Orléans, the second-largest city in the Kingdom of Goulens, was once the hometown of Saint Jeanne d'Arc, the holy maiden who saved Goulens during the war with Aililand. Now, an army of about four hundred soldiers is marching from Orléans toward the capital, Paris.
The capital of Goulens, Paris, is a grand city encircled by the Seine River, the mother river of Goulens, earning it the nickname "Goulens Island." The name Paris is said to originate from a beautiful youth named Paris, who sparked the Trojan War in ancient Hilanica times.
At the center of the army is a horse-drawn prisoner cart with a cage barely over a meter tall, too low even for a child to stand upright. In the middle of the cage stands a pillar reaching the cage's roof, and a purple-haired beauty kneels with her back against it, facing the rear of the cart. Her purple high heels rest beside her kneeling form. She wears a white blouse tied with a red bow, connected to her underwear, and a gothic-style suit jacket left unbuttoned, accentuating her ample chest beneath the blouse. Her voluptuous legs are bare except for fishnet stockings. Her body is tightly bound from head to toe with silver-blue holy ropes, constricting her so tightly that any movement stimulates her sensitive areas, especially the rope between her thighs. A closer look reveals she isn't kneeling voluntarily. Four leather straps on the cage floor secure her kneeling thighs, rendering her legs immobile. Three straps on the pillar bind her upper chest, lower chest, and waist, fixing her to the pillar with no elasticity, allowing no movement. Another strap at her neck, adorned with a silver-blue collar, secures her neck and long hair to the pillar. Even if the cart overturned, her posture would remain unchanged.
The streets of the city are packed with crowds, many seeing a living vampire for the first time—especially such a beautiful and alluring female vampire.
Inside the prisoner cart, though Sophia was placed in the cage only this morning, several hours have passed. Her calves, pressed beneath her thighs, and her thighs, strapped tightly, have long gone numb; her calves have lost all sensation. That damned Isaac used all his strength to fasten the straps, as if she were a cow. Yet, surrounded by soldiers, she refuses to let them see her suffer. With her eyes closed, she maintains a calm, indifferent expression.
"What a beautiful female vampire!" the crowd murmurs, gazing at Sophia, tightly bound and frowning in the cage.
"I'd love to charge in and have my way with her!" a man shouts from behind the cart, perfectly positioned to admire Sophia's beautiful face, unable to turn due to the neck strap. Suddenly, Sophia opens her blue eyes, instantly turning her pupils blood-red. Despite her immobilized neck, she shifts her red gaze to glare fiercely at the man.
Under her piercing stare, the man's courage wilts instantly, and the crowd's clamor quiets.
Sophia closes her eyes again, and after a moment, the crowd resumes its chatter.
An egg suddenly flies through the air, smashing against her head.
"Ugh!?" Sophia glares furiously at the culprit, her overwhelming aura making the person tremble with fear, legs shaking uncontrollably.
"Hmph!" Sophia sneers at him, but before she can continue—
"Ughhh!!" Another egg hits her head.
"Ughh!!" As she tries to glare at the new assailant, a vegetable leaf slaps her face.
"Ughhh??? Ughhhhh!!!" Sophia erupts in rage. Her aura is formidable, and her glare can terrify ordinary people to the point of collapse. But with so many throwing objects at her, she can't keep up. Continuous hits prevent her from glaring effectively, forcing her to close her eyes to shield them from debris.
More eggs, vegetables, and even clumps of mud rain down on her, soiling her purple hair, sensual outfit, and fishnet stockings.
"Ughhhhh!"
This is utterly humiliating and degrading. Sophia struggles furiously, but the straps hold her body immobile, not budging a millimeter. In her anger, she opens her eyes to intimidate the humans, but as she focuses on one direction, others from different angles pelt her with filth. Her fixed neck leaves her unable to track the assailants in front of the cart.
"Ughhhhh!" As more objects strike the cage, Sophia can only endure. She tightly closes her eyes, refusing to witness her disgrace.
