One cannot distinguish between the goodness and evilness of a person based on their appearance alone. At first glance, the person before your eyes may seem as if they couldn't even hurt an ant, but in reality, they might be an evil spirit who sucks the blood of children.

Teacher Bell's expression seemed genuinely flustered.

"I, I don't know what you're talking about. Why would you suddenly bring up such a topic...?"

Naturally, she would deny it.

"I don't know the structure of the orphanage support program, nor do I know the route and method through which the funds are provided. There's no way I can know. I'm not even an official involved in it."

I let out a deep sigh.

After the victory in the Great Demon War, the government immediately began supporting the multitude of orphans that had emerged.

In fact, when I had first arrived in the Imperial Capital, I seriously considered whether I should just enter an orphanage-like place. I knew for certain that support would begin in that area.

It was also said that war orphans with talent would be able to enter the Temple for free education, even if they weren't of the Royal Class.

So, it doesn't make sense for there to be orphanage children in the Imperial Capital who lack money, clothes, and food.

Somehow, they're being deprived of these necessities.

It's certain that the things that should rightfully go to the children are being leaked somewhere in the middle.

The places that Olivia sponsors all suffer from this kind of leak, and the places that actually need help aren't receiving it.

When I heard this story from Olivia, I didn't say anything about her sponsorship itself, but I had already grasped that there might be something like this going on.

Now that I thought about it, I decided to take action.

Looking at Teacher Bell, who wore an expression of injustice, I crossed my arms.

I don't know how the orphanage program operates.

This person might actually be innocent.

"Teacher, did you know that I won the first-year championship in this Temple Tournament?"

"What does that have to do with...?"

"The winners of the Temple Tournament have the opportunity to meet His Majesty the Emperor."

"!"

Seeing Teacher Bell's face turn pale, I smiled mischievously.

"What do you think would happen if I told His Majesty the Emperor that the orphanage seems to be embezzling the support funds and redirecting them elsewhere?"

"Wh-What are you talking about? Do you think we'd be safe if you said such a thing?"

"If you're innocent, you'd be safe."

"What are you saying, student? I-I never... I have absolutely..."

Teacher Bell's face grew pale and she began to tremble. The Emperor might issue an order upon hearing this story, or he might not.

However, just the fact that I mentioned it was enough to scare this person.

An innocent person might be accused of a crime they didn't commit. Then, a guilty person would undoubtedly be exposed.

Could this person truly be innocent?

Just looking at her expression, which seemed as if she might suffocate at any moment, I knew that she had been playing games with the children's food.

"Ha, please, spare me just once. Ha, just once... This will never happen again..."

-Whack!

"Argh!"

I shook off the principal, who clung to my hem.

"Why should I be the one to decide whether you live or die?"

I looked down at the trembling middle-aged woman with a seemingly kind face lying on the ground.historical

How many people had been deceived by that facade?

I had no idea what she had done with the money that should have gone to the children.

All the money Olivia had raised by selling her personal belongings must have been stolen this way, and if she had received prize money and donated it to the orphanage, that too must have been embezzled.

"It's the imperial law that decides that, not me."

Outside the window, the children and Olivia were playing, laughing heartily.

I was in the principal's office, watching the orphanage principal kneeling before me.

I didn't think Olivia needed to know about this.

I didn't want Olivia to find out that what she had been doing all this time was actually benefiting the wrong person.

She was already struggling so much.

I didn't want to burden her further with such a matter.

—---

After briefly watching Olivia and the children play, we left the orphanage.

The children were sad to see us go, and the principal didn't dare come anywhere near me.

"What did you talk about?"

"Oh, just some discussions about when the support policy would start and stuff like that."

"Hmm, really? I hope it starts soon."

It had already been implemented long ago. The principal had been deceiving Olivia and the other sponsors by claiming that they had been omitted from the list of recipients.

I decided there was no need to inform her of this fact. I didn't even know how much despair she would feel if she found out. The sense of betrayal would be immense.

There's no need to know every truth.

There are times when you're better off not knowing a truth that would only hurt you, and Olivia had already been hurt too much.

Even if I don't punish her myself, I can at least report her. I don't know what punishment everyone will receive, but I intend to look into the other orphanages that Olivia sponsors as well.

If Olivia's wish is for the children to be well-fed and clothed, then that will soon be the case.

"Reinhardt, you know, the kids were really struggling."

"... I don't like kids."

"Huh, I didn't know you had such a weakness."

"Why is disliking something a weakness?"

"It's a weakness. Normally, you would have just shouted 'shoo!' or something and chased them away, but you couldn't do anything."

There was no way she couldn't notice since I was just stuttering instead of shooing them away with my usual harsh words.

"Heh, you better play nice with our child, okay?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

Olivia, laughing heartily, seemed to be in a much better mood.

That was enough.

