Taming My Vampire Servant

Royal Knight Xenos continued the interrogation. Ivory and the others also approached them to hear about it, "What did you pray for?"

"I prayed for more coins to send to my loved ones in Hunter Town…" she responded.

The lady beside her said, "I prayed for a richer husband… I admitted I got fed up with my husband who kept on promising me things he couldn't even afford..."

The others also spoke up about what they wished, and most of them prayed for the things they felt that they couldn't have. The maidservants looked at each other disorientedly as they talked more about their life struggles and what they prayed for. 

With his loud and commanding voice, the Royal Knight ordered the women to be silent. He then asked, "So Oracle Ghidarlgh asked the thirty of you to go to his tower and pray for all your wishes?"

They nodded at him.

"We prayed out loud…"

"And then we drank the holy wine."

"Holy wine?" he raised his brow, "What kind of wine was it? Can you describe the taste?"

"Tastes like grape wine, but has an aftertaste…" 

"You're right! And it was spicy."

With the two maidservants' description, the others nodded. Royal Knight Xenos crossed his arms and gave a serious expression. The said holy wine was too suspicious.

"What did the Oracle tell you before you drink it?"

"He said that once we drink it, we will be so powerful that our wishes will be granted."

"When we drank it, we were shocked that we can use magic… The Oracle said that it is due to Prince Jaquin's mercy on us-"

"Prince Jaquin?" Royal Knight Xenos widened his eyes in shock, "And… Did you confirm it? That it's really him who…"

"He was there when we drank the wine!" one of them revealed. "And he said that he will give us anything we want… if we kill the crown prince!"

"Then after that, we couldn't control ourselves…"

"This is a very serious matter… Do you know that you could be imprisoned for harming a royalty?!" Xenos yelled, "The Oracle and Prince Jaquin too... Everything's a mess… I wonder how the King would handle this situation…"

"If Oracle Ghidargh and Prince Jaquin wanted the Crown Prince dead… You should return to the Silverblade Castle as soon as possible," Priestess Althaia suggested.

The Royal Knight nodded at her. "Although there are many knights on standby there, I know they won't have the guts to go against Prince Jaquin. The battle might only be one on one," he gestured the knights to ride the boats once again. "I think this is about Prince Jaquin being the son of the King and his mistress. Prince Jirou's mother came from a rich family, so his status is higher."

"The Dragonicus clan is already falling apart," Lucius commented. "What will you do now, Sir Xenos?"

"Once the King returns, I will ask for permission to investigate the matter," Xenos rode one of the boats. "Thank you for all the help, everyone. I will update you once I meet the King."

When he and the knights finally left with the thirty maidservants, Arcea became conscious at last, and she was confused with what happened. She immediately cried out loud as soon as she saw Ivory, who she knew was mad at her. Ivory embraced her tightly and told her that she's not angry anymore, and promised her that when they return to the Land of Olivea, they would go window shop at the dress stores in Alpharion City.

The group returned to the Land of Olivea immediately, thanks to the help of Preston Bronzelain that they were able to rent a horse-drawn carriage. 

Lycus was welcomed by Ivory's family as her Servant, but he was still asked to live in his original house due to lack of space. He followed his Master's orders without further questions, because he knew that Sigmund would always be there to protect her, and that his Master's first Servant was the one she fully trusts. 

...

After two days, it was announced that Prince Jirou had passed away due to an illness, and the King officially made Prince Jaquin the Crown Prince. 

Ivory clenched her fists in anger under her desk when she heard the news from their adviser in class. The King did it again, spreading such lies to the people of the kingdom. How nice would it be if she could reveal all his past sins, but she had no concrete evidence yet.

She knew she shouldn't underestimate King Yama. He could even make his sons kill each other for the throne. What other evil deeds could he be capable of? 

After their class, Ivory, Sigmund, and Lucius came rushing to the Principal's office. Lycus, who hid the fact that Ivory was already his Master, continued to be an academy staff, and he also followed them. There, they saw Royal Knight Xenos with a frown on his face. It was also the first time they saw him in his casual clothing of a sleeved white tunic paired with brown pants with a brown belt.  He was also wearing a green vest on top of his shirt, and a pair of brown boots.

