For now, let's set those thoughts aside. Adele was just an ordinary girl, thrilled by her academic success, enjoying the sense of accomplishment that came from being better than her classmates. Any slight displeasure from Molly sitting across from her instead of beside her had disappeared during their conversation.
But inevitably, Adele asked, "Molly, can I drink your blood?"
"Please forgive me, but I must refuse," Molly replied, her eyes slightly downcast, firmly rejecting Adele. Adele pouted, "Why are you like this? I want to drink blood!" She even got up from her seat and walked over to Molly.
Adele placed her hands on the armrests of Molly's chair, leaning over her. Her long silver hair cascaded down, brushing against Molly's face.
Molly lifted her head slightly, meeting Adele's gaze. Her scarlet eyes clearly indicated she wasn't human. The faint light from a nearby lamp made the atmosphere feel a bit dangerous.
Adele was still different from other vampires. Most vampires didn't like using lights. Even though they had such convenient things, they barely used them because vampires were nocturnal creatures with excellent night vision, capable of reading books even in the dark.
Molly's night vision was also excellent, even better than that of vampires and werewolves, thanks to her "cheat" abilities. But Molly didn't like doing things in the dark—it was a human habit. Unfortunately, this habit was hard to accommodate most of the time; the dining hall, servant quarters, and night paths were all devoid of light. Molly couldn't exactly force the person in charge to turn the lights on.
But Adele was different. She made sure to accommodate Molly's preferences; her room was always well-lit.
Although Adele's actions seemed dangerous, and the atmosphere had become a bit tense, Molly knew Adele wouldn't attack her. And even if she did, Molly wasn't exactly defenseless.
Adele squinted her crimson eyes. "Molly, let me drink your blood." If the word "please" had been omitted, it would have sounded like a command. But with it, it became a plea, a girl's request.
Adele's plea was once again denied as Molly pulled something out of the pocket of her maid uniform. Wrapped in a handkerchief to keep it clean, she revealed a white, square-shaped piece of sugar.
Specifically, it was a sugar cube infused with artificial blood. Molly picked it up with her fingers and held it to Adele's lips.
The sugar cube brushed against Adele's lips, Molly's fingers pressing it slightly against them. Adele had no choice but to open her mouth and accept the sugar. The sweetness and the taste of blood spread through her mouth, with a faint hint of Molly's scent.
Adele knew it wasn't the taste of Molly's blood, but the sugar had absorbed her scent from being so close to her.
—A deceptive sweetness spread in Adele's mouth.
"So, how does it taste?"
Reluctantly, Adele nodded, admitting it was sweet.
"Then just think of this as drinking my blood."
Adele's excitement deflated instantly. She leaned back slightly, sitting on the coffee table, sulking as she chewed on the sugar cube. "Molly, how could you say that! This is nothing like drinking your blood."
Even though Adele had lost consciousness when she drank Molly's blood last time, she instinctively felt that Molly's blood must be special, incredibly sweet, so sweet that it would intoxicate her, like drinking wine, leaving her dazed and unwilling to wake up.
Molly's blood must be at least that delicious!
It couldn't be compared to the little sweet block in her mouth right now.
Adele's sulky expression made her look like a child. Molly quietly rewrapped the handkerchief and put it back in her pocket. She couldn't help but brush her fingers against it—earlier, when feeding Adele the sugar cube, her fingers had accidentally touched Adele's lips.
The touch was light, so light that Adele didn't even notice, but it reminded Molly of when she had let Adele drink her blood. The sensation was similar—Adele's lips were soft, slightly cool, and surprisingly pleasant to touch.
But Adele could be greedy. Even after losing consciousness, she had tried to extend her fangs, wanting to drink more blood.
After chatting with Adele for a bit longer, Molly estimated that it was nearly dawn and that she needed to leave before daylight fully broke. She urged Adele to take a bath and quickly dried her hair. Before Adele could lie down, Molly had already left her room. She returned to her own quarters, and as the first light of dawn appeared, Molly disappeared from her room, reappearing at the spot where she had agreed to meet Helen.