"Here, eat."

-Flinch

"...?"

"It's for humans to eat."

"I, I know that..."

Lydia Schmitt cautiously accepted the bread and milk offered by the vampire and set them down beside her.

Although the vampire had given her the food to eat, Lydia could not bring herself to touch it.

Lydia Schmitt huddled and shivered in a corner of the semi-basement.

The vampire had calmly left and returned from somewhere.

She could have tried to escape, but the fear that the vampire would not let her get away so easily prevented her from even attempting it.

'Well, at least she's not a foolish child. That's a relief.'

The vampire, who had bought the bread and milk, even carefully stroked Lydia's head as if acknowledging that she had not tried to escape.

Everything frightened Lydia, but what terrified her most was that it was broad daylight.

"How can a vampire.. during the day.."

It was common knowledge that vampires only moved at night.

Yesterday, she had been disguised as an ordinary merchant, and the battle had taken place at night.

But now, the vampire was confidently roaming around during the clear daylight.

The vampire had even gone out and bought bread and milk.

The vampire smiled, watching the astonished Lydia.

"There's no such thing as an absolute in this world, is there?"

It was an unintentionally gentle smile. It seemed as if the vampire, with her eerie gaze and harsh words from the day before, who had used a series of massive, never-before-seen destructive spells, had disappeared.

Standing before her was a vampire sorcerer capable of slaughtering tens of thousands with a mere gesture.

Reinhardt, who commanded a sorcerer of such caliber as a subordinate.

The Demon King.

Lydia now knew that Reinhardt was such a being.

She did not know why the Demon King was the master of Tiamata.

All she could hope for now was that, out of fear, they would kill her without turning her into a vampire.

What did this vampire want to do with her?

Lydia didn't know. All she could do was pray to the gods for a peaceful death.

The vampire observed her closely.

"Hmm.. are you cold?"

".."

"It's winter, so it's chilly.. and there's no heating.."

The vampire touched the floor and cocked her head.

Snap!

A heat source was summoned, and warmth began to circulate throughout the chilly room.

"How is it? Is it warm?"

".."

Lydia could only shrink back even more.

What did they want from her? She knew nothing. All she could do was tremble in fear, unable to understand what the terrifying vampire wanted to make of her.

The vampire sighed deeply, then stared at Lydia.

"Don't be so scared. If you need anything, just let me know."

".."

As if to say not to be afraid, the vampire sat down beside her and supported Lydia's trembling shoulders.

"I understand that you're scared given the situation, but you don't have to be so terrified."

".."

"I won't hurt you, so you don't have to worry."

The kinder the vampire was to Lydia, the more her fear intensified.

"Wh-what do you want... from me...?"

Having conquered her fear, Lydia gathered her courage and asked. The vampire cocked its head at her question.

"Nothing?"

"Then... why are you... keeping me like this?"

"Because you don't want to become a part of our family or kin, and our king doesn't trust you yet."

Lydia Schmidt looked at Eleris with a face full of despair.

"Can't you... just kill me... in a normal way?"

Now that Lydia knew Reinhardt's identity, she couldn't even come up with an argument in her defense.

She, who feared becoming a vampire, had betrayed her comrades in the Holy Order.

Regardless of whether the Demon King was an apostle of Tu’an, her sins were deep.

That's why Lydia, drowning in guilt, now only wished for a clean death.

"I wouldn't like that, so I can't."

Was she destined to be trapped in this dark underground forever? To remain like this until she agreed to become a vampire, unable to die?

Had she become a human being farmed by a vampire?

Seeing Lydia's expression, Eleris seemed to understand something and lowered her head.

"You can't go back to the temple, but you can at least go outside. Of course, wherever you go, you must be with me."

"..?"

"Some people might recognize you, so I'll alter your appearance a bit. If you want to go somewhere or eat something, just say so. If you want a change of scenery, we can teleport to faraway places. Don't worry about the distance."

Lydia Schmidt thought this vampire was strange.

"You can visit your family if you have any. Of course, I'll have to watch from nearby. You'll understand that much, right?"

"N-no.. I don't have.. any family.."

"Ah, I see. I'm sorry."

"N-no.. it's.. fine.."

Was this really her fate?

Lydia felt as if she might have made a huge mistake.

The vampire before her.

And Reinhardt.

Lydia couldn't understand what was happening at all.

In the central Imperial Palace Tetra of the Eredian Empire.

After finishing an urgent meeting with the ministers, the Emperor sat in his study with the Crown Prince and Princess before him.

Bertus and Charlotte didn't engage in their usual mind games.

They knew it was not an ordinary situation.

Now was not the time to go against the Emperor's mood.

"Last night, Riverrier Lanze was found dead along with several elite Holy Knights in an abandoned monastery on the outskirts of the southern imperial region."

Emperor Nelliod de Gardias calmly relayed the facts.

