As the two departed,

Nym collapsed to her knees, utterly drained—

"Mirena... Princess... Your Highness."

She softly murmured Mirena’s name, tears dripping onto the rooftop.

She truly felt powerless.

When Hestia fixed her blood-red gaze on her, radiating a terrifying aura—

Nym’s body froze, even her calves trembling slightly.

Someone like her couldn’t protect Princess Mirena—

She couldn’t even stay calm before a Vampire.

"Mother... where should Nym go now?"

Nym wandered through a narrow alley.

She didn’t recall how she’d gotten from the rooftop down here.

Cold rain began pelting her frail body.

—Is it raining?

Icy drops struck her dirty cheeks.

Nym silently lifted her head, gazing at the dark, overcast sky with sorrowful eyes.

—So cold.

Since childhood, she’d felt this world’s chill.

This town, unkind to Elves—

Vampires, unkind to Elves—

A world, unkind to Elves—

The throbbing in her head—

The loneliness in her heart—

The lingering pain in her body—

In this cruel world, Nym recalled the princess’s words:

["Let’s leave this place together."] ["Come to my home. My house needs a maid like you."]

—What a fool she is, that person.

Tears streaming, Nym stumbled and fell onto the cold ground.

As she fainted, her blurred vision showed her mother’s face—slightly sad, yet tender.

"Mo... Mother... give me... courage..."

Nym reached out, touching that face.

Then she slowly closed her eyes, succumbing to exhaustion.

From the shadows behind a wall emerged figures in cloaks identical to Mirena’s earlier one—

No, precisely, they were Elves.

They’d hidden their faces and ears beneath hoods.

"Princess Mirena was captured? Is that true!?"

"Per the auction house surveillance report, yes, Deputy Captain."

"Seriously, what was Joanna doing? Letting Princess Mirena go out alone."

The lead Elf complained bitterly.

Truthfully, she was badly injured herself.

Without bandaging and brief rest, she might have died.

Passing through the alley, they spotted an Elf girl lying on the ground.

"Captain..."

"Stay alert. She could be a Vampire’s Blood Slave. Targets feign pity to lure us. One base fell that way when we took such bait to our hideout."

This time, they were smarter.

One searched her body for marks; two stood guard, blades ready to strike at any odd move.

The captain stepped forward, crouching beside the girl.

She scanned for Vampire marks.

Finding any would confirm her as the type that destroyed their bases.

"Hah, relax. Not a Blood Slave. But... these red marks? An escapee from the auction house?"

The team leader sighed, but only one Elf knelt, examining four small red dots on Nym’s neck.

"Your Highness... save the princess!"

Nym muttered deliriously, half-conscious.

"Princess? Who does she mean?"

"Dunno... Besides, she’s not from our unit."

The captain pressed sternly; the subordinate glanced at her notebook before replying.

"Mirena... Prin... cess..."

After those final words, Nym fainted.

—Her cheeks flushed crimson, breaths ragged.

The captain touched Nym’s forehead with her knuckles, startled by the heat.

"Burning up... Was that intel or delirium? True or false... Doesn’t matter. Take her. She might know about Princess Mirena."

"Yes, Captain!"

The Elves lifted Nym onto a back and carried her away.