In the center of the room was a huge ice floe that covered half of the place.

It was a bit dark, but the moonlight illuminated certain parts, I could see how that huge place was a party room because of the giant picture frames and chandeliers.

Some tables and chairs were scattered around.

I have no idea what happened here, but I know who can give me answers, or I hope.

I walked until I was near the huge block of ice that had a girl trapped there in the middle.

A huge sword was embedded in her chest.

Through the moonbeams, I looked at her beautiful black dress that was the most elegant thing I have ever seen in my life.

I couldn't see her face because of the lack of light.

(Somebody... help me.)

Again I heard that voice.

I decided to ask.

"Are you the one asking for help?"

(...)

(Can you hear me?)

(It's really her!)

I was shocked to find out who was the owner of the voice I heard months ago.

It is unbelievable.

She is still alive.

I kept talking to her.

"Y-Yes. I've come to help you."

(Thank you very much Mr. stranger.)

(I implore you. Help me get out of here.)

(I swear I'll make it up to you.)

For some reason, a strange alarm of fear sounded in my head.

"Don't do it."

"Get out of here."

"Run away fast."

Said the voice in my head.

I don't know if she knows where the caster is...or she is.

I have to ask.

"Excuse me. Before I think of a way how to get you out of here. can you tell me something?"

(I want to get out of here, I will answer all your questions, but please free me,).

"Very well."

"Why can I hear you? Shouldn't you be dead? What is this place?"

(That's a lot of questions to begin with.)

(But answering in order.)

(I don't know. You're the first person to listen to me, no one has come to this place in 500 years.)

"Five hundred years you say! You're a super old lady!"

(How cruel and disrespectful you are!)

(This happened when I turned 17!)

(Therefore, I'm still 17. I'm a teenager in every sense of the word.)

(I don't think being 517 years old is considered a teenager yet...)

"Please continue."

I said to the girl who claims to be a Teen Grandma.

(The reason I didn't die is because of this ice I created using my magic.)

(It freezes time, but it doesn't freeze the inside. In other words, despite being locked in here, my mind is still awake.)

"How did you manage to avoid falling into madness all these years?"

(My desire to be free.)

(I am the crown princess of this country, I don't need to know how it is outside because surely "they" did it.)

"Who are they?"

I asked curiously.

She fell silent and proceeded to answer my last question.

"They are the reason they came to this place."

(This country was kind to half-humans and elves. It was a paradise, but they called us heretics and proceeded to destroy everything.)

(I am the only evidence left of what was here 600 years ago.)

(I want to rebuild this place.)

"All right, last question."

"How do I free you?"

(Take the sword that is embedded in my chest and pull it out with all your might.)

(I will proceed to heal myself immediately.)

I approached to release her, but there was something I needed to know.

"When I release you... will you attack me?"

(Why would I do that?)

"Because you... you're the caster who cast the forest spell aren't you?"

(...)

(The magical beast spell of the forest was something my father cast to protect the castle.)

(I only wish to bring my country back. I promise I won't hurt you since you're not the one who did this to me.)

"You promise?"

(I promise.)

"Good."

I hurried to set up some tables and chairs to climb up to the center of the ice block.

It was almost 10 meters high.

I placed my hands on the sword and began to pull hard.

Suddenly, there was something I forgot to ask.

"By the way, what's your name?"

"I need a favor from you after I release you."

She replied as the sword slowly pulled back.

(There's something I also want to ask you, it's a minor detail, but it bothers me actually.)

The sword was almost out.

(Why do you smell like a human?)

"Huh? It's obvious, I'm a human like you."

The sword only had the tip left to come out, but then...

(A... human...)

(You say you're a human!)

(And that I'm one too!?!?)

As I removed the sword, the huge block of ice was destroyed and I flew out along with some huge ice debris that shattered the wall breaking it.

Luckily I fell near some debris and despite hitting my back very hard, I didn't receive any fatal damage.

What's more, the place was fully visible by moonlight.

As I lifted my face, I watched as she lay on the ground, getting up in a slightly terrifying manner, bending her joints after trying to get up.

I listened as bones creaked and a strange black liquid floated in the air.

"A human..."

"A human released me."

"I thought you were like me, but I mistook you for someone else's scent."

"This is the biggest embarrassment in my entire life."

Her legs were upside down, she quickly returned to normal as she slowly approached.

With every step she took, she showed me what she looked like.

Her skin was so white, not even moonbeams could disguise it.

All her hair that reached down to her lower back was snow white.

And her breasts were as huge as her hips, a nice detail for me, but not that important.

She had a beautiful face, looking like a porcelain doll.

The lips were as full as they were red.

Her bangs that covered her forehead were combed to the side.

The most captivating detail in her appearance was her eyes.

Blood red, as if someone crushed thousands of tomatoes to achieve a red so pure and so perfect that it made you want to dive into it and turn it into a ruby.

But despite her beautiful appearance.

Her angry voice at me was what ruined this beautiful moment.

