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"Faceless... Ahem! Julies, you’re awake!"
Alice’s voice snapped me out of the fog the moment I managed to pry my eyes open.
For a few seconds, I genuinely wasn’t sure whether I was still dreaming.
The one who explained everything that happened while I was unconscious wasn’t Alice...
nor a healer...
nor a soldier...
It was Velra.
Yes. Velra.
"At first," I muttered, still half-dazed, "I thought I was hallucinating..."
A high-ranked demon—no, a noble vampire—appearing in the Draken Duke’s mansion of all places, the frontline command of a war against demons?
It sounded like the start of a nightmare.
But what threw my brain into a full system error wasn’t her presence.
It was the outfit.
A black-and-white maid uniform with frilled edges.
The skirt fluttered every time she moved, the fabric too neat, too crisp, too... humiliating for someone of her pride.
Familiar style.
Completely unfamiliar wearer.
And then the realization hit me like a hammer.
"...Is that why you’re wearing those clothes?"
Velra nodded with the serene dignity of someone explaining a noble tradition instead of her own degradation.
"Correct. This was part of the arrangement I made with the lord of this place."
"...The Duke agreed to this?"
Her lips curved faintly.
"Humans enjoy symbolic punishments. Appearances matter to them."
"That’s... one way to put it."
I let out a long, defeated sigh.
Velra, dressed as the lowest-ranked maid in the entire mansion, looked so out of place it hurt. She still talked like she owned the estate, looked down on the continent, and considered everyone a peasant.
After forcing myself to calm down enough to actually think, the first thing I did was—naturally—check her wrists and ankles.
I expected chains. Magic cuffs. Seals. Anything.
"...Nothing?"
Velra blinked.
Then smiled like a cat who found someone else’s milk bowl.
"No restraints." She lifted her hand lightly. "Duke Draken believed that humiliating attire was sufficient. And your Lady Alice insisted that keeping me under watch was enough."
"That’s not enough at all!"
"Mm. Indeed. If I wished to escape, I could simply walk out."
My heart stopped.
"...You’re joking, right?"
"I am loyal to our agreement," Velra said calmly. "For now."
For now.
Lovely.
I buried my face in my hands.
"I just woke up... Why is reality already like this..."
Velra tilted her head, her golden eyes glowing faintly with amusement.
"Rest assured. I wouldn’t leave without you."
"That does not reassure me!"
"Mm. Humans ot should I say a demon are so fragile."
The word ’demon’ muttered under her breath, it was as if she was teasing me intentionally.
Damn her!
Anyways, I don’t have time to react on her teasing.
To think that a high demon would be allowed to walk around freely.
Considering the risks, that wasn’t a decision anyone could take lightly.
So whatever Velra was saying... I didn’t believe a single bit of it.
There had to be something she still wasn’t telling me.
"What’s this negotiation about?" I asked, keeping my eyes fixed on her.
"That’s... a secret," she replied, tapping a finger lightly against her lips with a troubled expression. "We formed a magical pact, so I cannot reveal the details. Please understand."
I glared at her, waiting for even a hint of guilt or hesitation.
None came.
Eventually, I exhaled and looked away.
"Well, whatever. I suppose it’s fortunate I survived being captured by them."
Indeed. If Velra had been executed right there, I might have died with her.
A faint shimmer passed in front of my eyes.
-----
[You are now bound under a Vampire’s Familiar Oath.]
[Contract Tier: S]
[A pact forged only with those a proud vampire noble deems dependable.]
[Your fate and lifespan are now linked—if the vampire noble perishes, so will you.]
’Great... now there are two lives tied to mine.’
And, of all beings, it had to be that Velra.
I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to ease the dull, pulsing headache.
Thankfully, it wasn’t a contract full of only drawbacks.
[You have acquired an undying body.]
[Your mastery over blood-based sorcery has risen, and the cost to wield it has significantly decreased.]
The first part didn’t mean much without resolving the looming catastrophe.
Immortality wasn’t worth anything if the world burned.
But the second part—
that mattered.
A lot.
Enhanced blood sorcery.
Reduced mana cost.
Increased affinity.
A part of me—
the part that had risked my life a hundred times for one more scrap of power—
was practically vibrating.
’This... is huge.’
Before, blood sorcery demanded blood sacrifice and control so precise it bordered on insanity. A mistake meant either bleeding myself dry or detonating the spell in my own face.
But now?
The moment I focused on the magic circulating in my veins...
it responded.
Smoothly.
Eagerly.
Almost like a trained hound tilting its head, waiting for my order.
’This is surreal...’
I raised a hand, letting a droplet of blood bead at my fingertip.
It rose from my skin without pain and floated obediently in the air.
Light as a feather.
Sharp as glass.
Alive.
It danced between my fingers at a thought, shaping itself into threads, then needles, then a crimson flower.
My magic had never felt this refined.
This easy.
Even Velra, who had been silently enjoying my reaction like it was a stage play performed for her amusement, raised an eyebrow.
"Well," she murmured, "it seems the contract accepted you more smoothly than I expected."
"You expected what?" I frowned.
"A few days of agony. Screaming. Perhaps some hallucinations." Velra crossed her arms proudly.
"...That’s not nice at all."
"Mm. Opinions differ."
I dropped the blood spell with a sigh, watching it evaporate harmlessly into mist.
"This makes things easier," I admitted. "I needed power fast, and this is... a shortcut."
"Indeed," Velra nodded. "You now possess the foundations of a true blood practitioner. With training, you may even reach a level where you no longer embarrass me."
"That’s the plan." I paused. "Wait—embarrass you?"
She nodded seriously.
"As my familiar, your competence reflects on my honor."
I stared at her.
She stared back, perfectly sincere.
"...You’re unbelievable."
"I agree."
Not the right answer, Velra.
Before I could muster another complaint, my attention drawn towards other rewards by system.