Daniel's eyes lit up at the thought of magical artifacts. In this world, countless items held various uses and benefits, especially since runes existed, enabling blacksmiths to forge magical instruments.
These artifacts ranged from tiny pieces of jewelry that glowed at night to grand battle swords imbued with incredible powers and resilience.
Conflicts between races fueled the demand for these instruments, particularly pendants, which were often imbued with protective spells. The wars between vampires, werewolves, humans, and elves constantly escalated, creating a market ripe for magical creations.
As Daniel recalled his last history lesson, he remembered learning about the brutal conflicts with the werewolves to the west. The two races had been at odds for centuries, their animosity passed down through generations. Yet, despite the violence, there was something thrilling about living in a world filled with magic and fantastical creatures.
Wait, isn't it about time for my lesson? he thought suddenly.
Just then, a voice called out from a distance.
"Young Master Daniel, it's time for your history lesson."
It was one of the maids, dressed in the typical French black-and-white uniform, her long skirt trailing down to her shoes.
Her walking posture was elegant and graceful, and she wore glasses—not due to poor vision, but as part of her uniform.
Everything about her—her mannerisms, her speech, her style—reminded Daniel of a refined butler from his past life.
"Ah, yes. Thank you for the reminder." Daniel nodded at the maid before turning to his sister, who wore her usual nonchalant expression.
This was the face she displayed around others or subordinates; he rarely saw her smile unless they were alone.
"Well, sister, I'll head to my lesson now. Thanks for the gift!" He smiled warmly and followed the maid out.
Once he left, his expression shifted to one of exhaustion and boredom, though he quickly masked it. He had been playing the role of the "obedient young master" for as long as he could remember.
Once Daniel was gone, Alice's gentle facade melted away, revealing a cold and calculating expression.
"Oh… I can't wait to see what rune you awaken, little brother," she muttered, her voice darkening.
Her words dripped with a mixture of anticipation and malice, a stark contrast to the sweet demeanor she usually displayed.
A sinister aura leaked from her body for a brief moment as she smirked, a cruel glint flickering in her eyes.
"It's been a while… Maybe I should go out for a 'hunt' again," she whispered before leaving the garden herself.
Daniel was escorted to a lavish room—his usual place for lessons.
Already seated on a sofa was a woman of medium height, around 5'7". In this world, however, that was considered short.
The average height for women was around 6'2" or taller, at least from Daniel's observations. By those standards, this woman was definitely on the shorter side.
She had a bookish appearance, complete with thick glasses framing her face.
"Good evening, young master. How has your day been?" she greeted him politely, standing up.
"It has been a lovely day, teacher. How about you?" he replied.
"It's the same for me, young master. Now, shall we pick up from where we left off last time?"
"Of course, teacher. Last time, we discussed the various races of the world and their characteristics," he answered. This was their routine: he would summarize what they had covered in the previous class, and then they would continue.
"Great, you remember well." She nodded and opened a book for him.
"As you know, there are four major races that dominate the world: vampires, like you and me, whose appearances resemble those of humans and elves. However, one distinguishing feature is our fangs, which we use to drink blood, and our pale skin."
"Vampires are creatures of the night, unable to venture out into sunlight without getting burned. Despite this, we possess one of the highest affinities for magic. Moreover, we inherit blood arts from our lineage, allowing us mastery over blood."
"The blood arts are usually random and depend on our lineage. The stronger the lineage, the more powerful the blood art one is likely to inherit."
Daniel listened intently and asked, "Teacher, do you have a blood art?"
He found the concept fascinating; blood arts seemed much more interesting to him than magic.
Magic often awakened in women, but blood arts were random, giving everyone an equal chance to inherit them.
"Naturally. My lineage extends to the Soith family, known for producing some of the most exceptional scholars in the empire." She seemed proud as she extended her hand.
Multiple blood-red runes appeared before her, merging with her body and disappearing.
"Despite our scholarly reputation, our blood art is rather common. It's a form of martial arts called Dorohla," she added.
"Dorohla? How does that work? Isn't martial arts something you can learn on your own? How is it different from blood arts?" Daniel asked, intrigued.
"People often think that, but first of all, blood arts are closely guarded secrets of any vampire lineage. Second, few individuals are compatible with a particular martial art. This martial art has been passed down through my family's blood; the more I master it, the more it will reveal itself to me. Unless I voluntarily disclose its secrets, no one could learn it."
"What if someone forces us to reveal those secrets?" he pressed.
"Even then, it would be futile. We take a blood oath upon inheriting our family blood arts, which forbids us from disclosing its secrets to outsiders." She smiled, finding Daniel's curiosity quite cute. He seemed genuinely interested in blood arts, which was unusual; typically, only women showed such enthusiasm.
"Woah, teacher, you said that this is one of common ones, right? What does that mean?"
"Blood arts can be varying from family to family or lineage to lineage, martial arts being passed down as blood arts are one of the most common forms of blood arts among vampires. You will see a lot of baronies and even some counties with martial arts as their blood arts."
"On the other hand, there are lineages with rich history and ancestry such as yours, young master, you may not know of this but your father comes down from the royal lineage of the empire." she said with admiration.
'Damn!' Daniel felt stunned.