To be honest, I was a bit curious as to who this person was who stole the Moth Queen’s heart. He must be someone of remarkable power to get her swooning.

"By the way, I’ve been meaning to speak to you about something," Khalissi suddenly said.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"It’s best if we speak in private, so another time. On the other hand, I heard we’ve been invited for breakfast with the owner of this inn. It’s best we go now; it would be rude to keep him waiting."

"You’re right," I agreed. "Let’s go."

We arrived at the dining room not long after. It was a small room but elegantly decorated. Immediately as we entered the room, we were greeted by Asia and a few other maids who bowed their heads politely to us.

They beckoned for us to take a seat at the table, which was positioned in the middle of the room. The meals on the table looked a bit strange, but I couldn’t deny they smelled appetizing.

"We’ve prepared a rare and exotic meal. Our main dish is golden lamb, which comes from a mythical creature only found here in Purgatory," Asia explained with a kind smile on her face as we all settled in around the table. "My father will be here shortly. He’s dealing with an issue that suddenly came up."

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yes, Papa is fine. Issues like these arise every day. It’s part of running an inn," Asia spoke as if it was no big deal, so I didn’t pry any further.

Selthia, Khalissi, and the witch sat with practiced elegance around the table. Their posture looked polished, as if they had done this a hundred times.

"Ah, so you can eat without getting fed," Kumo said to Selthia with a mocking smile on her face.

Selthia’s face turned bright red as her eyes transformed into sharp daggers glaring at Kumo.

"You!"

Sylvie and Kumo were different from the others. They looked as if they weren’t used to this sort of setting.

After teasing Selthia, Kumo looked as if she was caught up in another one of her wild fantasies, just as usual. Her face was bright red, and she was breathing a little erratically. I wonder what improper thoughts that crazy mind of hers came up with this time.

While Sylvie, on the other hand, was practically drooling at the meal in front of us. She looked as if she was fighting with every fiber of her being not to pounce on the table and ravage every meal available. And that unruly tail behind her could barely contain its excitement.

"I’m sorry to keep you all waiting," Just then, Asmond entered the room. He looked out of breath, as if he was rushing to get here. "A small issue came up, but it’s all over now."

"That’s good to hear," I responded, trying to sound polite.

Asmond smiled as he took his seat at the table. With him now with us, Sylvie could now dig into the meal right in front of her. While we ate, the atmosphere remained light and sober with a bit of mild chatter every now and again.

Asmond was the one who steered the conversation. He seemed to want to learn more about me but was approaching the topic carefully so as to not risk offending me. I didn’t sense any ill intentions within him, just curiosity. I didn’t answer his questions directly or make any attempt to.

As far as he knew, I was just a random passerby who happened to stumble into his inn.

"Tell me, Asmond, how close are you with vampires?" I asked.

I was looking for any means I could use to get closer to the Veylmont clan or any of the great vampire clans.

He looked at me with a surprised expression.

"I honestly don’t know much about vampires, especially the five great clans. Well, we say five great clans, but really it’s actually two. It’s the Veylmont clan and the Salvatore clan who hold all the power. The others are only there for appearance. Any one of the two can wipe them out."

"He’s right," Ember agreed with Asmond’s statement. "Compared to the Veylmont clan and the Salvatore clan, the other great clans are weak."

Interesting...

"What is the current relationship between the Veylmont clan and the Salvatore clan?" I asked.

"They are rivals, of course," Ember responded. "I would say they are in a cold war, so there isn’t a clear winner between them. If an actual war were to break out between the two of them, the entire city of Purgatory would suffer from it."

"Vampires hold too much power," Asmond shook his head. "They are freaks of nature that shouldn’t be trifled with. I mean, look at what they did to the werewolves. They almost wiped them out not that long ago. If it wasn’t for the djinn taking action, then werewolves wouldn’t exist today."

"Kukuku," Khalissi let out a small chuckle. "You are all so small-minded. Vampires are nothing compared to what’s out there. And neither is that djinn. I internally let out a chuckle every time one of you mentions that small fry. With your current mindset, none of you will survive what is to come in a year. You think vampires are bad? Wait until you meet them..."

Khalissi’s words interested me, but what caught my attention was the witch’s reaction. She reacted as if she knew something about what Khalissi was talking about. The fear I smelled from her at that moment was stronger than the fear she felt for the witch of greed.

Khalissi also noticed the witch’s reaction, as a sly smile appeared on her face. I wanted to question the witch right then and there, but the moment was lost when Asmond suddenly spoke up.

"You know, now that I think about it some more, I have heard a rumor involving one of the great clans, but I’m not sure how true it is. It’s a rumor about the eldest daughter of the Sun clan. Do you wish to hear it?"