Ten days later, a major event took place.

Knights and officials from the lord’s castle brought William’s head and an official notice. It read, in essence: “Sheriff William was corrupt and abused his power, and abducted women by force. He is hereby sentenced to death!”

Looking at the thick head, coated in a layer of salt, I felt nothing.

After all, I’d made peace with death on the battlefield long ago. Besides, the man who’d died was a villain—and one who’d gotten exactly what he deserved. Still, I was a little surprised that William had actually turned himself in as I’d ordered. The Dominator’s Demon Eye really was a bugged skill. It could even control NPCs! But I still hadn’t figured out how to activate it, and it remained (sealed).

The lord’s beheading of the tyrannical Sheriff William was definitely good news for Nagu Town.

The law and order that had fallen into chaos because of that scoundrel improved somewhat after a new sheriff took office. It improved even more after I beat up a bunch of thugs who’d gotten the wrong idea about me. In the days that followed, I took on one job after another, fought monsters to level up, brewed potions, and earned enough to live on. Half a month passed like that. Just when I’d almost forgotten about William, a group of knights and priests arrived in Nagu Town.

But to my surprise, the leader of the knights showed up in my room.

“A pleasure to meet you, miss.” He removed his helmet, revealing a face covered in a thick beard. “My name is Gil von Galaton. By the grace of His Majesty the King, I have been granted the title of count.”

A count? Surprised, I looked him over carefully. He seemed to be in his forties, in the prime of his life. He wore a plain-looking suit of plate armor, and the cape on his back looked a little worn. His gear was covered in scars, as if he’d seen years of battle. And when I met the count’s sharp gaze, I immediately knew that picking a fight with him wouldn’t end well for me.

“Mind your manners!” The knight beside him drew his sword. “The count is speaking to you. Answer him!”

“Sorry!” I hurriedly bowed, then politely and gracefully curtsied. “My name is Elsa von Lancelot. I’m a commoner, with no title.”

“A noble?”

“A fallen noble family, really. All we have left is the name.”

After hearing my explanation, Count Galaton nodded. But the tension in the room didn’t ease. I glanced around from the corner of my eye. A seemingly distracted swordsman was guarding the window. He wore leather armor and had a flirtatious smile on his face—the very picture of a womanizer. Two knights stood by the door, blocking my way out. In the corner stood a priest in a white robe, his face hidden beneath his hood. The holy symbol on his chest gleamed with sacred light.

“Miss Lancelot,” Count Galaton said, breaking the tense silence. “You’ve been out and about. You must be thirsty. We have some excellent wine here. Would you care for a glass?”

Refusing the count’s invitation might spell trouble, so I decided to accept his kindness.

“Thank you very much.”

The count gave a knight a look, and he immediately brought out two cups and poured us each some wine. Count Galaton lifted his cup and drained it with a smile. I raised mine too, only to find that it was made of silver. The wine inside gave off an enticing fragrance. After spending fifteen years on the battlefield, I considered this kind of thing precious “fuel.” I lifted the cup and drank it down. A sweet taste spread through my mouth, followed by a slight burning sensation.

How strange. Why did this wine taste a little like vodka?

I politely set the silver goblet on the table. Count Galaton gave me a meaningful smile. I noticed that the priest in the corner was the first to relax, and the swordsman by the window seemed relieved too. Only the two knights by the door remained tense, looking ready to fight at any moment.

“Miss Lancelot,” the count said with a smile, gesturing for me to sit down. “How much do you know about vampires?”

I’m a vampire myself, you know!

“They’re greedy bloodsuckers,” I said, repeating what I’d learned from the NPCs’ blood. “They’re generally only active at night. Silver and holy water can kill them with ease, and sunlight is another enemy of theirs.”

“Exactly right.” The count nodded in approval. “Miss Lancelot, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you. Until we meet again.”

With that, he gracefully kissed the back of my hand, then left the guest room with his subordinates, leaving me standing there, utterly baffled.

After leaving the Kate Sisters’ Inn, Count Galaton stopped. He turned to look at the room on the third floor, where the window stood open, and let out a small sigh of relief.

“It wasn’t her,” he said. “At least we won’t have to kill an innocent.”

The priest beside him also let out a breath of relief. Only the swordsman wore a delighted grin, as if he hoped to see chaos break out.

“General,” he said, “looks like you were wrong. How could such a cute young lady be a vampire? Those things all look like monsters—and the uglier they are, the stronger they get.”

“Lord Ward,” the priest said, “some high-ranking vampires, such as Vampire Lords and vampire mages, can disguise themselves as humans for a short time. We can’t let our guard down just because the other party is a cute young lady.”

“Rayne, you’re being too cautious this time.” Ward shrugged. “We all saw it. That little girl in white was selling potions in the sunlight, and she drank wine mixed with holy water from a silver cup. Nothing happened to her.”

“May the light protect us. If not for that, some of us might never have seen tomorrow’s sun.”

He wasn’t exaggerating. Even during the day, vampires were formidable enemies.

“Now that she’s no longer a suspect,” Ward said, stroking his chin, “maybe I could ask her out to dinner?”

At that, everyone—including Count Galaton—shot him a look of contempt.

“Ahahaha,” Ward laughed awkwardly. “I’m only joking. I only like older women. That young lady looked like a baby to me. I just thought she was cute, like a little animal. It’s definitely not what you’re thinking, hahaha.”

“Sigh.” Count Galaton let out a breath. “We still haven’t found the vampire who controlled William. Don’t let your guard down. A single vampire can destroy an entire city. We can’t forget the tragedy of Silvermoon City.”

At the count’s words, the others’ expressions grew solemn.

William hadn’t been beheaded right away because he was corrupt, taking bribes, and abusing his power. It was because Rayne, the armed priest at the count’s side, had detected the vampire’s mind control. To eliminate the threat, the count had cut off William’s head with a single stroke of his sword. But vampires never revealed themselves willingly—unless they were ready to challenge the entire County of Galaton.

“Rayne,” the count said, “send a request for reinforcements to the royal capital. Have Catherine bring people here.”

“A sound decision, my lord.” Rayne nodded. “We’d have a hard time dealing with a Vampire Lord on our own, but with the Holy Knights, our chances would be over seventy percent.”

A few days later, a letter was sent to the royal capital, drawing back the curtain on fate.