The Capital of Goulens - Paris
In the afternoon, after selling the now-useless carriage and two horses, Isaac wanders the streets despondently. Beside him walks Anna, wearing a witch-hunter's hat adorned with griffin feathers, a crossbow slung over her back, and a hand-and-a-half sword at her waist, leading Shadow by the reins.
"Hey, hey, Great Hero Isaac, you've been wearing that gloomy face for two hours!" Anna steps in front of Isaac, trying to coax some expression onto his lifeless face.
"Oh, sorry," Isaac replies dully.
"You idiot! It's just a female vampire! Come travel with me, and I'll take you to hunt as many as you want!" Anna says, her tone tinged with jealousy as she eyes Isaac's dejected state.
"Lady Belmont!" Before Isaac can respond, an elegant male voice calls from behind Anna.
Hearing the familiar voice, Anna's face lights up with a delighted smile. She spins around. "Mister D'Artagnan!"
"Long time no see, Anna." A strikingly handsome, tall swordsman stands before Anna and Isaac, wearing a wide-brimmed black cavalier hat adorned with a feather, likely from a hippogriff's tail. His dark brown hair is neatly groomed, his face framed by a meticulously trimmed black beard and mustache, with a refined goatee on his chin. A rapier hangs at his waist.
"What, Charles, dropping the formalities already?" Anna laughs.
"Haha, you're doing the same!" The swordsman, Charles D'Artagnan, chuckles back.
"Hey, who are you?" Isaac, already in a sour mood, snaps with a hint of jealousy, his tone less than friendly.
"You idiot! This is Baron D'Artagnan! Captain of the Goulens Musketeers! He could take you down in one move—no, half a move!" Anna turns, scolding Isaac sharply.
"D-D'Artagnan? The legendary… Goulens' greatest swordsman?" Isaac recalls hearing the name.
"That's just flattery. You're Anna's friend, right? Call me Charles," the swordsman says warmly.
"Charles, this is Isaac, the great hero who just helped Master Clement capture a female vampire," Anna boasts on Isaac's behalf.
"Is that so? Anna, didn't you just say he couldn't handle half a move from me?" Charles eyes Isaac, noting his unremarkable build for a warrior.
"That was a joke, Charles! Isaac's the people's idol now. You weren't in Orléans—every woman in the city wanted to marry him!" Anna emphasizes "marry" with a fierce glare and a sharp tone directed at Isaac.
"N-No way, compared to you, Charles, I'm nothing," Isaac stammers, sweating nervously.
"By the way, Charles, how'd you find me? Want another spar?" Anna draws her sword, striking a dashing pose. "I've never lost, you know."
"But you've never won either, Miss Belmont!" Charles glances at Anna, and they both burst into laughter.
They've clearly sparred multiple times, ending in draws each time. To match the greatest swordsman of Goulens, Anna's swordsmanship must be exceptional.
"But," Charles continues, "I just happened to spot you. A beauty with a witch-hunter's hat and a giant crossbow—there's only one like that in the world."
Isaac watches the two, their camaraderie like old friends, and feels a pang of jealousy, unable to join their conversation.
He interrupts, "Uh, Anna and I need to find a place to stay. It's getting dark, so we don't have time to catch up. Sorry, Mister D'Artagnan."
"Don't mind him, he's just jealous," Anna teases.
"You!" Isaac fumes, too intimidated by the charismatic, noble swordsman to retort.
"Haha, since Isaac says so, I'll let you two have fun. Oh, Anna, since Isaac's the hero, there's a ball tonight at Marquis Sade's estate to celebrate the vampire's capture. Would you and Isaac like to come?"
"Of course!" Anna exclaims excitedly.
"Great, I'll wait for you at the entrance. Don't be late." Charles adjusts his cape, bids them farewell, and leaves.
"Anna, how do you know him?" Isaac asks as they search for an inn.
"Well, well, Great Hero Isaac's jealous!" Anna smirks slyly, glancing at him as they walk side by side.
"No, I'm not!"
"Really?" Anna steps in front of him, her face just five centimeters from his.
"N-No!" Isaac stammers.
"What if I were that female vampire? Would you be jealous then?" Anna asks pointedly.
"N-No way!"
"Little Zack, you're so dishonest," Anna says, mimicking Sophia's tone with a mischievous grin, eyes narrowed and lips slightly parted.
