Test

"Milady, are you going out? It's almost dark, and dinner is ready."

Seeing Lilith preparing to leave, the servants stepped forward to ask.

They had not heard of anything urgent happening recently, so they still asked why Lilith was going out so late. After all, dinner had already been prepared, and out of concern for Lilith's health, they felt they should ask.

At this moment, only the sun's final lingering glow remained on the horizon, and even that was about to vanish.

"It's fine. I'll eat dinner when I get back. You don't need to wait for me."

Naturally, they did not dare take Lilith's words about not waiting for her seriously.

They did not dare go to sleep before Lilith had retired.

By the time Lilith reached the gates of the Imperial Capital, the sun had fully set, and the gates had been closed.

Fortunately, the gate guards recognized Lilith. Otherwise, she would have had no choice but to sneak over the wall.

Naturally, they did not dare question why Lilith was leaving the Imperial Capital so late. Once they learned she wished to go out, they promptly opened the gates and let her leave the city.

After leaving the Imperial Capital.

"Come out."

Once she was certain the soldiers at the city gates could no longer see her, Lilith called to the faint shadow beneath her feet in the moonlight.

Then, a dark figure sprang out from Lilith's shadow.

Upon closer inspection, it was one of the Vassals Lilith had transformed.

The large dog circled Lilith twice before lying prone before her, its tail wagging so hard it practically took flight.

Lilith swung herself onto the dog lying before her.

"Big Wolf, go!"

At Lilith's command, the dog barked once and took off running.

It was no slower than Lilith herself—perhaps even slightly faster.

And as it ran, Lilith did not feel the slightest bump.

It had excellent control, and combined with its soft fur, it was only natural that the ride felt smooth.

Lilith was quite satisfied with that alone.

At the very least, they were qualified as mounts.

This dog was named "Big Wolf," while the other dogs' names... yes, just as one might have guessed.

Second Wolf, Third Wolf, Fourth Wolf, Fifth Wolf.

She had originally wanted to name them "Dog," but it did not sound very nice when called aloud, so she changed it to "Wolf."

They had no objections to their strange names. On the contrary, they were delighted, their tails wagging so fast they nearly became fans.

Outside the Imperial Capital, Big Wolf carried Lilith toward an uninhabited area.

With Big Wolf's agility, even when it entered a forest thick with trees, its speed barely slowed.

However, not long after entering the woods, Big Wolf stopped.

Big Wolf sniffed the air. It had caught the scent of other living creatures.

"Woof woof~"

Big Wolf barked at Lilith, seemingly asking for praise.

"Good job. Let's go."

Hearing Lilith's praise, Big Wolf became even happier and ran toward the creatures it had discovered.

Before long, Big Wolf found the prey it had scented.

They were real wolves!

Big Wolf charged toward the pack of forest wolves without any attempt at concealment, and the wolves noticed it as well.

As skilled hunters, the wolves did not flee in the face of an unknown creature's approach. Instead, they began to surround Lilith.

"Just ordinary beasts?"

Lilith was slightly disappointed as she watched the wolf pack encircle her.

She had thought it might be some kind of Dangerous Species.

But she had been taking that for granted. Although Dangerous Species could be found everywhere in this world, they were actually rare near human cities. Most creatures encountered there were simply wild beasts.

"Awooo~"

Seeing the wolves bare their claws and fangs at its master, Big Wolf grew furious and let out an angry howl.

The wolves immediately retreated two steps in fright, but their overwhelming numbers gave them courage, and they were unwilling to give up these two prey.

Then, following a wolf howl, the pack pounced on Lilith from every direction.

Big Wolf's enormous size was intimidating, so they cleverly chose to attack the seemingly weaker Lilith instead.

And what greeted them was Big Wolf's furious assault.

Merely simple swipes of their claws and sweeps of their tails.

These ordinary wolves simply could not withstand Big Wolf's attacks.

After being struck, their bones cracked, and they died without exception.

Not a single one survived a blow from Big Wolf.

This battle—no, this slaughter—ended in less than ten seconds!

"Next time, find some stronger prey."

Lilith bent down and stroked the soft fur around Big Wolf's neck.

"Woof~"

Big Wolf barked once and broke into a run again.

Although the Empire had been established for a thousand years, there were still many places on its maps where large numbers of Dangerous Species lurked.

Fortunately, those Dangerous Species generally did not leave their own territories, so the Empire did not go out of its way to cause trouble by clearing them out.

There were also quite a few such places outside the Imperial Capital.

However, those places were rather far from the Imperial Capital. Even at Big Wolf's speed, a round trip would take quite a while.

Although there were Dangerous Species in this forest, Lilith worried that none of them would be strong enough to properly test Big Wolf and the others' combat abilities.

Otherwise, she could only go take a look at those other places.

However, Lilith had underestimated the strength of the Dangerous Species inhabiting this place.

While none of those Dangerous Species were a match for Lilith, they were more than enough as opponents for Big Wolf and the others.

In the end, after spending several hours, Lilith determined Big Wolf and the others' combat strength.

They were roughly equivalent to Level 1 Dangerous Species in this world.

Level 1 Dangerous Species were already an extremely formidable fighting force.

After all, above Level 1 Dangerous Species, there were only Special Class Dangerous Species and Super Dangerous Species.

With Super Dangerous Species nearly extinct, Special Class Dangerous Species were already the strongest kind of Dangerous Species.

Although Big Wolf and the others only possessed the combat power of Level 1 Dangerous Species, with their own unique traits and the cooperation of all five of them, it was not impossible for them to surround and kill a Special Class Dangerous Species.

To Lilith as she was now, they could be considered quite useful assistance.

Perhaps because she had used too little blood, Big Wolf and the others had not inherited many vampire traits.

Other than being able to travel through shadows, having larger bodies and greater strength, and possessing longer, sharper teeth and claws, they had not changed much.

Worth mentioning was that their claws and fangs carried a special toxin. Any wound scratched or bitten open by them would bleed without stopping.