Fortunately, some food and mud hit the soldiers, and their reprimands finally halt the frenzy.
Meanwhile, two days have passed since Isaac learned Morse code through a potion. In those two days, Anna hasn't visited a bathroom once, and Sophia deliberately added a diuretic to the spiritual blood she gave Anna that day. Two days isn't typically severe, but Sophia's diuretic seems to have produced days' worth of extra urine. Anna couldn't sleep that first night, tormented by excruciating urethral pain and weakness from consuming foul-tasting substances. Exhausted yet unharmed physically, she was bullied by Sophia, who endured her own discomfort, for an entire night, unable to fight back.
The next day, as her urine volume increased, Anna remained too weak to resist. That evening, after Isaac had Jane clean his bed, he tied Sophia to his bed with ropes to prevent further bullying. Sophia protested, but bound, she was at Isaac's mercy. Isaac, giving up his bed, slept on the muddy tent floor.
Though Sophia hasn't used a bathroom in nearly two weeks, as a vampire, she suffers no physical harm and can manipulate her organs' positions and shapes, making room for her bladder and intestines to "expand." After over ten days, she's grown accustomed to the sensation of holding urine, the bloating from intestinal movement, and the burning pain from the plug's chili-water-like irritation.
At the army's rear, a carriage is driven by Isaac and Sergei, with Shadow faithfully following alongside. Inside, Jane, dressed in a blue ceremonial robe, sits on one side. Opposite her is Anna, bound head to toe, a gag in her mouth, and a black obsidian collar around her neck (its key, previously broken by Isaac, can only be unlocked by the master key in Sophia's stomach). Anna looks dire, slumped against one side of the carriage seats, her face pale, expression as if beaten, drenched in sweat, and barely conscious. Two days of holding urine, exacerbated by Sophia's diuretic, have left her unable to move even if unbound.
Isaac knows Sophia's keen ears can hear the inner workings of human organs. He trusts Sophia won't let Anna die from holding urine or waste, but Anna hasn't reached her limit yet, and Sophia enjoys watching her suffer. Anna remains bound because Sophia, via Morse code, promised that if Anna stayed tied, she'd allow Jane to retrieve the key from her stomach before Anna reached her breaking point.
After some time, the army leaves Orléans behind. By evening, it's time to set up camp. By noon tomorrow, they'll reach the capital, Paris.
Isaac carries the two women into the tent, and Jane quickly uses magic to clean Isaac and Sophia's bodies. They prepare to rest for the night.
"Your Highness, tomorrow we reach the capital. Will you hand over the key?" Isaac asks, addressing Sophia on one bed while glancing at Anna, who appears near death on another.
"Ugh?" Sophia shifts her legs, bound tightly together and numb from kneeling all day. She sits up on the bed, looks at Anna, and shakes her head: "Ugh ugh ugh-ugh ugh-ugh—ugh ugh-ugh ugh ugh———" Her Morse code says: "Beg, me."
"Please, great and almighty Princess Sophia, grant Anna the master key from your stomach!" Isaac kneels before the bound Sophia in a mock worship gesture.
"Ugh ugh ugh——ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh-ugh ugh ugh———ugh ugh-ugh ugh ugh——"
This time, Sophia's Morse code says: "Little,bitch,beg."
"This…" Isaac hesitates. "Anna, are you willing?"
Anna, utterly weak, glances at Sophia and softly moans: "Ugh."
"Ugh ugh ugh——ugh ugh-ugh ugh ugh-ugh ugh ugh——" Sophia loudly declares her victory from the bed, her Morse code proclaiming: "This,princess,50,vs,15,bitch."
"How's it 50 already?" Isaac wonders, recalling it was 14-15 just days ago.
"Ugh?" Sophia glares at Isaac.
"Alright, alright, 50 it is." Isaac says, removing Anna's gag.
"You… I…" Anna's bladder agony is unbearable. Three days without relief wouldn't be this bad, but Sophia's damned diuretic produced an unnatural volume of urine. Despite not drinking water for two days, her bladder feels ready to burst.
