Volume 2, Chapter 39 – Ander’s Worries and Refina’s Longing

The starlight of deep winter pierced through the gaps between tree branches, casting a silver glow over the thick snow on the ground. The occasional howl of wolves echoed across the desolate wilderness, enveloping the area in a graveyard-like silence.

But if one were to dig a few meters beneath the snow, they would find a stark contrast to the darkness above—a group of about twenty people living underground.

The narrow passage was dimly lit only by oil lamps. The men occasionally blew warm breath into their palms, seeking fleeting comfort from the cold. A closer look would reveal that beneath their lightweight armor, their cotton jackets bore badges emblazoned with the flag of the Norta Empire.

Ssshh—thud.

First came the sound of fabric brushing against snow, followed by something dropping into the passage. The previously quiet underground tunnel erupted into commotion, but with a sharp glance from their captain, the men quickly settled down.

The newcomer was a scout.

Without giving the scout time to even take a sip of hot water, the captain—his expression grim—stood up and pushed his way forward.

“What’s the situation?”

“Nothing but monsters nearby. No sign of the kingdom’s soldiers pursuing us.”

The scout’s report clearly didn’t satisfy the captain, whose face darkened further.

“I meant those vampires.”

“No sightings, but I found clear footprints about three kilometers away. Likely left by them.”

“Damn it.”

Spitting on the ground, the captain slammed his fist against the tunnel wall in frustration.

They had been hunted by the vampires for nearly a week now.

Their purpose was unknown. Their affiliation was unknown. All they knew was that it was an elite force of over a hundred, divided into five squads led by five female vampires, operating around the outskirts of Kamil City. Initially, Ander—captain of the Norta Empire’s Seventh Secret Unit—had encountered them in the dense forests outside the city. Upholding the secret unit’s principle of absolute secrecy, Ander had naturally ordered their elimination. But to his shock, the enemy not only outnumbered them several times over but also matched them in strength.

The result? His unit had lost nearly half its men.

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And that was only the beginning of the nightmare. The vampires possessed some unknown tracking ability. At first, Ander had assumed they were detecting magical signatures, so he ordered his men to refrain from using any magic while stationed. Yet, the vampires still found them. After repeated battles, they were now on the brink of collapse.

“Captain, who are they? Why would vampires bypass the Niru Diocese and come into the Hels Kingdom’s territory?”

“How the hell should I know?!” Ander snapped, unable to mask his anger. “They must have been trained since birth as elite death squads.”

He glanced at his throbbing right hand. A few days earlier, he had driven his sword through a vampire warrior’s chest—only for the warrior to grab his arm and cast Fire Explosion at point-blank range. If not for their unit’s healer, he would have lost the arm entirely.

“So what do we do now? With over half our men gone, we can’t carry out large-scale disruptions anymore.”

“Large-scale disruptions” referred to the Norta Empire’s strategy: deploying elite units to infiltrate the Hels Kingdom’s territory via sea, then wreaking havoc in the northern regions to draw the kingdom’s forces away from the south.

That was the grand strategy. For Ander’s unit, their mission was to burn villages north of Count Hermin’s domain and recruit capable individuals to their cause, forcing the count to divert his forces northward. This would make it easier for others to seize the Alexia Tower, located in the southern part of the county’s territory.

As for who these others were, the emperor hadn’t explicitly told Ander. But based on various clues, Ander suspected they weren’t imperial forces but rather an allied faction—perhaps the demon race.

Ander exhaled slowly. Rumors had long circulated in the military that the emperor had ties with demons.

“What choice do we have? We’ve achieved nothing. If we return empty-handed, do you want to face the Judgment Hall?”

“But if we keep going, we’ll be wiped out… The vampires are lurking nearby. This place isn’t safe anymore.”

Ignoring the question, Ander pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it silently.

“How’s No. 21’s condition?”

“His mental state’s improved slightly, but he’s still blind.”

“What the hell did he see half a month ago?”

“He said there’s a monster in Celtic City. That if we encountered it, we’d be slaughtered without even a chance to fight back.”

“Sounds like he’s lost his mind.”

Ander scoffed and took a deep drag. No. 21 was a Fallen with long-range detection abilities—his vision could penetrate walls and sense magic-users within a five-kilometer radius. He described them as “moving blue flames,” with stronger individuals appearing as larger flames. His skills had saved Ander’s unit countless times, making him one of the empire’s finest scouts.

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But everything changed half a month ago. When Ander ordered No. 21 to scout Celtic City’s defenses, the man suddenly froze, his eyes bloodshot, his mouth agape in terror as he stared at the city.

Since then, No. 21 had been blind and mentally unstable, babbling about “monsters,” “run,” “stronger than a dozen dragons combined,” and “a realm beyond the Heroic Realm.”

Of course, no such person existed in this world. A single adult dragon could annihilate a small country, let alone a dozen.

