When Scarlet, who had been right in front of him, suddenly vanished, a whirlwind of thoughts crossed Lowell’s mind.
“Am I abandoned? Was my intuition wrong?”
As a group of about a dozen human mercenaries approached him, Lowell found himself utterly helpless.
Running away would be pointless. If there were this many humans who made a living through combat, the chances of escaping this situation were slim.
“Surely, there wouldn’t be a vampire willing to share their prey so easily… right?”
Despite knowing better than anyone that nothing in this world is free, Lowell wondered if he had rushed into trust, blinded by his hunger.
But the various speculations racing through his mind did not lead to regret.
Suddenly, the sharp screams of humans echoed, and the Scarlet he thought had left appeared in the midst of the mercenaries.
By the time he realized what had happened, one human mercenary had already lost their life. And the fact that no one had noticed the strange occurrence until one of their comrades was killed led Lowell to one conclusion.
“That was definitely dark magic.”
Dark magic. Often seen by other races as the epitome of vampires, it primarily interferes with one’s senses and consciousness.
However, from the perspective of vampires, this statement is both right and wrong.
The progenitor of vampires, known as the embodiment of dark spirits, increased its kin by infusing its blood into humans and other beings in the past.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that all the traits and abilities of the progeny stem from a single drop of the progenitor’s blood inside them.
The blood of the progenitor is a huge mystery and power in itself. By merely accepting a few drops of this blood, humans transform into a completely different race.
Those who have become progeny of vampires lose the right to walk under the sun and must rely on the blood of others for their life force, but in return, they are liberated from the constraints of aging and gain regenerative abilities, powerful physical traits, and an affinity for dark magic.
What is noteworthy here is that what is gained is not dark magic itself, but an “affinity” for dark magic.
Unlike the skills developed over time through hard work like fighting, not every progeny automatically knows how to use dark magic just because they have become a vampire.
The progenitor, being an embodiment of dark spirits, might wield magic with the ease of its own limbs, but those who inherit just a sprinkle of affinity from the progenitor’s blood cannot use dark magic if they don’t know how to wield it.
Moreover, the further the bloodline descends—from first progeny to second, and from second to third—the lighter the progenitor’s blood and the weaker the affinity for dark magic.
If one does not meet the affinity requirement, no matter how proficient one is in theory, using dark magic is impossible. After all, magic has never solely belonged to the talented, regardless of the school.
Ultimately, the vampires capable of using dark magic can only exist among those who possess sufficient affinity and had either the opportunity to learn magic from others or enough talent to figure it out on their own.
And those vampires are none other than the nobility of the duchy.
Since only other vampires can teach the trademark dark magic of vampires, it is only natural that powerful vampires with both affinity and talent gather in the duchy.
Thus, from the perspective of other races, given the vigorous and proactive actions of the noble vampires of the duchy, it only seems that every vampire can handle dark magic.
In reality, the ordinary vampires living silently across the continent can barely train their close combat skills and usually don’t even dream of mastering magic.
In that sense, Scarlet using dark magic was almost like confessing her noble ancestry from the duchy.
Lowell reflected on this. Although he had anticipated that Scarlet might be a powerful vampire, the moment she disappeared, he immediately thought of the possibility of betrayal rather than magic.
Was he too accustomed to a life of exploitation? After all, trust is the lifeblood of a merchant, yet he had harbored doubts, regretting his own weakness.
Scarlet began to move again. Lowell opened his eyes wide, trying to capture her movements.
Ultimately, it was a futile attempt. Before he could see or understand anything, the entire situation was over.
It was overwhelming. So swift that it was impossible to follow with his eyes.
Each time Scarlet vanished from sight, the mercenaries started to fall one by one. All Lowell could discern were brief, blurry afterimages—suddenly, amidst screams, a fountain of blood erupted as lives were lost.
In just about ten seconds, eleven mercenaries lost their lives.
Yet, even after displaying strength that made Lowell doubt his own eyes, Scarlet remained unfazed.
With not a single wound and having swept away her armed enemies, she casually licked her lips as if it were only natural, then, as promised, she handed over a prey to Lowell and began focusing on drinking blood.
That was when Lowell locked eyes with her for the first time. In the moment their gazes met, what Lowell felt was awe and fear.
