I dragged Priero with the rope, exited the ruined mansion, and met Sandra at the mine. She was looking around and shouted loudly when she saw me walking toward her.
"Master!"
She ran toward me and kneeled, gently raising the cape I gave her earlier with both hands.
"Every citizen has been evacuated. What should I do next? Please give me your order."
I took the cape, put it into my inventory, and gave the rope used to bind Priero to Sandra.
"Watch over this man here. I need to check something inside the mine."
"Yes, Master!" Sandra replied and raised her head, looking at Priero with waryness.
That made her look reliable, like a predator that wouldn't let her prey go. I nodded, satisfied with her work ethic, and again entered the mine.
While the Goddess said she would take care of Hell's entrance, I was curious whether it was really fixed or not. And if it was already fixed and the entrance was closed, I was also curious how she had done it.
There was no communication or <Oracle> from her since that time, so I had no choice but to check it for myself. The good thing was that the unpleasant feeling I felt was already gone.
I entered the mine and went straight to the clearing without hesitation. When I reached the clearing, it was different from before, both in how it looked and the atmosphere inside.
First of all, all the magic circles and blood disappeared thanks to my <Sanctuary> from before. There was no lingering curse or a sign of a monster either.
And as I looked up in the air, where the fracture was earlier, it was replaced with a complex golden seal that I couldn't understand. It was like those seals that locked up dungeons in Horizon Online, with many runes and looked like a cage.
The fracture was inside, unable to release the smoke and atmosphere from Hell. It was completely sealed.
'Hmm…'
For some reason, I wasn't satisfied. I expected it to be more... thorough.
"Can't you just close the entrance, my Goddess?" I asked out loud, hoping for an answer. But nothing came, and I heaved a disappointed sigh.
"Well, if you can't do it, should I try to cut it in half?" I tried again, but there was still no answer.
I waited for a while, but nothing changed.
'Maybe she spent too much power and needs to rest so the world won't be affected?' I thought.
If that were the case, then I wouldn't blame her. I wanted an explanation someday, though.
There was nothing more to see here. I took out a barrier magic item, sealed the clearing to make it look like a dead-end, and left the mine.
I instructed Sandra to inform the church in the morning that the crisis had been averted and took the rope from her again. She acknowledged her new order and disappeared from my sight.
As for me… I didn't know what I should do with this Priero. More specifically, I didn't know how to transport him to the Border City as he was unconscious now.
[Teleportation Gem] needed the person to use it willingly to get it activated. So I couldn't use that method to teleport him.
"Should I contact Alesia again for help? I doubt Tris is still with her, though. And she had deactivated her <Clairvoyance> too."
I stayed still for a minute, wondering if there was no other way. It was already past midnight, and everyone was sleeping.
"It can't be helped." I sighed, approached the unconscious Priero, and carried him over my shoulder. "I guess I need to run at full speed. My magic carpet is with Tris, after all."
With that, I ran in the direction of the Border City at full speed, trying not to pass any city as I could.
***
In the Border City, Lucienne was sitting on her balcony just as usual, watching over the underground lit by various lights.
Over the past few days, since after the private party, to be exact, she had felt rather strange. Every once in a while, her body turned hot, and she had the desire to touch herself like an animal in heat. Such a thing was unprecedented to her.
'It's the horny rabbit's fault.'
One thing she could think of was Nina's words when Arthur visited the Border City to invite them to a private party that day. Since then, and after she actually visited, she felt like she wasn't herself.
Thankfully, drinking blood solved that problem. Unfortunately, she couldn't bring herself to drink Arthur's blood in the tubes she gave her because that only made her condition worse. Once, she peed herself when she got a sniff of his blood and never touched it again since then.
"It's vexing." She clicked her tongue and furrowed her brows.
No need to mention it; she didn't like the fact she couldn't drink the most delicious blood she ever had because of it.
"I need to cure this strange condition fast."
At that moment, her nose smelt something. A foul odor came from the entrance, combined with the smell she was familiar with.