Dismissing the madman’s ramblings, Ander spoke calmly.

“First, we find a safe place to regroup. I don’t know why those vampires are prowling around, but they’re our sworn enemies. If they ambush us while we’re raiding villages, it’ll be a disaster.”

His subordinate grimaced.

“Where is safe…?”

“The city. With our current numbers, we can slip in unnoticed—through tunnels.”

Their unit had earth mages capable of digging a passage straight into the city. Working nonstop, it would take just two days.

“Can’t we just use [Imperial Gift] to wipe out those vampires?”

At those words, the tunnel erupted into murmurs. Hope flickered across every face.

[Imperial Gift] was a magic crystal entrusted only to the captains of the empire’s secret units. When crushed, it summoned an immensely powerful monster that existed only briefly—rumored to be capable of shattering mountains, a being beyond human limits.

After a pause, Ander shook his head, stubbing out his cigarette.

“No. [Imperial Gift] is a last resort. The emperor said there are only seven such crystals in the empire, each given to one of us seven captains. Wasting one on mere vampires is unacceptable.”

Thud.

Another soft impact echoed in the tunnel, making the lanterns sway. All eyes turned toward the newcomer—a second scout. Unlike the first, this one wore a look of excitement.

“Captain, good news.”

“Speak.”

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“There’s a rumor spreading in Celtic City—about a cleric named Yisi who can cure the Mark of the Fallen with witchcraft.”

“Preposterous.”

Despite his dismissive tone, Ander couldn’t help but press further. Most of his men were Fallen, so news of a cure naturally piqued their interest.

“Where did the rumor start? Any proof?”

“A Baron named Wells leaked it. One of his slaves was a Fallen, but after being taken in by Cleric Yisi, the mark was cured.”

“A cleric curing Fallen? Ridiculous—” Ander cut himself off, frowning. “Unless the Church has developed a method… This warrants investigation.”

More than just investigation—if such a person truly existed, he had to secure her for the empire at all costs. With her, their plans for a Fallen army could finally advance.

“This would be an unparalleled achievement…”

Compared to this, harassing Count Hermin’s domain would be insignificant.

Absent-mindedly, Ander slipped a hand into his breast pocket and fell silent.

Perhaps [Imperial Gift] had found its purpose.

◇

Meanwhile, not far away, the vampire camp.

Unlike the imperial Fallen hiding underground, the cold-resistant vampires rested behind massive boulders.

“Refina, any sign of the targets?”

“Not yet. They must have realized we marked them with blood. Either they changed all their clothes or went underground—Blood Trail can’t detect them.”

“I see… They took eleven of the count’s soldiers. They will pay in blood.”

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“If it were for our master, dying would be an honor. But they didn’t sacrifice themselves for her. Even in death, they won’t rest in peace.”

Gazing up at the pale moon, Refina sighed before refocusing on the map. For vampires who feared sunlight, night was their prime time. Initially, they had nearly lost Yisi’s trail, but fortunately, she had settled in Celtic City, sparing Refina the embarrassment of losing her. Now, their covert unit had been operating in human territory for nearly a month.

“Eileen, any news from the infiltrators in the city?”

“Yes, they’ve returned. Our master runs a tavern there, using a special wine to win over nobles. The spies brought back some—want to try it, Refina?”

“We’ll share it with the others during the day. For now, prepare to resume the search. Those imperial Fallen didn’t come here without a purpose. If their plans threaten our master, we must eliminate them before they act.”

The other two vampire girls nodded. Then, the one named Eileen couldn’t resist asking:

“Why did our master settle in Celtic City? Did she discover something? The count said she left to search for the legendary floating island, the lair of Ouranos and become the new Sky Sovereign. But what does that have to do with staying in the city?”

Refina, her purple hair tied in a side ponytail, shook her head.

“I don’t know. But our master’s actions always have meaning, even if we can’t grasp it. Like back in the Niru Diocese—she could have returned to the territory by some unknown method, yet she chose to remain a hostage. The result? She lured out the fallen angel Samael and captured him alive. Now, he’s providing invaluable intel to the count, who plans to enslave him for the Pecius County’s benefit.”

“But how did our master know Samael would come?”

Eileen pressed the key question, but Refina’s patience was wearing thin.

“How should I know? Just wait patiently. Our master will surprise us yet. Eileen, get ready. We’re moving out.”

“Yes~”

Seemingly accustomed to Refina’s curtness, Eileen replied playfully before rejoining her squad. Aside from the three hundred death warriors held in reserve, each of the five vampire girls led a twenty-member unit.

Refina looked up at the moon and exhaled deeply.

“I wish this would end soon… More than this, I miss being with our master.”

Especially when she drank her blood.

Unconsciously touching her neck, Refina shook off her longing and led her squad forward into the night.