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Late at Night, Estalia, Codfish Inn, Luxury Suite.
This suite was the best room in the Codfish Inn, though it was merely a 30-square-meter space divided into a sitting area and a bedroom by a decorative screen. Besides its slightly luxurious decor, there wasn't much that set it apart.
Olica, the dark elf, wore only a thin red velvet nightgown. She lay on the soft bed, her face flushed and body languid like a contented cat, basking in the afterglow of their bath together.
Ryan gently applied ointment to her face. Thanks to the treatment, the swelling from the vampire's claw marks had mostly subsided, and the wounds were healing nicely. He smiled and pinched her cheek playfully before kissing her smooth, soft skin. "There, this should prevent any scars."
"Mm~" Olica's mind was still lost in the blissful memory of their bath. Her legs felt weak and unsteady as she leaned affectionately against Ryan. The dark elf reached for a gilded iron box, retrieving a pair of white thigh-high stockings and lace garter belts. Stretching out her long, elegant leg, she slipped the garter over her delicate foot, slowly pulling the stockings up, the sheer fabric gently caressing her skin until it reached mid-thigh, where she fastened it with a soft click.
Soon, Olica was dressed in her nightwear. She snuggled into Ryan's embrace, breathing in his soothing aura, and closed her eyes.
"You encountered a high-level vampire," Ryan murmured, lacking any trace of sleepiness. He sat at the head of the bed, gently stroking his dark elf maid's back. Turning to Veronica, who was lying on the couch reading, he continued, "This complicates things. Olica has expended her mana and needs time to recover. Alfred is injured and needs rest. We should have gone to the inn ourselves and sent them to the farmhouse instead."
Veronica, reclining on the couch with a book on High Elf light magic, wore a light tan and coffee-colored pleated silk dress. The delicate sash accentuated her slim waist, and her legs, smooth and alabaster, peeked through the slit in her skirt.
At Ryan's words, the Garland Witch, her dark brown hair tied into a ponytail, lifted her graceful, intelligent face and mocked, "Oh, feeling sorry for your childhood friend and your dark elf maid, are we?"
"Alfred has his Holy Shield spell; he wasn't going to die." Ryan looked at Veronica from about three meters away and chuckled. "What do you think?"
"Give it a rest, my dear knight. Even if we switched places with your old nephew, we'd face similar challenges. Do you think a Cyclops is any easier to handle than a high-level vampire?" Veronica set the High Elf magic book on the table with a scoff. "You think without our coordination and your raw power to fend off the Cyclops, your old nephew could defeat it in five minutes with just a Paladin and a dark elf mage? The only difference is in fighting power, darling. If it were you against that high-level vampire, with me blocking the escape routes, you'd have killed her in no time."
Ryan's gaze shifted from the ceiling to the warm yellow magic lamp. He pondered for a moment, then smiled wryly. "Perhaps you're right, Veronica."
"As for the future, you needn't worry. Duke Bohemond and his Sea God Knights will land and deal with those rogue knights. All we need to do is follow their charge and we can head back to Bretonnia." Veronica yawned and stretched, her tone carrying a hint of warning. "Ryan, we should finish our business here and leave immediately. If the Knights of Magritte really still exist, we'd best avoid getting tangled up with them. We're here on Duke Bohemond's behalf, not to make sacrifices for his cause."
"If possible, I'd rather not stir up trouble. But now that the Lahmia vampires are involved, I can't just stand by and let them incite a civil war among humans or infiltrate the knights," Ryan countered. He understood that Veronica wanted to retrieve the Sea God's Trident and head back for their reward, but his sense of duty and responsibility wouldn't let him ignore the broader issue. "We have to resolve the situation thoroughly before considering our exit."
"Alright. No matter what, you're my man. If you insist, I'll support you." Veronica smiled wryly. "I guess that's why I fell for you."
"Thank you," Ryan said warmly. Veronica always stood by him on crucial matters, despite her sharp tongue. When it came to important decisions, she knew where to draw the line.
It seemed they had talked long enough. Veronica shifted her position on the sofa, curling her legs beneath her. She voiced a lingering curiosity, "By the way, Lahmia vampires? What's their story? Do vampires have different clans?"
