nro_8

  [Lua’s POV]

  … Where am I? … I was sleepio Brian, right? … But this isn’t the room. This isn’t the bed. This is…

  I sat up and looked around. I was in a room I didn’t know and I had been sleeping in a massive opy bed. This bed was the size of at least four of the beds Brian and I were supposed to be sharing, so where am I? This has to be the Earl’s bed, right? Only he would have such a rge bed. Did something happen to me ht and I was moved to a bigger bed? That has to be it, right?

  But what could have happened? I feel just fine.

  As I was still p that, a woman in a purple dress opehe door and walked into the room. I couldn’t see her face because of the curtains around the bed, but I could see her outlihe purple ade her pop quite well.

  “My dy, are you awake?” She asked softly as she approached the bed. I reize her voice, but whose is it?

  “Yes. I just woke up.” I responded, before I even realized.

  She opehe curtains and I got a first good look at her. As soon as I did, I instantly reized her. The green hair, light blue skin, yellow eyes, as well as her purple dress and wings. Camu. Or should I call her Vampire Lady? Why is she here? Did Brian summon her?

  Spoiler

  [colpse]

  “How are you feeling?” Camu asked. “Any m siess today?”

  “No, I feel just fine.” I answered.

  Wait, that isn’t what I wao say. Why did I? And siess? So I am sick?

  “That is a relief.” Camu said. “Here, I brought you a cup of blood. Please drink it.”

  She handed me a hand carved wooden cup filled with blood, and I took it into my hands. Before drinking it, I looked over the cup. On one side, there was a carving of a spiral shape. I think it might be the same, or at least simir to the spiral on the back of Brian’s cards. Oher side, a name was carved.

  Lucia Wood.

  … what is this? Why is that?

  I didn’t have much time to think about that, as I brought the cup to my lips and took a sip.

  “... he really didn’t have to …” I muttered to myself.

  The blood in the cup was from a source I reized. It was Brian’s blood. I would reize it from a million different samples of blood.

  “Master hoped it would help you with your m siess.” Camu said to me.

  “It does.” I said. “Where is he?” I asked.

  “He had to leave in the middle of the night. Another dimensional fissure opened. Master went to close it and suppress the monsters with Lady Alice.” Camu said.

  “Another one? Isn’t this the third this week? How bad is it?” I asked, sounding perfectly calm.

  What? Dimensional fissure? What is she talking about? And what monsters? Is there a problem? And why did Brian go with Alice, instead of me? Because I’m sick?

  “Yes, but do not worry. We already got a report that he has closed the fissure, dealt with the monsters and is on the way back. From the info we got, it was only one S-rank and two A-rank monsters, so it wasn’t anything bad. He should be arriving soon, so if you are feeling up to it, how about we go outside and wele him?”

  What? An S-rank monster is nothing bad? Well, I guess we are talking about Brian, but still.

  “Yes. I would like that.” I agreed, before I even realized what I was saying and got out of bed.

  “Which outfit would you like?” Camu asked, as she opened a door leading into another room. I didn’t see all of it, but what I could spot was a rge quantity of different looking dresses, as well as other outfits. I think that is called a walk-in closet, but only nobles have those.

  “I think I’ll go with one of mioday.” I answered. “I’m feeling a bit nostalgic.” As I said that, I moved to face a massive mirror.

  As I saw myself in the mirror, I noticed that something was off. I didn’t look like I should.

  I was wearing a white nightgown, with plenty of ce, but that wasn’t the strange part. The strange part was what was there, and what wasn’t there.

  On my left arm was something that looked like Brian’s founder’s terminal, except that mine was silver in color. Or is it gray? Well, it looked like polished steel, so maybe it is vampiric steel. It does look somewhat simir to the edging of my mantle, and that should be vampiric steel. 1Acc to google, polished steel is a medium light shade of -blue. It had the slot for a card and everything. And beyond it, on the fourth finger of my left hand was a ring, with a small magic stohe base color of the stone was a mix of dark purple with hints of blue, and it had a rge white star on it. The ring itself looked gold, but it might also be something else.

  My crimson hair, while it had grown a bit longer when I evolved, should only just reach my shoulders. But the me in the mirror had it almost to her mid-back. And my wings, they just weren’t there. I know Camu and the other vampires that I summon say I could hide them if I learned Vampiriodification, but I ’t do it yet, so how they be gone?

  But I didn’t have to wohat for long, as other thoughts began rushing through my head. In the mirror, I saw as my outfit ged from the nightgown to a familiar looking bck dress. It was the first dress I ever made with the Dhampir Princess skill, using my adventuring clothes as the materials for it. It felt just like I remembered it, but after my outfit s, ahing became apparent.

  Because as I sed outfits, my wings came out. And not just the o I’m used to, but a sed on top of them. They had grown out from just the area where my hair had reached, before my hair got styled up as I ged into this dress.

  My sed pair of wings looked nothing like the first. Well, I guess they were both white in color, but my first ones were leathery and sharp, but the sed pair was covered in white feathers. They looked like white bird wings.

