The First Vampire

As the gap between the two quickly closed, their momentum skyrocketed.

Thirty meters…

Ten meters…

Five meters…

Wooden lances pierced through the air, emitting a low, whistling sound.

Time seemed to come to a standstill at that moment.

However, just as they crossed paths, Joseph suddenly shifted from thrusting to sweeping, with the afterimage of his lance forming a crescent in the air, ruthlessly aimed to sveep his opponent off his horse.

Startled, Karl Miller did not panic, for the shield at his side perfectly fended off Joseph’s sweep, while his own lance jabbed straight into his opponent’s armor.

Crash!

Both lances shattered simultaneously, sending shards flying.

On his horse, Karl Miller teetered a few times, nearly falling but deftly maintaining his balance with proficient equestrian skill.

Joseph, however, was sent flying like a cannonball. The knight in reddish-brown armor skillfully somersaulted in mid-air and landed on his feet. He had to take three steps back before finally stabilizing himself.

According to the competition rules, falling off the horse equated to a loss.

“I lost.” Joseph shook his head, discarded the broken lance in his hand, and removed his helmet, revealing a face weathered by time.

His chestnut horse approached him, snorting as if to console him.

Karl Miller also approached, removed his helmet, and with the winner’s smile, said, “You are very formidable, but you made a fatal mistake – you should not have changed your strategy at the very last moment.”

After stating these words, Karl turned his horse around, and roamed around the dueling field leisurely, basking in the rapturous applause from the audience.

On the viewing platform, Colin, watching this scene, suddenly leaned to Isa and whispered into her ear, “That Joseph purposely lost to Karl Miller.”

Even though Joseph’s act was very convincing, he was only a third-rank knight, and Colin could naturally see through it.

Because the half-elves were of mixed human and elf blood, their affinities for the Holy Light were not high in the case of a non-unified bloodline, therefore their knight rank hardly exceeded the third rank.

When Colin came to Silver Moon City last year, he had seen a few fourth-rank half-elf knights, but after two major turmoils and purges, all the fourth-rank powerhouses in the Half-Elf Kingdom were either fallen or exiled. At this point, third-rank knights represented the peak of half-elf power in Silver Moon City.

Upon hearing these words, Queen Isa was taken aback, and then her eyebrows furrowed as she asked with a serious tone: “Could someone have threatened Joseph to purposefully lose the match?”

Colin lightly patted Isa’s arm and shook his head, saying, “Not necessarily. The Miller family just faced a catastrophe, so it’s unlikely that anyone would dare create trouble at this time.”

Further, before this match, no one expected an unknown wandering knight to make it all the way to the finals.”

“Then why did Joseph deliberately lose the match?”

Looking at Joseph who was silently bowing his head in the field, Colin smiled and said, “Joseph may have lost the match, but he won at life.”

Queen Isa looked at her lover with confusion.

Colin laughed and explained, “Joseph knew he came from humble beginnings, and he could never compete with Karl, who was of royal descent.”

Moreover, Karl is younger and might have the potential to reach the fourth rank, or even inherit the dukedom of the Miller family in the future.

If Joseph won this match, even if he earned your favor and successfully ascended into the half-elf nobility, how would he confront a duke’s hostility in the future?

So, he was better off losing the match and letting Karl Miller become the champion.

As a result, he showcased his strength on this stage, and even without the prize of champion, Karl Miller would come to appreciate Joseph when he thought it through.”

Queen Isa quietly listened to the end, and nodded, “Makes sense. But from the looks of it, you seem to admire Joseph’s approach very much?”

Colin did not hide his thoughts, nodding and saying, “Yes. This is a clever man who is not only powerful, but also knows when to advance or retreat. And the wonderful thing is that he is from a humble background without a family as a backdrop and therefore in need of attaching himself to a strong force.”

Queen Isa instantly grasped Colin’s idea, asking, “You want to make him the commander of the Silver Moon Guards?”

“Smart!” Colin snapped his fingers.

The Silver Moon Guards were in the process of being rebuilt, but Colin was still undecided about the choice of commander.

Although Colin did not plan to overly rely on half-elf military strength, he did not want turmoil to occur in Silver Moon City again.

Therefore, the choice of the commander of the Silver Moon Guards is crucial.

Colin even considered that if he could not find a suitable candidate, he would simply use one of his own bloodline as commander.

But at this time, Joseph suddenly appeared before Colin, giving him a pleasant surprise.

Queen Isa also seemed to think Joseph was a good choice, so she nodded and said, “Alright, I will instruct people to investigate Joseph’s background in detail. If everything looks fine, I will make a public announcement after a while.”

“Alright.”

Meanwhile, today’s champion knight, Karl Miller, had arrived in front of the viewing platform and received flowers from the attendant’s hand, and scanned the surroundings with his eyes.

Colin looked curiously at this young knight, curious to see which noble lady he would present the flowers to.

But this champion knight walked straight towards the viewing platform.

Then, to everyone’s astonishment, he presented the flowers to Kathy standing behind Colin!

The half-elf maid was caught off guard and stood dumbfounded on the spot. Then, at a loss as to what to do, she looked at Colin, seeming to be seeking her master’s assistance.

However, Colin had no intention of helping and instead put on a show-watching expression, while he was also paying attention to the direction of Prince Harrison from the corner of his eye.

Sure enough, this imperial prince was so angry that his face turned red, and he clenched his fists, seeming ready to rush out any second to issue a duel challenge to Knight Karl.

However, he still had some sense and knew that he was not a match for Knight Karl. So he had no choice but to stare at his rival in love, not knowing what he was thinking.

With no help from Colin, Kathy had to accept the flowers before her.

Colin watched Karl Miller with great interest. He suddenly felt that this knight from the Miller family was also very thoughtful.

However, judging by Kathy’s reaction, this Karl Knight was destined to have unrequited love.

As for Prince Harrison, well… let’s just say Karl Knight should be careful.

Apparently unaware that he had inadvertently offended the imperial prince, Karl, after presenting the flowers, strode up to Queen Isa and knelt on one knee.

But before the champion knight could open his mouth, Envoy Viscount Fein from the Eastern Territory stood up.

Colin thought he was going to fulfill the “extra reward” he had promised, but to his surprise, Viscount Fein said,

“What a wonderful game! However, Knight Karl, I have a knight here who missed the registration time for the Martial Arts Competition and was unable to participate. He is very regretful, but he would love to compete with you. Would you be willing?”

Queen Isa’s eyebrows furrowed and she immediately spoke, “I’m sorry, Viscount Fein, but the Martial Arts Competition is over.”

“Her Majesty, I, of course, understand that. However, the reward I just presented, according to the instructions of Duke St. Prowse, must go to the strongest half-elf knight. I wonder if Knight Karl would be willing to prove himself?”

Colin narrowed his eyes and asked, “So, the knight you are recommending is also a half-elf?”

“Yes.” Viscount Fein nodded, then waved back.

Then, an attendant who came with him ascended to the viewing platform and removed his helmet.

Upon seeing his face, Colin was taken aback.

Meanwhile, Karl Miller declared loudly, “Your Majesty, please allow me to accept this battle for you!”

Queen Isa too recognized the identity of this half-elf knight recommended by the Eastern Territory. She turned her head to look at Colin and saw him nod slightly then agreed, saying,

“Alright! Knight Karl, I hope you can prove yourself once again.”