The Sequel

In the inky black forest not far from Cainhurst Castle, two people and a horse waited anxiously.

“Alger, are you truly certain? That Lady…”

Harriet, utterly devastated by the wretched state of her former companions, now leaned weakly against a tree trunk. She looked up at her servant and lover, her voice trembling with apprehension.

“It’s fine! As long as it’s that Lady! It will definitely be fine!”

Upon hearing her question, the blond vampire youth immediately recalled the shadowy black butterfly that had danced a dance of slaughter even when surrounded by monsters. He then knelt before Harriet, his confident, resolute gaze meeting her own lost and bewildered eyes.

“But, really…”

Her beautiful, wine-red eyes flickered away, betraying a distressing unease.

“Snap!” A soft sound echoed as Alger’s hands gently clasped her shoulders.

“Don’t worry! Miss Harriet just needs to stay here! A powerful individual like Lady Sally is bound to be a hero who keeps her promises! Just rest easy, and your former carefree and wonderful life will return! Don’t worry! Have a little faith in Lady Sally!” Alger applied a gentle pressure, turning her head back towards him, continuing to soothe her with his unwavering gaze.

“…Mm.” Perhaps his companion’s encouragement had a positive effect, for Harriet bit her lip and managed a somewhat haggard smile.

“Neighhhhh!!!” No sooner had she spoken than Rao, who had been anxiously pawing at the ground with his hooves, suddenly whinnied with excitement, rearing his head.

“Senior Rao! What’s wrong? Is there news from Lady Sally?”

Alger held back the red-haired maiden, who was swaying slightly as she tried to stand, and hurried to the black horse’s side to inquire.

Though addressing a black horse as ‘Senior’ felt awkward for a noble vampire, Alger had adopted the title ever since Rao had nearly incinerated his eyebrows with a burst of flame when he tried to lead him.

“Hee-haw…” The black horse ignored the approaching blond vampire. Instead, it turned its body, presenting its dark, broad rear to him, and flicked its tail directly at his face.

“Uh, this…” Alger dodged the sweeping tail, forcing an embarrassed laugh.

Hmph… The black horse snorted two plumes of white vapor from its nostrils, indicating its continued disdain for the ‘perverted’ vampire who dared to touch its backside.

In truth, it had merely been the admiration of someone aspiring to be a knight for an excellent steed. However, when applied to Rao, who possessed human-like intelligence… if a stranger on the street randomly touched your backside, wouldn’t you slap them a few times?

“Alright… I’m sorry, okay! Senior Rao, Big Brother Rao! Can’t you just give me a little information? I… What is that!”

Before the black horse’s head, the void rippled, like concentric circles spreading across calm water, reflecting an unusual brilliance. A patch of withered, snow-covered grass shimmered into existence on the other side of this ‘mirror’.

In the center of that grassland, a figure clad in dark clothing stood, looking towards them.

The black horse neighed joyfully and stepped through the ‘mirror,’ which was gradually expanding to the size of a door.

Huff… Alger took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement.

He quickly returned to Harriet’s side, helping her to her feet. “It worked! Harriet! Lady Sally, she succeeded!”

Hearing the suppressed, excited words ringing in her ears, Harriet felt her soul, which had been tormented in hell, suddenly ascend to heaven. The surge of joy nearly overwhelmed her.

“It worked! Did it? …That’s wonderful! Truly wonderful…” A smile touched her lips, and an unnatural flush spread across Harriet’s pale face. Clutching her chest with both hands, her eyes began to redden.

“Let’s go. Your wish has been granted, shouldn’t you be happy?”

“Yes, I’m happy!”

Nodding fiercely, the red-haired maiden, supported by Alger, eagerly stepped through the teleportation gate that still shimmered in the air.

Before them lay a desolate, ruined ancient castle and a withered, decaying garden.

