"My lord, meet Roselia. Her original name was something else, but after turning into a vampire and being reborn, she chose a new name—one befitting a vampire," Jace the Lich said.

Mike nodded.

"And you can just call me Mike," he added. "There's no need to call me my lord."

"Kekeke… as you wish," Jace replied.

Mike sighed inwardly in relief.I should still be wary of this guy, he thought. Who knows—if I let my guard down, he might turn me into some shit eating zombie.

The thought made him shudder, even though he knew such a thing was impossible.

"Why did you call me?" Roselia asked suddenly, her crimson eyes fixing on Mike.

"Well, ma'am," Mike said respectfully, "I need someone who can stay with my family at all times and protect them. Someone who can pass as human. So I asked him, and he recommended you."

"Hm," she replied coolly, looking him up and down. "And why should I do that? You made this deal with him, not me."

"I can use my authority to raise you to Mythical rank," Mike said calmly. "Is that payment enough?"

Roselia's hand moved suddenly—so fast Mike couldn't even see it.

A sickening crack echoed through the air as she snatched Jace's skull clean off his body, holding it in one hand while staring into its hollow eye sockets with chilling intensity.

"Is he lying?" she asked calmly.

Jace's skull tilted in her grip, clearly offended."Kekeke… do I look like someone who would lie to you?"

Mike watched the exchange in stunned silence, screaming inwardly.

She just ripped his skull off to ask a question. Who does that?Even if it doesn't hurt him at all, what kind of person thinks this is normal?

Roselia's gaze shifted back to Mike, sharp and piercing as she studied him for a long moment. Then she nodded.

"Very well. If you can truly do that, I will guard your family for as long as you live," she said. "I can even sign a mana contract with you, if you want."

With a casual flick of her wrist, she tossed Jace's skull back—missing his body entirely. It hit the ice with a dull thud.

"Oi!" Jace protested as his body bent down, picked up the skull, and placed it back where it belonged.

Mike nodded without hesitation. "Alright. Let's make a contract."

He let out a quiet breath of relief.

With a contract in place… this would be much safer.

And really—why did I ever think a crazy lich would have normal friends? Mike felt like crying, but instead he calmly took out the mana contract and began writing a few words on it.

It was an simple contract which stated Roselia will keep his family safe for as long as she can even after Mike's Death.

And in return Mike will raise her Rank and will also raise her rank in future again if he unlocks that capability.

Mike showed the contract to Roselia, and she studied it carefully before nodding.

"Hm. I wouldn't have signed a lifetime contract if not for the second clause—the one stating that you can raise my rank again in the future," she said, looking directly at him.

Then she pricked her finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the contract.

The runes ignited, glowing crimson as the contract accepted her will.

Mike nodded. He understood—no one would bind themselves for life without a compelling reason, and the promise of further ascension was more than enough.

He signed as well.

The moment his signature was completed, the contract dissolved into light, forming a connection between them.

"Alright then," Roselia said calmly. "You may call me whenever you are ready to introduce me to your family."

Her body dissolved into a swirl of blood mist, which condensed on the back of Mike's left hand. From it emerged a crimson butterfly-shaped sigil, intricate and elegant.

"A butterfly insignia?" Mike said, blinking. "I thought it would be a bat."

Jace shrugged. "She always liked butterflies," the Lich said.

Mike nodded slowly.Alright then…

"Okay," he said, turning his attention forward. "Let's go and finish my rank-up quest."

"Hm? What is it?" Jace asked.

"It's just killing a Rank 1 peak boss," Mike replied casually.

Jace froze for a moment, then stared at him.

"…Such a weak quest. Wait—what is your class rank?" he asked, studying Mike again.

"E-rank Knight," Mike said.

"Kekeke… SSS-rank humans are truly absurd," Jace laughed. "Forget that quest. Give me your permission—if we hunt a Rank 3 boss instead, you can obtain an SSS-tier blessing that will help you rank up your potential."

"You know about that?" Mike asked, surprised.

"Kekeke, of course. How do you think I became Mythical rank? I've passed through many stages. I am over 1,190 years old—I know quite a lot," Jace said smugly.

Mike nodded.

"Your class is necromancer, right?" Mike asked. "Do you have undead dragon creation-type skills?"

"kekeke Its actually SS Rank Necro Lord " Jace said.

"Keke, of course. I have Shadow Dragon and Lich Dragon summoning skills as well," Jace replied.

"Good," Mike said giving him a plain white book "Give me the Shadow Dragon skill."

Jace frowned. "What? How can I give you my skill?"

"I guess even an ancient guy like you doesn't know about this," Mike said calmly. "This is an empty skill book. It can be used to copy one skill into it and allow someone else to learn it."

Jace stared at the item in shock.

"Marvelous… I have never seen such a thing in my entire life," he said in amazement.

"I know," Mike replied with a nod.

Jace took the book and asked, "How do I use it?"

"Just think of the skill you want to copy and pour your mana into the book," Mike said, nodding.

Jace followed the instructions. Dark mana flowed from his hand into the plain white book. The pages trembled, then the entire book changed.

The cover turned violet-black, with lines of silver running across it. A silver dragon head emblem formed at the center, its eyes glowing faintly.

Jace looked at it with clear satisfaction.

"Here it is," he said, holding it out. "The Shadow Dragon Summoning skill."

He chuckled. "Kekeke… with you around, I keep seeing things I've never seen before."

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