I am a mindless machine.

"I refuse."

"Huh?...What?" Xi Yang stared blankly at the silver-haired girl in front of him, not understanding why she would say that.

Yun You walked up to Xi Yang and used [Dian Kai], a material generation skill that materialized into a soft, light cherry-colored handkerchief. She gently wiped away the tears on Xi Yang's face and said, "I did say before that if it would upset you, it was fine not to tell me. But now—you look so sad no matter how I look at you."

"Since that's the case, then I have to ask. Besides, as my follower, am I supposed to just swallow my anger when someone bullies you?"

Yun You said this calmly. Her goal was indeed to find the feelings she had lost. For this goal, she didn't mind doing things that defied common sense. But that didn't mean she had to experience negative emotions. She wasn't a masochist.

It was only when Bart died before her eyes that she finally realized this world wasn't some cold, impersonal place, but a real, tangible one. The people living in this world were flesh and blood, capable of shedding tears and dying easily.

"(The feeling of unease I felt when Barth died is now defined as regret. It stemmed from my previous indifference as I observed the unfolding events.)"

There's a saying that regret is the punishment for those who haven't tried.

"(【Revised】Since I feel regret, it means that even though I can't feel it, the feelings still exist... In that case, I should just follow my heart from the beginning. There's no need to deliberately do things that go against my past thoughts. That would be putting the cart before the horse.)"

The so-called heart is an elusive thing. Yunyou had always believed, due to her cyborg instincts, that she needed to do something deliberate to feel it. But in fact, having memories of her human past, she had a simpler method—to act without thinking and simply follow her heart.

If she follows the last vestiges of her intuition, one day she will be able to find what she has lost.

So, standing in front of her was an incredibly cute little girl, heartbroken and shedding tears, who also had vampire attributes with cute little fangs. The answer was obvious.

"If suppressing it makes you uncomfortable, then just say it all. I'll take care of it for you—I'm your master, you know. As my servant, you just need to be obedient, understand?"

Looking at the sunset's blushing cheeks, flushed from her close proximity, Yun You spoke earnestly in a flat, monotone voice.

"........."

After a long while, the setting sun finally nodded gently, as if in agreement.

Then, in a sorrowful tone, she whispered, "Gordorn...Gordorn Nicholas. He is one of the main administrators of this city of Yelenochini, a vampire nobleman with the ability to plunder multiple races...and he is also my father."

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Recounting the Past (Part Two) (Combined with 27 Chapters)

The city outside the window still shone with prosperity, starlight twinkled in the sky, and the cheerful voices of people rose and fell. But all of this seemed to have no connection with the two people inside, as if an invisible wall separated two worlds. The mansion was already dilapidated due to long-term neglect, and now that most of the furniture had been moved out, it looked even more desolate. In the large bedroom, only the wooden table and two small chairs that hadn't been moved yet remained.

Xi Yang glanced at the two chairs, recalling the past, and with a downcast expression, quietly told Yun You to sit down first.

".......call."

After letting out a soft sigh, the setting sun lowered its gaze, and when it opened it again, complex patterns appeared in its eyes. With this movement, the scenery in the room instantly changed; the two people who were sitting on the wooden floor appeared in a dark sky dotted with stars, below which stood a huge castle decorated with luxury and splendor.

"Lord Yu, this is..."

"You think this way you can explain faster? Then just do it, no need to explain."

Faced with this sudden change in scenery, Yunyou remained calmly watching the sunset, as if she completely trusted that Yunyou wouldn't harm her. This trust also made Yunyou, who was about to speak up to explain, stop this unnecessary action.

And so, under the noisy night sky, the girl quietly began to tell a story.

A story that belongs to her...

...

...

"Mommy, Mommy! Tell me one more story! Just one, just one!"

On the lush, tender grass, illuminated by the surrounding streetlights as if it were daytime, a little girl with black hair excitedly pleaded with a gentle, equally black-haired woman beside her. The woman smiled, closed the book in her hands, and said, "No, Sunset. Today is your first day of school. If you're not on time, you'll leave a bad impression."

"Waaah........"

The young vampire girl lowered her head dejectedly, seemingly reluctant to attend school. However, as the eldest daughter of the prestigious Nicholas family, the most powerful clan in this forest elf region, her every action represented the family's reputation. Although the elaborate aristocratic etiquette had been simplified due to the war, attending the academy to learn about illusion magic was still necessary.

So no matter how unwilling she was, the young girl had no choice but to obediently go to the noble academy.

...

...

The scene shifts to a large, antique-looking classroom. Many young boys and girls are dressed in expensive clothing that signifies their family status. All the noble children from various districts are gathered here to receive education from the most outstanding teachers.

This lesson is about techniques for using Pokémon to deceive your opponent and change the entire field.

