"Hey, Shia."
"What is it, Lily?"
As the two finally entered the kingdom's city, Lily's heart became increasingly anxious and restless.
The kingdom's streets and alleys were indeed very quiet. As a defeated nation, there were surprisingly few Imperial soldiers to be seen bullying men and women.
But Lily could tell that almost everyone on the streets, even including newborn children, had that familiar scent of blood in their bodies that made Lily feel uneasy.
"If I said Blood Demon Azicat didn't die, would you believe me?"
Shia, who was disguising her brilliant golden hair with a hood, stumbled in her steps. She seemed not to have expected Lily to suddenly say such a thing.
"Why do you say that?"
"Think about it, since Her Majesty the Dragon King is still alive and well, then... isn't the possibility that that demon is also still in this world very high?"
"I can understand your concern, Lily. I've also wondered what kind of tragedy people would suffer if that demon were still in the world."
Shia pulled Lily into a small alley, probably realizing that what they were discussing couldn't really be heard by others.
"But now, after personally meeting Her Majesty Catania, I feel somewhat relieved. Because I saw and felt that irresistible mighty power. I think our worrying... is meaningless. Perhaps we can only pray."
"Pray..."
Lily repeated the word from Shia's mouth. At this point, she had to face what kind of terrifying power she had inadvertently brought to this world.
Was she being too willful? Maybe she should permanently seal away Catania and Azicat, these two most powerful summoned beasts under her command, and let them remain legends forever.
"Damn! Look at that child! Lily!"
"What's wrong?"
Lily turned her blue eyes to look in the direction Shia pointed out. A mother was nursing her child.
Oh!
Lily initially wanted to avert her eyes, but soon she saw terrible signs through her fingers.
"Oh my! This child! How did his teeth grow so fast! And so sharp!"
"Alright, don't cry, don't cry. Drink your milk."
The child's upper jaw had actually grown two not-very-obvious long teeth. From their curved arc, Lily could recognize at a glance the fangs characteristic of vampires, or rather, the blood clan.
This child had already been contaminated. He wouldn't become a complete being like the blood clan, but would only become a monster, a walking corpse eroded by the instinct to suck blood, ultimately becoming blood feed exclusively for Blood Scythe—in other words, something that would be devoured by Blood Scythe.
"Tch! Those damn Empire people! They're really using that filthy weapon!"
Lily lowered her head slightly. She took a deep breath and adjusted the panel in her eyes again.
"Let me try my purification magic. Maybe it can work on that child."
Lily extended her right hand. A faint light mixed with sun-like warmth turned into a breeze and blew toward the child.
"Eh? What's wrong with this child?!"
"Wuu wuu wuu wuu ahhhhh!"
"Father! Come quickly and look! What's wrong with the child!"
The moment he received that breeze, the child began crying violently, so loudly that it even attracted the surrounding crowd.
It's over! It's over!
Lily realized she had done something wrong. The child was probably already too deeply poisoned. Purification had become a form of torture for him, like being scorched by blazing sun. Even if he survived such torment, who knew if that would still be human.
"It's okay! It's okay! The child must have been frightened!"
"Right, right! They were just repairing a collapsed house over there. It must have been the sound of earth magic that scared him."
"It's fine now, it's fine. Daddy and Mommy are both here."
Lily lowered the hand that had just cast purification magic.
This couple, this struggling family, had managed to survive the war with the Empire completely intact, only to now face the fact that their child was turning into a monster?
This was too much... really... really too much...
"Shia."
"What is it, Lily? You look somehow... different?"
This was the first time Shia had seen Lily show such an expression—somewhat dejected, as if hiding something. For this somewhat silly white furball, she rather preferred her trashy expression.
"Her Majesty the Dragon King just called me. I have to leave for a bit."
"So soon? What does she plan to do?!"
"I don't know, but I believe she won't let that Empire scum have it easy anymore. Funiya, I don't know if you're awake, but help me look after Shia."
"I'm not awake."
A lazy voice came from the pendant.
"Fine, fine, fine. Next time I'll throw away all your snacks, and you can stop living in this nice thing. Get out of my pendant!"
"I was wrong, boss! I'm awake! Awake! I will defend Miss Shia with my life! This is an angel's promise!"
"Tch, what an angel's promise. Watch over her. I'll be right back."
"Yes, sir."
Lily didn't even give Shia a chance to be confused before activating floating magic and flying away.
She flew back to that place where she had met Shia, the place that should have been her happy old home.
Although it was daytime, this place still gave off a gloomy, lifeless feeling. A certain fishy stench hadn't dissipated even after a thousand years.
"Sigh—"
"Damn dog Emperor."
"You forced me to this."
"Originally, I wanted to punish you and send you on your way as an ordinary person."
"But now it seems you don't deserve that."
Lily spread her arms toward the city. What should have been an imposing gesture only looked cute on her somewhat petite frame, like a puffed-up kitten.
"A beast like you only deserves to be sent on your way by an even worse guy!"
Blood Demon, Azicat.
Transform.
In an instant, Lily's body began to elongate. She became tall and slender, her originally pure white hair turning into pink hair with red tips.
Her pupils changed from blue to a deep red like congealed blood.
She spread her arms wide, and a crimson aura visible to the naked eye spread from around her.
The next moment, she laughed.
The original worry—the fear of what she might do out of control—completely disappeared.
It became a kind of ecstatic, even forgetting everything around her, maniacal laughter.
The corners of her mouth curved in an exaggerated arc, and there was no longer a trace of hesitation in her blood-colored pupils.
"Hahaha, hahahaha!"
"How foolish I was! How crazy! What was I even afraid of?!"
"Possessing such power, why should I care about a bunch of ants' feelings!"
"I am the law! I am the rules! Everything I say is your fate!"
"Hahahaha!!!"
Blood Demon Azicat bent backward at an inhuman angle and let out sweet maniacal laughter toward the sky.