"Miss Sprucemint, Mister Lucius Goldwine… I'm here to tell you something," he approached them, who were standing near the door. "I resigned as a Royal Knight…"

They were surprised with this revelation. They knew Xenos Joltane as a very dedicated person to his job.

Ivory asked, "What happened, Sir Xenos?"

They sat on the sofas as the resigned Royal Knight shared what happened.

"His Majesty King Yama cut his exhibition off when he heard about Prince Jirou's death. When he returned to the castle last night, I told him about the maidservants' statements, and I asked for permission to investigate Oracle Ghidarlgh," Xenos sighed. "Unfortunately, he got mad at me, saying that the Oracle is chosen by the Goddess, and I am going to be punished for suspecting him."

Lucius creased his brows, disappointed about the outcome, "Perhaps he already knows that his other son is involved. With what Prince Jirou told us before, it was the King who challenged his sons to fight for each other for the throne." 

"Indeed... I don't think highly of the king anyways," Ivory couldn't help but share her thoughts. "But he still has many people supporting him, thinking that he's the hero who saved the kingdom from the Silverblades' oppression. If only we had proof of him being a traitor…"

Principal Arthurdane glanced at Sigmund, who noticed him looking at him. The Vampire stood up from his seat and approached him after seeing him nod his head. While Xenos was continuing to tell what happened in the castle, the two were speaking with each other at the back of the room discreetly.

"Now, we're talking about what happened twenty years ago. Don't you know anything?" he asked Sigmund.

But he shook his head, "If I knew anything, I wouldn't ask for you and Ivory's help."

"How did we get to this mess? Last year, Ivory was just an innocent student who summoned a stubborn servant."

"I don't know, either. You already know that Lycus is Ivory's Spirit Servant, right?"

The principal nodded, but he creased his brows later in confusion.

"Ivory is shrouded in mystery. There are many things about her that are still buried and undiscovered," Sigmund crossed his arms as he glanced at his Master who was listening to Xenos as he spoke. "Principal, why don't you help me dig underground?"

Principal Arthurdance jokingly responded, "But I don't do gardening."

"If you don't, then let me teach you how," he looked at him and narrowed his eyes. "As an ex-Royal Knight, you should know Ivory's mother."

"Unless you tell me her name, I won't know who it is."

Sigmund sighed, "I should nag the Goldwine heir."

"What can Sir Lucius know about it?"

"He's been acting suspiciously. I asked him about Ivory's parents, and he said that he wouldn't be able to find her father," the Vampire explained. "If he's so particular about it, perhaps he already knows about Ivory's mother."

"What are you going to do? Lurk around their house like a thief?" Principal Arthurdane said. "Apologies, but I am not going to help you."

"How boring," Sigmund told him, "Fine. I will first find out what Lucius has been hiding from me. Once I get the chance, I am going to find it all out myself."

"If you find out her name, tell me, and I will try to remember. I might know her if I encountered her in the team training."

Xenos vowed that even though he's not a Royal Knight anymore, he would help investigate the Dark Mana and the Dragonicus family's involvement in its creation. He agreed to meet them at least once a month for any update. Soon after, the ex-Royal Knight left the Principal's office, saying that his forest bear Beast Servant was outside the building, waiting for him. 

Ivory and the others continued their conversation, "Everyone in this room knows that I have two kinds of manas, right?" she saw them nod, "Therefore, I would like to tell you all that Lycus here… is my new Servant."

Lycus bowed slightly at them, "I am now under the direct orders of Master Ivory. I am her Wer- Uhh… Spirit Servant."

"Won't your mana run out? You now have two Servants whom you'd give your mana to."

She smiled and shook her head, "I've learned that it's like I have two jars of mana. Sigmund drinks on one jar, while Lycus drinks on the other one. It means they do not have to compete with my mana."

"That will be great!" Principal Arthurdane exclaimed. "You will be invincible, Miss Sprucemint. Now, you have a Vampire Servant, and another Servant-"

"What? Vampire Servant? Sigmund is?" Lycus glanced at Ivory, who facepalmed at the principal's sudden statement. He then widened his eyes towards the smirking Sigmund.