Chapter 65: A Vampiric Pack Mule?

Morning came sooner than expected.

When I stepped into the hallway, Lucius was emerging from his own room at the same time. Sunken eyes, stiff shoulders, the look of a man who hadn’t slept. On the surface, he resembled someone who’d had a nightmare.

In reality, he’d spent the night fighting for his life and uncovering the first layer of the Federation’s mystery.

Not my problem. No villainesses involved, as far as I remembered.

"Nightmare?"

Lucius blinked at me, then seemed to remember what he must have looked like.

"...Yeah. Something like that."

✧ ✦ ✧

Outside, the academy carriages were already lined up, waiting to take us to the Federation’s academy. The guest rooms were "finally finished," apparently. Convenient timing, considering Lucius had been attacked only hours ago.

One of the Federation guards mingling with the professors wasn’t hiding his disappointment well. His eyes kept drifting toward Lucius, and his jaw tightened every time he confirmed the golden boy was still breathing.

I stood alone by the carriages, waiting. Anna and Lillith were still inside, gathering their things. Strangely, Anna had told me not to bring my luggage down. She’d insisted on handling it herself.

Which didn’t make sense. She couldn’t carry everything alone, and she knew I wouldn’t let her try.

So what was she—?

"Come on, Lady Crimson."

Anna emerged from the inn first. Empty-handed.

Behind her came Lillith.

Carrying everything.

Two trunks, three bags, a hatbox, and what looked like Anna’s entire morning routine in a velvet case. She was balanced precariously, dark hair plastered to her forehead, and she was very clearly trying not to drop any of it.

"G-Give me a second, Lady Rose!"

Students turned to stare. A daughter of House Crimson, reduced to a pack mule for a daughter of House Rose? Even among elites who believe higher-ranking nobles deserve special treatment, this was excessive.

"Anna... care to explain?"

"I’m just giving her the punishment she deserves~"

Anna’s tone was light. Almost cheerful. But her pink eyes flicked toward me when she said it, and the message was clear.

This was about last night.

Lillith had run off alone, endangered herself, and indirectly dragged me into danger. Anna had decided that the appropriate response was servitude, not violence.

She wasn’t going to hurt Lillith; she’d promised that much. But she was going to make sure Lillith understood her place in the hierarchy.

And Lillith, to her credit, wasn’t complaining. She staggered under the weight of Anna’s belongings, but her expression wasn’t resentful.

If anything, she looked almost... grateful. Relieved, even. Like she’d been expecting something far worse and this was a mercy.

Maybe it was.

We still knew her secret after all.

"Lord Brimstone, could you—"

"No."

Anna cut her off before she could finish asking for help.

"Don’t ask him for anything. That wasn’t part of the agreement."

Lillith’s mouth closed. She adjusted her grip on the trunks and kept walking.

"Yes, Lady Rose."

I watched the exchange without intervening. Anna was right about one thing: Lillith had acted recklessly. The punishment was petty, but it wasn’t cruel.

And if it taught Lillith to coordinate rather than charge ahead alone, it would serve its purpose.

As for Lillith herself, she didn’t seem to mind it that much. Whether it was really because of the merciful punishment, or because of her newfound abrupt evolution...

I wasn’t sure yet.

Maybe I could find a book about vampires inside the Federation academy. I still needed to figure out why she called me master.

✧ ✦ ✧

The Federation’s academy was called the Citadel.

It was smaller than our academy, but older. The stone walls were weathered, the towers rounded rather than pointed, and the architecture carried a weight that suggested centuries of history.

A massive iron gate dominated the entrance, flanked by statues of armored figures with swords planted at their feet.

Our carriages rolled through the gate and into a courtyard that was already crowded with Federation students. They watched us disembark with expressions that ranged from curious to openly hostile.

"Welcome, esteemed guests from the Leonis Academy."

A tall woman in silver robes stepped forward, her dark hair streaked with gray and her smile not quite reaching her eyes. Headmistress Milan Irenea.

I remembered her from the novel, a political appointee with ties to the Federation’s intelligence network.

"I am Headmistress Milan. On behalf of the Citadel, I welcome you to our halls. We deeply apologize for the inconvenience regarding your accommodations last night."

"Don’t let it happen again."

Lycan Bartimore spoke for all the students of the academy, his sheer presence intimidating both the headmistress and the Federation academy.

Whether it worked to actually make the Federation more cautious or more antagonized was another thing entirely.

"...We assure you that nothing like that will happen again, now, about the special students..."

Special students...

Right, an educational trip obviously included a special curriculum for the best students. And I already knew who the big five would be.

"Reyn, Lucius, Aqua, Celeste, and Jean."

Obviously, Lucius and Celeste would be the only major targets for the Federation. Me and Aqua? Just normal skilled students. As for Jean... well, a background character who was there to add flavor to the world.

"Please follow the headmistress. The rest of you, come with me."

Anna raised her hand.

"Will they be separated from us for long?"

Lycan almost seemed to laugh at Anna’s question, already expecting it after she’d made an impression for her absurd act of transferring into our class and her constant clinginess to me while he taught.

"No, they’ll be taught in different rooms, but you’ll be able to talk to them during vacant periods."

Anna lowered her hand and nodded, then moved to follow where Lycan was leading the rest of the group. As for the five of us—

"Please follow me. The best of Leonis Academy deserve the best, after all. You’ll be joining the Citadel’s best students as well. We hope you all get along."

The headmistress led us in the opposite direction.

"It seems your other woman, Lady Fillaunete, isn’t around."

Aqua said as we began following the headmistress.

"Father had her excused for some work. But more importantly, are you ready to accept my deal yet?"

"About the Bank...?" Aqua’s mood seemed to lower at the mention of it. "No, not yet, but..."

She sighed.

"...Get your hopes up."

"Noted. And how about the offer of me teaching you?"

"If you perform well during this trip, then I might speed up my decision."

"Noted as well."