"Jonathan? When did you come to Evergard?"
Helia Bell greeted him warmly as she suddenly saw Jonathan walking down the street.
"What's this? Now you come without even telling me? Or did you come secretly on purpose?"
Despite her words, Sister Bell smiled brightly, clearly delighted to see Jonathan after a long time.
Normally, Sister Bell was someone who valued maintaining decorum in front of others and behaving properly as a nun.
But Jonathan, who was like a son to her, had shown up like a surprise gift, and she couldn't hide her joy as she chattered away.
"Have you eaten? You look like you've lost some weight since I last saw you. Your face looks pale too—"
"S-Sister Bell."
"Hmm? What is it? You're sweating. Did you exercise? Or is it hot?"
"T-the thing is—"
Jonathan's eyes darted nervously between Sister Bell and the Blood Demon behind her.
"What's wr—Oh my goodness?!"
Sister Bell turned around and was startled to see the Blood Demon standing behind her.
Pale white skin, vivid red lips, and an excessively beautiful appearance.
Sister Bell wondered how she hadn't noticed such a woman until now.
"Ah, hello. Do you know Jonathan?" she asked cautiously, seeing the Blood Demon staring at her.
'W-what should I do?'
Should he grab Sister Bell and run?
But could he even escape with his own skills?
It was obvious that the difference in strength between him and the Blood Demon was overwhelming.
Even if they were both of the same bloodline, he was a half-blood—
"Hello."
While Jonathan was frozen by his thoughts, unable to act—
The Blood Demon's voice was surprisingly gentle and soft.
"Huh?"
"Ah, yes! Hello! Um, may I ask what kind of relationship you have with our Jonathan?"
As a mother figure, she was worried that Jonathan might have been seduced and completely drained by this beautiful woman.
"I'm—"
The words that came out of the Blood Demon's mouth were completely unexpected by Sister Bell.
"I'm Jonathan's biological older sister."
***
"Hm-hmm! Hm-hmm!"
Sister Bell hummed as she prepared snacks and tea. The way she wiggled her hips looked adorable, despite her age.
Having lived as a nun since she was young, Sister Bell was still considered young among nuns.
But to Jonathan, she was simply a mother.
'I don't think I've ever seen her this excited before.'
She looked even happier than when she heard Jonathan had become a knight of Helmut, something he had always dreamed of.
If it was for a good reason, of course he'd be happy too—
But Jonathan had been so tense since earlier that he couldn't even breathe properly.
Seated at the worn-out church dining table—
There sat a woman who didn't match the humble setting at all.
"You said she's your mother, right?"
"Ah, yes. That's right."
Jonathan answered the Blood Demon's question hesitantly, still nervous.
He had resolved to risk his life if the Blood Demon tried to harm Sister Bell in any way.
But there didn't seem to be any malice in the Blood Demon's gaze toward Sister Bell.
"I'm sorry the spread is so modest."
Sister Bell brought over the tea and snacks, and sat down between the two.
She looked like she had so much she wanted to say, but held back—
Worried that she might be interrupting a touching reunion between two Blood Demons.
"..."
"..."
However, the two of them remained silent, so Sister Bell decided to break the awkwardness with a gentle smile and lead the conversation.
"Well then, how did you find out about Jonathan?"
Surprisingly, the Blood Demon responded kindly.
"My father told me. That there was a boy. It's a bit late, but I thought I should find him."
"Oh, I see! And your father is—?"
"He passed away."
Sister Bell had been speaking brightly but fell silent as her expression froze.
Had she touched on something she shouldn't have?
But the Blood Demon continued speaking about her father—
As if she were explaining her circumstances directly to Jonathan.
"He starved to death."
"W-what?! Starved?!"
"Yes. For someone once called a True Ancestor, it was quite an empty end."
"H-how did that happen…? I mean, you look like nobility."
"There was a terrible famine. Extremely severe."
The collapse of the Abyss Realm had been ongoing for hundreds of years.
Her father, known as the True Ancestor, was incredibly powerful—one of the highest among the original transcendent races.
"It's funny, isn't it? He always clung to his power and strength, yet in the end, no matter how much he drank, his thirst was never quenched."
Sister Bell didn't quite understand what she meant, but pretended to listen politely.
Jonathan, on the other hand, understood all too well—and his face turned pale.
"There's nothing left to drink in our land."
To Blood Demons, 'blood' is life.
But the population of the Abyss Realm had continued to decline.
That was the difference between Blood Demons and other transcendent races.
Blood Demons were among the most powerful, but they could never be truly self-sufficient.
"So I've come to settle things and start anew in Evergard."