"Ugh ugh? Ugh ugh!" Sophia feigns not hearing Anna clearly from the bed.
"Beg… please… you," Anna whispers.
"Ugh ugh ugh! Ugh ugh!" Sophia nods happily, then looks at Jane.
"Thank you, Lady Lansky," Isaac says, turning to Jane.
Jane glances at Sophia, who nods. Jane casts a detection spell, a basic divination magic, on Sophia's abdomen to locate the key, then uses spatial translocation, similar to the spell Isaac used to change Sophia's clothes.
A key materializes in Jane's hand, indeed clean as Sophia claimed.
"Save…" Anna, seeing her salvation, musters a desperate cry.
"Ugh ugh? Ugh ugh!" Sophia shakes her head at her "little martyr" from the bed.
"Ugh ugh-ugh ugh ugh-ugh ugh-ugh ugh ugh ugh——"
Her Morse code: "First,save,me."
Jane looks at Sophia and the near-dead Anna, then approaches Sophia, using the key to unlock her gag. After three days, the gag releases a flood of saliva, soaking Sophia's chest and Jane's hand.
"Save…" Anna continues weakly.
"Go save the little bitch!! She's already begged this lady!" Sophia commands.
"Save…" Anna persists, her dying expression unchanged.
Jane hands the key to Isaac, who has prepared a wooden toilet and already untied Anna's leg restraints. Anna's legs are too weak to move, so the untying makes little difference.
Isaac hurriedly lifts Anna onto the toilet. As he holds her, he accidentally presses her abdomen, causing her to roll her eyes in agony. Ignoring this, he roughly pulls down her pants and underwear, then inserts the key into the valve. The moment it unlocks, a fountain of dark yellow urine—concentrated from two days of dehydration—sprays out, soaking Isaac's hand.
"Anna…"
"Ahh… hhh… so good… so good… ahh—" Anna sighs, eyes shut tight, forehead wrinkled, lips pursed and wide open in an expression of blissful relief, as if climaxing, oblivious to Isaac nearby. "So good… so good… hhh… hhh… ahh… ahh? S-sorry…"
Realizing her expression and words, Anna blushes, hiding her face in her chest since her hands are still bound in a W-shape behind her back.
"You… I don't want to get… messy back there," Isaac says.
"I… I… I know," Anna replies shyly, head bowed like a bashful girl.
Isaac unlocks the rear valve and quickly pulls back as a deluge of waste pours out with a "splash" sound.
"Sophia, did you also give her a laxative?" Isaac turns, glaring at Sophia.
"What? Feeling sorry for your little bedmate bitch?" Sophia retorts sharply.
"You demonic woman!" Anna, regaining strength, glares at Sophia from the toilet, heedless of her pants and underwear around her ankles.
"Don't know who was begging this demon just now," Sophia tilts her head skyward, nostrils flaring at Anna. "Ha~ ha~ ah~ ha!"
"You!"
"Little Anna, little Zack, we're reaching the capital tomorrow. This is the last chance to play, so cherish it. I won't play with you anymore after this," Sophia says, her tone suddenly more formal.
"What's your next scheme?" Anna fumes, suspecting a trap.
"Little Zack, I planned to erase your memories, but since you saved—helped—this princess several times, I'll let you keep them," Sophia says seriously to Isaac.
"Oh? You mean?"
"We agreed you'd escort me to the capital so I could investigate why Clement knew I'd be in that place. Tomorrow we arrive, and it's time to part," Sophia states.
Parting? Though it's been less than two weeks, it feels like a year. Isaac has grown used to these two women by his side.
"Master Dominatrix, please don't leave us!" Jane, still in awe, pleads, unwilling to part with one of the few Archmage in the world so soon.
"Every journey and adventure has an end, little lady," Sophia replies.
"But you're an Archmage! If you wished, you could change the world!" Jane exclaims, recalling her childhood dream of becoming a great mage like Merlin to end wars, famines, and diseases.
