“Mister… How did you know that?”

The voice of the young man was transformed. Or rather, he could no longer be called a ‘young man’, as he radiated an ominous spirit. His tone was originally rather high for a man, but it was even thinner and sharper now.

In addition, the color of his skin was changed from a while ago.

His healthy, bright brown face was now ghastly gray. It was almost as if he were deceased.

“Hmm.”

After carefully examining the figure, Raven continued.

“Could it be that you are not a man either?”

“Ha! Ahahaha!”

He, or rather, she, burst into a high-pitched laugh.

“This is really surprising. You are only the second ‘human’ to recognize my true identity after seeing me for the first time. How did you figure it out? This is really fascinating.”

She slowly licked her lips after speaking. Although the figure was not a man, it was rather ambiguous to call it a ‘she’ either. They maintained an enigmatic, gender-neutral appearance. Raven responded with a frown.

“This is putting me in a bad mood. Anyways, here I go.”

Fwoosh!

As soon as he finished speaking, Raven once again drew up his spirit and fiercely wielded his blades.

“Hut!”

The attacks were lightning fast and without excessive movements. She was greatly surprised by the quickness of the attacks and jumped back.

Fwoosh!

However, even though she avoided the longsword, the scimitar drew a strange curve and dug into her sides, resulting in various cuts to her side and arm.

“Kyahk!”

Blood erupted along with a sharp scream.

“This is nothing… Ah!?”

She attempted to activate her hidden abilities but was taken aback. Her regeneration wasn’t working. Even if she was struck by a blow containing spirit, she could void most injuries in an instant. However, it was somehow rendered ineffective.

“What!? You… Ahh!”

Fwoosh!

She quickly retreated, then suddenly froze. As Raven’s scimitar drew a large circle through the air, a blue flash drew a vertical line upwards from the ground.

Ping! Fuwaak!

Blood rained alongside a large shockwave, which emitted sounds similar to an arrow leaving the string.

“Kyaaaaahhkk!”

A piercing scream followed, and something soared high into the night sky before falling to the ground.

Thud!

“Kuaggh! Kyagh!”

She retreated while howling like a beast, her left arm severed from the elbow down.

“It hurts! It hurts! It hurts so much! M, my arm!”

She screamed in panic while trying to find her severed arm on the ground. Her eyes were filled with terror, shock, and disbelief. She had never experienced anything like this in the past.

Shhk!

An elongated shadow appeared in front of her along with an eerie sound.

“Ah…!”

She raised her tear-soaked face, and Raven’s knee struck her chin.

Thuck!

The powerful shock transmitted to her head and scrambled her brain, and she was thrown back head first, her body striking the ground.

“Hmm, now then…”

After confirming that his opponent was unconscious, Raven turned around.

“Huh?”

However, the man responsible for throwing the poisonous powder could not be found. Only a puddle of red blood was seen where he was supposed to be, and he could not be found anywhere.

“Was my attack shallow? No, they could not be it.”

Raven narrowed his eyes and observed the surroundings.

Even though the man had retreated after suffering a large injury, a trail of blood could not be found. In addition, Raven had not sensed any movements from the injured man during his fight with the collapsed figure.

“Hmm, is it one of those irregular techniques?”

He had never seen it in person, but had heard of it.

It was a form of a strange technique utilized by those who practiced the body to its limit through special training. It was different from magic.

From what he knew, such techniques were secretly handed down and employed by assassin groups.

This meant…

“There’s something more.”

Raven mumbled softly and turned around. If the man was capable of deceiving Raven’s senses, it would be futile to search for him. It would be quite difficult to locate him. Instead, it was better to spend his time doing other things.

Pat. Pat.

“Even though it’s slow, it’s still regenerating.”

The woman was lying unconscious on the ground. Her lower jaw was completely shattered, but her severed arm had already stopped bleeding and was healing little by little. Raven walked past her after sparing a glance and approached the griffon.

Kyaahk! Kyaa…

The griffon growled. It would not be obedient to others after working with a specific rider for a long time. However, the creature quickly bowed its head as if in obedience. 

The griffon had sensed the dragon’s spirit emitting from Raven. Although most of it had dissipated, it was still faintly imprinted on Raven’s soul and body.

“Uuup! Upff!”

The blanket on the griffon’s back fluttered along with a muffled cry. Raven slowly lifted the object. He felt nothing special coming from inside the blanket.

“Huh?”

He was forced to frown. A child who looked to be about 7 or 8 years old was underneath the cover. His arms and legs were bound, and he stopped thrashing around when Raven raised the cover. 

The child’s blue eyes shone subtly in the bright moonlight. His gaze met Raven’s.

“Hmm…”

A slight frown appeared on Raven’s. He felt a strange, but familiar sensation. After putting away the two swords, Raven took out a dagger and cut apart the rope binding the child’s legs.

“Upff! Upf! Uppp!”

The child’s eyes widened, and his muffled cries increased in intensity. It was as if he was trying to say something.

“Stay still. You’ll get hurt.”

Raven moved on to untying the child’s hands and removed the gag from the child’s mouth. Immediately, the child shouted with alarm.