"Blood." She muttered and stood up, looking in the direction of the entrance.
From her tall tower, combined with the extraordinary sight of her Race, Lucy was able to see a group of people entering. They were stopped by the guards that came from the Raven group, and the old man covered from head-to-toe in black clothes was talking to the guards representing the group.
Lucy immediately recognized them as a group Arthur had informed her an hour ago. It was supposed to be the same day as usual, lazing around and observing the Border City. But this was a part of her job.
"Let's settle this quickly."
Jumping from the balcony, Lucy's body morphed into a small bat, and she flew toward the entrance. Reaching a few hundred meters away didn't take that long for her, and she transformed back to her human form in the air, landing on a roof close to where the groups began to argue.
"Cease that, Raven boys," Lucy spoke in a clear voice that carried authority. "Those guys are invited by him."
"L-Lucienne…" The guards from the Raven group immediately stopped and backed away from the group covered in black clothes.
Without needing a name, everyone who lived in the Border City knew who 'he' was and wouldn't try anything to defy him, as they feared, respected, and were thankful for him changing the city for the better.
The leader of the group, Old A, noticed Lucy and looked up. He bowed his head respectfully and greeted her.
"Thank you for explaining it to the guard, Young Lady. I have the note given to me if I need to prove my identity."
"There is no need for thanks. This is my job. Also, he had told me earlier, no need for the note too"
Lucy jumped down the roof and approached them slowly.
"Let's move to my area. It's located in that dark part of the city. I hope that's to your liking."
"It's perfect." Old A answered with a soft smile, "We're forever indebted to him and the Border City."
"Say that for later." Lucy turned around and began to walk. "Follow me."
The assassins, numbering 24, followed the Vampire girl quietly without saying anything. Their steps were silent, befitting their job as assassins.
They didn't take the main roads where the rich guests visited. Instead, they went through alleys and went to the Vampire district by shortcut.
Before long, they reached the dark area, and a single Vampire woman with dark hair stood in the middle of the street. She wore a similar gothic outfit to Lucy, with white detached sleeves and a fluffy skirt. Her modest breasts moved slightly as she bowed her head.
"Welcome to the Vampire district." The woman raised her head and smiled sweetly.
"She's Miranda." Lucy introduced the woman to the assassins. "She will be your observer and guide. Let me be frank. This is my area, and I don't trust you guys yet. I hope you won't do any funny business."
"We understand." Old A answered with a nod, "We will try our best to gain your trust."
"Do your worst." Lucy threw simple words and walked away.
When she passed Miranda, she whispered something, "Don't let other people meet them before me or Arthur arrived."
"Certainly, Milady."
Receiving an answer, Lucy turned into a small bat again and returned to her tower. After returning to her human form, she sat back on her usual chair, observing Miranda taking the assassins to their lodging.
"Assassin's Den, huh?" She muttered in a low voice, resting her head on her cheek. "And they might be involved with these Hell's Cult people. I don't know who they are, but they sound troublesome."
Lucy sighed. Her life was perfect before. Now? She couldn't say it was worse, but it was busier than what she liked.
"My job is done." She said, leaning against the soft backrest. "Sleeping sounds good."
Slowly, she closed her eyes as her lips tugged into a small smile. She drifted to sleep, something that all long-lived Race enjoyed.
But her [Earring of Communication] suddenly vibrated at that moment, and the gem flashed a blue light. Someone had called her, and she knew who that was.
Lucy grunted in frustration for a second but accepted the call nonetheless. Just a moment after she accepted and was about to ask what was going on, the other party spoke first.
(Lucy, prepare your torture room. I have someone to extract information from and will arrive in a few minutes. Thanks!)
It was a short call, and Arthur immediately stopped it. With all she had, Lucy wanted to throw a complaint. However, she had good self-control and just heaved a sigh and stood up.
"How busy… Why can't he take it easy once in a while?"
The life of a Vampire girl who also worked as one of the leaders in the Underground City was busy. But Lucy didn't really hate that and actually enjoyed it slightly.
