A Purple-Quality Retainer

Congratulations, you have completed the milestone—Chivalrous Knight. You prevented a bandit attack on a caravan and wiped out two bandit gangs.

Your chivalrous spirit deserved a reward. You have received: Advanced Retainer Gacha Ticket x1.

Advanced Retainer Gacha Ticket: Upon use, you are guaranteed to obtain a retainer of "Rare" quality or above.

In the game, one star corresponded to Normal quality, white.

Two stars corresponded to Rare quality, blue.

Three stars corresponded to Uncommon quality, green.

Four stars corresponded to Extraordinary quality, cyan.

Five stars corresponded to Epic quality, purple.

Six stars corresponded to Legendary quality, gold.

In other words, this ticket would guarantee at least a three-star retainer!

Lothar turned back to glance at the bandit stronghold.

For some reason, he did not feel particularly happy.

What had been routine monster-grinding and leveling in a game felt truly heavy when placed in reality.

The caravan led by Ryan slowly entered the bandit stronghold.

The hardworking settlers moved away most of the portable valuables, leaving only some rations and seeds for the women and children trapped inside the "council hall."

The haul was somewhat beyond expectations.

They had probably just robbed a small caravan and had not yet had the chance to fence the goods.

If the loot they had gained this time was converted into money in a nearby town, it would likely fetch around thirty of the finest Suledes.

That was already enough to buy an estate in the countryside.

After leaving the bandit stronghold, the group headed straight for Veneto.

Veneto was currently under the rule of the Republic of Venice, a major power on the Mediterranean Sea.

They stopped in a town to rest and resupply.

Lothar sent Hans and the former knight's personal male servant to handle the seized goods and exchange them for needed supplies.

He himself returned to the inn early with Prajna.

Lothar was ready to draw immediately!

As the multicolored Advanced Retainer Gacha Tickets turned into drifting dust, a card glowing with a rich purple light slowly emerged.

Lothar held his breath, his heart pounding fiercely.

As the chief planner of the game "Yesterday's Great Ship," he knew better than anyone just how low the chances of drawing five-star and six-star retainers were.

He had already prepared himself to get only a three-star, yet his luck had unexpectedly had a small burst.

The card had a noble purple border, with a purple gemstone set at the center of its upper edge.

As an Epic-quality retainer, she was qualified to stand alongside the strongest Legendary retainers. Even among the strongest lineups of some big spenders, five-star retainers were far from uncommon.

At the center of the card was the image of a sweetly smiling girl next door.

She had white blunt bangs and wore sheer long sleeves beneath a black tight-fitting top, along with a black short skirt that exposed her smooth white legs clad in long cotton stockings.

Other than the pair of winding horns growing from her head, she seemed to possess no dangerous aura at all.

Name: Fringilla Tzepeș

Class: Warlock

Quality: Epic (Five Stars)

Level: 1

Intimacy: Indifferent

Strength: 10

Agility: 12

Vitality: 23

Endurance: 12

Mental Power: 35

Description: She is one of the noble ladies of the Blood Court. Beneath the red moon, she sings elegies in the dark night, slowly draining the last drop of blood from the prey she has chosen.

Talent: Blood Magic Specialization: Fringilla is a blood mage with solid fundamentals. As long as her mental power is sufficient, she can cast the vast majority of blood magic.

Blood Charm: Fringilla's voice is filled with the seductive charm that lures others into sin, possessed by female vampires. She can easily capture the hearts of men with weak wills.

Skill: Thirst for Blood: Fringilla can draw upon any blood rich in life force, using it to replenish the vitality and mental power she has expended.

Blood Pool Transformation: (Requires Elite Advancement to unlock)

Tyrant Transformation: (Requires Elite promotion to unlock)

A violet glow flashed.

A rich, sweetly bloody scent filled the air—fragrant in a way, yet also nauseating.

Crimson mist writhed and spread through the room.

Moments later, it suddenly gathered together, coalescing into a girl in a black dress who appeared to be no more than five foot three.

Just like in the character art.

The girl had long, straight, pale legs. They looked strikingly like white stockings, but were actually likely cotton tights. The absolute territory between them and her short skirt invited the imagination.

A powerful possessiveness surged within Lothar.

But immediately afterward, a cool presence lightly brushed past him from the front, restoring his clarity—it was Prajna's aura.

The only difference from the character art was that Fringilla had lost her pair of curling horns.

Fringilla blinked her large eyes, tilted her head up at Lothar, and put on a pitiful expression. "Master, you finally summoned me. I've waited a very long time for this day."

She stepped forward, took hold of Lothar's arm, and gently shook it. "Master, I'm so thirsty. Could you give me a little blood to drink?"

"Enough. Don't put on an act with me. As a high-ranking vampire, blood is like dessert to you. It isn't a necessity at all."

Lothar was the chief person responsible for creating the game Yesterday's Great Ship, so he naturally knew exactly what lay beneath the surface of this girl who looked like nothing more than the girl next door.

After unlocking the exclusive Elite II skill, "Tyrant Transformation," Fringilla would turn into a terrifying monster covered in bloody tentacles, each one capable of piercing an enemy's body and draining their blood.

All her apparent cuteness and beauty were a disguise. In truth, she was an entirely different species from humans.

A misty sheen covered Fringilla's eyes as she said pitifully, "My lord, can't you even grant your retainer such a tiny request? Your blood aura is so abundant—you must have killed many people just recently, right?"

Perhaps because of the "cold air" around Prajna, Lothar was not bewitched in the slightest.

He frowned and asked, "Where did the horns on your head go?"

Fringilla let out an "Ah," then said in surprise, "What horns? My body is no different from that of a normal human woman."

She blinked and smiled mischievously. "Only better."

Prajna, who had been sitting in a chair at the other end of the room without saying a word from beginning to end, finally spoke.

Her tone carried unmistakable disgust. "You loathsome beasts that fled from hell—the ugly bodies concealed beneath your skins are revolting. I warn you, do not speak to my lord in that disgusting tone again."

Lothar felt a headache coming on.

In the game, Fringilla belonged to the Blood Court.

The Blood Court was a faction created by vampires who had escaped from hell, with its base in Wallachia.

Not only did they have no bond with the hell faction Prajna belonged to—they were mortal enemies.

The relationship between them was like that of cops and criminals.

Still, it was nothing. Getting a five-star retainer, and a rare spellcaster at that, was already an unexpected windfall.

Even with a few side effects, he had still made an absolute killing!

Fringilla glanced at Prajna, especially at that Ghost Face Carving shield, and a deep wariness flashed through her eyes.

Several of her ancestors had been forcibly taken back to hell by Prajna.

But her expression soon turned disdainful. "Prajna, you've merely served my lord longer than I have. Otherwise, you might not even be able to beat me right now."

She believed that with her abilities, she would definitely be more favored by her lord than an icy, stupid woman like Prajna. As long as her lord leveled her up more and even promoted her to Elite—

Even if they were a whole rarity apart, Prajna would not be her match.

"Besides, we're all working under my lord now. Don't tell me you actually want to attack me?"

Fringilla looked entirely fearless.

Prajna looked toward Lothar, and a rare trace of anger appeared in her cool eyes.

She was not skilled at verbal disputes. Clearly, she wanted Lothar to speak up for her.

Lothar immediately felt his scalp go numb.

How was he supposed to handle this?