Olica, who appeared to be asleep, opened her eyes, evidently interested in the information about vampires. "That female vampire could speak Dark Elvish."
"Indeed, vampires are divided into clans," Ryan confirmed, beginning to recount the history of vampires.
The origins of vampires are shrouded in mystery. What is known is that vampires are creations of Nagash, the Lord of the Undead. Those who accepted Nagash's gift gained near-immortal life and bodies far stronger than mortals, but they were also cursed with an insatiable thirst for blood. Over time, this craving would grow so intense that vampires would degenerate into lower forms of vampiric beasts. Thus, while vampires are long-lived, they are not truly immortal.
The first vampires, known as the Blood Ancestors, were immensely powerful. However, as their bloodlines were passed down, the vampire blood became diluted and weaker. Over time, five major vampire families emerged.
The vampire Federmond and his group encountered belonged to the Lahmia bloodline.
The Lahmia vampires are descended from Neferata, the Vampire Queen, the first human noble willingly turned into a vampire to preserve her beauty. Neferata has no interest in power or ruling the world. She prefers to remain in her palace, enjoying her eternal youth. Consequently, most of her progeny are noblewomen and widows. Among the vampire clans, the Lahmia bloodline is the most adept at infiltrating human society. They have little ambition and often support human rule to maintain their aristocratic lifestyle.
Interestingly, the Lich King Arkhan the Black and Neferata were once lovers.
The second vampire clan is the Necrarchs, descended from W'soran. W'soran was a master of dark and necromantic magic. Thanks to these arts, the Necrarchs do not need to feed on blood and are immune to the corrupting influence of Chaos. However, W'soran perished during a campaign with Nagash. Without their Blood Ancestor, the Necrarch clan has dwindled to a few members, living in isolation and studying magic until they eventually fade away.
The third clan is the Strigoi, whose Blood Ancestor was Ushoran. Ushoran established a magnificent undead kingdom in the Badlands of the southern Old World, known as Strigos. However, this kingdom was soon overwhelmed by endless waves of greenskins. Ushoran fled to seek aid but was refused by other vampires and eventually fell in battle. With the loss of their Blood Ancestor, the Strigoi vampires have gone mad, becoming vengeful and irrational creatures.
The fourth clan is the famed Blood Dragons, founded by Abhorash, the great Blood Dragon Lord. Abhorash's legendary exploits have already been mentioned, so there's no need to repeat them. After the founding of Bretonnia, the Green Knight and Abhorash fought a titanic duel, which ended in a draw. Pleased with the challenge, Abhorash swore never to trouble the knightly kingdom again.
Incidentally, Abhorash once served as Neferata's captain of the guard and was also her lover.
The last and most infamous clan is the Von Carsteins. Their Blood Ancestor, Vlad von Carstein, a charismatic and formidable leader, married Isabella, the daughter of the Elector Count of Sylvania, Otto, and took control of Sylvania, transforming it into a realm of the undead. When the time was right, Vlad initiated the Vampire Wars and nearly conquered the Empire at the Siege of Altdorf. He was ultimately killed in a mutual death blow with Grand Theogonist Wilhelm, leading to the collapse of the vampire army. Isabella, stricken with grief, took her own life.
Vlad was succeeded by Konrad von Carstein, a mad warrior and tactical genius who troubled the Empire greatly until he was killed during a battle when he was overcome by bloodlust mid-duel, distracted by drinking blood, and then slain by a joint effort of a dwarf lord and an imperial elector count.
The third and last of the von Carstein vampire counts was Mannfred von Carstein, the most cunning of them all. He was finally killed by Prince Martin, Elector Count of Stirland, at the Battle of Hel Fenn, marking the end of the Vampire Wars.
As a side note, before marrying Isabella, Vlad also had a romantic relationship with Neferata.
"Five clans. So, we've tangled with the Lahmia clan?" Veronica instinctively foresaw trouble.