After the turmoil, although the nefarious culprit, the evil god, had turned to dust, a thin, vile, and defiling aura still clung to every brick and stone of this space, like a sparse mist.

Snow still covered the ground, plants remained withered, and the carvings were still dilapidated. Yet, the clear moon that had returned to the sky and the vanished wails and roars in the air indicated that this world was now different from when the doll first arrived.

The disappearance of monsters and the gradually calming energy fluctuations in the air all proclaimed that the source of evil had been eradicated, leaving behind only some lingering traces.

Before the two who had just stepped through the spatial gate, the silver-haired doll stood in the center of a patch of withered grass. Having donned spectacles at some unknown point, she was gently stroking her mount’s neck, a faint smile gracing her lips.

Her eyes were gentle, her slightly narrowed lids revealing a hint of nonchalance towards the world, a serene indifference, much like the full moon in the sky that had witnessed the ebb and flow of all things.

The doll’s tranquil aura successfully calmed the excitement in Harriet and Alger’s hearts.

“Lady Sally, did you succeed?”

“Yes, I succeeded. The culprit who caused the anomaly in this space has dissipated between heaven and earth. Although this world has still suffered unavoidable contamination, it was a not-so-perfect salvation… probably.”

The doll thought of the millions of soul fragments within the Soul-Guiding Lamp, and the awkward vampire still hiding in her domain, muttering, ‘I want to be alone.’ She gracefully nodded to the maiden, offering an impeccable smile.

“That’s wonderful! Lady Sally, thank you!”

Finally hearing the affirmation she had yearned for, Harriet’s last trace of apprehension vanished. She pulled away from Alger’s support and rushed towards the doll.

“Thank you so, so much! Lady Sally!”

The red-haired maiden tightly embraced the doll’s slender body, her voice choked with tears as she thanked the doll over and over again.

Even through the cloak and clothes, the doll could feel the soft body of the maiden. The ancient devil, celibate for over a thousand years, suddenly felt her heart quicken.

‘Well, she’s surprisingly well-endowed. At least a C-cup… that silly boy will have a blessed future…’

Gently patting the overly emotional maiden’s back, the doll’s gaze, seen through her lenses, shifted to the vampire noble standing still, yet clenching his fists and looking towards them.

‘Oh, such a fervent gaze… that yearning for me, no, that yearning for my power, I truly feel it…’

‘Is it because of his inability to protect the one he cherishes that he desires power? Hmm…’

‘Very well, before I leave this place, I’ll leave him a small gift. How about the Blood Essence?’

“There, there, don’t get so agitated. I’ve fulfilled your request, isn’t that a cause for great joy? Getting too excited and hurting yourself isn’t good.”

“Heh, (sobbing) I apologize for making you laugh, my Lady. I’m just so incredibly happy.”

“Though it’s a bit rude to ask, can I see my master now?”

“Hmm…”

“Due to certain issues, you cannot see your Queen her majesty just yet. But don’t be sad, your Queen, her majesty is alive and well… This is a magic letter she asked me to give you. After you read it, you’ll understand her plans for you—at least, that’s what your silver-haired master told me.”

The doll, without changing her expression, swiftly pulled an envelope from her pocket before the maiden could show any sadness, and handed it to Harriet.

The maiden stared blankly at the envelope in her hands, somewhat lost in thought.

“Alright, we’ll discuss these matters later. This plane, contaminated by the evil god, is no longer suitable for habitation. If left unchecked, it will once again breed distorted monsters. I have already secured your Queen’s consent, and after escorting you away, I will destroy this defiled plane.”

“There’s no need for such an expression. This castle, which once held your beautiful memories, has already fallen, becoming a den of iniquity for the evil god. Let its ugly form be consumed by karmic fire. The castle that holds your cherished memories will forever reside in your heart.”

“Take one last look at this castle, then we shall set off unburdened!”

The doll’s ethereal voice echoed in Harriet’s ears, carrying a calm serenity born of profound experience.