The time and place she had set were a bit harsh—she demanded that they meet at the break of dawn at the old school building. This meant Helen had to travel in the dark. Humans weren't as fast as Molly, and the old school building wasn't exactly close. Moreover, as mentioned before, the school was built on a mountain.
The terrain was complex—what was easy for vampires was difficult for humans, especially in the dark. If Helen didn't want to be late, she would have to make up an excuse for her master, complete all her tasks, and then hurry to the old school building.
Molly admitted she had made it difficult on purpose, but if Helen could easily learn her skills, wouldn't that make Molly, as an unparalleled master, lose some dignity? In truth, Molly's inner "chuunibyou" (middle school syndrome) had flared up again.
She stood on the open ground in front of the old school building, unmoving like a stone. Helen might not even come; it was, after all, an odd time and place. Molly had considered this possibility but still came early, waiting for Helen's arrival.
Even though she said she came early, it wasn't by much. Molly only left the servants' quarters just before dawn. To make her waiting seem more impressive, she even reduced her sensory range, deliberately not trying to detect Helen's location.
As dawn approached, the sun, struggling to rise over the horizon, was about to break through the night's comfort and bathe the land in its warm light. Molly stood waiting and finally saw Helen's figure—a young girl in a maid's uniform, gritting her teeth as she climbed the mountain.
The path wasn't easy. The building was called the "old school" because it had been abandoned, and the path from the servants' quarters to there had become overgrown and rarely traveled. Running out in the middle of the night to climb a mountain was certainly a struggle for a maid.
But Helen persisted and finally reached the spot, spotting Molly standing alone outside the old school building. In a way, Molly's stance was intimidating, startling Helen.
Molly tilted her head slightly, looking at Helen. She lowered her voice, "You came."
Helen nodded, "I came."
Molly liked Helen a lot, especially because Helen always seemed to respond with the perfect lines, satisfying Molly's inner "chuunibyou." As a reward, Molly would personally teach her, show her how to protect herself, and teach her how to fight vampires.
The first lesson Molly taught Helen was: understanding the human race.
"Humans are inferior to other races in strength, speed, and observation skills. Moreover, other races have various abilities and magic. Vampires, with their mind control, have become the rulers of this world, sitting at the top of the pyramid. So, what can humans rely on to surpass vampires?"
Helen didn't fully understand Molly's words. She just wanted to learn how to defend herself and stop being bullied. But Molly's words intrigued her, and she couldn't help but listen closely as Molly continued, "It's creation and learning."
In any world, these are the reasons why humans survive. If this were her previous world, vampires wouldn't have been able to rule it. After all—they had already invented daylight lamps! The real ones that fully simulate sunlight.
Given enough time, they could even discover what vampires truly fear in sunlight, simulate the spectrum, and create a super weapon against vampires. Molly wasn't skilled in that field and didn't know how to create a daylight lamp, but it didn't matter. Humans would eventually create such things. And this world had the foundation—humans had invented electricity, lights, and even artificial blood to reduce the need for vampires to drink human blood.
Even old cars and airships were human inventions.
No race is insignificant or weak. As long as humans muster the courage, they'll find a way to fight back against vampires. Molly believed that even without her, one day, the oppressed humans would rise up and overthrow the vampires. But Molly's appearance had sparked the fire of resistance, accelerating the process.
Molly wasn't delivering an impassioned speech; she was deliberately aiming these words at Helen. The biggest problem with humans in this world wasn't their weakness. In fact, despite being thin and frail, Helen had to perform a lot of tasks every day, which meant she had considerable strength. The biggest problem was that they had lost their courage.
They believed they couldn't defeat the vampires even before facing them.
But that's not true. Molly was there to tell Helen that while she might have many shortcomings compared to the stronger races, humans had their own strengths. If they could muster the courage, one day, she could knock down those low-level vampire maids who oppressed her, just like Molly did.
After finishing the first lesson, Molly scheduled the next one with Helen and then headed back to the servants' quarters ahead of her. Helen watched Molly's retreating figure and clenched her fists, thinking: Given time, I can do it too—I can be just like Molly!
Young Helen didn't know that she could never reach Molly's level.
Because—Molly was a cheat character.
Molly (after delivering an epic speech): I'm amazing! I really am the best!