"I appreciate the help from the bottom of my heart, but... but..."

Her teeth gnashed from the anger she was showing towards me.

"A theocracy human dares to help me after what they did to us!"

"I can't feel more insulted than this! Me. The crown princess of the vampire race."

"Aliceliese Nycks Levinia. I solemnly swear that I will kill you in a merciful manner unlike your peers."

"Huhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

(Why would you want to kill me after telling me you wouldn't? That's so contradictory!)

She raised her hand and a strange red magic circle with black borders manifested in the air.

"Dark lightning!"

A powerful lightning bolt shot out of that circle and sped across the sky.

I couldn't move, but she aimed several meters away from me.

"I missed because I had the perception of your blurred place. Now I will not miss."

Again she was preparing to attack.

I rushed to get out of there, but there were the monsters, so I ducked the moment she used her lightning.

If it wasn't for her still aiming wrong, just like the monsters I would be dead by now.

I spoke to her to calm her down.

"You're making a mistake! I'm not from the theocracy, they are my enemies too."

"You lie! All humans are of the theocracy."

"They are all responsible for destroying my country because of that false God they pray to."

"Don't they know that they are deceived by that joker and blindly believe his words."

The attacks changed from lightning to an army of dark bats approaching at high speed.

I still had the sword I pulled out of the ice block.

I used it to slash at the bats.

But it was useless.

When I cut one, it multiplied.

Worst of all, I lost sight of Luvia's familiar.

I'm running in every direction.

On some paths there are monsters that flee at the sight of the bats.

I get closer for them to take them out, but it doesn't work.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

My foot stepped on the ground and it collapsed, making me fall who knows how many feet.

◇

I briefly lost consciousness.

I don't know how much time passed.

But the place appeared to be an old kitchen.

Shannon told me about places like this, today's kitchens are more sophisticated than this.

"There you are."

Said a voice from above.

Magic circles formed in the air in the shape of a staircase.

She was slowly descending.

"It took me a while to find you since you fell several feet and didn't die."

"Maybe you're blessed by someone... or maybe it was just luck."

"Well, that's over."

She said after putting her feet on the ground.

Walked over to me and grabbed my shirt.

"I said I wouldn't kill you because you're not my enemy. But you lied to me and you turned out to be from the theocracy."

"For that, you must die."

Above her hand, a large magic circle manifested.

"It will be quick, don't worry."

"I'm telling you I'm not from the theocracy! They are my enemies too!"

"If you're not from the theocracy, where are you from then?"

"He belongs to the kingdom of this country! He's not from the theocracy!"

A familiar voice came to the rescue, it was Luvia.

I wondered where she was, but it was not the familiar, it was the real Luvia who came descending on a broom.

I inadvertently saw her underwear, it was pink, a color Mary likes.

Luvia jumped off the broom being close to the ground, I noticed she was in pain as she let out a "Kyah" while avoiding crying.

She bowed on the ground showing her respects.

"Wait a moment, Your Highness the vampire princess."

"He is not who you think he is. He is not your enemy, he is our ally."

"You... you smell like a dryad."

"Yes. I am, I'm not your enemy either."

"If you give me a chance to show your innocence and prove that we are your allies, I would greatly appreciate it."

"...Fine, I'll give you a chance."

Said the vampire girl as Luvia took out a snail-like device which manifested a strange floating picture in the air that showed the exact moment when we arrived with Zald.

◇

"My actions were so shameful that I can't express how sorry I am! I'm really very sorry!"

After showing what she called "recording" to the vampire princess─ I'll call her Alice because her name is too long and it makes me uncomfortable to keep calling her that.

Alice threw herself on the ground and hit her forehead with the floor, begging for forgiveness.

She finally understood that we were not enemies.

We went back to Luvia's house to relax and heal my wounds.

Before that, I asked her.

"Why did you go if you are afraid of that place?"

"The familiar was destroyed, but I was aware of everything that happened up to that point."

"I took courage and went to help you."

"Thank you."

Luvia is an excellent ally, not like others who get drunk in broad daylight.

I told Alice to stop.

"It's okay, it was a mistake. I'm not dead, stop prostrating yourself like that you're making me feel bad."

"No!"

"I was quick to draw prejudice against you for no apparent reason."

"I was raised with the best teachers and values in my family, but what I did showed that it didn't help."

"I threatened you, I didn't keep our promise, and most of all, I almost killed your partner too if it wasn't for her showing evidence that you are not my enemies."

"Not even a lifetime would be enough to erase my mistake."

"No. Seriously, stop. It makes me sick to my stomach."

"If you're really sorry, help us defeat the theocracy."

After Luvia told her that, Alice raised her head, her face still had tears on it.

Lidvia who was hearing everything rushed to wipe her face.

She even wiped her nose.

"It's true. I'm sorry, let me help you defeat these intruders."

"Right!"

Luvia rose from her chair eagerly.

"Please tell me how to reactivate the barrier so that the magical beasts will appear to chase these guys away."

It was a good plan, we had a chance to win.

