Why was the young vampire lady fleeing like she was being chased by a terrible monster? What caused her to look relieved when she discovered that nobody was behind her? Why did she suddenly fall down?
Brandel gripped the strap of the bag that slung across his shoulder. No expression could be seen on his face. He looked at the lovely figure lying on the grass without much ripples in his eyes... because none of the questions above actually crossed his mind.
Now that he was no longer in a territory overseen by strong vampires, the only thought that came to him was the words of the various nobles and church leaders from the Homines Empire.
'Kill at every opportunity you get.'
'One less vampire would mean one less enemy.' They added.
At this very moment, Brandel was truly considering whether to end the life of the vampirette before him. It was not because of questionable morality or anything as he was a knight whose moral conduct was guaranteed by the church and the royals. It was simply because the two of them were from opposing empires and races. On top of this, ever since he was little, he was educated that although vampires could also function in a society with rules, the latter was still the same bunch of monsters. A bunch of merciless unfeeling predators that slaughtered for fun and fed on countless innocent humans and waged countless wars for several millennia.
'This one must be a sheltered vampire lady that has never met a human before.' Brandel did not intentionally forget that he was a human. What he meant was that the girl had not met any other human apart from him who was also weaker and less vigilant than him.
He clearly remembered how this vampire lady named Melissa reacted when he saw his red blood. Because he was in a vampire town, she assumed that he was a vampire who possessed a trick to transform one's natural blood color. Had it been another older vampire, they would have immediately gone after Brandel's life. Her uncommon reaction showed how naive and inexperienced she was. But...
'All vampires are the same, right? Their natural instinct is to conquer, destroy, and plunder, like bandits that roam the mountainous parts of Homines. Yes, one less vampire means one less enemy. So why would I hesitate?'
With a ruthless glint in his eyes, he reached for his weapon that was hidden in his clothes.
However, a moment later, the short sword that he pulled out did not get stabbed into the young vampire girl's heart. It instead impaled a wild boar that charged from behind Melissa. In instant, the beast that was attracted by the purplish blood oozing from the lady's wounds dropped dead.
With just a blade that was not even a meter long, Brandel cut it down in half, fully displaying the might of a royal-acknowledged knight.
Yes, at that moment, he remembered his real identity before he was sent as a spy by the royals of Homines.
He was a knight. And no knight would take pride in hurting an unarmed woman, be it a vampire or a human.
Brandel inhaled deeply then turned around. He walked several steps, clearly intending to leave the unconscious vampirette on the roadside. It was already deep kindness that he spared her life, he thought.
Yet not even a minute passed and he paused his steps.
"Dammit!" He cursed in a low voice.
In the end, Brandel returned to Melissa's side, then carefully carried her on his back. Before the night passed midnight, the two appeared in a small village where Brandel sought the local doctor to ask for help.
Of course, after that, having deemed that he had fulfilled his part as a righteous knight, the man tried to leave right away.
"I'm leaving now. I'm not related to her."
He explained that he only chanced upon the vampirette on his way to the capital. The doctor who treated the poison on the girl's body immediately understood that Brandel was in a hurry and wanted to take no more trouble with him.
But the vampire doctor gave the unconscious lady a glance before he said to Brandel.
"Young lad, it's okay to leave. But I think it's better to take her with you. If you look closely, you will see the family crest of the renowned Edevane family on her. She must be an Edevane. If you take her with you, I'm sure the lady will repay your grace once you arrive at the capital where her family resides."
Brandel's eventually stopped just when he was about to reach the door. His iris dilated. As a spy, he had stayed in a remote vampire town. But his actual identity was that of a nobleman from a Marquis family of the Homines Empire. There was no way somebody like him would not be educated about the various influential vampire families of the opposing empire.
'She's related to Count Edevane?'
Brandel went silent as the cogwheels in his brain turned. He remembered that the said vampire noble was indeed living in the capital of Estania.
"What I don't understand is why she's in this area without a single guard with her." He heard the vampire doctor murmur.
"All I know is that she appears to be fleeing from some assassins."
"Oh. Of course, she had to be. The poison won't come from anybody who bears no ill-will toward her." Brandel then heard the other add, "Is she the newly found daughter of the Count? If so, it makes sense then."
"Why so?" He could not contain his curiosity.
"I can't say for sure, young lad. But if she is who I think she is, then she must be unfavored in her House. The incumbent Count and the Countess did not watch her grow up after all. Then there's the eldest young lady who definitely wants no competition for the title of Countess."
'... So how do you know so much?' Brandel gave the vampire doctor a curious glance. Had he not confirmed twice that he was in a village many miles away from the central region of Estania, he would have wondered if he was already in the capital.
Actually, the Laxon family of the Homines Empire was not that left behind when it came to information about the vampire nobles. After all, it was common sense that vampires had difficulty propagating so centuries might pass without a family gaining a new member. In the Edevane clan, the last member recorded was the one known as Lady Marietta, the lady most likely to inherit the title.
But this was Brandel's first time hearing that the Count had another daughter and this daughter was at most five years younger than him.
How would this change the situation in that House? Was there an ongoing battle for heirship there?
Brandel's eyes flickered for a moment for obtaining a new piece of information. When he gazed at Melissa's sleeping figure, he was thinking about how his homeland could capitalize on this intel.
To the doctor's eyes, it appeared like the young man was thinking of ways to climb the social ladders in the capital.
Shaking his head, the old-looking vampire mirthfully thought to himself, 'What a wonderful world we live in is. Intrigue is everywhere. In a few years, I might hear of another non-blood-related member of the Edevanes. Good for this lad to be both young and handsome.'
His thoughts made it apparent that the way vampires look at things was sometimes really different from humans.
Brandel could not care less about the vampire doctor's weird gaze though. Although gaining information was always more than appreciated, being involved in trouble was not. He knew his identity would become more subject to scrutiny if he associated himself deeply with the aristocrats of the vampire empire.
"Anyway, thank you for the heads-up. Unfortunately, I'm really in a hurry and can't afford to wait for the young lady to wake up."
"Ah?" When the vampire doctor heard the young man's words, a surprised expression showed on his face. He put down his glass of blood that he was about to enjoy.
The vampire doctor hurriedly said, "Are you sure? Young lad, this is an opportunity hard to come by for commoner vampires like us. Both of us will definitely be rewarded regardless of the young lady's standing in her House. Nobles are like that. They value face and reputation. However, if you leave just like that, I doubt the lady would exert effort to find you just so she could give you your reward."
The door of the clinic opened. Brandel left a few gold coins on the table next to the door before he went out.
"It's okay," he replied without looking back at the chatty doctor. He really did not want to watch a vampire drink blood regardless of where it came from. "I don't think any noble can give me what I want anyway."
"... That. Okay. That makes me wonder why you said that."
In the wooden bed that only had a thin black cover, Melissa slowly opened her eyes. She had long awakened but chose to keep quiet to listen to their conversation. However, like Brandel, her nose scrunched up at the scent that was picked up. Although she was also a vampire, she was truly very repulsed by the sweet smell because she knew it was from a human, most likely a 'domesticated' one. She began to make retching noises which alerted the two other men in the place.
Brandel who was about to walk away turned his head by instinct to see the source of the noises.
His eyes widened when he saw the vampire young lady reach for the glass in the doctor's hand only to throw it far outside through the window.