"Akasha…isn't this a bit wrong?"
The male vampire muttered nervously, "This is called breaking and entering—robbery, really."
"Come on, Arlde," Akasha snorted. "It was you earlier, whining about wanting to get back at the guy who stole your suit. Now I'm not only giving you the plan, I'm personally helping you, and this is the thanks I get?"
"But…I just wanted to find him, confront him face-to-face, make him pay for stealing from me. That was justified! But this…"
"Pfft. Relax. I already asked around. The one living here is just a nouveau riche who recently moved to Trier. Nothing to worry about. With me here, you're safe."
Akasha thumped her well-endowed chest with confidence. "In a moment, you grab your suit, and while you're at it, slap the bastard a few times to vent your anger!"
"…It's not like I hate him that much," Arlde muttered, but his eyes quickly locked onto the suit hanging neatly on the wall inside a protective cover. His excitement surged.
"As expected of the suit I chose—handsome as hell!"
He reached out eagerly to grab it. But something strange happened. Though the distance was clearly only twenty or thirty centimetres, when his hand extended, the suit still remained twenty or thirty centimeters away.
Blinking in confusion, he thought the dim light had fooled him. He stepped closer and reached again—still out of reach. A few more steps forward—and again, nothing.
"What are you dawdling for?" Akasha snapped.
"Akasha…something's wrong here."
Arlde turned toward his sister—only to see her more than ten meters away. But this room was only four or five meters wide!
"Run! Get out, now!"
Arlde barked sharply, abandoning the suit as he sprinted toward her.
Yet the faster he ran, the further away she seemed. Ten meters, twenty meters, thirty…Within seconds, his sister was little more than a distant shadow.
Panic consumed him. He had never experienced anything like this before. He didn't know what was happening, or what to do. All he could do was scream with all his might:
"Run, Akasha! Run!!"
But in Akasha's eyes, her eccentric little brother merely looked deranged—stretching out his hand toward the suit, then suddenly freezing in place. Next, he spun around and began running on the spot, shouting "Run!" while his face twisted in terror.
She strode up and casually slapped him across the face. "What are you doing?"
"Ah?"
Arlde's vision swam. In a blink, Akasha was standing right in front of him, staring as if he were a fool.
"I just…you…No, wait, just now it was…"
Words failed him. He stammered incoherently, then blurted: "Never mind. This house isn't right. We need to get out."
Akasha curled her lip. "Idiot. If there's a problem, you should've thought of running sooner. Now? Too late."
Even as her words fell, the environment around them shifted. Suddenly, they stood inside a study.
The pair found themselves in a study, lit by the warm glow of newly invented gas lamps.
In a chair sat a man in his thirties, smiling as he looked at the two intruders.
"You bloodsuckers do love sneaking into other people's houses in the middle of the night, don't you?"
The first time Edward had met Emlyn, it was because the foolish vampire had stumbled into his villa due to the Master Key. Later, the vampires had even sent two to capture Lilith.
And tonight, one of the intruders happened to be one of those very two vampires. The other—Edward knew even better: It was none other than the vampiress who had sought cooperation with him, Countess Akasha.
Akasha stepped forward, lifting her chest with a touch of defiance. "I misjudged. I thought you were just some ordinary nouveau riche. Didn't expect a high-sequence Beyonder. We admit defeat!"
That brazen, matter-of-fact surrender fit her character perfectly.
"Your Excellency…"
Arlde hurried to add, "Breaking into your home was our fault. But it started because that man stole my custom suit. I couldn't swallow it, so I dragged my sister here to confront him."
"But I truly only meant to take back my suit, maybe make him lose some money as a lesson. I had no malicious intent beyond that."
Edward smiled faintly. "I can see that. Otherwise, do you really think you'd still be standing here in one piece?"
"Still, you did break into my house. Last time, your clan already paid reparations. And this time? What will you offer as atonement?"
Arlde immediately fumbled out a thick stack of banknotes. "I have more than eight hundred Felkins here. Take all of it as compensation."
"No, no, no."
Edward waved a finger. "Money is what ordinary people pay. Money is the penalty for ordinary people. For Beyonders, you'll need to pay with extraordinary items instead."
He tapped his cheek thoughtfully.
"A sealed artifact, a Beyonder characteristic, rare ingredients—any of those would do."
"Eh—?"
Arlde was dumbstruck. As juniors, neither of them had the right to own such treasures. Even if they did, they wouldn't be carrying them around!
Akasha scratched her head. "We don't have anything like that."
Arlde hastily added, "Or…or we could return to Feynapotter, retrieve something, and bring it back to compensate you."
"Who said you don't have anything extraordinary on you?"
Edward's lips curled into a malicious smile. "You two are at least Sequence 7 vampires, aren't you? If I kill you, I'll naturally obtain your Beyonder characteristics."