"Keep messing with me, and I'll tie you up! The restraint bag for Sophia's gone, but the one I bought for you in Lyonesse is still on your horse!" Isaac threatens, grasping at authority.
"Oh? The great hero's going to tie me up in broad daylight on the capital's streets?" Anna turns, offering her wrists. "Got the guts, hero?"
"N-Not now!" Isaac blushes furiously, completely under her control.
"Tonight, then? Like last time?" Anna leans closer, grinning wickedly.
"That time… I'm sorry…" Isaac mumbles.
"Sorry, my foot!" Anna snaps, tossing Shadow's reins at him. "You hold my horse!" She storms off without looking back.
"What… did I say wrong now?" Isaac mutters to Shadow, who gives him a look as if he's an idiot.
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That Evening, Marquis Sade's Estate
Using money from the baron and the Magic Academy, Isaac secures a fine inn and a splendid Renaissance-era tailcoat. Dressed in a bow tie and tailcoat, he approaches the estate with his companion.
Her red hair flows, and she wears six-centimeter light blue heels and a tight, light blue mermaid dress that clings to her curves down to her calves, where it flares like a fishtail, concealing her lower body except her ankles. The dress reveals half her ample bust, accentuating her cleavage, with sleeves extending to her wrists. A delicate light blue noblewoman's hat adorns her head.
"Anna, Isaac!" Charles calls from the entrance, dressed in a similar tailcoat but still wearing his feathered cavalier hat.
"Charles, even dressed like this, you still look like a swordsman!" Anna teases.
"Your friend Isaac, all dressed up, looks quite different from this afternoon. Quite the presence—worthy of the hero who caught a vampire."
"Not at all," Isaac deflects, intimidated by Charles' commanding aura, quickly changing the subject.
"Let's go in," Charles says, bowing with his left hand behind his back and offering his right hand, palm up, to Anna.
Anna gracefully places her delicate left hand in his, and Charles elegantly leads her up the steps into the estate.
"Isaac, come on!" Anna turns, smiling at him.
Anna looks stunning, and without her call, Isaac might have stood staring at her back.
He hurries after them into the estate.
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A Place of Darkness, Where Nothing Can Be Seen
A figure huddles in the dark, where darkness means nothing to her—she sees everything clearly. Her skin is deathly pale, her heartbeat and breathing stopped, suppressing fear and loneliness.
A black cloak envelops her, hiding her bound body from neck to ankles. She shifts the cloak, revealing her fishnet stockings, purple heels, gothic suit, and white blouse-underwear combo. She sneers, then closes the cloak.
Locked in the box by Isaac yesterday, Sophia entered a vampiric hibernation, only now awakening.
The box opens.
Outside is a dim dungeon hall of gray-black bricks, windowless, lit only by candles. Iron cell doors line the walls. Before the box, armed mages and soldiers stand, facing Sophia's blood-red eyes.
"So, you're Lady Dominatrix," says a tall man, about sixty, clearly a grand mage who's used longevity and rejuvenation spells, likely 300 or 400 years old.
Sophia's red eyes lock onto him, silent, assessing his intentions.
"Don't try to outwit me with your vampire wisdom. I won't remove your gag until my goal is met."
He's prepared, but Sophia remains unfazed, staring coldly, seeking a chance to provoke him.
"You'll cooperate, Lady Dominatrix. I'm Clement, Chief Grand Mage of Goulens, member of the Sixfold Council, Right Hand of the Council, legendary mage."
Sophia rolls her eyes, ignoring his introduction.
"Secure Lady Dominatrix first," Clement orders. Two soldiers hesitantly reach into the box, dragging the elbow-bound Sophia out, tearing off her cloak, and laying her on the ground.
"Hmph," Sophia sneers through her nose, glaring at the soldiers.
Click! A pair of chainless shackles and manacles are clamped onto her already tightly bound wrists and ankles.
"Hmph," she snorts again. The manacles are the same as Isaac's, and the new handcuffs are of the same material, suppressing her strength to human levels. They likely extend chains with a command word, like the manacles.
"Lady Dominatrix, cooperation benefits us all," Clement says, but Sophia refuses to look at him.
"You'll agree," he continues, casting a spell that suspends Sophia upside down, her hair dangling.
"Hmph," she remains cold.
