Wox had come to Clyde’s tavern, just as he always did whenever he visited the town. He had not expected to hear something about vampires there. And the ones who talked about it seemed to be very important figures. One of them had mentioned the high priest, and it was highly unlikely that normal people knew the high priest. On top of that, he seemed to be connected to the imperial knights as well.
But it was not because those men seemed connected to the high priest and imperial knights that Wox had come here. He had always lived like this. Whenever he heard anything about vampires, he followed it without a single speck of doubt, even if there was only a slim chance of the information being true.
And that was what had brought him to this castle.
Just as Wox was about to enter the hall, he saw them. Inside the hall ahead, two figures stood facing each other.
One was on his knees, bound by some kind of magic, and the other was standing in front of him.
“There really are vampires,” he chuckled softly, his eyes moving from the kneeling vampire to the one standing in front of him.
“How is there a human here?” Rip said sharply. Then his red eyes narrowed. He stared at Wox for a second. “No… that’s not right. You’re not human. Who are you?”
“What does it matter to you who I am?”
“…That scent,” Rip muttered. “I can feel it coming from you. But how… how is there still one left?”
“I’ll answer your question,” Wox said, “but why don’t you answer my question first. I’m searching for a vampire who has a cross-shaped mark on his left cheek.”
Rip frowned slightly. For a moment, silence filled the hall. Then Rip let out a short laugh. “Hah… do you really think I’d answer that?”
Wox’s lips curved in a faint mocking smirk. “Of course not. It’s written clearly on your face that you want a good beating.”
***
Rip’s expression darkened instantly.
“…Good,” he said coldly. “That saves me the trouble.”
His nails lengthened into sharp claws.
“It’s a good thing I found you. I’ll kill you here… so there are no more of your kind left.”
“I would like to see you try. But I don’t think you have what it takes to kill me.”
“You damn bastard,” Rip snapped. “You dare step into my domain?”
In the next instant Rip vanished.
Then reappeared behind Wox. His claws slashed toward Wox’s throat. But Wox reacted instantly. He caught Rip’s hand mid-strike. Then, with brute force, he slammed him down onto the floor.
Wox shook his head slowly. “Trying to use cheap tricks on me? I didn’t know you were this foolish.”
Rip pushed himself up, his face twisted with rage. “Then take this, you damn mutt.”
But even as he spoke, his mind raced.
Of course I didn’t think that would work on him. I didn’t want to use my blood magic here, because I have something important coming up. But it looks like I don’t have any choice but to use it.
Vampires were strong in brute force, but what made them truly dangerous was their blood magic. They could create weapons from blood and manipulate them at will. But blood magic consumes too much vitality.
Rip was aiming for something greater. He wanted to become a Legion Commander. That was why he had served Kaerosh for years, doing all kinds of dirty work, following every order like a loyal slave. And in the end, it had finally paid off. Kaerosh had recommended his name for Legion Commander. The test was coming up soon.
But to earn the Legion Commander’s position, one had to pass the test set by the vampire lord and prove their worth in front of all by fighting the other competitors. For that, he needed to conserve his strength as much as possible.
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