The wind howled fiercely, and the sound of raindrops hitting the glass was like someone throwing pebbles at the windows, making me worry that the castle's glass might shatter any second.
The humid air raised the hair on my arms, and even inside the room, I maintained the damp feeling of just having dried off after a bath.
I inherited the amazement of the previous owner of this body towards the ethereal realm, with every pore opening up as if to paint a vivid picture of what it meant to be fully immersed.
The Celtic knot on the bronze mirror, the Arabian patterns on the bed curtains, and the castle’s rose windows all brought a strangely familiar yet foreign sensation to my mind.
It felt foreign because the previous owner of this body had never seen these patterns, and the body instinctively secreted endorphins. It felt familiar because these were elements of medieval Europe that I was deeply familiar with from Earth.
Adding to this were words like Dracula and Van Helsing, making me wonder if this so-called ethereal realm was a return to medieval Earth.
What is the relationship between the ethereal realm, the real world, and Earth?
As a lonely soul intersecting these three, is my presence in this world accidental or inevitable? Is it about being born, or about survival?
Just as my literary sentiments were about to surge, I suddenly heard a commotion outside the window, coming from the castle garden, and the room I was in happened to have a view of the front gate.
"Five people! How can there be a fifth person! Damn, what on earth is going on?" A silver-haired middle-aged man looked around the castle uneasily, seemingly searching for something.
"Wolf, please don't worry, maybe there's an error in the ethereal realm's prompt!" A black-haired girl in hemp clothing with black braids tried to comfort the anxious, silver-haired man named Wolf.
"In the ethereal realm, the only thing you can trust is the prompt," a cold-faced blond young man standing in front of another girl sternly advised the hemp clothing girl.
After speaking, he seemed to realize his harsh tone and turned to bow slightly to the girl behind him, as if explaining something.
The four were waiting for the door to open. The blond young man and the girl behind him were obviously together, their clothes elegant and clean, only their hems and trousers slightly damp from the storm. Wolf and the hemp clothing girl, on the other hand, looked much more disheveled, their clothes mostly soaked, and their hair wet.
"The fifth person? Are they talking about me? Why can't there be a fifth person?"
I had too little information, and even things that seemed like common sense were keeping me in the dark.
Normally, residents with the potential for awakening in this world would undergo systematic training at various academies before adulthood to learn about the arts of the ethereal realm, ensuring they had enough knowledge to handle any emergencies when the ethereal realm descended.
Now, I had entered the ethereal realm with no knowledge at all, which indicated one thing: someone wanted me dead in the ethereal realm. Or rather, theoretically, they had already succeeded.
The castle door slowly opened, and the four entered one after another, disappearing in the stormy night.
"The main characters of the story are all here. The mystery of Dracula... I'm actually a bit excited."
Perhaps it was due to reincarnation, or maybe it was because I had traversed into a place resembling a game level. This environment and setting sparked a strong urge in me to explore, just like when I played escape room games on Earth.
...
Thud! Thud! Thud! Three heavy knocks echoed through the thick wooden door, indicating the solid construction of the castle.
"Honorable sir, the lord of this place, the noble Count Vosman, invites you to join him in the hall for a banquet."
A maid, her head covered with a veil, carrying a pot of hot malt wine, entered without my permission. As she set down the pot, she handed me a set of clothes:
"This terrible weather shows no mercy. The count sends his most sincere greetings on behalf of Transylvania and hopes these clothes, tailored from your weather-worn attire, will restore your impression of Transylvania."
"Even the noisy wind cannot extinguish the count’s enthusiasm. I, Lei Nightbane, on behalf of Viscount Nightbane extend my highest respects to Count Vosman. Transylvania is indeed a beautiful place, just like your elegance, Miss."
My knack for adapting to local customs was something I had to thank my capitalist father for. Perhaps he instilled these manners in me, hoping to one day reveal to the world that he had a hidden, sophisticated son. I had often fantasized about being surrounded by young, beautiful women calling me young master, but I never got to see the day he publicly acknowledged me as a second-generation wealthy heir.
