Pepe, overhearing Eschell's murmur, quickly went to check on her. Eschell was coming around, gradually regaining sensation in her body, and recalling the events that led to her losing consciousness.
"Anne, is that your maid's name?" Pepe asked. "If that's who you're asking about, rest assured, she’s not in any mortal danger."
Eschell, her complexion pale, managed a wry smile at Pepe. "Thank you for saving us. I didn't get your name."
"I'm Pepe. Nice to meet you. And for the record, you saved your maid yourself. As for you, it wasn't me but my master who helped." Pepe offered a warm handshake with a beaming smile.
"I'm Eschell. Pleased to meet you," responded Eschell, her handshake feeble but sincere.
What warm hands, thought Eschell.
There was an unusual warmth emanating from this girl. She felt a chill as though she'd just been fished out of a frozen lake, probably a side effect of severe blood loss during the battle.
Gosh, I'm so cold. I kind of want to hug this kid... Wait, where did that thought come from? Eschell shook her head, discarding such random notions, and got back on track. "Your master? May I thank him in person?"
"Of course." Murphy stepped forward with a light-footed approach, a smile on his face as he answered, “That would be me. Just call me Murphy."
"Thank you, Mr. Murphy. If it weren't for you and Miss Pepe, we might have..." Eschell averted her gaze, unable to finish.
"Miss Eschell, isn't it? Hold off on your thanks for now..." Murphy began, ready to weave his charm when he noticed Anne, the maid, starting to wake.
"Miss... Miss..." Anne's weak voice drifted from afar.
Talk about like master, like servant, Murphy mused, their recovery scenes could have been mirror images.
There was no time to dwell on it, Murphy quickly made his way to Anne with an apologetic look to Eschell.
With an element of surprise, and to the dismay of Eschell and Pepe's stifled amusement, Murphy gave Anne’s neck a swift chop—a ‘karate chop’ right where the neck meets the shoulder, before she fully awakened.
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The unsuspecting maid groaned and was once again sleeping like a baby.
"Mr. Murphy?" Eschell’s face was a mask of disbelief. "What are you doing?!"
Murphy nodded, content with putting the maid back to sleep, and walked back, leaving Eschell retreating like a startled cat, feeling as if she was teetering on the edge of a new abyss just after escaping the last.
"Don't worry, Miss Eschell." Murphy spoke with a calming smile. "Why not ask me why I did that?"
"Alright then, explain yourself. Why knock out Anne?" Eschell asked, her face riddled with suspicion and alarm.
"It’s for your own good, of course." Murphy's gesture was exaggerated, and Pepe sidestepped slyly, positioning herself as a spectator to the unfolding drama.
"What...?"
"Haven’t you noticed the changes to your own body?" Murphy coaxed gently. "Like the wound on your back, or perhaps your teeth and eyes?"
Eschell twisted round to inspect her back through the tear in her top. Her skin was unblemished, the fatal blow as if it was all a dream. Yet the torn fabric screamed the harsh reality of what had transpired.
Eschell swallowed, puzzled. With an injury that grave, even a top-tier healer would need to be level fifty or higher to heal without a trace. And if a Light Mage dabbling in divine arts were to achieve a similar effect, they’d likely need to be even more powerful.
Eschell glanced at Murphy. This man, not much older than she, seemed full of mischief—a character unlikely to be a cleric. And a Light Mage? Doubtful. Did this flamboyant man truly serve the Goddess of Victory?
But that meant it couldn't have been Pepe; mages usually select apprentices who share their talents. And Pepe, from her mastery of magic to demeanor, seemed very much like her master...
Wait, teeth and eyes? Eschell clung to this new clue. Fetching her wand, she glanced at Murphy for permission and then cast a watered-down Reflection Spell, conjuring an image of herself.
"Teeth, the teeth..." Eschell muttered as she opened her mouth. The illusory figure mimicked her, revealing four sharp canine teeth, two on top and two on the bottom.
"What?" exclaimed Eschell, shock overtaking her as her tongue accidentally nicked one sharp tooth, drawing blood. She had no fangs before, what was happening? The reflection's face was unmistakably hers.
For a moment, Eschell felt the disconcerting sensation of being in another body. Before she could calm her racing heart, her gaze was drawn to the eyes of her doppelganger.
"Red... color?" Eschell's breath hitched. Rapid healing, sharp fangs, blood-red eyes—three signs pointed to a demonic creature not native to these lands—a vampire!
Vampires, while not unfamiliar to Eschell, were creatures she, her father, and grandfather had never encountered alive. However, it didn't impede her as a studious young scholar at the Sacred Heracles Noble Academy, especially since she had aced her elective on demonic traits.
Known for their stunning beauty, vampires differ from the alluring succubi who flutter amongst mortals. Vampires may be beautiful, but they don’t flaunt it. Some fanciful legends and third-rate novels even posit they are monogamous. To the blossoming young noblewomen at the academy, a tragic love affair with a dashing, stoic vampire is a common fantasy.
Murphy could see the realization dawn in the girl's eyes.
"Have I really become a vampire?" Eschell asked, quivering.
With a gentle smile, Murphy replied, "To be precise, you're a vampire apprentice~"