On the same day, in an inn in the southern Gulens city of Lionnis:
Isaac had scavenged over twenty gold coins from adventurers in a cave, enough to afford a double room with two beds—no way was he sleeping on the floor again like last time.
"Little Zack's got my legs all locked up; you'd better take responsibility for me," Sophia teased. Her legs moved freely now, the shackles still clasped around her knee-high heeled leather boots, but the chain had vanished, making them look like mere decorative anklets. Her strength, however, remained suppressed to that of a frail human woman. Instead of wearing her blood wings, Sophia had hung them on the inn's coat rack, opting for a tight leather outfit.
Isaac had spent the previous night experimenting, barely sleeping, finally deciphering the five playful commands for the shackles. "Toad Hop" merged the shackles into a single restraint, forcing Sophia to hop forward, as she had yesterday. "Turtle Crawl" left a mere ten centimeters of chain, allowing only tiny, shuffling steps. "Good Dog" restored the initial shackle length of thirty to forty centimeters, the state Sophia had worn at the start. "Rooster Run" extended the chain to a meter. The current chainless state was "Good Slave"—as the name implied, a compliant slave needed no chains.
Since learning from a wraith that Sophia couldn't remove the shackles or cast spells, and after witnessing her foot being severed, Isaac's view of her had shifted. A spark of masculine courage stirred within him, realizing she could be injured and needed protection. He and Sophia agreed that in the inn, she could remain in "Good Slave" mode, chainless. But when leaving or when Isaac slept, unable to watch her, she had to revert to "Good Dog."
Unaware the shackles limited her strength, Isaac felt uneasy about Sophia's current state, with only silver rings on her boots and no chains. Exhausted, he didn't want to speak to her.
"Little Zack, you're such a weakling, already tired!" Sophia kicked Isaac as he lay on the bed. "It's morning—perfect time for some fun!"
Isaac thought, You slept all night while I stayed up testing commands, tongue dry from shouting. You woke up thrilled to see the chains gone, but what about me? I need sleep! And you, a vampire, wanting to play in the morning instead of sleeping? That's just weird.
"Damn you, Little Zack!" Sophia kicked him again when he didn't respond.
"I'm exhausted. I need a nap. Toad Hop." Isaac muttered the command and collapsed into sleep.
With a snap, Sophia's legs locked together, preventing further kicks.
"Hey, hey, hey! Little Zack, you bastard!" Sophia shouted. "How dare you treat this duchess so rudely! When I get to Silania, I'll have you flayed!" But Isaac, in a deep sleep, heard nothing. Sophia's intestines churned painfully, forcing her to provoke Isaac to distract herself. Without distraction, the agonizing spasms in her gut made her feel like she'd lose control any second.
An hour later, enduring abdominal pain, Sophia hopped to Isaac's bed, a bowl of water clamped between her fangs like a lever.
Splash! She dumped the water on Isaac's head.
"Aaagh! What the hell?" Isaac jolted upright, soaked.
"Little Zack tied up this duchess and went to sleep—how irresponsible!" Sophia glared at him, her expression dripping with disdain.
"You vampire woman! You won't even let me sleep!" Isaac snapped, certain now that Sophia couldn't read his thoughts.
"Little Zack, don't be so harsh. I'm still a girl, you know." Isaac looked at the woman, taller than him, with a mature figure and face, and shook his head helplessly.
"Little Zack, hurry up and unlock my shackles!"
"Fine, fine. Good Slave." The shackles parted, reverting to two rings on her boots.
Sophia walked to the table, picked up another glass of water with her fangs, and brought it to Isaac.
"Little Zack, drink this."
Isaac took the glass, eyeing the faintly green liquid. "This isn't poison, is it?"
"You idiot! If I wanted to kill you, one kick would do it. Poison? Really?" Sophia scoffed.
Isaac studied her, unconvinced the liquid was safe.
