"Ernst, can I trust you to handle the situation here?"

  "Of course."

  Kristina holds Rose's hand, Warp, and they both disappear.

  Ernst turns to the Baum Village's elder, "My lady is in need of people capable of working the fields, would you happen to have anyone available for us to hire?"

  "Hmm... There's some young'uns that were going to leave the village in look for work, we could have them gathered for you to decide if you want any of them."

  "That would be most appreciated," Ernst bows slightly as a show of respect.

  "Where should I have them be gathered?"

  "I believe right here would be a fine spot, the inn would also be good, but that would require the innkeeper's permission."

  "Getting her permission wouldn't be an issue, she's my daughter after all."

  "Alright, I will leave to you the choice of which one of the two to use."

  "The inn then, I'll warn Willa and then go gather the young'uns," the elder begins to walk towards the inn's entrance, as the sun finishes setting and the night arrives.

  Ernst looks down at himself, still wearing the hooded coat. "I think an outfit change might be in order," he says.

  "Obscure," a dome of darkness surrounds him. Different from the one Kristina made, this one is only big enough to cover himself, it's purpose is only to stop anyone from seeing him as he changes.

  "Store," his clothing disappears, leaving him naked for a brief moment before he continues, "Equip." The Obscure is soon dispelled, revealing Ernst in his usual butler clothing.

  A very faint smell of fresh blood comes from the west, likely only noticeable to Ernst, a vampire. "Human blood... This could be mean trouble..." He starts following it, running so fast that he would look like a blur to any passerby.

  The smell leads him past the village, to a caravan on the road. They don't seem to be merchants, looking more like mercenaries... or bandits. Ernst discretely, yet quickly, hides behind a bush, to observe them.

  "Do you really think the story is true? Would someone really give away so many gold coins?" One of them asks.

  "There's lots of nobles with no understanding of how rich they are and how much their money is worth, so I don't doubt it," answers a man who looks like he might be their leader. "Anyways, if we are wrong we still will be taking the other valuables, like their women"

  "I see, then that's what they are after," Ernst jumps from behind the bush and lands right in front of the entire bandit caravan. "I won't allow you to steal a gift given by my lady!" He shouts with undying loyalty.

  "Heh, what could a butler do?" One of them speaks mockingly and most of the others snicker in response. The leader speaks: "Heh, you must be pretty brave to try to fight us by yourself, my name is-"

  "Area: Pressure," Ernst casts, his voice cold as ice. In an instant, they all fall to the ground, unable to move. Most of them fall unconscious and those who remain awake all grunt in pain.

  When Kristina used Pressure back when they first visited the village, she was actually subconsciously holding back, since she didn't want to actually harm the villagers. Ernst holds nothing but hate towards those who defy his lady's will, so his Pressure is at maximum power.

  Their leader, only able to move his eyes, manages to look up at Ernst face, but he promptly passes out from the sheer intensity of the killing intent visible in the butler's blood red eyes.

  A few minutes later, the bandits lie on the floor of the inn, all unconscious and tied up.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "What should we do with them?" A villager asks Ernst.

  "If I overstep my jurisdiction here, that could end up hurting Kristina down the line..." He ponders before answering. "Just keep them tied here until the kingdom's authorities come to deal with them."

  About half an hour passes and the Elder arrives with 4 men and 3 women. He looks towards the bandits on the floor and, before he can even ask, Ernst answers: "Bandits who were trying to bring harm to this village, I defeated them."

  "I see... It looks we owe even more to your lady now," the elder reflects.

  "My lady is too kind to ever make demands of those less fortunate than her, so I can assure there's nothing for you to worry about," Ernst attempts to reassure him, but ends up sounding insulting, as if calling the village poor.

  The front door opens and a woman comes inside, her hair is red as blood and her eyes color seems to be a light shade of blue. Her clothes aren't the sort one would find being worn by the villagers, they are simply too fancy for them, so she's likely a visitor from outside the village.

  "Wait, you," Ernst calls attention to the woman who just entered the inn as he turns to face her, "You are a vampire, aren't you?

