“Did I miss it?”
Hexion Requid, the elder of Pahera, looked at the retreating vampire with an expression of disappointment. He had a face that suggested he was hit hard by the unexpected evasion.
Hexion squinted for a moment, peering beyond the damaged castle wall to gauge whether he could still give chase.
“That’s not gonna work.”
He shook his head as he caught sight of the vampire, already a dot in the distance. The speed of its escape was astonishing.
Hexion wasn’t confident that he could catch the vampire before it could hide itself in the notorious elves’ forest.
Even if he could catch up, considering that the vampire would undoubtedly desperately flee to avoid a fatal wound, the chances of actually catching it seemed pretty slim.
“I should have pierced its heart with my spear right away.”
Hexion retrieved his spear, now lodged in the cracked castle wall, unable to hide his disappointment. Ultimately, he had only increased the cost of repairing the wall.
He honestly admitted that he had been a bit careless. He never imagined the vampire would dodge his full-powered throw, and so, the moment the spear left his hand, he reflexively stopped moving.
If he had charged right after throwing the spear, he might not have missed. But as always, it was pointless to lament over just the outcome.
“Lord Requid! What happened?!”
Freheit, the second son of the Duke of Pahera, finally caught up to Hexion, panting as he asked. Now that he thought about it, he had dashed off without any explanation, making Hexion feel somewhat awkward as he replied.
“I’m sorry. I spotted a vampire entering the city, and it was escaping.”
“Oh! I see. Did you kill it?”
Freheit nodded and asked casually for confirmation. His inquiry was about whether it had been killed, but judging by his demeanor, he didn’t seem to consider the possibility that it might have escaped.
It was a kind of trust.
The mightiest knight of Pahera, who had guarded this land for decades, would surely not let a vampire, cowardly living off beastmen without the courage for a frontal battle, escape his spear.
However, Hexion’s response was enough to surprise Freheit.
“No. I missed it. It didn’t seem like the usual riffraff.”
“What? You mean it dodged Lord Requid’s spear?”
Seeing Hexion shake his head, Freheit was taken aback.
Pahera’s headache stemmed from the chronic manpower shortage caused by the incessant attacks from enemies that were impossible to eradicate; it wasn’t because individual beastmen or vampires were too strong to handle.
Particularly, the vampires that had shown up until now could hardly be considered formidable. They had been seen as nothing more than fodder for the beastmen, so Freheit couldn’t help but be surprised.
“I aimed for its heart, but it somehow sensed it and twisted its body. Still, I pierced its shoulder and nailed it to the castle wall, yet it cut off its own arm and fled without hesitation. That’s not something an ordinary creature would do.”
Given that it didn’t completely evade the attack, Hexion could grudgingly acknowledge its survival instinct as commendable. Or perhaps he might have dismissed it as luck.
However, more than that, the actions it took after being struck were genuinely impressive.
Deciding without the slightest hesitation to sever its own arm to escape was something that even a vampire with tremendous regenerative abilities wouldn’t easily possess.
Unlike most bumbling vampires that appeared around here, this one was experienced in combat.
What Hexion had witnessed was merely the moment it severed its arm and ran away, but just that decisive action led him to suspect this vampire would rank as a noble among the aristocracy.
“This is serious. There hasn’t been a standout vampire among those we’ve dealt with so far.”
“From its speed, it looks like it might have been a lesser noble vampire I encountered long ago. Of course, being fast isn’t everything, so I’d have to test it in a proper back-and-forth to know for sure.”
A lesser noble vampire. Lesser nobility was notorious for being able to decimate a small frontier village alone, making it a foe that shouldn’t be underestimated.
Compared to the living disasters stationed in the duchy, it was still relatively minor, but from a general perspective, it was powerful enough.
“By the way, wasn’t there intel that the head of the forest’s vampires is a lesser noble from the Helraig Duchy?”
“I’ve heard rumors, but I was skeptical as there hasn’t been any sighting information. But seems like there are some truth to it.”
“With beastmen already being a nuisance, now we’ve got this headache. I was hoping they’d continue hiding in the woods like before.”
Freheit seemed particularly bothered. Given that his family’s territory was a lawless city that never ran out of bloodshed, it was perfectly reasonable.
Hexion, who had been seen as a knight since Freheit was a child, at this moment had the demeanor of a friendly old man next door.
“If it doesn’t come back, that’s fine. If it does, we can just kill it then. No need to worry.”
“Just like Lord Requid always says! I’m really relieved that you’re here!”
Boom!!
Just as the mood was beginning to lift, a massive noise shook the air from a distance. It seemed the mad beastmen were trying to smash the castle wall again.
Startled, Freheit and Hexion recalled where they had originally been heading.
