ã€ŠBirth of Demonic Mage: A Progression Fantasyã€‹


 Prologue

    <div>

    Lying on his bed, in his four-by-four cell, Dave looked at the ceiling blankly.

    Even a chicken who is about to be slaughtered, panics and runs amok before the butcher cuts its head off. So why the hell am I not able to feel anything?

    He had understood long ago that his emotionless trait would create a lot of trouble in the future. And if he is not wrong, then he is in this cell because he has been emotionless most of his life.

    Dave cannot feel happiness, sadness, empathy, or any sort of emotion. Basically, he was like a robot, looking at the world with his logical gaze. But the good thing was, very early on in his life he found out that he cannot live as he was, in this society.

    It all started with him not crying when the pet dog of their whole orphanage died. Even the teenagers of the orphanage cried that day, but he remained silent. Even stoic. His nonchalant behavior made him receive tons of stares and contempt.

    No one dared to bully him or hurt him, since he was the golden child of the orphanage, he was a prodigy. But those stares made him realize that if he wanted to live peacefully, he would have to show some emotion. Otherwise, he might not be able to survive in this society.

    Hearing the knock on his cell door, he sighed with relief.

    ¡°And here I thought you guys forgot about me,¡± he said while pushing himself up. He faced the wall with his hands in the air. The guards came in, armed in full body gear. They cuffed his legs and arms. Made him sit in a wheelchair, cuffed him to the wheelchair as well, and it was then they brought him out of the cell.

    As Dave came out, he was greeted by the warden of the prison, Trevor Philips, a balding white old man, with an angry face, ¡°Ready to meet your maker Davey?¡±

    ¡°Ready sir,¡± he said. Usually, it was in his public code of conduct to always smile in anyone¡¯s company, but he figured that he was about to die in a few minutes. He can now leave the facade behind.

    ¡°Let go boys,¡± the warden said and the guards started pushing him.

    ¡°So what took you guys so long? The delay made me think that the government decided to hand me a pardon,¡±

    The warden chuckled, ¡°You are a serial killer Davey. Your vigilantism took the lives of 259 people that we know of. There was no way in hell that you were getting a pardon,¡±

    ¡°You know the guys that I killed are all criminals, right? I mean I am like Batman, minus the bat suit and no killing rule,¡± It was true, he might not be a billionaire, but he was a multi-millionaire. His intellect and Masters from MIT helped him to make cool stuff for himself and for the world. And he was very deadly when it came to Muay Thai as well.

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    The warden passed him a smile, ¡°My wife is alive because of the charitable foundation that you established Dave. No one would forget what good things you did with your money. But that doesn''t mean that you can roam around killing criminals and taking the law into your own hands. There is law and order for that,¡±

    The poor lad, he truly believes in the justice system, he thought. As a member of the elite society of the world, he knew better. He knew, exactly to whom the justice system served.

    ¡°Sure buddy,¡± he said with sarcasm, making the warden roll his eyes.

    They traveled the whole way in silence. They soon reached the execution room, where Dave would be executed via electric chair, and he was looking forward to it.

    The guards uncuffed him and made him sit on the special chair. Before him was a tinted glass, which he knew for sure was two-way glass. He was sure that behind the glass was a swarm of journalists, his lawyer, and maybe the family members of the people that he killed, maybe.

    32 years old, and being executed. He thought. I wonder, if I got sent back in time like some of the novels that I read, would I have taken the good route? The monster in me, could that had not born, if I had taken the good route?

    Dave was a self-made man. Got his master¡¯s when he was just 16, and since then he only moved up the ladder of the world. And this is how the world knew him, the multi-millionaire tech genius who changed the way that communication networks worked.

    From what he had heard around, most people believe that he had done all those bad things because of some moral compass. People think that he was acting as a vigilante, whose purpose was to make this world a better place. But no one knew the truth, he never revealed it to anyone. Because it was far worse than anyone could imagine.

    His first kill was his dorm neighbor during the time he was pursuing his master. That guy was annoying as hell. That man used to vomit on his door, throw loud parties, and always tried to bully him into doing his assignments. Dave never faltered even once in front of bullying, but something broke in him one day when that man crossed the lines and destroyed his laptop. The same laptop that contained his work of the past 3 years.

    He killed the man and butchered him like a pig.

    When the police came for the investigation, for the first time in his life he felt an emotion. He felt fear. Although he had planned the murder in such a way, that no blame could be thrown at him. Still, he felt fear, he thought that he would get caught. But when the police returned empty-handed and closed the case, the thrill that he got from the ordeal became intoxicating for him.

    That emotion filled his body with ecstasy. He liked the thrill to such an extent, that he became one of the most notorious serial killers. He didnt do it for money, with his intelligence money just rolled in. It was just a matter of thrill.

    Countless times he tried satisfying his thrill with other activities and tried a lot of things. But hunting down human beings, and getting away with it was the best. He was 20 when he realized that he could not live without that thrill, so he decided to target only the criminals. That way, if he were to get caught, at least his life work wouldn''t go to waste. He could spin off his real story as an act of vigilantism.

    No one had seen his real face, he never dared to show it to anyone. And he would die like that.

    I wonder whether my lack of emotion was the reason that I became like this. I wonder if I did have emotions.. How could that would have changed my destiny? He thought as the executioner made him wear the hat that would deliver the shock.

    Oh, how the fuck did they manage to do that? He thought when he didnt feel any wet sponge on his head, below the hat.

    Usually when executing someone with a wet sponge, the person being executed doesn''t suffer a lot. Seeing that there was no sponge on his head, he gave in. He accepted his faith.

    The current was turned on, and he suffered. He felt that his whole body was burning from the inside out, but he endured it. This was his punishment, and he would gladly accept it.

 Chapter-1: Adui Hampshire

    When he started regaining consciousness, his eyelids felt heavy. Dave felt as if a semi-truck had gone over his body, which might explain why he couldnt feel his legs and arms. It took some time, but soon all his senses started running once again at their normal pace. For some reason, the first thing that his senses picked up was the smell was piss and shit.

    Upon slowly opening his eyes, he found himself in a rather dark room. With a little effort, he looked around to find himself in an unknown room. There was a bronze jug and glass by his bedside, probably filled with water. The ceiling was not decorated in any way, and one could see the bare stones, used to make the floor above his room. His bed was not very comfortable as well, it was coarse. Definitely not like what he was used to.

    Where the hell am I?

    Slowly Dave pushed away the blanket from his body, only to realize that he was naked. He pushed himself up and sat up straight on the bed. He realized that he had become rather skinny, which meant that he had been in this place for a while.

    Did someone rescue me from the execution and bring me here? He thought. It was not possible, according to him until and unless a rather powerful person was behind it. But he could not think of anyone that would want to rescue him.

    When he pushed himself up, he could feel the cold stone beneath his bare feet, and he could see the silhouette of a door in front of him. Staggering with every step he took, he somehow managed to reach the door, rotate the door knob, and pushed open the door.

    He was greeted with a well-lit hallway, where the sunlight from the barred windows was doing most of the work. On the walls were these iron holders with candles on them. There were some very poorly drawn portraits on the wall and not a person in sight.

    Should I call for help? He thought. But decided against it, as he realized that it was better to investigate on his own first.

    There was a similar door to his, just a few steps away from him. He staggered his way to it, and pushed it open, only to see a woman working inside. She was wearing rather dull and not well-made clothes. She was putting a sheet on the bed with her back turned to him. He took a step towards her, making her turn.

    "Ah!" she screamed with surprise.

    "Master Adui," she said, in shock. Then she put one of her hands between her eyes and his crotch, "You are awake," she said in a rather nervous way.

    Dave on the other hand was taken aback as he could understand the woman. She was speaking in a language, whose accent and dialect he had never heard in his life. As a person who has eidetic memory, he was sure that he didnt learn this particular language.

    He opened his mouth, to speak in the language of the woman, "Where¡­" Before he could speak anything else, he staggered and fell to his knees. Without missing a beat he asked, "Where is this?"

    The maid''s eyes widened with surprise, she started "MASTER! MISTRESS! PRESCOT!" and then she went past him, leaving him on his knees. Dave didnt have any energy to run after him, nor did he know what prompted the woman to run away. Pushing everything aside, he lay on his stone floor and closed his eyes. He didnt have the energy to stay awake now¡­

    ***

    When Dave opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in a brightly lit room.

    Was that all a dream? He thought. But then he found himself staring at the same ceiling that he had seen before.

    As his eyes regained their focus, he clocked that there were several people in the room with him. "I dont think that this barren heap of shit gained back his intelligence," came a rather young and arrogant voice. "He is a burden now and he will be a burden in the future as well," this man seems to be talking to someone. Curious about what was happening, he pushed himself up and sat up straight on his bed.

    It was then he was greeted by four people in the room. There was this middle-aged man, wearing shabby brown robes, with a few strands of grey hair on his head, standing on one side of the room, silently. This man had a rather short stature and looked kind of like a rat.

    Then there was a strong brawny tall middled aged man, standing beside the foot of his bed. Wearing silks like that women wear, that man was giving him vibes, like he was a pervert. And then the middle-aged woman sitting on the other side of his bed, wearing silks as well. She looked like the typical alcoholic woman who was having an existential crisis.

    Last but not least, there was an arrogant-looking teenager with long silky hair like the brawny man and woman staring at him from the other side of the room.

    "Finally," the youngster spoke, "The prince had woken up.. Quickly bring out the mead, it''s time to celebrate,"

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    "Quiet now," the brawny man said, and then the youngster became quiet. Then the man then looked straight into Dave''s eyes and said, "Is it true? Can you speak now?"

    What does that mean? I was able to speak before this. He thought.

    At the time he was confused, not knowing what was happening around him. In the end, he decided to just ask, and understand what was happening here, "I.. Am able to speak," he said in the unknown language. Everyone in the room was surprised to hear his voice. They looked so surprised as if he was not able to speak before this.

    "Good," the brawny man said, "A burden finally lessened from this household."

    "Burden will be a burden, no matter how skilled they get," the youngster from behind commented.

    "This might be the miracle of Lord Itab," the woman spoke and then started praying while looking at the ground, weirding him out further.

    He was about to ask what they were talking about, but then his gaze fell on his skinny arms. They were brown, his skin tone had changed. And it was similar to the people in the room. Not only that, his arms looked smaller than before, as if they belonged to a teenager or a kid.

    Have I transmigrated? He had read many stories about how people would get another chance of life if they died an early death. But he would have never ever thought that he would get that chance as well.

    I have to act fast, he thought.

    "Who are you people?" he asked, "What is this place?" Making the people in the room too stunned to answer.

    ***

    After two whole weeks of living in this place, Dave had peace with the fact that he had transmigrated.

    The only sad part was that he had transmigrated into a very shitty world. He had transmigrated into a world that is similar to medieval England. There are knights and nobles that look after the lands for the King. Diseases ran rampant here, and people have no idea about what hygiene is, nor about pregnancy prevention methods it seems.

    He was born into the Baron Hampshire family. He has seven siblings, and he was the fourth one. The brawny man and the woman he saw, the second time he woke up, were his parents. The youngster who was passing comments from the back was his eldest brother.

    As there was no soap in this world, and people have no sense of personal hygiene, most people in the world smells like the combination of piss, sweat, and dicks.

    After spending some time in a world where there are no toilets or bidets, Dave wanted to end for himself. He could sense that he was still that emotionless monster that he was in his previous life. As far as the monster inside of him was concerned, it had not come out till now. The reason being, that there was no thrill of killing anyone here. With a lack of proper forensic methods, there was no way the fools of this world would catch him. With no thrill, he didnt have any motivation to kill either¡­

    Sitting in the garden area of the manor, Dave was looking at the sunrise with his emotionless eyes. He had no reason to hide his true nature here. He was not only bored but a little fed up as well.

    I finally understood why I was transmigrated into this dump. He thought, This is my purgatory. I have nothing to do, nor something to kill. It all made sense now.

    It was then from the front gate of the manor, that he saw people from the nearby village dragging with them a rather large boulder. About 21-24 people were dragging a 4-5 ton rock behind them. The worst part was, they were not using any proper method to drag it as well. They just have ropes attached to the boulder, and they were just pulling it.

    Wouldn''t it make more sense if they slid the rock on a bunch of logs? That would be more efficient.

    At that time, Dave was more curious about why these guys were doing it in the first place. Why are they bringing a boulder to this household?

    "Good," he heard a voice from behind, Dave turned to see the Lord of this household, his father, "Bring it in," The hard-working individuals complied. After the boulder was brought in, his father Lord Harold Hampshire paid the villagers some bronze coins and they went their way.

    What a cheap fellow, he thought about his father''s antics, There was no way that this was a job whose pay could just be a few bronze coins.

    Bronze coins were the lowest denomination of currency in this world, in the first place was platinum, then gold, and in the second last place came silver.

    A few of those coins could get a family of four to get by for a month or so. But when comparing the amount of people doing the job, and the pay that would be divided amongst them, this was very low.

    "Oye, Adui!" he turned towards his father, "Get inside. I am practicing here,"

    He stood up and started walking at a leisurely pace. "Get moving you barren fuck!" his father yelled.

    What the fuck do they mean by barren? He thought. He had his eldest brother call him that, along with his father and his mother. It was an insult, he knew, but what it meant was beyond him.

    Maybe barren meant that I could not father any children. It was a plausible theory. He was an eleven-year-old boy, and according to this world''s standard, he was eligible to get married. Usually, nobles marry around this age.

    But as a man from the 21st century, there was no way that he was going to participate in coitus, with a minor. As far as his theory of his not being able to father children was concerned, he didnt even want to think about how these people came to know.

    As he got inside, he was about to head to his room, where he would confine himself till it was time for supper. But a loud bang from outside made him stop in his tracks. He immediately turned around and peeked at the garden.

    Dave saw his father punching the said boulder. The weird part was that he could see a blue glow being emitted by his father''s hands. Not only his father''s hand, he could also see a blue hue flowing around the garden, and he was a hundred percent sure that the hue was not there when he was sitting there¡­

    His father was persistent with the punches, and soon he could see cracks forming on the boulder.

    Not only are his arms not getting fractured, but his punches also have the power to form cracks in that boulder. That rock seems like granite, and could be said that it is one of the hardest rocks.

    He was truly amazed by the scene before him. His scientific curiosity was awakened at that moment, and he wanted to know how his so-called father could do that. More than that, he started to imagine what would happen if he were to kill one of the people close to the super-human before him.

    He certainly would be angry, He thought, making him smile for the first time in the two weeks he had been here.

 Chapter-2: A Pig to Squeal

    The Hampshires were a bizarre family. Although there were seven of them in total, none of them loved each other. It was like they were co-existing with each other. The smaller members of the Hampshire family were oblivious little twats, didnt know a word of hatred. The same could not be said for the elder siblings. They wanted to earn the attention of their father, and in the process always picked fights with one another.

    Except when it came to making fun of Adui or Dave, then they posed a united front.

    Adui''s new father was Arnold Hampshire, and there was only to describe the man. He was a meathead. A lot of brawn, but sadly no brains. All day long, his father would either bark orders at him or his siblings or bark orders at Hubert, the family''s unofficial butler.

    Hubert was a pervert and egotistical bastard. While roaming around the house, Adui had seen him being all over the business of three maids who worked in their house. And one time he also saw his father dragging Martha, one of the maids, off to the guest room located in the middle of their manor.

    Surrounded by perverts and imbeciles, Adui truly believed that this was his purgatory, and he would die a very slow and painful death in this place by some plague or something. But it was before he saw his father turn a huge fucking boulder into dust. He didnt know how his father''s hands were glowing blue, nor did he know how he did it. But it awoke two things in him.

    The monster inside of him, thinking of how he could off one of the close family members of his father, and play with the brawny guy. The cool thing was, as he had no legacy to protect now, he could truly unleash the monster.

    And boy he had plans.

    Another thing that got awakened in him, was his scientific curiosity. He wanted to know whether this world have something called magic. Because only that could explain what he saw. And to understand what this world was truly like, he needed a pig¡­

    It was nighttime, everyone was asleep in their beds. But Adui was awake. He wanted to get to the crux of the situation, and for that, he would need a pig that would squeal out all the secrets that he wanted to find out. And for that, he was a great candidate. Which is why, he was currently navigating through the dark corridors to get to his pig.

    In the last weeks, he had managed to memorize everything there is to know about the manor. He knew every room, the count of steps that one would need to get from one room to another, and last but not least, he knew where everything was kept. Now he could travel through the corridors, with his eyes closed.

    It didnt take him long to get to his pig''s room. He could see that his pig was still awake, probably because the maids stayed up late to clean up after everyone in the family had dinner. Gently, he knocked on the door.

    A woman''s head peeked outside. The light of candles from inside her room fell on his stoic face.

    "Master Adui," she whispered, "Can I help you with something?"

    "Sure you can," he said, and then pushed the door aside and walked in. The maid fell on the floor, she was in her underwear, probably why she was peeking from the door.

    "What are you doing?" The woman nervously spoke, as she covered herself with her hands. He didnt bat an eye to her naked figure and closed the door behind him.

    He then went and sat down on her bed, "Martha, you and I need to talk," he said calmly.

    Till that time Martha had quickly grabbed what looked like a nightgown. She quickly got dressed and mumbled at him, "You barren fuck, you got a lot of nerve." She came to stand before him, "Wait till I tell your mother. She will have your ears for disrespecting me like that,"

    Unmoved, he gestured to get closer to him. Martha probably obeyed, as it was in her nerves to accept all orders from him. As she got closer to his face, he slapped her so hard that she fell on the floor, on his feet.

    His handprint got imprinted on her cheek, and she went into shock. "And what the hell will you tell my mother?" he asked, "I can just tell her that I only wanted to play with you. And I did what my father did so, two days ago. Didnt he?"

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    She became pale, "I wonder whether my mother would punish me, or have your head. My father would probably be unscathed, but you on the other hand.. Dear oh dear,"

    Her breaths became uneven, "Who are you?" she asked while rubbing her cheek, "You cannot be Master Adui." Her shock was truly relevant

    When he saw his father and mother was the first time, they asked him whether he could really speak. It was like he was not able to speak before this. He didnt want to stand out in any way, so he didnt ask around. But the insults that his family threw at him made him understand that the original owner of the body was, a mentally challenged fellow.

    The original owner didnt speak, but could understand the conversation. And one day, the eldest sibling of the Hampshire family used the poor boy as a training dummy. And that was what got the poor boy in such a state. From what he heard, this body had been in a coma for about 2 months, before he took over.

    According to the household, now Adui could speak. But he is still the dumb boy that he was before. And Dave made sure not to show his intelligence to the people of the world, so Martha''s shock was kind of given..

    "I am Adui." He confidently said. Although he didnt like the name Adui, he was stuck with it.

    With a sigh and sad face, he spoke, "I am was stuck¡­ you know, in my body." He looked into her eyes, "But that accident freed me. I was able to move properly, hell, even speak properly."

    "You were freed by Master Noah?" It was a very dumb explanation, but considering the IQ of people in the house, it would work for now.

    "Yeah," he sighed, "That man is a lot of things.. But he did help me get free." Then Dave stared into her eyes, "For a moment there, I felt that I dont want to live in this world. I have been stuck in a very bad place for a very long time. But yet here I was. I have been thinking about committing suicide, but then I saw what my father did today. I want to know how he was able to do, what he did,"

    The woman looked rather surprised by the question, "He was able to do it because he is a mana wielder." She said as if it was the most obvious thing.

    "What is a mana wielder?"

    "They are the people, who have received the gift of the gods. They wield power that can trample mountains, flip the seas, change weather, and many more things that normal people like us cannot do,"

    "I dont think my father would be able to trample mountains, he is not a giant," he said, not understanding what the woman meant to say.

    "Your father is a strong mana wielder, but he is not the strongest. I have heard that there are some noble houses where people far stronger than your father lives,"

    "Where did you hear that piece of information?"

    "My father used to work as a porter. He used to hear a lot of things from moving merchant caravans."

    The source is not reliable. Her words may have weight to them, but knowing something like this exists in the world is very interesting.

    "How can I become a mana wielder?" he asked.

    "You cannot," she said, "You are barren. The black sheep of the family. The rest of your family members can wield mana, but you cannot,"

    "Oh," Inwardly, he was glad the meaning of barren was not what he was expecting.

    "Are there any records on mana wielders, or their power?"

    "You mean books? They are all in Lord Hampshire''s training room,"

    "Hmm." He thought, a plan brewing inside his head, "Also, tell me something else¡­" he said and then started asking questions about this body''s past, and the Hampshire¡­

    That night Dave got a full-on theory lesson on the Hampshire family by Martha. The poor pig squealed all the frustration that she had about the family, and he was happy to hear everything. She accidentally told him a ton of secrets as well, like the fact that Mrs. Hampshire sometimes brings the old Hubert into her chambers when Lord and the siblings go out to the monthly hunts.

    And the maids truly believed that there was a chance that Adui could be the son of Hubert. The infidelity didn''t deter him, because had other things to think about¡­

    ***

    The next morning, the Hampshires were having breakfast at the huge dining table. Usually, Dave chose to remain silent at the table, but this morning he had other plans.

    "Father,''" he said. His voice was clear, reflecting his confidence. Hearing his voice, everyone at the table also quieted down, curious to hear what he had to say.

    "What is it?" his father asked him.

    "Father.." He hesitated, but then spoke, "I want to learn how to read and write,"

    His eldest sister, the second sibling of Hampshire scoffed, "And what do you intend to learn how to read and write?"

    "Forget about intention, do you even have the brains to learn?" the eldest brother asked.

    "The pigs of the local farm have a better chance of learning.." One of his other siblings commented, which made everyone in the room laugh. Even maids and Huberts smirked at the joke, but he noticed that Martha didnt smirk.

    "I dont have the money to teach a wasteral like you," his father commented.

    "Father you can let Hubert teach me," he suggested, "That way you won''t have to spend any money," His siblings made mean comments on his suggestion, but his father didnt say anything. From what he could tell, he was contemplating the idea.

    It is only his siblings have made all the jokes that he could make, his father said, "I will let Hubert teach you for a month. And if you dont show any progress, that would it for you boy. I will send you off to join the royal army as a soldier,"

    "I will do my best," And just like he completed the first phase of his plan

 Chapter-3: Devil or Angel?

    Education is critical, especially in the serial killer industry. After all, there is a reason why the most notorious psychopaths that ever walked on Earth were all very educated people. It is because education helps the killer better understand how society works, and what are it flaws. It is using these flaws can a killer get away by murdering.

    Dave had the thought of harming the Hampshires, but he knew that he could not just do it. Especially not what he had seen his father do. So he wanted to know what more this world has to offer, whether there was magic in this world. And if there was magic, then whether there was any magic that could track him down, or perhaps help the investigators to track down the murder weapon or something.

    He wanted to learn those things, because the target that he had in his mind, would flip his father off of the rails. He had decided that if he had to kill, he might as well kill the eldest sibling, Luthor Hampshire.

    There was a reason that Luthor could act as a spoiled brat in front of everyone. That is because his father favors him the most, apparently that guy had the potential to surpass even his father one day. And that made the man the gem of the family. It made sense to kill the man, to extract all the despair and thrill that Adui could.

    As far as the lessons with Hubert were concerned, they were not bad, but not good either. That old man doesn''t know how to teach, and if weren''t for his eidetic memory, it would have taken him a long time to finally grasp the language. But with his intelligence, he was able to jump from learning the alphabet to spelling out words in just twenty days.

    Further down the line, Adui was able to read the sentence out loud, which made Hubert bring him to his father¡­

    Hubert escorted him into the study. That room had been a mystery to Adui ever since he transmigrated, as no one was allowed to go in the room without their father''s permission. Even the cheeky Luthor heeded the warning and never went in.

    The only reason he was allowed to go there was because he had learned everything that Hubert had to offer. And for that, they were visiting their father.

    When they knocked on the door of the room, they heard the hoarse voice of his father, "Come in"

    As they walked in, Adui took the whole feel of the room. And it was not what he was expecting. Calling this room a study room would be an insult. More than three-fourths of the room was essentially the training area. From weights to swords and axes, the whole place was filled with useless junk and had a strong smell of sweat and piss.

    Why the fuck this room smells like piss? It was a mystery, that he was too terrified to find the answer to.

    Besides the three shelves of books was a mahogany chair and table, on which his father was seated, seemingly lost in his work. The weird part about the place was the blue hue around his father. He remembers seeing the hue before when his father turned that boulder into dust. What he didnt understand was, why the hell that hue was concentrated around his father.

    As Hubert and he came to the table, he tried smelling the hue. It didnt seem to have any smell to it. But for some reason, he felt good as the hue entered his body.

    "Master," Hubert said, his father glanced up, "I have done what I could sire,"

    His father scoffed, "I knew that this boy would lose his motivation one day. I am surprised to see that it took you a month to get this boy off his horse,"

    What a dickhead, he wanted his son to fail¡­ If all the fathers of this world are truly like this, then it is a good thing that I was born an orphan.

    "No sire," Hubert quickly corrected, "You got it wrong. I have taught Young Master Adui everything that I could. He could now read and write,"

    For the first time, Adui saw his father look rather surprised, "You are saying that this boy could read and write now?"

    "Yes sire," Hubert said, "I have ascertained the fact various times, before coming to you," During the conversation, he didnt say anything because he wanted to maintain the facade that he was still afraid to even speak or look at his father.

    His father looked at him, clearly having suspicion. He then opened the drawer from his right side and passed him a snow-white card. Adui took the card, only to find golden letters etched on it. It was an invitation.

    "Read this," his father ordered.

    Like a drone, he started reading, "Lo..rd Ha..mp..shire. Lord Hampshire, al..ong¡­ es¡­ no.. His.. He..arr.. Is.. Invited to.." His father snatched the card from him. He checked the words on the card and then looked at him with astonishment.

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    "I wonder, whether this fool becoming a genius is a sign of grace from Lord Itab, or whether my beloved son has some hidden ability to cure retards like him,"

    It was then the door of the study room was flung open and his eldest brother Luthor barged in, "Father, we should be going," he said while walking in.

    Nodding, his father Arnold stood up, "You are correct. We should."

    Luthor came and stood by them, "And what are these pieces of trash doing here?" Hubert could just smile at the insult, as he always does.

    "Well, guess what," his father said, "Your little brother had turned prodigy after getting your beating. He learned how to read and write in just a month."

    Luthor looked surprised to hear that, "This barren fuck?" and then Adui received a smack on the back of his head. "I do believe it,"

    "It is true sire," Hubert said, "Young Master Adui had really changed since the incident,"

    Luthor chuckled, "Is that so.. Tell me ass-wipe, if you I give you one bronze coin every day, for thirty days. How many coins will you have?"

    It might have been that Luthor was trying to show that he was still dumb by the rother, that he was before. But to bring the little twat down a peg, he instantly answered, "30 coins,"

    "Nah," Luthor loudly exclaimed, and then smacked his head once again, "Zero, because I will not give you none," Luthor''s smacks hurt like hell. But Adui didnt say anything, as this was not the time. He would have his revenge one day.

    "What would you get if you received 3 coins every day, for thirty days," his father asked him.

    He nonchalantly answered, "90 coins,"

    "What about if I give you¡­" and like that, his father asked him basic maths questions like this. A part of him wanted to answer some of them wrong, but he didnt. He figured that why not ride the prodigy train while he was at it, maybe it might actually lead him somewhere.

    "Hail lord Itab," his father muttered, "This boy really is a genius,"

    Adui didnt notice that Luthor became angry after hearing this because soon that man grabbed his neck and pants and flung him across the room. "What the hell are you doing?" his father angrily asked.

    "We are getting late. It is not good to make a man like Eurio wait for father," Adui on the other hand started sobbing, while lying on the floor, with his his eyes closed.

    "Hubert, let a maid see whether the boy sustained any injury, we need to go," his father commanded.

    "Yes, master.." Hubert said and then ran off to the door, "MARTHA! Come here,"

    Adui then heard some shuffling and realized that all of them left. Soon the door was once again open and he saw Martha coming in. Losing the facade of sobbing, he immediately stood up.

    Mother fucker, he exclaimed inwardly, That skinny man was able to fling me this far? Although Luthor was strong, he didnt have any defined muscles like that of his father. So it was very surprising the kind of strength that boy showcased.

    The mysteries of this world just keep piling up on one another. He thought and walked up to the bookcase to look at the collection that his deranged father had to offer.

    "Are you alright young master?" Martha asked hesitantly.

    "Yes, I am fine," he said, as he stared at the books.

    No name or reference on the spines of the book.. That is troubling. He then took one of the books off the shelf and started inspecting it.

    "Young master?" he looked from the book, "Are you¡­ Are you the devil?" she asked with a shaky voice.

    Devil? It is then that he realized why Martha was scared of him, and why would she scurry away whenever he would come around. At the time he thought that she might be doing so because she feared that he might expose her secret. But now he realized how stupid he had been. Only Martha had seen his real self, and for a woman with low IQ and no modern intellect, his actions might seem that they are the work of and devil.

    "Why do you think that I am a devil?" he asked curiously.

    She looked down, scared to even look at him. Then she started muttering, "Your actions.. Your intellect.. They just manifested. Young Master Adui that I knew never had any of them. He was a sweet boy.. But you are not him,"

    Adui groaned inwardly. He didnt have time to deal with her, and the problem was that he had to deal with her, and that to now. Considering how backward this place is, if this woman truly suspects that he could be the devil, and tells everyone about it, then he might be burned alive.

    "Why do you think that I am a devil?" he asked.

    "Well¡­ The changes.. I think that devil has taken control of your body,"

    He chuckled and acted calm, "Think about it, Martha.." He said while moving closer to her, "If I were a devil, then I wouldn''t be wasting my time studying. I would be creating discord in the family, and might as well go after the life of my smaller siblings,"

    He then came close to her, "If I were the devil, I wouldn''t have come to you that night for some information. I would have done more things." He could feel her breaths coming heavier, she was scared, "I am not the devil. Nor will I say that I am a servant of Lord Itab. I am Adui. I am just being so cautious because of my siblings,"

    She looked him in his eyes, "Your brothers and sisters?"

    "Think about it," he said, "I am being beaten, insulted at every day, at every moment. What do you reckon they would start doing when they realize about my intelligence and my changes? They might come after my life."

    She shook her head, "None of your siblings would go that far¡­"

    He put his finger on her chin and raised her head, "If you truly believe then you might be more naive than you think you are," She took a step back.

    "Now go away," he said, "I want to practice my reading. Father''s orders," She scurried away like a mouse returning to their hole.

    It was then he turned around and put the book bonk in the shelf. And then turned all of his attention to the chair, he had noticed earlier that the blue hue seemed to emitting from the chair itself. At first, he thought that his father might be emitting it, but now that he was looking at the thing closely, he realized that he was wrong.

    What kind of secrets do you hold? He thought, and dove into the chair¡­

 Chapter-4: The mysterious blue hue

    The mahogany chair of Adui''s father was surely emitting a blue hue, but why, was the question. So when he dove into the chair, looking at every nook and cranny of the thing, he realized an oddity in the chair design. The seat, based on how wide it was, felt a little thin in its cushioning. He realized instantly that the secret was hidden in the cushioning. And it didnt take him long to find the false bottom of the chair.

    He lay down the chair, to find there were two wooden pieces, that were holding the bottom together. Based on the scratches around the pieces, he realized that more than often these pieces are turned to open to the fake bottom. He turned them, and the wooden plank which was at the bottom of the chair fell. And with it came a stone.

    The stone itself was very small, probably the size of an adult''s pinky finger. But he had not seen any such stone in his previous life, as this one was glowing. And he could see that this little guy was the thing that had been emitting the blue hue all this time. He touched it, only to see that the blue hue that was being emitted stopped completely. His hand started tingling, and he could feel power surging through his body, in his veins.

    This power felt weird. He felt as if there was a current running through his veins, but the current was not harming him in any way. This power seemed to be soothing in fact. The power was almost intoxicating.

    But then the power stopped. He looked at the stone to realize that it had lost all of its glow. Does this mean that the power inside the thing is finished?

    Adui looked around, a myriad of questions getting born in his brain every second. His biggest concern was, whether this stone''s abrupt loss of power would be noticed by their father. And whether he would be held accountable for it.

    Quickly, he put the stone back and sealed the bottom once again. He put back everything the way it was, and left the room¡­

    ***

    Fortunately, Adui was not caught, and surprisingly no one was held accountable for the stone losing power. Considering how loud their family was in small matters, he figured that if his father was to throw a tantrum, he would be the first to feel the wraith. But he never did. In fact a day after the incident, the chair started emitting the blue hue once again.

    Arnold might not have thrown a tantrum, but he did something that Adui was not expecting. From the next day onwards, he was summoned to the study room to look over the ledger of the household. More specifically he was called to look over the calculations that were made in the ledger.

    And as his father was so impressed, that he ordered Hubert to teach him about book-keeping. He became an accountant for the whole household and soon started handling all the household expenses as well. Which meant that he was given access to the study room, even when his father was not there. That truly was a privilege, as none of his other siblings ever got that privilege. But the privilege also came with some rules.

    Firstly, he was never ever allowed to sit on his father''s chair. The second rule was not that he was not to disclose the location of the family vault to anyone, not even his siblings. The vault was located under a fake stone in the wall, at the edge of the study. Thirdly, he was not allowed to take even a bronze coin out of the money collected by his father. If he were to take even a single coin, he would be flayed alive.

    His father was a Baron, which basically meant that he was the ruler and the tax collector of the six villages that were around their manor. The tax that he would collect from the village would be then collected in their house, noted down in the ledger, and then all the money and the ledger would be passed onto his boss, who was the Viscount. And the viscount would then hand him a portion of the tax money, and keep the rest.

    His father was very sleazy and would take some amount of money out of the whole pile before he could start recording them. Not that he cared, but he did realize why his father wanted to make him their accountant. Basically, he wanted to be a scapegoat, who would be the better candidate them him.

    Whoever was making the ledger was made to sign their name at the bottom of the ledger. With his name plastered over the ledger, if any trouble was to come, it would come at him.

    Although Adui understood his father''s intention, he could just only go with the flow. There was nothing he could do that could stop his father. And it was not like he was not benefitting from it. With him being the accountant of the study, he was given access to the study room all the time. And showing that he was a very very slow writer helped in the process. With it, he had all the time to go through every book that was available in the study¡­

    And like that a year passed by. In that time Adui''s whole perception of this world changed completely. With the books, he came to know that there was something like magic in this world. Instead of magic, the term that this world used was Mana Arts. Mana is the energy of the world, from which the Mana Art master harnesses their mystical power and can do feats that no normal man can do.

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    From the books, he came to that a mana art master could ignite fire without wood or fuel, make ice without water, create darkness in bright daylight, and many more obscure things. He took the things with a pinch of salt, but these books did make him realize that his world might host some people who could be considered wizards by Earth''s standards.

    It didnt take him long to realize that the blue hue that he had been seeing from the chair, or when his father and siblings train is mana itself. And the stone that he found, was a concentrated form of mana. How or why it was formed was beyond him, but he knew one thing, that his father had a huge supply of that stone hidden somewhere in this house.

    He didnt dare to touch the stone again, considering what happened the first time. He did notice that the size of the stone changed every one and a half months or so. And considering his father, and from time to time his elder brother sat on the mahogany seat, they were absorbing the stone''s power from the cushion. But what those people didnt realize was that he was also absorbing the stone''s power at the same time.

    According to his family, he was barren. And could never wield mana in his life. But that was simply not true, as he absorbed the stone the first time. From the books, he had come to know that usually, mana wielders absorb mana by directly absorbing it from elixirs or air, while performing exercises.

    He didnt understand the part about exercise properly. So for the sake of an experiment, he started doing different Calisthenics exercises, and he was really surprised by the results.

    As a native of Earth, he was a master of Muay Thai. So he just started practicing the martial art in the training area. And he started seeing results in a week or so. So he changed his tactics a little bit and also started practicing calisthenics and yoga, to see whether different exercises have different kinds of effects on him. And his suspicion was true, different sorts of exercise have different sorts of effects on his body.

    In the past six months, he theorized that mana nourishes the body, and helps in the growth of strong muscles. And now considering the kind of exercise one is doing, a person could sculpt their body however they wanted. He liked the speed and deadly strikes, so his body was progressing in that direction. His father and his brother were both brawny and bulky guys as they preferred strength, over everything.

    In the past months, with as many mishaps as possible, Adui read all the books that his study had to offer, completing the second phase of his plan¡­

    ***

    It was the knock on the door that woke him up. Adui pushed his sheet aside and looked outside his bedroom''s window. It was still dark outside. Curious why someone would wake him at this time he went to the door and there stood Martha.

    "Young Master Adui," she said.

    "What is it dear?" he said softly, making her avert her gaze, and blush.

    "It is young mistress Areil. She has awakened,"

    Now that is a very pleasant surprise, he thought. Not every person can wield mana, those who can wield, only start to wield mana after coming of age. This coming-of-age process is referred to as awakening. The awakening can happen from the age of 1 to 15, after that no one awakens. From what he had understood, with some process the Hampshire family was able to ascertain that every single one of their children, except him, would be able to awaken. And till only his big brother was able to awaken. Now their family has gotten another mana wielder.

    "Has father summoned us?" he asked.

    "No¡­" with a sad voice, she replied, "Your mother wanted me to go and fetch a lamb from a nearby village. We will have a feast tomorrow. But then your father suggested that we should send you, considering that you love to run errands for me¡­"

    In the past months, Adui came closer to Martha. He came closer to quell her thoughts that he was a devil and to keep an eye on her, as she was the one who could possibly be an obstacle in his future plans. But to the rest of the world, it seemed that the young Adui had fallen for Martha, the poor girl thought the same as well. Although he never wanted to play with that girl''s heart, he figured instead of breaking her heart, why not use it to his advantage?

    He had learned in his past life that it is pretty important for a fighter to regulate their breathing and have good stamina for the fight. The best way to do so was through jogging. He figured that one might it weird that an idiot in the family started running out all of a sudden. So he used his fake love for Martha as a cover. As it turns out, she usually walks to the nearest village which is about 5km away from their house for supplies. Using this information he started going in her stead. And he started going by running to the village.

    Everyone thinks that Adui runs to the village, and comes back running because of his love for Martha. Little did everyone know, this was his way to exercise, without anyone batting an eye¡­

    "I love to go." He said. And then moved past her and was about to head to his destination when he heard from behind him, "Be careful out there!" the concern in her voice told him that his plan was working just fine. And with that, he started moving.

    By the time he was about to reach the village, the sun had begun it rise from the horizon. Adui had sprinted the whole way, but the strange thing was that he was not feeling tired at all. If he was right then he could go another 5km, and be okay with it. As he was about to reach the village, he quickly went to the large banyan tree that was located around 400m away from the entrance. This tree in particular was very thick, and old tree.

    Come on now Adui.. Just like you have practiced. With high concentration, he sensed the mana swirling somewhere behind his belly button. With his will, he was able to mana towards his palm. It took a lot of concentration to move the mana, and then form a layer of it around his palm, and then maintain the form. As soon as he was done, he opened his eyes and punched the tree.

    The whole tree shook with the impact, the bark of the tree caved in, and a cavity the shape of his palm. Seeing the results, he smiled, he was finally able to do this after weeks. He then left the tree before anyone else could see what he was doing¡­

 Chapter-5: The monster unleashed

    The celebration of Ariel''s awakening took the manor by storm. At breakfast Adui and his family had lamb, and by the night time, Arnold, the patriarch of the family himself went and hunted a deer. Everyone was excited about this achievement, more so was Ariel herself.

    The whole night she kept saying, "I will become a great mana wielder, spread the name of the Hampshire family all around the world." And everyone nodded to her claims as if she would really achieve it.

    At one point in time, it got a little bit annoying as well. That girl has just stepped into the world of mana wielders, and she thinks that she could surpass everyone. If only he could burst his bubble.

    In the world of mana wielders, there are many Mana Arts. But majorly one could divide these arts into two types. First is the warrior kind, people like Adui, who could wield mana, and store it, but dont have mana heart. This organ is present in the second type of Mana Arts user. He was not able to find the reason, or the usage of mana heart. Most of the books in the study room were about ancient warriors and their feats.

    But from what he knew, Mana art users with mana hearts are stronger than people without one. And Ariel on the other hand doesn''t have a mana heart. So what was giving her this confidence was beyond him¡­

    "So does that mean I can come with you to the ball?" Ariel asked his father, who looked surprised by the question.

    "Of course my dear, you can," Adui''s mother spoke quickly. This prompted her to receive a glare from his father, which Areil noticed.

    "Wait, are you saying that I cannot come?" she asked.

    "Well.." His father hesitated, "Dear we have to buy you a dress for the event. I dont know whether we would be able to find one for you, within a week."

    "And you dont wanna look ugly in front of everyone now, do you?" Luthor commented as well.

    "Father you promised that I would be able to accompany you to the ball if I got awakened," Ariel protested, "Now you are going back on your words?"

    "But dear, understand that predicament here," his father leaned forward and spoke in a soft tone, "We dont have anything that you could wear for the event."

    "I dont care," Ariel declared, "I will be going to the event. You are gonna find me a dress, I dont know how."

    His father sighed, and turned to him, "Oye Hubert!" he yelled. Surprised to hear his name, he looked at his father, "If we are to buy her a dress, how much money do you reckon that we would be able to spare?"

    "Umm.." Hubert thought for a bit, and then answered, "I think around 20 gold coins sire, if we were to stretch the budget thin,"

    "That would be enough¡­ I think," his father mumbled, "But that won''t be enough for jewelry,"

    And then started the commotion once again, Areil started throwing tantrums and Arnold tried to quell his daughter''s tantrums. Adui thought that this might be a good time to be a hero. Usually, he would stay quiet during a time like this, but getting brownie points from his sister could help him in his future plans.

    "Father," he said, but no one heard him. He then raised his voice once again, "Father!" everyone quieted down and looked at him. He then continued, "We can spare some money from the emergency fund that you told me to build. With that we could spare 10 gold coins, bringing the total up to thirty,"

    Ariel''s eyes widened with surprise, "We can do that?" she asked his father.

    "What emergency fund?" his father asked him.

    "You said that tough times are around us, we need to prepare for the worst. So I prepared for the worst, I made the emergency fund," he said. The truth was that he made this fund for him. As he had been keeping books and managing the household expenses, he was able to save a lot of money. And his father did say those exact words. He figured that if he were to get caught in the future he could use those words to get out of trouble. As he was an idiot in front of everyone, they would think that he truly believed his father''s words and created such an account.

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    "Are telling the truth boy?" his father asked him with a serious tone. To which he nodded, he had mentioned the emergency fund in the ledger as well, but his father never bothered to look at it properly.

    With a big smile on his face, his father spoke, "Guess, you are going to the ball," and Ariel jumped with excitement¡­

    That night when Adui was going to bed, he had a lot of things on his mind.

    It has been a year since I came to this world. I have been shutting my monster down because I needed this family to grow. But that is not the case anymore. I need to move on.

    He was done with the family. He read everything that this family could offer him, now he needs to move on. But the challenge was, that he had to move in such a way that he would be able to appease his hunger and rob this family blind. And for that to happen, he had the perfect plan. All he needed to have his father and his brother gone for the night. And luckily, that is going to happen in a week¡­

    ***

    It was an emotional moment for the Hampshire Family. Ariel had come an age, and she was going on her first ball. Adui''s mother and she had bought this revealing green dress for the girl, so that some noble would fall in love with her during the ball, and maybe she would be married off by the end of the year.

    In this world, the customs of marriage are very different from Earth. Polygamy was a thing, and in this world, the mana wielders could grow their harem or spouses to whatever number they could sustain. As the mana wielder could be of any gender, the practices of patriarchy or matriarchy were prominent throughout the world. In Areil''s case, she was not strong enough to have a harem of her own, but she could be part of someone else''s.

    Everyone believed that she would be able to snag a husband or wife in the event, which was why that morning was particularly sad. While Adui on the other hand was feeling a little bit down as well. His original target was going, now he had to appease his hunger for blood with the other fools of the family.

    I will get him. Sooner or later, I will get that man. He swears to himself.

    It was only after they were gone, that he got to work. He first went on with the day as he usually does. It is only when the sun was high up in the sky he went to Hubert, the man that who could make his plan successful.

    In the past year, Hubert and him have developed a friendship. Usually, Hubert used to keep the ledger and handle the expenses of the household. But Adui''s father never trusted the man, even though he had been practically living with them for ages. It is only when his own blood started taking care of things, that his father backed down from checking the ledger.

    Hubert used to siphon some of the money for himself and had been doing so for many years. When he started taking care of the ledger, he came as a friend to see whether he could still siphon some money. That man tried to befriend him and treated him with utmost respect, and Adui behaved like a naive child and let him siphon some money. Since then Hubert has been very happy with him, and today he is going to use it to his advantage¡­

    When Adui got to the kitchen, Hubert was with the maids preparing for lunch. "Hubert," the man looked behind and passed him a smile.

    "Young master Adui," the man exclaimed, "Do you need something?"

    "Can I talk to you? In private?" the maid looked at each other and passed each other a smile. They all knew what this was about, except for the man.

    Hubert followed him out of the kitchen, and Adui let it out, "There¡­ there.. Today is the festival of lights, in the Hummer Village,"

    "Oh yeah," Hubert said, "What of it.."

    "I was thinking of going there. I have never been to the festival, but all of my siblings have,"

    "But young master," he said, "Are you sure that you would be able to handle the journey?"

    "That is why was I thinking of taking Martha with me," Adui said while blushing, "Then I would be fine,"

    Suddenly Hubert realized what was happening, and knowingly nodded, "Well, of course, young master.. You can take her. I can easily spare her for the day. Hell, I can spare her for two days, if you guys think of staying together." Adui then blushed even more and then ran out of there, making Hubert chuckle.

    Adui''s mother was easy to convince because she also understood that if they were gone, there was practically no one in the whole house. And she and Hubert could have their own fun. As far as Adui''s small siblings were concerned, there was nothing that sleeping herbs couldnt help with. He knows for a fact that Hubert had used the herbs on the smaller siblings from time to time from the courtesy of Martha.

    As soon as they had their lunch, Adui along with Martha set out to Hummer Village, located around 10km away from their manor. They reached the place by sundown when the festival finally started taking place.

    While holding hands they lit various candles all around the village, bought a few things from the merchants, eat different variety of things from stalls that were put up for the festival. And they ended the day with tea. While Adui liked his tea with milk, he made sure that Martha''s tea was laced with sleeping herbs.

    After drinking the tea, Martha started eyeing him like a hungry tiger. She wanted to pounce at him, he could feel that. Unfortunately for her, it was during this time the herb kicked in, and she started feeling sleepy. So they to an inn, to spend the night. While Martha slept peacefully that night, Adui sneaked out of the inn at midnight, without being seen by anyone¡­

 Chapter-6: The monster unleashed-2

    The little squirts are asleep, so let''s enjoy to the fullest tonight. Hubert thought as he made his way to his lord''s room. The maids were also clearly instructed not to leave their room from now onwards until the dawn of the day.

    It was almost midnight, and he had a raging boner thinking about what he was going to do to his mistress. Usually, she acts all mighty in the presence of his lord and curses him from time to time. But there are only moments in this damn manner when he could dominate her and make her act like a slut that he knows she is.

    With a smile on his face, he entered his lord''s room without knocking. He didnt need to knock tonight.

    There was the lingering smell of camomile candles, the candle that the idiot of the household bought for his mother. And his slut liked the smell. It didnt take him long to notice that someone was already in the bed, covered with the sheets. His smiling face morphed with anger.

    "Oye slut!" he exclaimed, "Didnt I tell you how I wanted you to behave? Do I need to punish you again?"

    The sheet finally moved. He was expecting to see a naked mistress coming out of the bed, instead, he saw something that made him pale. Dressed in all black, young Master Adui stepped out of the bed and stared at him with confusion.

    "Hubert, did you just call me a slut?"

    "Young master Adui?" he said in shock, "What are you doing here? I mean, you are back so early. Where is Martha?" He had clearly instructed that bitch to take her time and come back two later.

    "Oh, she?" Adui said with confidence, "She is still sleeping in the inn of Hummer Village."

    "Why didnt she come back with you?" he asked, anything to change the topic of what transpired earlier.

    "Because she was sleeping silly. I just ran home to do some stuff,"

    The idiot''s sentence caught him off guard, "Ran? To do some stuff?"

    Adui nodded and then came closer to him, "Dude, do you know what Muay Thai is?"

    What does dude mean? He thought, and then shook his head, "What is that master?"

    "Muay Thai is a martial art. And one of the famous moves of the art is shin kick, do you know what shin is?" Then Adui raised his leg, and pointed towards the portion of his leg between his feet and knee, "This is shin. And this is a shin kick," Then suddenly Adui moved and kicked on his thigh with his shin.

    Hubert''s whole body shook from the impact, he yelled with pain and went down on his knees. His thigh felt like it had broken. It was then the door flung open and out came his mistress, wearing very revealing clothes.

    "Adui!" she exclaimed as soon as she saw her son. While trying to cover her breasts with her arms, she asked, "What is happening here?"

    "Good night mother," Adui said, and then punched her in the face, knocking her down.

    Then Adui knelt down beside him. While clutching his leg, he stared at the monster with fear. He knew one thing, this man was not the young master of the family, he was not the naive boy that he thought he was. This man was someone else entirely.

    "Goodbye, Hubert. You were a very trashy teacher. And I hope that you dont find peace in the afterlife," before he could ask for forgiveness, or beg for his life, Adui punched him, knocking him down¡­.

    ***

    Note, whenever staging a bandit raid, please bring butcher knives with you. Adui thought as he was having trouble making wounds on the body of his victims.

    He had killed his mother, Hubert, and the two maids that had been staying in the house that night. As far as his siblings were concerned, they were all asleep in their beds. The herb that Hubert uses is a very strong one, which means that they would not wake up before sunrise. Just what he wanted.

    His motive was clear, he would stage tonight what transpired as a bandit raid. He had heard that when bandits come for such a raid they kill the people in the most brutal way possible, and sexually assault anyone that they could hand on. As this society works on gender equality principles, bandits are usually a mix of both men and women. Which meant that no one was safe from such an attack.

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    To cover his tracks, he had decided to set the whole house on fire. That would kill all the remaining members of the family as well as erase any traces that he was ever here. As there was no forensic science in this world, no one would be able to ascertain who or what did this. But in case anybody did not get incinerated in the fire, he was making cuts on the bodies of his victims, so anyone who came to investigate would think of this as a bandit raid.

    As far as his siblings were concerned, he would let them pass away in their sleep. He had no problem killing the innocent kids but decided to let them go on a whim.

    After stealing everything from the vault, Adui brings out a satchel bag full of coins to the dining room. After he had set it down, he turned towards the room that he was interested in. And that room was the guest room of the Hampshire manor.

    There were many rules and regulations that Adui has to follow, considering the kind of job he did for the family. But there was one rule that every single one of his family members had to follow, they were never allowed to go inside the guest room of the manor. Located in the center, not even the maids were allowed inside, the only time the guest room was opened was when his father needed to fuck a maid in secret, or the Viscount, his father''s boss came to their manor for hunting.

    So when Adui realized that his father had a big supply of mana stones, he started searching around the house for the traces of mana. He could use these stones to increase his strength, and if he was stealing the coins, he might as well steal the stones as well. After a lot of thinking, he came to realize that his father was hiding them in the guest room.

    One day, when he was chatting with Hubert while preparing the ledger of the household, he let it slip that he had read all the books in the study. That led to a conversation where he asked the price of a mana stone. And Hubert''s answer shocked him to the core.

    "Young master, I dont know the exact price of the stone¡­ But from what I have heard, these stones are so precious that even the low-quality ones can be sold for about 60 gold coins."

    Considering their household income was around 50 gold coins every four months, this was quite a lot. After hearing Hubert''s answer he mentally calculated the amount that his father siphoned off the taxes and realized that if he were to steal half of the taxes for a year, even then his father would not be able to afford the mana stones that he had been producing.

