Arriving at the palace of Lust, the class’ first impression could be described with one word; red. The entire building was a crimson red, not the red of blood but more like something lit with a red lantern. Even the windows had red-coloured glass. Whoever Lady Lust was, she was undoubtedly fond of the colour.

“She certainly lives up to her title,” Alex observed as he looked over the palace.

“You mean being a vampire?” Bea posited.

“No Lust… this palace may as well be a red light district.”

Nearing the main entrance, a familiar hunched figure opened the doors and stepped out to greet them. The figure of a Bak Stah’Ber was something that could be told even in silhouette. But this one seemed to be very old.

“I greet thee on mine master's behalf,” he began before giving a deep bow. “I hath been sent to collect thee.”

“Why are you talking old-timey?” Tasha asked.

“M’lady deigned it be interesting…eth,” Bak Stah’Ber replied, not really putting much energy into the way he was talking.

“How is Plutarchie ?” Alex asked.

“That is Lady Plutarchie of the House of Eternal Night to you, human!” He snarled in response before looking over the class with a welcoming gaze.

“I apologise for raising my tone in your most gracious presences. I shall place myself in the flaying chamber in atonement after I have guided you to mine, lady.”

“P-please don’t…” Kline said, trying to stop the overtly loyal butler from torturing himself for snapping at their teacher, who seemed to make it a hobby pissing off nobility.

“Bakky, don’t worry my kids too much,” Alex said, wrapping a friendly arm over the hunch. “They are kindly masters.” Bak Stah’Ber’s non-crooked eye twitched as he heard this before shuffling off Alex’s arm.

“Very well…. I shall grant mineself mercy… follow me, I guess.”

Guided through the palace, the class passed through a hallway that had many open doorways to various rooms. Quick glances into these rooms and seeing their occupants made even the most open-minded of their number blush. The palace very much lived up to its master's title.

“Oh, Elissa would love that room,” Alex observed as he looked into a room with many implements hung on the wall.

“Sir, that is not a room for guests… that is a room for… well, let's say people who have displeased her grace.”

“You clearly don’t get many ironwood elves… they would consider that room a fun night.”

“Sir, could you please not talk about such a subject!” Daisy said, feeling incredibly uncomfortable about the subject matter.

“Of course, younguns are present.”

Much to the relief of the class, they finally arrived in what appeared to be a throne room. The room itself had a dozen pillars lining either side of the approach to the throne. Each pillar itself was lit up by a crimson-red magical lamp.

On the throne sat what to anyone would’ve been a stunningly beautiful woman in her mid-twenties. Every single feature sang to the heart and called out. She was the kind of person that could stop the conversation of a room dead. The class had zero doubts she likely had many beings pursuing her affection.

“Human…” she began as she rose from the throne.

“Lady Plutarchie of the House of Eternal Night,” Alex replied, giving a deep bow which was mimicked by the rest of the class.

“How is that darling girl?”

“Still punching as hard as she cares to.”

“I understand she is with child?”

“She is; we are expecting a child this autumn.”

“How pleasant you must let me be the godmother.”

“If you so wish, I shall ask Elissa.”

“Now, to the rest of your little party,” the class raised their gazes to glance at her only to see her reach into her pocket and take out a pair of castanets. With a single stomp on the ground, a ring of intense flames circles around the class, separating them from their teacher.

From somewhere in the throne room, music began to be played. It had a rapid tempo and contained a mix of drums and acoustic guitar. It was rhythmic, yet they could feel the passion within it. As the melody began to threaten to take hold, a clacking from where Lust had been began.

The clacking of the castanets began to circle around them, concealed by the wall of flames sealing them in. Soon a shadowy figure began to show in the wall of fire. What they could make out it was dancing to the music spinning around while clacking away. Slowly but surely, the figure began to move around the class, staying within the flames.

“Back to back!” Maxwell shouted. Following a training routine the members of the adventurers guild in Academy city had shown them, they went back to back with enhancers between the projection mages. They were ready to respond to any threat.

“How beautiful,” a sultry voice went as Maxwell felt his pulse quicken. Out of the flames in front of him, hands as smooth as silk reached out and stroked his cheeks. “Such warm blood… your heart is ever so nicely beating I could dance just to its rhythm alone.” Despite the flames, Maxwell felt a chill run down his spine as he glanced at Tasha.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Before Maxwell or any of the other class could respond, the hands retreated back into the flames beyond their reach. The shadowy outline continued to dance around in the flames circling them. Soon the figure began to divide, and the class were left wondering which one was the real one.

“Chief was right. She is very showy!” Gunter shouted as his gaze darted between the flames and Bea.

“How interesting… I rarely see people whose hearts are unmoved by my presence… let alone having three such beings in my throne room. It is infuriating the human has you under his care,” Lust grumbled as a playful hand protruded from the flames to poke Gunter in the chest.

“Don’t worry, big guy… I don’t go after hearts already, someone else's,” she assured him as another playful hand protruded from the flames and tussled Bea’s hair.

“Hey!”