  "Huh, what makes you say that? Vampires aren't even real, they are just a myth..." She answers deflectively, as she approaches.

  "It's simple, as a vampire I can sense the presence of others of my kind. Also, I can see through your illusion spell, your red eyes can only mean either vampirism or albinism, and an albino probably wouldn't have a reason to hide their eye color."

  "Revealing that you are a vampire so carelessly. So it is you, the fool who has proclaiming our existence without a care in your head, they sent me to shut you up. I heard you were a woman though."

  "Appraise," Ernst whispers under his breath. "I'm afraid the one you are after is my lady, Kristina."

  "You really think it's wise to tell me that?" She asks with a smug look in her face.

  "Of course, you aren't strong enough to cause her any trouble after all."

  The smirk in her face shifts into a grimace. "Do you even have any idea how powerful I am?"

  "Level 50, Strength 30, Constitution 17, Intelligence 10, Agility 50 and Magic 13. Isn't that right Helena?"

  "Oh, I see, you appraised me and you think that makes you stronger somehow?" Annoyance is clear in her voice. "I can do the same, Appraise. Appraise... Appraise? Why the heck isn't it working?!"

  "It seems your level is too low compared to mine," he puts his hands on his chest and bows mockingly. "Since you won't be able to find it out through appraisal, then I guess I shall just tell you, my name is Ernst Brennen."

  "Urgh, you arrogant bastard!" Helena is completely uncomposed at this point, fury is all that can be seen in her face. She sprints towards him, too fast for anyone to follow her movements... except for Ernst, who sees her movements in practically slow motion.

  "I could use Pressure to immobilize her and then take her down in an instant. However, it might be beneficial to make a bit of a show for the villagers. After all, if I defeat her in an instant they will think she was simply weak, but if let her show off her powers a bit, then they will know of her strength," Ernst plans in his mind.

  Using the momentum of her sprinting, she throws a punch towards Ernst, totally unaware of her disadvantage, and he blocks it easily, grabbing her fist with his hand. "Warp," he casts and the two of them appear outside the inn, at the village's center.

  "Why are you so insistent on being open about being vampires? Do you want us all to get hunted down again?!" Helena yells, exasperated.

  Ernst feels perplexed, he hadn't even considered that possibility, just being a vampire wasn't a crime anywhere back in his old world. It would have been annoying for the players of Vera Phantasia who choose to play as vampires if they got arrested at every city they went to, so the devs made sure it wasn't illegal anywhere.

  "My lady chose to walk the path of honesty," even without Kristina telling him that, as a devoted servant he was able to notice it by her actions, "and I'll do everything in my power to defend her decision! Even if that one day makes me the enemy of the entire world!"

  "So your reason is simply that you are a loyal dog," she sneers, "but what's your mistress's motive then?"

  "I don't know, but I trust her completely. No matter the reason, I will follow her until the ends of the world if I need to!"

  "What? Where does this insane loyalty come from? Do you love her or something?" Helena questions in a derisive tone.

  Ernst looks away at her comment, which she sees as an opening to attack, immediately throwing a punch, but it's blocked as easily as the previous one. "Don't assume embarrassing me is gonna be enough to distract me!"

  "So I did embarrass you? Is it really true then?" Her mouth takes the shape of a smirk.

  "This strategy is foolish and, most of all, childish!" He claps back.

  "I notice you aren't saying no," the smugness is palpable in her voice.

  "Yes, I have loved her since the first time I laid my eyes on her, is that what you wanted to hear?!" The usually calm and collected Ernst is sounding more and more exasperated, although it isn't impacting his combat effectiveness.

  "Oh, how juicy. Have you told her that yet?" She asks, throwing another punch and getting blocked again.

  "Her heart isn't open to love, it would be a fruitless effort. Besides, I would only be bothering her and reopening old wounds."

  "So you haven't?"

  "No, I haven't and I never will, I have accepted that fact," he clenches his fist. "Anyways, you should be paying attention to the fight!" He punches faster than she can react.