Chapter 19: The Mortification of the Princess Carry

“Hey! What… what are you doing?!”

“Climbing down the ladder would be quite troublesome, wouldn’t it? Let me carry you.”

Lovelenica let out a startled gasp as Lucia’s left arm slipped beneath her knees, while her right arm wrapped around Lovelenica’s back and shoulders, cradling her in a princess carry.

Overwhelmed by a sudden sensation of weightlessness, Lovelenica instinctively clasped her arms around Lucia’s pale, swan-like neck. A moment of stunned bewilderment washed over her as she realized she was being carried in a princess embrace, swiftly followed by a blush that spread across her entire face, even reaching her earlobes.

“No…”

Lovelenica hastily attempted to refuse, but Lucia’s movements were swift. No sooner had Lovelenica uttered a sound than Lucia gracefully leaped from the rooftop, landing lightly on the ground below.

“There we go. Be careful now.”

Lucia gently set Lovelenica down, yet Lovelenica stumbled upon touching the ground, barely managing to keep her balance.

“What’s wrong, little one? Are you feeling unwell?”

Lucia gazed at Lovelenica’s small face, which was so flushed it seemed on the verge of steaming, and with a touch of concern, placed her hand on Lovelenica’s forehead.

“Did you catch a chill? Or were you injured just now?”

“Of course not!”

Lovelenica indignantly swatted away Lucia’s hand from her head.

‘This girl… she really thinks I’m a child!’

Lovelenica’s blush wasn’t born from any special affection for Lucia; rather, it stemmed from profound embarrassment.

‘After all, I’ve always been this girl’s teacher. Lucia has always presented herself before me as a respectful child, eager for my approval.’

Having inherited the original body’s memories, Lovelenica naturally viewed Lucia through a childlike lens. Now, to be carried down from a rooftop in a princess embrace by her own student—this reversal of roles was the most crucial factor contributing to Lovelenica’s acute mortification.

On another note, during the recent battle, Lovelenica had largely held back to avoid revealing her true strength. Aside from repelling the Fallen Nun with a single shot, she had barely exerted herself.

Moreover, Lovelenica hadn’t even used magic bullets; the credit for repelling the enemy belonged more to the firearm and its ammunition, given that Lovelenica’s actions were limited to aiming and pulling the trigger.

While it was true that only she could wield her two revolvers, this underlying factor was naturally imperceptible to anyone other than Lovelenica herself.

All Lucia had witnessed was Lovelenica firing a simple shot.

Even the ghouls in the village had been dealt with by Lucia. To prevent Lucia from noticing anything amiss, Lovelenica had refrained from even utilizing her mobility. Coupled with the praises she had bestowed upon Lucia earlier, all these factors had genuinely led Lucia to believe that Lovelenica was merely a child with limited combat prowess.

It was for this reason that Lucia was so exceptionally solicitous toward Lovelenica.

“Alright, no need to act tough.”

Lucia simply perceived Lovelenica’s current behavior as a child’s attempt to show off, a phase every child experiences. She chuckled playfully, then knelt before Lovelenica and gently squeezed her small hand.

“It’s not safe here; there might be other dangers lurking. You saw it yourself, all those other sister nuns were killed.”

At this, a shadow crossed Lucia’s eyes. Though she didn’t know the nuns personally, they were still her colleagues, and witnessing their tragic deaths left Lucia feeling a pang of sadness.

Lovelenica silently grumbled to herself. Lucia was clearly attempting to frighten her with the gruesome deaths of the nuns, but it had been Lovelenica who remained composed at the time, while Lucia was the one truly startled.

Lucia had assumed Lovelenica was as terrified as she was, and Lovelenica’s words of warning after firing her gun had been automatically disregarded by Lucia, who was quite panicked in that moment.

“Since you’re also a demon hunter, little one, you should be able to return to the Royal City on your own, right? Listen to your older sister, go back. This is no longer an ordinary ‘Corruption-level’ incident; I’ll handle the rest of the investigation.”

As she spoke, Lucia reached out and gently patted Lovelenica’s small head.

Lovelenica’s silvery-white hair felt cool and smooth like silk beneath Lucia’s fingers. Lucia, stroking her long locks, suddenly recalled that her own teacher’s hair was also silver-white, wondering if it felt as soft as this little one’s.

“Hmph!”

Lovelenica once more swatted Lucia’s hand away, pouting her lips.

“Stop patting my head! I’ll go back!”

‘She refused to be patted on the head by anyone, and certainly not by Lucia. It made her feel like a mere child. Not only was her body that of a noble and long-lived vampire, but her soul belonged to an adult transmigrator. How could she possibly accept being treated like a child?’

Nevertheless, she agreed to Lucia’s suggestion of returning to the Royal City.

After all, her identity was currently questionable, and having Lucia escort her back would only complicate matters further. Returning alone, conversely, would allow her to conceal her identity more effectively.

“I know, I know. But, that saying about not growing tall if you get your head patted? It’s just a lie, don’t believe it.”

“Who… who would ever believe such a thing?! Hmph! You stay here and investigate properly! I’m going back!”

Upon hearing Lucia’s words, Lovelenica felt her eyelids twitching. She let out a delicate huff, then turned and walked away.

‘Do I really look that foolish?! And… when I grow up, I’ll definitely be taller than you! Not just taller, my figure will be better too!’

‘Just you wait… tomorrow I’m going to train you to death… make you run around the church all day! Make you do a thousand push-ups with a heavy cross on your back!’

Although her identity remained concealed for now, Lovelenica felt utterly displeased.

“Be careful on your way.”

Lucia replied, unconsciously scratching her cheek. Watching Lovelenica’s retreating figure, she lowered her voice and muttered to herself.

“Why are children these days so temperamental, and so impolite… Still, they are quite cute.”

Fortunately, Lovelenica had already walked far away; otherwise, hearing that remark would have sent her into another fit of rage.

“No, wait! I forgot to ask her name!”