Chapter 24 - Volume 2 (2/2)

What was this sense of discomfort? What was this strange feeling?

Like leaving something unbuttoned, only to notice at the end of the day…

Or like wearing only one shoe, but not noticing…

Where was that feeling coming from?

Was it coming from her? After sending the letter of invitation to her? Or maybe… because she came from this country?

That’s absurd… Impossible.

Before Millaine came to this country, she already had a plan.

This Holy Kingdom was a place where [Saints] and [Heroes] were born; the [Holy] power even reached into the dirt. Because of this, the public had strong faith, and it was said to be difficult for [Beasts] or [Dark Creatures] to live here.

That was why she came.

In the center of the Holy Kingdom, nobody would think that the [Nobles] would actually be infiltrated by a terrible [Monster].

Carefully… slowly, from behind the Holy Kingdom’s back, she would slake her thirst for blood.

“ … … ”

When Millaine came out of her thoughts of the past, Yurushia was sitting across from her at the table, her back resting in the chair, filing her nails with something like a stone with an uninterested look.

The red tea in front of her had already gone cold.

“You guys, replace Yurushia-sama’s tea.”

Millaine hurriedly ordered the servants, but a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

Why would the servant make the mistake of leaving someone’s tea long enough for it to cool? She immediately realized why.

Those good looking butlers and maids who had captivated hundreds of daughters were captivated by the cold beauty of the young Yurushia. They had stopped working, freezing to stare at her.

{How awkward…}

So many people were unable to fight against her [Charm], looking with bloodshot eyes, their drool falling, their appearance as [Human Beings] had become impossible to maintain.

If those lesser servants went crazy, they may not be satisfied with only those four other children.

The atmosphere that had begun, the Count and his wife began to move, but the atmosphere was stopped.

“Changing the tea is unnecessary.”

The [Princess]’s voice was dignified and cool.

Yurushia let out a deep sigh, and while looking away from Millaine murmured while still polishing her nails.

“Ever since I boarded the carriage, I’ve been neglected and left alone. If I am still being neglected now, why did I even come in the first place?”

“ … G-greatest apologies.”

Millaine lowered her head to Yurushia while grinding her teeth and fangs.

She was rapidly reaching her limit. It would have been best if the [Top-grade] prey called Yurushia had been completely [Charmed] and she thought that whether it was done in small stages or all at once would have been enjoyable either way, but, with the atmosphere she had caused with her tricks, a person like the transcendent Millaine could no longer allow herself to lower her head.

{Good enough… now, it’s time to eat}

With her head still down, her fangs grew out of her lips, Millaine saw, out of the corner of her beautiful, Oni-like eyes, that something small rolled by.

“I’m returning you this claw sharpener. It’s too small.”

“Wha-”

A large piece of ruby, about the size of an adult’s fingertips.

It was one of the gems concealed in the small box sent to Yurushia, a jewel of enough value that it could buy an aristocrat’s mansion, but it was so casually tossed onto the ground.

This caused Millaine such anger that she even felt dizziness, but Yurushia with her clear voice multiplied it further.

“Hey… did you know that a few years ago, a neighboring country, Taterudo, had some turmoil involving vampires?”

Those words, not only Millaine, even the faces of the Count and his wife hardened.

“ … Yurushia-sama, what are you talking about?”

At the impersonal cold voice of Millaine, the four children who were in a dreamy state shook as if waking from a dream.

The butlers and maids stared at her without expression, only Yurushia, at the center of all of the glares, continued to speak without breaking a smile.

“It’s just a monologue. There was supposedly a strong vampire, but I heard that it was quickly subdued. To be defeated by mere humans, vampires are no big deal, after all.”

During the monologue, the facial expressions of the Count and wife distorted… they quietly trembled as their thirst for blood rose.

The thirst for blood coming from Millaine was especially impressive.

The anger turned into hatred, the overflowing malice caused the surrounding luscious lawn to decay in an instant.

“What… are you trying to say?”

Yurushia’s complexion did not change with the killing intent, throwing a letter from her pocket onto the lawn, the [Invitation].

“The fragrance of a rose, it can’t disguise the stench of a [Beast].”

At that time, the beautiful maids’ and butlers’ faces distorted into those of beasts, letting out sound as their intimidating fangs were born at Yurushia.

“Hiieeee!”

The four children, finally knowing the reality around them, hugged each other, trembling while shedding tears.

They were only able to keep their sanity at this feast of nightmares because their [Master] Yurushia was not scared… but that was it.

Wearing a calm smile, their master was a saint, they hoped she would earn enough time for them to escape on their own.

“You noticed from the start…? The title of [Saint], I’m glad that it wasn’t a sham bought with noble gold…”

“Hmm? That title was something that was given without my permission. That title is so embarrassing. I just wanted a peaceful life…”

Yurushia ignored the facial expressions of the children let out a sigh.

“Then, little miss. This will be nice and [Easy] if you just give me your blood…”

The old vampire calmly offered a compromise… Count Oberu’s smile reached his ears as he laughed.

“Saint-sama seems to have a lot of leeway. The three of us have the advantage in experience, hundreds of vampires, and the three thousand [Runts] that make escape impossible…”

The Countess gracefully licked her bright red lips with a long, lizard-like tongue.

That Yurushia, even if they had the rumored power of a legendary class of [Saint], would be hard-pressed to survive taking on this number.

Millaine knew the ability of her two [Companions] well.

The wife and Millaine are two hundred years old. The Count is an ancient vampire that has been alive for five hundred years. Mere human beings could not hope to defeat such things alone.

Millaine knew that it would be possible for the other two to run away if just one of them remained to fight.

Hence Millaine had a feeling of anger in her heart towards the Count and his wife, who had escaped the country at the very start.

“Well then, catch me if you can.”

Yurushia’s words sounded like that of a child having fun as she clapped her hands down, the wife, who noticed that she answered as if she would [Escape], was at a loss for words.

With such a strange atmosphere, Yurushia pointed her friendly smile towards her servants.

“You guys, good luck. I’ll forgive you if you successfully escape from these people.”

Her bright voice multiplied the effect of her heartless words, Yurushia spread out her little arms to stretch.

“ … [Let There Be Light] … ”

Without any fear or tension, nobody could react to her all-too-natural action.

As the vampires noticed that Yurushia had casted Holy magic and went on guard, they saw an unbelievable thing.

A light that was neither dazzling or white, but was darker than mere darkness, a [Black Light] that spread as if ink had been dumped on the world, even the vampires could not have foreseen this newly dyed night.

In the confusion, everyone heard the echo of the merry voice of Yurushia.

“[Now. I’ll be the seeker, fufufu.]”