Eschell bit her lip, unsure of what to say. After a while, she softly repeated, "Then, can we make sure I don't hurt my family?"

"Of course, that's no problem at all," Murphy agreed without a second thought. "That's only right. Besides, even I have some morals (debatable)."

"Alright, if you agree, please modify the contract accordingly, and then I will sign it," Eschell said, exhaling as if all her strength had been spent.

"Goodness, such an impatient customer," Murphy quipped, taking out a quill from seemingly nowhere, dipping it in ink, and adding a clause to the contract: The signee must not harm her family or descendants.

Flicking the contract to dry the ink, Murphy nodded in satisfaction. "There we go, always thinking ahead. And I even included your descendants."

"Miss Eschell, please review," he said with a smile, presenting the parchment to her.

After reading it once more and deeming everything in order, Eschell took the quill from Murphy and signed at the bottom: Eschell Arwin.

As she penned the final stroke, the contract glowed as if on fire. It then levitated, and black-purple flames sprang from its corners, enveloping the scroll and consuming the inequitable agreement in mere seconds.

"This makes it official, right?" Eschell murmured, as if asking both Murphy and herself.

"Yes, the contract is complete. Now, let's begin your return to humanity," Murphy replied cheerfully, starting to etch a magical circle around Eschell with his power.

As he worked, he began to explain, "Your situation was dire at the time. To save your life, I found one of my vampire friends to turn you."

"You were saved, sure, but I know you're not fond of your current state, hence the sealing spell."

"With the seal in place, your craving for blood will be suppressed, and your fangs will revert back to normal teeth."

"Most importantly, your eyes will return to their original color. Your father and grandfather had... sea-blue eyes, right?"

"Also, you'll feel slightly warmer and will be able to eat human food again. This should allow you to live a normal life, just like before."

"Some vampire traits can't be sealed, sadly. Speaking of which, there are three things you should remember."

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"First off, you'll need sun protection when you go out. The vampire bloodline that turned you is quite potent, so you'll just feel a bit faint in the sunlight. Carrying an umbrella, especially as a young lady, fits the etiquette anyway."

"Secondly, your accelerated healing has been partially sealed, but what remains is still stronger than a regular human's. Don't let people see your wounds close up without an excuse; disguise it with some spellcasting if you can."

"Thirdly, the intrinsic bloodlust of a vampire is inborn; it can be restrained but not eradicated. Make sure to satiate it with at least a sip of blood once a month. It'll help maintain your seal."

"Ah, and one more crucial thing: you'll need permission to enter someone's home, or you'll feel very uncomfortable. But I'm sure a lady like you wouldn't be sneaking around anyway."

"That's about it." Murphy took a deep breath, unable to shake his habit of looking out for his own.

"Um, I have one more question," Eschell raised her hand timidly from the center of the circle.

"Go ahead."

"Do I still count as a follower of the divine?"

"Absolutely," Murphy assured confidently. "Your faith was strong, wasn't it? Just because you've changed races by accident, does that mean the gods won't watch over you? It was not intentional. If that were the case, those gods would be rather petty, wouldn't they? Unworthy of worship, I'd say."

The circle was now complete, softly aglow.

Eschell nodded along with Murphy's explanation and then, looking him in the eye, said, "Mr. Murphy, thank you, regardless, for saving me."

Murphy, busy channeling magic into the spell, waved her off. "Don't mention it, we're all allies here."

The next second, under the surge of powerful magic, Eschell fainted for the second time.

---

"Master, what do we do now?" Pepe whispered, eyeing the two unconscious figures on the ground.

"They'll be out for a bit. Let's clean up this scene," Murphy replied and began to erase the traces of the magical circle. Pepe summoned several homunculi skeletons to help tidy up the battleground.

After restoring the royal road to its prior state, Murphy produced a glass vial with a stopper from nowhere and jiggled it in front of Pepe. "Ah, my dear apprentice, time to donate some blood."

Pepe pointed at herself in shock, "Donate blood? Me? Why?"

"Well, who else but you?" Murphy spread his hands, "I can't give her my blood, vampires drinking it would end in bubbles. But truly, your blood is top-notch; it's comparable to, say, one bottle being worth twenty."

"Could you not use bizarre metaphors to describe your apprentice?" Despite her reluctance, Murphy took a small vial's worth of blood from Pepe and tucked it into Eschell's pocket for emergencies.

---

"Miss! Miss! Please wake up."

The calls grew louder, and Eschell slowly opened her eyes to find she was lying on Anne's legs, staring right at...

Anne's face.

"Anne... are you okay?"

"Yes, miss, and it's such a relief that you're fine too," Anne nearly cried with joy, a sight Eschell felt in her heart, one she'd never seen before.

Feeling warmth returning to her body, Eschell was greatly relieved; the magic had taken effect.

She embraced Anne and then noticed Murphy and Pepe hadn't left yet.

Murphy's trademark smile was still intact, "Please come with us, Miss Eschell. Taking you home is the final step of our task."

It all felt like a dream to Eschell, but sensing the strange new strength within, she knew it was all real—she had become a vampire.