Free Web NovelReturning once again to her temporary quarters, Vieya’s smile disappeared.
Earlier, Sally had taken her to meet the other surviving children. Most of them were just kids from ordinary families in the residential district.
Still, it had been a long time since anyone new had arrived on this floor.
That wasn’t surprising. Though she didn’t know the exact grading system they used, it was clear that A-rank blood seedlings were rare.
Sigh.
Vieya let out a breath.
If that night, after leaving her house, Rania happened to encounter a vampire committing some vile act—say, kidnapping children to use as blood bags, or something even worse... with Rania’s personality, there was no way she’d just stand by.
So, let’s assume that night Rania stumbled upon a vampire bullying some child, then intervened and killed the vampire.
With her Hero weapon’s inherent demon-banishing power, she could have completely ignored an ordinary vampire’s undead traits and slain it instantly, rescued the child, and reported the vampire’s appearance within the city to the Lord Mayor’s office or one of the city’s demon-hunting groups.
But here came the problem.
Unlike a monster like Helcat Red, a Hero could openly make a scene in the city, cause destruction, and still stand tall as a beacon of justice, rallying the people from the moral high ground. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Yet that night, Rania had vanished without a trace—silent, unseen.
That was what puzzled Vieya the most.
She had observed that little vampire girl’s power earlier—it was barely at the third tier.
Unless she was an extraordinarily gifted newborn vampire, someone that weak had no right to remain near the Vampire Queen.
So, Vieya speculated that before being turned, that vampire girl must have been from a family of some status. Perhaps she’d even guided the Vampire Queen’s infiltration into the city.
That could only mean one thing—there was a traitor among the human upper ranks.
And that traitor likely knew her student... and deceived her.
Vieya knew Rania well. She knew that inexperienced student was far too quick to trust humans.
Otherwise, Vieya would never have been able to wrap her around her finger the very first time they met.
Creak...
The old bed frame groaned.
So annoying!
Everyone else learned from their mistakes—but that stupid student of hers? She just kept repeating them!
Vieya took a deep breath, suppressing the anger she shouldn’t be feeling, and refocused on her task.
A task she’d given herself: rescue whoever could be rescued, and for those who couldn’t, grant them a swift end... then find that foolish student, free her too, and spank her in front of the children until she remembered the lesson.
As for Helcat Red, that centuries-old black cat could probably look after herself.
Vieya sat up on the bed. The bedframe creaked again.
What’s that sound?
It wasn’t making this noise before... why now?
Wait—!
There was something strange coming from under the bed!
A chill shot up from her feet to her skull. Just as she tried to get down, Vieya froze—she’d stepped on a hand.
Cold and clammy.
Could it be... there’d been a corpse hiding under her bed all along?
And that corpse was lying face-down beneath her right now?
Don’t look under the bed!
Don’t look under the bed!
Vieya’s face went pale. She wasn’t afraid of anything—not heaven nor earth—but she had a deep aversion to things like this. Not fear, exactly. Just... disgust.
Like biting into a piece of fruit and finding half a worm.
Swish!
The cold hand suddenly withdrew.
Vieya jumped off the bed at once, barefoot, pressing her back against the wall. Her white feet shone against the dim light as her emerald eyes widened, unmoving, fixed on the darkness beneath the bed.
From the pitch-black void, a pair of dim crimson eyes flickered.
Then, two pale hands reached out.
Slap!
Vieya flinched violently—it felt like that palm had landed not on the floor, but straight on her heart.
“Oh? Did Laisa scare you...? Heehee.”
The vampire girl Laisa poked her head out from under the bed, messy dark-violet hair spreading like seaweed across the floor. Her ghost-white face and red, pupil-less eyes made her look like some vengeful spirit crawling out from the abyss.
After a brief silence—
Vieya, overwhelmed by sheer fury, stepped forward and kicked Laisa squarely in the face.
Then came a flurry of punches and kicks.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Wah! Ow—stop, it hurts! Uuuhhh?”
Smack! Smack!
