There was one more thing.
Every evening at dinnertime, the vast dining hall held a long table where the young man always sat alone to eat. Surrounding him were Shika, Aisha Hodhua, B, C, and D—the five of them watching him dine… because servants weren’t permitted to eat with their master.
Sang didn’t like it this way. He disliked eating alone and decided to have the others sit down and join him. This led to another argument with Aisha Hodhua. After a tense standoff, they reached a compromise: Sang, Aisha, and Shika could eat together.
As for the three maids.
They were slaves, after all, so they had to sit at a separate table.
Even so, this moved the three maids deeply. They had endured too much hardship, and even a small kindness from others was enough to bring tears of gratitude to their eyes.
Back in the Heavenly Key, True Ancestor’s presence had kept Sang and Aisha at peace despite their clashing ideals. But now that they had moved out, arguments broke out frequently.
After dinner.
Sang practiced Snow Style Swordsmanship alone in the courtyard, treating it as post-meal exercise. Halfway through, a shadow dove from the tree and launched an attack on him.
Well… the attacker was none other than Shika. He had spotted Sang practicing alone and felt an itch to spar.
Less than three minutes later, the fight was over.
Sang easily knocked Shika to the ground. The latter sat there, glaring at him with frustration and unwillingness. Shika couldn’t shake the feeling that this guy had grown much stronger since their time in the Northern Region.
What exactly was this human’s background?
His growth rate was astonishing.
Shika was fiercely competitive. Back in the tribe, he had been something of a genius… yet in front of this young man, his own talents and gifts felt lacking.
Sang had no idea what was going through Shika’s mind. Friendship first, competition second—he extended a hand to help Shika up, a gesture of goodwill.
Shika eyed the hand dangling in front of him, thought for a moment, then reached out. But instead of grasping it, he gave it a slap—a slap with unclear meaning. Keeping a straight face, he said, “Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not your friend… I’m just here as a temporary guard because I’ve got nowhere else to go and I owe you a favor.”
It had the vibe of an ancient retainer.
Sang just smiled. “Whatever you like.”
A moment later.
Shika leaped onto the grass with a powerful stomp, vaulted up to a tree branch, and lay there with wild abandon, a small twig dangling from his mouth. Aisha had prepared a room for him, but this guy always preferred sleeping on tree limbs.
Sang respected his habits and said nothing more.
Just as Sang turned to head back for Aisha’s noble etiquette lessons, Shika’s voice called out from behind.
“Hey, human. You really are weird…”
“In what way?” Sang turned back, puzzled.
Shika pressed on. “Even in our remote Wolfman Tribe, there’s a clear hierarchy… Why would you want slaves eating at the same table? Isn’t that strange?”
“Idiot, the outside world is the outside world—I don’t care about that. This is my home… It might not be yours yet, but I want you all to treat it like home.”
Right then.
A summer night’s breeze swept through, rustling the shadows of the trees. A pair of wolf eyes glowing green in the darkness stared at the young man nearby with stunned disbelief.
“Crazy…”
Deep down, Sang understood—they both had places they would eventually return to, Shika included. Even so, he hoped this place could feel like home to them, if only temporarily.
That same night.
Sang lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He recalled Kevin’s question from earlier that day: Could the Blood Race and humans ever coexist peacefully? Sleep wouldn’t come, so he got up, sat at his desk, picked up paper and pen, and jotted down all sorts of odd ideas based on his high school knowledge from his past life.
In the glow of the yellowish lamplight, Sang’s self-awareness deepened further. In his previous life, he had been an ordinary kid from a working-class family, with no clue what he wanted even when filling out college applications. In this world, he still hadn’t given it much thought—even spouting nonsense like achieving “apple freedom.”
But looking back now, maybe Aisha Hodhua was right. On the surface, he was a total slacker, but inside, he was rebelling.
The best proof was that snowman from the North. Art reflected the soul, and he had built a Gundam.
What a failure. Two lifetimes, and he still didn’t know himself—only now gaining some hazy insight. He’d really wasted them.
Yet the next moment, he remembered True Ancestor’s words that day: “Then try it. It’s just servility.”
He bristled inexplicably. Hmph, servility, huh? In the end, he tore up the paper.
He climbed back into bed and fell fast asleep.
A classic case of intermittent bursts of grand ambition and persistent coasting.
…
Mid-September.
This day was Aisha Hodhua’s birthday. Around noon, despite her protests, Sang threw her a simple but lively birthday party.
Yes.
Exactly.
He ignored her objections and held the party anyway.
To make it easy for the kids from Dawn Academy to join, he scheduled it for midday.
Don’t think Sang did this to change Aisha Hodhua’s views on humans—no, no! It was purely boredom, a desire to celebrate her birthday, and nothing more.
After all… they had been arguing a lot lately. Time to make it up to her.
Though Aisha Hodhua was extremely reluctant at first, the moment she saw the heaps of candy Sang had prepared for her, she transformed into a pink little puppy.
This vampire sure loved sweets…
Unknowingly, more than two months had passed since Sang became Earl Inset An and moved to Dawnlight Mountain. He had been genuinely happy during that time, with a real sense of “home.”
To keep this peace going, Sang had to handle the task assigned by the organization.
Once that was done, he would officially cut ties with them and live a life of luxury as a noble—plenty to eat and drink, maybe even a bit decadent.
The thought excited him a little.
…
Early November.
Though it was autumn by the calendar, the temperatures remained stubbornly high.
The weather that day felt off-season, perhaps influenced by that incident in the North.
At last, the day of the Montgomery Family banquet arrived. It officially started at six in the evening. Sang appeared with his deep blue hair, wearing a custom black tailcoat ordered by Aisha Hodhua, his hair slicked back in the latest noble fashion: a big pompadour.
He might have wanted to look like a refined English gentleman, but the reality was harsher. Even in princely robes, he wouldn’t pass for royalty—his 5’5″ height was a glaring flaw, and his looks were just average.
Aisha Hodhua might be tsundere, but she knew etiquette. Knowing this was Sang’s first banquet, she didn’t skimp on compliments. “You’re still young. In a couple years, you’ll shoot up in height and fill out. You’ll have all the noble ladies swooning.”
“Ha… you bet!” Sang said shamelessly.
“Sigh, you’re always like this—give you a little sunshine and you blossom…”
“Here, candy for you.”
The moment Aisha Hodhua saw the candy in Sang’s hand, she lit up brighter than anyone.
Sang held back a laugh without a word.
Sang had originally planned to bring Aisha Hodhua and Shika along.
But just as they reached the door and boarded the carriage, he glanced back to see Aisha staring at him with the worried look of an older sister fretting over her little brother.
“Why are you just standing there? We’re going to the banquet together, right?” Sang asked.
Aisha Hodhua simply shook her head with regret. “I… I’m not going…”
Much later, the young man learned the truth: mix-bloods were shunned both among humans and the Blood Race.
Aisha’s decision not to accompany Sang to the banquet was precisely to protect Earl Inset An’s reputation… Honor meant everything to nobles.
If she went, it would shame Watermelon.
But for now.
Sang didn’t understand these social niceties. He assumed Aisha just disliked such gatherings and didn’t press her.
Then, with Shika at the reins, Sang set off for the Montgomery Family estate.