"Tch, forget you then. I offer kindness, and you treat it like bat lungs."
"Don't get mad. I'll drink it." Isaac downed the glass.
It was surprisingly delicious.
Suddenly, Isaac felt energized, his fatigue gone.
"What… what did you give me?"
"You idiot! Say thank you, you rude fool!" Sophia glared.
"Alright, thank you, Duchess Dominatrix!"
"Hmph, that's more like it!" Sophia grinned. "That was my invigorating blood elixir, brewed from my own blood. Far better than your human tea or coffee, with no side effects. One cup equals a full day's rest, restoring your body even without sleep. Now Little Zack won't be tired."
"Something this miraculous exists?" Isaac stared at the empty glass in disbelief.
"Little Zack, keep me entertained, and you'll have riches and glory!" Sophia smirked, adding, "Make me happy, and when we reach Silania, I might make you my earl."Earl? Isaac thought. Endless wealth and countless women?
"Let's go for a walk, Little Zack!"
"Alright, Lady Dominatrix. Good Dog." The chain reappeared, linking Sophia's shackles.
"Tch, so cautious. I'm not eating anyone in broad daylight."
"Just in case…" Isaac said.
"In case? In case? Why not gag my mouth too, then!" Sophia snapped, pointing to a ball gag with her chin.
"Alright, no offense."
"You'd better be careful. Pull the pin from the gag's keyhole and lock my mouth properly to stop me from biting."
"Is… is that okay?"
"It's fine! You've got the master key, what are you afraid of?" Sophia fumed, realizing Isaac didn't see she was speaking out of frustration, hoping he'd say, "I trust you, my lady, I won't gag you." Instead, the blockhead followed her orders, removed the pin, and stuffed the gag into her beautiful face. As he did, Sophia's expression was pure fury, as if she'd drain his blood any second. Isaac couldn't fathom what he'd done wrong.
"Mmph!" Sophia cursed through the gag, furious that he'd actually gagged her, wasting her precious blood elixir on him.
"What now?" Isaac asked, still clueless.
Sophia shuffled to her parcel of clothes and jewelry, pointing with her head. "Mmph!"
Isaac looked and saw her indicating a purple veil and headscarf in the Eta style. Silania's east bordered the Turkic Empire, with its mix of eastern Rosenland and Eta culture. Though Silania resisted Eta influence—Sophia's father once used blood magic to impale a Turkic army—she, as a woman, embraced their beautiful clothing and accessories.
Isaac secured the headscarf and veil, then noticed Sophia pointing to a golden mask, part of the ensemble. He fastened it over the veil, fixing it in place. The semi-transparent veil faintly revealed the gag, adding an exotic allure. Sophia now resembled an Eta noblewoman—or, with the gag visible, a Silanian slave in a Turkic harem.
"Mmph!" Sophia pointed to another piece of translucent purple silk. Isaac realized it was for her eyes and attached it to the mask, covering them. For a human woman, this wouldn't impair vision much but protected against prying eyes, a common Eta custom.
"Mmph!" Sophia blinked furiously. Isaac said, "Do you want your eyes fully covered?"
Furious, Sophia thought, I meant a mirror, you idiot! Too angry to shake her head, she let out a sharp, "Mmph!" Clueless, Isaac found black fabric in the parcel, removed the eye veil, blindfolded her, then replaced the veil. From a distance, she looked like an eastern Rosenland beauty captured by Eta nomads.
Now blind, Sophia relied on her ears for echolocation. The world lost color, but she could "see" details within three meters and vaguely sense ten meters ahead. She clearly "saw" Isaac's evident arousal. Up again? Pathetic, she thought, forgetting her own heightened sensitivity. She laughed, but it came out as, "Mmph!"
"My lady, anything you need?" Isaac asked.
"Mmph!" No, you idiot!
This time, Isaac understood, draped her blood wings over her, and, holding her arm through them, led her downstairs.