    It didnt take him long to realize why the mana stones could be stored in the guest room. Why is it that the room is only open for the Viscount? These stones that his father had been using, didnt belong to him. These belonged to the Viscount¡­

    As Adui broke open the door of the guest room, he was greeted with a dusty room. This room was filled with luxurious items and amenities that even they couldn''t afford. He looked around the room to see whether he could see the blue hue anywhere, and sure enough, saw some coming from under the wardrobe of the place.

    He came closer and saw that the dust patterns on the floor suggested the wardrobe was being moved from its place from time to time. Seeing this he realized that he was on the right track. He pushed the wardrobe aside, only to be met with a vault. But this vault was big, its hatch itself was the size of half a door.

    What could be the password of this thing? He thought because there was no way that he would be able to open this vault. He could crack a safe, but for that, he needed equipment, which he didnt have.

    Wait a minute¡­ My father is dumb. And I dont think that man could even remember two passwords, of the different safes no less, simultaneously.

    There was a slight chance this vault password was the same as the one in the study. To try his luck, he punched in the passcode, and the vault opened without a hitch.

    That stupid old fuck, he thought and opened the vault. As soon as the door flung open, he was assaulted by a wave of mana. He looked inside to find many precious jewels and boxes of jewelry inside. The biggest among the boxes was a rectangular-shaped box, its area covered almost all of the vault. The crazy part was that it had an insignia on it, which he recognized immediately.

    Son of a bitch, this insignia belongs to the previous royal family, doesn''t it?

    He had heard about the rebellion that his father took part in, the one which got him the title of Baron. The old royal family of their country was overthrown during the rebellion. During their lunches and dinners, Arnold used to tell some tales about the rebellion, about how he and his company destroyed those Eagle bastards. And there was an Eagle insignia on the box.

    Adui then flipped the box open, and a waft of blue wisp flew on his head. Inside the box were countless mana stones. What interested him were not the stones, he knew that he would find it here. The thing that interested him the most was the symbols etched on the inner walls of the box. Those symbols were glowing and were all connected to one another like some sort of network.

    Are these symbols part of some sort of Mana Arts? He thought, but didnt know the answer. Without wasting any further time he got to work.

    He threw everything valuable he found in a big sack and dragged it outside the house. The total weight of the things made it difficult for him to run away, or to do anything with it. But he had a plan, in which he safely hide all of these items in the nearest shit pit. As this was the medieval times, all the shit and urine collected from the manor was thrown in the pit, which was then later converted into manure.

    Adui had planned to safely drop the sack in the pit, away from any prying eyes. When the time was right, he would later come and collect it. Although it was a very disgusting and shitty plan, it was the only plan that he was come up with¡­

 Chapter-7: Aftermath

    Martha when woke up the next day, she felt a hand wrapped around her waist. She also felt that she was spooning against someone. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was, and who was the person. But after she did, she sighed with relief. Gently she put the hand aside and pushed away the bed sheet.

    As she stood up, she gazed at the young master Adui. The man was sleeping soundly before her.

    Damn it! I thought we would do the deed yesterday. She cursed herself, I will make sure that we will do it today. No matter what.

    It was very essential for her to do the deed, and make that man fall in love with her. She knew that the man before him was very intelligent, and honorable. She knew that if she had to snag a good life for her, she would have to get married to that man. Under, any cost.

    When she came to the manor to work as a maid, she dreamed of a good life. A life where she would be working for all powerful nobles. But the dream was soon shattered when she realized how powerless she was. She was used by the Patriarch of the family, and even the old Hubert used her. She thought that this would be her destiny forever. But then Adui started falling for her, which changed everything.

    Maids started getting jealous that Adui was showing so much love to her. That man was an idiot in everyone''s eyes but was a noble nonetheless. But she knew the truth, of what kind of man Adui really was. She didnt care whether Adui became like this because of the grace of Lord Itab, or by the work of the Devil. She just knew that if she were to become his, then she would live a good life.

    She might not have a large manor, like the Hampshire''s, but she would have a good house. She had heard that educated people are very well paid when compared to peasants like her parents.

    This would not work. I need to do something now.

    It is then she decided what she needs to do. She quickly lose all of her clothes and went back to bed. She snuggled close to Adui, making sure her ample breasts were pressing hard on his chest.

    He didnt immediately wake up. But he did wrap her closely. Smiling inwardly, one of her hands slithered to his pants like a snake. Entering his pants, she started stroking his dick, making it rock hard. It was then Adui opened his eyes gently, it took him a moment to understand what exactly was going on, but then his eyes widened with surprise. He tried to get away from her, but she didnt let him. She came even close to him.

    "Ma¡­ Martha.." His voice quivered, "What are¡­ what are you doing?" Swallowing hard, he then asked, "And why are you naked?"

    She passed him a warm smile, "I am feeling very naughty.." She said, she then came close to his lips, and whispered, "I have a fire inside of me. And only you can extinguish it."

    "But¡­"

    But she shushed him, "Just follow my lead," she kissed his lips, "Touch my breasts. Hold them, knead them¡­ Play with them," Slowly he moved his hands and touched them.

    Through his heartbeat, and shaking hands she understood what she was dealing with. She understood that Adui might have gained intelligence due to the accident, but when it comes to these kinds of matters, he was just an amateur. This would make it very easy for her to gain his attention and wrap him around her fingers¡­

    Adui''s rough hands when cupped her hands, and she moaned with pleasure, making his dick twitch. It took him some time to get the feel of it, but he then slowly started to knead them.

    "Suck on them," she whispered. Like a loyal dog, he then went down and started sucking on her breasts. Slowly he started using his tongue and started biting her down there. She then pushed the bed sheet aside and let him have a look at her whole naked body. Adui while sitting on the bed, looked at her body with amazement.

    "Now shall we start?" she said, and he then started to take off his clothes¡­

    ***

    Most of the day they stayed in the inn, and fucked like bunnies. Adui was shy at first, but after some time he took charge, and poured so much into her that would have definitely become pregnant if it weren''t for the contraceptive herb that she took before the trip. Which meant that if they fucked like even for a week, she wouldn''t get pregnant.

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    A part of her did want to get pregnant by Adui, the child between them would have forced him to marry her. Even her maid''s friends suggested the idea to her, but she was against it. She thought while that would have been easy for her to entrap him, there was a chance that he might think that this was not his child. And who could blame the guy, he had seen her with his father.

    She wanted to have a good relationship with him in the future, where there were no doubts in his mind about her. This is why she was so against this idea¡­

    After they had properly rested, once again they left the inn during the evening to attend the festival. Today was the ceremony where people decorated and lit all the candles of the village so the Lord Itab could easily find them and grace them with a bountiful crop.

    Like yesterday they played a lot of fair games and enjoyed the evening. The only difference between yesterday and today was, they both were clingy of each other. Today Adui was taking charge, and getting close to her, with every chance that came to him. This made a big smile blossom on her face, her secretive plan was working. That evening she started dreaming of their future together¡­

    Standing by a skewer shop, her body was pressed against his. His hand was around her waist as if telling everyone that she was his. They were standing there in silence and were waiting for their orders. It is when two men come to the skewers shop as well, having a deep conversation together.

    "¡­ And everyone was dead," the older man spoke.

    "Everyone?" the second man questioned, "Even Lord Arnold?"

    The name of her lord made her ears perked up, and they started hearing their conversation. The older man shook his head, "Lord Arnold is a mana wielder, let alone a blade, the fire couldnt have killed him. The chief told me that Lord Arnold went to the ball along with his eldest son and daughter. So they are alive,"

    It was then that Adui let go of her and walked up to the men, "What are you guys talking about?" he asked in an authoritative tone.

    The two men stared at Adui. Due to Hampshire lineage, Adui was standing tall at 5 feet 8 inches, a little bit taller than two of the men, intimating them. "I asked what you guys are talking about?" he asked again.

    "Dont you know it is rude to listen to a conversation between two people?" the older man in a rage.

    Adui then grabbed the collar of the man and said, "My name is Adui Hampshire. I am the son of Arnold Hampshire, the baron who rules over the village. I dont care whether you are 100 years old fucker. Tell me what you guys are talking about,"

    His tone scared the old man shitless, which was not a surprise. In her world offending a noble household usually means death for people like them. The man accompanying the old man then knelt down, "We apologize Lord for not recognizing you. Please spare us,"

    Adui let the old man go, and then the old man also knelt on the ground to ask for forgiveness. "I dont care about you guys," Adui clearly said, "I want to know what you guys are talking about?"

    "The Hampshire Manor¡­" the old man said, "It burnt down last night," She was shocked to her core hearing this, and then the old man continued, "Several charred bodies have been found from the rubble."

    Adui took a step back, clearly shocked. She came closer to him and was about to take them away when she noticed that their scuffle had gathered a crowd around them. "Let''s go Adui," she mumbled.

    "Yeah," Adui said, and then he freed his hands and started running, through the crowd. To not lose him, she also started running after him. They ran through the crowd like mad lads and finally made it to the only place that could have the answer to their questions, the chief''s house.

    The village chief knew Adui, and what he did for the family. When they came to the village, they decided to stay low and not tell anyone about their little trip as Adui feared that the chief might ruin their trip. As a noble, and the person who handles the tax money of the Hampshire family, every chef of the villages that comes under Hampshire commands always butter him up. Which is why he wanted to stay low.

    Adui when got to the house, he just pushed open the door and walked straight in. Soon she also came and saw that there were several people in the house of the chief. The chief who was sitting on the main chair stood up as soon as he saw Adui.

    "Young Master Adui!" the chief, an old man in his late fifties stood up. "You are alive!"

    "Is it true?" Adui asked with a grim voice, "The things that I heard in the market. Did Hampshire Manor really burn down?"

    The chief nodded slowly, "The messenger came a few hours ago. They wanted me to send a messenger to Lord Hampshire,"

    "What about the casualties?" Adui asked in a grave, yet sad voice.

    "According to the messenger, the villagers found various bodies in the debris. But there is nothing left to identify the bodies,"

    Shocked, Martha put her hands on her mouth. The maids that were working alongside her were like his sisters. They never looked eye to eye, which didnt mean that she didnt ccare for her. From the start, they supported her and showed her the way. Now they were gone, just like that.

    Her eyes became moist, and she came closer to Adui. She then saw her man''s eyes had started watering as well.

    He lost his mother and siblings in one day, she thought. And how did the manor caught in the first place? It was then she remembered that Hubert uses herbs on the children to make them sleep till dawn. But that wouldn''t explain why her sister didnt sense the fire. Living in that house they all have developed the habit of being light sleepers. If it is a shout from the other end of the manor to someone softly knocking at their door, they would wake up very quickly.

    "Young master," the village chief said, Adui and she looked at him, "The messenger mentioned that the butler of the manor was found stabbed and stuck at the front gate of the manor¡­ They suspect that this was done by bandits

 Chapter-8: The Flop plan

    Adui seriously overestimated the people of this world. He thought that as soon as the Viscount got the message that bandits attacked the Hampshire Manor, he would come running with his people. He would surely want to investigate the matter, and the game of cat and mouse that he liked so much would start. But the problem was, this world and its message relaying capabilities.

    It has been 2 weeks since the incident. And till now, neither his father nor any men of the Viscount had returned.

    Adui was a very patient man, at least that was what he used to think. But he was nearing his breaking point. For the last two weeks, he had been staying in the nearest village of the manor, with Martha. The waiting part would have gone smoothly if it weren''t for her, at least that was what he thought. That woman had started becoming clingy and demanding, and it had become very annoying.

    When he wakes up, she is there with him. She is there when goes to eat, shit and even when he goes to sleep. Sex does help from time to time, that woman surely knows how to make a man happy. But her annoying clinginess is making him think that maybe she should be his next target.

    Also, another annoying part of living in that village was their accommodation. They had been staying in a mud hut, which was less than ideal. There was no mattress, nor proper bed sheets. They slept on a bed made from wood, which was not very least, comfortable. Especially during sex.

    Adui had his own room in the manor. Granted it was a very small room, but it had a view and a fucking mattress. Now he was stuck here¡­

    It started like a regular day, Adui woke up early in the morning. Martha kept sleeping, while he sneaked out of the village for a run and his regular training. While coming back he didnt forget about taking fish from the nearest river.

    In order to collect and hunt fish effectively, the villagers had created a trap, which fish could enter but not escape. When coming home, he doesn''t catch fish, instead, he just takes one of the traps and be on his way.

    Not many people like that they took a fish from the traps that people of the village had set up, but as a noble and the son of Arnold Hampshire no dare to speak anything to him. That day was any other, and he was thinking about what he should do today, but when he got back to the village he saw a rally of 12 armed men standing at the entrance of the village.

    Those men were wearing polished silver armor and had a huge flag bearing a bear insignia.

    Viscount''s men, he thought, and then he quickly started running back to the village.

    The soldiers when saw him running towards them got alarmed. They had their guard up when he came to them, everyone had their hands on their blades, and they looked at him intently, "Halt!" the leader of the men yelled, "Identify yourself," he said.

    "My name is Adui Hampshire," he introduced, "I am the son of Arnold Hampshire. Are you guys here because of my letter?" he asked.

    The soldiers looked at each other and then told him to follow them. They then took them to the center of the village, where all the villagers had gathered. In front of the villagers were two knights sitting on chairs, bearing the insignia of the Viscount.

    The soldier came to the knight and saluted them, "Sire, this Adui Hampshire. Son of Baron Hampshire,"

    The knights looked at him from down to up, "So you are the twerp that was left alive?" Adui nodded courteously. He ignored the rude comment because the person before him was not a normal person. Looking at the brawny man''s body, combined with the title of a knight, there was a high chance that the man before him was a mana wielder. And even though Adui was a noble, it was never a good thing to pick a fight with such a man.

    "Come," the knight stood up, "I want to see what happened to the manor,"

    He nodded and started taking the knight and his soldiers to the manor. From there the investigation started, the thing that Adui had been waiting for from the start.

    "So, care to explain what happened here? And why are you the only one alive, while others in your family have passed away?" the knight asked. Then Adui told him about the festival of light that he had been visiting. The rest of the way, the knight kept asking him about that night, and what happened in the festival, interrogating him about the turn of events.

    As they got to the remains of the manor, the man asked Adui, "Tell me what exactly did you see when you came back?"

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    Adui nodded. With teary eyes, he described the scene, "The fire had extinguished. The body of the house butler was hanging from here." He said while pointing at the main gate of the manor, "And there was a knife in the man''s stomach. I also found several wounds in the man''s stomach. As bandits killed the butler in such a way, villagers believed that there was a chance that he was the one who led them to this place."

    Then Adui took him to the back of the house, where he had the villagers dug up some graves, "I have buried all my family members here." He choked saying that, acting like he was really shaken up by the turns of events.

    "And what about the safe of your household?" the knight asked.

    "The butler knew the passcode," he said regretfully, "The safe was empty when I found it,"

    The knight took a look around the property and eventually came to the guest room, which was the real motive of his and his party. With fire, the wooden walls of the manor had fallen, exposing the mana stone vault for good. "What about this one?" the knight asked the exposed vault.

    "I dont know what was in this vault," Adui confessed, "Father nor butler ever told me about it¡­ But this was also empty when I found it,"

    The knight then turned to one of the soldiers and nodded. The soldier then immediately took out a scroll from his satchel and passed it onto the knight. Adui sensed the knight sending mana through the scroll. That thing absorbed mana crazily, and then out of nowhere a translucent astral bird popped out of the scroll and flew towards the south.

    "What was that?" Adui asked.

    "Communication scroll," the knight simply mumbled and then passed the scroll back to the soldier. "Now talk to me about the bandits¡­"

    ***

    That night, Adui sat in his hut with an angry face. He didnt know what he was supposed to do now. The knight took his statements, and just then started heading back to the Viscount''s territory. During their interaction, the knight comforted him when he started crying all of a sudden. Maybe it was his acting, or the knight knew about his prior mental condition, when he suggested that he should go the capital and found employment.

    When he enquired about his father, and when he was coming back, the knight didnt reply. But through subtle hints, the knight did suggest that there was a chance that his father had abandoned him here. And this is why the knight''s advice of finding employment in the capital made sense.

    And this all angered him to his core.

    That was it? I committed a massacre, and the only thing that I got out of it was money, a whore, and some mana stones? Well, mana stones are useful, and so is money. But what about this whore? He then glanced at Martha, who was peacefully sleeping, naked, beside him.

    He knew that this was the medieval times, and there were no such things as great detectives and forensic teams in this world. Still, he thought there should at least be someone suspecting him. The knight showed him pity, and so did the soldiers. None of the villagers are gossiping about him being the murderer. He had just pulled out the cleanest robbery, and no one was suspecting him.

    This infuriated him.

    Maybe, he thought, Committing murders is not the way to go. Especially committing murders of insignificant people like his family. Maybe I should kill someone important. Like the queen. It made sense to him at the time.

    I could also pretend to be a heretic, and start massacring people in the name of the devil or something. That would set a target on my back. Thinking about the things the thing he could he fell asleep that night.

    With the first rays of sunlight, he started preparing for the journey ahead. He bought a horse on credit from the village. Although the chief was reluctant to part with the horse, his attitude and noble status convinced him otherwise. After that, they borrowed some food items and a saddle for the horse. It is during that time Adui sneaked out of sight and went to the shit pit to get his stuff back.

    His coins and the box were smelling so bad, that it took him hours and hours of washing everything to make the smell bearable. But in the end, he was able to get everything in order.

    Martha was over the moon when she heard about the capital, as she had never been there before. And it was with the dawn of the second day they finally set out for the journey¡­

    ***

    The night was upon them. After creating a small fire, Adui and Martha were sitting around it. They had decided to settle by a fast-flowing river. As they were gazing into the sky, Martha started to speak, "Adui." She said. "What do you think our future home would be like?"

    Adui? No more young master? He then thought about it for a second then mentioned, "Dont know. Maybe somewhere crowded, in a big city or something," That way it would be easy to create chaos.

    "No." She firmly said, "I think that we need to get a house in the outskirts, like the manor," For the past few days, he had been accepting her every request, playing his part as the fool in love. And the demands of this girl had been increasing day by day. She had now started ordering him around, which infuriated him even more.

    "This is our chance to start fresh," she said. "With the money that you stole, we would be able to build a solid future for us,"

    His whole body stopped and stared at her, "What do you mean?"

    "You were the one that killed your family members, right?" She asked with a smirk, "I smelled something funny from your bag. So I checked it."

    Will this change things. He said to himself and stood up. Came close to her, she looked like she was expecting a warm smile from him or something, but all she got was a cold face staring down at her. Adui started pumping mana in his legs, and when he was done, without a warning he kicked him in her face, making her face cave in.

    Like a rag doll, her body flew to the nearest boulder and slammed into it.

    If in his previous world, he would have let her go. But not now. He had not had his fun in this world. He cannot let anyone know about his secret, especially when he is so weak. He cannot have a gold-digging whore know his secret, who reveals it to anyone for a piece of metal

    It is then his eyes lit up, "Oh oh oh¡­" he exclaimed, "Now I can try the new cleaver that I made the blacksmith make for me." Joyfully, he then went to his horse to get his stuff¡­

 Chapter-9: A Opportunity

    Adui hated the fact that he was stuck in medieval times. And in his journey to the capital, he became aware of many things that he used to take for granted back on Earth. He missed the toilets, he missed the motels and restaurants, he missed the well-made roads, and most of all he missed the global positioning system or GPS.

    As it turns out, the people of this world were all idiots. When he started the journey, he was told to go south. And only after seven days worth of travel, would he be able to see the silhouette of the capital. Someone mentioned that he would be able to spot the capital easily as not only it was enormous, it also spewed a ton of smoke so it would be visible easily. Someone also mentioned that he would be able to smell the piss and shit in the air while getting closer to the capital.

    On one hand, the fact that these people were telling him that the capital smelled bad was very unsettling. He thought about the living conditions of these people so far, so, only god knows what would he find in the capital.

    After going through muddy roads, and an uncountable number of detours, he had completed his journey. Seven days had passed and they got to give it to the villagers, they were right. The view from where he was standing, it was gorgeous. The only problem was that before him was the vast sea, with no sign of city, town, or village. He knows for a fact that the capital is not by the beach, it is located in the middle of the kingdom. So he had no idea, where the hell he was.

    Did I do something wrong?

    He started thinking back about his journey, and how he came here. This whole time he made sure that he was heading south. All the time he was so worried that he would be off course that he would check his direction at least ten times a day. But in the end, all that turned out to be futile.

    Did the villagers fuck up? Because I for one, do not know what the hell did I do wrong.

    Adui looked around, he was standing on the hill with a view of the sea. He cannot see any smoke or any sign that anyone has been to this place. So he had two options before him, he could take a random direction and pray to god that he would find a town or something. Or he could go back the way he came, by which he would eventually come across the village that he had crossed two days back.

    He never entered it, as he could take a detour around it in order to save time.

    Going back makes sense. He decided, and turned around¡­

    That night as he sat by the campfire, he took a mana stone from his bag and started meditating, while holding the stone.

    The first time he held the mana stone in his hand, the power of the stone had diminished because of his father. Which is why he didnt feel anything when he absorbed the mana inside the thing. But it was only after he used the mana stone for the first night of his journey that he came to a horrible realization.

    From what he had seen so far, his body could take mana that the stone emits and just absorb it and make it his own. He doesn''t know why his body does that. So a wild idea was born, where he absorbs mana directly from the stone. And that was when it happened.

    When he held the stone on his first night, he felt that he was being electrocuted. But the pain this time felt as though he had touched a live wire. It is painful as hell. The first time he held it, within seconds he had to let go of the stone.

    When he realized that he could just hold the stone in his hands, he went to his roots. He put the stone beside him and started absorbing the mana emitted by the stone. And he was able to do that with ease. With the stone so close to him, he was able to absorb mana at a larger rate, whose effect he noticed soon.

    It was on his second day he noticed something strange. After the session of absorption, he found a sticky layer of transparent slime-like substance on his body.

    The substance was very hard to remove, and as he didnt have any water body near him at the time, all he could do was to use some of Martha''s clothes to scrub it off of him. And then he had to throw away her clothes, as the slimy substance smelled bad.

    After that, not only his control of his mana increase, but his overall capacity also increased. And as he kept his exercises regular, he was able to see significant changes in his body as well.

    He theorized that when mana runs through his body, it hurts him because there are obstructions that are not letting the mana run freely. That is why it hurts like hell, he uses the mana stone directly. It was one of the theories that he came up with and was his favorite. It was clear to him that the slimy substance was something that his body secreted, and if mana was responsible for this, his theory made sense.

    During his journey, he kept thinking about his theories and it was on the fourth day when he decided to be a little bit reckless. He decided to touch the mana stone directly. When the mana of the stone is flowing through his body, he tries to control the mana so that he can understand the circuit that the mana flows through. It was a reckless move, but it was not like he cared for his life.

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    That night he sat down in a meditative position and started visualizing the flow. It hurt like hell when the mana was passing through him, but with grit and determination alone he was able to endure the torture for maybe a minute or so. Then he had to let go of the stone.

    When he opened his eyes, his hands were shaking, along with his body. He felt nauseous and felt that some of the mana of the stone was still in his body running rampant. He stored the stone back into the box and fell asleep.

    The next morning he woke, he could still feel the effects of his recklessness from yesterday. But he kept moving forward, continued with his training and his journey¡­

    In the present, he was about to repeat the recklessness, as he was able to visualize the circuit that the mana follows. Now that he was feeling fine, and had seen that other than nausea and some weakness, there was no ill effect of his recklessness, he would like to try again.

    While in the meditative position, he held the mana stone once again in his hands.

    Once again he felt that the current was flowing through his veins. But this time he felt that something was not right, it didnt hurt him as it did the first time. Although the pain was agonizing, it was not as painful as the first time. When eventually he did let go of the stone, he vomited straight away. His hands, legs and even his whole body were shaking crazily.

    Not bad.. I was able to map out one-fourth of the mana pathway. I will be able to map it out fully after three or four sessions. Then a term came to his mind. Mana circuit. From today onwards I will call this pathway mana circuit.

    But today he felt that something was wrong. He knew most of his mana was concentrated below his belly button, but after today''s session, he felt that his mana core was bloated. There was too much mana inside of him. And he didnt know what to do with it.

    Calming down, another wild idea came to him. If he could make the mana from the stone act to his will, he could do that to his mana as well. Hell, he had been making his mana move on his wall for ages now.

    So he sat down in the meditative position once again and started moving his mana in the Mana Circuit. The total amount of mana in his body had increased to such an extent that he was able to feel the circuit even while he was moving his own mana. This method was not painful at all, and he was able to better visualize the circuit this way.

    Opening his eyes after some time, he lay down with exhaustion.

    The next day when Adui woke up, his body felt like hell. But now, he had a move forward. He is getting stronger that was the only thing that mattered to him¡­

    Adui when entered the inn of the Hogrash Village, he was greeted with a lot of people. Some of the patrons were dressed well, while others were not so much. It was daytime, and based on the number of people in the place, he realized that maybe this place was the hub for travelers. Most of the village was well made and there were shops beside the inn as well.

    Very well, I would be able to get some good information in this place.

    There was a bar located in the inn, so he went to the old bartender of the place.

    "What can I get you sire?" the old man asked.

    "A bed. Some feed and for my horse. Some food and accommodation for today and tomorrow," He figured that he had money, it wouldn''t hurt to relax a little bit.

    The old man looked him up and down. "That would be 30 bronze coins,"

    "30? Are you kidding me.. That is too much,"

    The old man smiled smugly, "We have a lot of travelers staying with us. The only room that is left with us is the Deluxe room. And it is on the costly side,"

    Adui understood that the old man was probably looking down at him, and he didnt blame the guy. He had not had a proper bath in a while, and his clothes were dirty as well. But he was not short on money. Begrudgingly, he coffed up 30 coins, which surprised the old man.

    The stare the old man gave him, made him feel like he judging the fuck out of him, probably thinking where a bum like him got that sort of money.

    But in a few seconds, the old man''s demeanor changed. He put on a warm smile and said, "Why dont you wait for a second sire, I will get your room ready," Adui nodded and went to sit in the restaurant.

    He looked around but found no seat available. But he did spot a hooded figure in the back, having a cup of mead. The figure was sitting alone on a table for four. He went to the figure and asked rather politely, "Ma''am, could you please share this table with me? My room will be prepared in a few minutes, and I will be out your hair,"

    The woman didnt speak, but did gesture through her head to sit. He sat down, and soon came a girl, who looked no older than ten at their table, "What would you like to have sire?"

    "I will take meat. Anything that you can provide at your earliest convenience," The girl passed him a smile and hurried back.

    And within a minute, the girl brought a plate of roasted pork with a tankard of mead. He then turned towards the lady, "Would you like to join me, ma''am?"

    The hooded figure shook her head and continued enjoying her mead. He tore into the food and the drink that he got, they were not very great, but considering where he was, he could not complain.

    "What do you do for a living?" came a voice from beside him.

    "I am a mercenary," he nonchalantly replied.

    "Just a mercenary?" the woman asked.

    He didnt know what the woman was getting at, "Yup. Mercenary, thug if you want me to be.. A great lover.. Hell, I can read write and do accounting,"

    "That is quite a skill that you got there." The woman said, "I am looking for some information and a person that I could trust. I think that you can be useful to me. Would you like to work for me?"

    He swallowed hard, "You want me to work for you?" he repeated the unbelievable sentence, "Intriguing preposition, but I have to decline."

    "It could be worth your while,"

    He passed her a warm smile, "How exactly?"

    "I can pay in whatever currency you want. Even mana stones are not off the table¡­ And not to mention, your pay would be so great that you won''t have to rely on blood money,"

    "Blood money?" he questioned.

    "More especially the mana stones that are in your bag," The sentence sent a chill down Adui''s spine. For the first time since he came to this world, Adui bloomed a smile. Or maybe it was a monster inside of him smiling at the thrilling opportunity¡­

 Chapter-10: The Quest for Rose.

    There was someone out there who knew his secret. But the answer that Adui could not come up with was, how does she know? Some obvious questions were popping into his head like, who was this woman, was she following him all this way, etc. But after quick thinking, he realized that it was simply not possible that someone was following him in the first place.

    Not only he had been very careful while traveling, he had been very vulnerable more than a few times in his journey. If this woman was indeed following him then she had just missed countless chances to kill him and get his bounty. So the question now he has to answer was, how does she know that he has blood money?

    "Why do you think that I have blood money?" he asked the hooded woman.

    "A person who wears clothes like you, dont go around with this many mana stones with them,"

    He smirked, "So you judging me based on my looks?" he then took a bite of the pork, staring at her with a nonchalant attitude. He wanted to see whether this was her guesswork, or did she really had proof that he had done something wrong.

    "You look like a bum, and there is a distinct stench of a woman''s blood on you. Considering the amount of mana stones that you are carrying, this is the most obvious reasoning," she countered.

    Smelled? I am wearing the same clothes in which I killed the maid.. What was her name again¡­ Anyway, based on the fact that the clothes are not washed, it makes sense that the stench of blood is on them. And if she could smell that, she might be a mana wielder. He thought.

    "Well your reasoning is wrong," he simply answered, "I am transporting the stones. As far blood is concerned, I did fuck a girl who on her monthly cycle,"

    "Do you want a job, or not?" she asked again, this time with authority.

    "What is the job?" he asked.

    "Not here," she said, "There are too many ears around here,"

    Now he was truly intrigued about what this girl was trying to pull. It was then the bartender came along, "Miss," he said, "How would you like to settle the bill,"

    "Well, I forgot to get my coin pouch from my room," she said, "I can give the money tomorrow,"

    "That is enough," The bartender said glaringly, "That won''t work. You have not yet forked up two days worth of food and accommodation. Either pay up now, or we will find other ways to make you pay,"

    Unfazed the woman simply replied, "I am sorry for the inconvenience, I will pay today. But later, I am talking to this gentleman over here,"

    "Oi bitch!" the old man yelled, "Didnt you hear the word I say?"

    It is then Adui felt it, the uneasiness of the air. It was like the air itself was vibrating, and for some reason, he could tell that the air was behaving this way because of the woman. He could tell that the old man had managed to piss her off. The way the surroundings had become, he could tell that everyone in the room could feel it, even the old man. Beads of sweat formed on everyone''s forehead, and the foreboding of death started flashing before everyone''s eyes.

    Definitely a mana wielder. Probably a strong one as well. He thought.

    He slammed his hand on the table, gathering the attention of everyone. As he removed his hand, there was a silver coin on the table, "Take this. And fuck off,"

    The old man who was sweating looked at the coin with greed. As his hand reached to grab the coin, Adui grabbed the hand and with a low voice whispered, "If you disrespect the lady like this again, I will fucking kill everyone in this village and make you watch. Do you understand?" the old man nodded, "Fuck off now,"

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    As the old man went away, the other patrons also averted their gazes. They all understood nothing good would come if they meddle in their business. Then he turned towards the hooded woman, "And you were saying?"

    "That was quite impressive," the woman said,

    "No it was not," he said.

    "No it was," she said, "Usually a person with your kind of power would have decapitated the old man. But you just made the old man run away like a scared cat,"

    Alright, this is getting out of hand. Now she knows what kind of power I have¡­ This woman, her mystery is getting better and better.

    "You were telling me about a job that you needed me to do?"

    "Let''s talk in my room," The woman then led him out of the restaurant. He grabbed his pork and mead glass and followed her¡­

    The woman had rented one of the smallest rooms of the inn, he could tell because according to the old man, the whole third floor was his room. He had somehow booked a villa in a shitty inn. But Adui couldnt understand why the hell the woman was staying here in the first place. From the way that her anger was able to make the air vibrate, she was clearly a rather strong mana wielder. So why was she in this room?

    In the confines of the room, the woman went and sat down on the bed. He took the small chair in the room to eat his roasted pork. And it is then the woman finally removed her hood and got rid of her robes. Adui was greeted by an albino beauty.

    The woman''s skin was so pale, that it looked as if no blood as ever flown in her veins. With her dark red pupils, along with her white hair, the woman looked like a porn actress from a vampire parody porn. And the way she was dressed was not helping as well. She was wearing a leather bra and leather panties. The bra was clearly very small for her chest, and it looked like she was deliberately flaunting her wealth.

    "So, about the job that you mentioned," he asked, clearly more intrigued by the mystery of that woman rather than her body.

    "I have met many mortals in my lifetime. And there are only a handful of them that were not tempted by my beauty. You are a one exceptional man,"

    "Yeah yeah.. About the job," he said.

    "You seem eager to accept my job," the woman asked, eyeing him.

    After finishing a mouthful of pork, he replied, "Lady.. I have learned many things in my life. I know for a fact that if you have Guts, Brain, and Brawn, you will find opportunities that can get you both power and money.. And this right here, it is making me feel that this opportunity could take me to new heights,"

    The woman laid down on the bed seductively, "Maybe you are right, maybe you are wrong. But the truth remains, do this task for me and you will be rewarded,"

    "What is the task?" he asked while taking a sip of his mead.

    "I need you to find this insignia," she said. While lying she went through the satchel that was lying on her bed. She then took out a small box and from it a ring. She then threw the ring towards him.

    Adui caught the ring and saw an insignia inscribed on the thing. And the thing was, he recognized the insignia. Isn''t this a fucking rose? Who in our kingdom has a Rose as its insignia? From what he could remember, all the major houses took animals as their insignia. No house had a flower as their banner.

    "Looks like some sort of flower," he said.

    "This flower is called Rose. It is a peculiar kind of flower that used to grow on this island. Find where it used to grow, and which house it belonged to. And I will give you the reward that you are so greedy for,"

    That is it? He thought This woman is trying to get me to find some information about a house and the flower? I told her that I am a mercenary, so how the fuck she concluded that I have experience in this kind of stuff?

    "Forgive me but¡­" he said, "I am a mercenary. I do not have expertise in this sort of stuff."

    "But a man for your power surely has connections. Right?" she said with sly smug.

    "Another thing," he said, "A woman with your beauty and power¡­ You can easily get information about this if you go to the capital. Why are you hiring me?"

    Frustrated, she asked, "What is up with these questions?"

    "In all of my years, as a mercenary had taught me one thing, it is preferred to know everything about the person that you are going to work with,"

    The woman sighed, "Fine¡­ I cannot show my face. Which is why I need someone from outside to do this work,"

    "Is that so?" he said¡­

    A part of Adui wanted to decline the job straight away when he sensed something. He was feeling disturbance in the air, from outside of the room. He stood up and went to the window of the room, in time to see someone sending a firecracker into the sky. Instead of bursting into a thousand colors, this firecracker instead burst and created a dome, which engulfed their inn as well.

    "What the fu¡­" he was abruptly pushed aside, and the woman now had stood up and saw the dome.

    "Fucking inquisitors!" she yelled and within a second burst out of the window.

    For the love of god, Adui could not understand what the hell was going on. But he understood one thing, there was no real reason for him to stay here now. He didnt want to get in between, whatever this was happening. He turned around, pocketed the ring, took his bag, and was about to go when he stopped. He saw that the woman''s satchel was still on the bed.

    He thought about the consequences of taking the satchel, and decided to keep the satchel safe with him for now¡­

 Chapter-11: The true strength

    When Adui came downstairs, standing on the last step of the staircase, he was greeted with pure chaos. There were these snow-white zombie-like creatures attacking the people in the inn. These creatures didnt have any eyes, nose, or ears. They were human indeed, but their mouth was full of razor-sharp long teeth, and instead of hands these guys had long talons.

    What the fuck is going on over here? He thought.

    It was then he saw one of the creatures sprinting at him. He then let go of his bag and took a fighting stance. He started pumping mana in his fists, and the creature pounced at him, he simply jumped sideways to evade the attack. The creature crashed into wooden stairs, breaking it.

    When the creature started to get up, Adui was already on it. And with all the power he could muster, he punched the creature, making its head explode.

    He heard a very shrill cry, and he looked around to see the creatures in the vicinity now had turned to him.

    Fuck.

    Adui knew that he wouldn''t be able to handle the influx of these creatures, so he decided to run instead. He jumped over the broken part of the stairs and started running to the second floor.

    He ran for the room at the far end, whose window could get him to the horse tied at the front of the inn. He ran to the door, using his fists to break the door open. As he came into the room he heard a yell, someone was inside the room, but he didnt stop there for a chat and straight away jumped outside.

    The muddy street gave him a smooth landing, but soon he had to get up, he didnt see any sign of his horse.

    Where the fuck is my horse?

    Before he knew it, three creatures jumped out of the window just like him.

    With the sun shining its gaze on him, he was ready to fight these creatures. He was about to fight the creature''s head-on when he saw something crazy. The creatures started creating a shrill noise. At first, he thought that they were doing a war cry or something. But he soon realized that these creatures were screaming in pain. Smoke started emanating from their body.

    The fuck? What are they, vampires?

    Adui''s train of thought broke when something fell from the sky crushing one of the creatures. He stared at the person in astonishment. The person was a woman, standing tall at least at least 7 and a half feet. She had golden hair, and wearing red-white armor with the cross of the church Itab etched on her chest in a bright golden color.

    The woman had a two-handed battle axe in her hands, which she used swiftly used to cut down the other two creatures.

    ¡°COWER IN FEAR DEMONS, YOUR DEATH IS HERE,¡± She yelled. ¡°FOR OUR LORD AND SAVIOR!¡±

    It was then another firework was sent to the sky, this changed the color of the dome to black, cutting off the sunlight supply of the village.

    ¡°Fucking heretics!¡± the woman cursed seeing the dome color change.

    Adui looked around and saw that the creatures started coming out of all the buildings in the village. They were snaring and aiming at them.

    Unbeknownst to Adui, he smiled seeing this. He could feel in his bones, the excitement of facing death. His excitement didn''t go unnoticed by the female warrior, she was about to ask him a question when he ran off towards the nearest group of creatures.

    One of the creatures swiped at him, he was able to avoid it but barely. The creature''s talons crazed him, but it was a superficial wound at best. But the momentum gave him time to strike and it only took one punch to blow the head off the creature and killing it for good.

    Swinging his body like a boxer he moved onto the other creature before the dead body of the first one could fall. A kidney and stomach punch later the second one was also done.

    It is then that someone struck him over his head, making him fly back a few feet. But he didnt let that deter him. He slid on the muddy road but got his balance back after a few feet.

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    The strike could have ended very badly for me if I had my previous body. He thought. Luckily I am not the kind of person who backs down from training.

    He ran towards the creature and delivered a flying kick, making the creature fly back a foot.

    An explosion took place behind him, but he paid no attention to it and just kept on fighting. To say that he was doing a good job would be an understatement. These creatures were going for a kill, while the people that he had killed so far never were as ferocious as these creatures. Even back on earth, when he was learning Muay Thai, his instructors and spar partner only used their fists and legs in the fight. And they never went for the kill.

    Which is why, by the end of the fight he had several cuts and bruises on his body. He was bleeding from various places, and it was his adrenaline that helped him to even stand up.

    When he killed the last creature, he looked around to find that he had ventured outside of the village while fighting. While the village on the other hand was no more. The buildings that were standing in the place, he could count them all on his fingers. And even the buildings which were standing were on the verge of collapsing. There were large craters around the village, which made it seem that an air-force strike had taken place here.

    ¡°You did alright,¡± he heard, ¡°For a mortal,¡±

    He turned to his right, and there was another giant standing before him. This one was a dark-skinned bald man. Like the woman before, he was also wearing an armor of white and red and had the golden cross etched on his armor.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he simply said. ¡°What the fuck were these creatures?¡±

    ¡°These were the spawns made by dark magic. The dark mage that we were following rigged this village with these creatures. In the case she gets attacked, these creatures could have provided her with backup,¡±

    ¡°These weak creatures would have provided her backup?¡± he didnt believe it for a second. The albino woman was very strong, hell, she was the strongest mana wielder he had met until now. So he was having a hard time believing that someone as strong as her would have something so weak as a backup.

    Either he was getting the full picture, or this whole thing was a ploy.

    ¡°What is your name mortal?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°Name is..¡± He stopped and thought whether he should give out his real name or not. Although there was nothing wrong with this body¡¯s original name, he rather dont want to meet his father and his brother in the future. So he went with the name of one of the famous rappers, ¡°My name is Drake,¡±

    ¡°Drac,¡±

    ¡°No.. Drake.. It is Drake, with ¡®k¡¯ in the end,¡±

    ¡°You must be an orphan, to have a stupid name like that.. Drac with a k,¡±

    He didnt want to argue about that, ¡°So what happens now,¡±

    ¡°Now, we watch a bitch burn in the name of justice..¡± The man said while walking towards him¡­

    ***

    Adui found himself standing in an opening. There was charred ground everywhere, treed turned into splinter or cut in half. In the middle of the clearing were all the bodies of the vile creatures of the village, and between the pile of creatures was a stake, from which the albino woman was hanging in the form of a cross.

    He stood there on the side, with all his wounds healed by the bald man. There were three giants before him, wearing similar armor to one another, reading the passage from the bible of Itab. These guys were inquisitors from the church of Itab, here to hunt down the heretic named Tamika.

    And now they are going to burn her alive.

    Well who have guessed, I am witnessing a live witch hunt.

    Adui then looked at his torso and hands, the cuts made by the creature were no more. The bald inquisitor changed and waved his hand around forming a magical circle in the air, which was glowing golden. And a beam of gentle light came out of the circle which healed his every wound. He does a little but is tired because of the loss of blood, but his bruises and cuts have healed, only scars of the battle are left on his body now.

    ¡°¡­ May the grace of Itab, in your next life you become worthy of wearing his cross. Amen,¡± the head inquisitor closed his book. The head inquisitor was a grumpy-looking man, with streaks of white hair. And for some reason, he was making his way towards him.

    ¡°You are the mana wielder that took care of the creatures,¡± the old man said.

    ¡°Yes sire,¡± he said.

    The old man looked at him with interest, ¡°Usually mortals cower before me when I stand before them. Yet here you are, unfazed by my me,¡±

    ¡°Ah..¡± He mumbled, then quickly answered, ¡°Well.. Because I have nothing to hide. It is the heretics and other fools who.. Oppose the church should cower before you. I dont¡­ That is why I am not afraid.¡±

    The grumpy old man bloomed a smile on his face, ¡°Good¡­¡± Then the old man turned back after hearing the screams of the albino chick. ¡°My brother and sister told me that you fight well. You are a little bit unrefined, but you fight well,¡±

    ¡°Well, my father taught me some moves,¡± he said.

    ¡°My sister also told me that you came out of the inn, where the heretic was staying,¡± the old man then looked him in the eyes, ¡°You wouldn''t know anything about that heretic, would you?¡±

    He quickly shook his head, ¡°No. I was tired, so I went straight to my room. Then when I was coming down I met the monsters for the first time,¡±

    The old man didnt say anything, just scanned him from top to bottom, then simply said, ¡°You can go now. We set this whole place on fire to burn the stench of the heretic,¡±

    Adui didnt need to be told twice. He straight away went to the inn and scavenged through the rubble a little bit to find his bag. And after that, he straight away ran away from the place, when the dome that had been deployed got taken down¡­

 Chapter-12: Scuffle

    Walking down the muddy path, with the smoke of a huge fire burning filling the sky behind him, Adui had a lot of thoughts going through his head. He was having a hard time deciding what he should pick up first.

    So let me get this straight. There are these 7 feet tall monsters who work for the church of Itab, and they hunt down heretics. As far as the albino woman was concerned, she was something called the dark mage. And she was a bad guy, who wanted me to find a house whose insignia was a Rose.

    The whole scenario seemed to him something out of a novel or something. Everything just went by, so fast, that he didnt even have time to understand what transpired. How he got out of this messy situation was beyond him as well. He had been very lucky that he was an emotionless human puppet because any other human in his stead would have cracked under the intense gaze of the old inquisitor.

    Those guys called me a mortal. Does that mean that they are immortals?

    He was having a hard time that there could be something or someone immortal. It is just against the laws of nature. But considering that he was in the world of magic, he was able to digest the information somehow as well¡­

    As he didnt have a horse,  he had to keep walking down the muddy path until nightfall, when finally he was able to reach another small village. The night had already fallen, and he did not want to be looked down on once again by some innkeeper, so he decided that it would be for the best that he just kept moving. He stole a cart and a pony from a farm, left two gold coins as compensation, and started his journey once again.

    Although the cart was more comfortable than the back of the horse, it was way slower than a horse. Especially the pony of his, that little thing had so little stamina that in his overnight journey he had to stop three times to give relief to the pony. When the sun did rise, he stopped by a river to take a bath.

    While his pony ate the wild grass around the river bank, he took a long bath scrubbing every part of his body with his hands. After he was done, he washed his clothes, they were also dirty as fuck. The lack of any sort of soap made it difficult for him to clean his clothes thoroughly, but he managed somehow.

    He sat under the shade of an old tree, finally free of his chores. He then opened his bag and took out the satchel of the albino mage.

    This belonged to her. Considering how strong she was, this thing should contain some good stuff, right? He thought.

    He was just a low-level mana wielder, he was carrying a bunch of gold and mana stones with him. So there was a high chance that his satchel might contain more valuable things.

    As he flipped open the flap of the satchel, he was greeted with the glowing symbols, etched in the seam of the opening. They look familiar. Similar symbols are in the wooden box of mana stones.

    He flipped the bag, and slowly the contents of the box started falling off the bag. As if performing Earth-style street magic, things just kept falling from the bag as if the bag were a bottomless pit. When the piles of things had increased to a certain length, only then did he flip the bag back. There was still some stuff in the bag, that he didnt dare to take out.

    Well, clearly this is like a magical bag or something. I cannot go through its content here, He thought.

    And it is then, a weird thought came to his mind. There were similarities between the symbols of the mana stone box and this satchel, which meant that there was a high chance that they shared similar magic. Does it mean that the number of mana stones that he had, might be greater than what he had previously perceived?

    ¡°Aw, what a cute pony!¡± someone yelled. He peeked from the tree to see a little girl caressing his pony. He would have not batted an eye on the girl if it weren''t for her clean appearance. She was clearly wearing a frock made of expensive silks, similar to his eldest brother and sister. And she didnt look like the girl that belonged there.

    There is a high chance someone might come looking for the girl.

    He moved quickly and started shoving the stuff back to the satchel. The girl was busy with his pony, so he had all the time he needed. It is only after he had shoved all the stuff back to the satchel, he pushed himself up.

    The girl was still playing with the pony when she spotted him. She looked a little fearful when she saw him coming out of nowhere, faking confidence she asked, ¡°Does this pony belong to you, kind sir?¡±

    He simply nodded, so she asked, ¡°How much do you want for it?¡±

    With a cold face, he replied, ¡°The pony is not for sale. And you should go back little girl, this place is not safe.¡±

    ¡°I am not afraid,¡±

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    He sighed inwardly, ¡°Go back. There should be people looking for you,¡±

    ¡°You should mind your own business mister,¡± She said angrily, ¡°Now tell me how much for the pony. I can give you enough, that you enough gold that you might be able to a dozen land or so,¡±

    Buy a dozen land? This little brat must be a rather high-class noble, only they could be so out of touch with reality.

    ¡°Lady I am asking you last time. Get the hell out of here,¡±

    ¡°I am not leaving without my pony,¡±

    Seeing no real words getting through her, he decided to just scare her. He started making growling noises, shocking the girl. He then raised his hand and started frantically running at her. The girl screamed and started running back. He followed her for some distance but then stopped. The girl then ran away screaming about a monster¡­

    After half an hour of struggle, Adui was finally able to catch a fish. Using the cleaver, he cleaned it and finally started a fire. As he had the fish cook slowly with the fire, he kept thinking about the symbols and how they worked.

    If those symbols are somehow able to bend the space itself, that would be revolutionary. He then kept thinking about what he would be able to do with them.

    It is then, that he felt weird. The air around him changed as if they were warning him. And then he heard a whistling sound, he looked up to see an arrow flying towards his head. He was not able to react, and the arrow went by his head making a cut on his cheeks. The arrow then struck the tree behind him.

    Curious, he looked in the direction where the arrow came from only to see where it came from. He then saw a group of men making his way towards him, and the leader was the one who fired the arrow. He stood up.

    Those men were wearing armor, with what looked like a thorny stem etched on the upper right side of their chest.

    ¡°I missed,¡± the leader yelled loudly so that he could hear it. The rest of the men laughed at the cue, making this look like a well-rehearsed skit.

    Walking over to them, Adui stopped in front of the leader of the group.

    ¡°Wanna die?¡± he simply asked.

    Seeing his serious face, all the men started laughing. ¡°Wanna die.¡± The leader imitated him. ¡°I can fuck you up scrawny horse dick,¡±

    Scrawny horse dick? What kind of insult is that? He thought.

    Brushing his thoughts aside, he kicked the leader in the nuts. Clutching his balls, the leader went down. Using this opportunity, slammed his cleaver into the head of the leader, opening the head like a cantaloupe. All the men behind got stunned and shell-shocked.

    As Adui took out the cleaver, he saw that a huge part of the cleaver had been chipped off, ¡°Strongest cleaver my ass,¡± he simply said, remembering what the blacksmith told him when he confiscated the cleaver from the old man.

    ¡°AHH!¡± one of the men yelled, getting out of the stupor, and charged towards him, making Adui smile with amusement¡­

    ***

    Man, I need new clothes. He thought as he looked at the condition of the clothes that he was wearing. In the scuffle before his clothes were torn, and were now tattered now. He was bruised but his body was fine. Which was a good thing. But there was one thing for sure, he was in a good mood right now.

    He took the bite of the fish that he left to cook before, it had burned a little bit. But was edible in some parts, and as he was hungry, he started digging in. And on an empty stomach, even that burned fish tasted like heaven.

    It is then he spotted a tall and brawny man wear wearing a full armor set of knights making his way towards him, accompanied by bruised soldiers that he beat up. He knew that someone like that would come, as he had surely beaten up soldiers of some noble house or something. He just thought that he would have some time in his hands before someone would come.

    He immediately pushed himself up and removed his shirt as he didnt want that to get in worse condition than it was already. He picked up an axe that he stole from the soldiers from earlier, and started walking towards the knight while chewing his fish.

    Both he and the knight came to a stop, a few steps away from each other. ¡°You are the one who beat and killed one of my men?¡±

    He stared at the man with a nonchalant face, eating his face he simply nodded. Seeing this knight passed him an angry smile, ¡°You have a lot of guts¡­¡±

    Before the knight could continue, he cut him off, ¡°Oh stop it with the monologue. Out with it, what the hell do you want? Do you want to take revenge, then we can start to fight. If you are looking for an apology, you are not getting one. So what the fuck do you want? Out with it,¡±

    ¡°You are a very impatient boy,¡± Adui heard a voice from his side, making him surprised. There stood an old man, wearing a black white old-style butler suit. The wrinkled face of the old man was looking at him as if scanning him.

    Definitely a mana wielder, otherwise there was no way that I didnt see or hear him. He thought.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked the old man calmly.

    ¡°I am the one who is responsible for monologuing knight,¡± the old man said and went to Adui¡¯s back and started touching his back. Though that old pervert¡¯s touch was making him uncomfortable, he didnt stop the old man. More like, he suspected he might not even be able to stop the old man.

    ¡°You got beat up by him?¡± the old man asked one of the bruised soldiers who was following the knight.

    ¡°Yes sir,¡± the soldier yelled as if answering the drill instructor.

    ¡°You got beat up by a boy who has not even grown his pubes yet?¡± the old man said with amusement.

    ¡°Him, a boy?¡± the knight asked.

    The old man came forward and nodded, ¡°A boy. How old are you boy?¡± the old man asked.

    Is there a relation between the number of spinal columns and age that I dont know about? Adui thought.

    As it was not a very big secret, he simply replied, ¡°I will be 13 years old in a few months.¡±

    The old man passed him a smile, ¡°Now, what do you want to do with him,¡± he asked the knight, who kept staring at the Adui as if he was a monster¡­

 Chapter-13: Job Offer

    Adui stood there, trying to grasp what the hell was going on there. The old man, the boss of these people was clearly not there to kill him or something. As far as the knight is concerned, it was written on his face that he wanted to flay his skin and wear it like a shawl, the soldiers behind him shared the same sentiment as well. So what the hell was going on there?