"Little lady, I'm a mage, not a god. Even gods can't turn your human world into paradise. A mere mage certainly can't," Sophia counters, reading Jane's thoughts.
"But at school, I thought humans and vampires couldn't become Archmage. Meeting you showed me the impossible is possible!"
"Little lady, do you want to play god?" Sophia asks calmly, staring at Jane. "Don't court death, little lady. History books are full of those who tried to build 'paradise' as gods and their fates, aren't they?"
"Master Domina…" Jane understands Sophia's warning: attempting to create a divine kingdom on Earth leads only to ruin.
"If an Archmage could perfect the world, that old lecher Merlin wouldn't have vanished," Sophia adds.
"Master Merlin… didn't he die?" Jane gasps, shocked. It's believed Merlin died alongside King Arthur over a thousand years ago.
"Little lady, you think the greatest mage in history—Seer of Past and Future, Eternal Guardian of Aililand, Arthur's Guide, Champion of the Lady of the Lake, Lord of Stonehenge, King of Magic, Keeper of the Holy Sword, Astral Sorcerer, the first and only human Archmage, and Round Table Knight Merlin—would die?"
"But…" Merlin's presence has been absent for centuries, even in the astral plane.
"If the old lecher died, where did my magic come from—popped out of a rock?" Sophia says with a cryptic smile.
"You… you're Merlin's student?!"
"Since you mention Master Merlin, didn't he do countless things for the world? Master Dominatrix, can't you do something for it?" Jane presses.
"I'm not as lazy as Zack thinks. Or do you believe, little lady, that the magical surge three hundred days ago was random?"
"You mean the global magical explosion three hundred years ago… So, the ancient Dragon King of Time, Aqueon, who's lived since primordial times, really died?"
"Yes. The old dragon fool kept staring into the future and went mad! God knows what he saw. Then the past old dragon crossed time to tell me to destroy the present one. I didn't want to bother!" Sophia pouts.
"See? I knew you were lazy," Isaac chimes in. "You're the lazy one!" Sophia's retorts, her serious tone slipping back into playful bickering.
"No interruptions!" Sophia pouts again. "The problem was, the old dragon froze time across the world for five years! Five years! Only me, Ada, and Narjisha could move. No, Ada went off to play! So just two beings were active duty!"
"See? You were bored, so you fixed it," Isaac teases again.
"Shut up!" Sophia snaps, though Isaac hit the mark. "Anyway, you mortals didn't even notice the world's timeline stopped. The world lost five years for nothing! I, with my boundless mercy, couldn't bear to see the world's creatures suffer. So I fought the old dragon for four months! Four months! I sacrificed countless fun and gourmet pleasures for your human world! Finally, the evil old dragon fell to the demon king's sword!" Sophia boasts, striking a triumphant pose.
"The truth is, your fun was ruined by the ancient Dragon King, food stopped being made, so you got angry, nearly died, and barely won by a hair," Anna translates, debunking Sophia's embellished tale.
"Shut up!" you! Sophia retorts, but Anna's words sting with accuracy. "Anyway, I've saved the world more than once! But you evil humans, especially the Belmonts, always speak ill of me behind my back!"
"Because you're evil!" Anna snaps venomously.
"Master, are you the Dragon's Son from the prophecy, the one who slays the world-ending dragon?" Sophia recalls a prophecy.
"Huh? Dragon's Son? Oh, yeah!" Sophia pauses, then confirms.
"Aren't you?" Jane asks, puzzled by Sophia's hesitation.
"Little lady didn't know, in your Aililian tongue, the Dragon's Son who slays the world-ending dragon is called 'Son of the Dragon,' right?"
"Yes."
"You just called me Sophie in French: 'Fils du dragon fils du dragon,' but in Silandria, they don't call me that, so I didn't catch it at first!"
"So they call you 'Fiancée du dragon' in English?" Jane, versed in languages, ventures.
"No! They use ancient Silandria for respect. In ancient Silandria, the Dragon's I am called—Dracula!"
