Ignoring Eve, who was terrified and on the verge of collapse, Maggie walked straight inside without stopping. As far as she could see, she could already see blood seeping from the cracks in the door.

"Wait! There's more inside! There's more stuff! Don't go in!!!"

Before Maggie could reach out to push open the gate of the city lord's mansion, Eve's scream of terror suddenly came from behind her, her finger pointing into the building.

Maggie frowned, turning to look at Eve who had fallen to the ground, a sense of unease rising within her.

Logically speaking, if a vampire wanted to eliminate witnesses, she wouldn't still be in the city lord's mansion. She should have already cleared out all the survivors and evacuated them on her way back. How could there still be a vampire inside now?

Tell me everything you saw.

Maggie turned around, walked to Eve's side, bent down and suddenly lifted her chin, her face cold and her tone chilling.

Eve was already in a state of stress, and when Maggie treated her so roughly, she couldn't help but tremble. Her eyes were filled with nothing but fear and panic.

"I...I...I saw bats fly in, and then, and then...they turned into vampires and killed a lot of people."

After Eve finished speaking, she visibly swallowed, but under Maggie's pressure, she continued haltingly.

"Later, I managed to escape and hid in the carriage. I saw someone go in through the gate and hasn't come out yet. He looks terrifying... more terrifying than a vampire."

As she spoke, her emotions became noticeably more unstable, meaning she was more afraid of the people who went in after her than the vampires.

"...."

Maggie is barely able to maintain her saintly image; so many unexpected complications have arisen.

Unfamiliar humans, whose allegiance is unknown, are far more troublesome than vampires with weaknesses...

She took a deep breath, shook off Eve, and turned to walk back into the city lord's mansion, giving orders to the paladins and nuns who were following her.

"When the door opens, kill any vampires or humans that rush out on the spot."

The paladins immediately became serious and answered in unison.

"Yes, Your Highness."

In fact, Maggie could have let the paladins lead the charge, but in the face of uncertainty, the fact that those in power were willing to take the risk clearly won them more favor.

Moreover, she wasn't without ways to protect herself.

Maggie took the staff from the nun, activated a defensive magic circle around herself, and then reached out to push open the door.

With a creak, the door opened, and a dark figure lunged out.

Maggie's eyes narrowed, and just as she was about to cast a spell, she discovered that what fell out was a corpse.

The corpse fell in front of her, vaguely resembling a maid, or perhaps a maid who had long since become a blood servant, with grayish-white skin and sharp fangs.

Maggie looked up and saw that the interior was pitch black, with only the light shining through the door making it possible to see what was inside.

The steps, covered with a red carpet, were covered with corpses. Blood had even soaked through the carpet, flowing down the handrail and pooling into small streams. Some of the corpses had lost their heads, and their brains were mixed with blood.

Judging from their attire, there are maids, gardeners, guards, and even butlers and cooks.

"vomit!"

Eve was sitting not far from the door. Already on the verge of collapse, she vomited on the spot after seeing the scene of corpses all over the place.

Tears and snot streamed down her face, making her look extremely miserable and unrecognizable as a princess.

Maggie was also disgusted by the scene before her, but in order to maintain her persona, she didn't even change her expression, even though her stomach was churning.

For safety's sake, Maggie had to endure the nausea and look for clues.

As her gaze swept over the corpses, each with its own distinct manner of death, Maggie keenly sensed that some of them were not blood servants, but vampires.

Moreover, these vampires died in rather gruesome ways, mostly headless, looking as if they had been blown apart by something.

Unlike other blood servants, most of them had their hearts pierced by sharp weapons.

"Your Highness, this..."

The paladins had decent mental fortitude; they had encountered similar situations during missions and were somewhat more resilient.

"Go in and search to see if there are any surviving humans."

Maggie closed her eyes and gave the command softly.

Even though she knew very well that they had most likely all been killed.

So, Eve was actually a little surprised that she was able to escape. After all, she was a high-level magician and a princess; she should have had many ways to save her life.

It's a pity that they've lived in the palace for so long and don't know much about the cruelty outside, which is why they were so frightened.

Maggie thought to herself as she gave instructions to the paladins.

"Those who can enter through the main gate of the city lord's mansion are most likely human. These vampires were probably killed by him, and they may not necessarily have any ill intentions towards humans. If you encounter them, do not attack them. First, identify yourself."

She had a vague idea that the person who could kill vampires using such methods was likely a blood hunter.

"yes."

The paladin received the order and immediately began to act. Maggie was not idle either. She dodged the mess of corpses and walked up the stairs step by step.

She could hear sounds; perhaps the Blood Hunter was fighting with the vampires who had come to silence her.

There's a reason Maggie would take the initiative to approach him; after all, fortune favors the bold.

Bloodhunters are not just individuals, but an organization that calls itself the Bloodhunters Guild. Every member of the guild has an irreconcilable blood feud with vampires.

They'll take on dangerous bounty missions, hoping to help the Blood Hunters out of a favor... which might come in handy later.

Maggie really had no choice. She had no powerful backing and rarely left the temple to act alone. Opportunities to make friends with people like this were rare, and she didn't want to give them up.

The closer you are to the upper level, the louder the sound becomes.

Maggie gripped the Demon King's Scepter hanging around her neck tightly, finally feeling a sense of security.

Sigh, it's a bit too ironic that the Holy Maiden of Light relies on the Demon King for her sense of security.

Maggie thought helplessly.

She walked past the corner pavilion and approached the room from which the sound came. Her pace slowed, and her palms began to sweat.

Although she judged that there were blood hunters and vampires inside, she might encounter danger if her prediction was wrong.

As she was thinking, a loud 'bang' suddenly rang in her ears, and the door in front of her was violently kicked open, from which an unknown figure was quickly thrown out.

Maggie keenly sensed that the person's aura was human. Without hesitation, her staff flashed with magic, catching the person with magic and preventing her from flying off the railing and falling to the ground below.

The city lord's mansion has a hollow structure with surrounding staircases; falling from five stories high would result in death or serious injury.

Maggie's intervention now is tantamount to saving a life.