    ¡°You can be serious,¡± Knight said, ¡°You want me to recruit this man?¡±

    Recruit? The fuck.. This old man is surely out of his mind. He wants to recruit me? The guy who killed one of his men in cold blood?

    The old man nodded, ¡°The man you speak of destroyed the ego and noses of several of your well-trained men. And he was able to walk out of the fight with some bruises at best.¡±

    The knight protested, ¡°But sire.. He killed one of our soldiers,¡±

    ¡°Only because Goto fired an arrow at him. For no apparent reason.¡± The old man then turned to the men behind the knights, ¡°Look at the faces of these men. They are defeated, but not dead. Do you reckon a man like him, who is about to complete his first circle could not massacre your troops?¡±

    What the fuck is the first circle? Adui thought.

    The knight then looked at him weirdly, ¡°This boy is at the same level as me?¡±

    I am at the same level as a knight? What the fuck?

    From the books at the Hampshire house, he knew for a fact that all the knights in the country were mana-wielders. And any mana wielder could become a knight, only when they reached a certain level of mastery in mana wielding. How this mastery is attained, or what it is called was beyond him, as there were no books about this topic. Which is why, he was quite surprised that in one year''s worth of time, he was able to reach a level where he could become a knight.

    ¡°Think about it Greg, you lost a stone, but you found gold instead,¡± the old man said.

    Hearing the words, Adui couldnt help but chuckle, gathering their attention, ¡°Old bones, surely you have gone senile in your old age.¡± It made the old man face him, ¡°You are trying to recruit me, without even asking.. That is some next-level insanity,¡±

    ¡°If you dont come to work for us, you die,¡± the old man said.

    Adui raised his hands sideways, ready to embrace death. The old man didnt show any hesitation. Within a blink of an eye, Adui saw the white-gloved fist of the old man hurling its way toward him. In that fist, he could see his death. For the first time in this life, he bloomed the warmest smile and accepted his faith. He would die here.

    But the first came to an, about a half inch from his nose. The fist created a gust of wind, that not only ruffled his hair but managed to reach the tree behind him as well.

    So close. So exciting. He thought.

    He then tilted his face to the right and said, ¡°Why did you stop old man? Got scared?¡±

    ***

    Half an hour ago.

    Travis was having a very bad day as it was. They were supposed to reach the Sumor Keep two days ago, if it weren''t for the cursed carriage axel. That damn old creaky thing had never in his life has ever troubled them before in its life. But in the past three weeks, it had broken down at least 4 times. According to the carriage driver, the whole axel assembly needed to change. But, where would they find an axel in the middle of nowhere?

    He had contacted Lord Sumor, and the new axel was on its way to the keep. Only, if they were able to reach the keep before the axel arrives.

    Travis then looked at the practice test that he had prepared for the young mistress, and he felt an even bigger headache coming his way. Most of the questions were wrong, there were a few where he could not understand what the young mistress had written.

    I am too old for this. Young mistress needs a strict teacher, if she had to grasp the concept of keeping accounts and penmanship.

    The knock on the door broke his stupor. The old man pushed himself up and opened the door. Beyond him stood, Greg, the knight assigned to protect them.

    ¡°We have a problem,¡±

    Travis sighed, ¡°What did young mistress do now?¡±

    ¡°Well..¡± Greg hesitated, then spoke, ¡°She vanished for a few minutes. But she came back, crying. She said that a man scared her, and then ordered the soldiers to get the man¡¯s head for her.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Travis started massaging his head for the upcoming head, ¡°Which poor sop did the soldiers kill?¡± They were on a thin budget right, and compensating the villagers meant that they might have to empty their pockets. Although, he could just not pay the villagers, but he couldnt let someone tarnish the good name of Marquis Sumor.

    ¡°That is the thing¡­ One of our soldiers is killed. The rest of them.. They were all beaten up.¡±

    Hearing Greg¡¯s words a vein pooped on Travis¡¯s head. ¡°Such a blatant disrespect..¡± He mumbled, ¡°What are you doing here, instead of erasing those pests,¡±

    ¡°All of this was done by one man. Alone.¡±

    That caught him off guard. Alone. Then this person should be a mana wielder. Otherwise, there is no way that the well-trained guards of the Sumor family would be defeated that easily.

    ¡°Nobel?¡± he asked.

    Greg shrugged, ¡°From what I have heard of the man, doesn''t seem like it. But the way that the man had been beaten up¡­ This man is extremely skilled. Might be a lapdog of some noble.¡±

    ¡°Let me see for myself what had happened.¡± He said coming out of the room. Greg soon followed him behind, ¡°And made sure that at least four guys are keeping an eye on the young mistress.¡±

    ¡°Already done,¡± Greg said, and they went to meet this mysterious man¡­..

    It was unsettling. That smile, was very unsettling. Travis had met a lot of people in this world, and there were some that he knew, who were not afraid of anything. But death was something, that everyone was afraid of.

    It was his first time encountering a person, that is not afraid of death and was willing to embrace it with open arms. And then that unsettling smile, this man was smiling at the face of death. Travis had fully made his mind to kill the man, he just stopped to gauge the reaction of the man. But he was not expecting this.

    That man then tilted his face, and asked, ¡°Why did you stop old man? Got scared?¡±

    This guy¡­ He would make an excellent soldier. He thought.

    ¡°What is your name boy?¡± Travis asked.

    ¡°Ad.. Drake. The name is Drake,¡±

    ¡°So Drac..¡±

    ¡°No.. Not Drac.. It''s Drake, with a k¡­¡±

    That is the stupidest thing that I ever heard, Travis thought and then asked, ¡°Is that really your name?¡±

    The man then sighed, ¡°Look, old man, dont wanna talk to you or your boys anymore. Fuck off, before I get angry,¡±

    He says that he would become angry.. But look at the fucker¡¯s face. He was clearly enjoying the situation.

    Travis then turned around and asked Greg, ¡°Why did your men attack this man again?¡±

    ¡°Young mistress ordered to kill him sire. But the boys truly wanted to just beat him up,¡±

    What would I do with the girl,

    Then he turned towards Drac, ¡°Why dont you work for us?¡±

    ¡°Do you work for someone else?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Just dont want to work as a fucking as a useless soldier,¡±

    What? Travis was having a hard time understanding the young man before him, ¡°With your talent, you would become a knight in a few years.¡±

    ¡°Not interested,¡± the man said and then turned around and started walking back to his campfire.

    ¡°Are you working for someone else?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Nope,¡± The man said and kept walking.

    ¡°Then what do you want to do in your life? Teach? Become a butler?¡± Travis had just said it with sarcasm. There was no way that this man would be interested in such things, with his talents he would become someone in the future. Surprisingly that stopped the man, and he turned around, ¡°Butler at the Marquis family?¡±

    He recognized the symbol on Greg¡¯s armor. Only nobleborns are made to learn all the important house insignia. He thought.

    ¡°There might be a chance,¡±

    The man then came back, as quickly as he went, and then with a cold face and asked, ¡°When do I start?¡± Travis could only stare at the man, trying to understand what kind of man was this, Drac¡­.

    ***

    A few days later.

    Keeping an eye on the Drac, Travis couldnt help but be impressed by that man¡¯s teaching skills. When Drac offered to help the young mistress with her studies, he was hesitant, but at the same time Drac was the best candidate for the job, he knew it. Ever since the young mistress came to know about what Drac did to one of their soldiers, and the fact that he was a mana wielder who was on the same level as Greg, she had been a little bit afraid of him.

    Which is why he believed that Drac would have done a pretty great job at teaching her, because no matter what he does she doesn''t take him seriously.

    But when Drac started teaching her, she started improving. Didnt know whether it was due to fear, or she suddenly became smart. By the time they reached the Sumor Keep, Travis started seeing improvement in the young mistress¡¯s performance.

    Young mistress progress was the only thing, that made Lord Sumor even consider taking Drac as a butler. And slowly Drac became one of the butlers under him. It is only then Travis started seeing why Drac wanted to become the butler, it was because he was pretty good at it. Somehow that man was able to wake up early, train, do all chores assigned to him, and then find the time to wander around the library of the Keep.

    Drac sure loved the books and kept great care of the library. His interest didnt go unnoticed by Young Mistress¡¯s mother who liked books as well. And before Travis knew it, somehow Drac was able to come close to Mistress. Some staff didnt like that a new guy, who only had been here for about six months was able to become a close confidant of the Mistress.

    On the other hand, Travis didnt know what to think of Drac. He was good at his work, remained professional, and always smiled at everyone. But he and Greg knew the truth. Drac was a killer and a very dangerous one at that. They both thought that the man had an ulterior motive for coming to the family. It was just that they had no idea what Drac was planning.

    The only thing that they could do was to observe, and be ready for whatever the man does next¡­

 Chapter-14: The Era of Ice-1

    Adui somehow was able to enter the Sumor Keep and become a butler there. And he was glad that he took the job because this Keep was the treasure trove that he had been looking for. He was getting paid to get close to one of the three Marquis families of the kingdom, which was his ultimate plan. Which is why he was quite surprised at how easily he was able to come close to such a family.

    And most importantly, he got to read all the books at the Keep.

    Books were a precious, resource in the world. Not everyone is allowed to touch the books, but the rule doesn''t apply to butlers. They are the caretakers of the place, and even the library needs cleaning. These people allowed him to read all the books that he could get his hands on, only because he took care of the library, and also handled his regular tasks daily. Further, it was his friendship with the Mistress of the Sumor Family that made it easier for him to read the books of the library.

    Sumor family is one of the three Marquis families of the Alanor Kingdom. They hold a lot of power and money. And from what he had come to know, the house of Sumor had been living on the island way before the rebellion, and even before the previous empire. Some believe that the Sumor Family was established way before the Era of Ice, an era when this kingdom was covered in ice.

    Currently, the Sumor family consists of Gregor Sumor, the previous patriarch, his son Daniel, and his son¡¯s wife Helen. Gregor had one elder and youngest daughter as well, who are both black sheep of the family. All Gregor''s children are mana wielders, but it was only Daniel who was able to raise his martial prowess and Mana circles, which made Daniel the current Patriarch of the family.

    Daniel has only one daughter, Agatha, the bossy brat that he met at the river bank.

    That bossy little brat was a pain in the ass and was not a very pleasant girl to work with. From the whispers of the maids, he came to know that the brat was the narcissistic egoistic smaller version of Gregor Sumor, her grandfather. She orders everyone around and is kind of an unsufferable brat to everyone. But as Drac has killed one of her soldiers, and is not afraid of her, she remains in check while in front of her. Because of this precise thing, he had come closer to Helen Sumor, her mother.

    Helen came into the Sumor family because of politics. Although she is a very loyal and good wife to Daniel, she is still unsure whether this is truly where she belongs. From what Drac had come to understand, she could give her life for the Sumor family, but she was this gullible mess that he could mold as he wanted. And if he plays his cards right, then he could use her to create chaos in the whole Alanor Kingdom.

    As soon as he realized that Helen was the opportunity that he was looking for, he got to work.

    He basically stalked her and tried to understand way on how to get close to her. And he basically got the chance that he had been waiting for on a silver platter when he realized that she liked reading just like him¡­

    That particular morning, Drac had a certain spring in his step. Today was a very special day for him because he found something last night that he had been itching to talk about. His partner in crime would surely be interested in what he found out, which is why, after his daily training, he took the book in question from the library and started walking towards the Sumor¡¯s Keep dining hall.

    He was not in charge of the resident''s food and dining so he hardly came to the hall. But today was different. As he pushed open the very heavy redwood doors, he was greeted by Travis, the head butler, who looked surprised to see him there.

    The dining hall was a very big place, where many dinners with other nobles and bannermen took place. Which was why there were 5 huge tables lined together at the entrance, which was sufficient to host around 500 men. The honor table, where the Sumor¡¯s usually eats was three steps up from the normal tables, on the other side of the hall.

    ¡°What are you doing here Drac?¡± Travis asked. The old man usually stays here, accessible when needed, but at a safe distance so as not to eavesdrop on the private conversation of the residents.

    He passed the old man a fake smile, ¡°Good morning to you as well old man,¡±

    ¡°Call me boss,¡± the old man said, clearly irritated from the fact that he had to remind him over and over again what he was supposed to call him.

    ¡°Sure,¡± he said, ¡°Is mistress done with her breakfast?¡±

    ¡°No. Not yet, why?¡±

    It was not something to hide about anyway, ¡°Found this last night,¡± he showed the book to the old man, ¡°And there is something in the book that mistress would like to see,¡±

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°What could possibly be in the book that you came all the way here, ignoring your responsibilities and chores?¡±

    The old man looked rather pissed. Drac knew that the old man had been keeping an eye on him, and had been wary of him since the very beginning, so he figured this was probably the time to throw some dirt in the eyes of the old man. Show him that he was not hiding anything.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Drac said and looked around, ¡°You know about the Era of Ice right?¡± The old man nodded, looking at him rather suspiciously, ¡°Well, I found something about that era in one of the books. So I went to my mistress to talk about it, as she likes reading like me. Figured that she might shed some light on the matter,¡±

    ¡°You wanted to talk to mistress about such a trivial matter? Have you forgotten the code of conduct that I talked about?¡±

    Travis had given him a rundown of the rules that usually butlers follow. These rules were not something that the family implements, it was just something that the old man made up of his ass. So he never bothered following any of them, ¡°Just listen okay,¡± he said, and the old man fell silent, ¡°I went to talk to the mistress, and the discrepancy that I found made her curious as well. So she started finding out more about the discrepancy, and she took my help as well. And yesterday I found something that blew my mind,¡±

    ¡°Travis,¡± an unknown voice rang in the hall. They both looked at the table. It was then Drac noticed that there was an old man sitting at the seat of the patriarch, a person that he didnt recognize. But the identity of the old man was obvious to him, that man was Gregor Sumor.

    Gregor lives in Alanor City, the capital of Alanor Kingdom. This was his first time visiting the keep ever since he came here, which was why he couldnt recognize the old man.

    Travis as heard his previous master¡¯s shout, went running to the table. Thinking that it would be better to leave, he turned around to leave, when he heard, ¡°Bring the new guy with you as well,¡±

    Drac immediately darted towards the table, acting as a reliable butler. He came and stood just behind Travis, completely straight and still like a soldier in front of the commander. Agatha was smirking at him, while the rest of them didnt seem to care about them.

    As far as Gregor was concerned, he was staring straight at him. Up close, Drac realized that Gregor was a rather tall man, from what he could guess, that man was at least six and a half feet tall. Combined with the cruel and unforgiving face, Gregor looked like a typical gangster.

    ¡°What are you holding there boy?¡± Gregor asked.

    Drac came forward, went down on his knees, and presented Gregor with the book. With interest, the old man took the book with his greasy, steakjuice-filled hands. ¡°So this is it huh?¡± the old man mumbled.

    ¡°What is it, father?¡± Daniel asked, who was sitting beside his father.

    ¡°Remember what I told you about mine and your grandfather¡¯s bet?¡±

    Drac noticed that Daniel didnt understand at first, but then suddenly his eyes widened with surprise. ¡°You mean that book is it? That book is the answer?¡±

    Gregor nodded, ¡°Yes. This brat found the answer.¡±

    Helen then asked, ¡°What is in this book?¡±

    ¡°You should know Helen,¡± Gregor said, ¡°This book contained the answer to the question that you asked me about in the letter,¡±

    Helen¡¯s eyes almost popped out of her socket, ¡°Is that it? Is this the book that you told me about?¡±

    ¡°That is what this brat thinks?¡±

    So it was not random that Helen asked me to go through old history books. She knew that the answer would be here. He thought.

    ¡°Stand up brat,¡± Gregor commanded, and he stood up, ¡°Tell me..¡± Gregor stopped, and then looked at his daughter and granddaughter, ¡°We will discuss this matter after breakfast in the study,¡±

    ¡°Woah, what?¡± Kaila, the eldest daughter of Gregor exclaimed, ¡°What kind of thing is it that you can''t discuss in front of me?¡±

    ¡°It is a family secret honey,¡± Gregor said, ¡°Cannot¡­¡± Gregor stopped midway, realizing what would happen if he had continued.

    But the damage was done, ¡°Family secret?¡± Kaila said, ¡°Oh I get it. Just because I have yet to complete my first circle like you guys, I cannot get to know family secrets. Isn''t that right father?¡±

    ¡°No it is not honey,¡± Gregor said nervously.

    But Kaila was not having it, ¡°It seems like that way to me father,¡± she then slammed her hands on her food, spilling her stew everywhere, ¡°Now you have started disrespecting me in front of servants now father. What is next father? Will you throw me out there one day, or sell me to whorehouse to become a WHORE!¡± she huffed and then left the hall.

    ¡°Aunt Kaila,¡± Agatha said and then ran out of her favorite aunt.

    Gregor then turned towards him, ¡°What have you uncovered boy?¡±

    ¡°Father!¡± Daniel looked offended, ¡°Shouldn''t you go after Kaila? She is very sensitive at the moment. Especially ever since Avery went to the continent.¡±

    ¡°Forget her,¡± Gregor said, ¡°She shows throws tantrums at everything. I dont want to deal with that brat right now when the secret is in front of me. I have waited 70 years for this, Kaila can wait for a few hours,¡±

    Helen then asked, ¡°Father, what am I missing here?¡±

    Gregor then looked at her, ¡°Daniel¡¯s grandfather told me that the secret of our family and the secret of Era of Ice has been hidden in the library. If I could find it, then he would show me the secret vault of our family. He was never able to do that as he died very young. And as I was not that into reading, I never looked for the secret. Same went for my kids as well.¡±

    Daniel then added, ¡°Well I was busy training my sword. While my sisters.. They were not that into reading as well,¡±

    Gregor then turned towards him, ¡°So what is the secret boy?¡± Everyone then turned towards him¡­

 Chapter-15: Era of Ice-2

    The first time Drac heard about the Era of Ice, he was in the Hampshire Manor. He couldnt understand the whole context of the era, he learned that it was a time when this island was covered in ice. Which was pretty strange as this island seemed like a tropical place. The winters are not cold enough to freeze someone to death, let alone cover the whole island under ice.

    At that time he couldnt understand what the Era of Ice was all about, and he didnt care.

    When he came to Sumor keep as a butler, he went to the library to get books about mana arts. His other motive was to find anything that he could get to understand the language that the books of the Albino woman were written in. He was able to go through the satchel when he came to the keep and soon uncovered tons of things from the bag. And most of them were books, whose language he couldnt understand.

    He knew that these books would be about Mana Arts, which was why he wanted them to be translated. But couldnt approach anyone for help, and he was not able to find any clue about the language. As far as Sumor¡¯s Keep library is concerned, it had some books which told him a lot about Mana-wielding warriors, and what was happening to his body.

    And it was when he wanted to delve deeper into how a mana wielder¡¯s body worked, did he found a certain interesting book in the Library. It was an old book, more precisely it was a diary of a Matriarch who once ruled the Sumor family. Most of the diary was filled with insights of Warrior Path, and how they were able to dodge obstacles.

    The writer of the diary mentioned that she had a younger brother, who was planning to kill the current regime of the kingdom. And how she foiled his plan of poisoning the drinking water of the capital. But the strange part was, the writer mentioned that how she felt that she was lucky that she was able to stop another Era of Ice type of disaster from happening again.

    The library of Sumor Keep contains the map of the whole Alanor Kingdom. And from looking at the map he realized that if she hadn''t foiled his brother¡¯s plan then there was a chance poison would have killed almost three-fourths of of the population of the kingdom itself.

    But the comment remained stuck in his mind, he wanted to know whether the ancestors of the Sumor Family were indeed responsible for the Era of Ice, and if so, how? Which is when he contacted Helen¡­.

    In the dining hall, in front of the gaze of the Sumor Family and Travis, Drac showed everyone the book, ¡°This right here is the observation diary of one of the ancestors of the Sumor Family,¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡± Daniel asked curiously.

    ¡°Well, Mistress and I were trying to uncover the truth of Era of Ice. Sumor Family caused it or were responsible for it somehow. From different diaries, we were able to uncover that most of the ancestors knew about the Era of Ice. But as time passed by, the knowledge of the era was not passed on. We were able to find any clues about the Era.. But this diary contains a passage that could explain some stuff,¡±

    Drac then opened the book, and started going through its pages,  ¡°This diary recalls the time when the writer had to fight some magical beasts that had made their home on the southern edge of the island¡­¡± Magical Beasts were beasts who could wield mana. There was not a lot of information on such beasts in the library as there are essentially no magical beasts or predators in the Kingdom. They had gone extinct a long time ago.

    He then started reading the passage from the diary, ¡°¡­I stared at the corpse of the beast. Its reptilian wings and outrageous size amazed everyone on the hunting party. That beast managed to kill 600 people and 70 mana wielders with it. Some were saying that this beast was the single biggest threat that the kingdom had ever faced. If only these people knew the horror that the Sumor Sanctuary was hiding. The beast down there, its size was almost 4 times the size of the beast before me¡­¡±

    He then looked up, ¡°This was the secret of the Sumor Family¡¯s ancestors. They brought a beast to the island, that went rogue and covered the whole island under ice,¡± There are legends that some strong Mana Arts could change the weather itself. So he just concluded that this might be true for magical beasts as well.

    No one spoke anything, which Drac didnt expect. Everyone was stunned, but all were staring at Gregor for some reason. Los in thought for a few seconds, the old patriarch of the family stood up, towering over him. ¡°Have you told anyone about this matter?¡±

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    He shook his head, ¡°I have not talked to anyone about the matter, other than the mistress,¡±

    Gregor then turned towards Travis, ¡°Take this boy and put him on lockdown, until you receive a word,¡± The old butler nodded, when Gregor turned to him, ¡°As far as you are concerned boy, do not try to talk to anyone during your confinement. If someone asks you, tell them you are sick or something.. Try to run, or disobey any order, and my men would hunt your ass down like a dog that you are,¡±

    ¡°Understood sir,¡± he said, Travis then held his shoulder and escorted him to his room¡­.

    ***

    Drac''s quarters were in the basement of the keep, which was not a very pleasant place. It was damp, had a ton of moisture on the walls and there were a lot of rats running around the place. However it was, he was not complaining about it. He just came to this place, when he had to sleep. Most of his time he had to spend upstairs. But now, as he had been confined in the place for a few hours, he couldnt help but be a little bit angry.

    I knew that these guys would flip out when they heard about the corpse of the beast, but didnt predict that they would confine him here.

    In this world, the corpse of a Magical Beast is considered very precious. Through a magical beast¡¯s bones one could make different types of elixirs, through its bones one could nourish the soil to make it habitual for magical herbs. Hell, the meat of any magical beast is so nourishing, that a Mana wielder eating it on a regular basis could ascend with tremendous speed. It was even faster than the mana stones that he had safely tucked away in the magical satchel bag.

    Hey, If I have time, why not just make my first circle? He thought.

    In this world, the mana wielders increase their strength by increasing their innate mana in their body. All the mana in the body is stored in something called the Dantian, in the case of warriors, and Mana Heart in the case of Mages. Drac does not possess Mana''s heart, but he does possess dantian.

    When he first met Travis, that old man mentioned that he was close to creating the first circle. Now he understands what the old man meant by that.

    Dantians are made when a warrior increase their innate mana by opening their pores located on their skins. These pores are the ones through which he absorbs mana through the air, and these pores are connected to the Mana circuit in his body. According to Travis, he was very close to creating the first circle, because he was able to consilidate a dantian back then. But he didnt move forward to create a circle because he wanted to flush out all the impurities from his body.

    He had understood that flushing out the body¡¯s gunk made it easier for him to control the flow of the mana. So he figured that before going to the next step, why not map out the whole circuit and flush out all the impurities? This seemed like the most logical thing to do at the time. So he did just that, and for the past few months, he was able to make a ton of notes about the mana circuit of his body.

    Whether his interpretation was correct or not, he didnt know. But now he could move on to the next step¡­

    He sat down in a meditative position with a mana stone in his hands. For the past few months, he had mastered the technique from which he could control the pores of his whole body. Because of this, he could now control the amount of mana that he absorbs from his palm. Which is why he could touch mana stone with his bare stones, without being subjected to pain.

    Slowly he started absorbing the mana through his palm and started sending it straight towards his dantian. Even with his control, the process was a little bit difficult. It was when his dantian was filled to its brim, did he started the next and most crucial part of the process, creating the first circle¡­

    When Drac found the depiction of how the circles were created, he was very surprised to see that they resembled the diagram of an atom. The dantian remains in the middle, and around the dantian mana circles are made. In the same way, the dantian gets consulted, when a circle or an orbit made of mana is made, the orbits consolidate. This is how the circles are made around the dantian.

    Like that, 13 circles can be made around the dantian. But not everyone could make 13 circles, there are many problems that mana wielders might face. If their control is not very good, then the mana orbit or circle won''t consolidate properly, which would make them unstable. Also, the innate potential also plays a role here. Sometimes, the dantian of a person is not big enough to successfully make a stable connection with various orbits.

    The books didnt answer properly the reasons or the solution for the problems. But as a modern human, Drac had some idea how to bypass some of these problems.

    In the natural world, the atoms are the building blocks. The reason why there are some atoms in the natural world with more than 13 orbits is because of something called the electromagnetic force. The positively charged particles of an atom are located in the nucleus of the atom, or in the center. Electrons revolve around the nucleus because the electromagnetic force that acts on electrons

    And Drac realized that maybe he could use this same principle here. He knew that after the consolidation of the orbits, there was some force that made the orbits stay around the dantian. So if he were to use the same principle of an atom, create an orbit around the dantian, with a sphere in the middle of the orbit like an electron, then might be able to create circles that would be more stable then most of the warriors in this world¡­

 Chapter-16: Sumor Keep.

    This is rather difficult than what was mentioned. Drac thought while consolidating his first circle.

    The problem lay in the distance of the circle from the dantian, and the size of a small sphere depicting an electron, which he was trying to make. With his exceptional control over mana, he was able to able to orbit a small sphere after some tries. But with this weird shape, the mana was taking a rather long time to consolidate. And controlling mana for such a long time was taking a toll on him.

    He was sweating profusely, his head was aching as if it would explode at a moment in time. But still, he persisted. I am not going to let this time go to waste and consolidate my first circle today itself.

    It took a lot of effort, and by the time he opened his eyes with a consolidated first circle, a wave of drowsiness grasped him, and fell asleep on the floor¡­

    Drac when opened his eyes again, he felt weird. It seemed to him that everything around him had become louder. He could see a blue hue flowing all around him, and his whole body was aching as if he had been crushed by a bulldozer. It was then that he heard knocks, there was someone at the door. Along with his body, his head was spinning, yet he still pushed himself up the floor. It was then that he noticed something peculiar, it seemed to him that he had grown a couple of inches. He looked down to see a sticky gunk all over his body, and it had seeped into his clothes as well. Now the whole room was smelling a shithole.

    Another knock made him take some staggering steps to the door, he peeked outside to see Greg standing there with some soldiers.

    The man took a look at him, and said, ¡°Why the fuck do you smell and seem like shit?¡±

    ¡°First circle. Consolidated it.¡± He said.

    ¡°Alone?¡± Greg asked with astonishment. ¡°You did it alone? Dont you know how dangerous it is?¡±

    He knew of the consequences. The books and the diaries that he had read mentioned everything about how dangerous the process was. He didnt use their warning because of his exceptional control over his mana. From what he had read, his control was on such a level that all the predecessors of the Sumor family could be put to shame in front of him, which was the source of his confidence.

    ¡°Well, I am not a coward,¡± He simply replied,

    ¡°Or you are a fool,¡± Greg said, ¡°Take a bath quickly. Master Gregor had called for you,¡±

    He nodded, and straight went to the nearest servant''s bathhouse and took a bath, scrubbing every part of his body. The soldiers accompanying him also helped. They scrubbed the parts of his body that he couldnt reach. He didnt appreciate that these guys were in the bath house with him, but he didnt say anything. They were helping him to hurry up, it was not wise to make that old man wait.

    By the time he had washed away the gunk, he started feeling different. He could feel his body was stronger and faster than before. He felt lighter, his senses had improved, making him some sort of a super-human.

    Soldiers hurried him around, grabbed him clean clothes, and made his way towards the study of Lord Daniel.

    Greg didnt enter the room, he went in alone. There he saw Daniel sitting on his desk, while Lord Gregor was looking down through the window. Drac¡¯s senses had improved to such an extent, that he started feeling the energy of the two people before him. Gregor was powerful, way more powerful than Daniel. Based on their energies, he figured that Daniel had at least three circles, while Gregor seemed to have at least four circles.

    He cleared his throat, making them turn, ¡°You called, milords?¡±

    Gregor stared at him, ¡°You look different. What happened to you?¡±

    ¡°Completed my first circle sire,¡± he said.

    Both Gregor and Daniel looked surprised. The old man then asked, ¡°You got some balls, completing the circle on your own,¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I didnt know that completing a circle is supposed to be a group activity,¡±

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    ¡°Sit down, Drac,¡± Daniel said while pointing toward the chair in front of the desk. He promptly sat down and stared into the eyes of his lord.

    ¡°Do you understand what we did, and why we did it?¡±

    ¡°I have some idea, sire,¡±

    From behind Gregor started speaking, ¡°A boy like you.. Who was on the verge of completing his first circle a few months ago, completed his circle yesterday. You could have become a knight, yet you choose to be a butler. And then you proceeded to not only go through the diaries of our ancestors, which might have contained some household secrets but also uncovered some dark knowledge about the family.¡± Gregor then came and leaned against Daniel¡¯s bench, ¡°So let me be straight Drac.. We dont trust you,¡±

    ¡°That is fair sire,¡±

    ¡°Do you have anything to say for yourself?¡± Daniel asked.

    Drac thought about it for a moment, then said, ¡°I have this weird love for books milords. They are the things that calm me, and could never betray me. Which is why I dove into your library, without thinking about the consequences. As far as your secrets are concerned sire, I will never betray this household. This household came to my aid when everyone had abandoned me. I can never betray it¡­ I can even swear an oath on it. I have already told Lord Daniel my secret. Which proves, that I am a very loyal man,¡±

    Drac knew, that any person would be wary of a guy like him. Which is why he entered the household, he spoke with Lord Daniel in private. He told the man his real name, and how he was the son of a noble. As far as his past was concerned, he told him the generic version that everyone knows. Just added a part that Martha left him with a merchant caravan, for a knight. Which was why he didnt fear death, as it was nothing compared to the betrayal and pain that this world had caused him.

    Gregor stared at him, ¡°Yes. Daniel mentioned it, Ado Hampshire,¡± then further added, ¡°That further put you under suspicion. We have investigated you, and most of your story matches with your narration¡­ But the fact remains, your father is Arnold Hampshire, a loyal dog of Viscount Gadriel, who is loyal to another Marquis Family. How can we know that you are not a spy?¡±

    ¡°I have become loyal to this household sire,¡± he said with confidence, ¡°Any decision that you take about my future, I would gladly accept it. Even if it is death,¡±

    ¡°Big words,¡± Daniel said, ¡°And big words have no meaning in front of us,¡±

    He sighed, ¡°I understand sire. But, loyalty can be proven. Give me a chance, to show you that I am truly what I am,¡± Gregor and Daniel looked at each other, coming to an understanding¡­

    ***

    It was nighttime. The caravan contained a few soldiers and Greg, one of the captains of the Sumor Keep soldiers was on their way to Sumor Castle. Along with them was Drac, who was nagging the captain for some time now, ¡°Are you sure about it?¡± he asked Greg, once again. ¡°There are no books there?¡±

    Greg simply shook his head, ¡°That place is basically abandoned. No one likes to go there, as it is old and too creepy,¡± he said, ¡°You will have fun there,¡± Drac could only sigh in resignation.

    Gregor and Daniel Sumor had come to a decision before he even set foot in the study. They had realized that he could not be trusted, so they did the next best thing that they could do to him. And they did, he was officially being shipped off to a Sumor Ancestral Castle. It was most abandoned and was in terrible shape. But from time to time people of the Sumor family do visit that place, which was where he would come in.

    As the butler of the castle, he was the caretaker of the castle. He needs to take care of the castle and take care of the guests who might visit the castle in the future. That way he would stay out of the reach of the Sumor Family, and they could be rest assured that he would do them no harm.

    The worst part of the experience was the fact that there were no books or any sort of intellectual material present in the castle. It was just a small ruin located on the top of a hill. Drac joined the Sumor Family in the first place because of the books. Now if that was taken away from him, then what need does he have to stick around?

    The problem is Gregor and Daniel. If I were to run away and move on, both of those guys could come for his head. He thought. That is the reason he was unable to do anything and had resigned himself to his faith.

    ¡°Why do you like books anyway?¡± Greg asked, ¡°I think that they are a waste of time. I am telling you again you damn brat, you will the rue the day you rejected becoming a soldier. With your power, surely you would have made a captain like me,¡±

    ¡°Books, are the keepers of knowledge, why would anyone not want it?¡± he replied. His reply made some of the soldiers snicker, but he ignored them.

    ¡°What would you gain with knowledge,¡± one of the soldiers, who was cooking their food asked.

    ¡°There is no answer, that could satisfy your curiosity,¡± he simply replied, not willing to debate with people of their caliber.

    ¡°Foods up,¡± the cook said, immediately Drac pushed himself up and went to get the food. It was not for him, it was for the two VIPs who were traveling with them to the castle.

    Helen¡¯s father had fallen ill, so she was visiting the capital. Agatha, her daughter was tagging along with them. Basically, before they reach the castle, his job is to cater to the needs of his mistress and the young mistress. He took the food to the tent, which was guarded by the elite soldiers of the Sumor Keep. These guys were fucking strong, from Drac could feel these guys were even stronger than Greg, and their level was a step below Daniel and Gregor.

    Hmm.. Maybe, now that I am not distracted by books, I can focus on some other hobbies. I could create chaos, He thought, before going to the tent¡­

 Chapter-17: Creating Chaos

    In the past few months, Drac had a lot of time to think about his favorite hobby. He knew that he had to make some changes to his hobby because killing without even being investigated was not fun at all. He had thought that maybe he should try doing the stuff he used to do in his previous life.

    There came a time in his previous life when killing was not thrilling at all. He had gotten so good at what he did, that he would not leave any traces behind. The authorities were having a bad time searching for him, and his next target. It is when he read about someone called the Zodiac Killer. One of the most notorious killers in the world, who was never caught, and he used to send encryption to authorities.

    He thought about it and realized that this would be the best way to kill. He could send the authorities the identity of his next target, along with the address of where he would kill, in the form of a puzzle. If the police are able to decode the puzzle before he kills, then that would mean that they would win. Otherwise, he would win.

    It was the most thrilling that he ever expirenced in his life. But the authorities got used to his message sooner than he expected and were able to catch him in the act eventually. But not before he was able to kill at least 100 people.

    If he were to try this method here, then that would simply not work. The people of this world simply dont have the brains to decode a puzzle. And even if he acts like this mysterious assassin who tells the target, before they kill, that would be something. But he does not have the power to do that. Hell, he doesn''t know half the stuff that the rich and nobles of this world are capable of.

    In the Sumor Keep, he heard that the Keep had some functionality where it could surround itself with a dome of mana, that could protect it from most of the attacks thrown at it.

    He believed the information, because he saw the contraption or device that would be used to create the dome. He was not allowed to go near it as there were soldiers present around it, 24/7, on guard duty. But he did see it from afar. He could sense a lot of mana being emitted from the thing, as well he saw many of the weird symbols like his satchel bag, being imprinted on it. Which meant that it was the real deal.

    So if he were to go kill someone influential, like someone from the Sumor family, that would be a suicide. Not only the guards of the household were stronger than him, but the main residents were also way stronger than him. Except for the youngest and the eldest siblings of the family, they were very weak. If he were to deploy his past technique and send a message before coming, they could deploy the dome which would render his effort useless.

    Which was why, he decided that he would use another technique to create chaos. And that technique was seduction, and it was going rather poorly¡­

    In the past few days of traveling, Drac had been continuing his classes with Agatha, in Helen¡¯s presence. But he was not able to have a proper one-on-one conversation with Helen, as they were surrounded by soldiers who were keeping an eye on him. He didnt want to seem suspicious in any way, so he was not pushing his luck.

    But he would have to act fast because soon the chance to seduce Helen would slip away from his hands.

    ¡°WHY ARE WE DOING THIS!¡± Agatha yelled from the top of her lungs, ¡°I dont want to do this¡± She then pointed her finger at him, ¡°Didnt father and grandfather relinquish you from our service? Why are you still here, run away to the hole from which you came up,¡±

    Helen, who sitting not too far away from them didnt say anything. He on the other hand was unfazed by the brat¡¯s tantrum, ¡°Miss Agatha, do I need to remind you what will happen again if you dont pay attention? I will cut off your meat supply. You would have to eat and drink vegetable stew all the way to your grandfather¡¯s house.¡± For some reason the brat loved meat so much, that he would use it to make her listen to him.

    ¡°And what about it? I can eat vegetable stew for a few days. Then after that, I will be free from your reign anyway,¡± the brat spoke.

    ¡°Agatha,¡± Helen finally intervened, ¡°That is enough. Focus,¡±

    Agatha groaned, ¡°But why mother? Why do I have to learn maths? Why would I do with accountancy? I can hire a weirdo like him to be my accountant, dont I?¡± she said while pointing at him.

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    ¡°A weirdo huh?¡± he mumbled. Then an idea came to his mind.

    He took the paper and quill from her and put it aside. And then asked her, ¡°Alright Miss Agatha, let''s play a game, shall we?¡±

    ¡°A game?¡± the child looked confused.

    ¡°Yes, a game. This game is very easy. It is about you. I want you to tell me, what and who are you, without the Sumore Household''s name. And tell me how you would survive the outside world,¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    He smiled at her, ¡°It''s pretty simple actually. For example, me¡­ My name is Drac. I am an educated person who is a mana wielder. I have completed my first circle. I might not come from a noble household, but I am a qualified fellow who survives and thrives wherever I go¡­ Now your turn,¡±

    It looked like Agatha didnt fully understand what the game was about, but still, she tried, ¡°My name is Agatha Sum.. My name is Agatha. I am 10 years old. I am going to be a strong mana wielder in the future. And I am going to make my grandfather proud.¡±

    He smiled at her, ¡°Very good. But here, the facts that you told are not quite accurate,¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You said that you are going to be a strong mana wielder. Through potential testing, we can only guess whether a person will become a mana wielder or not. But we cannot guess, how strong they would be. You are going to be a mana wielder, but you dont know what kind of strength that you would be able to achieve. It might be a case, where you could only reach the first circle. Like me. Or you could reach heights greater than your grandfather.¡±

    ¡°I will be able to become stronger than my grandfather. That is for sure,¡± she said with confidence.

    ¡°Why? Why do you think so?¡±

    ¡°Because I know,¡±

    He chuckled, and shook his head, ¡°Miss Agatha, I think that I have taught you many times that having unrealistic expectations is never a good option,¡± It was true. Like any Earth child, he had started making tests for her to track her performance. She would score poorly most of the time, and when Helen would scold her, as a child she would set this unrealistic expectation for her next test, which would never come true.

    ¡°So you think that I will not be a good mana wielder?¡± she asked in a soft voice.

    ¡°You will be a great mana wielder, Miss. But your whole personality and your attitude should not be based on the fact that you would be a great mana wielder in the future. Because the future is unpredictable. You can be as strong as your grandfather, or you can be as strong as me,¡±

    Agatha scoffed, ¡°Even if I dont become a strong mana wielder, so what? I will still be a Sumore,¡±

    He then quickly replied, ¡°Like your aunts?¡±

    ¡°DRAC!¡± Helen who had been listening to everything snapped. ¡°Mind your words. You are talking about the core member of the Sumore Family,¡±

    He slightly bowed his head, ¡°I understand Mistress. But the young mistress needs to learn the cold facts of this world. She is not a kid anymore, and her attitude would not help you in her life.¡±

    Helen hesitated, ¡°Still. You are a servant of the Sumore Family. And you will show them respect,¡±

    ¡°My aunts are great people,¡± Agatha mentioned.

    The sentence made Helen finally snap, ¡°Shut your mouth Agatha. You dont know a thing,¡± she said. Agatha was clearly taken aback, Drac knew that Helen was frustrated with both of her husband''s sisters, and she would spill out everything when pushed too hard. But he didnt know she would spill up in front of Agatha.

    ¡°Both of them are a pain in the ass. They are not good at studies and have been failing to make good choices in their life. They act as if they are these big hot shots, but without your Father and Grandfather¡¯s influence, both of them are nothing. In many events, they have embarrassed me, and I fear that you are becoming like them,¡±

    Agatha looked aghast at her mother¡¯s outburst, ¡°Mother,¡± she softly mumbled.

    It is there Drac picked, ¡°Miss Agatha, the reason why we push you, is because we want to make something out of you. If there is a chance that you might not become the mana wielder that you aspire to be, at least you would be educated. And you will be able to make your own decision, and be not bound by any pressure from your Family¡­¡± The sentence was a jab at Helen, who had faced a similar thing in the past, ¡°¡­ All this education would help you in the future.¡±

    And for the end, he decided to go with something that Agatha and Helen could really relate to, ¡°Remember the War Mage Agatha the Great¡­ became free from her family because she was a great scholar. She didnt have great power, but she was a smart woman. You could be like her¡­ free from a love-less marriage as she dodged hers. You can be something. You just need to be free. And for that, you need to study¡­¡±

    As a child, Agatha didnt seem to grasp what he told her, but from that point onwards, she did started focusing on her studies. As far as Helen was concerned, she started spending time alone. She looked like she was lost in her thoughts most of the time, which made Drac smile as it meant that his plan was working.

    The seeds of doubt had been sown in her mind, now she had started questioning everything about the world. Now he just needs some one on one talk with her, and he would be golden. But he didnt dare to talk here, where the guards could see him. He would try to push her further into the chasm, when they reached the castle.

    And like that, 3 weeks went by, when finally there party started seeing the silhouette of a castle in the horizon¡­

 Chapter-18: The Rose

    Sumore family has several properties under their name in the Alanor Kingdom. The Sumor Keep was one of them. It was a big castle, located in the southern part of the Kingdom, at least 10 days away from the capital. They live in this place because the kingdom rules specify that all the Marquis had to live at least 9 days away from the capital.

    It is precisely because of which, the Sumor Family doesn''t stay in the Sumor Castle, which is around a day or two away from the capital. Because of the rule and bare minimum caretaking of the castle, this place was on the verge of becoming a ruin. Sumor Family does come to live in the castle from time to time, but no one likes to spend a lot of time here because of the creepy vibes of the place.

    Which was rather sad as it was located up a hill, surrounded by dense greenery from all sides.

    Even Gregor, the ex-patriarch of the family lives in the capital, and not this castle because this place had become a dump due to the neglect of the previous generation. One of the ancestors of the family was a Mage and decided to experiment in place around three hundred years ago. That experiment resulted in an explosion on the eastern side of the castle, blowing up the space.

    That also resulted in ruining the foundation of the castle as well. But Gregor¡¯s father started stabilizing the project of the castle, and it had been mostly completed. And Gregor wanted to turn this place into his retirement house of sorts. Which is where Drac came in. His job was to take care of the castle, and at the same time oversee the reconstruction of the crucial parts of the castle.

    Helen with Agatha left for the castle, after staying a day there. During this Drac was not able to move deeper into his plans. So after they left, he concentrated on the project at hand.

    First, he started by reviewing the things that he needed to throw and things that he needed the keep. There were several portraits of ex-heads of the family and their legacy items. These items were personal stuff like axes and swords. There was also a cane that had been passed on in the family for generations.

    Then he moved on to the rooms where the main residents would be hosted and made a list of the changes that he decided to make in the place. He then made a report of the places that needed some repair and sent everything to the manor of Gregor in the capital.

    The butler of the manor would then approve of the changes, and then he would have to get to work. This was a very inefficient way of working, but Drac didnt mind. Now at last free from the daily chores, he focused on his training. With only 17 people, including him, living in a place meant to host around 150 people, he was able to get a lot of time for himself. Mainly he trained and absorbed the mana stones.

    After two weeks of repeating the task, when Drac finally lost it.

    DAMN IT! I am not supposed to sit around and train, without any goal. I need to do something¡­ Anything that could be worth my time.

    A part of him wanted to go on a run but knew that he wouldn''t be able to run too far. A plan of betraying the Sumor family came to him, he could rat them out by telling some other Marquis family about the magical beast corpse that is located in the Sumor Sanctuary somewhere.

    Sumor Santuary was a valley, made by 5-6 big moutains. This place was supposed to be the place where the family originated from. It was not too far away from here, around 4-5 days of journey away.

    That day, in the morning he left his duties and started exploring the hill and the castle. He didnt know what he was looking for, he just moved where his legs took him. Eventually, he came to the part of the castle which was destroyed.

    The ruins were spread across a huge area, and most of the walls of the castle had long fallen on the ground, although some were still standing tall, they looked quite fragile. The place was mostly covered in moss and weeds, which made it quite hard for him to imagine what kind of place this used to be, it was only after looking around the place did he found something very interesting.

    In the dead center of the ruins was a big place that was as big as a ballroom. He saw some half-destroyed pillars around the place, along with the section of wall. That section of the wall contained a fireplace covered with intricate carvings of flowers etched onto grey stones.

    Seems like the Summer Family was very rich from the start. He was not an art expert, but he knew that this sort of carving would cost an arm and leg in this world.

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    He looked around and saw the granite tiles covering the floor. With his shoes, he tore the dirt and weed away from one of the tiles to reveal an intricate design of a vine.

    Drac looked around the room, The tiles of the room, the insignia of the Sumor Family might be etched on them.

    Sumor Family insignia was a knight¡¯s helmet covered with thorny vines. They were the only family in the whole Alanor kingdom who didnt have a beast or animal as their sigil.

    After looking around, he was about to go back to his duties when from the corner of his eye he spotted something that made him stop in his tracks. He turned towards the tile that caught his eye, like most of the tiles it was covered in a thick layer of dirt and weed. But a part of the tile was visible, from which he saw a red color shining in the sun.

    Their insignia doesn''t have a red color in it, right?

    As he had nothing better to do, he went to investigate. Like the tile from earlier, he tore through the dirt with his shoe, only to reveal a tile with a petal etched on it. A petal, that seems rather too familiar to him.

    Immediately he went on his knees and started removing the dirt from the neighboring tiles. After dirtying his clothes and his hands, he was able to clean around 5-6 tiles. And they all reveal a part of a flower, that he was too familiar with.

    This can''t be. This can''t be a coincidence.

    Drac ran to the castle and brought back a shovel. Luckily for him, no one spotted him as no one liked to come to this remote part of the castle. That day he spent hours cleaning the whole ballroom area. Exquisitically designed granite tiles were spread all across the floor. In the outer parts, every tile had some design on it, and together as a group, those tiles were making a very beautiful vines-like pattern on the floor. The center of the room was covered with much smaller tiles of different colors compared to the outer parts, together they were making an image of a very beautiful red flower.

    The red flower had broad leaves and a stem full of thorns. It was a blood-red Rose, similar to the insignia etched on the ring of the albino woman.

    ***

    That night everyone living in the castle was sitting in the dining area. Beside Drac was Greg, when he noticed the had he was not eating. ¡°You alright there boy?¡± Greg asked Drac, who had been quiet most of the dinner.

    Drac looked up from his plate and nodded, ¡°Yes. I am fine,¡±

    Jina, a married woman in her thirties who was their cook spoke, ¡°Well you have not even touched your plate dear. Is everything alright?¡±

    No, I am not fine Jina. A black mage wanted to find the house with Rose insignia. I dont know what to do this with information. Which is why my mind is occupied, He wanted to say it out loud. But with a fake smile, he picked up the spoon and started digging through the lamb stew.

    ¡°Commander Greg,¡± one of the soldiers spoke, ¡°Is it true that Mistress Kaila and her sister are going to come live here?¡±

    Greg raised his eyebrow, ¡°What made you think that?¡±

    The soldier looked troubled, ¡°Cannot tell you my source, but I have heard some things¡±

    ¡°Dont know,¡± Greg said, and then towards him, ¡°Have you heard something in that regard Drac?¡±

    He shook his head, ¡°No.¡±

    There was a chance that it might be true. He could sense that Helen didnt really like Kaila, so it made sense for Daniel to ship off his elder sister here to appease his wife.

    To him, it really didnt matter.

    The thing that was occupying his mind was the Rose. The albino woman was looking for the family with that insignia, and considering that the Sumore Family had this castle for at least a thousand years, it made sense that the albino woman was looking for this household. But the question was, why?

    While reading about the Era of Ice, he had gone through many diaries and biographies of heads of Sumor families. And not even in one of them Rose was mentioned. So he was having a hard time understanding what the Rose represented.

    The rose could have been the insignia of the family before the Era of Ice. And they changed it later on. Otherwise, there was no way in hell anyone would etch the floor of a room that big, with someone else¡¯s insignia.

    There were Several mysteries related to the Era of Ice, still left unexplored. And the mystery of insignia had also joined the queue.

    What I cannot understand is, what the albino woman wanted with the Sumor Family in the first place.

    He was thinking that maybe Daniel or Gregor might have contacted the woman for some job or something. But considering how devoted the family was to the church of Itab, he didnt think that they would try to contact or invite someone like that albino woman.

    Clearly, that woman came here, looking for the Rose because she knew something that I dont.

    The Sumor Family doesn''t use the Rose insignia in any way or form. So there was no way that the albino woman came here looking Sumor Family. She came here to look for the family or some sort of secret related to the Rose.

    Whatever the reason might be, Drac realized that he needed to find some hard facts about that Rose. Maybe the castle that he was in, might hold secrets after all, left by the ancestors of the Sumor Family, waiting to be explored¡­

 Chapter-19: The annoying guest

    What kind of secrets are you hiding? Drac thought as he stared at the red ring before him.

    If he was right, then this ring could be thousands of years old, but he could not see any wear or tear on it. The thing was made with a jade-like material and was as smooth as if it had been made just yesterday. Since yesterday he had been sitting in his room, thinking about the possibilities and things that he should be looking at. And his thinking session did get him some clues.

    The most important clue that he was able to come up with was the whole ballroom area. He was not an expert in stones or tiles, but he do know that if an explosion were to take place, then surely some of the tiles would have cracked. Or some sort of damage would have occurred to them. After all, the explosion was big enough to obliterate 15 inches-thick walls.

    But yesterday, he didnt see any damaged tiles. It was like, those things were made up of some sort of indestructible material. He needs to investigate it further. Then comes the information of the Rose itself, and how the library of the Sumor Keep was useless in that context.

    It meant that the information about the Rose was reserved for core members of the Family. Or it might be stored in a special place, or it has been erased from history.

    There was also a chance that information had been passed down through the family verbally, just like the monster¡¯s corpse in the Sumor Sanctuary. And for that, he would need a Sumor to help him investigate. He needed to train either Agatha or Helen to do his bidding. But that is easier said than done, as both daughter and mother duo might not be coming here.

    If the soldier from the previous night was telling the truth, and truly either of the Sumor Sisters are coming here to live. They would be easier to manipulate. Both are the black sheeps of the family, and both have daddy issues.

    There was also a chance that the secret information might not be passed on to them. Gregor made sure that Kaila wouldn''t get information about Sumor Sanctuary, so it was highly unlikely that he would pass the information to his daughters¡­

    The knock on the door interrupted his line of thought.

    Drac opened the door to find a soldier standing outside, ¡°Drac,¡± he had specifically instructed everyone to call him by his name, ¡°There are people outside. Saying that they from the Captial manor,¡±

    What a drag, he thought. ¡°Let''s go,¡± and they started heading outside.

    When Drac got outside, he saw two carriages standing outside the castle gate. A shouting and profanity match is going on between two knights standing at the gate. He also saw the son of cook, Jina, sitting by the wall looking at the shouting show happening at the gate while eating soft corn.

