A crimson flash of light streaked through the dark forest, momentarily chasing the shadows back. Creatures of all sorts ducked back into the foliage, momentarily taken aback by the red intrusion.
Stella sprinted through the forest at inhuman speed, her figure and flying red hair resembling a crimson bolt of lightning. Even monsters and beasts inhabiting the forest instinctively darted out of the way, not wanting to be trampled by the swift vampire's steps.
"My body feels so…light!"
Even though Stella had gotten used to her new physique after training so hard under Valerie, she had never truly gone all out before. This was the first time she was running at full speed. Well, that wasn't exactly true – Stella was careful not to expend all of her energy and stamina in this single burst of velocity. Despite her lack of experience, she was still a well-trained and skilled knight.
She was aware that she needed to conserve at least a good amount of strength in order to fight someone of Mikhail's level. The dual elemental mage wasn't an opponent she could afford to underestimate. It would do her no good if she reached the Gensies' convoy in record time, only to be too winded and breathless to proficiently engage the enemy.
By the way, Stella was swinging her hands in rhythm with her legs, pumping them as quickly as possible to propel herself forward. In other words, she wasn't doing the Inuyasha or Naruto or ninja run. You know, the way in which they ran with their hands stretched by their sides and pointing behind instead of pumping them normally like what most runners do? I never understood why they did that. Maybe it was just easier to animate them that way…
"…is this a result of me becoming a vampire?" Stella wondered. "This speed…this strength…this power!"
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the natural mana in the air settle around her. She flexed her muscles even as she continued to run, exploring her limits. Perhaps she could enhance her speed further with magic.
Unlike the lord she had pledged her loyalty to, Stella was aware that she lacked an affinity with magic. When she was young, she had tried out all sorts of tests. The ministry of magic in the Havan Kingdom would often hold trials to find potential candidates for mages. Theoretically, it was possible for anyone to become a mage if they worked hard enough, but in almost all cases, it was one's affinity with a specific element (or several elements in certain cases) that determined whether an individual had an aptitude for magic at all.
And Stella didn't pass those tests.
However, vampires naturally had an affinity with blood magic. Of course, just like humans, there would be some vampires with greater affinity with blood magic than others – and already Stella could see that her lord possessed superior affinity to blood magic than she did.
Even so, she wasn't impractical enough to discard an advantage when she possessed one. Recalling the lessons that Valerie had imparted to her, she gathered her mana about herself and cast a body enhancement spell. Using blood magic, she strengthened her body – particularly her legs. Kicking off the ground, she suddenly found herself streaking through the air faster than before.
"I can do this!"
Giddy with delight, Stella excitedly surged forward, snapping branches and foliage unfortunate enough to be in her path. Each of her steps left small craters in the ground, and her explosive momentum hurled her forward, almost like a bullet propelled from the barrel of a gun.
"Good…as long as I regulate my mana expenditure, I can increase my speed without using up too much strength!"
Elated, Stella continued hurtling through the forest. She was determined to reach the Gensies before Mikhail wiped them out. She knew she wouldn't be able to save all of them. According to Wilson, the insane mage had already slaughtered a significant number of the convoy.
Closing her eyes, Stella remembered briefly the time she had spent with the Gensies. They might be foreigners, traveling from the west in search of trade and fresh tales, but they were most definitely good people. They had warmly shared their food with Stella and her party, welcomed them to their camp, and swapped stories.
The night was one she would remember for the rest of her life. A brief moment where she could relax for once, enjoy good company and genuinely smile for the first time in a long while. After the violent death of her sister, Stella had few reasons to smile…to be happy.
Last night was the first time in a long while that she had truly felt happy. When she could, just for a short moment, forget about all the business about death, violence and vengeance.
She understood what motivated her master. He had been betrayed and therefore he sought revenge on those who had turned their backs on him, abandoned him to his death…even tried to murder him in cold blood. She had heard Miranda confess that in front of her, seen the utter lack of guilt and remorse.
She had experienced firsthand what sort of cruel monsters the members of the strongest "Hero" party were. And like her lord, she had sought revenge on a member who had raped and killed her sister, and then attempted to do the same to her.
She had experienced satisfaction and joy when her lord helped her avenge her sister and herself. Bradley was a piece of scum. He deserved his fate. Stella held no doubts about that. She would deliver his punishment again in a heartbeat, if he was still alive, and ensured that he stayed dead. The same went for Miranda. After all that she did to so many innocent villagers, the bitch deserved capital punishment.
That was why she understood the necessity of her lord's quest for revenge. These scum did not deserve to live. And they had to prevent future victims.
Also…Stella wanted to see the future that her lord promised to bring.
She was not a slave or a cardboard cut-out, one-dimensional heroine whose entire existence and purpose revolved around serving a male protagonist. She was an actual person with her own goals and principles. She had a strong sense of duty.
