Free Web NovelChapter 129: The path to redemption (6)
The sun has only just risen when the warm morning light stirs the elderly village chief from his sleep.
Even before opening his eyes, his thoughts drift toward the mysterious vampire woman he met the previous night.
He lets out a long, weary sigh.
"She never came back either... I knew it — I should’ve kept her in the dark about Don Dargot. And yet, the strength and confidence that woman carried almost made me believe that, this time, someone truly would free us from that tyrant. I was a fool for thinking anyone could possibly defeat Tristan Borrin..."
But the moment the old village chief opens his front door, it bumps into something. A sack.
As the sack topples over from the impact, the severed heads of Don Dargot and Tristan Borrin roll across the ground beneath his horrified stare.
At first, they’re so horribly disfigured that he doesn’t even recognize them, and the sudden sight of two decapitated heads lying on his doorstep instinctively tears a scream of terror from his throat, immediately drawing the attention of the nearby villagers.
Within moments, an alarmed crowd gathers outside the village chief’s house.
"I-I can’t believe it... this has to be a dream..." one of the villagers murmurs, his eyes swollen with tears of emotion.
"And yet it’s real, my friend," the village chief replies — he too is struggling to hold back his tears. "T-That vampire... she actually did it."
"Wait... she left us their heads. Does that mean...?"
"That’s right. Not only did she free us from that tyrant, she also gave us the chance to claim the bounty on them. One hundred and forty gold Zirc... with that kind of money, we’ll finally be able to buy new livestock and better farming tools! I honestly feel terrible for pointing my pitchfork at her last night..." another villager exclaims.
The village chief lifts his hopeful gaze toward the sky.
"It seems fortune has finally decided to smile upon us. Levreeshka... wherever you are right now, know that you will always be welcome here. I only hope that one day I’ll be able to thank you in person."
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"They say Elyndra is a dangerous world, but this one isn’t much better. What a pain... after all the trouble I went through just to find some new clothes," Levreeshka grumbles, completely drenched in blood — though, this time, none of it is hers.
Around her lie the mangled carcasses of roughly forty hyenas.
But the attack from that pack is hardly the first setback she’s run into on her journey so far.
After leaving Don Dargot and Tristan Borrin’s heads behind as a gift for the village, Levreeshka resumed her journey toward Flumarx Town.
She had slipped into the river to wash away the blood and grime from her battle with Tristan when two hunters caught sight of her naked in the water and let their excitement get a little too out of control.
Their approach was anything but subtle — in truth, they had every intention of raping her — and it became the last mistake of their lives.
Levreeshka had briefly considered killing them cleanly by snapping their necks so she could steal their clothes without covering them in blood, but the hyena ambush had ultimately brought her right back to square one.
It is early afternoon by the time Levreeshka reaches the bridge connecting the mainland to Flumarx Town, having covered in just eight hours what should have been a two-day journey.
The fortified town stands atop a large islet cutting through the same great river where Levreeshka washed herself only a few hours earlier.
The sight of a woman drenched in blood inevitably draws the attention of the guards stationed at both ends of the bridge. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
One of them wears the imposing armor of the Royal Guard — the very same kind she saw Tristan wearing — while the other three wear lighter metal cuirasses marked with the emblem of a blue lion. Levreeshka immediately recognizes the crest of House Azuralis.
The guards hurry toward her, initially driven by concern, but the instant they realize she is a vampire, that concern quickly turns into fear.
The Royal Guard soldier is the first to speak, his tone sharp and authoritarian.
"Halt, vampire. Identify yourself immediately — and for your own sake, I hope you have a convincing explanation for all that blood covering you."
"Levreeshka Dulcar. The blood belongs to a pack of hyenas that attacked me not far from here. I can personally lead you to their carcasses if you doubt my words."
The guard recognizes the name instantly. His attitude changes completely, and he immediately lowers his head in a respectful apologetic bow.
"M-My deepest apologies for my insolence, General Dulcar. To what do we owe the honor of your visit?"
"I’m here to discuss with the head of House Azuralis the mission regarding the assassination of Mia Valakis and the recovery of the Tear of Azkarith."
The guard hesitates briefly.
"For what reason, General? As far as I’m aware, Lord Julius Azuralis abandoned that mission over a month ago."
Now it is Levreeshka who finds herself momentarily caught off guard, though she hides her confusion perfectly. After all, she had been on Earth when Isabelle forced the Azuralis to withdraw, so there was no way she could have known.
Still, she doesn’t let herself be caught unprepared and immediately seizes the opportunity.
"That is precisely what I came here to discuss with Julius Azuralis."
"I see. Then please follow me, General Dulcar — I’ll escort you to the Azuralis residence."
Escorted by the four guards, Levreeshka is guided through the citadel’s main avenue — a crowded stone-paved street lined with countless market stalls. To spare the townspeople the horrifying sight of all that blood, she has been completely wrapped in a cloak.
At the very end of the avenue, atop the island’s highest point, stands a small castle — the residence of House Azuralis.
"Please wait here, General Dulcar," the guard says.
Levreeshka gives a silent nod as the guard enters the small fortress, only to emerge again a few minutes later.
"Julius Azuralis is prepared to receive you. However, before meeting him, he invites you to make use of the baths and clean yourself properly. He has also arranged fresh clothes for you, so that a vampire of your standing does not appear before him stained with blood and grime."
"I gladly accept."
