My Ultimate Sign-in System Made Me Invincible

Chapter 764: Debts Must Be Paid Back In Full

The estate stood behind a low wall of carved dark stone, set back from the quiet street behind a courtyard of smooth gray stone. Unlike the towering black walls of the manor Clone One had watched from the ridge, which has a gloomy atmosphere around it, this house felt alive. Tall windows lined the upper floor, and warm amber light spilled through them onto the yard below.

Clara pushed open the heavy front door and waved Clone One and Felix in behind her.

The entry hall was wide and warm. Thick rugs covered the dark floor and swallowed the sound of their footsteps, and lamps lit along the walls light up the place brightly, smokeless flames that cast a soft golden glow over the paintings.

"Take a seat in the sitting room," Clara said, unfastening her cloak and handing it to a young woman who stepped quietly out of a side hall. "I’ll have the kitchen bring tea first, then dinner."

Clone One followed her into a large room with high wooden beams and deep leather armchairs set around a low table. He took one of the chairs and leaned back with his forearms resting on the arms. Even in his torn, dusty robes, he looked completely at home.

Felix stayed standing by the fireplace for a moment before he finally dropped into a chair across from him. He kept his back stiff, and his crimson eyes followed Clone One’s every move.

A young human maid came in carrying a silver tray with three cups and a steaming pot. She wore a neat, clean dress of dark gray linen, and her hair was braided down her back. The slaves Clone One had seen on the streets had been hollow-cheeked and grim. This girl had healthy color in her face, and she walked with her head up. When she set the tray down, she gave Clara a warm nod.

"Thank you, Martha," Clara said with a gentle smile. "Tell the cook we have a guest tonight. We’ll have the full roast along with the usual."

"Right away, Lady Clara," Martha said with a calm voice, and she left the room.

Clone One watched the door close behind her, then picked up his cup. The tea smelled of roasted herbs and a little spice. He took a slow sip and set it back down.

Clara folded her hands in her lap and leaned forward, her crimson eyes bright with interest. "Now that we’re inside, Liam, tell me honestly. What do you plan to do here? Do you mean to go back soon?"

Clone One met her gaze. "I have something to take care of first. Once that’s done, I’ll head back."

Felix scoffed from across the table and leaned his elbow on the armrest. "And what could an outsider possibly have to take care of in a city he says he just arrived in?"

Clone One gave him an easy smile. "Just an errand. Nothing that concerns your family."

Clara raised a hand to stop her brother before he could push further. She studied Clone One for a long moment.

"You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want," Clara said. "We have plenty of rooms, and no one will bother you inside our walls. All I ask in return is that you tell me about the world you came from. We’ve lived behind the seals for generations. Nobody here knows what lies beyond them anymore."

"That sounds fair to me," Clone One said. "Ask whatever you want."

For the next hour, while the household staff moved quietly through the halls outside, Clone One told them about the magic universe. He kept what he really was hidden and called himself a traveler who had wandered across many lands. He told them about green forests that stretched for thousands of miles and oceans with crashing waves. He told them about suns that warmed the earth by day, and skies full of stars at night.

Clara listened to every word, leaning closer whenever he talked about the changing seasons or the great cities of mages and knights. She asked sharp, thoughtful questions about how humans lived when they weren’t ruled by night, and how magic moved through the open air.

Felix sat back with his arms crossed and stared at the cold fireplace like the whole conversation bored him to death. But every time Clone One paused to drink his tea, Felix’s eyes flicked toward him, waiting for him to go on. He didn’t miss a single word.

Eventually, the double doors at the far end of the room opened, and two maids stepped in to say that dinner was ready.

They moved into a long dining room lit by dozens of tall candles in silver holders. A polished wooden table stood in the middle, already covered with steaming plates of delicious looking meals, like roasted meat and baked roots, dark bread, and bowls of thick stew.