The music picked up pace as the silhouettes continued their dancing routine within the flames. The class were now divided between she was playing with them and she was a genuine threat. Considering their teacher was present, they were leaning toward the latter. But he had mentioned she was someone he wouldn’t mess with, so they couldn’t clear all doubt.

“Now you, young boy, are as handsome as the Norns said you were… I can see why they like you so much,” Lust declared as she poked her head out of the flames to plant a kiss on Kline’s cheek.

“I shall claim you and fill your heart with such passion that they lament not making you theirs sooner!”

“I must respectfully decline!”

“Oh, don’t be so nervous little rabbit… I am gentle with ones such as you.”

“Lust, please don’t tease him too much!” Alex’s voice said from beyond the flames.

“Very well…” Lust replied though the huff in her tone very clear.

“Now the elf… little Ellie's protege… pah, you are not my type. Your heart has already been claimed.”

“I THINK YOU’LL FIND I HAVE CLAIMED HIS!!!” Tasha roared as she took a swing at the fire before retracting her hand and sucking on her knuckles, having lightly burnt them.

“Now, dearest Daisy…” Lust began before loudly clapping her hands once and dispelling the flames and music.

Now free of the imposing heat and the bizarre situation, the class could see her standing in front of Daisy. There was no more playfulness to her gaze. No more teasing on showiness.

“Daisy, my dearest… you have your mother's eyes.”

“Pardon?” Daisy asked, confused by Lust’s sudden change in demeanour. Looking around the room, they could see their teacher seemed equally confused.

“Those eyes, my dear, are so very precious to me.”

“I don’t follow… please tell me what happened to my parents?!!” Daisy shouted, feeling entirely done with this farce. She had been called here to discuss her parents, and Lust had only been playing around with them.

“Daisy… Your mother she…” Lust began before her lower lip began to tremble.

“Your mother she was badly injured in an attack on your family estate… I’m sorry, but she was ultimately slain.”

“N-n-no… You are lying… Why are you lying?!” Daisy asked in a whisper, all emotion leaving her body as she began to go pale.

“Your father was also heavily injured, but he is still alive… but his status is not good. He is beyond even what healing magic can achieve. He will likely pass soon, if not already.” Daisy was left with countless questions, but only one word escaped her mouth.

“Why?”

“We don’t know… my little birdies suggest your parents stumbled upon something… but what they found, I can’t say.”

“DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO DID IT?!” Daisy snapped as she grabbed Lust by the shoulders. Her entire body now trembled with rage. For the first time, she could fully understand why her teacher responded as he often did.

“I do,” Lust calmly replied as she gently removed Daisy’s grip on her.

“You do?!” Alex echoed.

“Yes, we know exactly who committed the act.”

“Let me kill them,” Daisy snarled between gritted teeth. The rage rolling off her was such that even her classmates retreated a step where they had been approaching to comfort their friend.

“Sorry, can’t; they are members of the city guard’s command.”

“Have you arrested them?”

“Nope, I believe one of them was the one who escorted you to my estate.”

“What?!!!”

“Please calm down.”

“YOU TELL ME MY PARENTS WERE MURDERED, AND I WAS GUIDED BY THEIR KILLER, AND YOU WANT ME TO BE CALM?!!!”

“Well, when you put it like that… But Daisy, they are but the knives… I haven’t arrested them because I want to know the hand that wielded them. We could kill them and be done with it, but what would happen to the next family that stumbles across what your parents did?” Daisy avoided eye contact with Lust, unwilling to accept the point no matter how logical it was.

“You have your mother's stubborn streak… it is no wonder you are of my blood.”

“Pardon?” Daisy asked, looking up at Lust properly for the first time. It was only now she began to see some features that resembled her mother’s.

“We are related?”

“Well, very distantly… I have taken many lovers across my life and have spawned near every vampire noble line. But I stay connected to everyone one way or another.”

“That explains a lot, actually,” Alex muttered from his spot in the corner.

“Human care to explain?”

“Well, you just seemed to have an unnaturally good connection to every vampire clan… but if you are the overall matriarch, it is no wonder they hold eternal loyalty to you.”

“Human, that should be very clear. I am Lust; my job is to keep the nation together. What better way than debts and family? Now, Daisy, I want you to stay in my palace where it is safe… we will find who is behind this and when that time comes… you can have retribution. But till that time, I will secure the last of your line. Human, what of her younger brother?”

Daisy audibly swallowed. In her rage, she had entirely forgotten her baby brother. How would she break to him they were now orphans? How would she even begin to care for him?

“Elissa is looking after him. I understand the little ones are on a nature excursion with Yukiko and Gorm.”

“Ah, so safer than a dragon's first copper,” Lust nodded.

“Perfect, so Daisy, my darling great, however many times grand daughter… please go to your room… trash it if it will help. The furniture here is often replaced for… reasons… but you are forbidden to leave the grounds. Your friends, too, will be under my protection… Human remain here. I have more words for you.”

Still in somewhat of a daze, Daisy, along with the rest of the class, was guided by Bak Stah’Ber to a less crimson area of the palace where comfortable rooms were. Daisy staggered into the room picked out for her, and the second the door closed behind her, she collapsed to her knees as the dam of tears finally burst.