Lionnis's streets bustled. Isaac, using his scavenged coins, enjoyed a hearty meal—his first good one in days. He'd asked Sophia if she wanted food, but her abdominal pain made eating impossible. If I weren't bound, if I could freely relieve myself, I wouldn't be suffering like this!
As Isaac finished, a nearby table's conversation caught his ear: "Heard the city council issued a bounty. Vampires are stirring in the east district. They're hiring witch hunters, paladins, mages, or witchers to deal with it. Fifty gold coins."
"Mmph? Mmph!" Sophia squirmed, signaling Isaac.
"Do you want to… help the vampire or hunt it?"
"Mmph!" She shook her head.
"You're… strange. Hunting your own kind on sight?"
"Mmph!"
"But how do we hunt it?"
"Mmph!" Sophia stood, heading for the door. Isaac, unaware of her echolocation, hurried after her, worried she'd trip or bump into someone in this rough crowd.
"Mmph!" Outside, Sophia realized her echolocation couldn't pinpoint her location, let alone the east district.
"Mmph!" she grunted repeatedly, urging Isaac to remove her gag.
In a secluded spot, Isaac used the master key—a small golden rectangle that morphed into the gag's key shape—to unlock it. Before he could remove her blindfold, Sophia said, "Ask those men where the vampire is!"
Without waiting for the blindfold's removal, she marched back to the tavern.
"Hey, you two!" The men eating were shocked to hear an Eta-clad woman address them, as Eta women rarely spoke to men outside their husbands.
"Lady, what—"
"Where's the east district? I'm going to see that vampire!"
"Lady, no offense, but a woman like you…"
Sophia realized their concern. "My husband is a vampire slayer!" She nodded toward the bewildered Isaac entering behind her.
"Gods, we've got a vampire slayer!" The tavern erupted. "To the vampire slayer!"
Isaac, clueless, was swept up by the crowd and officials, who'd heard a vampire slayer was in town, and taken to an abandoned house in the east district rumored to house a vampire.
"The vampire comes out at night. Be careful, Vampire Slayer!" The crowd dispersed.
"Lady Dominatrix… what now?" Isaac asked.
"You're a vampire slayer now. Hunt the vampire, of course," Sophia said, still blindfolded but speaking through her veil.
"Should I… remove your shackles?"
"No, you need to keep my legs bound to stop me from hurting anyone, like you said this morning. I'm your good dog, right?" Sophia was clearly still upset about being shackled.
"Uh, Lady Dominatrix, don't mock me…"
A cold gust swept through.
"Little Zack, draw Moonshine quick, or you'll die," Sophia said, hearing ultrasonic waves. Her blindfolded eyes glinted with disdain. "It's a lowborn mongrel."
Isaac's legs trembled. "Lady Dominatrix, I'm sorry, I won't shackle you again."
"No, no. I might hurt someone, seduce humans, or harm the innocent. I'm a wicked vampire who's done every evil, right? Draw Moonshine, or it'll be too late."
"O-Okay…" Isaac nervously drew Moonshine, gripping the sword in a terrified crouch.
A gust passed, and a black figure appeared behind Sophia, its right arm wrapping around her. "Woman, you're unlucky tonight."
"Don't you lowborn mongrels have noses?" Sophia's tone, one Isaac had never heard, could paralyze with fear. Even Isaac, who thought he knew her, froze.
The vampire, intimidated, slowly withdrew its arm. "Woman, are you… a highborn?"
"I'm no mongrel," Sophia said, her voice lethal.
Indeed, to Sophia, both high and low vampires were mongrels.
"I-I-I'm so sorry, lady," the vampire stammered, backing off. "And this man?"
"You lowborn keep asking questions. So rude."
"S-Sorry, lady."
"What have you done here to make humans hire hunters?"
"Just… normal feeding."
"Oh? Normal feeding?" Sophia's tone dripped with menace.
"I… I work as muscle for humans. They give me…"
"Hm?"
