The First Vampire

As the night fell, the heavy snow finally stopped.

But this did not mean that the most difficult time had passed.

In fact, it was not too cold when it was snowing, but it is truly terrible after the snow.

Under the command of Marquis Garcia, the Dark Cavalry set up camp and started a bonfire.

If they didn’t warm themselves by the fire and eat something hot, this army would likely start losing soldiers for non-combat reasons.

Colin didn’t squeeze into a tent but nestled under the belly of his warhorse, building a fire all by himself.

Actually, the inside of the tent was not much warmer than under the belly of his horse, and moreover, he had some privacy there.

At least, his blood-drinking habit wouldn’t be noticed by others.

The blood was fox blood, saved from a poor snow fox he had caught earlier.

Of course, while drinking the blood, Colin also bit into the hard dried meat, so no one would notice that he wasn’t eating normal food.

He ate and drank while thinking about what Marquis Garcia had said earlier.

At that time, Colin didn’t quite understand, and Garcia did not explain in detail.

Colin didn’t ask either, after all, he couldn’t keep asking everything. That would make him seem a stupid student.

Indeed, now Colin considered himself a student of Marquis Garcia.

Just as he pondered Marquis Garcia’s true intention, a figure approached him.

“Want some wine?”

In the light of the fire, Colin recognized who it was.

It was Earl Fran Dawson.

“Of course!” Colin took the wineskin from the hands of Earl Dawson and took a big swig.

At one gulp, from his throat to his stomach, it was as if a fire had ignited – the taste, it completely livened him up.

“Refreshing! Good wine!”

Earl Dawson burst out laughing, proudly saying, “Of course, our dwarven hard liquor might not be the best in the Empire, but it certainly is the strongest! Especially suitable to drink in this damned weather!”

Compared to the five main races that dominate this world, the dwarves aren’t a major force.

They are scattered throughout the glorious Empire, and the total population is probably only about a few million.

Because of their weakness, the dwarves have always clung to the humans, considering themselves a subsidiary race.

Moreover, there were some rumors saying that dwarves are actually a subspecies of humans.

However, this claim has not received much recognition.

Because, unlike humans, dwarves can’t be baptized by church priests to become knights.

And the knights are exclusive professions to the human race.

Although dwarves have been professing their faith in the Lord of Glory to better integrate into the human race, apparently, the Lord of Glory has not bestowed his glory on these dwarves.

So, the common profession of warriors became the only choice for the dwarves.

The potential of this profession is inherently limited, which prevents them from becoming real powerhouses among the dwarves.

Therefore, this is not a race known for its military power.

But they are good at forging weapons and brewing wine.

Especially forging – this skill makes the dwarves very popular in the logistics department of the military.

However, the military merits of the logistics department can’t compare to those warriors fighting on the frontline, so very few dwarves can become nobles based on military merit.

Let alone becoming Counts – high-ranking nobles.

So, this Earl Dawson stands out.

More importantly, his title of Earl was conferred by Marquis Garcia.

Marquis Garcia’s base is the Dark Cavalry, and most of his vassals are high-ranking officers in the military.

But he conferred the title of Earl to a dwarf.

Moreover, this was the only count he had ever appointed.

This was quite unusual.

The Dark Cavalry was an all-cavalry army, and the height of the dwarves restricts them from becoming excellent cavaliers.

Moreover, as far as Colin understood, Earl Dawson was a warrior but not of high rank.

Therefore, Earl Dawson’s military exploits were clearly not based on martial prowess.

In the Dark Cavalry, Earl Dawson seemed to be the shadow of Marquis Garcia.

Marquis Garcia was the soul of this army, the visible banner, while Earl Dawson, was like the Butler behind the scenes, maintaining the logistical support and tedious daily affairs of the army.

Although Earl Dawson’s work was mostly unnoticeable, that he could become a count under Marquis Garcia, as a dwarf, shows his importance to the Dark Cavalry.

Therefore, after Colin joined the Dark Cavalry, aside from Marquis Garcia, the person he paid most attention to was Earl Dawson.

And because Marquis Garcia looked upon Colin differently, Earl Dawson, as the shadow of the Marquis, was quite fond of Colin.

Thus, they gradually became acquainted with each other.

At this moment, Colin and Earl Dawson sat under the belly of a horse, each taking a sip of wine, and chatted about everything.

Earl Dawson had campaigned with Marquis Garcia for half of his life and had faced all sorts of scenarios, always boasting about his victories.

But he never thought that Colin, this kid, could steal his thunder.

Colin straightaway made up all kinds of mythical tales from another world and told them to Earl Dawson, leaving the dwarf count stupefied.

When Earl Dawson asked where he learned these stories, Colin fibbed that a passing bard told them to him when he was a child in Grey Castle Town.

Earl Dawson had no way to verify his statement and thus could only continue to listen to Colin’s exaggeration.

After a long session of bluffing, Colin felt greatly satisfied. “Now I understand why the Marquis values you so much.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“Because you can talk up a storm!”

Colin laughed heartily, of course knowing that the other party was joking.

However, he suddenly became serious, asking, “Lord Earl, do you really think that is the reason the Marquis values me?”

Seeing Colin’s serious expression, Earl Dawson knew he was sincerely asking, so he put away his joking demeanor, and counter-questioned, “What do you think it is?”

Colin took a sip of wine and after pondering for a moment, said:

“It’s either because of the battle at Ben Liu River or Miss Vera. But… I feel that neither of these seems to warrant the attention of the Marquis.”

Indeed.

After all, the Angler family are vassals of Duke St. Hilde, so Colin is practically an outsider to the Dark Cavalry, which is entirely under Marquis Garcia.

No matter how outstanding Colin proved in the previous escape journey, or how fond Miss Vera is of him, none of these reasons would make the Marquis, known as the War God of the North, favor an outsider to this extent.

Hearing this, Earl Dawson nodded and then shook his head, mysteriously saying: “Hehe. You will know eventually.”

Colin felt frustrated, these kinds of suspenseful answers were the most annoying.

Before he could continue with his questions, Earl Dawson abruptly changed the subject. “Do you know why Marquis doesn’t continue to track the Troll Army ahead?”

This actually was a question that Colin had been pondering over.

And now that Earl Dawson brought it up, he replied: “I think, the Troll Army ahead should not be our priority.”

“So what is?”

“The Wolf cavalry!” Colin exhaled a breath of alcoholic aroma, confidently saying:

“In this kind of wide and flat ice plain, only cavalry can deal with cavalry.

Therefore, only that Wolf cavalry of Trolls poses a real threat to Dark Cavalry. As long as we find and destroy them first, the remaining Troll Army will just be lambs waiting to be slaughtered.”

Earl Dawson clapped his hands and praised with a smile:

“Knight Blis, you’re absolutely right, you’re indeed born for the battlefield..”