“Behind you! Behind you, mister!”

“I know.”

[Kyahahahahaha!]

As soon as Raven responded, a chill-inducing laughter erupted from behind him.

“…..!”

She froze in place right behind Raven. Her sharp fangs were jutting out of her lips, and she had been about to jump on Raven.

Rustle.

Someone approached the group through the grass. Nevertheless, the strange creature remained fixated in place. She could not turn around.

Whooosh!

A chilly wind blew through the forest. It was still early spring.

Naturally, the ‘creature’ was unrestrained by the temperature. Nevertheless, she felt a chilling sensation and sweat droplets formed on her back and forehead. The sensation she felt from behind her was one she had never felt before.

Fear?

No, it could not be expressed in simple words. It was a mixture of instinctive fear and overwhelming awe.

The one responsible for evoking such a reaction spoke.

“You are a vampire.”

“Ugh!”

She could not breathe, and her teeth clattered. Her entire figure trembled unceasingly.

“Vampire? Hm, was that it? Anyways, you should have waited. Why did you come?”

Raven nodded before responding with a grin. The one responsible for causing the vampire to cease with a look, Soldrake, spoke while slowly walking towards Raven.

“I thought it was taking a bit too long. I felt something strange on my way, so I came.”

“I see. So vampires really did exist.”

“Yeah. Most of them live in hiding, since they have to avoid sunlight. But this child seems to be a little unique.”

Soldrake approached the vampire and looked over her. The creature was sweating buckets and trembling in place.

Then...

“Keugh!”

As soon as the vampire met Soldrake’s gaze, she lost her mind and collapsed.

“Huh?”

Raven spoke with confusion, and Soldrake calmly explained.

“These children cannot stand in my presence. But seeing that she met my eyes, she must be one of the stronger ones. Hmm?”

Her gaze remained with Raymond.

“Ah…”

Raymond was in a daze. Her sparkling eyes were reminiscent of pouring stars. Although he was young, he had seen his fair share of beauties. Of course, he wasn’t yet old enough to properly distinguish based on appearances, he knew how pretty his mother, two aunts, and grandmother were.

However, the person standing in front of him was much prettier than them.

“Are you a fairy?”

Raymond asked while staring at her with a blank expression.

“Fairy? Are you talking about the elves? If that is the case, no. I am…”

“Shh.”

Soldarke was unaccustomed to lying. Raven put his finger to his lips when she started talking about herself. 

“Hmm. I am just a human.”

After contemplating for a moment, Soldrake answered. Raven took on a satisfied expression. Then he frowned after turning towards Raymond.

“By the way, who are you? Why were you captured by a vampire?”

“Ah! I am…”

Raymond jumped and started speaking. But then, he suddenly recalled something. 

“You should not easily believe anyone, besides Lord Isla, Aunt Mia, and the knights from our kingdom. Especially more so when none of them are around.”

His grandmother had instructed him as such before he left the castle.

However…

“Well, I… I’m…”

Raymond fell into a dilemma. He wasn’t sure if he should keep his identity from his savior, but the stern words of his respected grandmother kept swirling inside his head.

Raven smacked his lips and shrugged.

“You do not need to tell me if you do not want to. I will take you to a nearby village when the sun rises.”

Although the boy looked oddly familiar, Raven turned away. The child had nothing to do with him. Besides, he could ask the vampire about the boy when she woke up.

“For now, let’s go together.”

“Ah! Yes!”

Raven gestured, and Raymond hurriedly followed behind. At the same time, he didn’t forget to steal glances at Soldrake.

Without recognizing each other, the father and the son walked through the forest, which was ruffled by a storm.

***

“What about the man?”

“We performed first aid, but he is still unconscious from losing too much blood.”

Isla spoke in a cold voice, and the knight answered with a salute. They had been helplessly watching from the side while the kingdom’s successor was kidnapped.

It was a serious crime. They could not retort even if they were executed on the spot for allowing such a thing to happen. Moreover, Princess Mia was safe only because of Isla. Without him, her safety would not have been guaranteed either.

“Hmm…”

Although he did not raise his spirit, the knights kept quiet in cold sweat while staring at the ceiling. The atmosphere around him was like a sharpened blade.

“Sir Hale.”

“Yes!”

A knight became startled and straightened his back.

“Go back to the castle and report back. However, only to Regent Vincent Ron.”

“What? Ah, yes!”

The knight quickly answered in a loud voice.

“If Baroness Conrad and Her Majesty the Queen find out, they will be in great shock. Since the prince was kidnapped, it means they will not hurt him. It will be better for them to not find out until we solve the matter.”

“Yes, yes!”

“And the regent will be able to devise a plan. We will identify the kidnappers of Prince Raymond through the captured man and immediately begin tracking them.”

Raymond was like Isla’s cherished nephew. However, he calmly assessed the situation. He could express his anger once he captured the kidnappers.

Until then, he had to restrain himself and focus only on the situation at hand.

‘When we meet again, I will kill you.’

Isla swallowed his ice-cold anger. This was the conclusion he came to – not as the Knight King of Valvas, but as the cavalier who accompanied Alan Pendragon through all sorts of hardships.