"Oh? What's this...?"

Upon discovering that the large battlefield, originally intended for teaching, had been altered by the magic of others, the instructor in charge of the instruction widened his eyes in astonishment, while the other noble children attending the class with the girl were also speechless with shock.

All eyes were now fixed on the little girl in the center of the classroom, who looked equally bewildered. She clearly hadn't realized her unintentional action would elicit such a strong reaction; complex patterns appeared in her clear, purplish-red eyes. The girl had been absentmindedly listening to her teacher's lesson, her mind preoccupied with the interesting stories her mother had told her that morning.

As she pondered this, she unconsciously connected with the elven circuits (spells) used in the battlefield (illusion) her mentor had created for the lecture, and freely modified the illusion according to her own imagination. The bloody battlefield that originally appeared in the classroom was rewritten, replaced by blooming flowers, trees, and shrubs filled with the breath of nature, clear spring water, azure sky, and many cute little animals interacting on the grass.

Although this illusion was just a simplified version created by the instructor to guide the children, the girl, who had only just started school and didn't even understand the correct way to compile spells, was able to instinctively take over the control of the illusion and create vivid scenes at will. This talent was undoubtedly extraordinary.

—And so from that day on, the news that the Nicholas family had produced a genius who was very likely to become a vampire noble spread far and wide.

...

...

The scene then changed rapidly, as if time had flown by.

According to Xiyang's explanation, she is now an adult and has reached the age to go to the battlefield.

During the Great War, due to the low birth rate of the vampire race, and in order to reduce mortality and improve the overall survival of the race, all children stayed in Yelenochini until adulthood, consuming food (blood) brought by adults. After reaching adulthood, they would go to the battlefield accompanied by adults and choose a weaker race to fight their first battle.

The young girl felt a slight fear, but also a touch of excitement; for most vampires, this ceremony (the coming-of-age ritual) was incredibly important. It signified their imminent departure into a new world, where they would contribute their strength to the glory and victory of their race.

Although the young girl was still somewhat confused about the idea of ​​killing other races because she had never been on a battlefield, she had always grown up under the spotlight, having been discovered as a genius at a young age and being the eldest daughter of the Nicholas family. Therefore, she was full of expectations and a sense of honor for her race and was not too opposed to going to the battlefield.

She has always understood the principle that one should repay kindness received from others.

The most powerful vampire nobles among the vampire race were responsible for protecting these noble children, and the girl's mother happened to be one of them.

If the ceremony had gone smoothly, the girl would probably have grown into a powerful... even the strongest vampire, just as everyone around her had imagined.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world—as the group traveled towards the forest inhabited by the orcs, an unexpected event occurred.

They encountered a moving natural disaster—the Skywing race.

Her mother died, and in order to cover their retreat, she stayed behind alone to resist the attack of the Skywing race.

The illusion magic that the vampires pride themselves on is nothing but a joke to the Skywings—faking the whole world? Then why not just tear the whole world apart with violence? Super simple—keeping this simple thought process, they easily slaughtered most of the team.

Only a mother of a vampire noble could deceive a Skywing for a very short time. But even so, according to the last adult to leave, it seemed to last less than five minutes. Then the mother, who had always had a gentle smile, died just like that, and the Skywing, furious at being tricked, vaporized her completely with Sky Strike.

Sitting alone on that familiar patch of grass, the girl stared blankly at the starry night sky. The starry sky that she once thought was incredibly bright and beautiful now seemed like a finely crafted imitation. She ran her hand over the storybook beside her, wanting to open it several times, but in the end, she gave up.

If you're all alone, reading stories will only add to your sorrow.

...

...

At the subsequent reinstatement of her coming-of-age ceremony, the girl easily subdued an orc using illusion magic. She pressed her snow-white fangs against his neck, yet hesitated to bite. Along this journey, she witnessed many other races dying in the sunlight, howling in agony after being drained of their blood by the adults. Even those races that managed to escape the sunlight, afflicted with special diseases, would find it difficult to survive among their own kind and would likely be quickly banished as a burden.

The thought of her biting down and causing the other person to die made the girl hesitate deeply. Because what difference would her action make from that of the Skywinged Beast that killed her mother?

She was terrified of it.

So in the end... only she couldn't meet the requirements of the coming-of-age ceremony.

The rumor that the girl had fallen from genius to good-for-nothing spread as quickly as the original news.

Indeed, the girl possesses unparalleled talent that others can hardly match—but it is meaningless if it cannot be used at all.

An unremarkable rough stone can become a dazzling diamond after processing, but if it is not processed, it is just a broken stone on the roadside; a top-of-the-line sports car is expensive, luxurious and high-performing, but if it runs out of gas, it is just a large piece of scrap metal.

