"Welcome back, Lady."

As Iss stepped down from the carriage, Camilla, the younger sister of the Count's eldest daughter, who had been waiting by the iron gate of the mansion, walked over. Her soft golden hair shimmered even in the night, perfectly complementing Camilla's already beautiful appearance. Iss couldn't help but be momentarily stunned, recalling the same reaction when they had first seen Camilla upon arriving in this world. Iss awkwardly cleared their throat.

"Cough, I just thought of something temporarily and stepped away for a moment, nothing major."

"To be honest, I was quite surprised. It's good that it didn't upset Miss Persia." Onn, who had also just stepped down from another carriage, smiled and said. It was now night, and the golden light emanating from the mansion's windows brought a warm feeling to everyone.

Camilla, with a less worried expression on her face, first nodded slightly and bowed to the priest Onn, then ordered the servants to open the iron gate.

"It's good that Lady is fine. I'll have someone prepare dinner now. If the priest Onn doesn't mind—"

"I still have tasks to complete. I must report today's events to the head priest. Of course, I assure you that no harm will come to Miss Persia or Miss Camilla from above. Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Camilla. I shall take my leave." Iss just nodded, indicating that they had heard. It was the eldest daughter's habit not to show any concern for anyone other than her father and pets.

Of course, that's what they said, but in reality, Iss couldn't help but feel sorry for Onn in their heart. The fact that Onn had been so forgiving, yet they hadn't even thanked them, seemed to go against common sense.

Well... I can apologize later.

Iss sighed softly and walked into the mansion under Camilla's lead. It was a three-story building located outside the city, with not only front and back gardens, but also a separate building and a well. Generally, only nobles of a viscount level and above were qualified to build such a mansion.

If Iss were to compare with their own limited social experience on Earth, they could only think of the mega-rich tycoons, who could probably enjoy a three-story, forest-surrounded building with numerous servants.

It really doesn't seem like a prisoner's life.

Admiring the luxurious scenery, Iss was amazed.

Walking along the slate-paved path, accompanied by Camilla and four other maids, Iss entered the mansion's hall. The hall was a spacious room decorated with red handmade carpets and yellow crystal chandeliers. When Iss first arrived in this world, they were too flustered to notice the decorations in the hall. Now that they had calmed down and examined it carefully, they couldn't help feeling intimidated.

It was like a shabbily dressed person walking into a high-end restaurant. Even if the waiters and other customers didn't look at them with surprise, the person themselves would feel embarrassed. However, the current Iss didn't feel that their attire was inappropriate; it was their inner sense of inferiority that made them timid upon entering a noble mansion.

Noticing that Iss had paused, Camilla, who was half a step ahead, looked puzzled.

"Lady, is something the matter?"

"Hmm? Ah, nothing. Just remembered something suddenly. Has anything unusual happened during my absence?"

Iss glanced at Camilla, the younger sister of the Count's eldest daughter. With her blonde hair and red eyes, and her shorter stature compared to her silver-haired, blue-eyed sister, Camilla didn't seem to have any blood relation with the eldest daughter. In fact, Camilla didn't belong to the Persia family at all, and she wasn't even a vampire. Before becoming a prisoner, the eldest daughter had taken no interest in Camilla.

Camilla was the adopted daughter of Count Persia, who was Iss's father. Being a human herself, the purpose of adopting Camilla was to assist the eldest daughter in her governance. Although Count Persia had always warned the eldest daughter not to harm her sister (referring to using Camilla as an abused toy), due to the lack of a subject for abuse during their days as prisoners, the eldest daughter had broken her promise with her father on a whim. However, unfortunately, Camilla didn't resist or cry out during her sister's abuse, causing the eldest daughter to quickly lose interest, and the abuse was abruptly stopped.In addition, it is worth mentioning that the eldest daughter of the Countess, Camilla, who is extremely beautiful, has an undisguised twisted affection for her. Invasion, defilement, and destruction almost constitute the Countess's entire desire for Camilla. If it were not for the father's instructions, Camilla would have long been trained as a puppet.

