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“I’m not lying to you. I really am of common birth. When I was just six months old, my parents were murdered by soldiers dressed as bandits. It was my adoptive father who raised me… All that I have today is because of my hard work and luck. Even luck is only possible because I took that first step, else everything would have merely been a pipe dream.” I explained to the disbelief of the bandit leader.

The eyes were the window to one’s soul, at least that was how the saying went. Even if the bandit leader c̲u̲m̲ interim village chief did not believe me at first, when he looked deep into my eyes, he could tell I wasn’t lying at all. Naturally, of course. I wasn’t lying, I merely left out the part about me becoming a Devil and what not. However, even if that was true, it was still a fact that one had no choice but to work hard if they weren’t born into fortune.

“I’ll go see if there are any refreshments in the kitchen…” The bandit leader stood up somewhat in a fluster then left, “It has been a while since I came home, I wonder if the food is still edible…”

“It’s fine, we brought our own food.” I quickly replied, then without waiting for him to even say anything, I glanced towards Jezsere who promptly took out some bread and fruits from her dimensional ring.

Seeing us take out our own food, and especially from a dimensional ring, a hint of resentment flashed across his eyes, though he quickly suppressed it. His expression stiffened up significantly at this point, having realised that we were still wary of him.

“Then… I will make some for myself…”

I did not pay much attention to his words. Instead, I waved warmly at Nicole and Neneth, “Nicole, Neneth, how about joining us for some food.”

“Wah!! Sister Maid actually has a dimensional ring! I heard those things are expensive -you must be rich!” Neneth animatedly gushed about the rareness of the ring. Yet it didn’t take long before her attention was immediately captured by the food on the table.

“Wooo~ that fruit salad looks really fresh, the bread is really cute looking too!” Saliva was practically dripping from the corners of her mouth at this point. Poison be damned, what was risking one’s life to a little glutton when compared to inhumanity of starving oneself?

Nicole, on the other hand, was more composed about the whole situation. She did not make a scene about the dimensional ring, nor did she show any outward reaction to Neneth accepting our offer. It was only after I took a bite first out of the food that Nicole was finally reassured enough to eat as well.

I picked up an apple and handed it over to Regine beside me, “This is for you.”

“Thank you, Master.” Regine gingerly took the apple from me, doing her best to avoid any bodily contact.

It was at that point that Jill threw me a quick look -seems like she wants her dues now. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to turn in her mission now. After all, she was here to help us find Nicole. Now that Nicole was found, her work was done.

I gently ruffled Jezsere’s soft hair then smiled, “I’m a little worried about the defenses, you guys go ahead first. I’ll go have a look with Jill. Jezsere, Regine, you guys have fun with Nicole and Neneth in the meantime”

“Eh? Jezsere is staying behind?”

“What’s wrong? Aren’t Regine, Neneth and Nicole here to keep you company as well?” I chuckled then flicked her lightly on her forehead. “Be good, your master will be back soon. While I’m gone, I’ll leave my maid in your care, Lady Nicole, Neneth.”

Regine stayed silent, showing her consent for this arrangement.

“No problem. Neneth will take good care of Sister Maid!” Neneth happily answered before taking a huge bite out of the bread. Yet she didn’t seem all that satisfied by it, saying, “If only there was some meat…”

“Meat?” Jezsere considered for a second then reached into her dimensional ring once more. “Here’s some of the roasted meat we bought this morning. It’s a little cold. Should I heat it up in the kitchen?”

“Wooo~ there’s actually meat now! Sister Maid is the best… is there anything you do not have in that dimensional ring?!”

When it came to gluttons like her, whoever fed her was a friend. That was the law of the land, nothing could change it.

Upon leaving the bandit leader c̲u̲m̲ interim village chief’s house, we walked down a deserted alleyway. By now, the sun had already set. If everything went according to plan, our Vampire should be making its appearance soon to pick up a snack.

As she walked shoulder to shoulder with me, Jill unabashedly said, “I’ve found the person you wanted, now about that gold…”

“For you. As promised.”

I tossed a sack of gold coins at her; within was a hundred gold coins. She quickly caught it in one hand, and without even opening, counted the amount through sheer feeling.

