Solin raised one hand and drew a magic circle in the air. Unlike the portal Enrico had used to enter the vampire dimension, this magic had a much more complex structure, with numerous symbols arranged in layers.
The energy gradually concentrated until the circle began to emit an intense glow, opening a passage to the original world.
"It's ready. I'm sending you to the location you requested."
"This is incredible. Although I wouldn't expect any less from the new SSS-ranked vampire, especially after so many decades."
Enrico observed the portal with interest. Even after everything he had witnessed, it was still impressive to see someone manipulate magic of that magnitude so effortlessly.
"All of this was thanks to the blood you gave us. I hope the master sends us more soon."
Solin replied with a certain sense of anticipation. Enrico simply nodded, avoiding making a promise he still didn't know when he could fulfill. His blood had become an important resource for the vampires, and finding a way to supply it without harming his own body was his priority.
Before leaving, he looked back and found Verlate, Valen, and Nyxaria gathered a few steps away.
The three seemed to want to accompany him, mainly because they still wished to meet their new master, to whom they had been bound. Enrico understood their curiosity, but he couldn't simply take them with him without considering the consequences.
"I hope Lord Sylas delivers the letter."
Valen was visibly nervous as he spoke.
"Relax, I'll deliver it."
Valen seemed a little more at ease upon hearing the answer, although his hands remained restless. Enrico carefully put the letter away, promising himself that he would "deliver" the letter to himself.
Those three had been a great help during the battle. Each had faced their own opponents and contributed to the rebellion's victory. Verlate, on the other hand, had practically not needed to reveal the full extent of his abilities, which only reinforced the impression that the guy was absurdly lucky.
Enrico preferred not to comment on that out loud.
Nyxaria, who had remained quiet until then, took a step forward. Her eyes revealed a mixture of anticipation and hesitation, and she clasped her hands as if trying to gather the courage to make a request.
"Can I really not go? I want to meet my new master."
Enrico turned his attention to her.
"You'll meet him. Just follow the instructions I gave you."
Nyxaria tightened her grip on the letter she was hiding behind her back. The document contained instructions for a rather rigorous training regimen, and she still didn't understand why Sylas had decided to give it specifically to her. Perhaps he had discovered something about her condition as the vessel of an evil goddess. If that was the case, the training might be related to the need to control the power she carried.
Even without fully understanding his intentions, Nyxaria decided to trust the instructions.
"All right. I hope you keep your promise."
"I will."
Enrico held her gaze for a moment before turning away. He had no intention of abandoning those three, but he also couldn't reveal everything about his plans at that moment.
"Hey, Sylas. Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Ysabella's voice made him stop.
She approached and discreetly pointed toward a more secluded spot, indicating that she preferred to speak without the others present. Enrico agreed with a nod and asked the others to wait a little.
As soon as they had moved far enough away, Ysabella crossed her arms and stared at him with a serious expression. There was a question that had been bothering her for some time, and she had no intention of letting him leave without getting an answer.
"Why don't you care about your own body? And don't tell me it's because it's dirty."
Enrico stared at her for a few seconds.
Honestly, he was beginning to find the conversation exhausting. He had told Ysabella part of his story because he wanted to get closer to her and earn her trust, not because he wanted to turn the subject into an endless discussion. At that moment, he even regretted revealing so much.
"If you think there's some great reason behind it, you're mistaken. I really don't care what happens to my body, as long as I get what I want."
Ysabella frowned.
"You shouldn't think that way..."
"That's why we're different people and deal with things differently. Just as you don't understand why I act this way, I also don't understand why I should care so much about it."
She remained silent.
His answer seemed to have increased her doubts, but at the same time, something changed in her expression. Ysabella began looking at him differently, as if she had noticed a resemblance she hadn't been able to identify before.
"Don't tell me you..."
Enrico simply sighed.
"I already suspected we'd been through something similar, but now it seems I was right..."
Enrico paused briefly before continuing.
"I'm sorry I didn't show up sooner. My level was low back then, so I really couldn't do much. I'm sorry."
Ysabella stood motionless for a moment, surprised by his words.
"You don't need to blame yourself, especially since you arrived in time, before he could go any further."
Enrico remained silent.
For a moment, he tried to understand what she meant. He had imagined that Malakar had managed to go much further with Ysabella, but from what she was telling him, his arrival had prevented the situation from escalating even more.
That didn't make what she had gone through any less serious, but knowing he had managed to intervene in time brought him some relief.
'I see...'
