Chapter 11

"Levi, I want toast for breakfast."

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she had just woken up from her early morning drowsiness, only to find the spot beside her empty, the person who should have been there gone.

"Chachaling!"

"Master, what is it?"

Chachaling, the small doll dressed in a maid's uniform and holding a kitchen knife—Eve's first doll and servant—slowly floated into the room and came to a stop in front of Eve, who was sitting motionless on the large bed.

"Where's Levi? I can't sense his presence in the castle!"

Eve grabbed Chachaling, who was floating in the air, and asked anxiously.

"Levi said he had something to take care of and left last night. He didn't want to disturb you since you were sleeping."

Hearing Chachaling's words, Eve's worry only increased.

Levi had first appeared in this world in this very castle. Due to her identity, vampires were always a taboo presence wherever they went. Not only were they shunned and feared, but they also attracted trouble from inexperienced adventurers seeking a quick name. Of course, these rookies were not much of a threat; if she didn't want to exert herself, a simple disguise would do. The real problem was the numerous adventurers, driven by high bounties or a sense of justice, who would cause her significant trouble once they latched onto her.

'Hmph, if it weren't for not wanting to kill in front of Levi...'

At first, whenever they went out, Eve would casually dispose of anyone who got in their way. As their relationship developed, she became more concerned about Levi's opinion of her. Gradually, she learned to control her actions, and to avoid trouble, they ended up spending most of their time in the castle.

So, in reality, Levi hadn't been to many places since he arrived in this world. Their previous outings were limited to cities around this small kingdom. The daily errands were handled by the dolls, and last night, she had fallen asleep around midnight. What could he have needed to do in the middle of the night?

Eve, sitting on the bed, grew increasingly uneasy. Upon reflection, yesterday was the day when vampires were at their weakest every ten years. Having found peace with Levi, she had almost forgotten about it.

But just because she had forgotten didn't mean others had. The 'heroes' who had made it their mission to kill the evil vampire were probably eagerly awaiting this day.

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. Eve threw the pillow she was hugging and, without changing out of her nightgown, hurriedly jumped out of bed and rushed out of the room.

"Chachaling!"

---

"Ao-wang, the forest north of the village made such a loud noise a few days ago. Do you think it might have been a monster?"

An elderly villager, with a slightly fearful expression, patted the young man next to him—the only mage in this remote village.

"Don't worry, Old Tari. I went to the tavern in the city yesterday. They said a group of powerful mages was going to the forest to capture a wanted criminal. They're from the capital, and the magic they exuded was enough to make me tremble. The noise was probably from their battle. You can go hunting in the forest without worry."

Ao-wang's words reassured Old Tari. In his eyes, the village mage was already unimaginably powerful. Anyone who could make him feel fear could probably slay a dragon.

Satisfied with the answer, Old Tari left some coins on the table and got up to leave. If he could hunt normally, he needed to go home and prepare.

"Chachaling, did you hear that?"

In a corner of the tavern, a little girl with a doll in her arms whispered softly. If anyone had heard her, they would have probably just shaken their heads, thinking this cute little girl was a lunatic. Who else but a lunatic would talk to a toy?

The little girl, still holding the doll, walked out of the tavern, turned a few corners, and entered the forest outside the village.

"Was that rookie talking about another fool looking for the master?"

In the remote forest, the doll in the little girl's arms, about fifty to sixty centimeters tall, suddenly spoke! If anyone from the village had seen this, they would have been terrified, and another scary bedtime story would have been added to the village's repertoire.

"Sigh, you've really let your guard down, master. A once-in-ten-years opportunity—no one would let it slip by. Our castle isn't a secret to some people. By the way, your foolish man went to the city to buy something recently. He probably ran into those greedy mages and decided to be a hero."

"Shut up!"

The little girl was Eve, out to find Levi. Without the need to pretend, she threw Chachaling to let her fly on her own and also spread her cloak, flying into the forest toward her castle.

"If he came from the city, he should be in this direction."

Eve returned to the castle and started searching in the opposite direction.

It turned out the rookie mage in the tavern hadn't lied. Eve soon found signs of a battle along the way.

In the quiet forest, fallen tree trunks still bore traces of congealed blood. The grass was torn up, exposing patches of bare earth. Scattered on the ground were bodies with round holes in vital areas. A few bodies, identified by the crests on their boots, were likely the leaders of the group. Their deaths were different from their companions; most were only recognizable by their upper halves. The scattered chunks of flesh around them made it impossible to identify who they belonged to.

"Master, there are thirty dead, and none of them are your man."

Chachaling flew around and returned to report to Eve, who stood before the pile of remains that once belonged to prominent nobles.

"I knew that guy would be fine. From the wounds, it looks like he killed them. Strange, why hasn't he returned? Could it be that..."

Thirty capable mages, a few of whom were likely noble leaders with valuable magical artifacts. If it were her in her prime, she could have easily dealt with these greedy adventurers. But for Levi...

The thought of Levi being seriously injured and missing made Eve's heart, which had just settled, race again.

"Master, you really care about that guy."

The servant, who should have some level of telepathic connection, teased her master, seemingly oblivious to Eve's feelings.

"Chachaling! At a time like this, you still... If, if that guy... Levi, he, he..."

Eve, at the peak of her anxiety, shouted at her servant. Her sapphire eyes, beautiful and clear, welled up with a familiar yet unfamiliar moisture. Tears—something she hadn't shed since becoming a vampire, no matter how cruelly she was treated.

"Master, did the fool really rub off on you? You didn't notice the obvious traces of spatial magic?"

Ignoring her master's reprimand, Chachaling continued in a teasing tone.

"Spatial magic... Ah!"

"From the magical traces to the south, it looks like one of the mages used a suicidal explosion, and the fool used spatial teleportation to escape. The amount of magic he used must have been comparable to the one who exploded. In that situation, it's normal for him to end up lost in another country."

Chachaling's harsh words made Eve burst into laughter. The small, blonde vampire hugged the doll, tapped her right foot, and flew into the sky.

"Right! That pervert has never left the castle area, so he must be lost. We need to find him quickly! For making me, me... I'll have to punish him properly!"

As her tense nerves relaxed, the tears she had been holding back finally flowed freely. But Eve felt an overwhelming urgency, and even the slight saltiness on her lips tasted like sweet spring water. She spread her black cloak and flew off like a light bat toward the distance.