“I’m here to deliver an invitation! Don’t—ah!”
Thud!
Laisa collapsed onto the ground, motionless, as if truly dead.
Still unsatisfied, Vieya gave her a few more kicks before finally glancing down at the invitation.
“Who the hell would go to your stupid banquet!”
Muttering, she opened it anyway and found a list of “special events” for the night.
Among them was one titled ‘Vampires and the Hero’.
“The chance to taste a Hero’s blood?”
Her voice grew colder and colder. A faint, unnatural blush crept over Laisa’s pale face.
Smack!
Laisa suddenly grabbed Vieya’s ankle—only to be kicked hard again.
Crack—Laisa stared blankly at her broken arm, then blinked, and in the next moment it was perfectly healed.
“......”
After finishing the letter, Vieya’s face darkened to a terrifying shade. Tonight, her student would be locked in a cage, her blood sucked dry by every vampire attending, while those bloodsucking worms glorified it as “the Great Night of Fall.”
Every guest would witness the beautiful moment when a Hero fell into the slavery of blood.
“Heh...”
The chill radiating from Vieya could have frozen the air itself.
But Laisa ignored it, still reaching toward her.
“Do you have a death wish?” Vieya asked, pressing her foot down on Laisa’s hand, applying pressure. “Or are you just following orders from that blood-sucking worm?”
“Heehee... guess... ah!” Laisa moaned as her hand bones cracked. “Heehee...”
“Disgusting.”
Vieya scowled, grabbed the coat Sally had given her, and walked out.
The room fell silent again.
Laisa lay on the floor, legs twitching together, face flushed crimson, lips curved in perverse satisfaction. Her hands showed no sign of injury.
“Heehee... mmhmm~ heehee...”
Tonight, there were no guards in the castle.
It seemed every vampire had gone to attend the rare once-in-a-century banquet. Yet even without supervision, the blood seedlings trembled inside their tiny rooms, too afraid to make a sound.
“Little Wei, are you really going? That banquet... I’ve never seen one myself, but it must be crawling with vampires! It’s scary...”
“I know they’re scary. You all stay in your rooms, don’t wander around... things might get messy later. Be careful.”
“Little Wei, you sound so strange now... your voice is so gentle, it doesn’t sound like you.”
“How long have you even known me...”
Vieya sighed. “Anyway, just remember—stay inside, no matter what happens. I’ll come back for you.”
“Okay... we know you’re strong, but come back safe, all right? Even if they bite you a little, that’s fine.”
Watching ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Vieya’s back disappear around the corridor, Sally sighed faintly.
At the same time, a bad feeling lingered in her chest.
Something terrible was going to happen—she could feel it. She had to get the others ready.
Just as Sally was about to open the door, Laisa emerged from Vieya’s room. But now her clothes were disheveled, her expression strange, her walk unsteady, and droplets of clear fluid fell onto the floor behind her.
Was... that blood?
When the girl finally walked away, Sally exhaled in relief and stepped out. Looking down, she realized the suspicious liquid wasn’t blood at all.
She quickly shook her head, avoided stepping on it, and hurried off to warn the others.
Top floor of the castle.
Vieya made her way up unhindered. Along the way she passed many vampires, but they only glanced at her and didn’t interfere.
None of them even spoke to her.
“Did that blood-sucking queen mark me somehow?”
Vieya lifted her arm and sniffed, her eyes narrowing. She couldn’t smell anything unusual.
You’re not even curious about a human walking openly among you?
She thought about questioning one of them, but then remembered her poor student might still be trapped in some cage.
That thought killed her curiosity. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Following the signs and the route printed on the invitation, Vieya continued on.
Banquet hall.
Well-dressed vampires mingled in groups of twos and threes, chatting cheerfully, all smiles and laughter.
At the far end, the Vampire Queen sat high upon her throne, her face hidden behind a black veil.
“The time’s come. Let’s go in.”
Someone patted Vieya’s shoulder, tone brimming with excitement.
“The long-awaited grand banquet of the blood race... is about to begin.”