  … How? When? Why? There were so many things I wao ask, but I just couldn’t get the words out of my mouth.

  After getting dressed, I walked through the building with Camu. As we did, I saw plenty of people walking about. I didn’t know many of them, but some of them are definitely Brian’s monsters. I dhem from the factory. But that just ot be. There have been well over 20 mohat I’ve already reized, and plenty more that I think are Brian’s as well. How he have that many monsters summo the same time? And why didn’t he unsummon them when he left? Especially if he left for some dangerous pce?

  As we got outside, I saw something that I didn’t think would be possible. A massive amount of what I think are magic circles were floating in the air. Magic circles are an old form of magic. I do know a bit about them, but most don’t study them as they are seen as unnecessary for anything but long term barriers. And as far as I know, the study of magic circles has been limited, just because of how easy it is to kill yourself with one of them. If you make a mistake, the magic circle will draw out all of your mana, and leave you dead.

  But there were hundreds of them floating all around the tower we had just walked out of. What kind of a pce is this? The Sage’s tower? I’ve never personally seen the Sage’s tower, but I’ve heard stories about it. It is said to be mind blowing and magical, just like what I’m seeing. So that has to be it, right? There is no way any other pce would have something like this. But why am I at the Sage's tower?

  As we walked outside, I saw even more monsters from the factory. That group over there are warrior monsters. Fantasia oroduced me to them in the factory, so I know at least some of them. They were doing some sort of training.

  There was also anroup. Leading it was an older man in bck, purple and blue robes. He seemed to be teag magic to a group of both children and adults. I really wao join the lesson, but my feet kept moving me in another dire.

  We kept going and we soon reached a grassnd. Again, it looked like some of Brian’s monsters were here, taking care of the grass and flowers. I even spotted some blood lilies growing in the flower orchard. It looked like Vampire Sucker was watering them with the mixture of water and blood that those flowers need.

  Spoiler

  [colpse]

  As Sucker spotted us, she waved so I waved babsp;

  Then we reached the pce where Camu came to a stop. It en grass area close to what I think it the outer wall of this tower. There were no trees or flowers. Just short cut grass, like the one you see in noble’s yards.

  But there was something strange about it. There were fe circles of differently crass. Red, to be exact. There was alse red H at the ter of each of those circles, also made with some sort rass.

  Camu guided me to a nice seat close by, and I sat down. She then walked over to what looked like one of those terminals that Brian has in his factory. She did something on it, and after a bit, she spoke up.

  “Master is just a few minutes away, and will be nding soon.” She said, and walked o me.

  “Thank you.” I just said back.

  Landing. So that means he is flying in. I wonder what he is flying? The big invisible ship, or the small and fast one?

  “He is here.” Camu warned me.

  I tried to look around, hoping I could spot him, but I didn’t see anything, so he must be in the invisible ship.

  Suddenly, a rge three-headed dragon appeared from behind the outer wall, almost like it had been flying up from below us. It wasn’t one which I reized, and it looked like it was made of metal. I didn’t know Brian has metal dragons.

  The dragon then nded, its loal tail setting on the grass. From its back, two people jumped off.

  The first one was Alice. She seemed … different? I don’t know how to put my finger on it, but she wasn’t like I thought she should be.

  But at least the sed person was just as I expected. Brian looked like he always looked like. He was dressed in his hoodie and jeans bo, like he does, and he had his … duel disk out. On it, I just barely spotted one purple framed card, likely the card for that three-headed metal dragon.

  “Brian!” I called out for him.

  “Eh? Lua? You are … Why are you here? Are you feeling fine? What about your..?” He asked multiple questions in a row, as if he anig a bit.

  “I’m feeling just fioday, thanks to your blood.” I answered. “And it is important that I stay active on the days I’m feeling good, isn’t it?”

  “... I … I suppose so.” He agreed. “But really, are you sure? Camu, you are keeping an eye on her, right?”

  “Of course, Master.” Camu answered, with a slight bow.

  “You’d better.” Brian said. “If she gets hurt because of your ck of ht, I’ll ban you from using the avatar dolls.” He threatened her.

  Avatar dolls? What dolls? What is he talking about?

  “Brian.” I said softly. “She has acted perfectly fine. Don’t threaten her for no reason.”

  “Fine, fine.” He said, as he walked up to me. “But you know, I was worried about you, and I get like this when I’m worried.” He tried to expin himself.

  “I know. I know.” I said. “Let’s head inside. I’m sure the two of you havee.”

  “You need food as well.” Brian said, as if reminding me. “Just the blood won’t be enough for the two of you.” As he said that, he ran his hand over my stomach. He then took a firm hold of me, aly pulled me up from my seat, straight into a deep hug, which he then turned into a kiss.

  … something is poking my cheek. But my kiss. What happeo it? I want it back. I used my hand to try to swat away the annoyany cheek. But because it didn’t stop, I opened my eyes, only to see Brian’s face close to mine.

  “Good m, sleepy head.”

  nro_8