Free Web NovelChapter 18: 18: Forest Road (3)
Peter finally coughed, and it almost sounded like a laugh. Jenny looked tired, but even she smiled a little for the first time since the mansion burned. It was a small smile and did not last long, but it existed. Lucard noticed it and found it useless. Still, the heart curse inside his chest became quieter. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
The second day was harder.
Peter’s wounds became hot, and fever started touching his body. Lucard stopped the bleeding again, but he could not remove infection properly yet. He needed herbs or proper healing magic. Jenny knew some basic noble household medicine and found bitter leaves near a stream. She crushed them and placed them over Peter’s wounds. Peter thanked her, but his face showed that the medicine burned. Jake said it smelled worse than old socks left in the rain, and Jenny told him not to compare medicine to socks while people were suffering.
Lucard watched them from a distance.
This mortal family was strange. Their house had been destroyed. Their parents were dead. They were being hunted. Yet the boy could still complain about the smell of leaves, and Jenny could still scold him like they were at a normal breakfast table. Mortals were fragile, but their minds sometimes held together in stupid ways. Perhaps that was why they survived so much despite being weak.
By afternoon, they reached an abandoned roadside shrine.
It was a small stone structure covered in moss. The statue inside had no head, and the name of the god had been scratched away long ago. Peter said many old shrines like this existed near Ravencroft land. Some belonged to forgotten death gods. Some belonged to ancestor spirits. Some were built by people who wanted protection from the dead, which sounded foolish to Lucard because dead things did not care about stone houses unless someone useful was buried under them.
They rested there for a short time.
Jenny asked Peter about House Ravencroft.
Peter leaned against the shrine wall and said, "Baron Ravencroft was loyal to your father. Their family is strange, but they keep their promises. The first son, Lord Adrian Ravencroft, was chosen as your fiancé when you were both children."
Jenny looked down. "I have met him only twice."
Jake looked at her. "Is he nice?"
Jenny paused. "He was polite."
Jake frowned. "That is not the same as nice."
Lucard looked at Jake and said, "Sometimes being polite is worse."
Jenny gave Lucard a tired look. "You are not helping."
"I am not trying to."
Peter said, "House Ravencroft has mages. Their Bone Whisper bloodline allows them to sense old burial sites and traces of death magic. Their city is built near ancient tomb fields. Many nobles avoid them, but because of that, enemies also think twice before attacking their land."
Lucard became interested in the mention of death magic.
Death magic, old tombs, ancient burial sites, and a family of mages could be useful. There might be old blood traces in their land. There might be hidden corpses of strong people. There might be records about bloodlines, curses, and relics. He had planned to leave Jenny and Jake there and go his own way, but perhaps House Ravencroft was worth looking at for a short time.
Only for a short time.
That was what he told himself.
Near evening of the second day, they met trouble again.
Three men blocked the road ahead.
They wore traveler cloaks, but their boots were too clean, and their weapons were too ready. Lucard knew immediately that they were waiting for someone. The tallest one smiled when he saw Jenny’s red dress and Jake’s golden hair.
"There they are," the man said.
Peter stepped forward with his sword, even though his body was still feverish. "Stay behind me."
Lucard walked past him.
Peter frowned. "Young Master Lucard."
Lucard did not stop. "You are shaking. If you fight now, you will fall before they do."
The tallest man laughed. "Is that the bastard? I thought he died."
Lucard looked at him. "You should have kept thinking that."
The man raised his sword, but Lucard had already moved. After reaching the First Blood Circle, his body was stronger. Not by a huge amount, but enough. He ducked under the first swing and stabbed the dagger into the man’s stomach. Then he pulled the blood through the wound.
The man screamed and weakened instantly.
The other two rushed at him. One had a spear and one had a short axe. Lucard used the first man’s falling body as cover. The spear pierced into that body instead of him. Lucard pushed the corpse forward and made the spear man lose balance. Peter, despite his fever, threw his sword. It was not a perfect throw, but it hit the spear man’s shoulder and made him stumble.
Lucard stepped in and cut his throat.
The axe man panicked and tried to run.
Jake shouted, "He is running."
Lucard picked up a fallen stone and threw it. The stone struck the man’s back of the head. He fell face first into the dirt. Lucard walked to him and ended it quickly.
After absorbing their blood, he checked his progress.
[Blood Absorption Successful.
Level Progress Increased.]
He did not level up, but he was closer to Level Eleven.
Peter recovered his sword and looked at Lucard. "You have become stronger since last night."
Lucard wiped the dagger on the dead man’s cloak. "That is the point."
Jenny stood behind him with Jake. She had seen him kill again, but this time she did not look as shocked. Fear was still there, but something else was slowly growing too. Trust. Or maybe dependence. Lucard did not like either of those things. Dependence turned into expectation, and expectation turned into chains.
The heart curse remained quiet. That annoyed him more.
On the third day, the forest began to change.
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