This warehouse was different from the alchemy equipment room outside. It was locked with a heavy iron door and had warning signs urging students and teachers not to enter without permission. However, Juana ignored these warnings, taking out a set of roughly-made keys that appeared to be her own creation, and skillfully unlocked the door.

"Sister, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?" Norton was slightly speechless by his sister’s reckless behavior, yet he still followed her inside.

"Come on, you don’t want to just play it safe your whole life, do you? What were you thinking when you ordered that man’s death yesterday?" Juana, slightly annoyed by Norton’s cautious nature, brought up the incident with the free soldier in the city. It seemed news of Norton’s actions had spread.

"That’s not the same thing," Norton replied with a wry smile, deciding to drop the subject.

The warehouse storing experimental undead, like those used by typical vampires, had no light source. In the darkness, only the red glow of Norton and Juana’s eyes was visible.

Despite initially saying it wasn’t a good idea, Norton was quickly captivated by the novel undead creatures inside. In a way, these undead represented Sylvannia's pinnacle of magic and alchemical achievement, which naturally intrigued Norton.

Juana, noticing Norton’s fascination, said with a hint of pride, "I knew you’d like it here."

"What is this?! A skeletal cobra? And it contains several special metal minerals—its flexibility and toughness surpass skeletal warhorses. It can even spit acid and move swiftly underground?"

"This—this is a semi-wraith-like direwolf? With venomous glands in its fangs for instant lethality? And it's faster than ordinary direwolves?"

"A spirit-bound creature that can replace the cairn wraiths as a shock troop? Able to transition freely between corporeal and ethereal forms? Isn’t that something only found in the Underworld? Created from legends?"

Norton examined the undead, moving from one to the next. Although these creatures weren’t infused with magic and thus immobile, his keen insight allowed him to discern their exceptional qualities. It was like a lifelong antique collector discovering Emperor Qin's mausoleum, making Norton beam with delight and forget his initial apprehension, barely restraining himself from rolling on the ground in joy.

"Keep your voice down. It wouldn’t be good if someone found us," Juana reminded Norton as his voice grew louder in excitement, snapping him back to reality.

"I can see these undead have impressive combat potential. Many should be usable in real battles. Why are they just sitting here collecting dust?"

"There must be reasons—perhaps their creation requires immature or overly complex techniques, or the materials needed are too rare or expensive. Besides, how do you know they haven’t been used in combat?"

"Is that so?" Norton asked. "But I haven’t seen any similar undead at the castle or in the city."

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"Of course not, you silly," Juana laughed, lightly tapping Norton’s forehead. "New undead for testing are naturally sent to frontier armies to gather combat data. You won't find them here."

"That’s a shame. I’d love to see how these guys perform in warfare," Norton sighed, then followed Juana out, locking the door behind them as if nothing had happened, and they returned to the carriage.

Juana checked her pocket watch, noting it was eleven o'clock, and suggested, "It's getting late; let's have lunch first." The carriage headed to the academy's dining hall.

By now, most students and teachers had arrived, making the dining hall quite lively. Norton and Juana's peers and about seventy to eighty faculty members were present. Norton finally realized how abundantly Sylvannia was staffed with educators.

Everyone, teachers and students alike, recognized Norton. News of his enrollment had already circulated. Although they weren’t surprised to see him, they seemed genuinely pleased. However, when asked what he had studied that morning and where he had been, Norton felt somewhat embarrassed.

"I didn’t have any courses I wanted to take this morning," Norton managed to say—naturally, he couldn’t tell them he spent the morning wandering with his sister Juana. Knowing that he would likely have to attend a class in the afternoon didn’t please Juana.

As the crowd gathered around Norton, the luncheon turned into an impromptu welcome party. Of course, if any girl or female teacher stayed too close to Norton for too long, Juana would become unhappy.

After chatting with several of his cousins, one whispered to Norton, "Your sister seems to be watching you closely," which embarrassed him greatly.

"She’s just like that... always thinks I'm a child... haha, haha..." Norton laughed awkwardly, coming up with a plausible explanation: "That's why she always tries to keep an eye on me."

"Is that so?" the cousin laughed, unconvinced, then leaned closer, speaking in a voice only Norton could hear, "Perhaps you’re the only one who thinks so. Honestly, you know the circumstances—among vampires, maintaining pure bloodlines through intermarriage is common. You two are close in age, so—"

Before his cousin could finish, Norton jumped up, knocking over his chair. He had never heard such a thing before.

"Alright, Erik, Norton’s still a kid. Don’t talk to him about such things," another cousin reprimanded, giving Erik a slap on the head. Erik laughed sheepishly.

"Just take it as something I blurted out—no, I didn’t say anything at all, just sit down, sit down, look at my big mouth..." He mumbled as he helped Norton right his chair and gently nudged him back into his seat.

Norton hardly tasted the food for the rest of the meal. As for his afternoon classes, he didn’t even know which one he was supposed to attend—before he knew it, Juana had dragged him out early.

As Juana whisked Norton away, some students gathered around Erik, questioning why he had said such a thing to Norton. Vampires had conservative sexual education, especially those of Norton’s status. Typically, such matters were disclosed by adult vampires, and only after they turned fourteen.

"I didn’t want to either... but Juana forced me to," Erik complained softly, feeling quite put upon.

Upon hearing this, the young vampires responded with an "Oh..." of understanding.

They understood, but Norton was still left in confusion, his mind tangled as Juana pulled him along. Though he sometimes felt his sister was a bit too affectionate, Norton had never considered the possibility of marrying Juana. The idea of family ties becoming even closer was something he struggled to comprehend.

Confounded, his physical state mirrored his mental turmoil. While being led around by Juana was not new to him, today he felt something different.

The softness of Juana’s hand transmitted through to him, sending signals to his brain. Her delicate fragrance, amplified by their hurried movement, accelerated his heartbeat. Finally stopping by the picturesque lakeside at the campus's northern edge, Norton looked across the water at Juana's reflection—his obstinate and headstrong sister had grown into a poised young woman...