The First Vampire

After nightfall, the temperature began to drop.

The nights in the North Territory during spring, are fairly cold.

In the camp, the soldiers lit bonfires to warm themselves, boil water, and cook.

At the same time, they also began to chat amongst themselves.

What their conversation centered on was of course, the daytime meeting between the two Marquises, Marquis Garcia’s whip, and Marquis Charles’s tears.

Knight Colin was discreetly mingling among these soldiers, listening to their casual banter.

Then he suddenly discovered that there was an unexpected shift in the soldiers’ attitudes towards Marquis Charles.

Before today, these soldiers, especially those who had fled in defeat from the Mirror Lake battlefield, had an extremely negative attitude towards Marquis Charles.

They despised, hated, and scorned him.

Such an infamous reputation was expected for a defeated army commander.

Moreover, Marquis Charles issued a draft order in haste and treated the people conscripted as cannon fodder and bait.

It can be said that if he wasn’t the Duke’s eldest son, if the reputation of the St. Hilde family was not as grand in the North Territory, Marquis Charles might have already been torn apart by these infuriated soldiers.

However, Marquis Charles’s cry during the day has seemingly turned public opinion gradually towards him.

Listening carefully to the soldiers’ discussions, Colin began to understand.

He wasn’t sure whether Marquis Charles’s cry was a genuine expression of emotions, or simply political showmanship.

However, it did remind him of Liu Da Ear’s renowned skill in this matter the more they cried, the more they would win over people’s hearts.

Also, when Colin thought again about Marquis Garcia’s whip, he felt there was an underlying significance to it.

At that moment, Colin’s initial reaction to it was only of two words—arrogance!

That whip wasn’t just targeted at Marquis Charles, but was as if it was also a lash on Duke St. Hilde’s face.

Colin thought that it was Marquis Garcia venting out his dissatisfaction with the Duke, after all the defeat could be traced back to the Duke’s decision to keep the Dark Cavalry in reserve.

But now that he thought about it, the whip might have also served to help Marquis Charles extricate from blame– I’ve whipped him publicly, so you should stop hating him.

Perhaps, that was the message.

In this light, it seemed like Marquis Garcia was extending his care towards Marquis Charles…

As Colin was lost in thought, a soldier came up to him:

“Knight Colin, Marquis Charles is asking for you!”

Colin was taken aback, as he didn’t expect the Marquis to come looking for him.

“Alright, please lead the way.”

While contemplating why Marquis Charles was looking for him, Colin followed the soldier to a luxurious tent in the center of the camp.

“Greetings, my Lord Marquis!” Being the first-in-line heir of the Angler family, his loyal lord, Marquis Charles was worthy to receive Colin’s genuflection.

“Please rise, Knight Colin!”

Marquis Charles quickly stepped forward, warmly helping Colin stand.

The Marquis seemed to be in his thirties, worn with experience, his bare upper body wrapped in bandages. Colin was unsure whether the Marquis was genuinely wounded or just putting on a show.

However, Colin was not bothered by this.

He was not like the common soldiers who could be appeased and sympathized by a few tears from the man in power.

“May I know why my Lord Marquis has summoned me?” Colin escaped from the over-enthusiastic grip of Marquis Charles subtly and bowed to ask.

Marquis Charles did not respond immediately, instead he turned and took a two-handed sword from one of the guards, solemnly handing it over to Colin.

“I’m sorry, Knight Colin, your father Baron Angler… has unfortunately died on the frontline… it’s all my fault… This was his sword, please… mourn for him!” As Marquis Charles spoke, he began to choke with emotion.

Colin had to admire the other’s acting skills, tears flowing as soon as he spoke, far better than some emotionless fresh faces.

“Lord Marquis, please, don’t! My father’s death for the country is his glory, not your fault.”

Colin also tried to squeeze out a few tears, his face full of impassioned vigour: “I swear, I will kill all the invading trolls, I’ll seek vengeance for my father! I beg Lord Marquis to grant me this opportunity!”

The Marquis’s eyes brightened, clearly he hadn’t expected Colin to be so understanding, so cooperative.

He grabbed hold of Colin’s hands, shouting: “Rest assured, Knight Colin! I promise you, I will definitely kill all these damned trolls, and seek vengeance for Baron Angler and all the other warriors of North Territory who have lost their lives!”

Colin, forcefully suppressing his inner disgust, “Thank you, Lord Marquis!”

“It’s the least I could do, Knight Colin!”

The two held hands, their gaze full of tears, the atmosphere becoming a bit…

intense.

After a long while, the two academy award-level actors finally calmed down from their previous intense state.

Marquis Charles, regaining his composure, sat down with Colin: “Knight Colin, I heard from Vera about the hardships you faced on your journey, so on behalf of my late father and for the St. Hilde Family, I thank you for protecting Vera from being harmed by the trolls!”

“It is my duty.”

Marquis Charles nodded, but his subsequent tone became somewhat ambiguous:

“Knight Colin, from my sister’s account, I could clearly see how much she values you, and more so, I heard that she personally pleaded with Archbishop Raven to save you with the pure holy water, haha, after all these years, I have never seen her value another man so much.”

“I will never be able to adequately repay Miss Vera’s kindness!”

Colin then understood. The Marquis must have discerned his military talents from Vera’s narrative; which lead to his current pandering attempt.

However, if this was before the war, Colin would not hesitate to swear loyalty to Marquis Charles and the olive branch he has extended.

But now, Colin would not easily board this ship that seemed on the verge of capsizing.

“However, even after inheriting the Baron title of Angler family, I’m afraid that for you to marry my sister is… ” Marquis Charles continued, seemingly speaking from the heart.

“Lord Marquis, how could I harbor such thoughts! Miss Vera is like a goddess, she is not someone I would dare to defile!” Colin would not admit that he had such thoughts.

“Haha, Knight Colin, don’t belittle yourself!” Marquis Charles motions with his hand, smiling, “With your talents, it is a certainty that you will gain meritorious service on the battlefield, and elevation to a higher rank of nobility is not a farfetched idea.’

“Lord Marquis, you are being too kind. It is my long-held ambition to fight for the North Territory, I don’t dare to ask for more.”

Colin felt some contempt inwardly, the Marquis actually used his sister as a bargaining chip to curry favor, it just didn’t seem right.

Furthermore, regarding Vera’s marriage, Colin had no reason to believe the Marquis had much say in it at all.

Of course, it’s also likely that Marquis Charles wasn’t truly intending to help Colin win his sister’s hand in marriage.

The promises made by these politicians were no more reliable than a boss’s vague promise of “Work hard, you’ll definitely be promoted and get a raise in the future”.

So, on the surface, Colin appeared to be flattered, even revealing some signs of dependency, but he remained alert inwardly.

Marquis Charles seemed not to have detected Colin’s perfunctory attitude and continued to be hospitable.

The two engaged in a long conversation, as if they had known each other for a lifetime.

It wasn’t until late into the night that Colin rose to bid his leave.

Marquis Charles personally escorted him outside the tent.

As Colin bowed to bid farewell, Marquis Charles suddenly looked behind Colin and exclaimed with surprise:

“Eh? Sister, it’s so late, why aren’t you asleep yet?”