[Vol. 7] Chapter 101: Why Did the Lazy King Suddenly Get Serious?
The Vampire Prince, Augustine Constantius, and that Avrilia Constantius… Who would’ve thought she’d run into them again? What a strange twist of fate…
With the sudden battle ending as abruptly as it began, Violet, who had arrived late and hadn’t immediately joined the fight for certain reasons, led her group to regroup with Team [Tree], all while quietly speculating on why the vampires had shown up here.
Earlier, Hongyan had sensed a subtle feeling of being watched. It turned out that it came from Augustine’s familiar, or rather, a small bat that served a similar purpose. From the moment they entered the manor and split up, that bat had been tailing and observing them using some kind of concealment magic. Although the priestess had noticed it long ago, she chose not to expose or destroy it.
Her reasoning was simple. As she had mentioned before, these two vampires were most likely not on the same side as the Church of Truth. In fact, they were probably direct enemies. Their presence here was likely for the same reasons Violet and her team had come.
At the very least, based on her previous encounters with them, these "laid-back slackers" of the vampire race were not the type to wander around causing trouble for no reason. Hunting for food occasionally was one thing, but taking the effort to stir up major chaos like real villains? That was harder than making them climb the heavens.
Since it clearly wasn’t their doing, then the reason for their arrival was easy to guess. Just like what had happened in the Human United Kingdom and the Holy Empire, someone had likely "invited" them here. Some radical faction within the vampire race, or other related figures, were probably stirring up trouble again, forcing these two lazy leaders to step in and clean up the mess.
In fact, the first time Violet encountered Shadow Realm and mirror world technology back in the Human United Kingdom’s Forgotten Lands, it had also been tied to another vampire duke, Aphra Constantius. This proved that the vampire race had already mastered some aspects of this mysterious technology.
Looking at it that way, didn’t everything start to make sense?
"Ugh, I can’t stand it. Why the hell are vampires suddenly showing up in a place like this? First, they attack us out of nowhere, then they suddenly say it was all a misunderstanding and just fly off? So frustrating! Just because he’s a prince, he can do whatever he wants?!"
Sophie was still grumbling with resentment over the whole situation, while the rest of [Tree] team had regrouped and were performing a quick post-battle check.
"As expected of a legendary-tier priest… Thank you, Miss Violet."
Feeling the wounds on his body rapidly heal and even his broken arm reconnecting naturally, Branch, the scholar who had taken the most serious damage in battle, was visibly surprised. However, he didn’t forget to bow his head in thanks to the priestess treating him.
"It’s nothing. Since we’re on the same team, I can’t just stand around doing nothing, right? I already felt bad for not helping earlier."
The black-haired girl had only cast a simple [Basic Healing Spell], but before she could say anything more, Enrique, the team leader, quickly reassured her.
"That’s not true, Miss Violet. The situation caught us all off guard. No one expected two incredibly powerful high-ranking vampires to show up here. They’re princes, some of the strongest in the entire vampire race, true mythical beings. Hesitating in front of someone like that is completely normal. It’s a good thing they left on their own…"
Still shaken by Augustine’s overwhelming power, Sophie adjusted her shield and cautiously scanned the area.
"Yeah… but who knows if they’ll come back or not… Big brother, what do we do now?"
"There’s not much we can do. Mythical beings aren’t something ordinary people can just fight head-on. That Augustine guy said he wasn’t our enemy, and high-ranking vampires, especially those at the top, care a lot about their pride. They rarely lie about things like this. Since he said so, we can only take his word for it."
Enrique glanced up at the ceiling of the hall, which had been shattered in the earlier battle, then spoke after a brief pause.
"No matter what, we’ve come this far, and we can’t turn back now. Our priority is to find a way into the cultists' real base as soon as possible. Once reinforcements arrive, we’ll wipe them out in one go. What do you all think?"
No one objected.
"Alright, let’s continue searching separately. The fact that a vampire prince showed up here is surprising, but it also proves that this place is far from ordinary. Stay alert, everyone."
…………………………………
Meanwhile, in the forest outside the manor…
A swarm of dark red bats descended from the sky, transforming back into two figures, an old man and a young woman. The moment they landed, Avrilia Constantius, the vampire duchess, spoke up in frustration.
"Uncle Augustine, why did you stop me back there?! We finally caught them slipping!"
The elderly vampire, dressed in a simple tailcoat, glanced at her and shook his head helplessly.
"Avrilia, you’re too impulsive. Our job was only to monitor the situation from the outside and step in to assist Lucine when needed. We were never supposed to reveal ourselves. It’s not the right time yet. If they realize high-ranking vampires are nearby, they might change their ritual plans on the spot, leaving Lucine empty-handed or even walking into an ambush."
"But that’s exactly why we should’ve taken them out! What if they run inside and warn the others…?"
"Foolish girl… Can’t you see it yet? They aren’t Church of Truth followers. They’re adventurers who came from somewhere else to investigate. And considering their skill level, they’re probably at least a full team of legendary-ranked adventurers."
Avrilia’s eyes widened in disbelief, unwilling to accept it.
"But I saw—!"
Augustine waved his hand, cutting her off, then nodded slightly.
"I understand what you’re thinking, but something about this situation doesn’t add up. Normally, people from the same faction wouldn’t destroy their own entrance like that. That was clearly a signal, a statement. That black-haired girl noticed us long ago."
"Under normal circumstances, since you already attacked and exposed yourself, I would have dealt with them. Either eliminating them or capturing them to prevent word from getting out. However…"
The old prince’s dark red eyes, aged but still sharp, flickered with an unusual light. He turned toward the distant manor, where sunlight cast long shadows over the landscape, his expression unreadable.
"They have far more hidden trump cards than you think. Based on [Blood Perception], at least three of them possess abilities capable of actually harming me. And then there’s that black-haired girl. The one who never made a move from start to finish. I couldn’t sense any trace of blood flow within her body."
"What?! That’s impossible!"
Avrilia gasped, covering her lips in shock.
"It may seem unbelievable, but it’s the truth. Fighting them wouldn’t benefit us in any way, and worse, we’d even risk losing. That’s why I decided to withdraw immediately."