    Drac, cheekily took some corn from his plate, winking at him. The boy was around 6-7 years and hated him for some reason. So he likes to have fun with the boy. As he took the corn, the boy was fuming with rage, but didnt say anything as the boy was scared of him.

    Walking down the paved road of the castle he made his way to the gate, only to see two armor knights arguing with each other. One of them was Greg, the other was a blond man with sly smug on his face¡­

    ¡°It is an order Greg,¡± the blond man said, ¡°It¡¯s an order,¡±

    Greg was so angry that he could almost see smoke coming out of his nose, ¡°I dont give a fuck about your order Gibson. I am not going back to pick up your slack,¡±

    Drac spotted a man wearing a butler¡¯s uniform like him standing at the back. The man was in his middle ages, beside him were two maids standing behind him with their heads down. That guy must be the butler from the capital manor.

    According to the instructions given to him by Travis, this guy was supposed to help him with creating reports of the castle. But he received a letter from the man that he couldnt make it because of his foot injury, and he instructed him to create a report on his own. Drac didnt think much of it, and created the report and sent it to the capital.

    But now that Travis would be visiting in a few days, that man was standing outside, in the flesh. It doesn''t take a genius to realize what was happening here.

    ¡°Gibson, I am tired. I am going in to rest,¡± the man said and started walking towards him along with the maids.

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    Drac thought that as the man would come to him, and introduce himself. But he didnt, he just walked past him as if he was no one. He didnt appreciate being ignored like that, but he was not the one to throw the first punch either. He then walked to Greg to understand what was happening there.

    ¡°Why are you yelling Greg?¡± he asked the man.

    Greg pointed at the other knight, ¡°One of the carriages that these guys were traveling broke down a few hours back. Now he is ordering me to get the carriage back,¡±

    ¡°As you should,¡± Gibson added.

    Drac then turned towards Gibson, ¡°Could you please enlighten me, why is it that Greg has to go?¡± he asked while eating the corn.

    Gibson gave him a look, ¡°Why would I have to enlighten you mongrel?¡±

    He turned to Greg, ¡°Could you please hold this,¡± he gave the man, the rest of his corn. He turned to Gibson and punched the man in his windpipe.

    The knight went down, clutching his neck, struggling for every breath. The man following Gibson went for their blades, but he remained unfazed. Drac then nonchalantly took back the corn, and looked at the men before him, ¡°Let me make myself very clear you dumb fucks.¡± He said, ¡°In this castle, in the absence of Sumor¡¯s or Travis, I am in charge. Not this guy,¡± he said while pointing at Gibson, ¡°Not the old fuck that went inside.¡±

    He then finished all the corns, and while eating and chewing the corns he spoke, ¡°Also, if any of you ever put their hands on your blade ever again¡­ I will not hesitate to kill you,¡± he then passed them a wild smile and turned towards Greg, ¡°Send these men back to get the carriage. I will deal with the old fuck that went inside without permission,¡±

    Greg nodded warily. The thing was, Greg was in charge of the castle in the true sense. Sumors sent him here to keep an eye on him, he didnt really have any power here. But that was something between him and Greg, no one else knew about it.

    As he walked inside, he heard loud mumbling of the man, ¡°Look at the state of the place, it is like they have not even started with anything¡­ I tell you the younger generation is getting tool lazy¡­¡±

    Drac didnt waste any time and immediately came and stood in front of the man, ¡°Hello there,¡± he spoke with a fake smile on his face, ¡°Can I help you with something?¡±

    In anger, the man asked, ¡°Yes you can help me, by telling me exactly what were you doing here for the past two weeks. The place had not been cleaned properly, and the servants were not even trained properly. They are not even greeting me,¡±

    Unfazed, still with a big smile on his face, he said, ¡°I can get who you are. But do you know who I am?¡±

    The man got confused, but then with resolve, he spoke, ¡°You are the butler who has not been doing his work,¡±

    He nodded, ¡°True. But I am also a mana wielder, who has completed his first circle,¡± the man took the information with surprise, ¡°So I suggest that while talking to me you tone down the attitude. Otherwise, I might get angry,¡±

    ¡°YOU MONGREL!¡± someone shouted from behind, Drac turned around to see Gibson charging at him with his sword.

    Sighing he turned his body to face his opponent. He was able to avoid the first swing of Gibson¡¯s blade, but then landed a straight uppercut at Gibson¡¯s chin, staggering the man.

    He didnt waste any time there, with normal punches he started beating the shit out of Gibson, if it weren''t for Greg and soldiers interference, he might not have stopped. Gibson had several of his teeth broken, and some cuts on his face. While Drac¡¯s uniform on the other hand was covered with strands of blood, along with his face.

    After he had gotten off of Gibson, he turned to face the butler once again, ¡°Never make me angry,¡± he said with a fake smile on his face, making everyone in the room cover with fear¡­

    ***

    It was important to set boundaries, because of which Drac acted in such a way. Now everyone in the castle was scared of him and had started giving him respect. Greg was still the same, keeping an eye on him, but the man also started respecting him from the day he beat Gibson.

    Henry, the butler from the capital also fell in line, a few hours after the incident. That snake changed his demeanor and started sucking up to him. Because of this Drac gave most of the responsibility to the man, and with some authority, Henry started wreaking havoc over the castle. He started slaving the servants, making them clean sections of the castle twice and even sometimes thrice a day.

    No one complained, as ultimately they were all scared of him.

    Drac but also cautious at the same time. He had given the power-hungry Henry the power because he was wary of the response from the Sumor Family. He knew that they wouldn''t get into the scuffle between the servants, but still, it didnt hurt to take some precautions.

    At the same time, he was also wary of Henry as well. That man was sucking up to him too much, which made him think that maybe that man was up to something. The talk with Greg revealed what could be the plot of Henry, ¡°¡­ As it turns out, the rumors were true, Kaila and her sister are going to live here. But Lord Gregor is also going to shift here, as he doesn''t like living in the capital that much,¡±

    Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Henry and his family, the two maids that he came with, were the servants of the manor in the capital. When the previous owner sold the manor to Lord Gregor, they were transferred to his service. Now that Lord Gregor is going to shift here, they want to come and work under him. After all, there are many perks of working with a mana-wielding family, let alone a family as powerful as the Sumor.

    Drac realized that in some way or form, Henry would try to show everyone that he would be a great match for the castle and its residents. He wouldn''t have cared about it much if it weren''t for the Rose. So now he faced a challenge, he had to not only undermine Henry but at the same time also showcase that he could be a good butler for the family¡­

 Chapter-20: Another one?

    Drac only had to sit in the dark for an hour so, when the door of the kitchen door was pushed open Jina, the cook of the castle came in. She was a woman in her twenties, with an hourglass-like anime girl-style body, she could have been a model on Earth. Hell, even here she was considered quite a catch in this world.

    As the kitchen was shrouded in darkness, she didnt spot him and got to work immediately. She lit a candle at her kneading station, and was going to prepare the dough for the bread for tonight¡¯s dinner when he finally spoke, ¡°You know,¡± hearing his voice, she jumped in the air like a spooked cat, ¡°For a defenseless woman, you should pay more attention to your surroundings,¡±

    ¡°What are you doing here Drac?¡± she asked.

    He stood up and walked up to her, ¡°Wanted to talk to you about something important.¡±

    ¡°I wonder what could be the reason that you are behaving like a white sucker,¡±

    ¡°A what?¡± the name reminded him of the humanoid creature that an albino woman set free on him and the inquisitors.

    She sighed, ¡°White suckers,¡± she said, ¡°It is a legend. They are these creatures who tore apart there bodies of their victims and suck their blood. It is said that they lurk in the dark, and pounce at the unsuspecting victims.¡±

    They were sounding more and more like those creatures to Drac. But then he pushed his thoughts aside, and spoke, ¡°Jina. I need you. I have some work that you can do, it could make you a lot of coin,¡±

    She looked at him warily, ¡°What do you want¡­ sire,¡± her voice told him that she was getting scared.

    He moved closer to her, ¡°I want to borrow your body, Jina. I want to use your body to fulfill a very selfish desire of mine. And you will do everything that I order you to do,¡±

    She took a step back, ¡°P..please. No,¡± Her eyes started watering, ¡°I cannot. I have a son,¡±

    ¡°No one would know about you did. No one will ever know,¡± Backed to a corner, she could not move. ¡°Now. Open your mouth,¡± he said.

    She closed her eyes and complied. Then Drac took the piece of bread that he baked a while ago and put it in her mouth. ¡°Taste it, and tell me what you think,¡±

    Surprised, she peeked at him to see him smiling. He then took a step back and sat down on the kneading platform, ¡°It is my first time. Please be gentle,¡±

    Her legs lost their strength, and she went down on the floor. Tears started streaming down her cheeks, but she still took a bite of the bread, ¡°It needs a pinch of salt,¡± she said.

    ¡°Why are you crying,¡± he asked, faking ignorance, ¡°Oh¡­ That? Jina¡­¡± he then came down to her level, ¡°I will never force you to fuck me. Nor will I offer you money for your body. That is just not my style. Wanna get fucked by me, all you got to do is ask,¡±

    She nodded, still crying. He really couldnt give to fuck that he scared the poor woman to such an extent.

    ¡°But on a serious note, I really do need your body,¡± he said, ¡°I wanna hear your moaning,¡± She looked at him with bewilderment, trying to understand whether this was another joke or not¡­

    ***

    Humans are not as complex as most textbooks depict them to be. They are simple creatures, who could easily be manipulated with necessity or greed. He had learned that a long time ago. Also, he had become rather proficient when it came to reading human emotion while he was at it.

    Reading humans in the modern world was way more difficult than what it is, in this world. In the modern world, there are cameras, microphones, search history, etc, making it easier to read and learn about a human. If a person had to wear a mask in the modern world, then that was a 24/7 job. They could not even let their guard down for even a single second. But the medieval world was different.

    In this world, people wear masks just like in the modern world. But here, people let their guard down in their comfort zone. And a professional stalker and spy-like Drac, it was too easy to see the real faces of the people in this world.

    Henry, his current enemy was one such person who had a very big secret hidden behind his mask of his.

    As a normal person, Drac started stalking Henry to understand that man¡¯s nature. Try to understand whether there was any weakness that he could exploit. There were two weaknesses of the man, but they were also useless. The maids that Henry came with were his daughter and wife. His daughter Tilly was a teenage girl, who remained anxious most of the time. While her mother was the same as well.

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    It didnt take him long to understand, that Henry was the kind of man, that loved to get rough with his wife and daughter and wash his frustration on them. Seeing this, Drac understood that if he ever needed dirt on Henry, he could be one of them. Otherwise, there he would be in big trouble.

    His big break came when while stalking he saw Henry attaching a scroll to an eagle¡¯s leg, at the abandoned part of the castle.

    That eagle didnt belong to the Sumor Family, he was sure of it. The only way that he could get Henry fired was by showcasing any evidence of conspiracy in front of Travis, which could show that Henry doesn''t have good intentions for the Sumor Family in his mind. Otherwise, he didnt have shit.

    To look for the scroll, he went through the belongings of all three family members but found nothing.

    If it was the modern world, he could have shown evidence of abuse and this would have been over in a jiffy. But this was not the modern world. The only abuse that would work in this place would be when someone from the Sumor family offense on the offense. And there was no way of that happening.

    So he needed one of them to turn on Henry. And that would be easier, than walking in the park. For his plan to work, he needed Jina. She was the only woman in the castle that he saw Henry eyeing like a meat on the stick. He was able to put her in a bag with some persuasion. Now, remains the most important piece of the puzzle¡­

    ¡°You know, I hate it when you smile,¡± Greg said, looking at his smiling face.

    Hearing that man¡¯s remark, he wiped the smirk off his face, and sat in front of the man with a cold face, ¡°Better?¡±

    ¡°Much better,¡± Greg said, ¡°I dont know what is about your smile, that makes me uneasy¡­ You have that demonic-like smile you know,¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± he said, ¡°Now Greg¡­ I need your help.¡±

    ¡°To do what?¡± Greg asked, confused. ¡°What is that the great Drac cannot do?¡± Ever since Gibson¡¯s incident, Greg and he had been coming closer.

    ¡°I want to take down Henry. And for which, I need your help,¡±

    Greg choked on the drink, after clearing his throat, he asked. ¡°Take down Henry? What do you mean? Why do you want to kill him?¡±

    ¡°I dont want to kill him. I just want to get that thrown out of the Sumor Family,¡±

    Greg sighed, ¡°You do realize that would be far worse for that man than death itself. If he were to be thrown out, there would be no household out there that would take him in. He would literally starve to death,¡±

    ¡°Come on Greg,¡± he knew that it would come to this. Greg was like a boy scout, with chivalry and guts pinched onto him, ¡°Do it for me,¡±

    ¡°For you?¡± And Greg chuckled, ¡°See, here you are mistaken. I am not your friend, nor your lover. I literally have no reason to help you,¡±

    ¡°Who would you rather be under, me or him?¡± he straightforwardly asked. And Greg stayed silent, ¡°See, you dont like that man either¡­ Also, I am not saying that helps me frame the man for something that he didnt do. Just help me, and if you think or feel that what I am doing is wrong, you can back away then,¡±

    Greg looked confused at first, but nonetheless, he agreed to his request. And so, the plan was set¡­

    ***

    With all the players in position, Drac started his plan the next morning. The sun had just risen on the horizon, and he could feel that his plan was going to work. His plan was pretty simple, he would use Jina to make Henry¡¯s wife believe that he was fucking Jina. He had been laying groundwork with that woman for a few days now, and while listening to the loud fake moans of Jina, she would truly believe that her husband was indeed cheating on her.

    Greg would come in handy, as that man is a known Boy Scout. When Drac would come with Henry¡¯s wife, Greg would let them believe Henry had instructed him to stay guard outside.

    For this plan to work, Drac had to do a lot of cringy stuff in the past few days. He just needed to get this woman to his side, and then everything would turn out fine.

    That day, after the clock had struck 1¡¯o clock, both Jina and Greg took their positions. Drac was about to get Henry¡¯s wife to come with him when one soldier came running towards him.

    ¡°Boss,¡± the soldier said, ¡°There are carriages making their way up the hill,¡±

    Fuck. Didnt Travis say that it would take him a few more days to come? He thought.

    No matter what, his duty was to greet the guests at the main door itself. Henry and his group''s sudden appearance went unnoticed because he didnt have a lot of soldiers to mind at the gate at the time. But now he had plenty.

    Quickly made his way to the gate to greet the old man. But as soon as stood by the gate, he felt something was off.

    There was something wrong with mana in his surroundings. Drac was overly sensitive to mana in the air. And sensing the change he got curious about what was happening. He then looked at the carriages making their way towards them and realized that the disturbance that he could feel was because of one of the carriages.

    There must be quite a hotshot riding that carriage. He thought, Definitely not anyone from the Sumor Family. The strongest of them all was Gregor, and even that old man didnt command this sort of aura.

    As the carriage came to a stop at the gate, he felt mana from the surroundings being sucked in by the person riding the carriage was very large. He was not an expert, but if he had to guess then he would say that the person inside must have at least 4 circles easily.

    The carriage door flung open and a woman in her late early thirties came out. The woman was wearing a bodacious black gown that accented her breasts and her hourglass body. Her silky black hair with grey strands was imprisoned by a bun, but few strands of hair were free of such imprisonment and bounced around her porcelain-like delicate face. And the red eyes of the woman gave her this elegant but deadly look that could make any man fall for her.

    And the worst thing was, this woman looked similar to the albino woman that the inquisitors killed¡­.

 Chapter-21: Mikaila Sumor

    Seeing the woman before him, Drac didnt know what to think. This woman was clearly powerful. And she was giving the same vibes as the one that the inquisitors killed. Were they related, he didnt know. But what he did know was that he had the red ring in his pocket, and his room was the satchel bag of the albino woman. If this woman was who he think it is, he was fucked.

    Acting as a butler, he took a step forward and bowed to the woman, ¡°Welcome to the Sumor Castle, miss,¡±

    The woman¡¯s dark red eyes fluttered, and stared at him, ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked in a calm and collected voice.

    ¡°My name is Drac miss. I am the butler responsible for the castle,¡± he said, ¡°How may I assist you, this fine morning,¡±

    He saw that her cold face morphed into that of irritation, ¡°Where is Travis?¡±

    Wait, she knows the old man? Who is she? He thought. He then cleared his throat, ¡°Sir Travis would be visiting the castle in a few days. Is there anything that I can assist you with?¡±

    She sighed, ¡°Fine..¡± She then pointed her long naily fingers at the carriages, ¡°Take my luggage and carefully take them in. My luggage contains alchemic equipment, make sure you do not damage any of it,¡±

    He nodded and was about to ask her who she was, when she further continued, ¡°Send a letter to my father, Gregor Sumor. Tell her that Mikaila has returned,¡±

    Now that left him speechless, Wait, this woman is Mikaila, the youngest of Gregor¡¯s daughters? Didnt she go away far¡­. somewhere? Now he was regretting not listening to the gossip of the Sumor Family, The white hair and red eyes¡­ Are they like fashion statements in this world,

    His train of thought broke when the woman started walking into the castle. He quickly followed behind her, ¡°Mistress, I hate to be the bearer of the bad news, but your castle is still under renovation process.¡± This made her stop, so he added further, ¡°There is a master bedroom ready for occupancy. But the place for your botanic garden and the lab are still not done,¡±

    She started walking again, ¡°Dosent matter,¡± she said, ¡°I am tired now. I will be resting in the master bedroom for the time being. Do not disturb me, no matter what happens. And, make sure that my equipment is kept with care. One mistake, and I will flay you and your family,¡±

    ¡°Understood mistress,¡± he said, and then turned towards the soldiers who had been following him.

    ¡°Call three guys, we have some work to do,¡± the soldiers nodded and Drac got to work¡­

    Drac had seen the tantrums of Kaila, while he was at the Sumor Keep. He knew that woman was kind of a girl which people of Earth referred to as Rich Spoiled Brats. She is the kind of a woman with a lot of potential, but she was so busy in her own little world that she never worked on herself. And from what he heard, the same was the case with Mikaila.

    He knew that Mikaila had a Mana Heart, which meant that she was a Mage. But she was a carbon copy of her big sister, and as Gregor had already lost one daughter, he didnt want to lose another one. So he sent her somewhere, a place where Mikaila could learn about her abilities better. He asked Travis about the matter once, and in the words of the old man, Alanor Kingdom has a lot of warriors and knights. But no competent Mages. Which made sense as to why Gregor sent her away.

    But now she had returned, Drac was having a hard time understanding what the woman was here to do. Is there really a connection between the albino woman and her, was he tripping?

    And it was not like, that he could just ask her, whether she was here for the Rose. But what he could do, is make sure that the Rose in the abandoned area of the castle stays hidden. And for that, he needs to have a solid plan.

    That whole day of Drac went by in the blink of an eye, because of which he was not able to think straight even for a second. With the mistress of the castle here, things needed to be done to make sure her accommodation remained comfortable. As butlers, he and Henry got to work swiftly.

    They ordered some meat to be bought, cleaned up the toilets, made sure the dining table had the spread of finest cutlery, made sure that the cutlery was well polished, etc. Chores like accommodating her luggage also took precedence, as they were all very heavy bags. Although, Drac had become somewhat powerful with mana and stuff, but with that, he had some trouble lifting some stuff. He estimated that those trunks and boxes were at least 60-70kg heavy.

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    The only good thing that happened that day was, that Mistress didnt come out of her room, that whole day. Henry had made sure that either his wife or his daughter was stationed outside the mistress¡¯s room. But the woman never came out, nor did she make a sound while she was in her room.

    It is the next morning, the woman finally opened the doors of her room. And Drac was summoned¡­

    As he entered the room of the woman, he felt something amiss there. There was a chill in the room as if it was cooled by an air conditioner. The woman was sitting on a chair in her bra and a long skirt, looking outside of the window, with her back towards him.

    He came and bowed to her, ¡°Mistress,¡± he said, ¡°Your orders,¡±

    ¡°Tell me about the castle,¡± she said, ¡°What needs to be done? How much time would you need, and how much would it cost to do everything in a month,¡±

    ¡°A month?¡± he said with astonishment, ¡°Mistress, that would be a tad bit difficult. It is not like the work itself is a lot, with the right kind of payment and force we would be able to get people to almost everything in 3 to 4 weeks. But the main problem lies in the transportation of goods. Ordering goods and the freight itself will take at least 2 weeks,¡±

    The woman abruptly got up and threw the chair she was aside, breaking the wooden thing. ¡°Are you trying to say to me, that I need to stay in this dump for a month or so, just because of your incompetence? According to my father¡¯s letter, the work should have started about 2 weeks ago, what the fuck have you been doing all these days?¡±

    With his head down, he simply answered, ¡°The plans about the renovation had been sent around 2 and half weeks ago mistress. But they not been approved by Lord Daniel yet,¡±

    The truth was, Travis, was supposed to give the green signal to the plans, but he figured using Lord Daniel''s name would not warrant a lot of wraith. It was a spur-of-a-moment decision, and boy it was wrong.

    Drac felt it, the air itself started vibrating. He saw the mana in the air, reacting to the woman¡¯s anger. With greater control over mana, and with greater sensitivity he could sense that the mana was trying to tell him about her anger. This feeling.. It is similar to the time when that Sumor soldier fired the arrow at me¡­ Does Mana have this property? It could warn its users about the threats like this one.

    He had his head down, as a symbol of defeat. He peeked at the woman, he wanted to see for himself how the mana was telling him about the danger. But he lifted his head, he something peculiar. Mikaila had clenched her fists and closed her eyes, she was trying to control her anger it seemed. The peculiar part was the black mist, behind him.

    Through the glass window, he was able to see some of his reflection. Behind him was something akin to a dark concentrated black mist. The mist was shaped like a human and contained the same red eyes as the woman. He stared at the mist for a few seconds, trying to see whether his eyes were playing tricks on him. But the mist didnt go away.

    But then, he felt that the red eyes of the mist made eye contact with him through the reflection. And the mist vanished like a fart in the air.

    He heard a deep breath and looked at his mistress. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at him, ¡°Go to the capital. Find every piece of furniture. Everything that you need, and get it to the castle. I dont care how much money it takes, I will be giving money, so no need for Daniel¡¯s approval. Do you understand?¡± He nodded, ¡°Within a month, I need this castle working at full capacity, along with the botanical garden and my alchemy workshop that you mentioned. Can you do it, or do I need to get someone more competent to come work for me,¡±

    ¡°It will be done,¡± he said.

    ¡°Fuck off then,¡± Quickly he exited the room.

    ***

    Henry was a little pissed that he was called to the Mistress¡¯s room, and not him. That man had been trying to suck up to the woman, ever since she stepped in the castle. But the woman was not reciprocating.

    Drac used the urgency to hand over the task of shopping from the capital to Henry. He instructed the man that the money was not the problem, and as soon as he could, he had to get the things listed transported to the castle. Hearing about the urgency, Henry left as soon as he could, leaving even his wife and daughter behind.

    This left Drac with some time to make some plans. He sat down in his room that night, and really started planning the whole renovation thing. Mikaila was not coming out of her room, which was a good thing for him as she wouldn''t be able to see the Rose in the destroyed part of the castle. Which meant, he had some time to hide the Rose.

    He set his plans in motion from the next day onwards. He took some of the soldiers and started applying black sealant on the destroyed ballroom. Greg, who oversaw the project while he handled the things in the castle, questioned him, ¡°Why are you making the soldiers seal this floor? The tiles look good to be used, they would need polish and voila.. This place would start to shine. Is it really necessary to use a black sealant here?¡±

    He simply nodded his head, ¡°This place is going to a botanical garden. We cannot let water either sip through the floor or let any weed or fungi grow in this place, which could potentially hamper the growth of magical herbs. Which is why, it is important to seal everything,¡±

    Greg didnt question him further, he must have figured that this was something that he got to know from the books that he used to constantly read in the Keep. Little did he know that he was just bluffing¡­

 Chapter-22: Rabid Mikaila

    Fifteen days went by in the blink of an eye. And the whole atmosphere of the Sumor Castle changed in those days. With the constant influx of money provided by Mikaila, Drac, and Henry were able to make sure that work on the castle picked up its pace. Henry was able to send around seventy skilled workers from the capital, along with necessary equipment and food within the span of five days.

    With that equipment and the workers, Drac handled everything else. He made the workers work like slaves, doing 12 hours of shifts. Whenever a shift would end, another would start. Mistress Mikaila ordered him to make the workers work at least for 18 hours, but he didnt think that he could do that. He knew that if he were to do that, productivity and efficiency would decrease, and bad work would reflect badly on him.

    He made sure the workers had proper accommodation in the form of tents in the destroyed part of the castle, and everything was going smoothly. Because of this, they were able to complete all the work of the alchemic lab in a record-breaking time of seven days. It was significant, as they were able to achieve success without any modern machinery and stuff.

    Currently, they are working on the destroyed part of the castle. Drac had planned to convert that part into a garden, while the ballroom would be the special place where they would grow the magical herbs. From what he understood, Alchemy was a Mana Art in which one makes magical elixirs and pills with the use of mana and magical plants. So the the botanical garden was a very important part of the whole process.

    During the past few days, Drac had been so occupied with the work, that he was not able to focus on anything else. But as he started working on the destroyed part of the castle, he started discovering some interesting things about the place, that he didnt notice at first.

    As the workers took the debris from the place and transported it to a dump, he noticed the scorch marks on some of the remaining structures. While following the pattern of the scorch marks, he realized that the epicenter of the explosion was the ballroom itself. He didnt believe at first, considering that the wall and pillars around the ballroom area were still intact. There was no that those walls and pillars wouldn''t be blown away by an explosion.

    Which is why, for a test, he ordered some of the workers to bring down a part of the wall as well. To his surprise, the hammers and chisels of the workers were not able to leave even a single scratch on the walls and stones. In the absence of workers, he even tried to remove a part of the wall, only to realize that he was also powerless in front of it.

    From this he theorized, The ceiling and some parts of the walls are missing, while what is left seems indestructible. The question now is, what could be so special about this room half of it was made from indestructible material. What was the original builder of the place trying to save here?

    From this, he could only theorize, that there was really a secret hidden in this part of the castle. There was no logical explanation as to why, someone would only make a part of a structure indestructible. As the what this secret was, he had no idea.

    In the fast-moving life, he didnt forget the biggest mystery of them all, Mikaila. There was something off about that woman, and how could he forget the black shadowy figure that he saw in her room? He was sure that these eyes were not playing with him. What was the mysterious figure was beyond him. But he didnt rule out of the possibility of it being a ghost.

    As he was already living in the place, where magic exists. The presence of ghosts didnt faze him. If there was really a ghost, why had it not shown itself to anyone else? Why has it only shown itself to him?

    ***

    That night Drac was in his room, sleeping, when he heard a rushed knocking on his door. ¡°Drac! You there? Drac!¡± he heard a woman yelling from outside.

    Sensing the urgency, he quickly got up and went for the door. He pulled out the door, only to see a scared Jina along with her son, standing at his doorstep. ¡°What are you guys doing here?¡± he asked.

    Jina didnt answer, just entered quickly inside, pushing him aside. As they were, Jina told him, ¡°Drac, I am hearing the sounds of yells and shouts from the tent¡­ I also heard blood-curdling screams. Drac, something bad is happening,¡±

    Looking at how scared she was, he put his hands on her shoulder and said, ¡°Let me check it out,¡± he said. ¡°Just dont leave this place, and dont open the door until someone you know isn''t there,¡± he then instructed them on how to barricade the door and be safe.

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    Leaving them behind, Drac went to the side of the castle that Jina had mentioned. He figured that the place was so noisy at night, as the workers might be having a party. At least that was what he thought.

    As he reached the part of the castle that she was talking about, he encountered a certain smell with whom he was all too familiar with. He smelled blood.

    Sensing there might be a danger out in front, Drac moved cautiously. He was in the area of the castle, with the portraits and the other historical facts of the previous Sumore generation stored. There were antique swords and scabbards on the wall.

    He quickly went and took a long sword from the wall. He pulled the sword off its scabbard, but it didnt move. He put some more strength, only for a handle to come off from the sword itself.

    Fuck this. He thought and then looked around to see something else that could be more useful to him. He found a little hatchet, probably belonged to one of the workers. As well as he took the thousand-year-old cane off the wall as well. And cautiously, he started walking deeper to see what the fuss was all about.

    He entered a room, to see a massacre had taken place there. He saw the bodies of workers and some of the soldiers of the household littered around the room. From a glance, he observed that it seemed something or someone had pulled the limbs of the poor chaps off their bodies. It was a very gruesome and bloody scene.

    From what he saw, none of them were alive. So he moved further deeper, moving towards the destroyed part of the castle. With most of the debris out of the way, some of the workers had erected the camp there as it would be easier for them to start work from there when one shift ended.

    As he got to the opening, he saw more piles of bodies.

    Are all the workers dead? He thought, based on the number of bodies, it surely seems like it.

    It was then a primal scream resonated throughout the castle, immediately he dashed towards the sound.

    Outside the ballroom area, he saw Mikaila, with her back towards him. Beside her, he saw the shadowy ghost, clearly visible in the moonlight. Mikaila was screaming, but most of the sound was being muffled by something. While the shadowy figure was speaking to her, in a language that he had never heard of before.

    ¡°What the fuck is going on here?¡± he said it loud.

    Mikaila turned, and he saw that her eyes were bloodshot. She was creating foam from her mouth, like a rabid dog. From the looks of it, she had a human hand in her mouth, and she was really bitting down at it. And from the looks of it, she looked rather pissed.

    She growled at him, like a dog. Did she get bitten by a rabies-infected magical dog or something?

    ¡°Are you alright mistress?¡± he asked.

    ¡°She is,¡± the shadowy figure spoke, in a weird accent. ¡°She needs your help. Quickly get her, to her room.¡±

    Without showing an ounce of fear, he came closer to her, ¡°She won''t bite me, would she?¡±

    ¡°Just dont tempt her,¡± the figure said, ¡°Just dont try to touch the human hand in her mouth,¡±

    He moved and went to her, and picked her up. She curled up in her arms in a fetal position, as he carried her to her room she kept making growling noises like a dog. As far as the shadowy figure was concerned, it started following him by floating beside him.

    ¡°So if you dont me asking, what the hell are you?¡± he asked.

    The figure chuckled, ¡°First you tell me what you are? As a mortal, not only do you walk past countless bodies, but you are carrying the perpetrator of the attack in your arms. Yet, you are not afraid. Your heartbeat is not showing any sort of fluctuations at all. Why are you not afraid?¡±

    With a fake smile, he said, ¡°There are some people in the world who are afraid of death. And then there are people like me, who know that death is a new beginning, after the end. So why be afraid of death?¡±

    ¡°Saying words fancy is one thing, but living by such words is another. I would love to meet a mortal like you. Hell, I would like you to work for me one day,¡±

    Drac could only shake his head, If this fucker knew my chaotic nature, I am sure that he wouldn''t let me within one foot of his people.

    ¡°Can you help us, cover all this up?¡± the shadowy figure asked, ¡°No one can know about the true nature of Mikaila. No one,¡±

    Without skipping a beat, ¡°Sure. I am willing to help, for a price. But let me make myself very clear, my services are not cheap,¡±

    ¡°I will shower gold and mana stones on you if you help her.¡±

    Drac stared into the eyes of the shadowy figure, ¡°Please sir, do not think for a moment that I am a kind of mortal that could be bought with money or mana stones. I only trade with the most costliest thing in the world,¡±

    It was difficult to see the expression of the shadowy figure, but he seemed to be taken aback by his remark, ¡°And what is exactly this costliest thing in this world,¡±

    ¡°Knowledge,¡± he simply said, ¡°That is all I need. No money, no mana stones. I can acquire all of that, on my own. I just crave knowledge.¡±

    It was then he heard steps from the nearby hallway. ¡°Hide,¡± he said, only to realize the shadowy figure was gone¡­

 Chapter-23: Aftermath-1

    Hearing the footsteps from the hallway, Drac acted fast. He put the mistress down, took off his shirt, and wrapped it around the upper torso of the woman so that no one would be able to see the woman biting down a human arm. While he was at it, he took some blood from the mistress and smeared it over his face as well.

    He then took the woman and started rushing towards the sounds of the footsteps. In no time, he was greeted by Greg, armed to the teeth along with 15-18 men following him.

    Seeing him covered in blood, and with a woman in his hands, they all stopped. ¡°What happened Drac?¡± Greg quickly asked.

    ¡°Bad thing,¡± he just said with a little flare of fear, ¡°A beast.. A magical beast is in the castle,¡±

    They all got tensed. Greg then asked, ¡°Are you sure there is a magical beast? They had been extinct in the kingdom for a long time,¡± The knight was giving him a look, telling him that he didnt believe him.

    ¡°I just saw a fucking small white human-looking fucker tear up workers limb by limb. Mistress Mikaila in my hands also received an injury because of the fucker.¡± he said while gesturing towards the woman in arms, ¡°Do you really think that I am lying right now?¡± he asked in anger.

    ¡°That is Mistress Mikaila?¡± Greg asked, almost becoming pale, ¡°Where is it? Where is the monster,¡± Greg asked.

    ¡°Ran away. But could still be in the castle.¡± He added quickly, ¡°Greg, dont you dare to act on your own. You will not be able to do anything to that fucker. You will need me,¡± he said.

    ¡°Let''s go then,¡± Greg said.

    ¡°No,¡± he said, ¡°Our priority is Mistress. Then we would survey the castle,¡± And with that, he walked past them, and they followed him behind.

    ¡°Is she alright?¡± Greg asked, catching up to him.

    ¡°Yes, she is fine now. She had an elixir with her, she drank that and fell unconscious. Her room has a protective barrier erected around it, she would be fine there.¡± He said.

    The rest of the way, everyone was so tense that no one uttered a word. As they got to the master bedroom, he instructed them to stay behind. He took the woman inside and closed the door behind him. He put her on her bed and removed his shirt. Mikaila''s eyes had turned into her normal shade of red, and she seemed to have gotten back her sanity.

    ¡°I will handle everything outside. Please do not come out, and create a scene. If you want to stay hidden, you cannot go on a killing spree again,¡±

    She nodded, and let go of the hand, ¡°Red,¡± she said in a rather low tone, ¡°Crystal. Drawer.¡± She then gestured towards her wardrobe.

    He went to her wardrobe and opened the drawer to find a ruby-red crystal. The crystal itself was not very big, around an inch tall in length. But there was something different about the crystal, he could feel power from the crystal, not mana, just some sort of power. This power felt rotten. It felt as if it was made via doing some bad things, he knew it.

    Drac picked the crystal up and brought it to her. Like a meth addict, Mikaila practically snatched the crystal from his hands and ate it. After eating the whole thing, her demeanor changed, and like an addict enjoying a buzz, she laid down on her bed, closing her eyes and with a smile on her face.

    ¡°Now she would be alright,¡± Drac looked to his right and saw that the shadowy figure had returned, ¡°How will you handle everything outside?¡±

    Thinking about his conversation with Jina that he had weeks ago, he said, ¡°Well, I have something that I could blame..¡±

    ***

    That night, he, Greg, and the rest of the soldiers spend most of the night looking for the magical beast. But found no trace of it. Most of the people believed his story, as none of them could explain what happened to all the workers and how their limbs were torn apart like that.

    Greg had been a lot of help that night, because he was the stupid person who convinced everyone else, ¡°This surely is the work of a magical beast,¡± That man got convinced because of the destruction that was left via Mikaila.

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    When the sun finally came out of hiding, everyone was tired and scared at the same time. Drac knew that he needed to handle the situation, otherwise, it might go out of hand. So he suggested burning the bodies of the deceased. But Greg was not on board with that.

    ¡°Are you insane?¡± Greg said, ¡°Hunting dogs could use the scent on the bodies to track the beast. You cannot just burn the victims,¡±

    ¡°So you mean to say, we should just stay here, waiting for the reinforcement to arrive?¡±

    ¡°I am saying, we should barricade ourselves. One of us should go to the capital to send the message to Lord Daniel. And bring the royal guards to investigate the matter. If there is a magical beast, the royal family should be informed quickly.¡±

    Drac groaned with frustration, ¡°I am not staying in a castle, which smells like blood and gore for the sake of Itab. What would happen if the smell of the blood made the beast come back? Mistress Mikaila is out of commission, I am only accustomed to killing real people, with no experience of killing magical beasts.¡±

    ¡°Hunting dogs would need a scent Drac,¡± Greg put his foot down.

    ¡°Hunting dogs wouldn''t be able to do shit. Do you know how much a body could deteriorate in just two days, the whole place would be smelling so bad that they won''t be able to pick up any scent.¡±

    They butted heads for a minute or two, but he managed to put some valid points that people in the castle came to his aid. They didnt want to stay in a place, where there was a chance that the beast might be able to return. After a lot of discussion, it was established that they needed to burn the bodies that day itself.

    He got a win.

    In the end, it was decided that Greg would go to the capital, along with two soldiers to inform everyone of the issue here. For some reason the people in the castle didnt want him to go away, supposedly his show of power had left an impact on them. And they didnt want to part ways with him.

    Henry¡¯s wife and daughter in the end insisted on going with Greg, but Drac strictly told him that would not be possible. A castle needs maids, for Mistress¡¯s services. And he would not let them go, no matter what. They screamed and cried, but he stayed resolute. Seeing how harshly he let them have both of them, the workers thinking about going away drop the idea. No one wanted to piss him off.

    The cleaning process itself was very difficult. Mikaila in a withdrawal state killed the poor workers in such a brutal way that there were a lot of things to clean. There were pieces of brains and ribs that needed to be scraped from walls and floors. The worst part picking the stray parts. Somehow during the mayhem, some parts of the dead bodies had flown away all around the hallways and room. And these parts were stuck in the most random places.

    Drac found a pinky finger lodged in the inner part of the chandelier. How that pinky finger got there, was beyond him.

    The soldiers responsible for gathering the bodies and creating a pyre vomited more than a few times during the whole ordeal. None of them acutom to such a gruesome sight. Although it was a new sight for him as well, Drac didnt feel like vomitting.

    He worked alongside the soldiers and made sure that the work was wrapped up the whole day. So that, by the end of the day they could create a huge pyre, and burn all the bodies at once. And they were successful at that as well.

    The next day, he made sure that everything was thoroughly cleaned, and glad he did that. On the third day, a group of knights bearing the Soaring Eagle insignia were at their doorstep. They were the knights associated with the royal family, making them a real deal¡­

    ¡°My name is Rupert,¡± the knight leading the group said, ¡°We are here to investigate the attack of the magical beast,¡±

    Drac, who was looking like shit because of working constantly for the past two days, bloomed a fake smile seeing them, he immediately opened the door and let the people in the castle. ¡°It is a good thing that you came as soon as you could,¡±

    As the knights came in, they immediately started observing the surroundings. One of the knights stared at him especially the cane that he was carrying, and the hatchet in his belt. Drac noticed the gaze, and shrugged, ¡°I felt safer carrying these things around,¡±

    ¡°Why not a sword or a battle axe? Surely the castle would have some weapons,¡± one of the knights asked.

    ¡°I dont know how to use a sword or axe. But I am well versed in hand-to-hand combat..¡± He said and then started escorting the men to Mistress. ¡°Seeing the current trend, I am regretting not learning any weapon,¡± he further added.

    The knights started asking him questions about the night and recollected everything as it happened. The only difference in his story was that he spotted the beast that night. When he came to the destroyed section of the castle, he spotted the magical beast spitting a green liquid at the mistress¡¯s face. Because of this, his mistress¡¯s memory was a little hazy of the night.

    As far as the beast was concerned, he described the beast as akin to a white chimpanzee. The bipedal beast that he described was the same as the local legends about white bloodsucker, the one that Jina told him about. He figured bringing the legend to life made more sense, rather than creating a new legend.

    Drac had already talked to the arrogant Mikaila about her side of the story. Although that woman was very prideful and looked down on him, in front of the gaze of the shadowy figure, she behaved like a little girl in front of her father. She was obedient and listened carefully to every word that he uttered that day.

    When they finally got to Mikaila¡¯s room, he gently knocked on her door and she said softly to enter. They made their way inside, to find decently dressed Mikaila sitting on the chair overlooking the window. She stood up and greeted the knights with such a warm and fake smile, which even impressed himself¡­

 Chapter-24: Aftermath-2

    Drac had made Mikaila learn all the details of the story, that he was going to tell the people that would come to investigate. In the presence of the shadowy figure, she listened to everything with great focus. But a part of him still thought that nothing went into her brain, she was going to ruin everything. And now as the royal knights bowed to her, he had to see whether she would be doom of him, or not¡­

    ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Mikaila,¡± Rupert, the man leading the knights said. Drac noticed that Rupert seemed very young for someone who seemed to be leading such an important group. Not to mention, the man was extremely attractive as well. He had lilac-colored eyes, silky smooth hair, and a great jawline.

    ¡°The pleasure is all mine,¡± Mikaila said softly.

    ¡°Your butler informed me about everything from his perspective,¡± he said, ¡°Do you mind repeating the events of the day as well,¡±

    ¡°Well of course,¡± Mikaila said, ¡°Let me show you what transpired that day, and how it transpired. Drac,¡± She faced him, ¡°Why dont you go and brew some good tea for our guests in the meantime,¡± He bowed and went out of the room.

    When Drac made it to the kitchen, he saw Jina along with Henry¡¯s wife and daughter. Henry¡¯s family avoided him, while Jina passed him a smile. He passed her a smile as well, then ordered, ¡°There are five royal knights here to investigate the matter. Bring them biscuits and tea,¡± he said and then turned around.

    ¡°Drac!¡± Jina called him, he turned around. Jina came running from the other side of the room.

    ¡°Do you have some time..¡± She looked hesitant, ¡°I want to talk¡­¡± She looked at the other two women in the kitchen, ¡°In private.. If that could be arranged,¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± He said and gestured for her to follow him. This prompted him some stares from the other two, but he didnt care.

    They got to the hallway, and Jina whispered, ¡°I wanted to know¡­ I.. Is this place safe?¡±

    He acted as if he was thought for a moment, and then nodded, ¡°Yes, it is. Mistress Mikaila was attacked and injured. From what I know about Lord Gregor, he would die for his family. With him coming here, this place would transform into a fortress. We will be fine,¡±

    ¡°You think so?¡± she asked.

    He nodded, ¡°Trust me. This place is safer than outside.¡±

    ¡°I hope so¡­ I am really worried about Jamie¡¯s safety,¡± she said, ¡°He is the only one that I got you know, after my husband and family passed away.¡±

    ¡°Nothing will happen to you both. I promise,¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± He turned around and was about to go when Jina called him again. He turned around and she said, ¡°If you find Jamie, send him to me. I have not seen him for hours,¡±

    He nodded and then went away¡­

    Drac then later joined the knights and his mistress. From when he joined, he had to give credit where it was due, the woman was doing just fine. She was handling everything with such confidence, he felt that this would surely convince the knights. As Mikaila would not be a problem, he focused on the knights that came here. They were full of energy, from what he could feel.

    He knew that one needs to have a certain level of strength, to even apply to the royal guard. But he never got the circle requirement to join the group. And from what he could see, every single one of them was at least have two circles, while the young man leading them at least have 3 circles. That man was strong, even stronger than Daniel. But not on the level of Gregor.

    I wonder to which house this young man belongs. Being able to reach the level at such an age, was truly a feat. He thought.

    It was then that he noticed. The leader, Rupert, was showing signs of distrust. While the rest of the knights were attentively listening to Mikaila and her rambling, Rupert¡¯s focus was on the things around him. His expressions told him that he was not paying any attention to her rumbling.

    The man was looking around for clues, that is for sure. He is interested in the matter, but not in Mikaila¡¯s rambling... This guy suspects something. This made Drac bloom a genuine smile, This fucker knows something is wrong.

    Drac then started thinking of the possible things that the leader of the group found suspicious. He came up with a lot of theories, with no concrete footing.

    When the tea and biscuits came, Mikaila invited everyone to the sitting area so that they could enjoy some refreshing mint tea. At first, Rupert tried to refuse the invitation, further spiking Drac¡¯s suspicion. If the man didnt want tea, he could have refused from the get-go. But he refused now, breaking the common courtesy rules of nobility.

    Upon Mikaila¡¯s further insistence, he finally gave in, and they came to the sitting area. Maids served a variety of biscuits and tea to the guests and left the room. While he stood at the corner of the room, ready to assist in anything.

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    ¡°This tea is wonderful my lady,¡± one of the knights said.

    ¡°Well, the credit goes to my servants,¡± Mikaila said, ¡°They are the ones that stuck around after the incident. They are the reason that you are able to have such delicious things,¡±

    ¡°Why are you not joining us?¡± Rupert asked.

    ¡°I apologize, I am not feeling like eating or drinking anything,¡±

    Maybe if you want to do some crystal, then for sure Mikaila would join, He thought.

    Rupert then took a few sips, and then spoke, ¡°Milady, there are some things that I am having trouble understanding. If you dont me, I would like to ask you some questions,¡±

    With a fake warm smile, Mikaila answered, ¡°Please, Sir Rupert. You can ask me everything, that you want to know,¡±

    Rupert then smiled back, ¡°It seems you have recognized me,¡±

    ¡°I have seen you once in the Royal Palace. Of course, I recognized you,¡±

    Recognize him from the royal palace¡­ This man must have some influence in the Royal Palace. Maybe father or mother has some connection with the current queen, He thought.

    Rupert then put the cup back, and leaned back, ¡°I am having some trouble understanding, what an magical beast was doing here in the first place. Everyone knows that the magical beasts have long gone extinct in our kingdom. Yet, one was spotted here. And it massacred over 70 people, along with a knight with one circle, a man named Gibson,¡±

    Oh yeah, that is the blondie¡¯s name. I should pay more attention to people that I beat up, he thought.

    Rupert further added, ¡°I am having a hard time understanding, where this beast even came from. Magical beasts tend to get stronger with time. And there are no reports from the neighboring places about any sort of beast creating a disturbance. It was like this beast in question just appeared out of nowhere,¡±

    Mikaila¡¯s smile faltered, ¡°What are you trying to say, sir Rupert?¡±

    Rupert didnt beat around the bush, ¡°We know that you have recently come back from the Hograve Continent. Did you by any chance bring a beast back with you?¡±

    ¡°Bring back a..¡± Mikaila said rather softly, ¡°A beast? What are you trying to imply Sir Rupert?¡± The atmosphere of the room changed, and the mana inside started vibrating, making everyone feel the wraith of the woman, ¡°Do you think that I am a lowly beast keeper, that I would bring the beast back?¡±

    In this world or this kingdom, raising any sort of beast was considered something that lowly peasants do. Nobles dont divulge in this sort of hobby or work. Drac learned this the hard way when he recommended they raise some livestock to decrease the expenses of the household.

    ¡°It was not my intention to disrespect you milady,¡±

    Now devoid of fakeness, the woman spoke in anger, ¡°Then what the fuck was your intention?¡± Cursing in such a formal matter was a big no-no in the noble circles.

    ¡°Milady, please keep in mind that we are the Royal Knights,¡± one of the knights spoke, ¡°We won''t tolerate such a blatant disrespect,¡±

    The atmosphere became more tense, and the knights also started vibrating mana in the air as well, making the room feel like a battlefield. Experiencing such power, Drac couldnt help but giggle with excitement, inwardly. This was the thing that he was looking for. This is a situation where one misstep would mean his death, along with the addict woman.

    But he couldnt let this situation get out of hand.

    ¡°What mistress is trying to say,¡± Drac said, gathering the attention of everyone, ¡°That is there is no way she would divulge such vulgar acts. And as a butler of the household, I have personally overlooked everything in the castle. The beast in no way or form, is related to this place, or any person living under the grace of mistress¡¯s roof,¡±

    One of the knights glared at him, ¡°Did anyone ask you, bastard?¡± Cursing low-borns was fair game anywhere in the noble households.

    ¡°This Castle belongs to House Sumor,¡± he added, staring straight into the eyes of the knight who called him a bastard, ¡°Do you understand what asking such a question to the lady of the house means?¡±

    This calmed down Mikaila, who formed a smirk on her face. While the knights although seething with anger, didnt say anything. This was the house of the sister of a Marquis. Although they held a lot of power, in no way or form did they have enough power or proof to interrogate Mikaila. They knew it, but they asked the question in such a way that it wouldn''t seem that they were interrogating her.

    ¡°You are right,¡± Rupert said, he was the only man who remained calm in the whole thing, ¡°We overstepped. We apologize milady,¡±

    The knights didnt ask any further questions. Mikaila, didnt make any small talk either. After they all finished their teas, like good guests they bid their farewell. Drac himself escorted them off the property. The knights didnt say a word to him, but as they were going Rupert did ask him his name.

    ¡°Name is Drac, my lord,¡± he said.

    ¡°Drac?¡± the man thought for a second then asked, ¡°By any chance.. Did you come across about 7 feet to 8 feet tall mana wielders in a year or so? They bore the cross of Lord Itab on their armor,¡±

    He simply smiled, ¡°They dont sound like people that I would forget. I have never seen anyone matching the description,¡±

    Rupert didnt say a word, nodded, and followed his men to their horses¡­

    When Drac knocked on Mikaila¡¯s door, the shadowy figure''s voice gave him permission to enter. He saw that Mikaila was seated on her bed, while the shadowy figure was floating beside her, ¡°You did well,¡± the figure spoke, ¡°If it weren''t for, someone would have really messed up,¡±

    Mikaila with no worry in the world, ¡°Dont worry about it master. Everything worked out fine. My personal dog, took care of everything,¡± she said while smiling at him.

    Yeah, I am a dog. You produce froth from your mouth, and rip humans into shreds, and yet I am a dog.

    He bowed, ¡°Well I was happy to serve,¡± he said.

    Mikaila then clapped her hands, ¡°Oh, also before I forget.. Clean the mess I made in the wardrobe, would you?¡±

    Confused, he looked at the wardrobe, whose door was open ajar. He walked up to it, and opened it. The lifeless body of Jamie, Jina¡¯s son fell on his feet.

    ¡°The boy was spying on me,¡± she said, ¡°I caught him,¡±

    Well¡­ Who would I steal corn from now? He thought as he stared into the lifeless eyes of the boy¡­

 Chapter-25: Ulaspas Family

    As Drac stared into the eyes of the innocent Jamie, he thought about all the movies, TV serials, and books that he had read so far. If something like this were to happen in front of the main protagonist, they would surely fly into a rage. They would surely start planning how they would dismember the bodies of the people who did this.

    But there he stood, devoid of any emotion. The only thing he could feel at the moment was frustration, as now he had to spend a sleepless night burying the body. Burning it could catch the attention of the people of the place. And it was going to be a drag.

    ¡°Is the boy going to be a problem?¡± the figure asked.

    He turned around, ¡°No. It is a good thing that the boy¡¯s neck is snapped. And he is not dismembered,¡±

    This made the figure chuckle, and he started laughing manically, ¡°I really like you, boy. You.. You are one of a kind. I thought that you would be enraged or something. But you seem, calm. The boy¡¯s death.. It didnt faze you,¡±

    He did not know what to say or do, so he simply bowed, ¡°I am just happy to serve,¡±

    ¡°I am looking forward to meeting you,¡± the man said and turned towards Mikaila,

    Seeing this as an opportunity, Drac added, ¡°Sire.¡± The figure turned once again, ¡°If our relationship has to work. I think it would be wise to know a thing or two about each other. And compensate each other, for our services,¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± the figure said, ¡°You wanted knowledge, yes? Granted. How would you like your knowledge,¡±

    ¡°For starters, I would love to read the books that Mistress has about Mana wielding and Mana Arts. And, 15 min tea break in every seven days with Mistress, to ask questions that I couldnt understand,¡±

    ¡°Granted,¡± the man said.

    ¡°Master!¡± Mikaila exclaimed, but the eyes of the man were enough to make her shut up.

