“So I'm just livestock to vampires? And you want me to make one my guardian?”
“Please don't worry. He won't harm you.”
Judging by the meaningful way Shion spoke, it seemed he had something he was relying on.
I glared at him.
“But what if something goes wrong and the vampire attacks me?”
“I will protect you so that not even a single hair on your head is harmed.”
After thinking for a moment, I concluded that having a guardian couldn't be a bad thing. Depending only on Shion was dangerous too.
“Well, whatever. I'll give it a try.”
I said it confidently, but honestly, I was under a lot of pressure. By the time we stood in front of the castle gate, my back was soaked with cold sweat.
Then Shion said,
“Princess, would you knock on the gate for me?”
“What? Me?”
“Yes. Please.”
Was he saving his perfectly good hands for cooking soup or something?
Pouting, I banged on the gate.
Bang! Bang!
But then thin cracks spread out from where I had knocked, and something shattered with a crisp snap.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
At the same time, loud alarm bells began ringing.
“The barrier has been broken!”
“Quick! Call the head butler!”
Judging by the chaos inside, something had gone terribly wrong.
I hurriedly turned my head and found Shion smiling brightly.
I-I've been tricked!
The realization came too late.
The enormous castle gates slowly opened.
Unexpectedly, we received a very polite welcome.
The reason was absurd.
I had destroyed the barrier protecting the castle gate.
They said it was a barrier that only high-ranking vampires could break through, yet I had shattered it into pieces. No one even dared question me. They only watched me nervously.
There was no way I possessed the strength to destroy such a barrier.
This had to be Shion's doing.
No wonder he insisted that I knock on the gate.
I shot the black-hearted mage a glare before speaking.
“I'm terribly sorry. My hand slipped.”
“I-I see... Welcome. May I ask what brings you here?”
Feeling sorry for the butler, who was sweating buckets, I quickly explained.
“We came to meet the lord of the castle.”
“Excuse me? The master?”
The butler looked as though he might faint on the spot.
After regaining his composure, he forced an awkward smile.
“I'm terribly sorry, but you need an appointment if you wish to see the master.”
“If you tell him a mage from the Magic Tower has come, he'll certainly meet us.”
Receiving my signal, Shion took out the Magic Tower's emblem.
With trembling hands, the butler examined it. He squeezed his eyes shut before bowing.
“Understood. Please come this way.”
Following behind him, I looked around.
Unlike its gloomy exterior, the inside of the castle was incredibly beautiful.
The walls and pillars were carved with delicate rose patterns, and the decorations placed throughout looked both expensive and ancient.
As expected, vampires are rich.
While admiring the place, I noticed a man sprawled across the middle of the hallway.
His black hair was tangled like wet seaweed, his clothes were wrinkled like dirty rags, and he reeked of alcohol.
He was the perfect drunkard.
“M-Master!”
The butler jumped as if he'd seen a ghost and rushed over.
“Oh dear, why are you here again? Please get up.”
“Ugh... What? My head hurts, so stop bothering me!”
The man opened his eyes irritably, shoved the butler away, picked up the bottle lying on the floor, and began drinking straight from it.
I realized that the drunkard's eyes were as red as blood.
Blood-red eyes.
The symbol of a vampire.
That's a vampire?
Perhaps sensing my doubtful gaze, he suddenly turned his head and threw the bottle at me.
“What are you staring at? Go bring me more booze!”
As Shion casually moved his hand, the flying bottle suddenly dropped straight to the floor.
“Master, you mustn't! These people are guests from the Magic Tower—”
“Booze! Hurry up and bring me booze!”
Ignoring the butler's attempts to stop him, the drunkard screamed at the top of his lungs.
I instinctively covered my ears.
I'm supposed to make someone like that my guardian? I'd rather choose some stray mutt off the street.
“Claude! What kind of disgraceful behavior is this!”
Just then, a thunderous voice echoed through the hallway.
A giant of a man strode toward us.
With gray hair spreading like a lion's mane and a face as rugged as carved stone, he radiated strength.
“You're causing trouble again. Come here this instant!”
“Eek!”
The drunkard flattened himself against the floor, only to be grabbed effortlessly by the giant.
I noticed that the giant's eyes were red as well.
There's another vampire?
Seeing his master captured, the butler desperately clung to the giant.
“Sir D! Please, just this once! The master simply made a mistake!”
What? That's D?
A vampire known only as D instead of by his real name.
He was the protagonist's formidable rival throughout the middle of the original story, and the one who proved that even vampires had a sense of justice.
After Shion, he was the second original character I had met.
At that moment, as if he had been waiting for the opportunity, Shion stepped forward.
“A pleasure to meet you, Sir D. I am Shion of the Magic Tower.”
Still gripping the drunkard by the collar, D turned toward him.
“A mage from the Magic Tower? What brings a Guardian of Balance to this place?”
“Haven't you already guessed the reason?”
“...Hmm.”
After letting out a low hum, D looked at me.
Was it just my imagination?
His crimson eyes seemed to tremble slightly.
“Mage... is that child... perhaps his daughter?”
What? Do I look that much like the Emperor?
“Well... I don't believe I need to answer that.”
But Shion only gave an evasive reply, irritating me.
Was he going to die if he admitted I was the Emperor's daughter?
“It would be better to continue this conversation elsewhere. Follow me.”
Hoisting the drunkard over his shoulder, D walked off.
The butler hurried after him, repeating,
“Oh dear! Master!”
I quietly tugged on Shion's sleeve.
“Shion, is D the one I'm supposed to make my guardian?”
“Well... either one would do. With Your Highness's charm, I'm sure you could win over both of them.”
Easy for him to say, since he wasn't the one doing the persuading.
Seeing my sulky expression, Shion smiled.
“I mean it. Trust me.”
“It seems I've kept you waiting.”
D, who had disappeared after shoving us into the reception room, finally returned much later.
In his hand was the freshly washed drunkard.
Surprisingly, the drunkard had rather delicate features.
With shoulder-length curly black hair and a sharp, irritable expression, he looked exactly like a sickly poet.
“Let me go! Who in the world came here that's causing such a fuss...?”
The grumbling drunkard suddenly spotted me.
He froze stiff.
Then he slowly raised a trembling finger and pointed at me.
“Y-You... you...!”
Oh dear.
It looked like he'd suffered a stroke at such a young age.
Ignoring the broken drunkard, Shion gently pushed me forward.
“Allow me to introduce her properly. This is Princess Ella, the only daughter of Lady Lillith.”
What? Lillith?
Wasn't I the Emperor's daughter?
“Shut up!”
Before I could react, the drunkard suddenly exploded.
“How dare you insult Lillith in front of me! Where did you hear such ridiculous nonsense?!”
His trembling gaze landed on my face.
For a moment, he seemed completely speechless.
Then he suddenly grabbed the wine cup beside him and hurled it at me.
“I can't stand looking at you! Get out of my sight!”
“Claude!”
Despite D's shout, the cup was already flying toward me.
Before Shion could move, I leaped forward and caught it.
An icy silence filled the room.
I could feel Shion's gaze burning into my cheek.
Why did you catch it? It seemed to ask.
Because...
...I wanted to do this.
Putting all the strength of my A+ Stamina into it, I threw the cup back.
Thwack!
The cup flew like a cannonball and smashed directly into the drunkard's jaw.
His eyes rolled back instantly.
Then he collapsed limply into his chair.
I felt an incredible sense of satisfaction.