“It’s rare to see a forthright employer like you.” She happily slapped me on the shoulders as she kept the sack of coins. “If there’s anything else you need of me, I’ll happily give you a discount.”

“Not for the moment. But if there’s any matter I need in the future, I will find you.”

While this girl was a stickler about money, I had to admit that she was very professional. As long as you gave her the gold, she would deliver the goods as promised, not a cent less. The only reason we were able to locate Nicole so quickly was because Jill had taken the effort to scour the Thieves’ Guild for leads. Simply put, she put her best foot forward for this sack of gold.

Now that the question of money was settled, we temporarily ran out of topics to talk about. We continued walking onwards for a moment before Jill suddenly said, “Oh right, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“And what is that?”

“Are you Mo Ke or are you Mo Na?”

“…” I did not expect her to ask that question. To be safe, I decided not to answer her directly. “You do not need to pry too deeply into my… matters. All you need to know is that by working for me, you will be well-rewarded.”

“You wish to buy my silence?” Having said that, Jill rubbed her fingers together and smiled. “I’m really expensive.”

I took out another sack of coins and threw it her way. “Is this enough?”

“Oh, most definitely,” Jill kept the coins without even counting, a smug smirk on her lips. “But the amount you gave me just now was more than the fee of my silence, that’s why I’ve decided to work for you for a while.”

So all that talk about silence was just an excuse. She just wanted a reason to stay behind. I guess that makes sense, Regine’s the one who introduced us to her. That means their relationship should have been close, in the past at least…

“By the way, Senior Regine has been missing for the past few years, would you happen to know what happened to her?”

“Regine, huh… I think it’s better if you don’t know.” Thinking back on what she had suffered, I couldn’t help but feel a pang in my heart. “I don’t think you should ask her as well. Unless she brings it up by myself, don’t ask her.”

“In that case, I won’t ask. But her current state…” Even though she said she wouldn’t ask, I could tell she was still dying to know why.

“It’s fine. It might not seem like it, but she has already recovered a fair bit.” It was then that our conversation came to an abrupt end; Reyage and Zurnalin were now in sight. “That’s them, let’s head over.”

“Alright…”

At the same time that we spotted Reyage and Zurnalin, they spotted us as well. Both of them greeted me with a bow first, “Master.”

I nodded back. “How are the preparations going?”

Reyage turned around to eye the nearby shrubbery. “The traps have been set. We’ve also set up more magical traps around the perimeter of the village. As long as that Vampire dares step a foot into the village, we will be the first to know.”

“Already?! With just the two of you?” Jill was more than a little shocked as she looked at them. “Lyon is at the very least a village of a thousand… and you’ve set up traps throughout the entire village in just thirty minutes? Magical traps too!”

Naturally, it was impossible for just two people to accomplish such a feat. However, I had a hundred Dark Elven Assassins accompanying me. These were all the elite of the elites within their own clans. Whether it was magic or martial arts, they were all top of their class. Just a single one of them could give the best assassins in the human realm a run for their money. Setting up traps was a cakewalk for them.

“That’s our secret.” I curtly answered, then without caring if she had more to say, I turned towards Reyage and Zurnalin. “Let’s go back for now, to the home of that bandit leader. Oh right, did you guys know that the bandit leader is also the interim village chief…”

The night was deathly silent, but that only brought more terror into the hearts of the villagers. With a hundred Dark Elven Assassins guarding the perimeter, I could safely go to bed with Jezsere on the second floor…

Honestly, this bandit leader has a pretty big house. It’s a little cramped, but it can fit all of us in it. And being a little cramped isn’t all that bad…

“Your holiness, I’m here~~” The door to the room swung open with a bang, revealing a very proactive Zurnalin with a pillow in her arms. Clearly, closing the door was pointless.

Even so, I wasn’t the least bit surprised, only a little miffed. “Zurnalin… it’s late, what are you doing here?”

“I’m afraid of the dark… can I sleep with you, your holiness?” As she said that, she squeezed the pillow and pouted.

“Stop fooling around, there’s no way you’re afraid of the dark! Also…” I almost facepalmed myself at that point. “Aren’t you the one in charge of guard duty today?”