    ¡°Now with that out of the way, I need to understand what is my role in your operation?¡±

    ¡°Operation?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°Yes. I want to understand what would be my responsibilities. What causes the mistress to go on a rampage like that? Whether she would control herself when her family members come here. They would surely notice in an instant the difference in her behavior.¡±

    Mikaila stood up, and glared at him, ¡°Look at this¡­ A dog, trying to care for its owner. I need to teach you some manners, it seems,¡±

    She was about to go to him, when the figure said, ¡°Stop Mikaila. There is no need for violence, he is right. Killing the boy was a mistake, and if his body were to be found there would be trouble for us. Plus, it would help our cause if we had a normal man like him, work for us,¡±

    She controlled her anger and nodded, ¡°Understood master,¡±

    Then the figure turned towards him, ¡°There are things, that couldnt be told to you unless you prove your loyalty,¡±

    But he cut the man¡¯s words, ¡°Sire, I dont know what dark mages like you are doing here,¡± the term made them stare at him, ¡°Nor I am gonna stay in your way. My loyalty is with you, till you provide me with something for my services. I dont need to know what you are trying to achieve in this kingdom. I just want to know, what kind of jobs would I need to do, when under your service,¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± the figure said. ¡°But to know more about us, you would need a seal be placed on you,¡±

    ¡°A Seal?¡±

    ¡°A mana seal.¡± The figure said, ¡°This would ensure, that you are not going to betray us,¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± he said. ¡°What do I need to do?¡±

    ¡°Strip. The seal would be put on your heart,¡± the man said.

    He unbuttoned his shirt and came to Mikaila. The woman waved her fingers in the air, creating an intricate circle with various symbols etched all around the circle. He had never seen anything like that before, nor did he know that one could use mana to write in the air. It took her a minute or two to complete the circle. What surprised him was the symbol, at the center of the circle. It had a Rose, just like the one that was etched in the ballroom in the destroyed part of the castle.

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    Mikailathen flicked her finger and the circle went straight to his heart. Drac could sense that circle around his heart and knew that if he were to betray them the circle would crush his heart, killing him on the spot.

    ¡°Welcome to the service of the Ulaspas Family, Drac,¡± the figure said.

    ¡°Master,¡± he said to the figure.

    Then the figure went on and told him that the Ulaspas Family was a Mage family with Blood Magic running through their veins. From what he told him, blood magic was a type of Mana Art that could be performed only by people who share the same blood. Which essentially meant that this type of family could only be passed down to heirs of the family.

    But the Ulaspas Family''s blood magic was different. According to him, his family''s magic could be passed down to anyone with whom they share their blood.

    It sounded as if these guys were the cheaper version of vampires.

    Mikaila was the new member of their family, and she was not able to control her temper and blood lust due to the side effects of the Blood Magic. As far as the motive of coming to this kingdom was concerned, he didnt say much about it. But Drac had some idea what it might be. As far as his job description was concerned, he needed to assist Mikaila in her missions. If he does a good job, then there might be a chance that the figure might give him a big reward when he comes to the kingdom¡­

    ***

    That night, Drac sat down on his desk in his room with a paper in his hand. In English, a language unknown to this world, he wrote down everything that he has found out till now. And to say that it was interesting would be an understatement.

    He had a long conversation with Figure and Mikaila that day. Although Mikaila was strong, she was not well-versed in politics, which is where he came in. Their first objective is, they need to establish themselves in this kingdom, for which Mikaila was planning to throw a ball, where she would announce that she is a Mage with two circles.

    The information told him two things, the number one being that his estimation of her strength was way off. He was thinking that she might be on par with Daniel, but through their conversation realized that Mages have a lot of mana in them. So it is not wise to judge someone¡¯s strength via the mana they possess. The second thing that he realized was they were here for a long-term operation.

    These guys were looking for Rose, like the albino woman, he was sure of it. He always wondered whether they were after some sort of treasure or something similar. If that was what they were truly after, they dont have any need to establish themselves in the kingdom. That seems like a waste of time. Unless they are planning something that would take them a very long time to accomplish.

    He had no idea what might they were trying to do. But it was definitely related to the Rose.

    Another interesting that he understood was the fact this Ulaspas Family was a very old family, and they might be very distant relatives of the current Sumor Family. The rose insignia, on the magic circle, cannot be a coincidence. The rose was not a symbol like one etched all around the circle. Which meant that it was most probably the insignia of the Ulaspas Family. It was just a theory, but he would know it soon enough.

    If his theory was right, then he felt the body of the beast that might be in the Sumor Sanctuary might be related to them. There might be a case, that these guys were here for the body of the beast in the first place.

    Another thing was very clear to him as well, the ballroom was surely hiding something as well. This castle was one of the oldest buildings of the kingdom and probably existed during the Era of Ice. There is a chance that the ballroom might be some sort of vault or something. He just needs to investigate the matter thoroughly¡­

    The knock on the door distracted him. He stood up and opened the door to Jina and the guards standing outside. Snot flowing down her nose, with a disheveled face, Jina looked as if she had been crying for hours.

    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Drac¡­¡± she said, with her voice tearing up. One of the soldiers clarified, ¡°Jamie, sir.¡±

    He buried the little guy, a little far away from the hill they were on. He then went to the side of his room, picked up his hatched and the cane nodded to everyone. ¡°Let''s go,¡±

    ***

    ¡°JAMIE!¡± Jina yelled at the top of her lungs while shedding waterways from her eyes.  The soldiers were also yelling, but they were not loud. All of them were in fear because their voice might attract the sound magical beast roaming in the area.

    ¡°JAMIE! WHERE ARE YOU!¡± he also yelled.

    But no answer came. They walked around the whole hill, they also looked around at every knock and cranny of the castle, but didnt find any clue about the boy. Eventually, they all returned and vowed to search for him tomorrow as well. It took him some time, but eventually, he was able to make Jina sleep in her room. Only then did he start walking towards his room.

    While walking in the quiet hallways of the castle, Drac had the wooden cane in his hands and was playing with it. It is truly a wonder, how a fucking wooden cane like this could survive the time. From what he was told, this cane was at least 500 years old, which was truly amazing.

    Wood, usually dont survive that long.. Unless He came to a halt, and closed at the cane, Unless, someone had been taking care of them.

    In the case of this cane, no one had been paying attention to it for the past 100-200 years. So he wondered, what made this cane so special, that it survived this long. Under the moonlight, he stared at the white eagle-shaped handle of the cane. Upon looking closed, he spotted it. In one of the small feathers of the eagle, there was a small Rose. It was small enough to stay hidden until someone was deliberately looking at it¡­

 Chapter-26: Overprotective Father

    The findings of the cane did come as a surprise to Drac. But at the end of the day, he was so tired that he just straight away went to his room and fell asleep. Early in the morning, he started hearing knocking on the door. He could only groan at the sound, he was too tired and sleepy to see what was up.

    Still, he pushed himself up. It is there he found Jina, along with some soldiers who looked sleep-deprived like him. Jina on the other hand looked as fucked up, as she did last night.

    ¡°Let me grab my cane and hatchet,¡±

    As the gentle rays of the sun kissed their faces, Drac along with the group once again started their search for Jamie. Ultimately, they couldnt find any clue or trace of the boy. People feared the worst, and by the end of the search, Jina started fearing the worst as well.

    While the rest of them started to head back, Jina insisted looking for her son. To which he let her be, and brought the soldiers back. They had some work to do. For the safety of people from the castle, Drac started the operation of barricading. He started barricading the windows and doors, that could be used by the monster to access the castle. With his work, the people of the castle felt secure and were off his backs.

    With the disappearance of Jamie, everyone was on the edge. The soldiers wanted to leave. Henry¡¯s wife and daughter were constantly on his back, saying that they wanted to leave. With some persuasion and anger, he was able to make everyone stay. As far as the monster responsible for this was concerned, she remained in her room for most of the time, and would even eat her food in her room.

    Whispers about Mikaila being afraid of coming out of her room started spreading through the castle. He only heard about it when he eavesdropped on the conversation of two soldiers. As far as Jina was concerned, she went insane after his son¡¯s disappearance and stayed confined in her room.

    In her absence, all the food and kitchen responsibilities fell on Henry¡¯s wife''s shoulders. And she was not a little bit happy about it, but didnt dare to voice out his opinion.

    The change in the castle occurred 4 days after Jamie disappeared. With most of the windows and doors barricaded, Drac could focus on his goal. He started opening the wooden crates of Mikaila. He was already granted access to her books, so he didnt feel like he needed to take permission again.

    As he was looking through a book in a foreign language, he was approached by a soldier who came into the room huffing and puffing.

    ¡°Sire!¡± the man said, ¡°People bearing House Sumor spotted coming from the south.¡±

    He looked at the man, and asked, ¡°People?¡±

    ¡°An army sire,¡± he said.

    He immediately put the book down and went to the front gate of the castle¡­

    The soldier was right, there was an army making their way to the castle. From where he stood, he figured that there were around 150 people in the party. Most of them were soldiers bearing the coat of arms of the Sumor Family.

    Drac formed a genuine smile on his face. He knew that someone from the Sumor Family would surely come to the aid of Mikaila. And from what he could see, either Gregor or Daniel was here. That excited him because they surely noticed that something was wrong with Mikaila. And boy, that would be a site to behold.

    As the group was about to enter the castle, a rider tore through the group and came sprinting towards him. The rider disembarked in front of him, and greeted with him a cold face, ¡°Well.. You look like shit. It seems that you have not been taking my teaching carefully,¡± Travis said.

    ¡°You were supposed to be here weeks ago. Mistress Mikaila was not supposed to come this early. And we were not supposed to be attacked by a fucking magical beast. So¡­ Yeah. I look like shit,¡± he said. That was the truth as well, with all the things happening around the castle, he really didnt get a chance to wash his clothes properly, nor take care of himself. In the past few days, he had grown himself a mild beard. As he had just hit puberty, his beard was not even out, it was scruffy on one side, and small on the other.

    ¡°How is mistress?¡± The old man asked.

    ¡°Good,¡± he said, ¡°She is just fine,¡±

    ¡°She better be,¡± Travis said while sighing.

    Before he could ask why, another rider came via tearing through the group. This one didnt stop in front of them, instead went straight to the castle, disembarked at the main door, and went sprinting straight in.

    ¡°Is Lord Daniel is also here by any chance?¡± Drac asked the old man.

    ¡°No. Just Lord Gregor. He was insistent I come with him as well, as he didnt believe that you would be able to handle the responsibility of the castle,¡±

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    ¡°Of course,¡± he then saw Greg running towards them. That man had been roaming around the castle, like a night crusader. Wanted to hunt the beast himself, which is why he sleeps through most of the day.

    Greg came and stood by them, ¡°I hope that I am not late.¡±

    ¡°Nope, you are on time,¡± Drac said, and then looked at the old man, ¡°If no noble is left, let''s go in. Greg, make sure that the soldiers and commanders are well fed and have a bed to sleep off their fatigue,¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡±

    And with that, he and Travis made their way towards the master bedroom of the castle.

    ***

    As they got to the bedroom, they started hearing the sounds of yelling. As they got to the room, the door lay before them broken from its hinges, they stood outside the door, waiting to be summoned¡­

    ¡°¡­You broke through the door!¡± Mikaila said while pointing at the door of the room.

    ¡°I was worried about my little doll. And I should be.. Look at you, you look like the wraith from grandmother¡¯s old bedtime stories,¡± Gregor said.

    ¡°Father, this is the style. This is fashion. This is a very common style on the Hograve continent.¡±  She said.

    ¡°Is it?¡± he asked and then gestured towards her clothes. She was wearing a bra, and what called be modern equivalent of the mini skirt, ¡°And what about your attire? Dont tell that all the people of the continent dress up like whores,¡±

    She groaned, ¡°Father, for the last time.. It is my body, my choice. You have no right to tell me what to do, and what not to do,¡±

    ¡°The hell I dont have. I am your father. And you will listen to me, you ungrateful brat,¡±

    ¡°GET OUT!¡± Mikaila screamed, and the mana in the air started vibrating. ¡°GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! GET OUT OF MY ROOM! GET OUT OF MY LIFE!¡±

    Gregor angry now, immediately left the room with the huff. When he saw both of them, he ordered, ¡°Both of you, with me!¡± and started walking in the hallway.

    He was about to follow them, when he heard, ¡°DRAC! Inside!¡± Mikaila screamed.

    ¡°I need that boy!¡± Gregor yelled from the hallway.

    ¡°FUCK OFF!¡± she yelled from her room. Gregor looked at him, ¡°Find me quickly when you are done with her,¡± he said threateningly.

    He nodded, and then Gregor walked away, along with Travis.

    Drac when entered Mikaila, he started feeling the chill in the room, as if it was located high up a snowy mountain. ¡°Fix the fucking door,¡± Mikaila said. He nodded, ¡°It will be done.¡±

    Still angry, she said, ¡°My father would probably try to make up with me for yelling at me. Try suggesting throwing a ball in my honor. And tell him that I really want to have my botanical garden and alchemic lab established as soon as possible.¡± He nodded, bowed to her, and went away¡­

    Drac found Gregor and Travis in the sitting area, having some tea. Henry¡¯s wife and daughter were present, ready to bootlick Gregor. Ignoring them, he came and bowed to Gregor.

    ¡°Give me a report. What needs to be done here, and what have you been doing here for the past few weeks,¡± Gregor ordered.

    So he started recalling what had transpired till now. After he had recalled everything, Gregor asked, ¡°You said that the workers and the equipment had been paid by my daughter?¡±

    He nodded, ¡°Yes sire. Mistress provided with everything. She really wanted to finish everything in a month,¡±

    ¡°Any particular reason, for such a request?¡±

    He thought about it quickly, and then turned around towards the maid, ¡°You two, get out. And close the door behind you,¡± They were surprised by his orders but still complied. He just did that to fuck with them both.

    He then faced Gregor once again, ¡°Mistress.. Wanted to throw a ball in the castle. She had not told me the details, but she did tell me about her intentions,¡±

    ¡°Hmm,¡± Gregor mumbled.

    ¡°Talk to me about this so called.. Magical beast. What happened that night? And from what I heard, you even opened your mouth in front of royal knights as well. Care to explain,¡±

    Without an ounce of fear in his voice, he started recalling everything. As he had expected, when Gregor came to know what royal kings did, the mana in the air started vibrating. The old patriarch was pissed. And it is when Drac felt the difference between his and the old man¡¯s power. It was truly overwhelming. It was like comparing a small kid to a full-grown Bull. Which also made him wonder about the shadowy figure, the so-called Mikaila¡¯s master. He wondered how powerful that person would be.

    ¡°Master, it not vice to be angry about the matter,¡± Travis said, trying to calm the old monster down.

    ¡°Calm down!¡± the old man said while gritting his teeth, ¡°Those royal fuckers think that they could ask my daughter a question like this and get away with it.. Well guess what, they will have one another thing coming their way,¡±

    ¡°Sire. Not now.¡± Travis said, ¡°We first need to find the beast. Only with evidence we will be able to prove that this thing was not fabricated,¡±

    Oh, people from the capital think that this is fabricated? Make sense, considering no one had spotted any magical beast in the kingdom for hundreds of years.

    Gregor and Tavis went back and forth with their arguments, and eventually, Gregor backed off. He then looked at him, and said, ¡°And you. How much time would you need to finish everything?¡±

    ¡°Ah..¡± He thought for a moment, and then said, ¡°A month.¡± He said to be on the safe side. He didn''t overwork himself again.

    ¡°Done. I will be taking Mikaila to the capital for shopping. I will be leaving Commander Gorg here, for your and the worker''s safety. See to it, that everything is taken care of,¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± he said while bowing.

    Then Gregor leaned forward, and asked him, ¡°Also, by any chance did you come across this language,¡± he gestured to Travis. The old butler ruffled through his coat and fished out a piece of thin parchment.

    He unfolded the piece of parchment, to see some words in a foreign language traced on the parchment. He looked at the words properly, memorizing them. Then he passed the paper back and shook his head, ¡°I have never seen that script before in his life,¡±

    He lied. He just saw them, just a few minutes ago, when he was going through Milkaila¡¯s books¡­

 Chapter-27: Conspiracy Afoot-1

    With Gregor and Travis¡¯s arrival, Drac''s work was cut short. And he liked it very much because now, finally, he could focus on things that he liked. With time on his hands, he started going through the books that Mikaila had, but then he faced a glaring problem. Her books, all seemed to be written in different languages, that he didnt understand.

    Did they dupe me? He thought, No.. If they really did, I could still expose those fuckers. The shadow is not foolish enough to fool the only man that is on his side. Something is wrong here.

    He would have to talk to mistress, which is why for the evening tea he himself went to Mistress¡¯s room to deliver it. When he entered the room, it was chilly as always, and Mikaila was sitting on her bed looking through a book.

    ¡°Mistress, your tea,¡± he said.

    She just gestured towards the table, ¡°Just put it right there,¡± he nodded.

    Before he goes back, he says, ¡°Mistress, I have mentioned your desire to have a ball.¡± She nodded, ¡°Also, the books that you have, would you like them to be shelved in your lab itself?¡±

    She closed her book and thought for a second and then nodded, ¡°Yeah sure. Do that.¡±

    ¡°Also, your books are in the language, that I cannot understand. Can you help me with that?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I was supposed to give them to you a long time ago,¡± she said, ¡°The top drawer of my dressing table.¡± He went and opened the drawer to find three blue orbs lying in there, ¡°These are knowledge orbs. These have the knowledge of the languages that I know. Squeeze them, and drink every drop inside the orb,¡±

    The orbs were of blue color, and felt like jelly, enclosed in a translucent plastic container. He pocketed the orbs and went his own way, excited to learn language via orbs. There was part of him, that wanted to eat the orbs right there and then, but he figured he might as well eat it in the confines of this room.

    That night once again, a verbal match took place between Gregor and Mikaila, but the conclusion was drawn soon.

    After sliding a plate full of food, to Jina¡¯s dark room, Drac went to his room. He was very eager to witness the marvel of learning a new language via eating. He took one of the orbs and tore it from his canines. Then all that was left was squishing the jelly into his mouth.

    The jelly itself was bland, it didnt have any flavor or taste to it. After he was finished, he saw that the translucent covering of the jelly evaporated in thin air.

    Even after waiting for a second or so, he couldnt feel any changes. But then it started, it felt as if someone had rammed their car from inside his mind. The pain itself was so agonizing that even his voice got stuck in his hands. Not able to scream, or move, he just lay in his chair, feeling the knowledge of language flowing through his brains.

    By the end of the 30-minute mark, his agonizing pain was gone. His body got so tired from the ordeal, that after the event he immediately went to sleep¡­

    When Drac woke up the next morning, he felt like shit. Still, he pushed himself and stood up. From the window of his room, he noticed that there was still some time in dawn. So he immediately got to his training. The lack of a clock in this world means, that he had to guess what exactly the time is. Which was why he had started working on based on fatigue of his body. If the sun was not up, and he was not feeling tired, he would train.

    Some advanced calisthenics exercises later, he went outside on a run. Like usual, he went from one hallaway to another, until he reached the main gate of the castle. It was there he saw two soldiers sitting by the main gate. He saw that there was no one up the watch tower, which infuriated him. He immediately ran up to the soldiers, and smack the shit out of one of the soldiers.

    The other one, who sleeping in the chair immediately jumped up. ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡± he yelled, the soldiers took some time, but soon realized who he was, ¡°If I saw you sleeping again, I will fucking flay you both alive!¡± they both nodded fearfully.

    After tearing the soldiers a new one, he continued to his run. His usual routine had him running four rounds of the hill. That day, as he got out of the castle, he had this weird nagging feeling on the back of his head. He couldnt explain it, but he felt weird. Drac figured that his previous night''s action might be responsible for the feeling, but soon he felt a very familiar vibration in the air.

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    Abruptly he jumped sideways, and the next second something big landed where he was running. With a flip, he stood up again, his hands in an attacking position. With the rays of the sun just starting to kiss the horizon, he saw a middle-aged man wearing the insignia of the Sumor Family standing in front of him. The man was wearing full armor, his rank was clearly above Greg. Which made him realize, who this person was,

    ¡°You must be Harold. Sir Harold, the commander of the 3rd battalion of the Sumor Family,¡± He had never met the person, as the 3rd battalion was stationed in the capital, along with Gregor. But he did hear yesterday that Harold came to the castle with Gregor.

    ¡°And you must be the infamous genius butler that everything had been talking about,¡± the man said. Then the man pointed towards his hands, who were still up in case a fight broke out, ¡°Do you really think that you can defeat a person like me, with just hand-to-hand combat?¡±

    ¡°Won''t know for sure, If I dont try,¡±

    ¡°That is the spirit boy. I wish my son had a spirit like you,¡±

    Angry, he put his hand down and asked, ¡°What is the meaning of this Harold? Why did you attack me,¡±

    ¡°That is Sir Harold for you boy, never forget that,¡± he said.

    Drac let out a fake chuckle, ¡°Is that supposed to be a joke?¡± he asked, ¡°You are not very funny Harold¡­ Also, respect is earned. Not given out of fear or something. And as far as you are concerned, if you dont explain to me why is it that you are attacking me, you and I gonna have a problem,¡±

    ¡°Well, I just attacked to see your reaction. After all, I would want to know more about the person with whom I will be living with, for the next month,¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Harold. I hope, that we will never meet again,¡± he said and with that, he continued his running. As far as the attack was concerned, he didnt know what it was. But in no way or form was it just a greeting. That man didnt deviate from his path, and he would have really killed him if he wasn''t so fast. Now the question was, what the hell was going on here¡­

    ***

    Rupert looked at the board before him and contemplated about how he got there. The board was full of names of the Sumor Family and their servants. He had been looking at the board for quite some time now, and couldnt really get what the hell was happening with that family.

    About a year ago, some inquisitors of the Church of Itab came to the kingdom, in order to slay a Dark Mage. After they had completed the mission, they came to visit his mother, the queen of the Alanor Kingdom, Charlotte. They told her, in his presence that they were not able to determine what the mage wanted to do in this place. But they suspected that the mage probably wanted to make this island her base of operation, as it is one of the remotest places in the world of Pandora. In the end, they warned them to be vigilant and to report them if something shady things started happening in the kingdom.

    Rupert thought that this would be the end of it, until he received a report about a week ago that there had been a magical beast attack. He knew that as those sort of beast had gone extinct, surely there was no chance of it being present on the island. As the crown prince, he was worried whether this was the ploy that the inquisitors were talking about. So he went to investigate the matter himself, and he didnt get the results that he was hoping for.

    He had a feeling that there was something wrong with the castle. His feeling only intensified when he laid his eyes on the butler of the castle. That fucker was bad news.

    Rupert still remembers as if it was the other day when the butler greeted him, he saw the true nature of the man¡¯s soul, with the help of his Blood Magic.

    That man¡¯s soul was of a murderer. He knew it in that instance. As far as how many people that person had killed, he didnt know. But from what he could tell that man had at least killed thousands, he could tell from his soul.

    Not all murderers were bad people. Like his mother, he himself and the commander of the Royal Army have a similar aura to the man. But their souls also felt like a gentle breeze, which meant that they were not inherently evil people.

    But that butler, his soul felt like a well from hell. Dark, and full of blood. Also, the fact that this man had killed so many people, despite being this young also surprised him.

    Mikaila was a killer as well, and from the looks of it, she had at least killed 500 people. But he couldnt tell from looking at them was, whether they were responsible for killing the poor workers. And they were fabricating the story of there being a magical beast. But then everything he knew about the butler changed.

    During his subtle interrogation, Mikaila started becoming angry. He figured that this would happen, but she couldnt do anything as he was the crown prince. But then he felt it, from the side of the room. A gaze, a feeling that made a chill run down his spine. He felt as if the devil himself had laid its foul eyes on him. He felt true terror. The feeling vanished within seconds, but he knew it in his heart. The gaze came from the butler.

    When he asked the butler for his name, he introduced himself as Drac. There was a high chance, that this man was the one that helped the inquisitors. Connecting the dots, he came up with an absurd theory. According to the inquisitors, they didnt know anything about the Dark Mage''s age or sex, they just followed the foul stench of her soul to follow her.

    What if, the woman that they burned wasn''t the dark mage? What if the person that helped them, was the Dark Mage from the start?

    That gaze, that feeling, it still haunts him. Which is why he figured, he should check for himself whether this butler was really who he was. Or whether he was a Dark Mage all along.

    Which was why, he sent his spy in the Sumor Family, Harold, to ascertain the man¡¯s identity¡­

 Chapter-28: Conspiracy Afoot-2

    Charlotte¡¯s jabs on the stone hedge echoed in the empty training hall, they were so powerful that they created gusts of wind every time her hands made contact with the stone. She loved the distinct smell of blood and sweat in the air, and she misses it dearly as well. She became the queen of this accursed kingdom a few years ago, and she hated every single part of this job, she was a warrior, she belonged on a battlefield, but now she was stuck here.

    His husband was the one who started the rebellion against the old kingdom. He was the one that swept the whole island with his might, while she fought beside him. In the end, he died when the wounds of the last battle took over his body. And the responsibility of the office fell on her lap.

    It had been 8 years since she came to the royal palace. Since then her life has been about fancy parties, tea parties, afternoon parties, and tourneys. And in every official event playboys and knights are trying to seduce her, trying to get inside her bloomers. The small amount of energy that she has left gets spent in the council meetings.

    She hates her life. She only keeps going because of her son, becoming a queen was never her dream, but seeing her son become a king is. And she was living for that¡­

    Her arms ached after her bout, but she loved that pain, to catch her breath and drink some water, she turned and went to the corner of a ginormous hall. Her servants had put freshly squeezed orange juice there, and seeing the crystal jug full of juice, she became reminiscent of her past, she didn''t have enough money to buy a single orange, but now she could afford a farm of it.

    While drinking, she glanced at the body-sized mirror in the corner, as a woman in her late sixties, she looked quite young, her mana had done a pretty good job in making her look so youthful, but her martial body had deteriorated.

    She no longer has defined muscles, which she cultivated through blood and sweat, her skin of soft now, and her hand which used to be full of calluses is now soft as a bunny¡¯s hide.

    But she looked beautiful, more womanly, everything on her body was fully stacked and in shape. No wonder I have so many admirers.

    Thinking of admirers, she couldn''t help but wonder whether she would ever be able to find a man again. She loved her husband and she loved her son, but in politics and ruling the kingdom, she had become lonely.

    Most of the men who do approach her are the people who just want her money and power, and she knows that perfectly well. Seeing that she wonders sometimes, if would she find love again, which makes her remember a line that was once his husband recited for her from his favorite poet.

    ¡°Life is a sentence that is too long to suffer alone.¡± It was written by some estranged author that no one knows about, but it fits in her life perfectly.

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± She was startled, she looked back and saw her son standing not too far away from her.

    Her son was a handsome man, standing high with a height of 6 feet, he had black hair like her and lilac eyes like his father. He likes to train as well, it could be seen by the way his muscles were peeking from his clothes.

    ¡°Thinking, what should I do? I am losing my mind here.¡± He chuckled at her response. ¡°Are you losing your mind, because I was able to sneak up on you?¡±

    ¡°Oh please, you''re 100 years too young to sneak up on me.¡± There was no way she was admitting that he really was able to sneak up on her. She was really losing her edge.

    ¡°Really? I thought I really surprised you over there.¡± She shakes her head. ¡°No, you didn''t. Now, how can I help my dear son this morning.¡±

    ¡°Council meeting. Me and the General had something to discuss with you. So I took the liberty of scheduling a meeting after breakfast.¡±

    She groaned in frustration ¡°You should have asked me first.¡±

    ¡°No can do, I have to go meet some friends tonight, so I needed this meeting to be over as soon as possible. ¡±

    ¡°So you threw me under the foot of Mammoth so that you could have dinner with some of your friends?¡± She was annoyed.

    With a big smile on his face, he replied. ¡°Yup. Now go change, we have some work to do.¡±

    Rupert is a smart kid, based on his potential there might come a day when he would have to sit on the throne and command the office of the king. That is why she decided that it would be for the best to teach him everything she knew about the ruling, she gave him the role of her personal adviser and made him sit through most of her council sessions.

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    She thought that it would be a good idea, he would learn to run a kingdom as well as she would be able to spend some time with her son, little did she know at the time that decision would come to bite her in the ass.

    ***

    As the gates of the meeting hall were opened, everyone present stood up, her mother and the queen, Charlotte Alanor was there. Rupert also showed common aristocratic courtesy and got up as well. He felt weird that he had to do all of this for her mother, but he didn''t complain.

    Sitting just beside him was General Tarrain, he is an old man with a balding head and a long white beard. He is the head of the Royal Army as well as the strategic advisor to the crown. Just beside him was a small scrawny middle-aged man, he was Howard, he oversees the Royal treasury¡­

    Like always, after pulling her chair from the round table, his mother greeted everyone, and then all of them sat down.

    ¡°What is the important thing because of which I had to leave my workout early?¡± she asked Rupert.

    ¡°We are here to talk about Mikaila Sumor,¡±

    General Tarrain looked rather confused, ¡°Gregor¡¯s youngest? What about her?¡±

    Rupert then shifted in his seat, ¡°Well¡­ She is doing something shady. And we need to find out what is going on inside her crazy head,¡±

    Howard leaned forward, ¡°Crazy? Like how crazy are we talking about here? Did she steal your heart or something?¡±

    Rupert sighed, before he could correct Howard his mother chimed, ¡°I have heard that she had become quite a beauty after her expedition. Is it true?¡±

    Howard nodded, ¡°Yup. From what I heard, everyone who had seen her walking in the capital with her father had fallen for her. My people reported her as a seductress, who could make anyone fall in love with her, with just her gaze,¡±

    She was not that beautiful, Rupert thought. But inwardly he knew, if he didnt have any proof that something was wrong with her, he would have loved to date her.

    ¡°Is this true Rupert?¡± His mother asked. ¡°Did you really fall in love with her?¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± he groaned, ¡°That is not why I have called this meeting.. I¡­ Something..¡± He calmed down a little bit, and with a deep breath he said, ¡°Something is going on with the Sumor Family.¡±

    ¡°Could you elaborate please,¡± General Terrain said. He knew that there would be at least one person who would listen to his theories.

    ¡°Alright. For starters, we remember the inquisitors. We know why they came, and about their warning,¡±

    Charlotte asked, ¡°Wait, is this related to that matter?¡±

    ¡°Might be,¡± he said, ¡°For starters, Gergor Sumor took the third battalion from the capital to Sumor Sanctuary. That was suspicious. From what my spy told me, they were looking for something there. Ultimately, they found something. A very old network of iron ore mining tunnels. They didnt know about the tunnels, and neither did we. The suspicious part was, that only Gregor, his butler and the first commander of the Sumor family went inside,¡±

    ¡°What did they find?¡± Howard asked.

    ¡°Dont know,¡± he said, ¡°But they did tranpored the dome creater from Sumor Keep and deployed a dome around the entrance. As they have shrunk the dome¡¯s size considerably, they would need to recharge the dome every two months or so. And based on the mana stones that they have, they could hold the dome for a considerable amount of time,¡±

    ¡°That is indeed troubling,¡± Howard added, ¡°If Gregor pulled out the dome creater, it means whatever is inside the tunnel, it would surely be very valuable. Maybe, they found mana stone mines down there. That would explain why they are willing to go to such lengths.¡±

    Rupert then added, ¡°That is not all¡­¡± he then further told them about Drac and what he saw on the Sumor Castle. He told them about his suspicions. As they all knew about his family¡¯s blood magic, they all believed him.

    No one said anything for a few seconds, processing the information.

    Then General Tarrain asked, ¡°Do you reckon that they have shaken their hands with Dark Mages, to overthrow the current rule?¡±

    Charlotte then added, ¡°I dont think so. I know Gregor, and that man in no way or form would ever shake his hands with Dark Mages.¡±

    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Howard added, ¡° I have seen some fucked up kids in my time. Maybe it might not be Gregor, but one of his children,¡±

    ¡°I am more interested in this Drac fellow,¡± General said. ¡°If the prince¡¯s words have some truth, I would like to know how a person like him exists¡­¡±

    Rupert then told them, ¡°I think that Drac is the real culprit here. The aura from him, it could not belong to a normal person. I think that he is somehow manipulating them,¡±

    Charlotte then asked, ¡°Can your spy keep an eye on the guy?¡±

    Rupert nodded, ¡°Way ahead of you. I already have my men posted on him. For the last month, he had been giving me reports on that man regularly,¡±

    ¡°What is his moment like? Anything unusual?¡± General Tarrain asked.

    ¡°No. In the absence of his masters, that man reads books and practices Sabers. He had started learning the saber play, from the day his masters left the castle. According to my spy, the man was doing so because he wanted to get strong enough to beat the magical beast,¡±

    ¡°And what is up with this magical beast business?¡± Howard asked, ¡°Did you find anything?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Rupert said, ¡°Nothing at all. Neighboring settlements had not spotted any beast of any sort. Nor there are any reports of missing people,¡±

    Charlotte then leaned back, and said, ¡°Something is up with the Sumor Family. They are hiding something. If this is indeed related to Dark Mages, we cannot just contact the inquisition. We would need proof of their involvement. Keep an eye on them, try to find out whether you can find something on them,¡± They all nodded, and after discussing some more matters, the meeting was adjourned¡­

 Chapter-29: The Sealed Secret-1

    ¡°More power! Push yourself!¡± Greg yelled as Drac carved the cuts on a practicing dummy with his wooden sabers. Learning Saber play was initially invigorating, as it was something new and exciting. But now, with the constant yelling from Greg, it started to become a drag.

    While plunging the sabers into the dummy, he glanced at the soldier standing not too far away. From an outsider¡¯s perspective, the soldier was standing guard in one of the remotest areas of the castle. And was doing his job.

    But he knew better, that guy was a spy.

    When Harold attacked him about a month ago, he figured that something shady was going on with the guy. It didnt take him long enough to feel eyes on his back, someone was watching his every move. Before he knew it, he figured that 4 soldiers in particular seemed to coordinating with each other to keep an eye on him. They would have gotten away with it as well if it weren''t for the mana.

    After Harold¡¯s attack, Drac remembered the funny feeling that he gets when he feels that something is keeping an eye on him, or wants to kill him. He didnt think this was blood magic of some sort because if it were, his father or mother would have boasted about it at least a thousand times during the family dinners. So he could only conclude that this has to do with the mana itself.

    The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He could feel and see the disturbance in the air and mana when someone powerful gets angry.

    This was enough proof for him to conclude that mana could be influenced by someone¡¯s mood. And there is no need for that someone to be a mana wielder, any changes in emotion that are directed to him, he could feel it. He termed this phenomenon as Mana Sense.

    He still doesn''t know how it works, or whether he was the only could who could feel these changes. But figured he would research about it in the future.

    As far as Harold and his goons were concerned, he was one hundred percent sure that they were all keeping an eye on him. There were too many coincidences to consider this phenomenon as his paranoia. But why they were keeping an eye on him, was beyond him.

    But the problem arose when he found something extraordinary about the Sumor Family Cane. And he was not able to utilize his time to investigate anything because they were keeping an eye on him, even during the night time.

    As soon as he understood that the people were keeping an eye on him, he immediately hid his satchel. But he left the red ring and the cane outside. He had to figure out, that he might need them. The ring was easy to carry in his pocket, but the cane was the difficult thing. It was big, and if someone found out that he was interested in it, the chances were that those people might steal it away from him.

    To not gather any suspicious gaze, one day he acted as if he had broken his ankle. And then started using the old cane to walk around the castle. People did ask him about his leg from time to time, but no one asked him about his cane. As he had expected, one of the soldiers keeping an eye on him approached him to ask about his leg. And then indirectly asked about the cane.

    Drac then showed the cane to the soldier, saying that he found the old thing in his room. Didnt know whether this little thing belonged to the Sumor Family or not. As there was insignia of the family anywhere visible, the soldier gave the cane back to him.

    Coincidently, the day he chose to be injured was the day when he was overlooking the construction of the dome around the ballroom. He had planned to put the window panels all up the ceiling and convert the whole place into a greenhouse. Surprisingly Mikaila was on board with the plan and was surprised that he knew the use of greenhouses.

    While walking around the ballroom, he felt it. The cane was producing vibrations. He could tell that the cane was reacting to the floor of the place.

    It was weird, he could not sense any movement in the mana, or the air. So how the cane was vibrating was beyond him.

    Upon walking around the ballroom area, he understood that the cane was directing him toward a particular area in the place. The closer he got to the particular spot, the stronger the vibrations of the cane would get.

    He could not investigate the matter at the time, due to the presence of the workers, that Gregor had sent. As well, in the vicinity was the soldier that was keeping an eye on him.

    Ever since he had been salty. These guys were not giving him a chance to investigate the area¡­Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    After exhausting himself, Drac sat down on the ground. As he was huffing and puffing, Greg passed him some water and sat down beside him.

    ¡°You are doing good,¡± Greg said, ¡°We can soon move on to practicing live,¡±

    ¡°I dont get Greg,¡± he said, ¡°Why are we starting with dummy in the first place? Shouldn''t you teach me some moves, I should practice those moves and then we would work from there,¡± From what he had read in books, Drac knew that this was the way that most protagonist learns swordplay.

    ¡°That is a bullshit thing, made for nobles who are just too lazy to work on themselves,¡± Greg said, ¡°My father, his father, and my old mentor all said the same thing. The trick to learning a weapon is first, to get used to it. Get to know it. And then you make your own moves, when you start fighting for real,¡±

    ¡°So all the bullshit family martial technique is just nonsense,¡±

    ¡°More or less,¡± he said.

    ¡°Hmm.. That is interesting,¡±

    They heard footsteps approaching, they turned to see Harold coming their way, ¡°Good morning boys¡­ You seem to be having a very productive day,¡±

    ¡°We are,¡± Both of them said simultaneously. Drac had sensed that Greg also didnt like the man that much, like him.

    ¡°Good. I want to have breakfast, Drac. Could you tell that useless cook of yours to make me some,¡±

    With a fake smile, he nodded, ¡°Sure,¡± he pushed himself up, and was about to go to the castle when they all heard a whistling sound.

    It is then that they saw, from north something flying their way. It looked like a small green ball of fire. ¡°What is that?¡± Greg questioned.

    ¡°Nothing good,¡± Harold said in a serious voice.

    The ball of the fire changed its trajectory and started heading straight towards them. As it approached, fearing for his life Greg jumped away from them. While Drac and Harold remained glued to their places. The ball of fire came to a stop before them, as it floated in the air, they heard a voice coming from it.

    ¡°Gather your men, and meet us in the Hange Village. We are heading towards the Sanctuary. Come prepare for war,¡± the voice belonged to none other than Gregor Sumor himself.

    Drac turned to him, while Harold did the same for a reason. It took them a few seconds to understand what was happening, then Gregor yelled to the nearest soldiers, ¡°SOUND THE BELL. GATHER EVERY FUCKING ONE. I WANT THE HORSES TO BE READY, SUPPLIES PACKED, AND EVERY FUCKER IN MY INFANTRY ARMED TO THE BOOT IN AN HOUR,¡±

    Drac and Greg immediately lept to action, along with the soldier present in the clearing. Soon the whole castle was in a buzz. With the help of the workers, they were able to set up the carriages, along with the relevant supplies in a few minutes or so. It only took the soldiers a few minutes to gather in their combat gear, and before they knew it, Harold along with his infantry were gone.

    The last hour had been such a hectic and energy-draining experience, that they were all left huffing in the end.

    ¡°What do you reckon was all that about?¡± Greg asked as they left.

    ¡°Dont know. Maybe they found something in the Sanctuary, that might be worth something,¡±

    The day carried down, as usual, that day, workers worked their assess off, and soldiers patrolled the hallways and kept an eye on workers, while Drac and the other servants worked hard to maintain the castle. But there was an unusual bounce in Drac¡¯s steps that day. Mostly, because that day there were no eyes on him. So for the first time in a while, he felt truly free.

    Which was why, that night when everyone had gone to sleep, he got to work. He enclosed himself in a black shawl, and made his way towards the ballroom¡­

    ***

    It feels chilly tonight, He thought as he was walking his way through the dark corridors.

    Dodging the patrolling guards was almost too easy, thanks to his shawl. And before he knew it, he reached the ballroom. Most of the place had been renovated. They were waiting for the glass panels from the capital, while the workers had completed the rest of the stuff.

    He looked at the black floor before him, previously he had sealed the floor with black sealant so that Mikaila would not be able to see the Rose Insignia on the floor. Now, he wondered whether the sealant would temper his progress.

    Won''t know for sure, if I dont try, He thought.

    Drac started walking around the room, tapping the cane lightly on the floor. The cane vibration brought him to a particular part of the floor beside the fireplace. A greenhouse doesn''t need a fireplace, but they could not do anything about it was made from indestrutible material. He had planned to convert the part to a shelf later on, as it was one of those old and big fireplaces.

    He tapped on the particular area where the cane brought him. Although the cane was vibrating, nothing was happening. There was a chance that the sealant might be getting in the way. But he came prepared. He sat down in the particular area and took out the hatchet that he had.

    Very slowly he started grinding the sealant off. He felt that it would take a lot of elbow grease to tear the sealant off, but to his surprise, the sealant tore off the tiles very easily. It was as if, the sealant never got stuck to the tiles in the first place. After scraping for a while, he was able to uncover the tile beneath the sealant.

    This time, when he tapped on the tile with the cane, out of nowhere a black dot appeared on the floor. The black dot was on same size and shape as the cane¡¯s foot. As he put the cane on the dot, some bottom part of the cane went inside the tile. Before he could guess what he was supposed to do now, he felt it. Something was vibrating in his pocket. And there was only one thing that he had been keeping in that pocket, and that was the red ring that he got from the albino woman¡­

 Chapter-30: Sealed Secret-2

    Drac always thought that the ring that he had was not just for show, some relic of the past. He had no idea that this thing could be related to the secret of the ballroom. Curious about the purpose of the ring, he took it out and wore it. He sensed a pulse going from the ring, to the cane, then to the white tile.

    It was then he felt the whole ballroom rumbling. The rumbling itself was not so loud to wake everyone up, it was just strong enough to make the person standing in the place aware of what was happening.

    He knelt down, with his hand on the floor, trying to understand what was happening. He felt that there was something underneath the floor. It was some kind of mechanism that was working underneath. And then everything came to a stop. He soon spotted, one step away from the sealant looked like it had caved in the floor. The cane also came out of the tile.

    With the cane, he pushed the caved-in sealant, only to realize the tile that used to be under it had vanished. Now it was replaced by stairs, that seem to be heading underground.

    What surprised him was the fact that the stairs looked like they were made of some sort of glowing material, making it easier for someone coming down to descend.

    Is that some sort of glowing stone? He could not feel mana from the stone, so figured that it couldnt be mana stone. But didnt know what exactly this stone was.

    Without an ounce of fear, he started descending down.

    The floor closed behind Drac as he ventured in. The stairs took him through a narrow path, on whose end was a reinforced metallic door. With no lock, or doorknob, he touched the door with his hands, and the ring in his hands sent a pulse to the door, opening it.

    What greeted him was a very old dusty room, which was lightly illuminated by the glowing ceiling, which looked like it was made of the same material as the stairs. Although the illumination was enough for a person to see what is where. It was just enough to get a feel of the room.

    This place looked like an old abandoned science lab. Before him were tables of various glass beakers, along with various apparatus that he had never seen before. Towards his right were shelves and shelves of books.

    He saw a big glass jar, with the whole face of a creature in it. The jar was filled with light brownish liquid, and the face was floating in it, staring straight at him. The creature¡¯s face had some sort scally growth all over its face, none of its surface was made of smooth skin. Everything was covered in scales.

    And there were several jars all around the lab, with various parts of different creatures, floating in liquids for gods knows how long.

    But the crown jewel of the place was on the other end of the room.

    Floating in mid-air, illuminated by the ceiling and floor, there was a cube the size of a volleyball. The cube looked like it was floating on a pedestal, making him curious about what it was. With a small walk, as he came closer to the thing, he started feeling weird.

    Something was attracting him towards the cube, but at the same time, he could feel that going closer to the cube could be dangerous for him. He observed the cube, only to realize it was made like a 3by3 Rubik''s cube. Instead of colors on all the sides, there seem to be symbols all around the thing, making him further curious about that thing held.

    Drac was curious, but not foolish. He knew better than to touch something alien in clearly what looked like a laboratory.

    I need to have some light down here, to inspect what all of this is, he thought as he started looking at the apparatus and weird stuff preserved in the glass jars all around the place.

    He inspected the apparatus the glass beaker lying around, and the setup, only to realize how familiar he was with this stuff. And they should not be present in this world.

    From test tubes to the beakers, everything in the lab was of the same measurement as a chemistry lab back on Earth. I would have overlooked all of this if the glassware were of different volumes or such. But this kind of similarity.. This can''t be overlooked. Someone can only make this if they have worked with the original thing.

    The idea that someone in the past might have transmigrated into this world like him seemed like a believable thing to him. If he could get tranmigrated then surely someone else can as well.

    Now all of a sudden, the insignia of a flower that is not present in this world makes sense to him. Only someone from Earth could have chosen it to be their house insignia. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Drac looked around the lab and soon found some spare rooms as well. One of the rooms was a storehouse, which was full of wooden crates which were filled with mana stones. One of the rooms was what looked like a bedroom, but it was the third room that interested him.

    Unlike the other room, this one was smaller. It was a study room and had a chair and table. The interesting part was the tubes, with a bell-like opening at the ends. These tubes were coming out of the wall in front of the table, and their opening seemed to be pointed at the desk and chair.

    What is this, some sort of surround sound music system?

    Drac took a seat and started looking around at what this place could be used for. It is then saw a small box, located beside his desk. There was a simple latch to open the box, he opened it to find a translucent stone inside, which he realized soon was the mana stone whose energy had been sucked dry.

    No way.. Is this what I think it is?

    He immediately jumped up and brought a small mana stone from the store room, got back, and inserted the mana stone in the box. As if electricity started flowing through the box, an indicator started glowing and soon he felt that something in the room became alive.

    Two large holes opened from the table¡¯s top and mechanical button switchboards came out. Curious about the buttons, he flipped one open.

    He started hearing some noise come out of one tube. The noise was just a breeze, so he switched off that tube and tried another one. And this time he started hearing the sound of people talking on the other end.

    ¡°I still believe that Drac did it you know,¡± the voice said, gathering his interest in the conversation.

    ¡°Nah,¡± came a voice of a woman, ¡°That man is creepy, sure.. But killing so many people? Nah, he is not that good,¡±

    The man then asked, ¡°What is so difficult about it? You know, half of the people in that group were normal humans. They dont stand a chance against a guy like him,¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I am not saying that Drac could not do it.. But this is seventy people we are talking about. He wouldn''t kill them in cold blood, cause he could. It is just that¡­ he doesn''t seem like a person who would ill that many people for no reason at all,¡±

    ¡°Then who killed all those people that day of the massacre, because sure there is no seven hells is there a monster lurking around this dump.¡±

    They are talking about the night of the massacre. He thought. Drac also realized that the people talking were probably the soldiers under Greg. He was not really close to the soldiers, and did didnt know their names or voices.

    ¡°I dont know,¡± the woman said, ¡°Speaking of which, do you reckon that this place has started to get chilly out of a sudden?¡±

    ¡°Yeah seems like it,¡±

    These soldiers are probably on watch duty right now¡­ It means that these pipes are some sort of listening device of some sort.

    How the device worked, he didnt know. What he was most interested in knowing was the fact how the box sucking the mana stone¡¯s energy worked. If he could learn how to harness this energy as well, the possibilities of the things that he would be able to make would be boundless¡­

    After hours of lurking around the lab, Drac eventually came out. And the first thing that he noticed when he came out was the chill in the air. The temperature had dropped significantly ever since he was done there. The strange part was that it was summer season, with spring about to come. There was no reason for this region to be this cold.

    As he walked away, the tile closed on its own, and he started walking back to the castle. Evading soldiers, by the time he reached his room, the temperature had dropped significantly. Now all he wanted to do was, go to bed and just fall asleep.

    When he opened the door of his room, a gust of very cold wind blew on his face. He saw that the candle in his room was lit, someone was lying on his bed, and most importantly a person was sitting on his desk. With long white hair, a naked pale white torso with broad shoulders, and very long legs, the man in question was reading the book on his table with a worry about the world.

    ¡°What..¡± He muttered. His guard came up, and he glanced at the bed, to realize Jina was the one lying on his bed.

    ¡°The woman,¡± the stranger said, gl ¡°She was passed on your doorstep. Probably waiting for you to return,¡± For some reason, Drac felt that he had heard that voice before. It didnt take him long to connect the dots, the white hair, the pale skin, and the coldness.

    He immediately stood behind the man, and bowed, ¡°It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, master,¡± This man was the shadowy figure that he saw near Mikaila, this man was her master.

    The man closed the book, with a snap and leaned back on the chair. Without looking back, he said, ¡°So you have been reading up on alchemy huh? Interested in the subject?¡±

    ¡°Yes, master,¡±

    ¡°So tell me, Drac.. What is the difference between water lily, and lily water,¡±

    It was a trick question, but answered, ¡°Water lily refers to the plant that grows in the marshes in the wild. The plant has a white flower and could be distinguished by sensing the mana flowing through the plant. While lily water is a potion that does not use any ingredients from Water lily and is a cure for boils made from Hubric reaction,¡±

    The man finally stood up and faced him, ¡°Well, you really are learning,¡± the man said. The stranger had a very gentle and handsome face, but Drac was not fooled by his exterior. This man was the master of Mikaila, surely he was a dangerous individual. And from what he could feel, this man was the strongest person that he had ever met in this world.

    ¡°Yes master, I dont want this opportunity to go to waste,¡±

    The man put his hand forward, ¡°Name is Kaisel. Kaisel Ulaspas.. Nice to meet you,¡± Drac then shook his hands with the man, and started a journey full of blood and red¡­.

 Chapter-31: Massacre-1

    It was early in the morning, and Drac had woken up and was already working, ordering the workers around to clean up the castle. Most of the repairs and the work that needed to be done was over. Today was the last day for these workers, and today they will set off to the capital again.

    Drac seeing some workers manhandling a sofa yelled, ¡°If I saw one foot of that mahogany chair get a scratch, I will see to it your family members would starve to death,¡±

    His voice was enough to scare the workers. It was then he heard someone clearing their throat from behind him, he turned around to see Samantha, Henry¡¯s wife standing behind him, ¡°Yes, what do you need?¡± he said softly, but with authority.

    ¡°I need to talk about the slob that you have harboring in the castle,¡± she said.

    ¡°Can this wait?¡± he knew what exactly what she was talking about. And he didnt want to indulge in the conversation, just yet.

    ¡°No, it cannot,¡± she said with resolve, and rather loudly. Her voice was enough for both soldiers and workers to raise their eyes, but they all knew better than to dwindle.

    He nodded and then gestured for her to follow him.

    Drac took her to a small room used to put away cleaning supplies. He opened the door, and gestured her to get in, ¡°I am not going in there..¡± She said with hesitation, ¡°With you no less,¡±

    What kind of reputation have I harbored,  He thought. He simply didnt care about her opinion, grabbed her blouse, and pulled her in.

    Closing the door behind them, he looked at her with authority, ¡°Speak your mind now,¡± It was then that he noticed he had accidentally opened the lace of her blouse. Flustered, she clutched her heavy assets and with a quivering voice asked, ¡°What are.. We.. Here?¡±

    ¡°I am not your husband. Relax, lace was an accident,¡± he said, ¡°Speak your mind,¡±

    She looked rather nervous, she turned around and started tying her lace again. With her back towards him, she spoke, ¡°Me and Tilly are doing most of the work around the kitchen. That slob Jina has not been doing anything, since her accursed son ran away. I dont know for how long we would be able to do this. We will leave if you dont do anything in the matter,¡±

    She finally turned around and looked at him with resolve in her eyes. While he looked at her, mocking her whole existence, ¡°What the fuck are you talking about?¡± he just asked, ¡°Leave? This place? Nah¡­ You cannot,¡±

    ¡°You will stop us?¡±

    ¡°I dont have to. I know what is going on in your and your daughter¡¯s life. I know that Henry abandoned you guys here, ever since the massacre took place. Now, if you were to leave, I wonder how many noble houses out there are willing to hire you guys?¡±

    ¡°We know our worth,¡± she said.

