Christoph woke up in his room after he was beaten half an inch to death by Ambrosia. However, the young man dodged the lethal stab from the lulling foil sword towards the end. As a reward, he was left to die another day.
The first thing he thought after waking up was, 'She is dangerous.'
The second thought was, 'I need blood.'
Christoph got off the bed and came to the mini-fridge in his room. The young man opened the fridge and picked up a bottle of blood. He sighed, and after removing the lid, he gulped the contents. After a week of adjustment, he had gotten used to the taste of blood.
Of course, it was not human blood. In his studies, he found that human blood would leave a strong scent on his person, and the hunters would come after him. Christoph did not want to consume human blood either.
As he was making up for the blood loss. The door of his room was knocked. Christoph opened the door and found Evelyn standing on the other side. The lady said, "The lady has called you to meet in the garden."
The young man nodded and dressed in a black t-shirt and blue jeans before leaving the room. After the fight, he was moved to his room and not appropriately dressed.
A few minutes later, Christoph arrived at the garden and found Ambrosia leaning back in her rocking chair under the pavilion. She was reading a book with Vincent and Evelyn standing behind her. The old man was gazing at Christoph very intently.
The change and growth of this young man within the last week had been a topic of discussion among the staff. The women were charmed by him, and the men felt incompetent. Christoph was not an average human. He was just unaware of the dark side of the world.
To make him adjust to the new life, Ambrosia asked Vincent to arrange a few menial tasks for him around the manor. The young man did not refuse and accepted all the tasks. He smartly followed the trend and assimilated his abilities, like enhanced speed and enhanced strength, to complete his tasks.
Christoph bowed to Ambrosia and asked, "Miss Silvermoon, you called me?"
Ambrosia nodded without peeling away her gaze from the book's pages. She said, "What do you want to do from now on?"
Christoph was not surprised by this sudden question. He was aware that one day he would be asked this question. The answer was also prepared. He said, "I would like to stay here more. However, I would not take things for granted and would like to work under you."
Ambrosia finally raised her eyes and looked at Christoph as she said, "You understand what respect and honor are. The Silvermoon family always conducts themselves with honor. I would like to have you work in the manor. However, not everyone is qualified to serve a Noble Family."
Christoph knew that Silvermoon was one of the vampire noble families. However, Ambrosia was the only original member. She was a purebred vampire, at least a few hundred years old. Her words indicated that she would be conducting a test.
This scene gave Christoph a deja vu. He nodded and said, "I am willing to be tested."
Ambrosia nodded and said, "Evelyn will tell you about it."
Christoph bowed his head and looked at Evelyn, who nodded faintly, and the two people turned around to leave the place. Christoph suddenly heard Ambrosia saying, "Use the instinct you have held back until now. It will never have the power to command you, but some changes are inevitable. Holding back will hinder your growth."
Christoph froze in his spot and replied, "Thank you for your advice."
The young man did not tell her about this. He was holding back a feeling, like whenever he engaged in an act of violence, his body wanted to go further than just fighting. He wanted to destroy everything before him. This was why his iron punching pole would be all dingy and ruined. When he was holding back, he also restricted his range of movement and strength.
The young man followed Evelyn silently with his head drowned in contemplation. He did not notice when they came to a room called the armory. This place was where the arms and ammunition were stored. Christoph had been to this place once. However, that was only to familiarize me with the equipment.
Evelyn said, "One of the servants under the family banner has gone rogue. The task is to kill that guy before the hunters catch him."
Christoph opened his eyes wide and asked, "What do you mean by going rogue? Is this guy hunting for humans?"
Evelyn nodded and said, "This guy was called in with a duel notice, but he did not respond. That was his second violation. The Silvermoon house does not need people who do not appreciate a fair chance at redemption."
Christoph nodded solemnly and asked, "So, how do I go about it?"
While browsing the weapon shelves, Evelyn replied, "Do you want it to be quick and clean? Or do you wish to test your mettle and see if you can hold your ground?"
Christoph was confused and said, "I have no idea what I should do. What will you suggest? What was your first task?"
Evelyn shook her head and said, "I was recruited because I killed the vampire under the Silvermoon family."
Christoph opened his eyes wide, and the lady said, "That man was my biological father. He abused my mother and kept her as his blood slave. So when I was seven, I killed him in cold blood. Lady Silvermoon found me and took me under her wing."
The young man did not know how to react to this news. Though Evelyn showed no emotion, Christoph said, "I am sorry."
Evelyn looked at him and wanted to say that it did not matter, but he was not showing any pity to her. It was just a figure of speech stating that he felt bad for her situation. She nodded, and the young man looked at one of the shelves.
He said, "I will take the second option."
This was unexpected, but Evelyn nodded to him. Christoph knew then that it would be inevitable to wash his hands clean of all the dark things he would need to do in this life.
He was no longer a human, so he needed to outgrow the act too. Looking at this, Evelyn passed him a t-shirt and said, "This thing is a Kevlar under armor. If you are out on assignments, this can save your life."
Christoph asked, "Vampires can be shot dead?"
Evelyn sighed and said, "We are not invincible. A direct hit feels like a knockout punch and can disorient you. If not for this under armor, the impact can also take away a good chunk of flesh, and then you will have to make up for it on the spot."
Christoph nodded, and the lady passed him a flask resembling a silver vessel. The lady said, "This flask is an emergency supply of blood. Look at this."
She held the flask and ran her finger in circles over the crest engraved twice. Then she poured the content into her mouth, but it was not blood and only a transparent liquid. Evelyn explained, "This is the mechanism to activate a secret compartment inside the flask. It carries liquor. In case a human approaches you in a busy night scene for a drink. Just do this. This will allow you to avoid the hunters too."
Christoph asked, "I have been wanting to ask, "How do these hunters look for us?"
Evelyn replied, "Just like we have the pawns, they have familiars. They catch these vampires and carve a magical crest on their flesh. This crest will make the vampire follow all and every order from them. Mostly they use the 'captured' for reverse tracking."
Christoph nodded and said, "This is why we must catch the man. So that he could not be used against the family?"
Evelyn nodded and said, "It is not that the hunters would dare to go against the lady. They cannot stand the rage of an original. However, they will hinder everyone other than the lady."
Christoph asked while he picked up a simple silver dagger, "The records said that the hunters agreed they would only act as supervisors for the Vampire society. Do they have to hunt them down?"
Evelyn shook her head and said, "An elephant has two sets of teeth, Christoph."
The young man nodded and stowed away the gear carefully. When he was done, Evelyn said, "Put on something that makes you feel confident."
Christoph asked, "A tuxedo?"
The lady shrugged and said, "If that is what it takes to turn you into a vicious assassin."
Christoph picked up an AMT hardballer in his right hand and was fiddling with it. Evelyn said, "Go get ready. We leave in twenty minutes."
The young man nodded and left with the gun in his hand. Evelyn looked at his back, and then she mumbled, "Lady, are you sure you want him to go through this?"