Fortunately, things did not develop that way.

Iss couldn't help but silently rejoice. Otherwise, she didn't know how to face such a tragic girl.

Camilla shook her head.

"No, although I don't know how you left this mansion, the people from the temple did not trouble us."

"Is that so? I just decided to go to the outskirts temporarily to experiment with magic. After absorbing the body of the Demon King Uranos, I have completely mastered the magic that can instantly destroy a city."

"Congratulations, Lady Sister. If Father knows about it, he will definitely push you to become one of the thirteen knights of the bloodline. No, with the magic that can instantly destroy a city, even becoming the Chief is not a problem."

It seemed that Camilla was really happy for Iss. A look of joy appeared on Camilla's delicate doll-like face. She clasped her hands in front of her, as if in a praying position.

Do you still like your sister even though she abuses you...?

Iss was slightly surprised. The Countess's eldest daughter didn't leave much memory for this non-blood-related sister. Although Camilla had been staying in the Pesia territory since being adopted, the actual meetings between the Countess's eldest daughter and Camilla were few and far between. They only began to interact when Camilla became a captive. The Countess's eldest daughter, the original owner of the body, only knew about Camilla's personality, habits, and impressions that she obediently followed.

Can I relax my guard a little...? Since the Countess's eldest daughter doesn't have much memory of Camilla, it means that Camilla hasn't seen the Countess's eldest daughter many times either. Perhaps I can start with Camilla and gradually change the impression of the Countess's eldest daughter among the people around her. Camilla seems to admire her sister a lot.

No matter how good an actor is, they cannot truly replace the original self. Therefore, Iss wanted to start with the people around her and gradually change the cruel and sadistic impression of the Countess's eldest daughter.

Of course, before that, Iss needs to organize the steps. There is no more suitable experimental subject than her sister, Camilla. If this were a novel, Camilla, who has a simple personality and likes her sister, should be the simple female lead.

"Hmph, this is just the simplest magic. Prepare dinner for me."

"Okay, Lady Sister, should I use myself or other servants today?"

Blinking, Iss was momentarily puzzled, and then immediately understood what Camilla meant—she was probably referring to the blood required by vampires. The Countess's eldest daughter needed to replenish her blood every meal.

Although her heart was somewhat swayed, Iss still maintained a cold and indifferent demeanor.

"Use the servants."

"I understand."

◇

In a dimly lit room.

Anyone who comes here would have this impression.

Although the air was clean and the room was not narrow, there was a pervasive sense of oppression, as if dark clouds were looming, giving a sense of an impending storm.

The person sitting at the top of the council table lightly said, "Hmm," breaking the silence that filled the room.

"Have you found any clues about the Demon King?"

"We already have. In Nilu City."

Someone at the table responded, and this statement made everyone, including the person sitting at the top, show a relaxed expression. However, the next sentence from the respondent immediately dampened the mood of the people at the table.

"...but the aura of the Demon King has disappeared, just like Lord Kuk. The Demon King...has gone to another world."

A bang.

Someone slammed the table hard.

"How is that possible! I can feel the spirit of the Demon King! If the Demon King had died, at least there would be a body left, but we found nothing!"

"But it's true that the Demon King has disappeared. When our people searched the place of the fall, they found nothing... There is another theory that the Demon King was taken in by a noble of the bloodline and is currently in Nilu City of the Yumier Religious Nation."

"A noble of the bloodline?"

The man sitting at the conference table frowned, pondered for a while, and then spoke."No matter what, we must confirm whether Lord Demon King is still alive. We need to apprehend the suspicious individuals first and then discuss the follow-up actions, as per Lord Cook's instructions."

"The vampires won't accompany us."

"Then we will resort to force. We don't need to be polite when dealing with vampires."

"Yes, understood."

Hearing the affirmative response, the man sitting at the head of the meeting nodded and continued with the next topic, his tone becoming heavier.

"If it is confirmed that Lord Demon King has passed away..."