    ¡°Your worth is nothing. Even if you go out there, wanting to be hired, who the fuck would hire you when you say that you left Sumor Castle? Which noble or a merchant would want to hire two maids, who left the Marquis¡¯s service, just because they couldnt handle some work pressure,¡±

    ¡°But we are doing all the work,¡±

    He then took a step forward and went right to her face, ¡°Jina used to do everything before you and your daughter came along. So suck up. That woman had just lost her son, give her some space,¡±

    Drac was so close to her face, that their nose was just hair length away from touching. He figured that getting close to her would scare her, and make her follow his authority. What he didnt expect was, that she took this as an invitation.

    Suddenly he found her lips interwined with his, while her hands grabbed his face and made him come closer.

    It lasted for a few seconds, but then she let him go. She was in bliss while looking at his confused face, and soon her face that into that of a flustered woman.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± she said and started going past him. But he put his hands on the way, and said, ¡°We are done yet,¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    She still tried to run, but he pulled her blouse from the back and made her stand in front of her. Once again, the laces of her blouse became undone, yet this time she didnt shy away. She let her assets show and maintained constant eye contact with him.

    ¡°Samantha, you are the only senior maid in the castle, right now. Something is about to happen, and we will need you in this castle, very urgently. You and your daughter. I dont know anything about your issues with your husband, but I really need you to pull through for me. I need you both here.. This could be the new start for both of you, away from a husband that used to beat you,¡±

    She looked surprised that he knew that. The reality was, he knew it because he used to keep an eye on the man¡¯s affairs. And she doesn''t really need to know that, ¡°Now.. Please, pull your act together. You are going to be a head maid of a castle, and Sumor Castle no less.¡±

    ¡°Head maid,¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes. If everything works out fine, you will be the head maid. I will make sure of that,¡±

    A small smile bloomed on her face, ¡°I will do my best,¡±

    ¡°Another thing,¡± he came close to her face, ¡°If you want to get fucked, by me.. All you need to do is just ask,¡± He then went to her ears, ¡°I will fuck you so hard, that you will have trouble walking for at least a day or two,¡±

    He took a step back, to see her crimson-red face. He nodded at her, and then exited the room, leaving her behind¡­

    That evening, he stood by the main door of the castle, looking at the sun setting in the distance. He was thinking about what happened today with Samantha. There was a part of him, that wanted him to take her then and there. For the past few days, he had been feeling exceptionally horny, because of his teenage hormones. It was really hard for him to control himself, but he did because he had a bigger fish to fry right now.

    He heard footsteps and looked back. He saw that Samantha, along with her daughter Till, and Jina had come. He nodded to them, and then they all waited. Soon all the soldiers present in the castle, along with Greg were present before him.

    ¡°Is everyone here?¡± he asked Greg.

    The man nodded, ¡°Yes, everyone is here. Now, could to care us, why did you order the soldiers patrolling the castle grounds also to return? What is this thing that you really want to talk to us about?¡±

    He nodded, ¡°I asked you all here because there are some changes about to occur in the castle in a few days. And I wanted to know, who amongst you are going to be part of it,¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jina asked.

    He looked at them all, in the eyes, ¡°This is the chance for every one of you. If someone wants to leave and go back to their families, they could go. Let me tell you something, if someone decides to stay in the castle to work, only Lord Itab would tell when they would get a chance to go home. It may take months, it may take years,¡±

    ¡°What is going to happen?¡± one of the soldiers asked.

    ¡°Something,¡± he replied, ¡°I only to reveal the thing to people who would be staying here¡­ Also, I want to add. All the soldiers would be releaved from their duties. And they would have to work as normal servants of the house during this time period,¡±

    ¡°Releaved of their duty?¡± Greg questioned, ¡°These guys are soldiers. Not common servants. And why would you let the soldiers go, who would mind the castle? If the servants are what you need, I think we can send a letter to Henry¡­¡±

    He cut off Greg there and then, ¡°No. As I said, this offer is for the people who are already in the castle. No one else. We are not going to get new servants, we are going to use the people that we already have,¡±

    ¡°Is it something that Lord Sumor had ordered,¡± Greg asked.

    ¡°Cannot say. But the upcoming days would be very important for the castle. And I am not interested in using any outside help. I trust you guys. Which is why, I am giving you this opportunity. For soldiers, you would be paid the same as servants, there would be no more patrolling. All you need to do is follow my lead or head maid Samantha¡¯s lead,¡±

    Samantha nodded, looking a little faltered for his remark. No one moved, so he asked again, ¡°Those who dont want to be a servant can go back to Sumor Keep. But will not be able to stay in the castle anymore. So is there anyone who wants to leave?¡±

    Nobody moved, making him nod, ¡°Good. Now let me tell you all something.. The thing that I am going to reveal to you all, if you were to let it slip to anyone, who is not present in the room¡­ You will be hunted down as the enemy of the Sumor Family to the ends of hell,¡±

    Nobody moved, ¡°Good¡­ There are some guests coming to the castle. They are not just any guests, they are the personal guests of Mistress Mikaila. One of the guests would be Master Kaisel, the teacher of Mistress Mikaila. While the rest of them are the wives of Master Kaisel. They are all mana wielders, who have the power to destroy any house of the kingdom. And I really mean any house of the kingdom,¡±

    They all looked at each other, some surprised, some shocked, ¡°It is our job that entertain them. For how long they would stay, what is their purpose, I dont know nor did I ask. We would have to entertain them as long as they are in here. And in no way or form, should this information get leaked outside. Do you understand?¡±

    They all nodded, so he continued, ¡°These people¡¯s presence could really upset the delicate political structure of the kingdom, which is why Mistress had insisted that we keep a very tight lid on this matter. So do your job, and keep your mouth shut. Do you understand?¡±

    They all nodded, ¡°I have been promised, that every one of the people who decided to stay would be paid very heavily once this is over. So you could look forward to that,¡± this made a smile bloom on everyone¡¯s face.

    Before he could continue, they all heard a voice, ¡°IS ANYONE THERE! OPEN THE GATE!¡± Drac looked at the main gate of the castle, thinking who the hell was there¡­

 Chapter-32: Massacre-2

    Before Drac could continue, he and everyone at the entrance heard a voice, ¡°IS ANYONE THERE! OPEN THE GATE!¡± Everyone turned towards the main gate of the castle, thinking who the hell had come.

    He and the soldiers all made their way towards the gate, only to find a carriage standing outside bearing the insignia of the Sumor Family. It was a small party, a carriage, and three soldiers on horses.

    Someone from Sumor Family, who is not important in the family, instantly understood who had come.

    The soldier leading them angrily looked at him, ¡°Why the hell there are no soldiers on the gate? What the hell have you guys been doing in here,¡±

    Unfazed, he looked straight into the eyes of the soldier, ¡°We apologize for the inconvenience.. We welcome warm-heartedly Mistress Kaila and her party,¡±

    The soldier huffed and went inside followed by the carriage. As they got out of earshot, Drac whispered, ¡°We are fucked,¡±

    Greg who was standing beside him asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Well, we are supposed to entertain Mistress Mikaila¡¯s guest. And they dont have the castle for themselves. Now consider her in the situation, what do you reckon would happen when a stuck-up brat like her meets, people who could snap their fingers to destroy you,¡±

    Greg''s face became pale, he understood what he was getting at, ¡°What should we do?¡±

    ¡°The only thing that we could do. Contact Mistress Mikaila, and ask for her opinion,¡±

    As they got to the castle, they saw the soldiers unloading Mistress Kaila¡¯s luggage at the entrance. Kaila on the other hand was looking around the castle with a frown, ¡°What kind of dump did father gift me? I dont think that I would be able to live here,¡±

    She then looked at him, ¡°You, come here,¡± he went to her, and bowed. As soon as his head came up, he received a tight slap across his face. The force behind him the slap was not even able to move him, but it did surprise him a little bit, along with everyone present in the room.

    He kept staring into her eyes, unfazed. This prompted her to slap him once again, but he didnt move, nor did his eyes. ¡°Oh.. A masochist dog.¡± She said while clapping her hands, ¡°I would love to make you my puppy,¡± She then snapped her fingers at him, and pointed at the trunks, ¡°Pick those up and bring them to the master bedroom. ALONE. That is your punishment for making me wait at the gate,¡±

    He then spoke, ¡°Mistress Mikaila had taken that madame. All of her things are already settled in there,¡±

    ¡°Then put her stuff in another room. This castle is mine. Along with you,¡± she said while pulling his cheeks. ¡°Chop chop,¡±

    He bowed and then went to work. When he got to Mikaila¡¯s room, he looked around to see no one. He entered her room and pulled out a 5-inch-long green tablet from his pocket. It basically looked like a smartphone, but instead of having various buttons, this thing could be used to make only a one-way connection. This was given to him by Kaisel, the night that they met.

    He sent some of his mana into the tablet, and it started vibrating. Soon, the vibration stopped and he heard a voice from the other side, ¡°Who is this?¡± the voice belonged to a woman, and she was not someone that he had met.

    ¡°My name is Drac, Master Kaisel gave me this.. Thing. To contact him when everything is ready,¡±

    ¡°So?¡± the woman asked, ¡°Is everything ready?¡±

    ¡°It is. But we have a problem milady. Mistress Mikaila¡¯s older sister Kaila had come to the castle. And I think that she might pose a problem,¡±

    The woman from the other side sighed, ¡°Great. That is just great.¡± She said, then asked, ¡°Can you just kill her?¡±

    ¡°I can milady. But Master Kaisel didnt want to gather any attention. Her disappearance might raise some eyebrows,¡±

    ¡°Fuck,¡± the woman said, ¡°Let me confer with Kaisel and get back to you,¡± Before he could say something else, the connection was dropped.

    What am I supposed to do till then, he thought.

    As he was given the order, he started following him. Luckily, there was a spare room just beside the master bedroom, in which he could quickly start shifting her things. As a druggie, Mikaila didnt have a lot of stuff in her room, just books, some plants, and clothes. While going through her stuff, he eventually came across mana stones, coins that he had never seen before. And it is after some digging, he was able to come across something he was very familiar with.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    Isn''t this the red crystal, that the woman snorts? He looked in the drawer, where he found it. There were several others, so he took the smallest one that he could find and pocketed it. He wanted to see what this crystal was made of and whether it was similar to the drugs on Earth.

    After he was done, he had to make several rounds downstairs in order to bring all the trunks and luggage of Mistress Kaila. While he was at it, he also arranged all of her stuff in the room. By the time he was done, the sun was about to set.

    When walking downstairs, he started feeling a chill in the air, similar to the night he met Kaisel. Thinking that he had come to meet him, he started looking around to see whether he could spot his master. Then he quickly realized that previously Kaisel met him in his room. He immediately ran to his room and pushed the door of his room open to find no one inside.

    Something is wrong, he thought. The temperature had gone down considerably since he came to his room, he was sure that Kaisel was surely here. But where was he, it was then his eyes widened with surprise. He looked at the corner of his room, the cane was still there.

    Fearing the worst, he ran toward the ballroom, to see that no one was there as well. Well, this is strange. Is temperature going down naturally?

    As he made his way to the front of the castle, he was greeted by one of the soldiers, ¡°Sire¡­ I was just looking for you,¡± he said.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It is Sir Harold. He had come just a few moments ago. Greg asked me to inform you,¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± He said, ¡°Where is Sir Harold?¡±

    ¡°He is having dinner with Mistress Mikaila,¡± Drac nodded and then made his way towards the dining table.

    As he entered the area, he saw that Harold and Kaila were sitting on the opposite side, with Samantha and Tilly standing on the other side of the table. He came to the table and bowed to Kaila, ¡°The master bedroom is ready for your service Mistress,¡±

    Kaila with a smirk said, ¡°Took you long enough dog,¡± she then looked at Harold, ¡°Dear sir, were you talking about this one? Is he the one that might have stolen from my family?¡±

    Harold also bloomed a smirk, ¡°Yes. This is the one. I am here to investigate this.. Dog,¡±

    Drac did not say anything about the accusation, with all the mana stones he had, it wouldn''t be farfetched to say that he was richer than the Sumor Family at the moment,  ¡°How can I serve mistress,¡±

    It was then that he felt, the tablet in his pocket had started vibrating. He didnt react to it, but Harold noticed it instantly, ¡°What is in your pocket?¡±

    Fuck!, With a cold face, he turned towards the man, ¡°Nothing sir, that you should be concerning yourself with,¡±

    Harold leaned forward, ¡°I didn''t like your tone dog. It seems you have forgotten that to whom you are talking to,¡±

    It was then he felt a liquid splashed on his face, he turned towards Kaila. That woman threw her wine glass at him, ¡°Is this the way that you talk to the guest of the Sumor Family? You fucking lowlife peasant,¡±

    Drac looked at her with an expressionless and cold face, but no anger in his eyes. This infuriated her even more. Before she could lash out even more, a change in the air startled him. He turned around and stared at the door of the dining room. Some seconds later, Harold also turned that way, making Kaila confused.

    It was then the door of the dining was thrown open, and a group of women walked in. The women were all seven feet or above, and all of them were albino. The woman leading them, her strength was closer to that of Kaisel, but she was around a step behind. That woman had long ears, which were riddled with earrings. She was wearing a white laced blouse with shorts.

    The other two women were twins it seems. One of them had a muscular body and had scars all over her abdomen and face, yet she looked beautiful nonetheless. Like her features, this woman was wearing a leather armor of some sort and leather pants. The sister on the other hand was quite the opposite, she had a delicate hourglass-like body, along with a revealing blouse, and what looked like panty made her look like a seductress.

    ¡°Who..¡± Kaila then screamed, ¡°THE FUCK ARE YOU PEOPLE! AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?¡±

    Harold didnt say anything, it seems that he had also realized the power of the people before him. The woman leading them raised her hand and flicked her fingers, Kaila was launched in the air, and thrown onto a wall, where she got stuck. He saw that she was struggling to say something, but her mouth was shut.

    This.. This is telekinesis, if I am not wrong, He had seen and read pop culture movies about this power back on Earth. I didnt sense any mana. Does it mean that telekinesis is something that does not use mana?

    The woman in the lead came to a stop before them, ¡°This place would do,¡± she said, ¡°Sara, Tara¡­ Set up the dome. I do not want anyone going in, nor anyone going out,¡±

    ¡°Ah.. I wanted to watch,¡± the delicate one of the sisters spoke.

    ¡°Go,¡± the woman said, and the two sisters scurried away.

    Harold then stepped forward, ¡°Milady.. I dont understand what is happening here. My.. My name is Harold. And this¡­.¡± Before he could complete his words, Harold was thrown in the air and made to stick on the wall, just like Kaila.

    He heard a scream and saw Samantha screaming and running away. Tilly, her daughter followed closely behind her and they both ran away from the place. Drac looked around and saw no one around, so he bowed to the woman, ¡°It is a pleasure to make acquaintance Mistress. My name is Drac, and I am at your service,¡±

    Kaila and Harold started mumbling something, but their mouth was shut. Ignoring them fully, the woman looked at him closely, ¡°I can see why Kaisel took an interest in you¡­ You, your aura.. It is a very peculiar for someone of your age,¡±

    He heard heavy footsteps from the hallway and soon saw two knights wearing bronze color armor. With their bright golden eyes visible from their helms, Drac started having a bad feeling about the knights. But more so, from the large crates that they were carrying on their back. The crates were moving very aggressively, there was something moving in those crates that desperately wanted to come out¡­

 Chapter-33: Massacre-3

    Ever since Drac came to this world,  he knew that he was different from the people of this world. He was very perceptive of mana, he was able to see its flow and could sense things that normally ordinary mana wielders can''t. But the thing was, he didnt know how this secret power of his worked.

    But whenever this power of his had warned him about something, every time its warning had turned out to be right. So when he saw the knights bringing in the moving crates, all the parts of his body started screaming at him. They were telling him that whatever the thing in the crate was, it was very very dangerous. Even more so than the knight and the woman before him.

    ¡°They should be hungry,¡± the woman said, ¡°Could you be a doll, and set the leader loose? It is chow time.¡±

    The knight on the right immediately got to work. It put the crate down and started unlatching the chains around the thing. ¡°You should probably get behind me if you dont want to die,¡± she said to him, and he didnt need to be told twice.

    The crate''s mouth was open, the crate stopped moving. Drac then saw razer sharp claws gripping the top of the crate, and the creature pulled itself out. With the face of the creature visible, the warning that his body was giving him intensified. And the thing was, he recognized the creature.

    He saw it when he fought with the inquisitors to defeat the albino woman. The creature from the crate was of white color. It had no face, eyes, or nose. It only had a mouth filled with needle-like teeth. But this one felt different from the one that he fought before.

    With a leap, the creature jumped out of the box, landing not too far away from them.

    What the¡­

    The creatures that he fought before, were humanoid in some sense. They were standing on two feet when he fought them, and they gave him a terrifying feeling when he fought them. But the same could not be said for the one before him. This one was standing on its four feet, and although it was the size of a small Corgi, this creature was giving him dangerous vibes.

    ¡°Get them now,¡± the woman said, and Kaila and Harold fell on the floor.

    The creature immediately pounced at Kailla first. With its huge mouth, he started chewing on her face. Her screams filled the whole dining room when he sensed someone coming in. He looked at the door to see soldiers armed to the boot, making their way. Before they could even step into the room, the knight who was not holding anything attacked.

    Swiftly the knight easily broke the backs and the legs of the soldiers. Some brave hearts tried to attack the knight, one even pierced a spear in the helm of the knight. But the knight did not falter, nor did the attack faze him. It swiftly broke the soldier¡¯s leg and came and stood by the side.

    Drac when looked back, saw that the creature had mangled Kaila¡¯s face and killed her, and was about to move on to Harold.

    ¡°Mistress,¡± he immediately said, ¡°Stop the creature. We need that man alive. Lord Kaisel would need that man,¡±

    The woman made a construct out of mana, and like a whip, and threw it towards the creature. The construct stopped the creature from attacking Harold, and then she turned towards him, ¡°Why would Kaisel need the man?¡±

    ¡°He is a spy,¡± he simply said.  ¡°For some reason, he and his men had been keeping an eye on me. I dont whether he works for the Sumor Family or some other party. But if he were to kill him now, not only we will never be able to find out who sent him,¡±

    Suddenly he felt an invisible force grabbing his neck and lifting him up, ¡°And why should that be Lord Kaisel¡¯s problem,¡±

    Gritting his teeth, he replied, ¡°He started keeping an eye after Mistress Mikaila¡¯s massacre. From him, we could know about what the party knows about us,¡±

    The woman didnt look convinced, yet she still spared him. He fell down on the ground, gasping for air. ¡°Fine. The man would live¡­ I tell you what, why dont you go and gather every servant in the castle? I need to speak to them,¡±

    He took leave, and scurried away from there¡­.

    They came here, as soon as they got to know that Kaila was here. I am sure they know something about this place. There is also a chance that they might not know anything, Drac groaned, just by thinking about it.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    There was so much that he wanted to learn about these people. And with the lab¡¯s surveillance, he has a chance as well. But the thing was, he couldnt just move to the lab and stay there.

    Wait, that could work, He thought and then sped away from the place.

    He first went to the kitchen, and as he figured, he found Samantha and Tilly shaking in the corner of the place. As soon as he came to them, Samatha asked, ¡°Drac, what is happening?¡± her voice was shaking, and Tilly had stopped crying.

    Acting as if he was scared as well, he said, ¡°I dont know,¡± he whispered, ¡°These people want everyone in the castle to get to the dining area. They are not here to kill but instead are here to occupy the place. They would need people to do chores, so we will be fine,¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Samantha asked.

    He let out a chuckle, and with a scared face, he shrugged, ¡°I dont know. But I just saw Kaila and Harold being butchered like a chicken. I am not going to ask those psychopaths about their intentions,¡±

    ¡°What should we do?¡± Tilly asked, he thought that it was the first time that he had heard her speak.

    ¡°Where is Jina?¡± he asked, ¡°We need someone to run away from the castle so that they could bring reinforcements. I will sneak Jina out.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Samantha said, ¡°Take her instead,¡±

    ¡°Mother, no!¡± Tilly looked appalled by the suggestion.

    ¡°I am afraid, you both have to stay. It is too dangerous of a task, to give you,¡± he said while looking into Samantha''s eyes. He didnt know whether the woman was horny for him, or was in love with him. But he figured sneaking the line might get her to change her mind. It is only Jina, that he trusted. Only Jina was needed for his plan.

    ¡°What should we do then?¡± she asked.

    He took a breath, and said, ¡°If they wanted to kill us all, they could have done so. We are the core servants of the castle, we would survive. Go to the dining room and wait. Do not look them in the eye, or do something that would infuriate them. I will go find Jina,¡±

    ¡°I saw her,¡± Tilly said, ¡°She was heading towards your room..¡± He nodded, and then made them go¡­

    Drac tried to pry open the door of his room but found it stuck. Seeing this, he bloomed a smile on his face. ¡°Jina! It''s me, hurry open the door,¡±

    There was silence for a few seconds, then he started hearing the wardrobe of his room move. Then the door was opened slightly, and a scared Jina peeked out, ¡°What is happening¡­.¡±  She asked in a rather scared tone.

    ¡°A lot of things,¡± he said, and then he pushed her aside and grabbed the cane from his room. The ring was already in his pockets.

    ¡°What are you doing Drac? What is happening? I heard screams and yells.. Is it back? The beast?¡± she asked.

    He didnt answer at first, because it took him a while to get into the character. And when he did, tears started flowing down his eyes, ¡°Jina¡­ There are a lot of things that I need to tell you.. Let''s go,¡±

    He dragged her behind him, telling him everything that transpired in the dining room. Along with that, he also added some tidbits of his own, ¡°¡­ These people, they are related to that bitch Mikaila. They had with a beast, similar to the night of the massacre,¡± this made her eye pop out with surprise.

    So he continued, ¡°I dont know what is going on with Mikaila, and those fuckers. But that bitch Mikaila seemed to have lost control of her fucking pet that night. She is the one responsible for all those deaths. She is the one responsible for¡­ Jamie,¡± he was trying his hardest to pop out more tears, but it was too hard.

    Jina was in shock after hearing about this. She was still grieving about her son, and now as this information was thrown at her, she didnt know how to behave. Eventually, he brought her to the entrance of the underground lab. He brought her down the stairs and opened the metal door inside.

    ¡°I will bring you food and water from time to time,¡± he said while pushing her in, ¡°You will be safe here. Do me a favor, there is room in the place which is full of pipes. Those pipes can help you listen to stuff going on inside the castle. Listen to everything. We need to know about their plans, and what they are trying to achieve here. Try to find everything about these people, while I will look for a safe way to sneak you out,¡±

    ¡°Drac¡­ I cannot¡­¡± she looked at the lab, ¡°I cannot do this¡­¡±

    ¡°You have to¡­ For Jamie, for me, and for everyone that is left alive tonight.¡± He said, ¡°Stay safe and do not touch anything in the lab. And stay away from the cube floating in the air,¡± he said, and then closed the metal door. He was still able to hear Jina¡¯s voice, but he didnt care.

    As if nothing as happened, he closed the entrance behind him and leisurely walked to the dining hall to meet his guests¡­

    ¡°You are late!¡± the delicate twin said, as soon as he entered the dining hall.

    He acted as if he was scared and then said, ¡°I¡­ wa.. I¡­¡± he cleared his throat, ¡°I was.. Making sure that no one was hiding in the corners of the castle,¡±

    The woman in the rag-tag group realized that he was acting, he could see it in her eyes. Maybe she valued him or something, because she didnt say anything at that moment.

    He joined the 5 people left alive in the castle, out of the original number of 38 occupants. Before them were the piles of dead bodies, one of them belonging to Greg, whose lifeless eyes for some reason were staring at him, as if accusing him of something¡­

 Chapter-34: Life of Imprisonment

    Life at the Sumor Castle changed forever ever since the night of the massacre. Out of thirty-eight, only five people survived, including Drac. The ones who survived were the ones who hid, instead of bravely facing the enemy. According to Drac, the act of facing off against an enemy that one can''t win against is stupidity, rather than bravery. But the rest of them didnt think so.

    Samantha¡¯s daughter Tilly speaks of that night as the worst night of her life and wishes a happy afterlife to the people who gave their lives for her safety. She does it every night before going to bed. And she is joined by the other soldiers who were left alive because they chose to hide instead of march to their deaths.

    The five of them have been sleeping in one big room, together as they are scared to sleep alone.

    He finds it amusing and wonders about how dumb a person in this world truly is. He could see clearly that the people who laid their lives that day, were stupid, but apparently, he was the only one that shared that sentiment.

    Since the night of the massacre, Yasmine, the leader of the group had clearly given them instructions of what their life would be like from that day onwards.

    ¡°This place, would become your prison from this day on,¡± she said,  ¡°You are not allowed to go out, or talk to someone from the outside. If you break the rule, your will will be awarded something that even death would be afraid of,¡± And she had been true to her words.

    This place had become their prison. From cleaning to watering the plants, they would do every and anything to keep the castle going. If they were called by any of the three women, they were supposed to go running to them at that instance. It doesn''t matter what they were doing, they would have to follow the orders of the people to the mark.

    The only plus side of the situation was, that they dont have to cook for these women, or the knights that they had brought with them. From what he had observed, these junkies are so lost in getting high on crystals, that they dont feel like drinking, eating, or pooping. This also made him figure out the reason, why Mikaila never used to drink or eat in front of them.

    As far as Jina was concerned, at the start she did not take this all too well. When he returned to the lab with some food and water, she cried in his arms for minutes. But later on, she ignited some resolve in her and decided to help him in keeping an eye on these people.

    Soon she got so acquainted with the underground lab, that she found a box similar to the tube room all around the lab. When she inserted the mana stone in them, she found out that this whole could be illuminated through them. The glowing rock when supplied with mana, produced light as intense as the bulb. So she was sorted for the time being and actively started keeping an eye on those women.

    As far as he was concerned, his place in the castle didnt change much. The women treated him better than the rest, as he not only kept everything in order but also helped them capture a very important man, Harold.

    As it turns out, Harold was a spy for the royal family. More specifically he worked for the crown prince, a guy named Hubert. And that the crown prince was the man who ordered to keep an eye on him. Why, he didnt know, nor did Harold.

    This part bamboozled him as well, as he had never met the crown prince, so he didnt know what that man was against him. But this did prove the fact that the royal family knows that something is wrong with this castle and its occupants. And that was not a good thing.

    The only great thing was that Mikaila, along with her sister-in-law and niece was in Capital City. With Gregor and Daniel being on the other side of the kingdom, the royals didnt know anything about them¡­

    That day started as any other, he woke up early. Ran across the castle. He had told everyone that this was his way of clearing his mind, and as everyone was losing their mind in the castle, no one questioned him as well. After he was done, he went to the kitchen and pocketed some bread. He had deliberately made his pockets bigger to accommodate huge chunks of bread that he could sneak into the lab.

    As usual, he went to the garden to water the plants. The whole process took a lot of time, due to the presence of a garden hose. No one batted an eye at the fact that he took a little bit longer in the ballroom, which was now converted into a greenhouse. He had hidden the cane here a long time ago, so when he came to the greenhouse, he straight away went downstairs, to have a chat with Jina.

    When he opened the metal door, he saw Jina waiting for him.

    ¡°We have a big problem,¡± she said immediately as he entered, ¡°And I might have a way to solve everything,¡±Stolen story; please report.

    Intrigued he asked, ¡°Tell me from the start,¡±

    They sat down, on chairs. Jina constantly shifted in her seat but still started narrating the turn of events of yesterday, ¡°So as usual, these women were hanging in their room. When Yasmine started talking to someone, I could hear a man¡¯s voice¡­¡±

    Probably Kaisel, he thought.

    ¡°.. This man was saying that preparations were done. And now they could move on to the next phase of the plan. He ordered the woman to prep everything for the next phase. I also heard, your name being thrown around.  It seems that they are going to use you,¡± she said, while still twitching on her seat from now and then.

    Giving access to the reconnaissance room to Jina was a two-edged sword. He knew that in one way or another, she might hear the women talking about him. And they might reveal his big secret, they might reveal that he had been serving them for a long time. But giving Jina access was a necessary thing. Because he knew that even if she knew, she wouldn''t be able to do anything to him.

    There was no way out of the place, except for the metal door. Even if she is able to contact the people from the castle, that won''t do her any good. It was not like the people in the castle would come and help her or something. She was trapped, in his cage.

    He gave her access because he wanted to know what these albinos beings were planning. He was sure that they were planning something crazy and big. But he didnt know what.

    So, he figured that if Jina knew the truth about him, she would surely tell him everything that these guys were planning to do to gain his trust.  And even if she doesn''t know his true face, then even she would tell him everything related to these guys because he asked for it. It was a win-win. Her lying to him was highly unlikely.

    He knew that there was no chance of foul play from the albinos because from what he understood about these people, they are not the ones that would kill someone from behind. They have the power, so if they want to kill him they would just do it.

    ¡°Do you know their plan?¡± He asked.

    She shook her head, ¡°Not exactly. I was not able to understand what they were talking about. From what I heard, they were talking about crystal yield and something about raising cattle. Didnt fully understand what they were saying,¡± She twitched in her seat once again.

    Crystal yield? So these junkies are planning to grow crystal?

    ¡°They were saying raising cattle for crystal yield?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yeah. I mean, what kind of creature gives out crystal? Am I right?¡± She said with a smile.

    Something is wrong. All these day, she had been miserable, yet she smiled. Today? Is she hiding something?

    ¡°What is the solution that you found?¡± he finally asked.

    ¡°Well,¡± she gulped hard, ¡°I remembered something great¡­ Greg, when came to the castle, he was very wary of you. And as we were old friends, he told me to be wary of you as well. And then Gregor came, and then Greg told me that the old lord gave him something.. I dont remember its name. It was a roll of paper that could send messages to Gregor, with mana. It is something that you mana wielders could use,¡± she said, twitching in her seat.

    Communication Scroll, He realized. He had although never used one before, but he read about them in one of the books that Mikaila gave him. The green ball of fire that Harold received was a product of the communication scroll. He didnt know that Greg had something like that.

    ¡°Well¡­ only way to find out,¡± he said.

    ¡°So, I thought that if these guys let you go outside, you can use the scroll to call for help,¡± she said, twitching in her seat yet once more.

    He nodded, while mentally noting her twitch. And it is then that he realized, She has been twitching constantly since we sat down. She is not twitching because of her excitement or fear.. Something is in her back that is making her uncomfortable¡­ She has a knife. He had given her a knife, before so that she could feel more secure.

    Her smile today, along with the knife.. Something had happened that had made her believe that she could run away. Probably why she is twitching so uncontrollably because she fears that I would stop her.

    Drac mentally cursed himself for making her stay in a place that he had not explored fully. But now things were done.

    What should I do now? He thought to himself. Now that the fungus had grown to such a length, he had to cut it down.

    He stood up, ¡°Good work,¡± he said. ¡°I will bring you food in the evening, and I will also look for the communication scroll,¡± he pushed himself up. And she stood up as well.

    Abruptly, he punched her straight in her guts, with his full strength. Breath forcefully escaped Jina¡¯s mouth and she went down on the floor, coughing and clutching her stomach. He then knelt down, and he saw that he was right. She did have a knife with her.

    Looking at the small chopping knife that he had given her, he cursed himself, I should have given her a big knife. At least that way, I wouldn''t be facing difficulty in chopping her up.

    ¡°Why?¡± she asked in a raspy voice, ¡°Why Drac? I believed in you,¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You did. And so did Martha, and billions of people on Earth. But see here is the thing,¡± he then knelt down beside her, ¡°You all forget, that in this cruel world, the things are never what they seem. You chose to believe that there could be good in people. Instead of being realistic, you chose to be naive. That is your fault,¡± he then put the knife on her neck, ¡°And for that¡­ you will have to pay the price,¡± Then he slit her throat.

    He waited there, watching her twitch and drown in her own blood. It is only after he was sure that she was dead, did he stood up. Dusted himself up, and went upstairs to water the remaining plants¡­

 Chapter-35: Get the Prince

    It had been 3 weeks since Drac killed Jina. He had chopped her body and had buried her in the garden itself. But even in her death, she had this control over his mind, as it was still trying to process the conversation with her.

    With her death, he now had no one he could rely on to supply him the information about the happenings of the castle. It was clear to him that she had come to know about his true intentions way earlier than he expected, so he was not sure whether she had ever lied to him about her findings.

    I also needed to look for the way from which Jina had planned to run away from here, But the thing was, he could not just vanish out in thin air for hours. Because it will take hours to go through the whole lab. For now, the only thing that he could do was bring the book up, whose language he understood. While most of the books down there were written in a language that he could not understand.

    As the butler of the castle, he had a lot of responsibilities and chores to take care of around the castle.  He could not just vanish, and explore what was down there.

    It was then he felt something vibrating in his pocket. He took the green tablet and poured some mana into it.

    ¡°Drac,¡± came a male voice from the other end.

    ¡°Lord Kaisel,¡± he said, ¡°How may I serve you lord?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever heard about Rose?¡±

    He was taken aback by the question, but didnt let his voice crack, ¡°No my lord. What is it?¡±

    ¡°It is a flower,¡± he said, ¡°And from what I know, it was the insignia of a house of the kingdom in the old days. I need to find any information about the flower that I could find. Where should I look?¡±

    He thought about it for a second, ¡°How old is this house? Because if it is not that old, we would be able to find something related to this house in the Sumor Archives,¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Kaisel said, ¡°Mikaila tried to look through the books. There was no mention of such a house in that place.¡±

    ¡°Well, if that is the case, then we would surely find something in the Royal Archives. From what I have heard the library in the royal mansion is pretty extensive,¡±

    ¡°Go and meet Yasmine,¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± he left watering the plants, and made his way toward the castle.

    He went to the master bedroom and saw that the knights that the women brought with them were not stationed out there. Which meant that Yasmine was not in there. Those knights are there to protect Yasmine from what he has, as they always follow wherever she goes.

    Let''s check with Tara, he thought and made his way towards Tara¡¯s bedroom. She was the second in charge whenever Yasmine was not around.

    He knocked softly on Tara¡¯s door when he heard a soft voice from inside, ¡°Come in,¡±

    Drac pushed the door open, only to find a very weird scene before his eyes. He saw Sara, Tara¡¯s twin sister inside. He saw that she was sitting fully naked on a chair, while her delicate were out in the open. Buford, one soldier left alive from the night was the massacre, was naked and rolling on the floor in front of her. And it seems he was rolling on some liquid, and was giggling like a maniac.

    While in Tara¡¯s bedroom was Hubert, another soldier who survived the massacre. He was also naked, while his little brother down there was fully erected, and he was thrusting up in the air, trying to have sex with what seemed air.

    What the hell is going on here, He thought looking at the bizarre scene before him.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Sara said seductively, ¡°Isn''t it the serious butler of this little castle,¡±

    He bowed to Sara, ¡°Mistress. I am looking for your sister or Mistress Yasmine. Do you know where I could find either of them,¡±

    ¡°Well, they are not here,¡± she said while stretching her ample breast. She had a sly smile on her face, she was doing this deliberately. She then stood before him, her breast just before his eyes, ¡°What can I do for you?¡± She then bent down and made eye contact with him, ¡°If you ask nicely, I might not deny your sincere request,¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    He had realized what she was getting at, but he was not a fool to who stick his dick anywhere, just for pleasure, ¡°Master Kaisel told me to talk to Mistress Yasmine about something,¡±

    She stood up straight, and with her delicate finger lifted his head, ¡°You know.. I can feel it. Your lust that you are trying to control.. Free it. Let it ride the air around you, let it flow in your veins. Only then would you truly be free,¡±

    Being free? Nonsense, he knew better than to listen to her.

    ¡°If that is the case,¡± he said, ¡°I will take a leave,¡± He bowed, making her smile.

    ¡°Such resistance¡­¡± she said seductively, ¡°I can only imagine what will happen when the dam of lust inside you breaks¡­¡±

    It was then he heard a vibration. He looked to his right, something was vibrating under the discarded clothes of Sara. She flicked her fingers, and the green tablet like the one that he had floated towards her. She poured some mana into it, and Kaisel''s voice resonated in the room, ¡°Work with Drac to make sure that Operation Silence goes smoothly.¡±

    He looked at her, and with an annoyed face, she snapped her finger and both the soldiers stopped whatever they were doing. As if waking from a dream, they looked around confused about what was happening. ¡°Clean the room before you run away,¡± she said while glancing at them,  ¡°If my sister finds any trace of your juices in this room, your heads will be put on a spike,¡± and she looked at him, ¡°There is a map of the whole kingdom in my room. Bring that in the master bedroom.¡± He nodded and went to fetch the map¡­

    On the long table before him, the large roll of the map. Sara who was not fully dressed was standing opposite to him.

    ¡°This the whole Alanor Kingdom,¡± she said. Then she pointed at the dots marked on the map, ¡°These dots are the communication Tower.¡±

    He had read about these towers. Around 600 hundreds of years ago, some mages came to the Alanor Kingdom to make these towers. From what he had read, these mages were strong and were kind of bullies. Neither the king nor the powers of the kingdom were strong at that moment so that they could go toe to toe with those Mages. In the end, the kingdom was left under the mercy of the Mages for about 50 years or so.

    The mage made these towers by using slave labor from the kingdom itself, and when they were done, they just left. It was only later it was realized that these towers were sort of like an experiment that the mages wanted to conduct.

    ¡°These towers are the way that the Royal Family can maintain contact with Hargrave Continent.¡± Sara said, ¡°But if we demolish the one controlling the tower, located here, in the royal palace¡± She pointed towards the capital of the kingdom, Alanor City, ¡°Then we would be able to start our grand plan for this place.¡±

    She sighed, ¡°We cannot attack the place straight on. The mages who built the tower made sure that someone only with a special token would be able to get close to the tower. We could break the barrier and get close, but then the tower would send a signal to the Hargrave Continent,¡±

    ¡°Who has the token?¡± he asked.

    ¡°We dont know. But if we had to guess, Queen or Crown Prince.¡±

    He nodded and then noticed the writing at the top of the map. He couldnt understand the language, but the words of the script seemed familiar to him. He then remembered this language was the one in which most of the books down in the lab were written. Not only that, the tracing that Travis showed him when they last met, was also written in the same language.

    ¡°Mistress, what language is that?¡± he said while pointing at the map.

    She slammed her palm on the table, ¡°Focus Drac. We need to come up with a plan here. Not learn new language,¡±

    He nodded, but still added, ¡°Well it seems familiar to me, that is why I asked. I apologize,¡±

    ¡°Where exactly did you see this?¡± she asked, taking his bait.

    ¡°Well, the Sumor Family supposably had this big secret vault or treasure.. Or something similar. Lord Gregor found a scripture written in similar language in that place¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, that doesn''t concern us¡­¡± she said, ¡°We need to find a way to get that tower destroyed,¡± He nodded, feeling a little dejected that she didnt take the bait.

    It didnt take him long to come with up the special plan, where Sara seduces the crown prince. But that was immediately scrapped by her, as she could not show herself in public. Especially not with her size. He suggested that they could use Mikaila, and it was then that she revealed that was their original plan. That is why, Mikaila wanted to throw a ball in her honor.

    She also mentioned something interesting, ¡°¡­ With the changes happening in her body, she had foiled our plan when she met the crown prince. And as you also behaved rather rudely in front of the Prince, Kaisel is not confident that Mikaila would be able to pull something off in the time that we have,¡±

    It was then did he remembered the royal knights that came to the castle that day. And Mikiala¡¯s talk with the man leading them, he understood immediately that the leader of the royal knights that day was the Prince.

    From what he understood, something had happened in the past few days, that had made them restless. They wanted to move their plan forward, as soon as possible. Why, she didnt tell. But seeing her acting so serious, he figured this was a very serious thing.

    In the end, he could only think of one single thing, ¡°Well, then.. I think we have only one way to get the Prince under our thumb,¡±

    ¡°And what might that be?¡±

    ¡°Milady, didnt mistress Yasmine say that the Prince had a special interest in me?¡± he asked, ¡°If he were to get a certain well-crafted message, about me and my evil doings.. Do you think that he might come and give me a visit?¡±

    His words made a very creepy smile bloom on Sara, and like that, a plan was formed¡­

 Chapter-36: Bait

    Tilly didnt know what was happening. At one moment she was sleeping in her room, when suddenly out of nowhere she was woken up when someone grabbed her from her bed. Before seeing or understanding what was happening, she found her head covered with black cloth. Her arms and legs were tied, and she was being dragged through the castle.

    She struggled, screamed, and yelled for help, but no one came to her aid. She didnt know where her assailant was taking her, she could just feel the cold floor of the castle rubbing against her legs and butts.

    She soon found herself tied to a pole of some sort. She constantly yelled for help but heard no answer.

    When she had been tied for some time, and was praying to Lord Itab for her and her mother¡¯s safety she started hearing yells.

    ¡°Let me go!¡± she heard the familiar voice of her mother, ¡°Let me go!¡±

    ¡°Mother!¡± she yelled, ¡°Mother!¡±

    ¡°Tilly!¡± her mother screamed, ¡°Where are you, my child?¡±

    ¡°Help me, mother, I can''t see¡­ They have tied me to a pole!¡±

    ¡°LET ME GO YOU BASTARD!¡± she heard her mother scream, and then her struggling. Her mother''s voice settled not too far away from her. And then she heard, ¡°Sweety¡­ I have been tied as well,¡±

    ¡°Can you see mother? Do you know where are we?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Dont know dear,¡± her mother confessed.

    Tears started streaming down Tilly''s face, ¡°What is going to happen to us, mother? Are we going to die,¡±

    ¡°Dont say that dear. Everything is going to be fine. I am sure¡­ Drac would help us. I am sure,¡±

    She didnt know whether she truly believed that the aloof and cold face butler of the house would be able to do anything to the demons that had occupied the castle. And hearing her mother¡¯s words, she was beyond irritated. She knew what the mother had been doing behind her back, she knew what had been going on between her and that the so-called savior of hers.

    And she didnt like it, at all.

    Tilly knew that her father was a selfish jerk, who didnt deserve her mother. And Drac would probably keep her happy. A part of her didnt trust the man, it was something about him that gave her the creeps¡­

    The situation only got worse from there. Soon they heard yells and screams from the other people left alive in the castle. They were all there, but for some reason, she didnt hear Drac¡¯s voice.

    Her tears had stopped, along with her yells, but she was still afraid. And not being able to see anything only made her more nervous.

    ¡°Remove their covers,¡± she heard a rather familiar voice, and the mask from her face was removed.

    Tilly saw that she was a the basement of the castle. The cold eerie place was now transformed into an even creepier place, with red torches hanging everywhere. She saw that she and the others were tied to four poles on a red circle, equidistant from each other. In the middle of the circle was the pentagram of the devil himself, with different glowing symbols etched all around the pentagram.

    ¡°M¡­ m¡­ ma.. Mother,¡± she whimpered and saw that her mother on the pole opposite to her was as scared and shocked as she was.

    ¡°Shall we begin master?¡± she heard a voice, she glanced back and was able to make up two figures behind her. One of them was the tall demoness, while the other one was the butler of the castle, she recognized him because of his uniform.

    ¡°Drac!¡± she heard her mother yell, ¡°What.. Is ha¡­ what are you doing?¡± she then started hyperventilating.

    ¡°I am going to sleep,¡± the traitor said, ¡°Make sure when killing them that you have gagged them. I dont want my sleep to be disturbed by noises¡­¡±

    ¡°DRAC!!¡± her mother yelled at the top of her lungs, ¡°WHERE ARE YOU GOING, YOU BASTARD. YOU STOP RIGHT THERE! YOU TRAITOR!¡± With the betrayal, her mother became mad. She started yelling profanities until the seductress came and gagged all their mouths.

    Tilly on the other hand didnt know what to do, she could only cry in silence. She knew that the man was shady, but never in a million years she would have ever thought that the man would betray all of them like that.

    ¡°AHHH!!!¡± she heard Bufert¡¯s muffled yell. She looked up to see the poor man floating in the air, while he yelled in pain. She then saw that man¡¯s limbs tilt in weird directions. A bone tore through his leg and the blood started pouring in the pentagram, while some of it was sprayed on her as well.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    Bufert¡¯s folded some more until he became what could only be recognized as the ball of flesh and bones. Even then the torture didnt stop, the demoness didnt stop playing with the ball until all the blood in the poor man¡¯s body was not squeezed out.

    ¡°HAIL SATAN!¡± the demoness yelled, and with her power, she threw what was left of Bufert aside.

    Then the bonds of Hubert were undone, and he started floating in the air. Realizing that the same faith would be coming for her and her mother, Tilly started struggling. She gave it all to undo the bonds. She had to try her best, in order to save her mother and save herself. With tears streaming down her face, she struggled, while staring lifeless body of Hubert squeezed out of blood¡­

    ***

    Eating corn, Drac stared at the unconscious body of Tilly. Then he looked at the balls of flesh, the remains of the residents of this castle. He nodded and turned to Sara, ¡°Looks good. Let''s move on,¡±

    Annoyed, she asked, ¡°I dont get it. Why the hell do we have to kill all the servants? I could have just filled wrong memories in her head, then that would have been it,¡±

    ¡°Details,¡± he simply said, ¡°Details matter Mistress. She would be able to relay the important parts to her father easily with this. False memories are unreliable and are bound to have holes in them. Now, we could let her know the truth about the quest, now could we?¡±

    ¡°But why her? We could have chosen any of the soldiers to be the bait, right? Then at least I would not have to babysit a weak flower like her,¡±

    ¡°She lost her mother, in front of her eyes. Saw her being brutally murdered¡­ Believe me, when I say this, she would surely be more effective than any of the soldiers. Because she now has motivation,¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say¡­¡± Sara said and then moved to Tilly''s body to add some false memories in her brain.

    Drac¡¯s plan to bait the prince out of the capital and palace was pretty straightforward. Just give him proof that someone there was something really wrong with the butler of the Sumor Castle. And he was doing heinous things there. If what he heard about the crown prince was right, then he was kind of a boy scout. And he would surely come running to hunt him down.

    The first hurdle that they faced to implement the plan was the source of the information. Someone had to go to the prince and deliver the message to him. And who better to do that, than Tilly? He first thought that he could send Samantha, but realized that her daughter might be a good option instead. One of the major roles in this plan would be played by Henry, the influential butler of the Sumor Manor in the capital. He had Henry treating Samantha as trash, but that man always had a soft side for her daughter. Which is why, it made sense to send Tilly.

    He staged everything in the basement. While burning a particular alchemic ingredient, one could create red fire. He also made the pentagram to add more details to the story.

    From Tilly¡¯s point of view, everything would be plain simple. All the people from the castle were offered to the Great Devil Satan by him. She would think that on his orders, Sara killed everyone brutally. And he was the one responsible for her mother¡¯s death as well.

    But she was being sacrificed, Sara was tackled by none other than Harold, the knight that the demon trio had taken as a prisoner.

    Harold was dead, but the residents didnt know that. Harold would then rescue her, and bravely took her away from the castle. She would drift in and out of consciousness, but in between she would hear Harold say that they need to inform the crown prince about this. More specifically she would hear, My master needs to know about this. The crown prince needs to know.

    Everything with Harold in it would be a falsified memory, but he made Sara add this particular information so that the crown prince could truly believe the credibility of the story. As far as Harold was concerned, during the running part, the weird dogs of these women would attack them. And Harold would order her to run, while he would bravely sacrifice himself to save her.

    And this way, they would send out the bait for the crown prince.

    He stared at Sara and noticed how she was waving her hand like she was conducting an orchestra. He could see very very fine strings of mana connected to Tilly''s brain, connected with Sara¡¯s hands.

    It is like she is rewiring the brain of the woman. He was very fascinated by this because from what he could see, clearly some people of this world had truly understood all the functions of the brain. In his previous world, most of the functions of different parts of the brain were undiscovered, as human experimentation was banned all around. But it seems this world doesn''t uphold such laws.

    I wonder whether the people in this world have figured out everything there is to know about the brain. Or they had just learned this trick to add false memories into someone.

    His pocket vibrated, so he left the room to let Sara work in peace.

    ¡°Master Kaisel, everything is done,¡± he said, as soon as he picked up the tablet.

    ¡°That is good to hear,¡± Kaiser said, ¡°You know, when I first heard about your plan, I was very intrigued. I wanted to understand how exactly a youngster like you could come up with such a plan. It is very devious, especially for someone so young,¡±

    ¡°I may be young master, but I have a lot of experience in such matters,¡±

    ¡°Well color me intrigued¡­¡± Kaisel said, ¡°By the way Drac, have you ever thought of working for me full-time? I would surely love a subordinate like under my wing,¡±

    ¡°Although your offer is very intriguing¡­ But I have my own battles to fight, and a world to see. Which is why, I had decided that this is going to be the last job¡­¡±

    ¡°People like you are hard to come by. If I had any weakness of you in my hands, I would have never let you go¡­ But as you have already made up your mind, I will not hold you back,¡± Kaisel said. Drac then felt the mana formation around his heart, break, ¡°You have already gotten the other reward that you ask for,¡±

    ¡°Yes, milord,¡±

    ¡°If you ever feel like coming to work me, come find the Ulaspas Family in Hograve Continent,¡± Kaisel said, and the connection was cut off¡­

 Chapter-37: Nosferatu Ulaspas-1

    Drac knew for a fact that if he kept hanging around the Sumor¡¯s or the Ulaspas¡¯s he would never be able to break through the boring mundane that he had been living. More specifically he would not be able to cultivate and live the life he wanted.

    He needed a way out, which is why he decided to ask for his freedom in exchange for Sara using his face to bait the Prince out of his castle. It was a very dangerous move, but he realized that the gamble would be worth it in the end.

    But he made sure to squeeze everything out of the Ulaspas in the deal. He made Sara make a knowledge orb of the unknown language that was on the map. And she did it for free when he told her his plan.

    By observing the trio, and with late Jina¡¯s help he had long realized that the trio desperately wanted to impress Kaisel. Whether they were doing this out of love or out of necessity, he didnt know. But he knew that he could use it. Yasmine, their leader didnt have to work a lot, but was strong and reliable when she worked. Even Tara had her uses, but most of the time Sara was the one that the other two talked shit about to Kaisel.

    And the poor Sara knew what exactly the other thought about her. But she didnt say anything to them to their face because she was a coward. And also because she was weak when compared to both of them.

    This is the reason that Sara liked and made the soldiers do crazy things in her sister''s room. It was kind of her way of getting revenge.

    His plan was simple, he made a plan in such a way that Sara would play a vital role in everything. And Kaisel also gave a green signal to the plan, Sara became very happy to get a chance to prove herself. And this is exactly what he wanted. With that, he just requested her for the knowledge orb, and she just gave it to him with a question¡­

    With his satchel bag around his shoulders, and the cane in his hands he made his way towards the ballroom. As he ventured into the lab, his nose was assaulted by a funky smell.

    Argh.. He groaned inwardly, I should have not killed Jina here. Now she is gone, yet her smell is still here.

    He had already brought all the rations of the castle here. Now he is going to live here. Now that he finally had some time, he straight away put his satchel and the cane aside and went straight to the cube that was floating on the other side of the room.

    I wonder why Jina never touched the thing. If I were in her shoes, I would have surely liked to see what the cube has to offer.

    Just like the first time, when he got close to the cube, he felt a pull from the cube. It felt like the cube was like a magnet, and his body was automatically being attracted by it. He stretched his hand grabbed the cube, and pulled it.

    He heard some sort of mechanism move, and the pedestal that the cube was floating on, revealed a secret compartment. He saw that there was a small stack of parchment papers in the compartment.