"You'll agree," Clement says, leading her to a cell door, which he opens with a wave. Inside, a metal pillar with a horizontal protrusion at crotch height, designed to prevent sitting or squatting, has a slot for a plug.
"Still uncooperative?" Clement asks the upside-down Sophia.
"Hmph," she taunts, hoping to enrage him and exploit his loss of control.
Clement snaps his fingers, and flames engulf Sophia.
"Ugh…" She endures the pain, but her clothes burn away, leaving her naked and suspended.
"You'll cooperate," Clement says, meeting her gaze at eye level, neither willing to blink.
"Mind block or legendary mental barrier?" Clement asks, having failed to manipulate her mind with a spell, thwarted by her unmatched mental defenses.
Unfazed, Clement waves, and the restraint bag flies to him. He retrieves the plug Jane cut from Sophia's body, along with surrounding flesh.
A flicker of fear crosses Sophia's eyes but vanishes. Unlike Isaac, Clement catches it.
"Afraid, Princess of Silandria?"
Silence, her undead state masking her breathing and heartbeat.
"Cooperate, and I'll free you."
Silence.
Clement gestures, lowering Sophia a meter until her thighs align with his face. He pulls aside the rope between her legs, causing pain she endures until—
He reinserts the 30-centimeter, barbed plug into her. Holy energy fills her, the barbs locking into her flesh.
"Ughhh!!" Despite her undead suppression, the sensation reaches her brain.
"You're scared. Why not cooperate?"
Sophia endures silently.
Clement gestures, raising and rotating her upright. Two guards approach with pliers that nullify the ropes' holy energy, freeing her legs. Her manacled legs, restricted to human strength and magically restrained, remain immobile.
The guards remove the pliers—perhaps a key to her escape? But before she can think, Clement gestures, spreading her legs and fixing her onto the pillar's protrusion, pressing against the three plugs, their barbs agonizing her. She endures.
Clement casts another spell, heating the protrusion until it melts, fusing with the holy metal plugs into a single mass. The protrusion curves upward, embedding into her flesh.
It's bearable, as it sits slightly below her, designed for a shorter victim. By crouching slightly, she manages the pain.
But Clement casts again, raising the protrusion above her crotch.
Her heels removed by magic, Sophia must stand on tiptoes to avoid her weight crushing the plugs.
"Ugh… ugh…" She groans, struggling.
Clement casts again, and straps from the pillar bind her, allowing vertical movement. If her toes give out, her weight will press on the plugs.
"Cooperate, and this ends," Clement says, leaving as the cell door slams and locks.
"Ugh… ugh…" Her strength is limited, but her endurance—
A drop of liquid hits her face. Mercury?
Pain surges as more mercury drips from the ceiling, flowing to her ankles, weakening her human-level strength and endurance.
"Ugh… ugh…" She senses danger.
A searing pain hits her back—the pillar is heating, reaching 90 degrees Celsius.
"Ugh… ugh… ughhh…" Her breathing quickens, her composure slipping.
No… I can't lose control…
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Marquis Sade's Estate
At the banquet, nobles waltz elegantly. Anna, hand in hand with Charles D'Artagnan, dances gracefully. Isaac watches her beautiful movements, wondering why he's here.
Seeing his discomfort, Anna parts from Charles, approaches Isaac, and takes his right hand. "Can you dance?"
It's the first time he's held her hand naturally, not bound. Her hand is soft, delicate, unlike a swordswoman's. He can't help but squeeze it gently.
"Hey, I asked if you can dance!"
"No."
"Come, I'll teach you." Anna grabs his other hand. "Put your left hand on my waist."
"Okay," Isaac says, touching her waist, softer than her hand, tempting him to pinch it. It's his first time touching her naturally, not during bondage or their intimate moment.
"Follow my lead and the rhythm," Anna says, her heels making her slightly taller, her face close enough for Isaac to see her lipstick.
They waltz to the music.
"Isaac, you stepped on my foot!" Anna whispers.
"S-Sorry…" So close he can hear her breathing, his face flushes, and she notices.
"Don't pull your feet back. Time your steps; our feet should alternate," she instructs.
"Okay."
"You're doing well this time."
"R-Really?" Isaac feels encouraged.
"For a beginner, you're an eight out of ten," Anna says, smiling, her face centimeters away.
"Thanks to you, Lady."
"Haha, let's try something new. Spin me."
"Huh? I-I don't know how…" Isaac stammers.
