followers of the Church, had woven subtle—and sometimes not-so-subtle—disparagement into their writings. In any case, true cities were rare in the Dusk Continent outside of human settlements and military strongholds.
"Desire's City, south of the northern mountains. Pain's City, east of the western fissure. Curse's City, north of the southern wastelands." Myma counted them off on her fingers. "The Deity of Desire, The Twin Deities of Pain, and The Deity of Curses reside in those cities, right?"
"Absolutely correct."
A smooth, melodious voice spoke up beside them. Both girls turned to see a strikingly handsome young man with pale skin and vivid crimson eyes that shimmered like aged wine.
He flashed them a charming smile, drawing the attention of several passing women.
A vampire. Undoubtedly.
Sophia's grip on Myma's hand tightened, her palm growing slightly damp—not from fear, but nervous excitement.
"Good day, lovely ladies." The vampire's gaze lingered on Sophia. "I'm Kevin, of the Sunhunters Clan."
Sophia rose, smoothing her skirts before offering a graceful curtsy. "I'm Sophia, daughter of Sivell Carter. A pleasure to meet you."
Kevin then turned to the red-haired, blue-eyed girl beside her.
Myma forced herself not to stare, though her curiosity burned. She had never met a vampire before—only heard them cursed by the Church's clergy.
She cleared her throat. "I'm Myma. Myma Shiningblade. At your service."
The vampire blinked, his eyes flicking to the subtle points of her ears. "Are you an elf?"
As one of the Creator's earliest races, high elves were long-lived and gifted in both magic and combat.
A surname—or rather, a clan name—like Shiningblade suggested noble lineage among the light elves.
Light elves, also called white elves, counted many non-divine followers of The Deity of Light among their ranks. Those who cultivated their abilities and maintained pure faith could receive divine blessings, ascending to Half-Deity status and earning a place in the divine realms.
The Church's devout believed white elf blood carried traces of divine grace.
Myma had grown used to such assumptions over the years. But here, in the territory of The Deity of Darkness, facing a vampire—even a seemingly harmless one—she felt the need to clarify.
"My father was a white elf. He… was exiled for refusing to become a follower of The Deity of Light. Later, he met my mother—she's half-dwarf, and my grandfather was human. Eventually, they moved to a human town. Our family has no ties to the Church."
She knew better than to share the full truth. Since childhood, whenever someone asked why she didn't live among her kin, she would simply say her parents' love had been forbidden. The explanation always earned her sympathy—and conveniently ended further questions.