Arlde's face instantly changed, and even Akasha could no longer pretend to be calm. The siblings both stepped back, staring warily at Edward, terrified that he might really strike them down.
The three of them fell into a tense, silent standoff.
Of course, Edward had no intention of killing them. Instead, his mind drifted to a different question—
Why had the Sanguine Ancestor, a dignified True God, sent Lilith's Leg Ring as an apology before?
At the time, Edward had assumed it was out of deference to the Evernight Goddess, or perhaps the Ancestor wanted to "invest early" in him like the Evernight did, offering goodwill in advance.
But now, with his knowledge of Lilith's true identity, the matter seemed far less simple.
Perhaps that so-called "apology" wasn't directed at him at all, but rather at his Lilith?
If that were the case, then the two Liliths were likely acquainted. Which meant—could he, through the vampire Lilith, find a way to his own Lilith?
But when True Gods were involved, "asking directly" was out of the question. He'd need to find a more indirect approach.
His gaze slid back to the siblings, and he spoke slowly, "To be honest, I don't particularly need your mid-sequence characteristics. But…I did just move to Trier, and this villa is still short on staff. The two of you will stay here and work for me for a while."
The siblings froze.
"What—?"
"One of you will be my butler, the other my personal valet."
Akasha exploded.
"What? You want me to be your servant?! Do you take us Sanguines for common lackeys? We will never bow as slaves!"
Arlde hurriedly tugged on his sister's sleeve.
"Akasha, calm down!"
Edward shook his head lightly.
"No, no—you'll be my housekeeper. Your brother will be my valet."
Akasha blinked, then replied breezily, "In that case, fine."
Arlde: "???"
Edward smiled faintly.
"To motivate you both, I'll offer each of you a reward you'll find…irresistible."
He pointed at Arlde. Instantly, the suit on Arlde's body began to transform, changing styles every three seconds—patterns, fabrics, cuts, everything shifting endlessly before his eyes.
"You like suits, don't you? From now on, whatever style, material, or design you wish for—I can grant it. Even a new one every single day."
Arlde's eyes lit up, and with a flourish he executed a gentleman's bow.
"Honoured sir, your loyal valet Arlde is at your service."
Akasha rolled her eyes.
"Arlde, you…you're a disgrace to us Sanguines!"
"Hmph, look who's talking," Arlde shot back. "Your face changed even faster than mine."
Edward turned his gaze to Akasha. "And as for you…"
He paused thoughtfully.
"I'll teach you a method. Each day, it will draw all manner of beautiful women to you. They'll come of their own accord, strip before you, and let you admire them to your heart's content."
"!!!"
Akasha's heart skipped a beat. "Really?!"
"We can sign a notarised contract."
Illusory pages turned in Edward's eyes as he invoked the Notarization ability he had once used in the role of a Scribe. He quickly wrote up a binding agreement.
"Sign your names."
The siblings exchanged glances. They both knew that, whether tempted by the promise or simply forced, they had no choice but to sign.
"All Fair and binding."
Edward neatly folded away the contract and waved them off.
"Alright, go downstairs and pick a room to rest in. Your duties begin tomorrow.
"Of course, you're free to run home and fetch your elders if you like. But if you do, don't expect me to be this lenient next time."
"Good night, both of you."
The siblings exited the study, descending the stairs with heavy, helpless expressions.
All this—just for the sake of a suit. They'd essentially sold themselves out.
Akasha ground her teeth at her brother. "When we get back, I'm burning every last one of your damn suits!"
Arlde sighed. "This time was my fault. I dragged you down with me."
"…"
"Sleep."
———
Year 1349 of the New Calendar, Backlund
Akasha lounged in her private hot spring pool, face serene with pleasure. Her tight leather outfit was tossed aside on the edge, half-soaked, drifting lazily with the rippling water.
Suddenly, a bat-shaped spirit messenger flitted into the room and dropped a letter.
She caught it, eyes flashing as she read.
"Shaman King Klarman has been gravely injured?"
Splash!
She rose from the pool in an instant, water streaming down her alluring figure.
"Finally—the time has come!"
Throwing on a bathrobe, she sat at the tea table, grabbed pen and paper, and quickly scribbled a letter.
"Deliver this to that man named Edward. It's time to fulfil the contract we signed."
But the bat messenger didn't move. Instead, it squeaked a few times.
"What? You can't find him?"
Akasha's face twisted with contempt. "Some messenger you are. Utterly useless!"
"Squeak squeak squeak!"
The bat flailed its wings in agitated protest.
"You mean…he suddenly disappeared? You can't sense his aura at all?"
Akasha rubbed at her damp hair, frowning. "Don't tell me he got himself killed? Ancestor said he was the key to my revenge. Was that all a lie?"
Then she froze, quickly coughing into her hand.
"Ahem—Ancestor Lilith, I was just talking nonsense. Please don't take offence…"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.