IWTRAE Chapter 65

 

 

#Episode 65

 

***

 

“Are you certain this is the right path? The road is incredibly rough. It’s hard to believe that anyone has traveled through here.”

 

Matteus, a squire of the Knights of Lamphas, grumbled as he pushed aside the thick foliage obstructing his path. Sir Bernardo, a paladin, kept a watchful eye on his surroundings and responded calmly.

 

“That’s because you’re judging based on our size. Look closely; the lower branches are broken.”

 

Indeed, as Bernardo pointed out, there were clear traces of broken branches. Matteus clicked his tongue in amazement.

 

“It still doesn’t change the fact that they chose a rough path. Maybe they’re trying to avoid being seen.”

 

“Perhaps they were trying to evade pursuit by the Lamphas Church.”

 

Bernardo clicked his tongue and infused his holy power into a compass he held, causing its needle to spin.

 

The compass he was holding was none other than the [Dawn Compass], a sacred relic issued only to the investigators among the paladins. When imbued with holy power, the compass needle would align itself with traces of magical energy left behind by the target.

 

Although it had the limitation of only pointing to the nearest trace, it was an effective tool for tracking.

 

The trace that typically lingered most strongly was the target’s ‘blood’.

 

Unfortunately, there were no traces of blood from the descendant of Van Drake or any vampires.

 

An ordinary investigator might have given up at this point, but Bernardo wasn’t one to surrender easily.

 

Although there was no vampire blood, traces of magic from one of the vampire’s minions remained.

 

Bernardo was exceptionally skilled in handling holy power, ranking among the best within the Lamphas Church.

 

Normally, extracting a vampire’s magic from a minion’s blood would be impossible, but Bernardo could do it.

 

Of course, without the vampire’s own blood, even a slight lapse in focus could cause the needle to veer off wildly. But he was determined not to let this opportunity go to waste.

 

Bernardo concentrated all his focus on the compass in his hand.

 

Seeing this, Matteus grumbled discontentedly.

 

“If they made it so the compass could just track the vampire, we wouldn’t be going through all this trouble… Just a small improvement would make a big difference.”

 

“Yeah, right. They’re not going to fund an upgrade for something that doesn’t help raise donations.”

 

“People in high places have no idea what it’s like for those of us working in the field. Tsk tsk.”

 

“Still, be grateful we even have a compass. Back in the day, investigators had to use [Light of Investigation] to trace every single footprint. If that were still the case, we’d be combing this mountain.”

 

“When on earth are you talking about?* That was centuries ago!”

 

“If there were no minion blood, we’d have to resort to those methods from centuries ago. Instead of complaining, be thankful that the vampire created a minion.”

 

“Ack!”

 

Matteus shuddered at the thought, as if the mere idea was unbearable.

 

“Imagine, I’m actually thankful to a vampire.”

 

“Matteus.”

 

“Come on, isn’t it just unfair? The other guys who joined the Lamphas Church under the young master are living comfortably in the city, but look at me! Reduced to nothing more than a ground scout!”

 

“I did offer you a chance to return to the family, Matteus.”

 

“And you call that an opportunity? More like a threat!”

 

The two continued their back-and-forth banter as they pushed their way through the dense thicket.

 

As the sun slowly dipped below the mountains, casting long shadows, in the distance, Noctiluca began to light up, befitting its title of ‘the city that never sleeps.’

 

***

 

A month had passed since Todd became the successor of Count Renfield.

 

It was a rainy summer evening.

 

Todd and Oliver’s training usually took place at night. In Noctiluca, the dry summer weather made the evenings cool, but the rain brought a chill that could easily lead to a cold.

 

“Perhaps you should rest today?”

 

Oliver suggested as he saw Todd out for training once again, but Todd stubbornly shook his head.

 

“You can rest if you want. I don’t intend to wear out an old man.”

 

With that, he continued swinging his wooden sword in the rain, cutting off any further comments from Oliver.

 

Oliver silently observed Todd, whose expression was unreadable.

 

It had been a month since Oliver and Todd began training together—ample time for Oliver to gauge Todd’s character.

 

No matter what Oliver said, Todd wouldn’t listen. Oliver was not one to waste time on meaningless pursuits.

 

Without a second thought, Oliver left, while Todd continued his practice without so much as a glance back.

 

After leaving, Oliver made his way confidently to his destination. The room’s owner, rarely absent from their quarters, welcomed Oliver warmly.

 

When asked what brought him there, Oliver recounted the events he had just witnessed.

 

“…So that’s how it happened.”

 

As Oliver’s story unfolded, Vasha, the owner of the room, was left wide-eyed in disbelief.

 

Vasha, who had been lounging on the sofa while Melina tended to her, sprang up the moment Oliver finished speaking.

 

“So he’s out there training in the rain right now?”

 

Thanks to Melina’s attentiveness, she withdrew her hands just in time, leaving Vasha’s perfectly groomed hair undisturbed despite her abrupt movement, like threads woven tightly on a loom.

 

Oliver nodded slowly.

 

“Since he won’t listen to me, I think it would be best if you personally tried to stop him, Lady Vasha.”

 

“Not that I expect him to listen to me either… but thank you for telling me, Oliver. I’ll go see Todd.”

 

“Miss! Take a towel with you, just in case.”

 

Meanwhile, Melina handed Vasha a large towel, her voice laced with concern.

 

“I’d like to follow and help, but it’s just….”

 

“Right, it’s just….”

 

Vasha and Melina sighed in unison, sharing a knowing look.

 

No sooner had a new successor been named for Renfield than the rumors began circulating among the staff.

 

Though young, this new successor was said to possess an appearance rivaling even the previous heir, Albert, and had a temperament that was as challenging, if not more so.

 

Todd, with his famously difficult personality, was somewhat softer only with Vasha, though he seemed most irritable around Vasha’s personal maid, Melina.

 

When alone with Vasha, he might have nodded obediently, but with Melina present, he could become unpredictable, bouncing like a rubber ball.

 

‘Why did you bring her along when you know full well I don’t like her? I told you not to make her your servant, yet here you are, protesting that I, your familiar, don’t even bother to show up!’

 

…Such trivial complaints were typical.

 

Taking the towel Melina had given her, Vasha shuffled out of the room, with Melina seeing her off. Oliver followed Vasha out into the hallway, keeping his distance while Vasha walked ahead. Their paths aligned until the hallway’s end, where Vasha stopped at the top of the stairs.

 

Suddenly, as if she’d remembered something, Vasha placed her hand on the railing and turned to Oliver, who had just reached the end of the hallway.

 

“Oh, by the way, Laurus was coughing a bit earlier… It cleared up soon enough, but I thought I’d mention it.”

 

Oliver’s brows knit in slight concern.

 

“Now that you mention it, the rain did bring a big temperature drop….”

 

“Is he usually unwell when it rains?”

 

“Yes. If he stopped coughing, that’s actually much better than usual. It’s all thanks to you and Todd.”

 

“What did I even do?”

 

Uncomfortable with Oliver’s formal gratitude, Vasha waved her hand dismissively. But Oliver responded in a firm tone.

 

“The memories of the past and hopes for the future are the two pillars that support the elderly.”

 

Vasha’s presence rekindled memories of the fading days with Lucy, while Todd reignited hope for Renfield’s future—a future that he had once abandoned.

 

Laurus argued that Renfield was meaningless. In truth, he had merely given up, disillusioned with Albert.

 

 

 

🍓; *What are you talking about?