"Money… and women."
"Listen, mongrel."
"Yes… lady…"
"That man is a vampire slayer here to kill you."
"Is he? Why are you with a slayer…?" Isaac noted vampires avoided saying "vampire slayer," using just "slayer," unlike Sophia.
"No reason."
"Do you… want me dead?"
"Yes."
Though terrified of Sophia, the vampire valued survival more. It didn't dare attack her but leaped at Isaac.
"Nooo!" Isaac swung wildly, Moonshine's expert enchantments slicing off the vampire's hand.
"Aaagh! Holy energy!" The vampire clutched its stump, glaring at Isaac.
This vampire, greedy, lustful, and cowardly like Isaac, lacked any redeeming qualities, unlike Isaac's near-perfect sense of justice. Seeing Moonshine's power, it panicked, leaping back to Sophia and aiming its regrown claw at her neck. "Slayer, drop your weapon, or I kill your lady!"
"Mongrel, do you know the consequences of this?" Sophia's blindfolded eyes glowed red.
"I… I won't let you go unscathed, even if I die!"
"Isaac, are you that much of a coward? What about your oath?" Sophia called him by name, not "Little Zack."
Isaac once never worried about Sophia, but knowing she couldn't cast spells, read minds, or even withstand a severed foot, his concern grew. Now, seeing her in real danger, he recalled his oath. Summoning courage, he stood, swinging Moonshine, which morphed into a whip and struck the vampire's face.
The vampire's face exploded, and its body collapsed lifelessly.
Sophia stepped on its heart with her shackled, heeled boot, saying coldly, "You know, since I was a child, my favorite thing has been hearing mongrels wail before they die."
Isaac stood frozen, speechless.
After a moment, Sophia broke the silence, reverting to her familiar self. "Little Zack, so brave! A hero saving the beauty!"
"You… you were pretending, right? You could've handled him," Isaac said, wiping sweat.
"No, this duchess is all tied up by the great vampire slayer Isaac, wearing a magic-sealing collar and strength-suppressing shackles. I'm helpless," Sophia said, figuring since Isaac knew she couldn't cast or read minds, she might as well admit the shackles limited her strength too.
"You're… lying, right?"
"Don't believe me?" Sophia's veiled eyes glanced at him. "Truth is, I was mad when you shackled me, but you killed that mongrel, and I liked that. I forgive you. Gag me again, and let's collect the reward. Protect me like this from now on."
Sophia opened her mouth, and Isaac hesitated for a second.
"You really are an idiot," Sophia said, rolling her veiled eyes. "Listen, I came out to have fun, letting a weakling like you bind me for amusement." Her tone was dead serious.
"Uh, and?"
"Heh, since you've figured out I can't use magic," her voice turned menacing.
Isaac gulped.
"I'm changing how we play." Sophia's words confused Isaac. To show off her omnipotence, she'd tolerated things she normally wouldn't, like letting him ride her neck to demonstrate her flight. As an immortal bored by eternity, she sought thrills, and showing off was exhilarating.
"Listen," she said icily, making Isaac's legs quake.
"Treat me like your mistress and obey me. If you dare command me or disobey again, I'll kill you. Understood?"
Her voice paralyzed Isaac, who couldn't move, let alone respond.
Seeing him frozen, Sophia lightly kneed his groin with her shackled leg. Her tone softened, but wasn't gentle. "Pathetic. I just told you to protect me. Hurry up and gag me!"
Her teasing disdain eased Isaac's fear. He carefully re-gagged her and adjusted the veil.
Isaac claimed the bounty, hailed as Lionnis's vampire slayer, the great hero Isaac. In truth, he'd only stood and swung Moonshine's automatic strike under Sophia's encouragement—something anyone could do. He knew this and understood Sophia's words were true. He now bore the duty to protect her, especially since he'd shackled her. He also had to respect her more, lest she kick or bite him to death.