"Oh…! This is a truly wonderful place!"
With that, Sister Bell naturally shifted the conversation to Jonathan's childhood.
"Jonathan may look so handsome now, but when he was little, he was a bit… different from the other kids."
Sister Bell gently patted Jonathan's back.
Jonathan, drenched in nervous sweat, felt slightly more at ease.
"I worried a lot about him. I prayed for him more than any other child.
And now that he's grown up to be such a wonderful young man, I'm so grateful."
She looked at Jonathan with pride.
The Blood Demon, now sitting with her legs crossed, asked coolly:
"What was different about him?"
"Uh…"
Was it okay to say this?
Sister Bell hesitated, but the Blood Demon answered first.
"Did he enjoy seeing blood or corpses? Did he wander off toward them without realizing it?"
"Oh, you knew? Did he tell you?"
She glanced at Jonathan to ask if he'd mentioned it, but he silently shook his head with a dark expression.
But of course she knew.
She was a Blood Demon, after all.
Even though Jonathan was a half-blood and didn't crave blood,
He was still born with a nature that got excited and delighted at the sight of blood or dead bodies.
"Is that wrong?"
The Blood Demon's soft smile held more eeriness than beauty.
"Pardon?"
"He was born that way. Can we really say it's his fault? Can we blame a child for something they had no control over?"
"..."
"Jonathan was just that kind of child. That's all there is to it, right?"
Born with a desire for blood—
The Blood Demon claimed that this wasn't Jonathan's fault.
Sister Bell stared at her for a long moment, then slowly smiled.
"Because Jonathan didn't want that."
"..."
"He wanted to overcome that part of himself. That's why he chose to become a knight of Helmut."
"..."
"That's why Jonathan is more precious to me than anyone."
The Blood Demon looked at Sister Bell's gentle smile, and let out a faint, bitter laugh as if she had been struck.
She couldn't help but admit it.
"…You're beautiful, you know."!
***
As the sky darkened, Jonathan stepped outside the church, saying he would see the Blood Demon off.
Helia Bell told him he could go and spend the night with her if he wanted, but Jonathan declined.
He wanted to be with Sister Bell.
Outside the church, the Blood Demon spoke to Jonathan, who had followed her.
"Your mother… she's a good person."
"…What should I call you?"
"Hm?"
"You, I mean."
He had been struggling with it for a while now—he didn't know what to call her.
Jonathan still wasn't sure.
"Big sister."
The Blood Demon replied plainly, as if it were the most obvious thing.
"Call me big sister."
"Big sister…"
He had never imagined himself saying such a thing in his life.
The words stirred something inside him, and Jonathan felt a strange tenderness swell in his chest.
"Big sister, there's someone called Baron Logan. He—he's helped me—"
"That's enough."
The Blood Demon shook her head.
"I know what kind of man he is. But I can't walk the same path as him."
"..."
"Foolish little brother, I've prepared many things for your sake."
"…What?"
"Soon everyone will see that Princess Adeline's position is becoming unstable. Because I've made it that way."
Princess Adeline?
Jonathan blinked in confusion, completely in the dark about any of this.
"Adeline built her standing by opposing the transcendent races. As long as competent nobles stand by her side, a half-blood like you won't be able to gain solid ground in this kingdom."
"What do you mean?! I—I just want to live quietly as a knight—"
"When Adeline's influence weakens, the power will naturally spread to other nobles."
The Blood Demon calmly continued, as if Jonathan's intentions didn't matter.
"Starting with Captain Veros of the royal guard, her close allies—
The rest of the outlying nobles who have been marginalized will begin to move."
"Y-you're talking about a rebellion?!"
"Ah, foolish brother. What good would a rebellion do? All that would do is weaken your own footing. Greed only leads to disaster."
"Then what are you trying to—?"
"We're just weakening the princess's strength. That way, we can build a fence—a safe ground for ourselves using the nobles."
"Why would you go that far—!"
"For Blood Demons like us to survive here, we must hold high positions."
To survive, they needed a supply of blood.
There were only two options:
Become a murderous beast wandering the streets—
Or wear noble coats and elegant dresses, cover their mouths with silk fans, and drink blood gracefully.
Naturally, the Blood Demon had chosen the latter without hesitation.
"And once our foundation is stable… the final piece—"
Her trump card, hidden until now.
"The head of House Helmut. Once she supports us, it'll all be complete."
For now, Liana's influence had waned, and the truth of her subjugation spell had spread—
But in the end, time would take care of everything.
And to the Blood Demon who held authority over subjugation spell, Liana Helmut was the perfect finishing touch.