Similarly, no matter how powerful a girl's talent is, she will never be able to unleash it if she refuses to drink blood. She will remain forever stuck in the first stage.

Initially, the other elders of the Nicholas family were unwilling to let such a gifted genius go to waste. They continued to provide her with the blood necessary for survival and actively arranged for her to go to the battlefield, hoping she could adapt to the cruelty of this world. But the girl wasn't unaware of the world's current state; it was precisely because she understood it too well that she found it difficult to adapt.

Even the girl herself hated her own weakness. She didn't want to disappoint those around her who expected her, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't overcome the obstacle in her heart. And the act of blood-drinking (absorbing souls) only works if the person is willing; forcing it will have no effect.

So, as time went on, many elders, seeing no improvement in the situation, gave up on the girl. Some even suggested killing her, this disgrace to the family. But the patriarch, Godorn Nicholas, rejected this suggestion and gave the girl one last chance, which was the final attempt ten years ago.

He directly used his powerful illusionary abilities to guide a force of several hundred forest elves from outside the settlement into Yelenochini, making them prey in his net. He then used them as food to host an unprecedentedly grand banquet. The official announcement was that this unparalleled genius girl would undergo her coming-of-age ceremony at this feast.

If this ceremony is successful, then all the previous rumors will be wiped away, and the girl will be found to have been studying magic all along, which is why she has not undergone a coming-of-age ceremony.

The girl was genuinely grateful to her father, understanding his good intentions. She also resolved to completely break free from the past and accept the reality of the world at this banquet.

But when she arrived at the banquet and saw the hundreds of forest elves crying and wailing in despair because they had been reduced to food, and their most vicious insults directed at her, the hostess of the banquet dressed in a magnificent gown, this scene stirred up painful memories hidden in the girl's heart.

She finally realized that she really couldn't do that.

...Moreover, this period could be indefinite.

...

...

Then, the girl was expelled from the family, stripped of the Nicholas surname, and even her father, who had once cared for her the most, turned a blind eye to her situation. After all, in such a wartime environment, useless people had no choice but to fend for themselves, and giving her the mansion where she and her mother had lived was already a sign of their kindness.

Having lost her former glory, and burdened by the inherently enviable titles of "young lady" and "genius," the young woman struggled to find work despite her efforts, enduring constant bullying from those around her, let alone obtaining blood. Fortunately, she received blood from her kind uncle, Catalon, which kept her from truly dying.

But about three months ago, Carteron also died. Now the girl had truly lost her only source of blood, and she had no choice but to leave the city to find a way to survive elsewhere.

At first, she used her innate talent to subdue other species without drinking their blood, obtaining their blood by cutting open their wounds. But after three months of this, the girl couldn't help but wonder, "If I'm living such a hard life, why should I continue?"

So, in a state of extreme hunger, she ventured alone into the goblin factory, determined to make one last desperate attempt to see if her instinct to save the hunters would overcome her fear in this life-or-death crisis... but in the end, she failed.

Then, as if guided by fate, the vampire girl, who had lost all will to live, met a mecha girl, Yunyou, who was also feeling lost about life, on that vast white snowfield.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Preparing to Enter

The story ended when the girl's soft narration ceased.

The illusion around them vanished abruptly, and the two returned from the boundless night to the cramped study. The stench of decay filled their nostrils, seemingly reminding them that this was the real world.

"Haha...that's how it is." Sunset smiled bitterly, the domineering aura she had displayed earlier when fighting those men had long since faded, leaving only a weak appearance. She hadn't told anyone about her past for a very long time, and no one in this city would care. "It's just...the growth story of a useless vampire who's not suited to live in this world."

"In short, after hearing this, you should understand why Father treats me this way." She looked at Yun You, who was silent and seemingly deep in thought, and advised again, "So, Lord You, let's just let it go. Father controls the power to change the city in this area. If we want to fight him here, it's like fighting against the entire vampire spirit population. Even you, Lord You... have absolutely no chance of winning."

Sunset didn't resent her father; on the contrary, she fully understood his decision. Although he rarely visited her growing up, he had never skimped on material support, fulfilling his duties as a father to the fullest. And the subsequent events were no different. After all, he was one of the highest-ranking officials among the vampires. If he were to grant her protection simply because she was his daughter, allowing her to survive without going to the battlefield, then there would inevitably be a backlash from his subordinates.

—From beginning to end, she was the one who was wrong.

"Your conclusion is correct; you are indeed not suited to live in this world." Finally, the girl finished her contemplation and looked at the setting sun. Her eyes were calm and still, as if the story the girl had just told had not touched her heart at all. "In this world, it's either kill or be killed. Since you refuse to hurt others because of your indifferent kindness, then being hurt by others is an inevitable outcome. This world is cruel. Since you don't follow the rules that everyone agrees on, then you must die."