The crow fluttered back into the hands of a hunched old woman cloaked in shadow. Without removing the stopper, she sniffed right through the cork.

“This is quite the treasure—definitely not cheap.”

...

“Ouch!”

My fingers went limp. *Thud.* I toppled backward onto the floor.

“An Li, An Li!” Scrambling up, I clutched the glass vial and turned to my sis. “I can’t get this open.”

A glass vial—I actually thought I could yank the cork out barehanded? How naive.

An Li said nothing. She took it, gave the cork a light twist—*pop*—and it came right off.

I accepted it silently, not daring to speak.

I’d expected a tool. Instead, she just *pinched* it open. That strength… If she used it on my head? Two seconds. Tops.

I stayed quiet. An Li was in a foul mood, focused on the pending call update—and yeah, it was my fault I’d lost my own blood.

When you mess up, stay quiet and eat. I brought the vial to my lips and carefully poured a tiny sip.

“So good!”

“Quiet!” An Li snapped. “I’m on the phone!”

“…Oh.”

Scared stiff, my words came out unnaturally crisp.

But damn, the little loli’s blood was *that* good. Even biting my tongue, I couldn’t suppress the urge.

Smooth on the palate, silky, sweet—with a hint of strawberry.

Too bad it was so little. I wanted to chug all eight vials in one go.

“Ah, sustainable development it is,” I muttered. “Half a vial a day… gotta last fifteen.” I resealed the rest and tucked it into my pouch.

Just then, An Li returned from the balcony, expression grim.

“Congratulations,” she said, voice icy. “Your blood was stolen by unknowns. Odds are, it’ll reach the Queen of Night. So…”

A cold laugh. “Start preparing yourself.”

I froze—then lunged. “Sis! You’re my *real* sis! Save me—ow!”

She shifted her pale leg aside. I missed, lurched forward, and face-planted.

“Don’t pounce. Behave.” She dropped the act, tone turning serious. “We still have time. We might not even stay here.”

“What do you mean?” I looked up, confused.

“If trouble breaks out elsewhere, I’ll take you along. So stop worrying. Focus on securing your blood supply twenty days from now.”

She swung her leg onto the sofa, settling in with quiet confidence. “And even if she comes? Let her try.”

My heart gave a thump.

So cool.

Two peaceful days passed. An Li used the time to fill me in on things I’d wondered about—chewing a tea leaf as she spoke. No tea? A windowsill leaf would do.

“Not all disasters come from dark creatures,” she began. “Most are sentient beings. They’ve adapted to living alongside humans, hiding their true forms. Live and let live.”

“Even when they cause trouble, it’s usually over trivial stuff or interests—just like human criminals. Unless one snaps… or gets too full of themselves.”

I nodded. “I see, I see.”

Poor vampires. Innocent. Wiped out just for being the Queen’s “evolution material.”

“But we stay most vigilant toward dark creatures,” An Li added. “You get why. If not… well, no point explaining to someone of low intellect.”

“I get it. Of course I get it.”

Sentient, coexisting, organized, strong—they’re potential threats to powers like the Holy See. Dark creatures? Political rivals. Naturally watched closely.

“High-tier disasters fall to me,” An Li continued. “Nearly all tie back to Hell. Three entity types…”

“I know!” I blurted, hand shooting up. “Ghosts, Demons, Devils!”

She blinked. “You actually know that?”

Pride swelled. Hollywood horror—James Wan’s films. Hell-linked entities, ranked low to high:

Ghosts. Demons. Devils.

Devils aren’t just stronger Demons—they’ve got names, legends, records. Top tier.

But tiers don’t mean promotion. A Ghost can outmatch a Devil.

“No need to fear Devils—they’re locked in Hell. Demons? Rare. Most disasters? Ghosts.” She plucked the bitter leaf from her mouth. “Enough for today. Next time.”

Dusk fell. The silver-haired loli before me was nocturnal—bedtime meant nothing to her. But *I* needed sleep.

No “next time” came.

The next morning, the Holy See’s mission liaison was at the door.