"It's easy. Raise this hand." Anna lifts his right hand, holding her left.
"Now what?" His right hand holds hers like a torch, her left hand mirroring.
"Turn your wrist counterclockwise, dummy."
He tries, and Anna spins, her hair and dress flaring beautifully.
"Anna, you're beautiful," Isaac blurts out.
"Call me Lady," Anna says, raising his arm again. He spins her expertly this time.
"Yes, Lady, you're beautiful."
"Want to hold me?" she asks, still dancing.
"What?"
"Want to hold me?"
"I…" "Hehe, you're so shy." Anna releases his right shoulder. "Hold my left hand tight, extend your right arm, and bow."
Isaac complies, and Anna mirrors the bow, their distance now the length of their arms and bent torsos.
"Pull me," she commands.
Isaac pulls her with his right hand. She releases his left hand, spinning toward him, her chest pressing against his. Her left arm wraps around his neck, her right hand holding his left. "I'm falling!" she says, leaning back.
Isaac quickly wraps his right arm around her waist, leaning forward to catch her.
"You learn fast," Anna laughs, her breath filling his mouth.
"Thanks to you, Lady," his breath brushes her face.
"What a splendid dance, Miss Belmont," a young mage approaches, bowing and offering his hand. It's Sergei!
"May I—"
"Of course," Anna says, glancing happily at Isaac before dancing with Sergei.
Jealousy stings Isaac until a familiar voice calls, "Mister Isaac!"
It's Professor Jane from the academy.
"Lady Lancaster, good to see you," Isaac smiles, relieved to see a familiar face besides Anna and her partner.
Jane wears a pink evening gown, less tight than Anna's but still form-fitting, revealing her cleavage and hips, with white lace at the cuffs, chest, and hem, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship.
"Looking for a dance partner, Mister Isaac?" Jane smiles.
"Yes, Lady Lancaster."
"Call me Jane. Would you dance with me?"
"Of course, Jane. Just call me Isaac."
"Then why haven't you asked me?" Jane teases, easing his awkwardness.
"Oh!" Isaac bows like a noble, offering his right hand.
Jane takes it, and they dance.
"Any news of Sophia?" Isaac asks, using Anna's dance lessons.
"I'll check on her—Dominatrix—tomorrow. Tell me where you're staying," Jane says, unfazed by their close faces, accustomed to dancing as a noble.
"Jenny, is that the hero?" A woman, about 180 cm tall in heels, likely 174 cm normally, wearing a purple noble gown, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a silver crown, approaches Jane, calling her "Jenny," indicating closeness.
"Prin—" Jane begins, but the woman stops her with a wave.
Her figure surpasses Anna and Jane's—perfect height, curves, and proportions. Her gown hints at her thighs, stirring Isaac's imagination. Her refined face marks her as a noble beauty of Goulens, famed for its beautiful women.
"Let him answer, Jenny," the woman says with a charming smile, gazing sweetly at Isaac, captivating him.
"You're Isaac, the vampire captor?" she asks.
"Y-Yes," Isaac replies, carefully maintaining his dance with Jane, wary of stepping on her feet like he did Anna's.
"Your dancing needs work," she notes politely.
"Y-Yes, ma'am."
"Jenny, shall I take him?" she asks Jane, their familiarity evident.
"Of course, Your Highness," Jane replies.
"P-Princess?" Isaac gapes at the woman in the purple gown. She smiles at his shock. "You don't frequent the capital, do you, hero?"
"I'll take my leave, Your Highness," Jane says casually, showing their close bond. She releases Isaac's hand, and the princess offers hers. "Don't see me as an untouchable princess. Think of me as Jenny's—big sister." Her sweet smile disarms Isaac as he takes her hand, dancing nervously.
"You seem troubled," she observes.
"Just some worries."
"Everyone has them, but don't forget this is a ball for relaxation," she says, her smile enchanting him.
Before long, Anna approaches gracefully. "Your Highness, may I borrow your partner?"
"We've met, Mister Isaac. I'm Isabella Capet. You and this red-haired lady seem close, so I'll leave you be," Princess Isabella says, releasing Isaac to find another partner.
A princess… so beautiful…
"You idiot, stop staring and dance with me," Anna snaps, grabbing Isaac's hand as he gazes at Isabella's retreating figure, pulling him into the waltz.