17 "Replenishing a Vampire Servant's Mana"

Only the crickets' sounds could be heard deep in the forest, and after walking further, Sigmund finally found a good spot to replenish his mana. It was an area with a thinner canopy where the moonlight directly shone from above. He carefully brought Ivory down under a pine tree, her back leaning on its trunk.

"Sigmund, before anything else… I want to thank you. Thanks for saving my family. I know you did it because we had a Contract Ritual, but even so… I want to thank you for your help-"

"Shut up! Enough with the talk, weakling," Sigmund said in annoyance as he knelt in front of her.

Ivory's eyes widened in shock. She thought that he had already changed after the ritual!

"Sigmund? What's with that tone again- Hey!! What are you doi-" she yelled and was left speechless when Sigmund tore the collar of her nightdress like a beast.

The Vampire Servant had gotten impatient as he felt weaker every passing minute. He needed to replenish his mana as soon as possible. Without wasting any more time, he grasped his Master firmly by the shoulders and tilted her neck before biting and hungrily sucking her blood.

"Aagggghhh!! Sigmund!!" Ivory started to squirm out of his grasp. "St… stop!! Please!!" Her tears started to fall on her cheeks.

Sigmund got pissed with her movements and paused. "Stop moving! Do you want to die?" he said in a domineering tone and licked the fresh blood from his lips. His crimson-red eyes gazed at her light-blue eyes which made her scared stiff. "Let me remind you of your promise that your body and blood will be mine. You can't escape me."

Ivory cried in silence as she felt helpless in his arms. Was it the cost of having a Vampire as her Servant?

She remembered promising him three things before the Contract Ritual. First, she promised not to be close to other Servants. Second, she can't be served by anyone else except him. Lastly, her body and blood will be only his.

"Sigmund…" Ivory whimpered. "I thought you're going to replenish mana…"

The Vampire Servant finally licked the wound a couple of times, savoring every bit of her blood and flesh, "This is how a Vampire replenishes mana."

As Sigmund continued sucking her blood, Ivory could smell the flowery scent of his hair. It was the scent of lilies and strangely, it made her aroused. When the Vampire moved his right hand down to her waist while his other hand was caressing her back, his Master wrapped her arms around his neck, letting out several small cries. It was an unfamiliar feeling and even though she had no strength at all, it made her feel so good.

Suddenly feeling sleepy, Ivory lightly pushed Sigmund away from her, "You already drank too much...I'm already feeling dizzy…"

But he pulled her closer to his body, "You're really a weakling, aren't you?"

"Shouldn't you be calling me Master, now? What happened to the respectful Sigmund a while ago?" she pushed him again. Her voice was becoming faint.

Sigmund chuckled, "I'll call you whatever names I want."

"I really can't do anything about that attitude of yours huh…" she slowly closed her eyes and instantly fell into a deep sleep.

"What a hopeless woman," he whispered to himself as he stared at his frail Master under the moonlight.

It was his plan to lick the fresh wound as he was craving for more blood, but when he was about to check it, the wound had already closed!

'What the…' He touched it and confirmed that it had already been healed.

Sigmund was bewildered by his Master's new healing ability that he had discovered. With a deep bite, especially by a Vampire like him, it was expected to heal for some time. Even his past Master had no healing abilities like that.

As he carried his Master back to her family, he felt thrilled, wanting to know more about her.

When the sun had already risen up, Ivory woke up on a woven mat on the floor. The first one she saw was her Servant, and she caught him staring at her.

"Sigmund-"

"Master, you're awake," he smiled sweetly. "How's your sleep?"

Ivory's brows furrowed. He's being respectful again. Was what happened last night deep in the forest, just a dream?

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Ivory sat up and looked around the room. "Where are we?"

"In your neighbor's house," Sigmund assisted her to get up, "Do you feel dizzy?"

"Not anymore… But wow.. I haven't felt this great these past few days!" her eyes and tone had gotten more lively.

"Good. It means your mana has stabilized."

"Where are my parents? And my siblings?"

"Your father is building a temporary shelter, while your mother is with your siblings collecting acorns and blueberries."

"I see… Where's my bag-" Ivory widened her eyes with the sudden realization. "It might have been burned! Oh no! Lucius' pocket watch is in there, and my gate pass-"

"Do you think they won't get burned after the fire? Geez, you're so stupid. I can't believe you are being served by a Vampire like me," Sigmund smirked, making Ivory turn her head to him in surprise with his sudden wordings, "What?"

"I should have never expected that you'll change."

"I tried. But after a few seconds, I got tired of acting not like myself," he grinned at his Master, whose face showed obvious disappointment, "I won't pretend anymore."

Ivory glared at him and pouted. He was amused in teasing her. The two were bickering when they suddenly heard the arrival of a horse-drawn carriage. It was Principal Zwain Arthurdane.

"Sir!" she ran outside the cabin as soon as she saw the principal. She walked towards him, giving him a warm smile, "What brings you here?" It was unusual that the principal of Qawiun Academy visited her little hometown.

"Didn't your Servant tell you?" the principal responded, then glanced at the Vampire Servant who walked behind Ivory. "He went to me yesterday and asked about your condition, so I came here to check on you."

"He… what?" she was puzzled. Did it mean Sigmund was seriously concerned for her?

"You know, Miss Sprucemint, even if your Servant acts like a thug, he cares for you-"

"Shut up!" Sigmund yelled, his ears turning red from embarrassment with what Principal Arthurdane had exposed. "Why don't you just tell us what you have to say? You don't have to speak of lies."

He chuckled, entertained in seeing the Vampire Servant's expression. "Alright, then. Shall we talk inside the carriage?"

They went inside the principal's carriage, which was as big as Lucius' carriage, but the design was not as intricate as his. His carriage also had two horses. Principal Arthurdane sat opposite of Ivory and Sigmund.

"After the Summoning day, I went to the Castle and had an audience with Oracle Ghidarlgh. I didn't mention Sigmund's recent summoning, but I asked him if it was possible to summon a banished Servant Class," he said in a serious tone and cleared his throat afterwards. "He said that it's impossible."

"What?! How come I summoned one?"

"That is the mystery right now. No one knows why, only the Goddess Destinia herself."

"Can we ask the Oracle in the castle to speak to the Goddess' messenger, Lyria? He can do that, right? Let's ask him to relay the message to Goddess Destinia and maybe we can ask-"

"Calm down, stupid woman," Sigmund frowned. "If you tell them about it, you're going to be in big trouble, and Goddess Destinia might take back your mana. Do you want to lose your power and not win the competition? Do you want to become poor forever?"

Principal Arthurdane nodded, "Your Servant is right. It's only your first week at the academy, and you haven't even started training yet. Since I am still unsure of the situation and until you achieve your best potential, I'll help you and Sigmund hide from the castle's army, so-"

"But why? What did the Vampire class do in the past? Why were they banished?" she asked the principal worriedly.

"Why don't you ask the culprit who's sitting beside you?"