Clone One watched the staff working around the table. Half of them were pale vampires in neat dark uniforms, and the other half were humans dressed exactly the same. They worked side by side without any fear between them. When a vampire servant reached for a heavy platter at the same moment as a human maid, he stepped back and held the serving spoon for her with a quiet nod.

’So not everyone here treats humans like cattle,’ Clone One thought as he took his seat. ’This family is different.’

Clara sat at the head of the table, with Felix on her right and Clone One on her left. A vampire servant poured a thick, dark red liquid from a crystal bottle into tall silver cups beside Clara and Felix, and clear water into the glass beside Clone One’s plate.

The siblings picked up their knives and forks and ate the roast and bread just like he did, taking sips of blood wine on the side.

Clone One wasn’t surprised. The old stories from Earth never could agree on whether vampires ate, and he had already guessed that the ones here were more alive than those stories made them out to be.

"You don’t seem bothered by the wine," Felix said, pausing with his cup halfway to his lips. He watched Clone One closely. "Most humans go pale just smelling it."

"I’ve seen plenty of strange things on my travels," Clone One said, cutting a piece of roast. "A glass of red isn’t going to ruin my appetite."

Clara smiled into her cup, clearly pleased with his answer. "Tell me more about the monsters in your world, Liam. You mentioned the canyons earlier. How strong do the beasts get?"

Clone One spent the rest of the meal telling them about the wilds of the magic universe. He described the great beasts of the deep forests and the dungeons cut into ancient mountains. He left out his own strength. In his stories, he was always someone who had watched these things happen or barely lived through them.

Clara hung on every story, her eyes shining in the candlelight. Even Felix finally gave up pretending not to care, and he leaned forward over his plate to ask how mages defended themselves against creatures with hides as hard as stone.

By the time the plates were cleared, a few hours had passed.

Clara stood up from the table and smoothed down her dark skirt. "It’s getting late, and you look like you’ve had a long day. You will be shown to your room. If you need fresh clothes, we’ll have some made to your size by tomorrow."

"Thank you, Clara," Clone One said as he stood. "For the meal and for the place to stay."

"Get some rest," she said warmly. "We’ll talk more when you wake."

Martha led Clone One up a wide wooden staircase and down a quiet, carpeted hall on the second floor. She stopped at a tall door at the end of the hall, pushed it open, and stepped aside.

"Everything you need is inside, sir," Martha said with a small bow. "There’s warm water in the washroom, and a bell by the bed if you need anything during the night."

"Thank you. Good night," Clone One said.

She smiled, closed the door behind him, and walked away down the hall.

Clone One looked around the room. It was huge, bigger than the whole apartment Liam had lived in back on Earth before his life changed. A wide bed draped in dark velvet stood against the far wall between tall bookshelves, and a soft seating area sat by a tall window that looked out over the back gardens.

He walked over to the window. Past the neat stone paths of the garden, the dark roofs of the silent city stretched toward the distant ridge under the pale silver light of the four moons.

The room was completely quiet. Clone One let a thin thread of his senses slip out and swept them across the house. Downstairs, Clara and Felix were talking softly in the hall before heading to their own rooms, and the servants were finishing up in the kitchen. Nobody was watching his door or setting a trap. They really had taken him in as a guest.

Clone One turned away from the window and sat on the edge of the bed with his elbows on his knees.

The hospitality was nice, and Clara was good company, but he hadn’t forgotten why he was here.

Back in the canyon, four vampires had attacked him and tried to take his head, all because he had killed the beast that guarded their secret crossing and seen their door. Three of them were ash now, scattered across the rocks in the magic universe.

The fourth one, their leader, had run back through the portal and straight to that black manor behind the high walls.

Clone One flexed his right hand and watched a faint white light curl around his fingers for a moment before he pulled it back in. It didn’t matter what rank that vampire held, or how powerful the lord of that manor was. Someone had tried to kill him, and he intends to make them pay for it.