The wind brushed softly against my skin as I stood there, watching Elira's figure drift farther and farther away until she became nothing more than a pale outline swallowed by the light. The only sound left was the gentle run of the spring beside me, its rhythm echoing the moment she had leaned down to drink the golden water.

I could still picture the way a loose strand of her fair hair slipped from behind her ear, catching the sunlight. She looked almost unreal back then… impossibly pretty in a way that made my chest tighten with something warm and foolish.

I let myself drift in that memory longer than I should have, losing track of everything else, until Beelzebub suddenly nipped at my ear.

"Ouch! What was that for?" I hissed, ready to scold him, but he lifted one tiny leg and pointed.

Following his direction, I spotted movement far across the open field. Several figures rode horseback, dark silhouettes cutting steadily through the landscape. They weren't coming directly for me, but their path unmistakably led toward this area, and I was standing out in the open like a complete idiot.

"Thank you," I muttered, giving Beelzebub a quick pat before leaping over the spring. "Let's get out of here and find somewhere to lie low."

I darted across the grass, keeping my steps quick but grounded. I decided not to fly. The last thing I needed was to draw a single shred of attention, not when even a shadow of a wing could make every holy knight in these lands label me a demon on sight.

I spotted a burrow nearby, wide enough to belong to some local fox—definitely larger than the ones from my old world—and darted toward it without hesitation. The soil closed around me as I slid inside, cool and tight, but Beelzebub settled in instantly. Of course he did. A creature born to live underground would feel right at home here.

I eased my head up just enough to peek outside, letting my vampire senses sharpen and stretch through the air. Every sound, every shift of the wind, every heartbeat carried faintly on it—

A sudden flicker of light burst in front of my face and I nearly gasped. The system screen had popped up without warning, glowing bright enough to give me a heart attack in this cramped hole.

Damn it! Can't you pick a better time to show up? I wanted to shout it, but kept the curse locked in my mind.

Then my eyes widened. My grip slipped for a moment, and I almost tumbled deeper into the burrow, catching myself only by clinging to the roots and grass hanging from the ceiling.

[S Grade Blood detected; approaching fast toward your direction]

"Same quality as Elira…" I breathed, an unexpected hunger curling through my chest at the thought. My throat tightened with heat, and I swallowed hard. I hoped, shamelessly, that it would be a woman. I didn't even know when that preference had settled into me, but lately the taste and scent of my own gender stirred something far stronger than anything a man ever could.

It left me wondering who it would be. The trees made it hard to see anything clearly, but my heart skipped a quiet beat when I realized where that group was heading. They were going straight toward the place where we had emerged from the mountain. The tunnel might have vanished behind us, yet traces of our escape were still there. I could only hope they wouldn't connect it to someone slipping in from the demon lands.

I strained my hearing, letting my senses stretch as far as they could. The pounding rhythm of the horses slowed and then stopped entirely. A few sharp neighs followed, echoing through the trees, along with scattered voices I couldn't quite make out. The uncertainty made a faint tremor run through me, something between curiosity and unease.

Shit… Beatrice, control yourself, I scolded silently. This is exactly how people die in horror stories. Curiosity kills the cat, remember?

Yet despite the warning, I couldn't tear my focus away. The unknown tugged at me, pulling me closer from the shadows of the burrow.

"Let's go check it out… just quietly, alright?" I whispered to Beelzebub. He climbed onto my shoulder, his tiny claws anchoring into my collar as naturally as breathing. I slipped out of the burrow and swept into the forest shadows, weaving between the trees with silent, practiced steps.

The woods felt different now. The air carried tension, and every rustle of leaves brushed against my nerves. I kept a safe distance, choosing a spot where I could listen without being seen. A thick tree trunk shielded my body, but my senses stretched forward, sharp enough to catch the smallest shift in the air.

Soon, several voices drifted toward my ears, carried through the trees with growing clarity.

"Lady Silver, are you sure this is the place?" a man asked. His tone was rough, but there was respect buried beneath it. Whoever he was speaking to held a position far above his.

A soft yet commanding voice answered, so calm that it made my skin prickle. "Do you dare doubt my connection to the earth element?"

The air itself vibrated faintly with her words, a pulse of grounding force that spread through the soil under my feet. She had some real power. Someone on Hera's level… maybe even beyond.

"No, I—"

"Silence." The word cut through the clearing like a blade. "Stay here and protect me while I examine the energy. I need to understand why the seismic waves are off in this region. Something disturbed the mountain recently. I cannot return to the capital without answers." Beneath her firmness, I heard something else: worry… or fear.

Another voice, feminine and uncertain, spoke up. "With all due respect, Lady Silver, there is nothing h—"

The sound of choking made me tense, my fingers curling against the bark. Whether she had grabbed the woman or used her element to squeeze the air from her lungs, I couldn't tell. But the forest seemed to hold its breath.

"Did you not hear what I said?" Silver's gentle tone vanished, replaced by a cold threat that slithered through the trees. "You are fortunate your face is pleasant to look at. I'll spare you today. But question me again, and I will take your head myself… and watch as the beasts feast on it. Understood?"

A shaken gasp answered her, barely audible, but full of terror.

I swallowed hard.

This woman was powerful and dangerous; there was no mistaking it. She had to be the one carrying the S-Grade blood the system warned me about. Without realizing it, I ran my tongue across my lips, a reckless spark flickering in my mind as a wild idea surfaced.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.