At the smell of human blood after such a long time, Janet briefly bared her fangs and hissed like a snake. Her intensity made me shrink back for a moment, as if she might pounce on me at any second. However, whether it was because she hadn’t become an elder for nothing or because she feared Shahar, she quickly suppressed her desire.

Our blood, which had fallen onto the jewel, swirled around each other without mixing for a while before finally merging and being absorbed into the earring. That was the moment the contract was established. As proof, Janet’s eye glowed a bright red, like heated metal, before subsiding.

“From now on, lady—no, Master, you are obligated to ensure my safety. In return, I will obey your commands.”

“Got it, now disappear.”

“Very well. Call me, Janet, whenever you need me.”

Finally, Janet vanished. On top of Mount Acheron, I had now taken on a vampire as well. It felt like I was taking on grand tasks despite my incompetence.

“Well, if I keep her around, I’ll find some use for her.”

I muttered as I closed the window.

***

After dealing with Iscallion and Janet, I headed to Mount Acheron for the first time in a while to check if the magic circle was functioning properly.

As soon as I arrived at the mountain, I ran into the most difficult person.

‘Gined.’

He was giving instructions to other holy knights with his back turned to me. I moved as cautiously as possible to avoid being noticed by him.

However, as soon as I took a step, he turned to look at me.

I awkwardly smiled and rolled my eyes. This time, Gined would surely treat me like garbage.

‘It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s not the first time.’

I had endured enough contempt and ridicule while with Pinion. I wouldn’t be intimidated by mere looks.

As expected, Gined’s expression hardened as soon as he saw me.

“You’ve come at the right time, lady.”

“Yes…”

I expected him to turn away, but he spoke to me first, as if he had been waiting for me.

“I was just about to contact you. I have something urgent to discuss.”

I wondered if this urgent matter was a challenge to a duel.

I looked up at him suspiciously, and Gined lowered his voice.

“It’s about the vampire I mentioned earlier. At first, I thought it had come to Arcadia simply to hunt, but strangely, no victims have been found. I suspect it might be hiding, targeting Enril’s lair. If my guess is correct, you, as the new master, could be in danger.”

‘That vampire is actually in the basement of my house.’

I couldn’t possibly tell Gined the truth. I awkwardly nodded.

“So, we plan to increase patrols around the ducal residence for a while. Don’t be too surprised if you encounter holy knights late at night.”

“There’s no need for that! As I mentioned before, my mate Shahar is very strong. Also, although they can’t compare to the Sephiroth Holy Knight Order, the knights of the Dronay family are quite skilled, so there’s no need to worry. It would be a waste to use such high-level personnel from the Sephiroth Holy Knights for this.”

I tried to dissuade him without taking a breath.

“Lady.”

“Yes?”

After calling me, he remained silent. I couldn’t guess what he was hesitating about.

With Gined also silent, an awkward pause ensued. We stared into each other’s eyes for a moment. In his blue eyes, I saw myself looking helpless like a child.

Suddenly, a realization struck me.

‘Wait, this scene feels familiar.’

This was the moment Janet had mentioned, the perfect timing to shake a holy knight’s heart. Of course, I had learned my lesson and had no intention of spouting nonsense again. It was unfortunate that I had to learn the hard way.

This time, I decided to give a normal, straightforward answer. I wanted to show Gined that I was a reasonable person.

“Yes… You probably know more about the dangers than I do. Vampires are high-level demons, after all. But aren’t the other citizens more at risk than I am, since I’m protected by my retainers?”

“I swear by the name of the goddess, I will ensure your safety, lady.”

Gined said resolutely. His words, filled with pure humanity rather than any personal feelings, made my heart flutter foolishly. If he was determined to protect me, my safety might be assured, but my faith would surely be in jeopardy.

‘Goddess, please forgive me.’

As I silently prayed for forgiveness, a stone suddenly flew from somewhere and landed at my feet.

Thinking I had dropped Shahar, I hurriedly bent down, only to find the real Shahar still calmly in my hand.

“Huh?”

“You never cease to amaze me with your foolish antics.”

A mocking voice followed.

Turning my gaze, I saw the Crown Prince leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. Our eyes met, and he walked towards us with long strides.

‘Fxck.’

“What does it matter to you?”

Embarrassed to have acted foolishly in front of the Crown Prince, and even more so in front of Gined, I hastily straightened up. The Crown Prince coldly ordered me.

“Follow me. I found an issue with the barrier.”

“So bossy… See you later, Sir Roengreen!”

Due to the Crown Prince’s oddly high-handed attitude, I had to leave without properly greeting Gined.

“What’s the big problem?”

“It looks like someone has tampered with the barrier.”

No matter how lacking my skills were, the barrier was created with the help of the best court mages and Shahar. Who could have tampered with it?

“Look here.”

When I examined the spot the Crown Prince pointed to, I indeed found a tiny flaw. It was so small that one wouldn’t notice it unless looking closely. Exhausted at the time, I had sloppily finished a few parts of the barrier, and this was one of those spots.

“Maybe a passing low-level monster or beast touched it…”

“Or perhaps someone lazy did a half-hearted job.”

“……”

“Since it concerns the safety of the capital, we can’t overlook even the smallest gap, can we?”

Pinion smiled. Since it was my fault, I swallowed my irritation and repaired the barrier with Shahar.

“Is it done now?”

As I tried to leave quickly, Pinion grabbed me again.

“There’s something else I need to show you.”

He started walking through the dense forest without a proper path. Worried that there might be more damage to the barrier, I followed him without complaint. Soon, sweat began to pour down like rain. Fortunately, I was wearing a shirt and pants; otherwise, I couldn’t imagine what state I would be in if I were in a dress.

“What’s so important that you’re making me go through all this?”

“You’ll see.”

He led me deeper into the forest.

“Huff, wait a minute.”

I couldn’t go any further and sat down on a large rock.

“Why are you so weak?”

“Are you kidding? This is a mountain!”

The sky seemed to spin, and I felt dizzy. Pinion clicked his tongue, sat next to me, and handed me a canteen.

“Drink.”

“Is it just water?”

I eyed the canteen suspiciously. Maybe the Crown Prince had decided to bury his scandalous ex-fiancée in the mountains. Even though I was extremely thirsty, I hesitated to take it.

“Ha. Do you even doubt this now?”

Pinion grumbled and drank a few gulps in front of me. Despite that, I couldn’t easily drop my suspicion. The Crown Prince had a strong resistance to poison due to consuming small amounts since childhood to prevent poisoning.

What if this was a transcendent in Pinion’s disguise? If so, he was a very wicked one. However, since Shahar gave no warning, it was definitely the real Crown Prince.

“Hurry up and drink. We have a long way to go.”

In the end, my thirst overcame my suspicion. I grabbed the canteen and drank deeply. The water was so sweet that my doubts felt foolish. As Pinion took the almost empty canteen, he extended his hand. I ignored it and struggled to stand on my own. I’d rather roll down the mountain than take his hand. However, I couldn’t walk more than a few steps before collapsing completely.

‘I can’t walk any further!’

“Shahar.”

Although I didn’t want to reveal Shahar’s abilities in front of the Crown Prince, I had no choice. As soon as I called Shahar, he transformed into a large, sturdy plank.

Without hesitation, I lay down on Shahar. No matter how I thought about it, having magical abilities to adjust his shape and size was more useful than being skilled in swordsmanship and strength. As soon as I lay down, Shahar floated into the air. At that moment, I felt as grand as Princess Jasmine.