"I'm afraid it's impossible."

But Alice destroyed that instantly.

"Why!?"

"The barrier was created using my father's blood. It was a level 8 spell that involves using your life to create it."

"Someone possessing a huge amount of blood would have to die to create the magic circles."

Luvia was quite disappointed.

"No way... that was our hope."

Alice stared at her, Luvia wanted to cry.

"Even if I can't help you with the barrier. I can help you fight."

"I was 500 years locked up, I used only a small amount of what magic power I had left."

"If I use it again when it's full, I'll be invincible."

"The magic power of the ancient royal family from Levin Kingdom is not to be taken as a joke."

Luvia asked the same question I was about to ask.

"What was it that happened to make you end up there?"

Alice looked outside the window.

"It started out as a happy day and ended in that cruel way..."

Alice proceeded to tell us her story.

◇

"Ugh!"

"That's so sad."

Luvia was in tears.

Alice and her family's story was really heartbreaking.

I really began to hate the theocracy more than I already did.

"Thanks to them, I'm the sole survivor of an entire race. It's sad if you think about it."

"But..."

She stood up as we all cried.

She walked over to Lidvia and...

"This is no time to cry, we must prepare for when they come. The inner barrier that protects this forest is too easy to break for the one who destroyed my father's will."

"I must feed as soon as possible."

She bit her on the neck in such a way that we could feel her pain firsthand.

Apparently, biting the neck is necessary as blood travels through there with greater intensity.

Wait.

After finishing sucking Lidvia's blood and setting her down, she approached us.

"We'll proceed to plan things after you recover."

"Wait a second! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Alice bit Luvia, she let out a whimper instead of a cry of pain.

Then she bit me and I lost consciousness.

◇◇◇

A few hours passed since they found the bodies of Regulus' group.

Zald was looking at their bodies before giving them the sacred burial.

Zartras entered the tent.

"Zald-dono, how are you still?"

"...I'm sorry."

"There is nothing to be sorry for."

"This was something you never expected to happen. Even I could not foresee this."

Zartras and Zald were old acquaintances, they had been working together for several years, so Zartras knew how his friend felt.

"It must be hard to trust someone and then be betrayed."

"...He really looked like my son, that's why I wanted to bring him along."

Tears streamed down her cheeks as her teeth gnashed in regret.

"I thought this time I could have what I wanted so badly for us to have together. Even if it wasn't him, I wanted to at least satiate this feeling I felt."

"I understand what you're saying. But, this is a clear betrayal against humanity."

The anger on Zald's face was growing more and more.

"I know. The worst of it is that it was just like him, he wanted to help some heretics escape and I had to eliminate him before you did."

"That's why I'm so angry that it happened again."

Zald killed his son, because the laws of his country are clear.

Helping a heretic is an immediate execution.

He did not want anyone but himself to take the life of his only son.

His son was someone who rejected the ideology of his country, so he was part of the group that wants the country to change.

But that didn't happen and he ended up dying for letting some dark elves escape from the camp that captured them.

Zartras spoke to him after giving the corpses his blessing.

"What do we do now?"

"Continue with our mission."

"The magic barrier is almost destroyed, early tomorrow morning we will destroy it and proceed to go after the witch and those traitors."

"But before that..."

Zald uttered other dangerous words.

"I want that girl and her mother brought in. He must understand the hard way what happens to those who betray humans."

"They are temporarily protected by the nobleman of these lands."

"Never mind. I sent a special group and ordered them to cause a disturbance in the afternoon to catch them."

"We won't let these heretics get away with it."

Zald turned to leave and Zartras followed him.

◇◇◇

Mary was in a nightgown looking out the living room window.

She was waiting for Regulus.

"Can't you sleep?"

Julie came in with a flashlight, Mary was startled, but calmed down later.

"Yes. Well no, I'm waiting for them to come back."

"At this hour it's impossible for them to come back, surely in the morning they will."

"Are you worried about them that much?"

"Yes. One of them is my boyfriend."

Julie smiled at her.

"I envy you in fact."

"Huh?"

"Feeling worried about someone special, I wish I could have someone to make me feel that way."

"I don't think having to be anxious is a good thing..."

"I don't mean it, but the desire to want to see someone so much. The feeling of love is something I would like to experience sometime."

"Julie-san is very beautiful, surely there are many boys after you."

Julie laughed a little at Mary's comment.

"Sorry, but for the low nobility. Getting a partner is a very difficult thing since you can't choose, it's chosen by your parents, just like a piece of product."

"Hey, that's awful that."

"Loving someone by will is the best. It fills your stomach with butterflies and you smile like a fool every day."

Mary's honesty showed Julie her feelings.

"Please go back to your room, tomorrow they should be back and you can lecture him for distressing you so much."

"That I will!"

Mary exclaimed raising her fists.

"I'll give him a good reprimand for giving me a bad night at that tone. Hmph."

Mary went straight to her room accompanied by Julie.

No one could imagine what would happen in the morning.