The Vampire Princess's Growth Diary

The stained glass of the Cathedral of Sacred Radiance filtered the midday sunlight into holy gold, casting it across the shoulders of the young man kneeling before the altar.

“By the name of the Goddess of Light, I grant you the holy sword Dawn and bestow upon you the crown of the hero.”

The elderly pope’s voice rang out as the gem-encrusted sword in his hands rested lightly on Alan’s shoulder. The twenty-year-old blond man raised his head. Reflected in his blue eyes were the cathedral’s sculpted ceiling, depicting the epic tale of the hero who defeated the Demon King a thousand years ago.

“I swear to defend humanity’s glory with my life.”

Adeline looked at her two “older sisters.” Lia was gentle, and Vera lively, but both had the same determination in their eyes: the look of people who had struggled and finally found where they belonged.

She sat up, her silver hair slipping over her shoulders, her red eyes gleaming faintly in the dim light.

“...I’m ready.”

It wasn’t entirely true, but she was trying.