"It is believed to have been the work of the demon race."

"Is it related to... the incident that occurred before?"

At Bertus's question, the Emperor nodded.

It was impossible to say for certain, but the situation suggested that there could be no other explanation.

The Great Demon War had ended, but powerful demons still survived. They were formidable enough to launch a large-scale attack on the Imperial Capital.

Last time, there were no casualties, but this time, there were.

Riverrier Lanze, the former commander of the Holy Knights and one of the heroes of the Great Demon War, had died.

But the Emperor, Empress, and Prince all wore strange expressions on their faces.

".. Are the Gods helping our Empire?"

At the Emperor's words, both Charlotte and Bertus trembled but could only nod in agreement.

The appearance of high-ranking demons in the Imperial Capital was a calamity, but the three of them knew that, in the long run, this situation was a blessing in disguise.

"Did those who died at that location include not only Riverrier Lanze but also the nameless religious leaders of the Nameless Monastery?"

"I can't say for certain about the exact composition, but that seems to be the case."

The Emperor nodded again in response to Charlotte's question.

The royal family had already grasped the existence of the Nameless Monastery, a secret religious organization formed by Riverrier Lanze.

However, the situation was delicate, as there was no telling when the religious world would explode, and they couldn't take action against the Order.

Assassination was difficult. Riverrier Lanze himself was an exceptional fighter, and the leaders of the Nameless Order were battle-hardened veterans.

Even if they succeeded in assassinating them, it would be obvious that the royal family was behind it.

Thus, the Imperial family had been pondering how to deal with the growing seeds of division without resorting to any action.

And then, in a single night, they were wiped out.

Furthermore, numerous civilians had seen flying demons in the vicinity. The royal family could not be suspected of being behind it, nor could they be accused of being so.

Although the appearance of the surviving demon forces was a disaster, the Empire had gained without lifting a finger.

"Do you understand why the demons attacked Riverrier Lanze instead of the Holy Knights?"

"Other than personal grudges against Riverrier Lanze... I'm not sure."

Bertus could only make such an inference.

"More importantly, I think it's crucial to determine whether the demons knew about the Nameless Monastery and attacked them."

"If they knew, they should have left them alone to weaken the Empire..."

"Exactly."

If the demons knew the purpose of the Nameless Monastery, it would be in their best interest to leave them alone to weaken the Empire. Therefore, they could not have known about it, and that conclusion was reasonable.

There was no way they could assume that the demons were trying to protect the Empire, so even the heart of the Empire could not comprehend the true nature of the situation.

Thus, they were left in the dark.

The old problem had been removed, but it had been replaced with another issue.

Powerful demons still survived and could attack the Imperial Capital at any time.

It was impossible to tell whether the Demon King had truly been resurrected or if there was a successor to the throne.

However, everyone in the Empire had come to realize that the Great Demon War was not yet over.

They knew that this would have a positive effect on the Empire for the time being.

After attending to the Emperor, in a corridor on one side of the Central Palace, Tetra.

Bertus and Charlotte were walking through the corridor, preparing to leave the Central Palace.

"What do you think, sister?"

"..About what?"

"The possibility of that child you're looking for being involved in this."

"I don't want to hear such nonsense."

Despite saying that, Charlotte's mind was also in turmoil.

"What if that kid turns out to be the son of the Demon King or something like that.."

"Shut up."

Charlotte glared at Bertus with a grim expression.

"What are you trying to say? I'm the one who ended up living with the son of the Demon King. So this whole situation is because of me. Do you want to say something like that? That I should have just died by your hands? Are you trying to say something like that?"

At Charlotte's hostile words, Bertus smiled and lowered his head.

"No? I just wanted to say that it would be such a relief if that were the case. I almost made a fatal mistake, didn't I?"

There's no meaning in competition without the Empire.

Seeing his evil-filled expression, Charlotte felt like she was going to be sick.

Someone had to hear this conversation. But there was no one to listen to it.

Even if someone did hear it, nothing would change.

"..You're such an unlucky bastard."

Bertus's words, wishing that the child was rather the son of the Demon King or something similar, were understandable.

Charlotte knew what he was thinking.

Even if the remnants of the demons remained, they couldn't bring down the Empire. Dark Land had been effectively destroyed, and the Demon King's Castle had been captured.

The remaining demons couldn't do more than guerrilla warfare.

So, if a rallying point for the surviving demons emerged to cause a disturbance, the Empire might face chaos, but it wouldn't split apart.

Bertus was hoping for the existence of the Demon King's successor from that perspective.

Charlotte knew that too.

This situation, though incomprehensible, was ultimately good for the Empire.

Could that child really be related to the Demon King?

Despite that possibility, the child seemed to have no abilities and was exceedingly ordinary.

However, Charlotte knew that she couldn't completely deny that possibility.