For now, dealing with the beastmen was priority number one. They set aside any tension towards the unknown leader of the forest vampires, Ludrik, and resumed their actions.
*
I dove into the midst of the hazy fog and didn’t pause for breath until I had run for quite some time.
Surely, they wouldn’t have chased me this far. Paranoia about the possibility of a spear flying towards me from behind kept my nerves taut, but thankfully, there was no maniac out here with the skill to snipe from beyond the fog.
Damn spear-thrower. One day, no matter what, I’m going to kill that guy.
I instinctively rubbed my left shoulder. The smooth skin was intact, without even a blemish, but the torn cloak and exposed left arm clearly testified that the recent events were no lie.
To think a thrown spear could pack that kind of punch. It’s so ridiculous, I could laugh.
If I had hesitated even a moment, I’d be a frozen corpse with a pierced heart by now. Just thinking about it sent chills down my spine.
I refuse to die. After making it this far, I’m determined to survive until the very end, no matter what.
Still, I’ll need to be extra cautious for a while. There might not be many of those monstrous humans around, but as I am now, it’s impossible for me to sense them if they conceal their presence.
It’s convenient, which makes it easy to fall into a trap, but the combat power measurement device implanted in my nose is far from foolproof.
In the first place, strong individuals emitting good scents is, in itself, ambiguous. There are no clear standards for strength.
Nonetheless, I’ve learned a valuable lesson from this incident. If someone stronger than me is intent on hiding their presence, I won’t be able to alert myself just through scent.
While it’s convenient to gauge the number and location of weaker enemies, relying too heavily on one method can lead to paying such a blood price.
“Maybe that’s why Martini told me not to trust my senses too much.”
She could be right. Ultimately, it was my instinct to feel danger that had me twisting my body to avoid the spear; I hadn’t even sensed its presence until it was too late.
“But anyway, I’m still unscathed. Returning with just one arm severed isn’t that bad of a deal.”
I reflexively yanked my arm back, determined to leave as little trace as possible, yet even if I hadn’t, I could easily regenerate an arm in no time.
At this point, calling it an injury seems absurd.
I walked slowly to collect my thoughts.
First, I’ll need to revise my plan of going out hunting every day a bit.
For a while, I should lay low; even when I have to go out, I shouldn’t aim to fill time but make a quick exit at the right moment.
The beastmen just had a grand fight today, so it’ll likely be calm for a few days.
After experiencing all this, I could definitely tell that the beastmen’s presence is significant. If they hadn’t been around, the castle walls wouldn’t have been nearly as vulnerable.
I’m realizing I can’t overlook the wisdom of survival in daily life.
When I first heard about the hunting methods of the vampires here, I thought they merely clung onto the beastmen’s battles out of weakness, but now I can understand how they’ve survived all this time.
Alright, I should lay low until the next beastmen expedition comes around.
It might look cowardly, but that’s okay. Pride doesn’t put food on the table.
Most keys to the future lie hidden in the wisdom left by those who came before.
First things first, I need to gather information. I should learn precisely how these vampires have managed to survive.
But right now, there’s something more immediate to attend to.
When I was close to the village and began sensing other vampires nearby, I pulled my torn cloak, trying hard to keep my left arm from showing.
“I mustn’t underestimate them. The enemy isn’t just humans.”
I walked confidently, staying alert for any watcher lurking in the shadows.
Having caused a ruckus yesterday, the Security Maintenance Force would surely be on alert for me. Even in my current state, if that spear-thrower were to confront them, they likely wouldn’t survive either, but that won’t matter if I become their excuse.
It’s no surprise that what you know shapes what you see.
Losing an arm isn’t much of an issue for me, but that’s only because my regeneration is far superior to the other mediocre vampires. If they see me look like this, their thoughts will be unmistakable.
They’d think, “Oh, look at that brash girl who came back from her first hunt beaten up already.” I can’t stand the idea of them getting overconfident and crawling back to me.
Walking as nonchalantly as possible, I soon reached the tent. The familiar presence from inside finally made me feel like I was home again.
As I reached for the entrance quietly, I suddenly paused, realizing a critical mistake.
“…Wait, why am I thinking of it as coming home?”
I would never feel attachment to a shabby tent after just one day. If I felt any attachment, it would probably be due to someone inside, not the tent itself.
There’s only one person in here. So I realized, without needing to think hard, who this peculiar nostalgia was stemming from.
“Me? To someone else? What the hell?”
I felt uncomfortable all of a sudden.
There was no way I’d have any affection to give to someone. I had thrown all that away long ago.
Well, I guess one can develop attachment to a pet or a familiar object. Yeah, that must be it.
Finding a reasonable explanation put me in a better mood again. Thank goodness I’m not going crazy.
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