Her deep, bottomless eyes seemed to promise a void. As she approached, her glistening gaze, still holding the nape of her human meal, conveyed an unsettling and sticky obsession that went beyond mere hunger.
To defy her meant death. Even though she didn’t show any hostility, Lowell was certain of it.
It wasn’t about satisfying her thirst; it was as if she was afflicted with an obsession to consume blood, frantically draining it. By the end, including an extra victim, she had fed on eleven souls.
For an ordinary vampire, that amount could last nearly half a year if rationed well.
But, this insatiable glutton seemed to think it wasn’t enough and intended to continue hunting.
“You can go now. I know the way back.”
Upon hearing those words, Lowell stepped back without hesitation. He was well aware of his place.
If he lingered any longer during Scarlet’s hunting, he would undoubtedly find himself unable to withstand it. She must have known this, hence her considerate warning.
Quickly slipping away from the castle wall, Lowell fled back into the forest, arriving at his current location.
“Will Scarlet return? …No, she surely will.”
When hunting in Pahera, awareness and quick reflexes are the most important.
While beastmen were joyously clashing with humans, one had to either slip through a gap in the chaos or climb over the castle wall to eat without drawing attention, thus increasing survival odds.
So, facing numerous mercenaries or soldiers and not backing down but instead daring to dig deeper would be akin to suicide in the eyes of the vampire inhabitants of the Mist Labyrinth.
Yet, still, Lowell was confident Scarlet would come back.
Though he didn’t know the story behind her appearance in such a place, surely a vampire of noble lineage from the duchy wouldn’t recklessly push forward without a plan.
More importantly, Lowell was curious about what was driving her so relentlessly.
“She seemed like someone running from something. She had no composure.”
There are vampires who consume blood beyond necessity, but it didn’t seem like that was Scarlet’s intent.
While feeding, Scarlet appeared to tremble from the ecstasy of the act, but instead of relishing the moment, she seemed hurried, desperate to drink more in a short time.
That was certainly not the meal of a strong being. It was far from the etiquette of a gourmet.
“Why would such a powerful individual be like this?”
The overly sharp senses of this merchant vampire speculated hastily, grappling with a visible enemy he did not perceive.
The mind of a merchant never rested. Lowell found himself collecting valuable information on Scarlet’s hunting habits while realizing that he alone was privy to such a magnificent spectacle and her mastery of dark magic.
“Actually, it would be more accurate to say she demonstrated than I merely witnessed.”
Upon reflection, he recognized it was true. Scarlet had hinted that if Lowell could prove his usefulness, he might receive further opportunities.
So, she wasn’t just finishing calculations for a single exchange of information followed by one prey, but anticipated something more from him in the future.
“Ah, so that’s it.”
Only then did Lowell comprehend the hidden intentions behind Scarlet’s statements and actions.
That must have been why she used dark magic before him without hesitation and exposed her twisted obsession. She was revealing herself as the kind of vampire she was, signaling whether he would still dare to join her side.
From another perspective, it was also a cautionary message about how he should conduct himself going forward.
Having demonstrated her noble power, she urged him to think carefully about which side to align with, hinting that she would be watching him and warning him not to harbor any foolish thoughts.
“If so, then it means there would be consequences if I didn’t prove my worth.”
Shivering at the realization of the significance embedded in every minor word and deed of Scarlet’s, Lowell felt a wave of fear. He had once thought himself clever enough as a merchant, but he was no match for the political finesse of nobility.
Determined to gather useful information and not disappoint her, Lowell pictured Scarlet as a noble vampire who fled the duchy, cloaked in blood and intrigue.
Even if it led him to a strange place, his merchant’s calculator would not pause. Even now, he was intent on making the best choice to stay alive.
“Regardless of the circumstances, Scarlet is better than the Security Maintenance Force. She doesn’t seem weaker than Ludrik in strength. If I maintain a proper distance instead of digging too deep, things should improve.”
Thus, with countless worries swirling in his mind, Lowell’s night fell into darkness.
He was closer to the truth than anyone, yet the clever man deftly withdrew, unaware that Aria casually used dark magic among vampires, considering it more scarce than it really was, failing to realize that her actions held no deeper meaning.
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