    Curious of its content, he put the cube aside and took the letter.

    It is a good thing that I absorbed the knowledge orb from Sara last night, He thought as the letter was written the same language as the map.

    ________________

    To whomever it may concern,

    I would like to congratulate you. You have found the inheritance. If someone is reading the letter, then I have of course failed in my attempts to make my subordinates lose track of mine. So if you are from Ulaspas family, Fuck you.

    In case you are not from the Ulaspas family, and you have broken into my inheritance without their help, bravo. You have truly outdone yourself because you have managed to penetrate through the magic of an 11th-circle mage. In case you didnt know, this room, along with the cube is my inheritance. This room contains all the magic that I ever learned in my life.

    The other pages contain my life story. How I came to be, and why I came to be. I dont pretend that I was a virtuous mage when I was alive. But I figure leaving behind a piece of my life doesn''t hurt.

    Nosferatu Ulaspas.Stolen story; please report.

    __________________

    Well, I would be dammed¡­ I didnt know this place was someone¡¯s life¡¯s work, Drac thought, he then put the page aside to read the life story of Nosferatu¡­

    ***

    I was born on Heartgrove Island, a simple and poor place that was ruled by various clans, who were always at war with each other.

    Amongst all the clans on the island, the one who was feared the most was the Ulaspas, the clan that doesn''t even leave behind the blood of their enemies. It was a clan that was famous for using the bodies of their enemies, to water their garden. Their clan symbol was a Blood Rose, a flower whose petals have the color of blood.

    And in such clan I was born. At that time, I went by the name of Jeremy Ula, the bastard son of the leader of the clan.

    The people bearing the Ula name were the servants of the Ulaspas, as these people share the blood of the main clan, they were allowed to stay in Rose Valley, but they were treated as servants, as their blood was not pure enough, they would never to able to wield any power of the clan, so they would slave away in service of the main clan for the rest of their life.

    From a young age, I served the Clan Leader¡¯s oldest son, Nosferatu. Under that role, I had many perks. I commanded power, I had women and even I had money. But giving a dog a golden bowl to eat in, doesn''t change its status. I was the dog on a leash for that son of a bitch. I wanted to run away from such a life. I have nothing tying me to the clan as even my mother was killed a very long time ago.

    But knew better than to act on my foolish ambition. Because if were to act, no clan in the world would take me under their roof. Especially when someone would come to know that I am a runaway from the Great Ulaspas Clan.

    I knew one day I would be able to break free because I had something that the rest of the clan weren''t aware of. I was a mana wielder. It took a lot of effort, but I was able to safeguard the secret even from my lover of the time. The only way I could break the restraint was by getting strong and breaking it by force. But the main family kept a very close eye on the servants. So I had to be discreet.

    My chance came when a ship from another continent came to Hearthgrove Island, they were lost and wanted to stock some supplies. Although the Ulaspas family didnt control the port, they still went to meet the outsiders, thinking they would be able to trade with them, and also to check the strength the outside world had.

    I also went with them to meet the strangers.

    The strongest of the crew was on par with the patriarch of the family at that time. And when Patriarch realized that the strongest of the crew, was actually not that strong in the real world, a new ambition was born in his mind. He decided then and there that his oldest would venture to the continent, learn their ways, become powerful, and then return to the family. And they would unite the entirety of the island under their umbrella.

    This was the God-sent blessing that I was looking for. That was my ticket to freedom. When we left the island, I killed the young master and escorts, and on that day, Jeremy took the mantle of Nosferatu Ulaspas, the eldest master of the Ulaspas clan¡­

    Years passed by and I tried my best to improve, and gather as much strength as I could. Soon I became a 4th circle Mage, but then I hit a bottleneck. I was not able to improve any further, but I craved more power. I had to climb higher, and it was then I was introduced to Dark Magic.

    It started as a curiosity, which soon turned into a full obsession.

    I determined that it was not my fault that I was not strong. It was my body¡¯s. And I was determined to change my body for the better. I started studying the art of body grafting, trying to find some way in which I could increase this body potential.

    While studying body grafting, I studied a lot of creatures found in the wild. One of them was the forest nymphs, a monstrous tree that lure its victims to its body, kills them by choking them, and then simply started sucking the blood out of its victims. When I delved deeper into the research, I realized that the forest nymph couldnt get the nutrients that it needs from the victim.

    For the forest nymph to have the energy it had, it needs a power source more potent than the blood. The nymph could steal or absorb mana from the victim because as soon as the victim is killed, the mana in their body disperses.

    I researched the creature for a long time, only to realize the creature was not simply nutrients out of the victims, it was sucking something else as well. There was a force that lies in every living being, and the creature sucking that force, very slowly, but it was the force that was giving the strength to Nymphs, and I coined the term ¡®Soul¡¯ which is made from words ¡®So¡¯ and ¡®ul¡¯ which means inner force in Hasy, my mother tongue.

    The world at that time didnt wasn''t familiar with that term, or the force that living beings, and I was the only one at that researching the subject. It was then I started using his research of the soul, to help him ascend to a higher level.

    Countless sacrifices, and countless blood spills later, I was able to ascend to 7 rings in my chest. I had an army of undead grafted creatures by my side, and I was the most dangerous mage in the world. I committed so many atrocities, that one could not fathom, but I was still dissatisfied, there were still some people out there, who were stronger them me. And that was just unacceptable to me.

    I hit a bottleneck again, and couldnt ascend any further. The world along with the blood mage family created was all out for me, everyone wanting either my magic or life. I didnt know what to do, so I decided to go to a place where no one would be able to find me. A place where I was born. A place, that I used to call home.

    Little did I know that my obsession at the time would change my faith in the island forever. I would bring a disaster to the island, by freezing everything on the island¡­

 Chapter-38: Nosferatu Ulaspas-2

    When I reached my home, I was greeted with a sight I never expected. In the hundreds of years I have been away, the Ulaspas family has been wiped out of existence. The great Rose Valley, which was the garden of our family, where beautiful blood-red flowers used to bloom was nowhere to be found. Now the place was filled with common shrubbery and nothing else.

    The manor was still there, but the glory of the family was left in ruins. Due to my unmatched strength, I was able to unite the whole island with ease. I didnt even need an army to take control, my strength was alone enough for the conquest. It was only after I took control, that I started conducting my experiments again.

    I figure that I should do a research on the Roses as well. It was clear that the plants were special as they were gathering energy from the blood. And for that, I needed a living plant. After a lot of looking around, I didnt find any plant.

    Dejected I started continued my other work.

    But coincidently some of the natives attacked the manor, they were foolish enough that they thought that they would be able to defeat me with numbers. It was safe to say, that I bathed the Rose Valley with their blood.

    The surprising part came after a few days when I saw a Rose growing in the parts where the blood of my enemies was spilled¡­

    With such a sight, I spent the upcoming days finding the source of the plants. I wanted to know how these plants were growing on the land. Upon some experimentation, I realized that the Valley itself was producing the Rose. The soil of the valley can''t grow freely, which is why in the rule of the Ulaspas family, Roses were only grown in the valley, and not in the pots.

    My queries took me deeper into the valley, and it was there I found the greatest discovery of my life. The Paras Stone.

    It was a red crystal, embedded deep into the valley. It was such a powerful thing, even my soul could feel the pull from the stone. I had to store the thing in a special containment unit, a cube, in order to make sure that its power remains contained.

    With the crystal gone, the Roses in the valley also withered away¡­

    Upon research, I was able to contain the soul of a being in a container. I researched the soul extensively and realized that the soul was a great source of power, even greater than mana itself. But for an intelligent being, absorbing soul was a difficult task, but I was hell-bent on seeing it through.

    After a lot of failed attempts, I was able to create a being that could absorb the souls. I name these creatures Vampas. These were magnificent beasts, who would attack any being with blood flowing through their veins. These creatures would absorb the soul and store it in a red orb-like crystal that they would form in their bodies. And these orbs were the things that a normal mana wielder could absorb.

    I named the by-products of these creatures as Blood Orbs. The energy stored in these orbs was highly potent, and hence highly addictive. To research more about these orbs, I returned to the Hograve Continent. It is there, after cleansing some of the filth from the continent, that I gave my new disciples these powers. And saw the ill effects of the orbs. And realized how dangerous the power that I had developed truly is.

    This power had the turn the whole world into a block of ice. And one of the examples was when my home was covered via ice. I realized that I dont want to leave such a legacy behind. Which is why I changed my name, and buried all this here, so that no one would be able to find it.

    But a part of me wanted to leave something behind. So I left two keys to this place behind, in the hope that the person who unites these keys would not make the same mistake as me.

    ***

    Drac looked at the letter with contempt. Clearly, this guy doesn''t have any idea what writing a backstory entails.

    The letter did help him understand and made some holes in his knowledge about the Ulaspas family, but at the same time, it also left a lot of unanswered questions behind.

    He turned towards the vast array of books and lab equipment before him. It is a good thing that all the answers that I am looking for are just before me. I just need to start looking for them.

    For now, as he has some idea about the box¡¯s content he puts the cube aside and focuses on what this place has to offer. With the knowledge orb that he had absorbed, he could understand what is written in most of the books here. Along with the books of Mikaila, now he has a proper understanding of what the world of mana wielders is all about.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    In this Mana Wielders are divided into three categories, Warrior, Mages, and Warlocks. Warriors are the most common kind of mana wielder, then came the mages, and then were the Warlocks.

    Warriors are beings who dont have mana hearts, like him, and they tend to create circles around their mana core, which the outside world refers to as Dantian. The Dantian is formed naturally in the Warriors when they start practicing wielding mana. The amount of mana that Warrior could wield at any stage is comparably much less than their Mage and Warlock counterparts.

    Mages are mana-wielders with two hearts in their body. One heart is a normal blood-pumping organ, but the heart is purely made to store and pump mana through the body. Because of a physical Mana carrying organ in their body, Mages tend to have a lot of mana when compared to Warriors, but less than Warlocks. And no dantian forms in the bodies of a mages.

    And then there are the Warlocks. These are the people who not only possess mana hearts but also possess Dantian at the same time. And they have a lot of mana stored in their body.

    It is difficult to say which category of the mana wielder is considered the best, as every single one of them has its own unique weaknesses. Warriors possess low mana, but high physical strength. Mages although possess a lot of mana, the mana inside of them does nourish their physical body to the extent a Dantian does. So they are very weak, physically. As far as the Warlock are concerned, their weakness is that they have too much mana. They can''t really control all the mana with precision like a mage or a warrior. Also, sometimes in the case when their mana goes rampant, it could cause a lot of damage to their body.

    And then there are different types of Mana Arts in this world. One of them is Runic Arts, which is used in his satchel bag, as well as in the mana box that he got from his family¡¯s house. There is alchemy, where the user uses the natural plants and substances of nature to create powerful potions and pills. There are some Mana fighting arts as well, but he has yet to read a book that could tell him what would curtail.

    Currently, what Drac was most interested in was the Runic Arts. He has no idea of what the Runic Arts could do, or how they are practiced. But some alchemic books talked about special kinds of Runic pieces of equipment that could boil or cool a liquid and other modern appliances stuff. From this application, he realized that with Runic Arts mana wielders of this world were able to make a lot of modern world appliances. So he was rather curious about how these things worked¡­

    ***

    2 months later.

    Drac stared at the blue liquid before him. He had brewed a batch of mana-replenishing potion for the journey ahead, and he was just admiring his work. He had brewed other potions as well while he was here, but they had been all packed and safely stored in his satchel bag. He then stared at the book before him, it was the thing that had made him decide that he needed to get off the fucking island.

    The book was called Vampa¡¯s Inner Circutory. He started reading the book a week ago, just out of curiosity. It is then that he came across information of those beings that he didnt know. And Nosferatu didnt mention the detail in his last letter as well.

    Apparently, Vampas were the dog-like creatures that the albino women brought to the castle. The first humanoid white creatures that he met were also Vampas, but they were considerably smaller and weaker versions of the original things. He never really understood how the creatures that he destroyed with his strength were the backups of that albino woman. Now he understands. Those creatures were meant to feed on the innocent people of the village, and then explode and provide the albino woman with their energy crystal.

    Basically those creatures were that woman¡¯s own private energy generators.

    Original creatures are far worse. They were the reason that the temperature drops were in this area. He knew that these creatures were responsible for the Ice Era, but never understood how. And now he knows.

    The more Vampas consumes, the more temperature drops in the neighboring area. And considering how chilly it has been getting for the past few days, it was really concerning.

    At the same time, these erratic creatures are hard to handle, and not only that, they could become absurdly strong as well. With enough souls, these creatures could become stronger than Kaisel as well.

    About a thousand years ago, a Vampas ran away from Nosferatu¡¯s grasp. And that fucker got bigger and stronger, so much so that it was able to go toe to toe with an 11th-circle Mage. In the world of mana wielders, the strongest any mana wielder could get is till the 13th circle.

    He personally oversaw the divas of Ulaspas, and they were incompetent fools. The moment he learned about their power, he knew that those women were bound to fuck up and let some of those Vampas loose. And he didnt want to live to see that. Hence he decided that it would be wiser for him to leave the island for now. And return later, if he had to.

    And considering that he had gotten his second circle as well, he was the most powerful he had ever been¡­

    Before leaving, he stared at the lab once again, nodded, and made his way up for, the first time in months. When he got out, a very cold breeze blasted him in his face sending chills down his spine. He saw the garden and the repairs that he had done painstakingly was gone. This had happened when the Royal Guards came to arrest him. He listened to everything happening outside through his reconnaissance room that day.

    And based on Sara¡¯s celebratory victory laugh he figured that she must have caught the Crown Prince.

    Alright Drac.. You are a wanted man now. Keep your head down, find the information that you need, and act fast. He thought, and started walking through the ruins where the Sumor Castle once stood. And started making his way toward the Capital of the Kingdom¡­

 Chapter-39: News

    When Drac started his journey, he made sure that he had covered himself under robes and covered his face as well. He didnt want to be seen outside in public, in the case he had gotten famous in the kingdom.

    He thought that he might stick out as a sour thumb in crowded place considering his getup. He was proven wrong on the second day of the journey when he got to King¡¯s Road, a long stone-paved road that goes from the capital to the Northern Port.

    On the King¡¯s road, he came across a group of travelers, that were wearing more or less the same clothes as him. The winter had not been easy for normal humans.

    The sheer number of people that he saw in that group made him realize that there was something wrong with Alanor Kingdom. This group was not a traveling merchant group, but from the looks of it, the group belonged to some normal villagers.

    Although he was curious about who and what these people were, he didnt dare to interact with anyone. He just joined their caravan and stayed in the end.

    By the time the sun went down, the caravan also rolled out their straw mats by the side of the road. With the first light of the campfire, the whole atmosphere of the caravan changed. People who were silent as crouching tigers started talking to each other like they had known each other for ages.

    A group of old men and women created a circle around the campfire, and started discussing the matters of the kingdom¡­

    ¡°This kingdom has been abandoned by Lord Itab,¡± one of the old men said, ¡°Which is why the cold gates of hell have opened here,¡± Everyone nodded at the statement as if it was a fact.

    ¡°I tell you this, if it were to me.. I would burn the bitch of a queen. She didnt deserve the throne, I heard that his husband was the one that deserved it.¡± An old woman added.

    ¡°What does the queen have to do with the cold?¡± someone asked.

    ¡°Well queen is cursed, that is why,¡± the old woman said, ¡°Her curse first killed her husband. And then it also swallowed his only son. Such a woman should not be allowed to rule, hell she should not be allowed to live among people. If it were up to me, I would have banished her in forests,¡±

    Swallowed Crown Prince, that means Sara has been successful in her quest. According to their plan, Sara would take control of Crown Prince, and make that man destroy the central Communication Tower.

    Drac listened to the old people rambling more, as he wanted to know whether these people were aware of any magical beast attacks taking place. And sure enough, the topic was soon touched¡­

    ¡°I heard those creatures mauled their victim like minced meat.¡± Someone said as they were talking about the frequent attacks of the beasts that had been taking place.

    ¡°But what are these beasts? Some sort of bear or something?¡± someone asked.

    ¡°Dont know. But my sister¡¯s son, who is the squire of a knight told me in private.. These creatures might be magical beasts,¡± the old woman whispered.

    The old people nodded their heads, but the young ones looked confused, ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    The old man woman looked at the young one with disdain, ¡°Look at this ingred. Never listened to Lord Itab¡¯s scriptures have we? Grown-up, is built like a horse, and still haven''t learned the ways of the world,¡±

    The young one put his head down with shame, but then another old woman who was not as fierce as the first one added, ¡°People who could wield the power of mana wielders, are gifted those powers by Lord Itab. Sometimes, Lord Itab seems it deems it necessary to provide the power to common beasts as well, which are then called magical beasts.¡±

    ¡°Why do Lord Itab do that?¡± one of the young ones asked.

    ¡°Well, it is said that when the population of sinners rises in an area, he must cleanse that area. So Lord Itab gives the power of annihilation to a beast.¡±

    Religious mumbo-jumbo aside the old people then talked about the places that had been hit. And that information did make Drac worry a little bit. From what these guys know, around 10-11 villages had been hit by the monster. Which was troubling as to hit that many villages, the Ulaspas would need a lot of Vampas. And considering the cold, he was worried that those dumb-dumbs might as well bring the end to the world.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    But I wonder, how the hell did these guys get their hands on the original Vampas in the first place?

    From what he read in the books, Nosferatu soon after the Ice Era understood that it would be disastrous for the world to have Vampas live among them. So he made an inferior version, the ones that the first albino woman used. But when Yasmine and the other demons arrived in the Sumor Castle, they had original Vampas. But how did they get it?

    ¡°And what do you reckon the man from the posters did? All the soldiers that we have come across are eagerly looking for the fellow,¡± one of the young ones asked.

    The conversation got his attention. One of the old women exclaimed excitedly, ¡°Oh I know..¡± She said with enthusiasm, ¡°My boy who is in the royal army said that this man knocked up the queen,¡±

    ¡°He knocked up the queen?¡± one of the old men asked, ¡°Someone named Ado knocked up the queen?¡± the old man asked in a rather surprised tone.

    It didnt take Drac long to realize about whom they were talking about. So Daniel had opened his mouth about me. He was the only one who knew about my past, and I guess Gregor did as well. But his main focus was on the fact that there were wanted posters of him being circulated. And from what it seems, everyone was out to get him.

    Well, this changes things. He had planned to first visit the capital, and get information of what was happening outside. While he was at it, try to find a way out of the island as well. But if he were to believe these people, then it would be very hard to even approach the capital¡¯s gate.

    Well, this is a normal setback. I can still figure something out. He thought.

    He knew that this kingdom had three ports, situated in three corners of the island. To get out of the kingdom, he needed access to a ship that would leave for the Hograve Continent. What he didnt know was, where would this ship would come. He was hoping to find the information in the capital.

    That night he thought about it long and hard, and realized that he needed the information no matter what¡­

    The next morning when he got up, the caravan was also packing their things. He stood up and waited for everyone, and then started moving again with the caravan. He didnt want to travel alone, thinking that would surely gather some attention. He figured that he should blend in.

    He befriended some of the old ones by offering them a small bottle of mead that he had. The old one asked him his name, and he introduced himself as Jeff. And he headed towards his hometown to see his parents. His friendly demeanor won their heart, and he was sure that they were not suspicious of him, not in the least. The good thing was, none of them even tried to make him uncover his face.

    If someone had even done it, none of them would have made him out of the posters. He had a long beard because of staying in the underground bunker. And if he were to guess, then the Sumors would have surely made a poster of him when he was in his clean shave, as the butler of the family¡­

    When the sun was upon them, everyone was in great spirits as the sun brought with it the gift of warmth. It is when they come across a carriage. On the side of the road was a carriage, whose wheel axle was broken. He noticed that there were these 5-6 soldiers with the carriage, wearing steel armor lurching around the carriage.

    As he was walking the center front with the old men, he saw that the soldiers were twitchy when they saw them approaching. As they approached, he saw that everyone had their hands on hilts.

    Is someone important in the carriage? He could sense that there were two people inside, as both of them possessed mana.

    ¡°Do you need any help my friend?¡± one of the old men broke from the caravan and asked.

    ¡°Keep moving old man,¡± the soldier scowled.

    ¡°Wait,¡± the leader of the soldiers jogged to them, ¡°I apologize on behalf of my colleague. Yes, I can need your help.. Do you know anyone who could fix this wheel for us?¡±

    ¡°Well there is a village about 5 li that way,¡± someone said, ¡°You would be able to find a replacement there,¡±

    It is then Drac saw, through the glass windows of the carriage, something was moving inside. The curtains of the carriage were drawn from inside. But something was moving the corners of the curtains, and he realized that it was someone¡¯s foot.

    It was then someone banged on the wooden door of the carriage from inside, the soldiers looked spooked hearing this. The leader of the soldiers looked uncomfortable, and said, ¡°Well, young mistress inside kicks when she is asleep,¡±

    Sensing something was wrong, one of the old men urged everyone, ¡°Well all the best for your endeavors. Let''s move on everybody,¡± And everyone started following suit.

    The people from the caravan were all poor folk, who were going to capital in order to earn some money. Most of them were peasants whose crops were destroyed due to cold. They were in no condition to get in between something that could cost them or their loved ones their lives.

    Everyone started following moving again, but with Drac¡¯s heard the leader curse under his breath, ¡°That bitch, wait till we reach Hograve¡­¡±

    He didnt stop moving, as to not show any reaction. But he had heard it loud and clear, and now he was truly curious about who was in the carriage¡­

 Chapter-40: The Last Descendant-1

    Drac knew exactly what he had to do. Slowly he started making his way to the back of the caravan, and soon he went out to pee in the trees. No one batted an eye, nor did anyone care. With ease, he was able to slip away and so he started making his way back, towards the carriage.

    Running after such a long was refreshing, but his mind was occupied by the carriage. He knew what he had to do, if those guys really knew about a way to the Hograve Continent, then he needed to know. Seeing that the leader was mumbling about killing the girls after he had reached the continent, meant the people inside the carriage were sort of key to get to the island.

    And he was sure that his persuasion power would be enough for them to hand over the carriage and the kidnapped woman as well¡­

    As he got to the carriage, he started to hear muffled screaming. He slowed down and took out his sabers from his satchel. Although he had yet to learn how to properly wield them, he could still get the best out of the soldiers with his speed alone.

    He sneaked closer to the carriage, hiding himself in the dense forest around him. Before attacking he wanted to listen to the conversation that those people were having.

    ¡°YOU BITCH!¡± he recognize the leader of the soldier¡¯s voice, ¡°You almost got us caught. I would fucking skin you alive, or better let my men have their way with you. But I will let you out with a warning,¡±

    Then he heard whimperings, both the hostages were terrified of something, ¡°You and your daughter are not getting any food for the night. Starve! And then maybe you learn how to follow orders,¡± the man said, and then he jumped out of the carriage.

    One of the soldiers approached the man, ¡°Boss, what are we going to do? We have to get this carriage to the nearest blacksmith. Only then would we be able to get this thing fixed,¡±

    The leader sighed, ¡°I know.. I tell you what, we would to split up. Someone would stay here, with both of them. While the others would take this carriage to the village. We would regroup here, in two days,¡±

    ¡°Who should we leave behind?¡± the soldier asked. ¡°Those bitches and these dogs¡­ That simply won''t do. We cannot trust these criminals,¡±

    Criminals? Drac then went back to his memory and started thinking about the faces of the soldiers that he saw. He couldnt tell that those guys were criminals, as they were all well-groomed, and looked like proper soldiers. But the fact that one of the soldiers just straight away cursed at the old man in the caravan now did seem suspicious to him.

    ¡°We have to do something and fast..¡± the leader said, ¡°If someone realizes that these bitches had been kidnapped, they would surely have someone look for them,¡±

    ¡°Would they?¡± the soldier asked. ¡°Even with the state of the capital? I dont think anyone would come looking for them,¡±

    ¡°Their name holds power, my friend. They are the descendants of a Marquis. I am sure that some fucker out there would surely notice their absence,¡±

    Now that is interesting. We have two last descendants of Marquis before us¡­ Does that mean that Kaisel and his gang have some hands in this? He thought.

    He realized what he needed to do. Immediately he pushed himself up and took out his sabers from his waist¡¯s sheath.

    He started walking up to the soldiers, out in the open. When someone saw him, coming towards them with his weapon out, they called out for others. But that was the last thing that they did, he immediately lunged toward the man and cleaved his head clean.

    Has my power increased by that much? He was surprised by how little force he had to apply in order to kill a man. Better yet, his speed had increased significantly as well. The others started making their way towards him, but he only greeted them with a cold face. These guys were not worth his time.

    It took him merely a minute or so, to kill about 6 grown-up men. He was surprised by how much power he was able to exert. The problem came when amidst his frenzy he forgot that he needed the leader of the group alive. He might have killed the man easily, but by doing so he lost the opportunity to get the information as well. Now, his only source of information was the women inside..If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    When he opened the carriage door, he saw that there were no seats in the luxurious carriage. In place of seats were the bags of supplies.

    It seems that these guys were planning to go on a very long trip, he thought as he mentally counted the supplies.

    Then he looked at the hostages, lying in their underwear were two women. The younger one looked as if she were in her teens, she had short black hair with light brown eyes. The other woman looked like she was in her late twenties, and had ocean-blue eyes, fair skin, and hair up to her shoulders.

    They both looked at him with fear, before he could as them anything, he heard the sound of murmurs. He closed the door of the carriage and went to the door. He saw that there was a group of people making their way towards him. He looked back at the bodies that were littered around the carriage, and then at the people approaching.

    ¡°Fuck me,¡± he mumbled and then acted fast. He started hauling the bodies one by one and started dumping them inside the carriage. The women screamed as he threw the first body on them, but the gags in their mouths managed to dampen their screams. By the time he had shoved all the bodies inside, he was hardly able to listen to muffled sounds. So there was no way that the people from the caravan would be able to.

    Those people asked him when he needed their help, but he politely declined and they went their own way.

    I need to get them to a quiet place, I cannot risk being here. Also, the blood from the bodies was littered outside. With a chance that someone might have spotted the blood, he needed to get out of there, fast.

    He looked down the carriage to see that the axle of the carriage was broken. Luckily, he had something in his satchel that could help.

    The device he used was kind of like a blowtorch, but if used correctly, he surely could join the pipes together. His plan worked, but he understood that this was just a temporary thing. This axel would not be able to sustain the strain for long.

    Immediately he got to work, attached the horses to the carriage, and started driving it¡­

    After an hour of ride, he finally stopped the thing near a creak, away from the King¡¯s Road. There was a swamp nearby as well, where he would be able to dump the bodies. He opened the carriage and started taking out the bodies. The women, who were now covered in blood and grim, looked at him with fear.

    He got into the carriage with a knife in his hands, ¡°Now. I will ask a question. And you will tell me the truth. Lie, and you would realize how lucky were you when those guys had you under their custody. Do you understand?¡± the old woman nodded.

    He removed her gag, making her cough, ¡°Your name,¡±

    ¡°Victoria,¡±

    ¡°Full name,¡±

    ¡°Victoria Hammel Jonia,¡± she said, he realized that Jonia was the family name of a Marquis family.

    ¡°Why did these guys abduct you?¡±

    ¡°We hired them so that we could return to our Family House. But in the end, they abducted us so that they could get money out of us,¡±

    This made him slap her across her face, and then he put the knife on her neck, ¡°Try that again. This time, tell me the truth.¡±

    She hesitated and then said, ¡°They wanted a way to Hograve Continent. And we could get them to the continent,¡±

    ¡°How exactly did you manage to achieve that?¡± he asked.

    She hesitated again, so he pressed the knife a little bit, making some blood trickle down her neck. Feeling the cut she said, ¡°My daughter¡­ A friend of Marquis wanted to take her under his apprenticeship. That man is an Alchemist from the continent. He would be coming to our family house to pick her up,¡±

    He turned towards the daughter and looked at her from top to bottom, wondering whether the woman was lying or not. Hograve Continent is said to be very far from Alanor Kingdom, so he was having a hard time understanding, why someone would send a ship for a girl who was still wet behind her ears.

    This time he removed the gag from the daughter¡¯s mouth and asked, ¡°What is the difference between Yellow Butterscotch, and Yellow Livintail?¡±

    The woman looked at him as a deer caught in front of a headlight. He waited, but she didnt speak, making him realize that he had been lied to, ¡°You bitch. You dare to lie to me?¡± he said.

    With his free hands, he grabbed the neck of the older woman. With his grip, he started choking her, ¡°Didnt I say that if you lie to me, then I will fucking kill you. Did you take me for someone who jokes around,¡±

    ¡°No no no no..¡± The daughter exclaimed, ¡°The difference is that one produces white Silky Oakmilk, while the other produces Green SilkyOak milk,¡± he stopped choking her.

    He let the mother breathe, and then turned to the daughter, ¡°Hmm¡­¡± he mumbled, ¡°That is correct,¡±

    He then stared at both of them suspiciously, and then said, ¡°Alright. Here is the deal for now.¡± He said. ¡°I will take both of you to your family castle. In return, I need a passage to the Hograve Continent. I will protect you with anything that comes our way, and in my payment, I just need a safe passage.¡±

    Both the women looked at each other, unsure of what to say, ¡°Do we have a deal?¡± They didnt say anything, for a second, but then the daughter asked. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I go by the name of Drac,¡± he then removed his mask, and showed them his face, ¡°But you better know me Adui Hampshire¡­¡±

 Chapter-41: The Last Descendant-2

    With the night upon them, Drac created a campfire. The two ladies beside him joined him, now they were fully clothed and were in a better mood as they were not covered in blood and grime anymore. It was safe to say that they had recognized him, evident from the wariness that they were showing. They were maintaining between them, by sitting on the other side of the fire, far away from him.

    ¡°You know I dont bite,¡± he said. To not complicate things more, he needed to get both of them on his side.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Victoria said, ¡°Will there be a problem if me and my daughter sit here?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he said dejectedly. Abruptly he clapped his hands, and turned towards them, ¡°Little girl¡­ Do you know Hasy by any chance? It is an old language.¡±

    The girl who sat close to her mother nodded, ¡°Yes I do know it. What of it?¡±

    He formed a smile on his face, ¡°If that is the case, then you will understand that I am not a monster as the people of the capital are painting me to be,¡± He then opened his satchel, didnt even try to hide the fact that his bag a spatial artifact. He took the book about Vampas, and came to them with it, ¡°Read this. I think¡­ with this, you will understand what is happening in the kingdom. The reason why it is so cold out here,¡±

    They looked confused, the daughter on the other hand looked reluctant at first, but still she took the book from him, ¡°Careful with it. It is a very very old thing,¡± Then he came to sit down back in his seat.

    ¡°How will this book prove your innocence?¡± Victoria asked.

    He asked her, ¡°What kind of rumors are circulating in the capital about me?¡±

    Victoria looked at her daughter who was busy going through the book. She then stared into his eyes and spoke, ¡°They say that you had a hand in killing the Crown Prince. You are a Devil Worshipper, a mana wielder with an unfathomable amount of power. And you are here to destroy the kingdom, as we know it,¡±

    ¡°That is not true,¡± he said.

    ¡°How can we know for sure?¡± She asked.

    ¡°Well, because if it were true, firstly I would not be before you guys. If I am so powerful, do you think I would be making a deal with you to get off this island,¡±

    ¡°You are running away, Isn''t that proof enough?¡±

    He scoffed, ¡°Of course I running away. If you knew what exactly is happening in the kingdom, you would as well,¡±

    ¡°What exactly is happening?¡± He sighed and started telling her the tale of the past two years. He hid some facts, mixed some lies, and then told the rest of the truth. When he was done, Victoria didnt say anything. Her eyes did the talking though, she was trying to discern whether he was telling the truth or not.

    ¡°I should believe everything that you said?¡±

    He then leaned forward and said, ¡°Listen to what you are saying. Do I look like a powerful mana wielder to you? Hell, I have not even met the Crown Prince in my life, but I do know for a fact that he was a very strong man. Do I look like someone who could best him in combat?¡±

    His words made Victoria''s resolve falter, a seed of doubt was sowed in her mind. ¡°That book there was the thing that the real Dark Mages were using for their nefarious plans. I read it and realized that the real plans of these dark mages are way more evil than I imagined. Which is why I came out of the hiding place so that I could get out of this island as soon as I can,¡±

    Victoria didnt say anything, she was still confused, ¡°You will believe me eventually when your daughter reads the whole book. Till that time, we have a deal. You need to get off this hunk of rock, and so do I. Till then, we are stuck with each other. I will protect you and your daughter till our deal is fulfilled,¡±

    ¡°You assumed that we need your help, but believe me when I say this.. We can take care of ourselves. Those criminals were only able to make us hostages because they drugged us. That is it,¡±

    He chuckled, ¡°I believe when you say that you dont need my help. From what I could sense, surely you both have your 1st circle stabilized and running. Your daughter on the other hand is close to completing her second circle. Only a handful of people will be able to hurt you,¡±

    ¡°So why will we need you?¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Vampas?¡± The daughter spoke and then looked at him with clarification. ¡°This book talks about dark flesh grafting magic.. This talks about the creature that.. The writer of the book created,¡±

    ¡°That is why you will need me,¡± he said, ¡°I know the weakness of Vampas,¡±

    ¡°What is a whompas?¡± Victoria asked.

    ¡°It is the creature that the dark mages, who framed me want to unleash upon our kingdom. They are magical beasts that will tear your body within seconds. They are hard to kill as they possess the ability to heal from even the most heinous wounds. You would need a lot of firepower to take care of them. And luckily for you, I have that firepower,¡±

    Both the mother and daughter looked at each other, trying to predict what their future held for them¡­

    ***

    Trust is a very difficult thing to earn. Drac could have just forced the mother-and-daughter duo to do his bidding. There was a chance that he could have even gotten what he wanted, without the fuss and effort. But he didnt go that way because his experience had taught him that one should always take care of small stuff that could be a problem in the long term.

    They could have taken offense of something he might have done, and then come back for revenge. He would have appreciated the revenge part as well, considering he lived for the thrill.

    But currently, he was not strong enough. Currently, he was at a level, that he couldn''t afford to take on fights with just about anyone. Which was why he needed them to get on his side. So, that they won''t create any problems for him in the future.

    That night when they all went to sleep, the women took the carriage to sleep in, after they had cleaned all the blood from it. To them, that was a safer option than sleeping out in this marsh. He on the other hand stayed outside and kept a watch on them, while pretending that he was sleeping. Luckily, none of the women even tried to escape, they both fell asleep soon. If he hadn''t revealed the things that he did, there was a chance that those people would have surely tried to do something that night.

    The next morning, he prepared normal porridge for breakfast. As he served them the plates, he announced what they needed to do, ¡°First thing first. We need to change our mode of transportation. This carriage cannot handle the load of our supplies,¡±

    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Hazel, Victoria¡¯s daughter asked, ¡°What are we going to use then?¡±

    ¡°Horse carts¡­ Essentially any cart would do. Anything but this carriage,¡±

    ¡°This belonged to my father,¡± Hazel said, ¡°I cannot just abandon the carriage somewhere,¡±

    ¡°Do you value your life, or do you value this carriage?¡± he asked straightforwardly. Her silence got him the answer he needed, ¡°These kinds of carriage were never made to take such loads. Which is why only luggage is mounted on them. I was able to fix the axel now, but if we were to get stuck in a tricky situation¡­ We cannot trust this carriage at all,¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Hazel said.

    ¡°How are we going to read Jonia¡¯s Keep?¡± Victoria asked.

    ¡°Simple. We would take the longest route there,¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Hazel asked,

    ¡°The Vampas are not just magical beasts. They create this red crystal in their bodies which is a very valuable resource for the dark mages. Their plan is essential to let those creatures kill the humans, then they would extract crystals from the Vampas. They would be targeting big places with huge populations in order to get as many crystals as they can. So we need to avoid big cities and villages. This is why we are going to travel through sparsely crowded areas, which means that we would have to take a long route to the Jonia''s Keep,¡±

    ¡°Shouldn''t we..¡± Hazel hesitated, and then asked, ¡°Pass this information on? The Queen, or even General Tarrain would be able to do something in this matter right?¡±

    ¡°They could have done something if the main communication tower was not destroyed. With that thing gone, this kingdom has no hope. No one will be able to against the Dark Mages,¡±

    The duo didnt say anything and got lost in their thoughts, so he continued, ¡°Secondly, we need to change your appearances as well. I cannot travel with two women who are adorning top-quality silks,¡±

    ¡°What is wrong with our clothes?¡± Victoria asked.

    He sighed, ¡°They could grab too much attention from the wrong crowd. The kingdom is in shambles, the crops are being destroyed by the cold¡­ In order to survive such a harsh condition, most people would start doing unspeakable things. And attention from them is the last thing that we would want,¡±

    They both nodded, as they had experienced themselves the darkness of mankind. He gave them some more rules, like not talking to anyone unfamiliar, and they would not be sharing their supplies with anyone. The girls tried to argue with him on some things, but he quickly stomped their protest down.

    With everything sorted, they finally set out for their journey. In the first village that they came across, he borrowed the first cart from the village that he got his hands on. This cart was open from all sides and was spacious, but not as comfortable as the carriage that they abandoned. The girls tried to argue with him, but he was able to calm the situation down. He was still more powerful than them, and that played an important bargaining chip.

    For the first two or three days, they remained wary of him. Only talking to him when necessary. But from the fourth day onwards, Victoria was the one that opened up with him. That did surprise him a little bit as he always figured that it would be Hazel that would open up to him, considering that she was still going through the Vampas¡¯s book.

    It is on the fifth day did Hazel returned the book to him, with tears in her eyes. She had gotten to the part where Nosferatu described how many lives he took in order to create one creature. And this disturbed her. That day he comforted her with Victoria.

    It was on the sixth day when they witnessed something that surprised them all. For him, it was not a surprise, but the women on the other hand were very surprised when white little snowflakes started falling from the sky¡­

 Chapter-42: The Cold Night-1

    ¡°It is so white¡­ and so cold..¡± Hazel said as she touched the cotton-white snow on the side of the road. Victoria was also with her daughter admiring the snow, while Drac on the other hand on the carriage, with a big frown on his face.

    This is bad. It is going to get colder from here onwards, He then stared at the muddy road before him, Snow combined with snow means slush. The cart is definitely going to get stuck somewhere down the road.

    He then stared at the black horse that had been pulling their cart. A part of him was more worried about the horse than the road.

    Because of the vegetation of Alanor Kingdom, one doesn''t really need to carry the feed of the horse when they are traveling. The creatures can easily indulge themselves in the soft green grass that grows here. And now with the snow, the grass would be hidden away for the poor animal. Not to mention, this creature was habitual of living on a tropical island, it is not suitable for cold regions.

    It was a surety that the creature would die for sure in the near future.

    With the horse gone, I dont think we will be able to headway anywhere, He thought, If we were to take a shot and travel through crowded places to decrease our traveling time, we need to make a lot of changes.

    It was decided that they needed to change the silks of the ladies, into something that common folk usually wear. But they never really got the time or opportunity to do that. He had bought a dress for each one of them, from the same people from which he had bought the cart. But none of the ladies had ever worn the dress. Till now as they didnt encounter anyone he decided to let them be.

    But now, that had to change.

    He cleared his throat and called out, ¡°Victoria, Hazel.. Come, we need to go,¡± The ladies wanted to see the snow, which was why they stopped. Without much fuss, they came back to the cart, and they started their journey again. And it is then he decided to come clean about his worries, along with the life expectancy of the horse.

    ¡°Well.. As long as we get to Keep, we can travel by foot as well,¡± Hazel said, making him raise his eyebrow.

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± he said, ¡°Wouldn''t that be a problem? You said that someone would be coming to pick you up from the Keep. If the horse dies, and with the snow, our journey will take twice as long as the expected time,¡±

    Hazel became quiet, he glanced back to see Victoria showing her angry eyes to the girl. He stopped the carriage that instant, and turned back from the driver¡¯s seat, ¡°Alright¡­¡± he said, while staring at both of them, ¡°Is there something that I am missing? If yes, then you both better fill me in, cause if no¡­ I am going to flip out,¡±

    Victoria opened her mouth, but closed it soon after, hesitating to say what she was trying to say. It is then with a deep breath, Hazel said, ¡°We might have.. Omitted a small.. Detail.. From our talk,¡±

    ¡°And what is this small ¡®detail¡¯?¡±

    Victoria sighed and said, ¡°They were already here.. The people who are here to pick up Hazel. They were in the keep when it was attacked¡­¡±

    He opened his mouth, with no words forming in his mind.

    From what Victoria told him, Jonia''s family was destroyed by some sort of mysterious attacker. She and Hazel were in the capital when it happened, a news came that everyone in the Jonia keep had been slaughtered. Killing such a strong family like that, he thought that the Ulaspas were after it. But later dismissed the idea, thinking that there was no logical explanation for why would they attack them in the first place.

    But all that didnt matter right now. He was told that there would be a way for him to get to the Hograve Continent if he got them to their Keep. But if the people who were supposed to get her had vanished, he doesn''t get what the fuck they were going back to the keep for.

    While rubbing his eyebrows, he said, ¡°So let me get this straight¡­ Not only you guys lie to me about there being a way to get off this island¡­ You also brought me out here¡­ Near the fucking Rose Valley, a place all the monsters would be concentrated¡­ We are also going to die here out in the open, out of coldness.. Goody goody..¡±

    ¡°Drac¡­¡± Victoria said. But he didnt let her finish her sentence, ¡°What!¡± He whispered, not yelled. They were simply not worth his angry energy.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°What Victoria?¡± He asked, ¡°You stupid bitches made us come out here.. And for what? What is so important that you wanted to go to Jonia¡¯s Keep?¡±

    Victoria formed a smirk on her face, ignoring his anger, ¡°Well¡­ The people that came here, they might be dead. But that doesn''t mean that the ship that they came in, is also dead,¡±

    He jumped to the back, and came closer to her face, and then asked in a rather calm yet angry tone, ¡°So what the fuck were to expecting? Do you think that we three would be able to control a ship on our own?¡± In this primitive world, the ships that were actively used for trading were old sail ships, that used huge sails powered by wind to move. And from what he read, it usually takes 5 to 6 people to keep the ship going.

    ¡°I know how to sail a ship,¡±

    Still staring into her eyes he asked, ¡°And do we think we will able to handle a ship, on our own?¡± They were mana wielders, stronger than normal humans. Still, it was too much for them to handle such a large vessel on their own.

    ¡°Who said that the ship is a normal ship? This one the a mana-powered ship. And we would be able to handle it on our own,¡±

    He leaned back, relaxing, ¡°We will be able to handle it?¡±

    ¡°It would take some time getting used to it, but we will be able to,¡± Victoria said with a smile.

    He sighed with relief and then went back in the driver''s seat. ¡°Then I will make sure that we get there as fast as we can,¡± As the cart started moving again, he glanced back and both girls had smiles on their faces.

    He didnt believe a word that they said.

    If they could lie once in the face of death, they could do it again. He thought.

    When they met each other, he showed them that he was a ruthless person. But as time passed, he showed them that he was actually a very compassionate person. And from what he showed, they truly believed his act, seeing how they didnt act scared when he got angry.

    It was a good sign that they truly believed in the persona that he had created, but now he was regretting creating such a persona. If he had been hard from the start, he would have been able to get the truth out of them sooner. Hell, he still dont know whether they are telling the truth or not.

    I will make sure that they die a very painful death if I find out that they are lying to me again. He thought.

    As they passed by the roads filled with snow, Drac couldnt help but think about life. About two years ago, he was thinking of ending his life for good, but he still didnt care about his life when he was working for the Ulaspas. But now things were different. His time in the lab ignited his scientific curiosity, and the thought of death had vanished from his mind. Which was why he was getting off the island.

    After reading about mana, about magic, he wants to explore it. He wants to explore the limitations and strength of this magic. And he didn''t want to die before he had seen everything that it had to offer.

    And he will make sure of it.

    ***

    ¡°Dont talk to anyone, nor look at anyone.¡± He said, ¡°Stay beside me. It should seem that we are a family of peasants. Nothing more, nothing less,¡±

    They were approaching a village. Although previously he was planning to bypass the village altogether. But with the snow, he cannot do that anymore. The ladies are enjoying the snow, as they should considering that it was the first time that they had ever seen it. But as a modern human, the horrors that snow holds. So he was planning to upgrade his cart and supplies for the future.

    Firstly, he was planning to let the local Leather Mason install a roof on the cart. He could not let the supplies in the cart get wet. And he had planned to buy some animal skin while he was at it. He would need it in the future to counter the cold. Although the animals of this region dont have thick skin or fur, the skins of local animals are usually used to make rugs or clothes. But he was thinking that if he combined two or more skins together, he would be able to counter some cold.

    There was a very small chance that the village would have the things that he needed. But he had to take his chance¡­

    As they entered the muddy roads of the village, they saw that hardly anyone was outside the house. They could see smoke from the chimneys of the houses, which meant that there were people inside.

    There was no one on the streets, so he drove his cart to the first inn sign that he saw, and came to a stop there. He figured that while he was at it, he should at least try to get some meat while he was at it. He was getting sick of eating unsalted porridge three times a day.

    As they disembarked, he whispered, ¡°Both of you, remember what I taught you guys,¡± Both of them nodded.

    It is then the doors of the inn flung open and a woman in her late thirties came out, ¡°Well, all hail Lord Itab.. More travelers.¡± She came to them, ¡°What can I do for you, kind sirs.. And madams,¡± The woman looked rather happy to see them, which made sense considering her business was probably going to loss in such conditions.

    ¡°Well.. Me, and my family would love to have some roasted meat if you have it,¡±

    ¡°Certainly sire,¡± she replied, ¡°

    ¡°Well let''s talk inside then, shall we?¡± He said, and they followed the innkeeper inside.

    As they stepped into the inn, they were blasted with a warm breeze, invigorating their bodies. ¡°Come in,¡± the woman said, ¡°There is a table available,¡± she pointed at the restaurant which seemed to be filled with soldiers. Like a moth attracted to light, his legs along with Victoria and Hazel automatically started making their way to the restaurant,

    ¡°¡­ Just behind the Sumor Family Soldiers,¡± The innkeeper''s words made them all come to a halt in their place.

    Fuck me, He thought as he stared at the very familiar insignia of the family that he used to serve¡­

 Chapter-43: The Cold Night-2

    Looking at the familiar emblem of the house that he used to serve, Drac didnt know what to think. He stared at the soldiers, none of them looked familiar to him. That was good news. But staying in a room, filled with them was akin to sitting on a bomb ready to explode.

    He turned to the innkeeper, ¡°It is too crowded here¡­ By any chance do you have a room available, where my family and I could break bread in silence?¡±

    The innkeeper looked troubled, ¡°There is one room available which would be perfect for your family. But it costs 30 bronze a night,¡± then quickly added, ¡°It is one of our more expensive rooms,¡±

    He nodded, ¡°Good. We will take it.¡± He fished a silver coin from his pocket and gave it to her, ¡°Take this, bring our food to our room. And please take care of the little guy out there. He had a rough journey,¡±

    The innkeeper looked surprised to see a silver coin, but then quickly nodded, ¡°Understood. Please come this way, and I will escort you to your room,¡±

    The innkeeper took them upstairs and gave them a room on the top floor. It was a rather large room, equipped with a fireplace, a toilet, and a bedroom. There was a sofa as well there, where he decided he would crash for the day.

    It is as soon as the Innkeeper goes away, Victoria asks, ¡°What are these people doing here?¡±

    He shrugged, ¡°Dont know. But their presence is indeed troubling,¡±

    ¡°And what happened to not showing off?¡± Hazel complained while planting her ass on the sofa, ¡°You gave that woman a silver coin. Based on the clothes that you are wearing, she is bound to get suspicious,¡±

    He sighed, ¡°I sort of panicked there alright.. We cannot afford to get caught, not now especially when time is of the essence,¡±

    ¡°What now then?¡± Victoria asked.

    ¡°You two stay here. Those are the Marquis¡¯s men. There might be a person among them who could potentially recognize you both. So, until all the things have been taken care of, you are supposed to stay here,¡±

    ¡°Well, it is not us who has his posters hand-delivered to every noble house of the kingdom,¡± Hazel said.

    ¡°Every noble house?¡± he asked rather curiously, he never thought that he would become such a sensation. Considering that there is no printing press in this world yet, and everything is either hand-drawn or handwritten. That is the case with his books as well. Which is why he was not expecting the queen to distribute so many posters of him.

    ¡°Well, it doesn''t matter,¡± he said, ¡°I have a beard. And if I were to cover my face, then I dont think anyone would be able to recognize me,¡±

    ¡°Won''t the Sumor Soldiers would find it weird,¡± Victoria pointed out.

    ¡°That is the chance that we would have to take,¡± he said¡­

    The dinner was a few minutes after they had settled in. Through their server, Drac made sure that their horse was taken care of. He then ordered the server boy to bring their trunks and two sacks of porridge grains from their cart. The trunks themselves were very heavy, as they were made of some sort of heavy and durable wood. By the time everything was brought up, the server was huffing and puffing crazily, for which he awarded the poor thing with 4 bronze coins.

    And soon, they all settle in their respective place. He took the sofa, while the ladies occupied the bed inside.

    That night, a lot was going through his mind. He was thinking about what his future held for him and about their journey when he sensed a movement from the corner of his eyes. He turned to see Victoria standing there, her body hidden behind the silky nightgown. He had forbidden her and Hazel to wear such things outside, but now, there was no reason to stop her.

    ¡°How am I looking?¡± Victoria asked.

    He decided to say the truth, ¡°Like a whore, trying to seduce a noble,¡±

    The comment didnt offend her, instead made her smile. She came and sat down beside him, ¡°Before getting my powers, it was people called me.. Terms like Vixen, seductress, whores¡­ everything was used for me,¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± he asked curiously.

    ¡°Well¡­ My late husband¡­ He married me out of nowhere. I was a lowly daughter of a Baron, with no powers. While he was a widower, with a daughter who needed a mother. He thought that I would be the best candidate for the job, considering that I basically used to do everything for my siblings.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°Were you the eldest?¡± he asked, it made sense as normally the older siblings take care of the youngest in most households of the world.

    ¡°Nope. But I was the child in the house with no potential. I was basically treated like a servant there. My husband thought that I would serve his daughter just fine,¡±

    ¡°Ah..¡± He didnt know what to say.

    ¡°He was a good man you know.. And Hazel¡­ she is an angel. My husband treated me right, and so did my stepdaughter,¡±

    To add something, he said, ¡°Well, considering how close you both are¡­ It is very hard to say that you are not mother and daughter,¡±

    ¡°We have been very close¡­¡± she mumbled. Then became silent, with tears forming in her eyes.

    Tears? Wait, does it mean that I need to become a shoulder for her to cry on? Making him groan inwardly. But then, his mind did a quick math, and realized something crucial.

    ¡°You said,¡± he turned toward her, ¡°People from Jonia''s family used to call you,, names¡­ And considering your age¡­ When did you awaken again? When did you get your powers?¡±

    ¡°Three years ago..¡±

    His eyes couldnt hide his surprise. He knew for a fact that mana wielders awaken their power around the time they hit puberty. That was the case with him, and everyone that he had known. There had been some cases of late bloomers that he had heard of, but he had never heard of cases such as hers.

    He was about to ask her when he remembered a detail that was uncovered in his underground lab, which made him stop.

    ¡°Why you and Hazel were in the capital when your family was attacked?¡± he asked.

    She turned towards him, ¡°I¡­ I wanted to.. Confess. I came to the capital to confess my crimes,¡±

    ¡°Of what?¡± he asked, in a rather cold tone. He let go of his persona at every second.

    ¡°Colluding..¡± She barely whispered, ¡°I was giving information to Kaisel,¡±

    His eyes widened with surprise, and then he asked about what he suspected, ¡°You knew about me from the start, didnt you?¡±

    She whispered, ¡°Tara told me about you¡­ A butler, who has been helping them cover the mess that Mikaila Sumor created,¡±

    The gears and dials of his mind started spinning, he started connecting dots and realized something crucial, ¡°Was your family killed because you were going to confess?¡±

    ¡°I didnt tell anyone,¡± she confessed. ¡°I never told anyone about my intentions. But.. I think somehow they found out,¡± And then she silently started full-on crying.