"How's it read?" Isaac ask asks, intrigued.
"Dra—Cu—Lah!"
"De—Gu—La Lara, right?"
"Exactly!"
"But why are you the Dragon's Son?" Sophia wonders, curious about the prophecy.
"I don't know! Some fool made up this prophecy! Prophecies are rubbish! There was one saying I'd be Vampire King this century. With a few years left, I don't see it happening, and it doesn't sound fun anyway!"
"You're just lazy," Isaac jabs again.
"Shut up!" Sophia snaps, but nods. "Still though, the Dragon's Son prophecy seems to say I drank all the old dragon's blood, gaining all his knowledge, so I inherited his place."
"So it's one of your bloodline powers?" Sophia picks up, sensing a unique ability.
"Smart little Sophia!" Sophia nods. "You can write that in your hunter's tome!"
"So… we're really parting…" Sophia lingers only, still dwelling on separation.
"Little Zack, don't worry!" Sophia hops off the bed, bouncing to the desk. "You, get me parchment and a sheep, here!"
"Here!" Sophia tosses her a sheepskin parchment and a sheep pen, quill, placing it in her mouth.
Sophia writes swiftly with her mouth, then drops off the pen, dropping the pen and kissing the parchment with her purple lips.
"What's this?"
"My lip's mark!" Sophia gasps. "That's my seal! Take this parchment with you to Silandria's capital, Bucharest, or straight to Dominatrix Castle, there. They'll recognize my vampire's sexy mouth's mark!"
"You… use your lips as a seal often…?"
"Of course! It's handy! Seals can't be stolen, signatures forged. But no one can replicate my vampire's sexy lips or the purple lipstick I gave you!"
"Sophia says…" Sophia smirks, as Isaac examines the parchment. The signature bears a bold, a vivid purple imprint of her lips, secreting Sophia's lips capable of secreting lipstick-like fluid when needed, leaving no mark otherwise.
Isaac scans the parchment, written in Silandria.
"Little Zack, come here!" As Isaac calls, turns, he's startled by Sophia's lips—her fangs, extended six inches, piercing his neck, injecting spiritual blood. His face flushes, but he finds he can now decipher the parchment's Silandrian text, though he can't speak or write it. The text reads: "Isaac of Goulan, who aided me in Goulanica, shall have his heart's desire fulfilled from my castle's treasures, no matter how great or small. All of Silandria, treat him as you would me, with utmost respect. Disrespect shall be met with impalement. Grand Duchess of Silandria, Electress of the Alamantine Empire, Princess and Duchess of Valhalla, Duchess of Moldavia, Member of the Blood Council, Grand Master of the Dracula Order, Butcher of the Turks, Impaler of Oppressors, Matriarch of House Dominatrix, Protector of all Vampires in Silandria and Magellan. Sophia Dracula Tepes Sarah von Charlotte von Dominatrix, upon the Throne."
"Your titles are endless…" Isaac mutters, overwhelmed by her grandiose titles.
"You fool! Don't you see what your princess granted you?" Sophia scoffs.
"Uh… I can take anything you want from your castle?"
"My castle holds nearly a hundred thousand pounds! I trust little lady Zack won't take it all and bankrupt me."
"A hundred… hundred thousand…?" A hundred thousand pounds could buy a barony—no, a duchy! And that's without Sophia's estates, land, artifacts, antiques, magical items, art, and more. "My prince says little lady Zack can have whatever you want desires, but surely you won't bankrupt me!" Sophia pleads, pouting.
"N-no… I'd take a thousand pounds… enough for ten lifetimes…" Sophia stammers.
"Good, good! Then I can still buy you!" Sophia beams, teasing.
"We're really parting?"
"Little Sasha, don't you miss the other two noble sisters?" Sophia smirks slyly at Isaac.
"What? The other two?" Sophia smirks, baffled.
"Mr Isaac is so dense," Sophia sighs. "Says you, didn't know the Belmonts and Lancasters are nobles,?"
