Sign of Forming Bond

It may not be crucial for Anubis to already know Valeria's name due to her floating status, but what he seeks extends far beyond mere knowledge of her name—it is the understanding itself.

"Valeria... M-master," she responded hesitantly, leaving Anubis disappointed with her brief answer. He had expected more than just a name.

Sensing a slight disappointment forming in Anubis' mind, Valeria continued, "Forgive me, Master. You not only saved me, but you had to fight while protecting me."

Setting aside why Valeria immediately referred to Anubis as her Master, even though he never commanded such, he focused on the part where Valeria appeared to be present during the fight. "Were you conscious at that time?" Anubis could sense that Valeria's awareness at that time was faint, but he was certain that, had it been solely that, she wouldn't have been conscious of the details of the battle.

"Seems like not," he continued. Valeria didn't respond immediately, displaying her ignorance of the events. "Is there something you remember before that?"

"I don't know... my mind... it's like filled with mist," Valeria replied, supporting her chin with her right hand. "I feel like I knew that Master was fighting while carrying me... but I also don't remember being conscious at that time... I... I'm sorry, I really don't know how to explain it."

Lost in his own speculation, Anubis pondered this. The full extent of his pure vampiric blood abilities had not yet emerged, and only fragments of his knowledge could be confirmed. This also connected to how Anubis, from the very beginning, sensed the emotional turmoil within Valeria, surpassing what a predator would sense fear from its prey. Could this be a sign of a forming bond?

"M-master?! You seem to be thinking of something... forgive me."

In a short span of time, Anubis received multiple apologies, which somehow made him feel uneasy. As if aware of Anubis' thoughts, Valeria sadly lowered her head. "I-I'm sorry," her voice barely a whisper.

"If you stop apologizing incessantly, then it's alright," Anubis rose from his throne and descended the small stairs. "It does seem to be true—we have an emotional bond, though not in a specific sense."

Valeria couldn't take her eyes off Anubis as he walked past her. She didn't feel forced to do so, but rather she was drawn to him as if by magnetism. However, she also felt a slight sense of fear lurking inside her.

As he walked by, Anubis asked, "So... why do you call me Master?" Without facing her, he lowered and turned his head slightly towards the seated Valeria.

Valeria seemed confused, her head bobbing from side to side as she thought about the question. She wasn't confused about how to answer but rather why the question was being asked. "Master... is Master. Why?"

Like other vampires who have already transmitted their blood, Anubis has the ability to exert full control over Valeria. Yet, he hasn't used it at all since the beginning, despite being capable of doing so. If she were ever to pose a threat, he would immediately kill her, but it seemed like that was not the case. Anubis could sense the sincerity in Valeria's words.

Anubis extended his hand, and Valeria hesitantly took it with both of hers, smiling softly as she stood up. Upon closer examination, Valeria was almost as tall as Anubis, although her loose clothing draped over her body made her appear smaller.

"I was just about to head to that room. This is the perfect opportunity for you to acquire some new clothing," he said, leading Valeria towards the door.

It wasn't difficult for Anubis to determine where he should walk; after all, there were only two visible doors in the throne room—one leading out and the other, the one that had appeared a while ago. The door seemed ordinary, plain white, and not very conspicuous. Anubis paid no heed to its design and promptly opened it.

As the door swung open, the characteristic scent of the ocean wafted in. Valeria discreetly kept the fabric covering her body from being lifted by the wind, slightly worried that Anubis might see something inappropriate. However, the vampire had already walked in ahead of her.

Inside, they found a plain white corridor that slightly curved, giving the illusion that it had no end. On the right were rows of ordinary windows, offering a seemingly meaningless view of the ocean for now. On the left were rows of plain white doors spaced apart.

As they ventured deeper into the corridor, they couldn't discern an apparent end. The slight curve that was visible from the outside seemed like an illusion concealing an endless length of corridor.

Following the rhythm of Anubis' stride from behind, Valeria was jolted by a question that snapped her out of her reverie. "Are there any other fragments of memories you know, anything at all?"

Valeria pondered for a moment, but couldn't find anything substantial to satisfy the question. However, she understood Anubis' curiosity and his longing for any piece of information, no matter how small. "Hmm... what could it be... I lost control of my own power... I sensed there were people who should have come to fight against me... maybe that's it... it's really strange."

While her recent statement may have been weird to someone, Anubis, who understood their situation, knew the difficulty of grasping unclear memories and the struggle to determine their veracity. Everything felt jumbled and blurry.

"At that time, there were indeed five adventurers consumed by your fleshwood, but I'm not sure whether they were involved in the fight with you or not," Anubis replied, leaning towards the second possibility as the most likely.

They came to a stop in front of a door that appeared indistinguishable from the rest. If Anubis hadn't halted here, someone might have easily gotten lost amidst the identical corridor and doors. However, upon closer inspection, each door had its own floating status.

[Treasure Chamber Lv. 1]

"A Vampire Lord's Minister, obsessed with collecting equipment that doesn't seem very useful, has amassed these spoils of war!"

That was the description that appeared, and although Anubis sensed that they indeed had some title of "Ministers" he couldn't delve further into it. "There should be something useful for us inside," he remarked.