"Master, necromantic magic originates from dark magic," Olica interjected to fill in a gap in Ryan's account. "Several sorceresses once fled into the Nehekhara desert and were captured by Nagash, who was then a priest of the Tomb Kings. Nagash forced them to
teach him dark magic, and his necromancy and other studies were all based on dark magic. That's why I used Elvish to ask the vampire which clan she belonged to, and she replied in Elvish, somewhat surprised."
"It seems this female Lahmia vampire wasn't looking for a fight. She just wanted to silence witnesses," Ryan nodded. "The Lahmia clan is like that. I suppose when she saw your group—a Holy Grail Knight, a Templar Knight, and a dark elf dark mage—she realized it would be difficult. Did she try to negotiate?"
"How could a Holy Grail Knight and a Templar Knight negotiate with a vampire?" Veronica cut in before Olica could respond. "Of course, they went straight to fighting. Now we'll have to deal with the fallout from a high-level vampire."
High-level vampires were vastly different from ordinary ones. They were few in number, immensely powerful, and very hard to kill permanently. Even if one was thoroughly slain, beheaded, and its heart pierced, another high-level vampire or a necromancer could revive it by sharing a significant portion of their own blood and magic.
Mannfred von Carstein was a famous example, having been killed and resurrected multiple times. He always had contingency plans for his revival after death.
Vlad and Konrad von Carstein, however, had never considered this. Since their deaths during the Vampire Wars, they had remained dead, both because the cost of revival was too high and because they had never planned for it.
"You're overthinking it, my dear. Resurrection isn't so simple," Ryan reassured, holding the soft, pliant dark elf in his arms and subtly slipping his hand under her nightgown. "The Lahmia vampires aren't as united as the Blood Dragons or as ambitious as the von Carsteins. That female vampire was killed by a Holy Grail Knight's anointed sword and a Templar Knight's holy water. Reviving her would require a tremendous sacrifice. Do you think any other high-level vampire would expend over half their blood and a vast amount of magic to resurrect someone unrelated to them?"
Veronica felt a weight lift from her shoulders at Ryan's words. She slid off the couch and climbed into bed with Ryan and Olica, nudging him playfully. "Hey~ What do you think?"
"Think about what?" Ryan was puzzled by Veronica's question.
"That female vampire! Don't you think she was beautiful?" Veronica's scent of rose perfume wafted as she teased, "Isn't that your type?"
"Do you think I'd get aroused over a corpse with its heart ripped out, charred black, and missing a head?" Ryan eyed Veronica, his first love, skeptically.
"So, if you faced an intact vampire lady, you would get aroused?" Veronica wasn't letting this go. She taunted, "Look at your harem—witches, knights, electors, the Lady's chosen, and a dark elf maid. Adding a vampire lady isn't far-fetched~"
"Pfft~ Hahaha!" Ryan laughed heartily and shook his head. Holding up two fingers, he said, "First, I promised Sulia before our wedding that these would be the only ones in my life. It's a husband's vow."
"Second, I would never bring a vampire lady into our lives," Ryan added with a shiver. "Absolutely not."
"Why not?" Veronica was genuinely curious. Despite knowing Ryan for a decade, there were still many aspects of his life shrouded in mystery.
"If I ever brought home a vampire lady, my father would probably break my 'member' and then tear it off," Ryan said with a hint of fear. "And my absolutely loyal and secretive older brother would smash my head in with one punch."
"Hahahaha!" Veronica laughed uncontrollably, while Olica buried her head in Ryan's chest, giggling.
It was now midnight, and they realized how long they had been talking. Ryan took the initiative, "Alright, we've said enough. Time to rest."
"Mm," Veronica yawned again, genuinely tired. Ryan lovingly tucked her and the dark elf in, leaving a goodnight kiss on each of their foreheads. "Sleep well."
The Codfish Inn finally fell into a quiet slumber.
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Three Days Later, Estalia, North of Magritte, Morros Plain.
Ryan and his group encountered an unexpected Imperial army.
"Imperial troops?! What are they doing here?" Alfred, still wrapped in bandages, exclaimed in disbelief.
Balthasar Gelt, the Supreme Alchemist of the Empire, descended from the sky on his pegasus "Quicksilver." He greeted, "Long time no see, Sir Ryan."
"Long time no see, Supreme Alchemist," Ryan responded.
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