Chapter 124: One Night
Knight Wolf offered a very generous price, but Corleon declined.
"No need to recall them," Corleon said, "those poor people over there need their help."
"I will make a trip to the Northwind Mountains. After that, the dark creatures in the west will not take a single step out of the Northwind Mountains."
"The Church does not need the tribute of land. I only need books and scholars."
Knight Wolf glanced at Corleon and nodded.
"I will have these delivered to you," he said, "how much time do you need?"
"One night is enough."
—
The Northwind Mountains were a natural barrier separating the Principality of Patlin from the Northern Kingdom.
Facing the Northern Kingdom was a snow-covered whiteness, while the side facing the Principality of Patlin was filled with lush forests.
Under the gentle light of the White Star, Corleon walked through the forest. Each of his steps spanned dozens of meters, his figure ethereal, like a red ghost barely visible.
The forest was silent. Even the insects seemed to sense an overwhelming fear.
"You’ve been watching for so long. Am I not welcome as a guest?" Corleon stopped and looked up slightly as he spoke.
His voice echoed through the quiet forest.
"If you truly came as a guest, then of course you are welcome," came a hoarse, magnetic voice.
From a twisted tree, a figure emerged.
Bare-chested with a bluish-gray muscular body, wings extended from his back, their thin membranes closely attached, appearing from afar like two outstretched arms.
His face was fierce, with jet-black eyes containing red pupils. Sharp teeth protruded from between his lips.
This was a Vampire Lord.
"It’s a pity—the power on you stings my eyes even from afar. You’re not just knocking on the door, are you?"
"Aren’t they coming out?" Corleon asked.
"They dare not face you, so I shall act as their proxy," the Vampire Lord slightly bowed, with a noble’s courtesy,
Only, his posture now appeared somewhat grotesque.
"I thought I’d be warmly welcomed by you," Corleon said.
"Well then, how’s this for warmth?" came a roar of fury from afar, followed by a massive boulder tearing through the air, snapping several trees as it hurtled forward.
"Now that’s more like it," Corleon chuckled. Then, as the boulder entered within two meters of him, it instantly turned to dust and fell.
"Still not enough," Corleon raised his hand, a beam of Holy Light flashed across the night sky and vanished into the distance. A moment later, a roar of agony like that of a furious bear rang out.
"Looks like he couldn’t accept my gift," Corleon shook his head and looked at the Vampire Lord.
"What about you? Do you need a gift to prove I’m a guest?" he asked.
Under Corleon’s calm gaze, the Vampire Lord couldn’t help but take a step back, his wings tightly folding and pressing against his back.
"Why have you come here?" he asked, "If possible, we shall ensure our guest is satisfied."
"Heh," Corleon laughed and said, "I came here to do three things."
Corleon raised three fingers.
"First, among your race and that bear’s clan, there are Holy Relics. These things are far too dangerous. I need to take them back, lest they harm others."
"Impossible! That is the Holy Relic of my race, the source of our power," the Vampire Lord refused angrily. His wings spread open, his face contorted as though ready to attack.
Then, suddenly, he felt a burning pain behind him, followed by a weightlessness. His wings were set ablaze by golden flames and dropped, disintegrating before even touching the ground—leaving not even ashes.
"Roar!" the Vampire Lord let out a beast-like howl of fury, with fear hidden within the rage.
He hadn’t even seen Corleon’s movements, and his wings were already gone. No matter how he roused the blood magic within his body, he couldn’t regenerate them.
It was as if he had lost them forever.
"Now, you may answer me again," Corleon looked up and spoke calmly.
The Vampire Lord looked down at Corleon but felt as if he were kneeling before him in supplication.
"...I shall offer the Holy Relic of my race. Please forgive me," the Vampire Lord finally said.
"And you?" Corleon slightly tilted his head. In the direction of his gaze, a bear-like creature suddenly charged forward, standing upright like a human.
Half of his fur had already been burned away, revealing a charred body. On the side where the fur remained intact, tiny golden flames still coiled around each strand of hair.
“Human, I will devour you!” he roared, and with a force that seemed to tear through the air, both his bear paws slammed down fiercely toward Corleon’s head.
Whoosh—A breeze swept by. A golden, blinding light flashed and vanished. The bear-man’s massive body had disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only an ancient ring that fell to the ground.
Corleon bent down to pick up the ring.
“Looks like he offered it up willingly,” Corleon remarked.
The face of the Vampire Lord twitched violently. His pupils trembled. That flash of light just now nearly incinerated his eyeballs.
Opening his mouth, he bit into his own wrist. Blood surged out, dripping to the ground and pooling into a puddle of blood.
The blood pool churned, and from it rose a golden cup brimming with blood.
“This blood is a bit dirty,” Corleon glanced at the cup.
The Vampire Lord felt as though he had crushed his own teeth from clenching so hard, but still, he manipulated the blood within the cup to return into his body.
His head spun slightly. Although he had been meticulous, some dust and withered twigs had still gotten in.
“Good.” Corleon said as he walked over and picked up the cup.
Then he raised a second finger.
“Second matter: beyond the Northwind Mountains, the Three Western Baronies that you previously invaded will now receive the protection of our Church of the Sanctuary. You must not disturb them again.”
The Vampire Lord breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a matter of avoiding that area. The Northwind Mountains stretched long and wide. The area they occupied was merely the central section; the northern and western ranges remained.
He had already decided: once this guy left, he would migrate with his tribe.
This place was too terrifying. As a vampire with a tremendously long lifespan, he had lived through the days when the Golden Lions charged into the mountains.
And now, they thought that with the change of lordship, the Golden Lions were no longer present, which emboldened them to test the waters under the werewolves’ encouragement.
Although they had been driven back, they confirmed that the Golden Lions were truly gone. They no longer needed to live in such oppression.
And then today, came this monster in the shape of a ‘human.’
He didn’t believe that the one before him was human. Humans weren’t this terrifying.
Knights rode horses and wielded swords. Mages used magic. That kind of magic power—he could wield it too, and better than human mages.
But this human’s power—he had never even heard of it.
Just glancing at him from afar made his whole body feel as if it were being scorched, his blood boiling.
He had to flee this place immediately. There used to be the Golden Lions, and now there was this guy—life here was no longer sustainable.
He had heard that Ymir had left the mountains and founded a nation. That meant the northern mountains likely had some space now.
“Fine. We can agree to that,” he responded.
“Excellent.” Corleon nodded and raised a third finger.
“Third matter: you previously invaded human lands, so you must be punished,” he declared.
The Vampire Lord’s pupils convulsed violently. Without hesitation, his entire body exploded, and blood splattered everywhere.
It was a vampire’s innate ability—Blood Concealment Technique, allowing them to become invisible and escape using the power of blood.
But each use cost them half their body’s blood.
Given his tribe’s current survival state, replenishing that much blood would be extremely difficult.
Still, losing half his blood was better than dying here.
Corleon did not pursue him. Instead, he pulled out the Slumbering Horn and blew it gently.
The horn’s sound was graceful and mournful, echoing through the central section of the Northwind Mountains. With the hundred stars glittering overhead, it carried a tragic beauty.
Corleon had once asked Nyx what defined dark creatures.
To Nyx, any who competed with humans for survival space were dark creatures.
But to Corleon, all intelligent, non-human races were dark creatures.
These, too, were an excess in this world.