Blanche, who had been quietly watching the whole scene unfold, stood frozen as if hit by a petrification spell.
Her body stiffened in place, eyes wide like copper bells, brimming with disbelief.
She stood there in a daze for quite a while before finally raising her hand to rub her eyes hard.
When she opened them again, the same unbelievable sight remained clearly before her.
Only then did she finally believe it was real.
Her throat struggled to push out a few broken syllables: “You… you…”
“Well? Pretty cool, right?”
Lorin struck a triumphant pose, barely able to contain the pride swelling in her chest.
Finally, someone she could lord over for once…
“Cool!”
Blanche looked at the comically smug little girl before her and forced out a compliment that betrayed her true thoughts.
Cute—that’s what she should be saying…
But Lorin couldn’t care less about Blanche’s inner conflict.
“Anyway, I’m off now…”
She had more important things to do—like collecting her 100,000 gold coins.
“Teach me!”
Blanche suddenly lifted the alchemy report that had gotten her scolded into the ground by Hode, pleading with Lorin.
If only someone had told her their dear princess was an alchemist, she wouldn’t have gone to Hode only to be torn apart!
“Sigh…”
A soft sigh echoed through the quiet alchemy workshop.
Blanche lowered her head slightly, voice trembling with uncertainty.
“Please, Your Highness. I really don’t know how to fix this report.”
Lorin came to a reluctant halt.
She slowly reached out and took the report from Blanche’s hands.
The paper was still warm—Blanche must’ve been clutching it nervously the entire time.
Lorin laid it flat on the table and began reading carefully.
She hadn’t expected much, but the moment her eyes skimmed over the content, she was genuinely shocked.
This report was so astonishingly bad it could bring someone to tears.
Lorin couldn’t fathom how Blanche ended up as a student of Hode, a tiered alchemist, when she couldn’t even follow the basic formatting of a report…
“Sigh…”
Lorin let out another helpless sigh and began pointing out the errors in Blanche’s work.
She figured it was the least she could do as thanks for Blanche helping her find those materials—it wouldn’t take long anyway.
If it weren’t for that horrible incident in her past life, she would’ve already become a gold-tier alchemist.
She was an alchemist, after all—a proper one with balanced mastery.
Reviewing an alchemy apprentice’s report was practically child’s play for her.
…
Sunlight poured over every inch of Dracula Megacity like scattered golden foil.
Lorin hummed a cheerful tune as she strolled down the streets, her steps light and airy, as if she were a fawn prancing through the woods.
Her ponytail bobbed rhythmically with each bounce.
She was wandering through one of the city’s wide avenues.
The streets beneath her were paved with neatly arranged stones, smoothed and polished by time.
Vendors on both sides shouted loudly to peddle their wares, creating a lively, chaotic harmony.
Mixed in with their cries were the sharp, powerful shouts of the Defense Bureau’s soldiers, who were tirelessly maintaining order to ensure both residents and tourists could enjoy the bustle in peace.
Occasionally, someone would parade a tamed magical beast through the streets, drawing curious stares before inevitably causing traffic jams, followed by a chorus of curses as they scrambled to clear the road.
Lorin, for one, had gotten used to this kind of scene.
Tamed beasts were expensive, after all. If she had one, she’d bring it out too.
Anyway, public order was the Defense Bureau’s problem—not hers.
If she didn’t cause some trouble, wouldn’t they be out of a job?
Defense Bureau: “Yes ma’am, we’re taking notes. Please continue your story…”
But it was a sealed-off section nearby that caught Lorin’s attention.
After chatting with a well-informed “big” sister, Lorin learned that three recent disappearances had occurred there—one of the missing people being Ina Wilson, the beloved granddaughter of Duke Wilson.
Peering at the bustling Defense Bureau officers inside, Lorin shook her head. She dismissed the fortune-teller inside, too.
These soldiers were just eating for free.
It was obvious someone had tampered with the area using magic, disrupting the natural flow of mana.
They’d never find any clues by investigating from the inside.
If she had the chance, she really ought to convince Phyllis to fire the whole lot of them—wait, what was she thinking?
Why was she suddenly so concerned about the Blood Domain’s affairs…?
Lorin shuddered and gave her head a hard shake, trying to banish those disturbing thoughts.
She wanted no part in becoming some vampire princess or queen.
She still had to find a way to return to normal…
…
“I can’t believe it—who knew such a delicious treat was hiding in Dracula Megacity!”
Lorin’s voice was filled with surprise and delight, her entire being immersed in the joy of food.
She stuck out her pink tongue and slowly licked the food crumbs from her lips, savoring every last bit.
One hand held a uniquely shaped drink, the cup etched with glowing runes that shimmered faintly.
This delightful beverage came from a little stall she’d been eyeing since yesterday.
Back then, the stall had been glowing with a strange light and exuded an indescribable fragrance—it had caught her eye instantly.
Unfortunately, she’d been flat broke at the time. But now?
Problem solved.
She’d borrowed a bit from Blanche and… well… just put it on Claire’s tab.
What puzzled Lorin was that such a heavenly drink barely attracted any customers—and the few who did buy it were all children.
These adults clearly didn’t know how to enjoy life… wait!
If only kids were drinking it, then that meant—she was one of them?!
Phyllis and Claire may have insisted she was now under a year old, but Lorin absolutely refused to admit it.
It would ruin her image as an archmage.
As Lorin continued walking, she gradually left the heart of Dracula Megacity behind.
The towering palaces and extravagant noble banquets faded away.
In their place was a more grounded, heartwarming scene.
Simple wooden houses dotted the streets, their chimneys puffing out gentle smoke as the scent of home-cooked meals filled the air.
Children laughed and played in alleyways.
The elderly sat by their doors, basking in the sunset, occasionally chatting with neighbors who passed by.
Time seemed to slow down here, suffused with a calm, homely warmth.
The setting sun painted the sky in vivid red, as if the heavens had been scorched.
Fiery red and deep blue split the sky into two, like a beautifully painted canvas.
A soft breeze rustled the leaves, accompanied by a parent’s voice from a nearby home: “Dinner time!”
Children playing in the streets groaned in disappointment but obediently returned home, calling out to each other to plan tomorrow’s games.
The street quieted, with only a few figures remaining.
But Lorin soon noticed something off.
From her past experience dodging persistent debt collectors, she could instantly sense that someone was tailing her.
But they were all weak—just one first-tier swordsman, and two second-tier mages…
This was also the first time Lorin had encountered a swordsman.
However, it was one of the mages who caught her eye with a strange movement.
She saw him secretly tear a piece of paper covered in arcane symbols—and immediately sensed a shift in the surrounding mana flow.
The natural pattern of magic in the area had been disrupted!
“Well, this just got interesting…”
Lorin let out a cold chuckle.
So they really thought they could pin something on her?
Did they actually believe she was just some helpless toddler?