"I-I didn't…"
"You idiot! Why do you call me lady, then!" Sophia snaps from Sophia's toilet seat, still glaring at Isaac as she continues to relieve days' worth of waste.
"I thought you just liked it…" Isaac scratches sheepishly, making his head, blushing again.
"Oh! Like Sophia, in England, Jane Lady Jane's proper name is 'Jane of Lancaster,' got it?"
"L-Lanc… Lancaster of Lancaster?" Sophia gasps, recalling the Earl of Lancaster, who vied for England's Aililand's throne against the Duke of York in the War of the Roses.
"Mr Isaac finally gets it?"
"Y-you're the Earl of Lancaster's daughter? My apologies!" Isaac bows hastily to Jane.
"You fool, I'm noble too!" Sophia shouts, annoyed at Isaac's oversight.
"Don't you want my full name?" Sophia huffs, disappointed Isaac isn't curious about her, longing for the attention of someone she likes to dig into her background.
"What's your full name, lady?" Sophia asks.
"Annabelle Jean Lyon de Medici Marie de Belmont, that's my true name."
"That's long…" Sophia groans, unable to memorize it.
"You pighead! Not everyone's a pleb with a short name like you! Sasha, our family was a Goulan baronet eight centuries ago. We gave up our lands to hunt vampires, but we still hold the title!"
"L-Lady, my apologies… So you're Lady Sophia Belmont?"
"Exactly! The twenty-first Lady Belmont, that's me!" Sophia boasts, grinning smugly at Isaac.
"Alright, alright, Sophia, Anna, Sophia, we're parting," Isaac says, turning grave, dropping her playful nicknames. Her aura shifts to that of a regal queen.
"I trust you no longer see Anna as an evil vampire?" Sophia asks Anna earnestly. Anna, abashed, nods slightly. An evil vampire wouldn't resurrect a human in her castle or fight a world-ending dragon three hundred days ago.
"Sophia, then tomorrow we part," Isaac says. "My powers are restricted, so I can't teleport you to Sasha to my castle for your reward. You'll have to travel there yourself."
"Will we meet again?" Sophia asks, reluctant.
"Of course, unless you don't want to?" Isaac teases.
"No, no! Your Highness!" Sophia chuckles, unused to Isaac's formal address.
"It's late. Gag me and lock me in the box," Isaac commands.
"What? But…"
"The master key's retrieved, and it's no longer needed."
"Why?"
"Because your plan was to deliver the captured vampire in a box to Master Clement, right?"
"Wait!" Sophia protests, sensing something amiss. "You're bound—how can I hand you over?"
"Isaac, I have my ways to escape. Don't worry, humans either want to kill or purify me. Neither scares me," Isaac assures confidently.
"But they might have other schemes!" Sophia frets.
"What schemes? I've seen countless humans over eight centuries. They're predictable," Isaac says, brimming with confidence in her experience.
"But…"
"No buts! That's an order," Isaac declares firmly, dismissing Sophia's concerns.
"That's not right! I swore to be your knight!" Sophia retorts, matching Isaac's resolve.
"Then this is your mistress's command. Truth be told, these days were fun, but you're a human, unable to help me pry Clement's secrets about why they knew I'd be there."
"Human?" Sophia queries, confused.
"Generally, I don't befriend humans," Isaac explains, looking at Sophia. "You might think we're friends, but vampires view humans differently."
"I see…"
"Don't be discouraged. Decades ago, I had human friends. We'll meet again, and perhaps you'll become my friend," Isaac offers, noting Sophia's disappointment. "Now, obey."
"Alright…" Sophia concedes, unable to defy Isaac. He'd only seemed in charge because Isaac allowed it. Now, he's a puppet to her will. Reluctantly, he retrieves the gag, feeling that placing it on Isaac will shatter his world, returning him to his obscure, plebeian life.
"Oh, Jane, you form three ether matrices before casting, which lowers your magical efficiency. Stop doing that," Sophia advises.
