My Servant Is An Elf-Knight From Another World

Chapter 33

Irene.

In the nick of time.

I could have shouted out loud in relief. I would have. But then there was this high-pitch squeal which overshadowed whatever was going to leave my lips, leaving me in a temporary state of going nearly deaf. That banshee scream certainly wasn't mine.

Adding to the surrealness of it all, suddenly I saw Ria lunged at her, nearly knocking her over with the tightest hug I've ever witnessed. Phoenix girl gave another squeal of excitement but it was evident that Irene did not share the same sentiment. On the contrary, she looked positively dead inside.

"Irene!" Ria cried out. "Too long! It's been too long!"

Irene gave a grimace. "Riri..."

"Greetings later. Quiet now. I haven't felt the touch of your body in literal decades... let me hold on to you a bit longer - shh, just give me a bit longer. I need this."

With the biggest, most reluctant sigh she could muster, Irene relented to Ria's crushing embrace. Silently and painfully.

The flames flaring away from Ria's hair radiated with an intensity so bright, it was almost blinding. Never seen her filled with so much joy before. Honestly, I'd be happy for her if only she knew how to pick the perfect time and place.

Because right then, the ferocious growl emitting from right behind me was the total opposite of joy.

"The succubus." Words spitted out like venom, the snarl on Amelia's expression as she scrambled upright definitely did her tone justice. "You wench! How did you... how...."

Before Amelia could say or do anymore, however, her eyelids began to flutter... to sink, then, they closed shut. Amelia slumped to the floor with a resounding thud, her body, her expression - still and lifeless.

A second later, the sound of blissful snores filled the dead air. It was pretty loud, actually.

"That was... surprisingly easier than I thought." Irene had her hand outstretched, a stream of red vapor exuding, then evaporating, from her open palm. "How weak was she?"

"You could have coughed on her shoulder and she would have been out flat on her back. Hmph, and here she was saying she can handle her sister, no problem," said Ria, finally untethering herself and stepping aside. "Never seen a weaker Matriarch in all my years. Then again, I've never actually seen a Matriarch before but that's beside the point. The frenzied one must have really put up a fight to get her to this point."

"Frenzied? Has she really?"

Ria nudged her head my way. "Your little vampire bait here can probably fill you in better than I can."

Irene's gaze found its way towards mine. Her stare at me was downright alarming... almost apprehensive looking. Fear, I thought... maybe worry, I didn't know why she was looking at me that way. Then that's when I noticed it.

Beyond just the glimmer of her crimson eyes, Irene was... well, she was red, more specifically her skin color was. Still humanlike, still the same Irene but just... with horns, a tail, and also dark red. That wasn't the only thing either...

"You're bleeding," I muttered.

Surfacing aside old wounds, new ones have cropped up, still afresh and bleeding. A gash on her forehead, large cuts on her skin. Her clothing too, or what remained of it, were left in tatters.

"Yeah," she answered, walking, limping, her way over to me. "I noticed."

There I was, just sprawled out on the dirty floor, marveling over at how ridiculous the situation I've gotten myself into actually was.