The future of coexistence…of peace…she wanted to see such a future become reality. She had a feeling that her master would be able to bring it about, and she vowed to do everything within her power to help him realize it.
She had lost her parents to war, and then her sister to a corrupted noble who was supposed to be a hero. She didn't want to lose anyone else…she didn't want to see anyone suffer the ravages of war, the loss of their family members and loved ones.
To that end, she had to eliminate the villains threatening the safety of the citizens of Havan Kingdom!
"That's…!"
Thanks to her vampire physique, Stella could see in the dark. Right ahead of her was a woman in a familiar-looking dress. The blue and white long dress, with the red scarf covering her head. She was lying on the ground, motionless.
"No…!"
Stella felt a stab of despair and she accelerated, reaching the fallen woman in seconds. Kneeling beside her, she checked the woman, only to discover that she was too late.
"Damn it!"
Stella gritted her teeth and banged her fist against the ground. Just from a glance, she could surmised what had happened. Most likely, the woman had been running away from something before she was cut down. The wound looked like it was created by a thick, sharp object. A spear, from the appearance. It had punched cleanly through her gut and exited from her front. A pool of blood had expanded beneath the corpse and had yet to dry.
She didn't die too long ago.
A spear…in other words, Mikhail. The woman must have been running away from Mikhail. That probably meant Stella was close to the rest of the Gensies.
Worse, Stella recognized this lady. She was one of those who had offered her party food last night. The skewers…Stella had also seen her dancing with her husband, the friendly man who had coaxed her and her lord to relax and dance. She had a lovely smile, and had been thoroughly enjoying herself in front of the campfire just last night.
And now she was dead, her life robbed by a lunatic mage who thought of non-mages as nothing more than cattle.
"I'm sorry…I didn't make it in time."
Closing her eyes briefly, Stella whispered a prayer to the gods and then reached out to close the woman's eyes. The poor lady's expression had been frozen in a display of shock and horror, her mouth still open in a silent scream. Swallowing, Stella then rose to her feet and readied to run toward the greater part of the convoy. She had no time to waste. There might still be several survivors…such as this lady's husband, perhaps. Stella continued to hold out hope that she would be able to save somebody. Anybody.
"Ah?!"
Stella let out a gasp of astonishment when the woman suddenly jolted up, her eyes opening wide. The mouth – still open – began to let out a shrill scream. The red-haired knight quickly crouched down to grab her, to calm her down, but the woman began convulsing.
Then…Stella felt the ominous outpour of mana emanating from the woman. Bone began snapping in thunderous cracks, only to re-forge themselves in twisted shapes. Muscles bulged and bubbled unnaturally, and the woman's body grew, the fabric of her dress tearing as her size outgrew that of her clothing. The transforming woman surged to her feet with a wail, her fingers turning into claws and her head elongating. Her spine surged out of the base of her waist and continued growing into a whip-like tail that was all bone. Skeletal appendages burst out of her shoulders, arching like wings and ending in bony scythes. Her lower jaw split apart like mandibles and a forked tongue slit out. Yellow eyes reflected the red-haired knight in its reptilian pupils.
"W…what the hell is this?!"
Even as she cried out, Stella knew inwardly what was going on. This must be Mikhail's doing. He wasn't just a subordinate of Miranda's, he was her ardent follower and disciple. He must have learned some of those horrifying experiments from his beloved mistress and enacted them on the unfortunate Gensies.
With a bloodcurdling shriek, the mutated woman lunged at Stella.
"No!!!"
Tears streaming from her eyes, Stella drew her sword and swung it. The creature intercepted her blade with its claws and smacked it aside. With a snarl, it stabbed its tail at her, and the knight dove to the side and rolled away. Rising to her feet, she deflected a slash and responded with a riposte.
The creature caught her blade with a claw and then kicked at her. Stella just barely parried the talon foot with her elbow and she was sent skidding backward.
"…how strong!"
Whatever Mikhail did to transform the poor Gensies into monsters, it also augmented their physical strength, speed and reflexes.
Even so, Stella remained undaunted. She kept an eye on her opponent, its mandibles clacking. The teeth that rose from both lower jaws had lengthened into fangs, and drool spilled from its ruined mouth.
However, Stella didn't feel disgust. She felt pity…and pain in her heart. The poor woman. She must be suffering…this was a fate far worse than death.
"Don't worry. I'll end your pain soon enough."
Taking a deep breath, Stella infused her sword with mana. Once again, the blade flared crimson. Righting her stance, Stella then thrust her sword forward.
With a murderous screech, the transformed woman also hurled herself at the knight. Her bony tail whipped about and the protrusions from her shoulders in aggression. Stella didn't flinch and continued to plunge her sword forward.
In the middle of the dark forest, blade and claws, metal and bone collided in a deafening clash.