"What? But… that's…"
"Who taught you that?"
"Master Clement said it boosts spell power."
"I knew it. Clement likely saw your magical talent surpasses his, so he taught you a flawed method. Your skill isn't enough to spot its harm. It speeds up casting but should use one anti-ether function, not three matrices."
Jane tests with a small spell, amazed. "As you said!"
"Keep studying, Sophia. You can cast Meteor Shower, but your mana's still high-tier mage level."
"Yes, I'll heed your teachings, Master!"
"Isaac, my cloak, now. My sword, Jane's dagger, and pistol, leave with my slaves when you claim your reward in Silandria," Sophia instructs.
"Alright," Sophia complies, draping her Bloodwing cloak over Isaac, which swiftly envelops her.
"Wait!" she cries suddenly. "What?"
"Master, if Clement taught me wrong, he must have sinister plans for you! We can't—"
"Obviously!" Sophia interjects. "That's why I'm going to see what he's plotting! Isaac, proceed."
Sophia shatters Sophia's last hopes. "Farewell, last Belmont," she says to the bound Anna, as Sophia gags her.
Sophia points to the box in the tent, meant for her confinement.
For some reason, Sophia hesitates, slowly lifting Isaac into the box, wishing each second could freeze, halting time.
"Ugh," Sophia glances at Isaac, her face and skin now deathly white, a necromantic hue. Her heart, self-controlled, stops; her blood begins to congeal. In this state, her human senses and emotions are suppressed. She's entered combat mode, fully serious. Though restricted, she's confident her centuries of experience will prevail, even if they try to kill her. When she's serious, she's invincible.
"Goodbye, Your Highness."
"Ugh."
Sophia closes the box's lid.
It feels like everything's over. No one will demand his service, call him an idiot, or nickname him Little Zack anymore. His life seems poised to revert to the anonymous, plebeian Isaac.
Lost in melancholy, Sophia frees Anna's ropes, lies alone in bed, and bids goodnight to the other two women.
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The Next Day
The Sun City, Paris, stands encircled by towering walls and a moat, with the Seine River flowing gently through. Its white marble walls proclaim the city's grandeur, and above the gate flies a blue flag bearing the fleur-de-lis, emblem of Goulens' royal Capet dynasty.
The current Sun King, François III, is famed for his chivalric spirit, dubbed the Knight King of Goulens. This majestic Paris speaks of the kingdom's greatness!
A procession enters the city, led by three on horseback: Anna Belmont, crossbow on her back, wearing a witch-hunter's tall hat; Jane Lancaster, riding sidesaddle in a long gown; and the great hero, Isaac.
"Great Hero Isaac!"
"Isaac! Isaac!"
"The hero who slew two vampires and captured one alive!"
"Isaac! Isaac!"
Crowds at the gate cheer Isaac's name.
Isaac's expression remains somber. Even as they dismount, leading their horses through the thronging, chanting masses to the Magic Academy's entrance, his gaze wanders.
Only when academy staff greet him for the handover does he muster some focus.
"Mr. Isaac, we've seen the box. We need to retrieve the vampire restraint tools," a mage says, as two others carry Sophia's box.
"Here," Isaac hands over the restraint bag from his saddle, the item that sparked this strange journey."Mr. Isaac, I'm returning to the academy," Jane says, handing the reins of her horse—originally from the carriage—to Isaac, bidding farewell with apprentice Sergei.
"Anna, you…" Isaac fears Anna will leave too.
"You've been distracted since last night," Anna notes.
"Have I…?"
"Is that female vampire so important?"
"No…" Isaac reflects, realizing without Sophia, he wouldn't have met Anna.
Gazing at the beautiful Anna before him, he thinks since Sophia's gone, it's all over.
He looks to the distant Seine, sunlight glinting off its waters. Countless couples lock padlocks engraved with their names on a bridge called the Lock Bridge, said to ensure eternal love.
This is romantic Paris, isn't it?
Yet, he has no Helen of his own.