    He remained stoic. The gal on this woman.. I never would have taken her to be so bold to make a deal with those devils. It just doesn''t make sense that with her personality she would shake hands¡­ with them.

    Drac put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. But, he couldnt shake off the feeling that there was something wrong here. Considering he had been reading the nature of humans for most of his life, he had gotten a good grasp on reading people. With the personality that Victoria had shown him in the past days, he would have never taken for a girl who could betray her family like that.

    He had seen people that wore a mask in public, like him. But all the humans that he had met, let go of their masks at some point in the day. He had been keeping a very close eye on the mother and daughter duo, and never would he have imagined that Victoria pulled something like this.

    Unless, he never saw the real her. Maybe, she is a sociopath like him. Because of the way she behaved, it seemed to him that she was truly happy on this journey. On the road, she acted and behaved like a woman, who had finally gained her freedom. She was free.

    Why now? He thought, Why is she confessing her crimes to me right now? What triggered her to do so? It was not guilt, I never saw any tinge of guilt or sadness in her eyes in the past few days. So what prompted her to confess now?

    The question also remained whether she knew the truth about his nature. He never really tried to hide it in front of the Ulaspas, so they all knew. But did she know? He needed more information.

    ¡°They gifted you a crystal?¡± He asked, ¡°What kind of information did you provide them with?¡± He had read that the soul power in the red crystals could help a person awaken as well. But an artificially awakened person¡¯s power would not go beyond two circles.

    ¡°I told them everything,¡± she said, ¡°About my household, about the kingdom¡­ About the fact, that my husband was working with a foreign Rune-Smith to build a mana-driven ship for our house,¡±

    Hmm.. Interesting. Her husband was building the ship, so is this why she knows how to steer the ship? He thought.

    ¡°You didnt help them because they blackmailed you.¡± He said, ¡°Dont worry about it. You probably did, what anyone in your place would have done,¡±

    ¡°You think so?¡± she looked at him.

    As she was directly staring at him, he feigned that he was sad as well. She then moved closer to him and asked, ¡°Why did you help them?¡±

    With sadness in his eyes, he chuckled, ¡°I helped them because I wanted recognition. I was like you before, I awakened. And when my father and siblings abandoned me, I just wanted some recognition. And I was willing to do anything for it,¡±

    Victoria kept moving closer to him, as he spoke. Before he knew it, she was just some inches away from his face. ¡°What made you realize that you made a big mistake?¡± she asked, with her eyes staring straight into his.

    With now tears streaming down his face, he confessed, ¡°When Mikaila¡­ massacred 70 people, just to... appease her lust¡­¡± he said the first thing that came to his mind.

    Before he knew it, Victoria moved closer to him, interlocking his lips with a passionate kiss¡­

 Chapter- 44: The Vampas

    Drac groaned, he had to pee, but he couldnt get up. A soft, comfortable bed sheet had imprisoned him in a warm, cozy embrace. Along with the sheet, a naked woman was sleeping on him, with her soft supple mounds pressing him, and her hands wrapped around him. He had no intention to break free from his imprisonment.

    He shut his eyes, closed them forcefully, and tried to control his pee but alas, after a few seconds of struggle, he lost. He finally couldn''t wait anymore.

    He opened his eyes and saw Victoria fast asleep on him. He groaned with frustration and removed the warm cover from them. Victoria groaned as their warm cocoon was broken, eventually he was able to get free from her embrace.

    FUCK! Why the fuck is it so cold? It was so cold that even his durable and strong mana-wielding body was not able to bear the cold.

    Now naked, with their room shrouded in darkness, he made his way to the toilet. He was familiar with every inch and corner of this room, and he didn''t have any difficulty navigating his way to the toilet.

    As the dam of his bladder was finally let loose, he achieved nirvana and he sighed with bliss, making a cloud of steam come out of his mouth in the process. He may not have been fully awake before, but seeing the cloud of condensation made him step out of his stupor.

    The temperature had gone down significantly since night. He thought. It was only when he had come out of the toilet, did he realized the implications of the phenomena.

    Hurridly he made his way towards the window of the inn. From up there, he was able to see the whole village.

    Snowing had stopped, and the whole village was shrouded in silence. There was no cold wind blowing, and there were not even clouds in the sky.

    Why has the temperature dropped this low then?

    It was then his attention was grabbed by the movement by the edge of the village. Something was moving along the houses at the edge. He could only see the back of the creature, which was filled with spikes. Like a shark moving in the sea, he could only see the back of the creature, but he could guess which creature it belonged to.

    Judging by the size of the house, he realized the size of the creature. And that sent a chill down his spine.

    Those stupid FUCKERS! He cursed the Ulaspas family, They really let a Vampas get that big!

    But there was no time for that.

    He immediately turned around and went to the sofa, staggering and falling to the ground. Quickly he got up and went to Victoria¡¯s side.

    ¡°VICTORIA!¡± he yelled in a rather hushed way. ¡°Victoria,¡± he then shook her awake.

    ¡°What..¡± She mumbled, still refusing to wake up.

    Tired, he decided to take strict action, he slapped her across her cheek. That made her eyes open wide apart. She stared at him, as he had his hand on her mouth. He put his finger on his lips, ¡°Get your clothes. Now,¡± he whispered.

    She didnt ask any questions, his serious voice was enough for her to go scrambling off her clothes. He went for his underwear and pants first and then went to Victoria¡¯s bed. The woman was sleeping soundly on her bed, luckily it only took him a shake or two to wake her up.

    ¡°Get up, we need to get out of here,¡± he said and then started going for his shirt.

    He was halfway across the room when he heard her yell, ¡°What the fuck is happening?¡± she asked. Her tone was not loud, to say the least, but the silence of the night amplified her voice.

    Drac froze on the spot, thinking that at any moment a Vampas would barge in from somewhere. But as nothing happened for a few seconds, he sighed with relief. ¡°Hello! What is happening?¡±

    Gnashing his teeth, he came to her, ¡°The fuck is wrong with you!¡± he whispered, ¡°Do you think I will wake you up in the middle of the night to have tea! GET YOUR ASS UP! We need to get out of here!¡±

    He took a few steps away and then turned around. He put his finger on his lips, gesturing to keep quiet.

    By the time he was out, Victoria was almost dressed. He grabbed his shirt and his satchel bag. In a few seconds, they were ready. He gestured them both to keep quiet and follow him downstairs.

    As they slowly made their way downstairs, he had his saber in his hands. Instead of heading to the front door, he let them through the kitchen door. He wanted to get out from the back, thinking it to be an easier way out.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    When they pushed the door of the kitchen, they saw the back door of the inn was open at the end was open, letting the cold in. There was a weird noise in the room as if some dog was chewing a bone. He took his saber as a precaution that instant.

    The kitchen had this huge island in the middle of it. They slowly started making their way to the other side. The sound only came to a stop when they were almost halfway through when a small Vampas, the size of a corgi jumped onto the island with its mouth laced with blood.

    ¡°AHH!¡± Hazel let out a scream, startling everyone, even the creature.

    It let out a growling noise and then lunged at them. Drac acted immediately and swung his saber, cleaving the poor bastard diagonally. The black blood sprayed on them with a slash, and they remained unharmed.

    The door to the main restaurant broke open, and soldiers bearing the insignia of the Sumor Family barged in. ¡°What the hell is going on here!¡± one of them yelled.

    Although it was commendable that they barged in to save them, probably.

    But they just signed off their death warrants. And on cue, a white creature came crashing into the kitchen from an adjacent room, decimating a wall in the process.

    One of the four soldiers valiantly raised his sword and charged at the creature with a downward swing, he swung his sword, but the creature was fast, it dodged the attack by jumping backward, it is then one of the soldiers fired an arrow which lodged itself on the creature¡¯s face.

    The creature cried in pain and stepped backward, crying in pain.

    ¡°COME ON!¡± one of the soldiers cried.

    But before they could move, another one of the creatures came from the restaurant, ambushing the soldiers from the back side, this small Vampas started mauling the neck of the mercenary nearest to it, killing it instantly, one of the soldiers swung the sword on the creature, cleaving its head cleanly.

    It is then the creature with the arrow lodged in its head jumped back into the room and immediately launched itself at the three remaining soldiers, toppling every one of them, the creature then went for the one that shot at it, the creature used its teeth and started mauling the stomach of the said mercenary, killing it ruthlessly.

    As the last two soldiers got their bearing, they immediately got up and raised their swords and lunged toward the creatures¡­

    Quickly he grabbed Victoria¡¯s hand and started leading her to the door before them. Soon they were out, and then he let go of her hand and started running. He ran with all of his might through 5 inches of thick snow and moved his legs as fast as he could. As far as Victoria and Hazel were concerned, he heard that they were behind them. But he didnt waste his energy to glance back.

    It was only after he was sure that they had made considerable distance, did he stopped and looked back.

    Victoria and Hazel both were not far behind. They came to a stop near him and started huffing and puffing. ¡°We need to get out here before¡­¡± his words were cut in half when they heard a screech of a beast.

    A Vampas, the size of a bull was running at them. They spotted the thing, it was already on them. Drac jumped to his right, while Victoria on the other hand grabbed Hazel and put her between her body and Vampas.

    The Vampas slammed into them, making them both fall. Quickly the creature lept, crushing the first thing that it could get its teeth in. The screaming face of Hazel was the one it got first, crushing it like a watermelon.

    Victoria somehow, crawled out, while the creature was busy mauling through the body of the poor girl.

    Drac also pushed himself up, and he started running not caring about the creature or the women with him. He could not hear any creature behind him, which was a good thing. But he only came to a stop, and a source of bright light manifested itself behind him. He glanced to look behind and saw Victoria holding something in her hands which was emitting a lot of light.

    That bitch! She knew about Magnesium.

    The Vampas were creatures who had extreme weather tolerance, along with supernatural healing power, and courtesy of the souls that they absorbed. And there was only one thing that could harm them, and that was sunlight. They could not bear it, the rays of the sun burned their body.

    Nosferatu realized that burning a strip of magnesium, when sun is not available could also harm them. When burned, the metal produces a bright light, which acts like sunlight. Although not as lethal as the rays of the sun, they were still effective in deterring the creature from attacking someone.

    He never told this to any of them, nor the information was mentioned in the book that he gave to Hazel. Which meant that Victoria lied to him¡­

    The creature instead of attacking, turned around and started running towards him, away from the harmful, towards a prey.

    Sensing danger, he quickly opened his satchel to get his strip out, along with a lighter. The creature was already on him when he lit the strip, the light of the strip deterred the creature from attacking him. But by some chance the creature managed to attack him, swiping its long claws at him, before running away.

    The force behind the attack threw him back, against a tree. Blood started gushing out of his body like there was no tomorrow. He looked at his wounds and realized that they were pretty serious. He didnt have a blood crystal to heal his wounds, making him realize that he might die today.

    Man.. Do I have to use that now?

    With the last of his strength, he opened his satchel still attached to him, and took the cube.

    He then started hearing someone step, and quickly he hid the cube in his shirt. He saw Victoria running towards him. She looked at his wounds, and without saying anything took the satchel off of him. He wanted to say something to her, but didnt, he had to save his energy. He could see the coldness in her eyes, probably the first time he saw real her.

    She just took his satchel and ran away, leaving behind to fend off in the cold weather.

    The good thing is, I know how to solve a rubic cube.

    With the last of his strength, he solved the damn thing in a minute or so. With the cube fully solved, a contraption resembling a syringe came out of the cube. Without thinking twice, he injected the syringe straight into his heart¡­

 Chapter-45: The Church of Itab

    It was the tug on the shoulder that woke her up. She was in such a deep sleep that she woke up with a jolt.

    ¡°Huh¡± she mumbled, still disoriented, it took her a few seconds to get back her bearing, and then she saw a maid standing by her side.

    ¡°Mistress Alice, are you alright?¡± the maid asked with concern.

    She closed her eyes once again and nodded. ¡°Yeah, I am fine.¡± She then sat up straight ¡°Ugh¡­ My neck! I should be more careful about where to sleep.¡±

    The maid then put a letter in front of her. ¡°This came for you a few moments ago.¡± After putting down the letter, the maid went behind her back and started massaging her neck, and she was very grateful for her service¡­

    The gentle hands of the maid worked wonders on her neck, and she eventually loosened up. She looked around the room, her office was a mess, there were stacks of papers on her table, multiple maps opened around the room, and there was a half-eaten chicken in front of her which still looked appetizing to her.

    While going through some documents last night she fell asleep on her desk, which resulted in her sore neck. She needed to go through all the stacks of papers around her, it was a lot of work and would need a lot of late night late-night candle wax.

    As a Saintess of the church of Great Tibba, she was not meant to do grunt work like this. Usually, the scribes under her would do this work, but she refused to hand over these documents to those incompetent fools, this matter was too sensitive to be handled by mere scribes.

    She moaned from pleasure. ¡®What kind of magical ability does this woman have? It is as if the Great Itab himself blessed this woman with such healing hands. One day I should get her to massage my whole body. I should probably assign her under me, she would serve me well.¡¯

    It was then she glanced at the letter that the maid brought with her, it was a simple white envelope with a simple red seal on the back, curious about what it held, she tore the seal up and took out the paper concealed inside. It was a letter from one of the scouts that she had posted near the Mediterranean Sea.

    ________________________________________________________________

    To

    Saint Alice,

    I, your humble servant Henry Joseph wanted to tell you about strange phenomena is taking place on the island where I was assigned. The place is a very remote island from the mainland, and it matches the description of the phenomenon that you told us to look for.

    The last ship that went to the island noticed a drop in temperature, which was weird considering the place''s tropical nature. And it is then things only got worse from there, from what I have heard, the temperature on the island has dropped so significantly that it has started snowing in some regions of the island.

    From what locals have to say about the place, snowfall never happens in a place like that.

    I wanted to investigate the root cause of the phenomena personally and sent some scouts to see what the fuss was about.

    I sent 3 ships to investigate, but none of them made it back, nor did they make contact with me.

    It is really hard for me to understand what is happening on the island. But this island suits the criteria of your investigation.

    I will be keeping an eye on the situation from here, if you have any further instructions, please relay them to your humble servant.

    Yours Truly

    Henry Joseph.

    ___________________________________________

    She felt like a jolt of electricity hit her, she immediately put down the letter and glanced back.

    ¡°Do you know where Bishop Yuriel is?¡±

    ¡°I think that he was scheduled to attend the meeting with the Pope.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Leave me be.¡± The maid nodded, came forward, bowed, and then left her office.

    As soon as the maid left, she immediately jumped on her feet, there were huge stacks of maps on one side of the room, and she started looking through them, trying to find the one that she needed. It took her a few seconds, but she finally found the one that she had been looking for.

    She grabbed the map that she needed, came back to her desk, and unfolded the huge thing. This world map before her had various marks positions on it. These marks represented the remote places in the world where the Kaisel Ulapas could commit massacre, without alerting and being caught by the church or the Joint Mage Association. All these places were so remote, that if they were to attack there, news would not come until it was too late.

    She made this map a long time ago, as she could not physically be in all these places at once, she chose around 2000 small-time priests to act as her eyes and ears if something weird happened in these areas, but till now nothing has surfaced that could remotely help her track down the Ulaspas family, until now.

    The letter has a lot of similarities that they had recorded from the previous attacks of this black mage family, and for some reason, she had a feeling that this letter might bring her some good news¡­

    As she moved her fingers around the map, she eventually found the island that she had been looking for. ¡®Let''s see¡­ The island is well isolated, if they were to kill everyone there, then it would surely take some time for the world to get news of what transpired there. Their pet Drake would surely help in containing the news¡­¡¯

    ¡®And there is also the fact that the island is located near the equator, so there is little to no chance that the island would experience such a sudden decrease in temperature.¡¯

    She stared at the map, thinking whether this information could really mean something if she were to go there and check it out herself, it would take her about 9 days to reach the mainland near the island, and then from there, she had to travel all the way to the island.

    In a sense, it would take around 11-12 days just to reach the place, which is a lot. She now faced a dilemma, whether to go there or not, after all, she could not just leave her office without concrete proof ¡®You know what, I will let Master make this decision. I should first probably inform him of such news.¡¯

    After fixing her formal white robes to the best of her abilities, she left the office. The Citadel, the headquarters of the Great Church of Tibba was rather lively that day, probably because the festival of light was just around the corner, and everyone was excited about it.

    As she navigated her way through the bright hallways of the Citadel, everyone greeted her with a smile, as a Saintess, she was well respected by her peers and colleagues, it was a pain in the ass, always smiling when greeting someone, even if you are in a foul mood, but this was one of the responsibilities that came with her job.

    Eventually, she reached the meeting hall, the guards that were attending the gate saluted her as she came, and none of them tried to stop her when she pushed open the door and barged into the meeting¡­

    All the 50 Bishops of the church were in the meeting, whereas the Pope was sitting in the chair on the far end. The meeting came to a halt as soon as the door was flung open, all the 50 old men and women attending the meeting looked towards the door to see her standing before all of them.

    She bloomed her shadiest smile and bowed ¡°Pardon my intrusions, Fathers, and Mothers. But can I please borrow Father Yuriel for a few minutes, I have some matters to discuss with him.¡±

    Bishop Jon who was sitting by the Pope herself, was not happy with this, he looked a bit irritated at such a bland intrusion. ¡°Is this matter so urgent that it couldnt wait for the meeting to end?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°Yes, this matter is really important.¡± The face of Bishop Jon became red as a tomato, he was about to yell at her, and she saw it coming. But it is then Pope herself came to her rescue.

    With her old voice, the Pope put her hands on Father Jon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Now Now Jon¡­¡± she continued. ¡°I think Alice must have a pretty good reason for such intrusion. Yuriel, go and see what Alice wants.¡±

    Bishop Yuriel who was sitting not too far away from Jon, stood up and started walking towards her, and both of them exited the room¡­

    Old man Yuriel was not like a typical brown skin old man, he had broad shoulders and a physique of a fighter, with greyish-white hair and a mustache, he looked like a general of some army then like a Bishop, and he looked pissed.

    ¡°This better be good,¡± Yuriel said as they came out.

    ¡°I think we have a hit on the twins.¡± The old man¡¯s body stopped working for a second, and then slowly he glared at her.

    ¡°Is it confirmed?¡±

    ¡°No, but I am sure.¡± The old man scoffed at her words. ¡°I cannot fly across the world on your whims Alice. A person in my office cannot leave everything behind and go around chasing phantoms.¡±

    ¡°This one would be different.¡±

    He folded his arms. ¡°How exactly?¡±

    ¡°Well, first of all, we have managed to destroy more than half of their stash the last time. So they would be running out of crystals right about now. So if my calculations are right, they would be harvesting right about now, or they will not be able to survive.¡±

    The old man thought for about a moment. ¡°How sure are you that this is it?¡±

    ¡°About 51%¡±

    He raised an eyebrow ¡°51? Really?¡±

    ¡°We have nothing to lose Master. If this is it, then this is it.¡±

    The old man seemed reluctant but eventually gave in. ¡°How long would be the trip?¡±

    ¡°We would have to travel for about 9-10 days to reach the outpost of the mainland. Then we could proceed from there.¡± she said, ¡°So about 25 days in all.¡±

    The old man then nodded his head. ¡°Make preparation. I will talk to the Pope.¡±

    With that, Alice turned around and went to make preparations for the trip¡­

 Chapter-46: Kill Order

    After the meeting with all the Bishops was over, the Pope asked him to have tea with her, in private. Yuriel knew what this was about, she knew about the twins, how could she not, she was the overseer of the whole church of Itab, but the thing was, he didnt want to talk about the twins with anyone, especially with her.

    But he knew that he had no way to deny her request, so when the meeting was over, he followed her to her private office, and now here he was, having piping hot tea with the Pope of the Church of Great Tibba.

    ¡°Yuriel.¡± He looked up. She was looking at him, it was very hard for him to guess what she was thinking, her wrinkled face didnt show any emotions, so he didnt know what to expect.

    ¡°Yes, Mother.¡±

    ¡°What is going on inside the small head of yours?¡±

    He hesitated a little bit, but then he confessed. ¡°The twins, Sara and Patrica¡­ They are the nightmares that have been plaguing my mind.¡±

    She took a sip of tea. ¡°My dear Yuriel, why dont you let me handle them? I could send some Knights after them. The warriors of the church serve for the will of our Lord, and will rain down on them his fury on them, killing your nightmare forever.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± He didnt like that suggestion, he knew they were good girls, and they are currently brainwashed. He would rather have them captured and try to bring the girls that he knew back.

    ¡°Ah?¡± she imitated him. ¡°It seems like you dont like the idea?¡±

    He clenched his fist but maintained a dignified face in front of her. ¡°With all due respect Mother, I think, that would be too hasty¡­Those girls are innocent. They have just been brainwashed by that pale dark mage.¡± She didnt show any visible reaction to his theory, so he continued. ¡°And I think that I could get them back to their senses. I.. I. Just need some time with them. And I can get them around in no time.¡±

    She didnt say a word, he had nothing else to say, so he took a sip of the tea as well. It was then she started speaking. ¡°Yuriel, do you know how long I have been sitting in this chair?¡±

    He was caught off guard by the question, he started thinking back and realized that he really didnt know how old she was, when he young boy, at that time as well she looked just like this, it was safe to say that she hadn''t aged a bit in all the years since he had seen her.

    ¡°I dont know Mother.¡±

    She leaned forward. ¡°To tell you the truth, I have also forgotten how long I have been occupied this chair for¡­ And as I have become so old that some people have started to think I have gone senile.¡±

    He was enraged. ¡°Did you hear anyone say that? I will personally flay them, and execute them in public,¡±

    How could someone disrespect her like that?

    ¡°No one said it to my face, my dear child. But everyone thinks so. I can tell because I oversee everyone. And let me in you on a little secret.¡± She then put down her cup of tea and gestured her whole body. ¡°Me acting senile, the smile that I maintain¡­ that is just a facade. You could think of it as a tactic to rule, but with it, I have gained the ability to read people like an open book.¡±

    He raised his eyebrows, he didnt get what she was trying to say. ¡°I dont understand¡­¡±

    She then bloomed a smile. ¡°I act senile in front of everyone. This way people tend to let their guard in front of me. And when they do that, I get a glimpse of the people that I am working with. And people like you slip up from time to time, giving me precise information that I need.¡±

    ¡®Did she just say, people like me? Does she know something?¡¯

    Still, to maintain the facade he tried asking her what she meant. ¡°What do you mean Mother.¡±

    She leaned back on her chair. ¡°Father Yuriel, when you came to me, giving me a report on how two of our Knight turned towards the Dark path and joined a Dark Bloodborne family, everyone was furious at them, it could be seen from their faces, but your face for some reason told a different story.¡± She then leaned forward. ¡°Your mood was down, your body language showed that. Curiously you looked disappointed for some reason rather than enraged, all those people in the room were not able to sense it, but I did.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    His heart started beating faster, and he started sweating profusely, but still, he bloomed a fake smile on his face. ¡°What are you trying to say, Mother?¡±

    She didnt show any interest in answering his question, she then moved forward. ¡°Now curious, I myself investigated a little bit. Those girls were never under your care, and you have only met them a few times. Yet you cared so much about them, it was very suspicious.¡±

    His heart was about to burst open, but she was not done yet. ¡°So I investigated a little bit. And it is then I found Josephine.¡±

    Hearing that name sends chills down his spine. Cat was out of the bag, he lowered his head and resigned to his faith, he felt embarrassed as he had sinned. ¡°You know about her?¡±

    She nodded her head. ¡°Yes. I know everything dear.¡±

    He finally looked up. ¡°I am ready to accept any punishment.¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°Father Yuriel, you have sinned. As a Bishop of the Church of Itab, you were never allowed to have children, yet you had two of them. They then turned to the Dark Path and became Dark Mages. Do you even know what kind of jeopardy it puts the church in?¡±

    He got from his chair and kneeled beside her. ¡°I accept my sins, Mother. I am willing to pay any price for them.¡±

    But still, she continued, ¡°Your deeds could tarnish the reputation of the church. It would be a scandal of the century and it would take a lot of scrubbing to even suppress the situation.¡±

    ¡°I will accept anything that the church would offer me.¡±

    ¡°I want the heads of both the twins.¡± He immediately looked up, surprised. ¡°Do you understand Yuriel? I want their heads. And I want you to bring those heads to me.¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°Mother I¡­¡± but he was cut off in between. ¡°I will not hear it. You are a very respectful Bishop of the Church. I cannot let you tarnish our reputation like this. I want those girls¡¯ heads. And I wanted them yesterday. Do not disappoint me again, Yuriel.¡±

    His breathing became faster, he was about to plead again, he could not do it, he could not kill them all these years ago, how the hell was he supposed to kill them now? But the stern glare of the Pope made him back down. He quietly got up and left the room, leaving behind an innocent Pope with her tea.

    ***

    It was a typical night for the Ulaspas family, they were currently raiding a city, feeding their babies, the only thing different today was that Yasmine and Kaisel were on herding duty, while Sara and Tara were resting. All the awakened ones in the city had been taken care of, so now the Vampas could freely roam around creating havoc.

    While sitting on the highest tower in the city, Yasmine hugged Kaisel¡¯s arms, silently looking at the destruction before them. ¡°I can never get enough of this.¡± She commented, to which Kaisel grabbed her waist, and brought her closer to him.

    ¡°You should really work on your hate of humans.¡± He knew that it was a sore topic for her, but he had to say it, this type of hate was not good for them.

    His words were enough to piss her off, she let go of his arms and made some distance between them. ¡°How can you say that?¡± she asked.

    ¡°You know how it is Yasmine, your hate had always come in the way of your radical thinking. It would be for the best if you let the hate go a little bit.¡±

    She looked calm on the surface, but he knew better, her calmness was like a silence just before a storm. ¡°NEVER,¡± she said in a venomous voice.

    He sighed. ¡°I am not saying to forgive all of them. I am just saying that you should try to not let your hate cloud your judgment.¡±

    ¡°It happens once.¡±

    ¡°What about the Opera job, then what you did do in the embassy? And what about the biggest one? You are the reason Bishop Yuriel is after us.¡±

    She took offense at his words. ¡°So do you think that all of this is my fault?¡±

    ¡°Not solely your fault, but you are responsible for half the shit we have to go through.¡± It was then she lost it, she got from the ledge, he thought that she would start berating him and cussing at him.

    But he was surprised that she didnt do anything, and just stared at something behind him.

    Now curious, he turned around to see what she was looking at, he followed her gaze and then spotted a Vampas on the roof of the nearby house, facing South, as he looked around, he saw that every Vampas in the city was facing south.

    All the Vampas in the city stopped behaving like rabid animals and were all looking facing south as if they could hear or smell something from that direction, something more appetizing than the meal before them.

    ¡®What the hell is going on? They have never done something like this before.¡¯

    Before he knew it, all the creatures abruptly started running, and all of them started heading towards the south.

    Seeing the whole herd heading south, leaving behind their food, both he and Gloria paused their fight for a moment and went after the Vampas. They cannot let their little piggies run amok¡­

 Chapter-47: Non-Human-1

    Drac when opened his eyes, he felt trapped. Surrounding him was a membrane of sorts, resembling a cocoon. Filled with some sort of liquid from the waist down. He was able to breathe, and his senses were working just fine. What he couldnt understand was how he ended up here.

    He touched the membrane, only to realize that his nails were longer than what he could remember. Using this as an opportunity, he pushed his fingers through the membrane, puncturing it. With ease, he was able to cut through the membrane, coming into the light.

    Adjusting his eyes, he saw that he was in a snowy tundra. The yellow-red color fluid from his cocoon had poured out into the white snow, smelling kind of fishy. It looked like abandoned animal fat. And then there were the bodies of all sizes of Vampas littered before him.

    What the fuck happened here?

    His head was aching, and he was having a hard time remembering what happened after he injected himself with the cube.

    According to Nosferatu''s research, all the Vampas were attracted to Master Crystal. He didnt know what would happen if one of the Vampas were allowed to have it, and didnt try. But Nosferatu was able to contain the power and the charm of the Master Crystal by converting it into liquid and storing it in a cube where its power could not be felt by any Vampas.

    The Ultimate Plan of Nosferatu was to inject the Master Crystal into his heart, hence gaining the ability to absorb Soul Power. But the thing was, all of this was just theory on paper. The old man had no idea what would happen if he were to inject that thing into his heart.

    Drac only decided to inject it, as he was dying. He figured, that if the blood orb had the ability to heal wounds, maybe injecting Master Crystal might get him out of his conundrum. And thank god, he was right.

    I am glad that I was able to survive. He thought, At the same time I am pissed off as well. That bitch Victoria, at least could have tried to save me.

    He spat on the ground in her name.

    He then pushed himself out and stood up straight. The first thing that he noticed was, he felt taller. He looked down, to realize that gone was his brown skin, he was now pale now. The wounds from the previous night had also vanished, healed as if they were never there. His clothes had vanished, and he was standing naked there. But somehow, he was not feeling any cold.

    His muscles which he had built till now, were just gone. He had somehow become more lean, totally fucking up his body shape. Infuriating the whole situation was, but not so more than prickling sun ray, that seemed to be out to get him. The gentle rays of the sun that used to soothe him before now felt unbearable.

    I need to analyze what has happened to my body. Find some clothes, and then track down that bitch. I need to get my satchel back.

    Staggering with every step he took, he started moving forward. The sheer number of Vampas bodies that he came across made him question what the hell happened there, but he had no time to think. He was hungry at the moment, it felt that nothing had gone in his stomach for weeks. And he was famished.

    This is so infuriating. I should have never let those two women come along with me. I should have tortured them, got the information that I needed, and just dumped their bodies aside. I should have never mingled with them.

    It was then he stopped for a second because he realized that he had never used the word infuriating in his internal monologue before. Another difference was that he wanted to strangle someone, desperately. But he never had such a tendency before.

    Great. Wrath, really? Is that my sin? Making him groan inwardly.

    According to research by Nosferatu, the people who absorb Blood Orbs tend to get one of the seven deadly sins heightened.

    The first albino woman tried to him, as she was lazy. The sin heightened in her was of Sloth. Sara has the sin of Lust, Tara has the sin of Wrath, Yasmine has the sin of Pride and last but not least he figured that Kaisel probably has the sin of Greed.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Nosferatu was never able to find out why one of the seven deadly sins gets heightened in the users of Blood Orbs. As far as the effect of Master Crystal was concerned, he had no idea that the crystal would do something like this.

    It feels weird though.. Feeling wrath. He could feel a fire inside of him, that just wanted to burn everything around him. And there was no extinguishing this fire.

    While walking, another thing that he noticed was the depth of the snow. If he remembers it correctly, there was not a lot of snow that night that he injected the cube. But now, he could feel that he was walking in at least 10 inches of thick snow.

    I have been out for a long time. He could feel that his body had changed, but to what expect he didnt know. The cocoon, the bodily fluid¡­ Using common sense, my body surely had gone through a lot. But what exactly did happen?

    Then curiously he remembered another detail, the dead corpses of Vampas all around him. How did they die?

    Another thing to be curious about was the energy consumption. Where did his body get the energy to fundamentally change his body? And who even dictated what kind of changes should occur in him.

    Thinking about energy, he sensed his mana to realize the amount of mana that he used to possess had considerably diminished. Upon further probing, Drac came to an abrupt stop. All of his circles were now gone¡­

    ***

    When Drac stumbled into the small village that they originally came to, he was greeted quiet and slightly destroyed town. There were some buildings whose walls were either broken into or broken out of. But some remained intact.

    While walking around the ghost town he spotted many corpses, frozen in time, just like the day they perished. The cold had managed to keep the corpses intact, and not let the rot settle in. From the corpses that he had seen, it would have been safer to say that it would have been unbearable to walk through this place.

    Drac immediately got to work. First, he went to see whether he could get some clothes. He tried to look around for some food, but couldnt find anything eatable. The search eventually brought him back to the inn where they stayed, where in his room were two sacks full of grains.

    The snow had invaded the whole inn, from all the holes that the Vampas had made. While navigating through hallways littered with Sumor Soldiers, he eventually reached his room. The sacks that he was looking for were tucked in corners, still packed safely, and a thick layer of snow covered them.

    Well, this sorts the food problem, he thought.

    It was then that he noticed a broken piece of mirror, shining under the rays of the sun. He picked up and saw that his whole face had changed. He now had silky black short hair. His face was devoid of beard, his eyes were amber-red. The most noticeable difference was his ears. They were long and pointy and looked as if they were folded in themselves.

    Well, I guess now no one would be able to recognize me, he thought while feeling his new ears.

    It is then a sudden change in air occurred. Drac''s senses started going haywire, he sensed something from the north of the village. Something, which was tempting him to come to him.

    He lost control of his body, and without thinking anything he jumped from the third floor, landing on the soft snow beneath. Like a crazed dog after the slab of meat, he started running north. It was at the entrance of the village he saw a group of human making their way inside.

    His hunger intensified, his pace increased, and he reached new heights in his speed that he had never achieved.

    The group of humans were wearing armor and had weapons with them. Before, he would have thought twice before engaging such a group, but the sight of those being made him throw his rationality out of the window.

    Without thinking he just jumped on the nearest soldier that he came across, and bit the poor''s man neck.

    The man screamed with pain, it tried to push him away, but couldnt. It was like Drac''s teeth had really gotten deep and firmly held the flesh. He could taste the blood of a fellow human in his mouth, but he didnt care. There was this some sort of energy that he was sucking out of the man, that made him the best pleasure that he had experienced.

    It was a very strong kick to his head that flew him away a few feet, that made him snap to his senses. After landing he immediately stood up and had a good look at the people before him.

    There was a group of five before him, six if one counts the bleeding dead man. All of them were wearing heavy woolen clothes and were bearing a very familiar insignia of the Sumor Family.

    "What the fuck is that thing?" one of them yelled while pointing her sword at him.

    "It is a devil''s spawn," someone yelled, "Whatever it is.. That thing is strong and fast. Didnt you see, it took only a few seconds to kill poor Umbri," someone else added.

    Drac didnt recognize the soldiers, and the good thing was that they didnt recognize him. But now that he had killed one of their members, these guys are surely not going to let him go.

    He knew that he was stronger and faster than before. And from what he could sense, two of them were mana-wielders but were not that strong. If he wants then he takes them on.

    When he decided to take these guys, a sadistic smile took over his face, sending the chills down the soldier''s spine.

    The thought of killing them in cold blood, and biting their neck to get delicious energy sent new vigor to his body. For the first time in his life, he was about to kill some people not for the thrills, or to protect himself. For the first time, he was about to kill someone to quell the insatiable hunger in him¡­

 Chapter-48: Non-Human-2

    Sitting by the side of the corpses that he had just killed, Drac looked at the man struggling before him. He had broken the man¡¯s leg, so he couldnt run. The poor guy was crawling on the snow to get away from him. While crawling, he screamed for help, but no one was coming. It was a very pitiful sight, but to Drac, this was an opportunity to find out what he had truly become.

    Drac then lifted the sword by his side and made his way over the man. As he got the man to lie on his back, the poor guy started screaming with terror, begging for mercy. The pleading fell on dead ears, as Drac lifted the man¡¯s hand and made a cut on his palm. Like drinking soup, he then slurped the freshly pouring blood.

    Taste like.. Blood. But I have no sensation of getting energy.

    He then leaned forward to bite the neck of the man. While biting he noticed that his teeth had extended, and they had really dug into the man¡¯s neck. He could taste the blood in his mouth, and along with that, he could feel power leaving the man¡¯s body and coming to him.

    So, I am kind of like a vampire. A Soul-Sucking Vampire.

    He then let the man go and stood up. He glanced at the body that was lying around, feeling kind of sad for them. He doesn''t know how, but he could feel what these guys'' last moments were like. He could feel that most of them were scared, while some of them were sad that they were going to die like that. This made him sad.

    Wait a minute, now I can feel the wrath. And then sadness as well? Does this mean that I can feel all sorts of emotions now?

    Although it was good news for him, he finally had the ability that he yearned for most of his previous life, a part of him didnt like that he had lost his emotionless trait. It was because of this trait that he was able to be sane and make better decisions throughout his life. So, having lost such a trait, he didnt know what the future held for him.

    Speaking of the future, what were these guys doing here in the first place? Were they looking for food? Then he remembered the night when he turned into his current form. That night as well, he saw 3 dozen or so soldiers in the inn, which he felt was strange.

    We are definitely not in Sumor territory which warrants this many soldiers. Sumor Keep is far away from here. So what were these soldiers doing here in the first place?

    It was then he remembered a crucial detail of the night. The innkeeper that night said that all of her rooms were filled, the only room which was available was one of her expensive rooms. Not her most expensive room. Which meant that night, someone was occupying her most expensive room, maybe someone important from the Sumor family.

    Maybe I am reading too much into the situation, He thought. Still, to verify he started running towards the inn. Even his hunch was wrong, at least there he could get a change of clothes, his current one was soaked in blood.

    It didnt take him long to reach the inn, and get a change of clothes. Then he made it upstairs, towards the most expensive room of the inn.  As he went inside, he saw that the whole place was covered in snow, like the rest of the inn. Someone had left the window of the room open.

    He could not find any signs of Vampas entering this room, or any bodies. Which was a good thing. After looking around for a little bit, he came across some trunks, making him realize that his hunch might be right. The first trunk that he opened, he realized that this one belonged to a woman. Along with the opening, the smell of lilac filled his nose, which was a familiar scent to him.

    Helen. Helen Sumor. He then glanced at the other trunks and realized that this belonged to none other than the little twerp of the Sumor Family, Agatha, and Helen were in the capital from what I remember. So, what the fuck would have made them come all this way? Wouldn''t it be better to stay in the capital?

    Thinking about Helen and Agatha awakens some memories for him. And out of nowhere, an idea popped into his head. I wonder whether I should go and find them.

    There was no logical reason behind such a thought, it was just a whim. But the more Drac thought about it, the more he felt like doing it.

    It was strange as he should be angry at them. Because those fuckers didnt come to Sumor Castle, his plan of creating discord in the Sumor Family was ruined. As they were not there, he thought that it would be for the best if he helped Mikaila. From his point of view, it is because of them that he had become the monster, that he is now.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    If I track them just right, I can probably have my revenge and be on my way to find that bitch Victoria. He thought.

    Conflicted, he went to the window of the room to think about what he should do. If it were told me, he would have just gone after Victoria, as it was the most logical thing to do. But his emotions were getting off him, he wanted to meet Helen. He wanted to..

    Wait, am I lusting for Helen?

    He thought about his first mistress and realized that was simply not the case. Helen was beautiful, but not worth so much of his time. It is only after a few seconds that he realizes that he wanted to find the mother daughter, because of Agatha. He was worried about that little girl.

    Am I worried about her? His memories took him back, to when he took care of the little twerp and realized that he did care about her¡­

    Walking on the snowy path, Drac had his mind occupied with the emotions that he was dealing with. He was frustrated and angry that now his emotions were leading his action, as he was trying to find any clue about the mother and daughter duo. On the other hand, he was glad as well, that he didnt just listen to his brain.

    This is a very stupid decision.

    He was able to find signs that someone had left the inn alive, the snow had made sure to erase all the traces. But he did check all the bodies in the village, and couldnt find their traces. Thinking they might have left the village during the attack, like him, he increased the radius of his search. And didnt take him long to spot a trail of smoke, around 6-7km south of the village.

    Although the chance was slim that he would find Agatha or Helen there, he was still making his way towards the smoke. But he had promised himself that after this he would make his way to the Jonia Household. He had to make sure that he would catch the bitch Victoria before she leaves.

    With his speed, it didnt take him long to reach the place. And what greeted him there was not something that he expected.

    It was a rather big structure, from where the smoke was bellowing. The cross on the front made it rather easy for him to realize that he was looking at a church. But not like the typical churches, this one was big, around 3 stories tall, had like three towers, and had silver crosses of Lord Itab standing on each of the towers.

    I wonder if I would be permission to enter the place, He thought while recalling the old tales of vampires from Earth, where they could not enter any house without having permission from someone from inside.

    He went ahead and knocked on the front of the door. He could naturally feel that there were at least 3 dozen people inside. The good thing was that as he was feeling full, he didn''t think that he would attack anyone inside.

    Within a few seconds, the door was opened ajar, and a man peeked outside. ¡°Who¡­ Who are you?¡±

    Drac breathed in the man¡¯s odor and realized that he didnt want to eat the man. Not yet, at least. So he formed the fakest smile that he could muster and said, ¡°I am a mana wielder. Can I come inside?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± the man said and closed the door on his face.

    The fuck, He thought, I smiled. I SMILED YOU FUCKER!

    Now angry, he immediately punched the door with all of his might. The great doors of the church shook violently, but didnt budge. This made him angry as he was sure that if he had his two circles, he would have surely obliterated the door by now.

    He started punching the door with all his might, and within 2-3 punches that door started shaking. He started hearing screams of people from inside. Which made him punch even harder. For some reason, he was thoroughly enjoying the feeling of power. He liked the screams, it made him feel important, more powerful.

    And it only some punches, that completely obliterated the hinges of the door, knocking those things down for sure.

    As the door fell, he was greeted with a rather large praying hall. All the benches of the hall were stacked to the side. In the middle were mattresses and belongings of all the people of the church. On the other side of the church, just under the cross of the church were people. There were children and elderly in the mix, everyone looking at him with fear in their eyes.

    A genuine smile bloomed on his face, as he felt their fear. The smile only widened, when he spotted a familiar brunette in the mix, along with the daughter that he had been looking for.

    ¡°Helen Sumor,¡± he said as he took one step inside, only to jump back immediately. He didnt show it, but his feet felt as if they were burning as he stepped inside.

    Ignoring the pain, he said, ¡°I have come for you and your daughter. Come, right now,¡± Everyone in the room turned towards the woman.

    Helen came forward, hesitantly, then yelled back, ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°My name is¡­¡± He then realized that he could not tell his real name now. He doesn''t know why, at that moment he wanted to say that he was Nosferatu, but it was a very old-fashioned name, and he didnt want to stick with such a name for the rest of his life.

    Then he remembered what Nosferatu wrote in his letter, how the second-class member of the Ulaspas family used the surname ¡®Ula¡¯ to go by.

    With confidence, he replied, ¡°Name is Dracula. I am here to help you. Come,¡±

 Small Hiatus notice

    Hey everyone,

    As the notice says, I have to go on a small hiatus for a while. To be more specific, the hiatus will last until the end of this month. I am pursuing a Master''s degree in my home country, and this is exam month. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    I first thought I would be able to upload a chapter every alternate day, but having practically no stockpile my uploads are getting delayed repeatedly. That should not happen. So, I decided to go on a small hiatus for a while.

    Thank you guys for the love that you have shown this book.

    I will be back.

 Chapter-49: Emotions are shit

    Drac always used to wonder, what having emotions would be like.

    From his perspective, he could not understand why people cry when someone dies, after all, it was a natural process. What is there to be sad about?

    He could not understand what it was like to fall in love, he had heard a lot of weird things that people committed just because they were in love. For his brain, these acts seem stupid and redundant.

    Now he has emotions.

    With a scared child and woman following him in the snow tundra, he is now realizing that his dream of having emotions was very stupid. One that should have never come true.

    His care for Agatha had made him track her down, but now he had no idea what he was supposed to do with them. He is resistant to cold and does not need to eat human food. He eats human souls now, but that is another matter altogether.

    But those women are not resistant to cold. They need food and water to survive. There was no water scarcity around them, but the same could not be said for food. He doesn''t know what he should do in such a situation. His brain was telling him that ditching them would be a great idea, they would only be a burden for him. But he was reluctant to go through with the idea.

    He wants to find a way from which he could save both of them and then be on the way to track the bitch that stole his bag. But nothing was coming to his mind. At the same time, the animosity that they were showing him was not making things easier for him.

    ¡°What¡­ What do you want with us?¡± Helen spoke with a quivering voice.

    He glanced back and replied, ¡°I am here to save you both,¡±

    ¡°Save us?¡± Helen scoffed, ¡°How? You threatened that the whole church would be demolished if we dont come with you. How is that saving us? We were safe there,¡±

    ¡°For how long?¡± he asked, ¡°The beasts roaming these lands might have not been able to enter the church for now. But I could feel it, the holy element protecting the place was wearing down,¡± He bluffed.

    He knew the Holy element was harmful to Vampas, but a mana wielder possessing such an element is very rare. And from what he knows, there is no such mana wielder in a place like the Alanor Kingdom.

    Which begged the question of why he could not enter the church. No mana wielder had certainly blessed the place with a barrier, so why was he not able to enter? For now, he sets aside these thoughts as it is something that future he would have to look into.

    ¡°But we were safe there, we had food¡­ We had warmth..¡± Helen argued back.

    Now angry, he turned back, ¡°Are you that dumb!¡± he yelled at her, ¡°Look around you. We are walking in a snowy tundra. This is a tropical fucking island. The resources that you were speaking about would vanish in a blink of an eye. You need to get out of this place if you want to live,¡±

    ¡°Why!¡± she yelled back, tears streaming down her eyes,¡± What is it to you if we survive or not!¡±

    ¡°I dont care about you,¡± he snapped back, without thinking, ¡°I care about the little one. I just need to save her, you are the extra luggage here bitch,¡±

    It was then that he realized that he should have said that. On cue, Helen pulled her daughter closer to her, and asked, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    He sighed, ¡°Look.. The person who saved me asked me to make sure that Agatha Sumor survived. He didnt mention anything about her mother, or anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Who asked you to save her?¡±

    He had dug himself a swamp, so he had to improvise, ¡°I dont know. Some guy.. Butler of some sort. That fucker died while saving my life. On his dying breath, he asked me to save the young mistress of the Sumor Family.¡± He then turned around and started walking.

    Helen stayed glued to her place, in disbelief. It was then that the little girl asked, ¡°Who are you talking about?¡±

    He stopped and turned around, ¡°Never got to know the man¡¯s name. He had a cold face and he looked at everyone as if they owed him money,¡±

    ¡°Drac..¡± Helen mumbled, loud enough so that everyone heard her. She then quickly asked, ¡°How did he die?¡±

    He feigned that he was not with the question, and then sat down by a tree. He sighed for the last time and then finally relented, ¡°There were these beings¡­ Tall people with red eyes with white hair like snow. They came to my village, and they killed everyone there, except me. They kidnapped me and did all sorts of things to me. Things from which I shudder just thinking about it¡­¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    He gulped a big one, and continued, ¡°Then one day, a being size of me came into my prison. He freed me and told me that those big people were preparing to make me a scapegoat of some sort. We tried running away together, but in the end couldnt. But he sacrificed himself so that I could run away,¡±

    With anger in her voice, Agatha asked, ¡°Who were those guys?¡±

    He shrugged, ¡°Beats me. They never introduced themselves,¡±

    He then pushed himself up, ¡°But I know their plan. Those fuckers are trying to kill all the living beings on the Island.  It is due to their hunting the snow had fallen on this place. And if we want to survive, we need to get the fuck out of here,¡±

    He started moving again, with Helen and Agatha not far behind him. Helen sprinted to walk beside him, ¡°What is the plan?¡±

    ¡°I saw the freshly cut bodies of Sumor Soldiers in the nearby village¡­ Scouts probably, looking for both of you. I just need to make sure that you are in the custody of your household soldiers, then I will be on my way,¡±

    ¡°Do you have a way to get off the island?¡± Helen asked.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± he lied, thinking that there was no way that he was going to take them further.

    It was then Drac felt goosebumps rising all over his body. He started hearing a clicking and clacking noise reverberating all around him, making him come to a stop. He started looking around warily, trying to understand where the sound was coming from. Helen who was walking behind him asked, ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The noise.. Can''t you hear it?¡± he asked.

    ¡°No,¡± she then started looking around, ¡°What can you hear?¡±

    What is this sound? It sounds like¡­ something is clicking its teeth. He understood what was making that sound, but what he couldnt understand was where it was coming from. It is then he heard a rather loud sound.

    One of the Vampas screeched somewhere from his right.

    For some reason, he could understand that the Vampas were calling for help. Another screech made him realize that the Vampas were dealing with some strong individuals, approximately 5 people.

    Wait, I can understand the screeches of those creatures. What a weird power to have. He thought.

    It was then they spotted a firecracker burst from the area noises were coming from. The crackers burst, creating a purple smoke above the sky, ¡°That is the Sumor Family signal,¡± Helen exclaimed.

    ¡°Then we need to go and help them,¡± he said and started running towards the smoke.

    A part of him knew, that going there was stupid. He was not alone, he had two fragile humans with him, not to mention he didnt know how many Vampas were there. But he still went because he remembered the bodies of the Vampas that he found near his cocoon. He was sure that he didnt kill them, nor any external force did, because if that were the case they would have surely attacked his cocoon as well.

    It was a crazy assumption, but he figured that he might possess the ability to control the Vampas. To test the theory he started running to the smoke¡­

    With the sword in his hands, Drac barged into the clearing to spot a group of 5 soldiers standing with their backs against one another, facing three Vampas of the size of lions.

    For some reason when he entered the clearing, the Vampas ignored him. Using this chance he jumped high in the air and landed on the Vampas nearest to him, shoving his saber into the skull of the creature. The Vampas went down there and then.

    The other two Vampas then turned towards him, growling at him.

    Believing in himself, with authority he spoke, ¡°Get lost,¡± He felt an invisible wave exit his body, spreading all over like a shockwave, not visible to any of the humans around him. When the wave hit the Vampas, they growled in defiance for a few seconds, but then one retreated, closely followed by the other one.

    ¡°What the fuck was that!¡± one of the soldiers exclaimed.

    The plump one, from the group of soldiers came forward and gave him a bear hug, ¡°I dont know what you are, but thank you,¡± his voice started cracking up as well.

    Now stuck in an awkward position, Drac simply said, ¡°Ah.. It''s okay.¡±

    ¡°Let the man go you oaf,¡± came the woman from the soldiers, ¡°This is no way to treat a noble warrior,¡±

    The plump one let him go, ¡°I am sorry sire,¡±

    ¡°It''s alright,¡± he simply said.

    ¡°DRACULA!¡± came a voice, he turned around to see Helen and Agatha running towards them.

    ¡°Lady Helen!¡± the woman, the leader of the soldiers exclaimed. Helen seemed to have recognized them as well.

    As it turns out Helen knew the soldier in charge, and both were happy to see each other safe. While that was happening, Drac had detached himself from everyone and was staring at everyone¡¯s neck. He was tempted to bite the soldiers, as they were all mana-wielders. He was having temptation with Helen as well, but as she was downwind and he was moving in the front, he was able to bypass the temptation to some extent.

    But now, standing in front of a buffet, the temptation was getting wilder. Yeah, I cannot go to crowded places now. I just cannot.

    ¡°Milady, we can go to the camp.. It is around 10km away from here. Lord Daniel is in the camp, he is here for you both,¡±

    ¡°Father is here?¡± Agatha asked with a smile on her face.

    ¡°I dont think that would be a good idea,¡± Drac said. ¡°Night is going to fall upon us soon. The creatures usually go into a frenzy during the night. It is not safe to travel in the dark,¡±

    ¡°What do you suggest?¡± one of the soldiers asked.

    ¡°There is a deserted village nearby. I found a lot of those creatures'' bodies around the place, something is out there killing them all. Those creatures are avoiding that place like a plague. We can stay there,¡±

    ¡°What kind of being is hunting them?¡± someone asked.

    ¡°Dracula, are you sure that we would be safe there?¡± Helen further added.

    He nodded. ¡°I am sure. I have stayed in the village for two days myself. We would be safe there,¡±

    The soldiers weren''t ready to believe a stranger like him, Drac could see that in their eyes. And he didnt blame them, but in the end, they all agreed to spend the night in the village because Helen trusted him, at least for now¡­