She had gone through something terrible, and he couldn't simply erase it. Still, knowing that he had arrived before things got worse made him feel a little more at ease.
'That's good.'
Enrico didn't care much about his own body, but things were different when it came to other people. He didn't want anyone to go through what he had experienced, because he knew how terrible that experience could be. Even if everyone reacted differently, he didn't want anyone to have to face that.
For a few moments, an old memory threatened to surface in his mind.
Enrico felt his body stiffen. The image of himself as a child, with his arms tied up, began to form in his thoughts, but he didn't allow it to go any further. He raised his hand and slapped his own cheek, jolting Ysabella out of her thoughts.
Her eyes widened in surprise at the gesture.
"Are you okay?"
"I am. I'm just trying to get a few things out of my head."
Enrico lowered his hand and took a deep breath. He didn't want to remain trapped in that memory, much less allow it to interfere with the moment. It had been a long time since he had left certain things behind, but the dreams he had been having lately seemed to be bringing back memories he believed he had buried years ago.
'I had forgotten about this a long time ago... But because of these damn dreams, I'm starting to remember everything.'
He didn't know why those memories were returning right now. He also didn't know whether they had anything to do with the mysteries surrounding his world or the voice he had heard after defeating Vladimir. There were too many questions to which he still had no answers.
For that reason, he decided not to prolong the conversation.
Enrico turned and began walking back toward the group, leaving Ysabella behind. She remained still for a few seconds, reflecting on what she had just heard and the way he had reacted.
When she realized that Enrico was already moving away, she hurried after him.
"Wait! I still want to ask you a few things about the owner of the blood!"
"I'm not answering."
"Why?!"
"Because you've already asked too many questions."
Ysabella continued trying to get answers along the way, but Enrico wouldn't give in. He had already shared enough information and had no intention of revealing more than he considered necessary. When they finally reached the portal, the others were already waiting.
Angela approached.
"Well, it's time for us to go, Lord Sylas."
Enrico nodded and turned toward Solin.
"All right. See you later. I'm sure we'll meet again in the future. Oh, and please keep your vampires calm with the blood they already have until we can form an alliance or I bring more."
"Don't worry. I'll do my best to control them."
Solin replied calmly. Despite all the changes his race had undergone, he seemed confident that he could keep the situation under control. The rebellion's victory had placed the vampires in a completely different position, but there was still much work to be done before they could build stable relationships with the other races.
Enrico took one last look at Solin's face and turned toward the magic circle. Angela, Rina, Aoi, and Yumeha were already ready to cross the passage. Behind them, the other humans and elves who had participated in that small war were also preparing to return to the original world.
Rina, Aoi, Yumeha, and everyone else were the first to pass through. Angela followed shortly afterward, and finally, Enrico took a step forward.
Before leaving, however, Ysabella called out to him once more.
"Enrico."
He stopped and looked at her.
"If we really went through something similar, I want you to know something. Today, I care even more about my body. I don't want anyone other than the person I love to touch it. So even if we're different, take care of your body too, just as I take care of mine."
Enrico remained silent, listening to every word.
Ysabella wasn't trying to force him to think the way she did. She simply wanted him to understand that, regardless of the differences between them, he could still choose how to treat himself.
"Daughter, what do you mean by that? Did something happen?"
Solin's expression changed immediately. The concern on his face was evident, and something in his voice made it clear how much the situation troubled him. He looked at Ysabella, waiting for an explanation, but his daughter took some time to respond.
She knew that when she told her father what had happened, she would probably have one of the biggest arguments of her life. Solin would be furious that she hadn't told him everything sooner, and he might even blame himself. Still, Ysabella had tried to deal with it on her own because she wanted to find a way to overcome what she had experienced.
She also understood that not everyone would react the same way. Enrico had made that clear during their conversation, and she had no intention of demanding that he adopt the same thoughts or make the same decisions as her.
'At the very least, I'd like to help him after he gave me the chance to get my revenge.'
However, he simply raised his hand in a casual gesture, as if there were nothing extraordinary about what he had just heard.
'Sorry, but that's never going to work on me.'
Shortly afterward, he crossed the magic circle, disappearing from the vampire dimension.
Ysabella stared at the empty space for a few seconds. Apparently, helping him take care of himself would be much more difficult than she had imagined.
"Daughter, explain what happened already."
Solin's serious voice made her turn her attention back to him.
Ysabella took a deep breath. She couldn't keep putting off that conversation, especially now that her father had realized something was wrong.
'Well... Even if I get scolded by my father, I'll get this off my chest.'