"Thank you, Mr. Nightbane. You can call me Vetriess. I will wait outside while you change, then escort you to the hall for the banquet, where four other esteemed guests will join you."
"Very well, Ms. Vetriess."
Portraits of fifteen generations of counts hung in the castle corridor. From the tenth portrait onward, there was a noticeable change in the style of their attire.
Ms. Vetriess seemed to notice my curiosity and explained with a smile, "The tenth portrait is of Count Abraham Van Helsing, a professor known for his unconventional ways."
My heart skipped a beat as I replied with a smile, "Oh, a very knowledgeable man indeed. Wow, the ninth count has quite a handsome appearance. What is his name?"
The maid glanced back at me, seeing my curious expression, and replied with a smile, "Dracula, Dracula Van Helsing."
A sense of gravity weighed on me. The ethereal realm's prompt named this place "The Mystery of Dracula," but the task was to help Van Helsing defend the castle, seemingly unrelated to Dracula. So, where does this Dracula mystery come from?
Additionally, Abraham Van Helsing is a character from Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula", where he and his companions killed Dracula's three brides and eventually defeated Dracula in a chase in Transylvania.
Here, however, Dracula was the ninth count, and Abraham became the tenth count. What does this signify? Most importantly, both Dracula and Van Helsing are fictional characters from Bram Stoker’s novel. What does their presence here mean?
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Full of doubts, everything seemed eerie. This ethereal realm certainly wasn't as simple as the prompt made it seem.
Unknowingly, I had followed the maid Vetriess to the hall, where five people were already sitting around a bonfire.
Seated at the head of the table was Count Vosman, along with the four people I had seen through the window. The four had clearly refreshed themselves. Aside from the blond young man and the girl in luxurious clothes, the braided girl and Wolf had changed their attire, just like me.
The maid whispered something to Vosman, who then turned to look at me, followed by the four others.
They stared intently at my forehead, and after confirming something, they seemed slightly puzzled but relaxed a bit.
I wiped my forehead awkwardly, seeing nothing unusual on my hand, and looked back at the four with a bit of confusion.
Upon closer inspection, I realized a significant difference between me and the other four: they all had faint light marks on their foreheads.
Wolf had a green mark, the hemp clothing girl had a black mark, the blond young man had two golden marks, and the brown-haired girl had a red mark. These marks were beautiful, like runes from Earth novels.
When I looked at the brown-haired girl, our eyes met, and she seemed slightly surprised before quickly regaining her composure.
"Does she know me? She must know me. No, she must know Lei Nightbane."
Initially, I judged that this brown-haired girl was likely a noble’s offspring, with the blond young man as her protector. However, I couldn't recall any memory related to her.
Apart from the concept of 'she knows me,' my first impression of her was elegance, reminiscent of a grown-up McKenna Grace, the child star, with lashes that seemed almost magical.
As for the other two, the black-haired girl appeared to be Wolf's subordinate, without much distinctive impression apart from her shyness.
Wolf, however, seemed familiar, likely because Vosman had called his name when I sought help at the door, indicating they knew each other privately.
After this simple judgment, I looked back at Vosman and the maid. Their foreheads were as smooth as mine, without any marks.
Vosman's main seat faced the door, with long tables on both sides of the bonfire where the blond young man and the brown-haired girl sat on one side, and Wolf and the black-haired girl on the other.
I glanced around, then bowed slightly to the blond young man and the girl beside him, before taking a seat next to the brown-haired girl.
The blond young man seemed nervous when I sat down but calmed down after looking at the brown-haired girl.
Based on the seating arrangement, the blond young man seemed to play the role of a spokesperson for the brown-haired girl, trying to attract attention to himself. However, he was too unprofessional, as his actions quickly revealed the brown-haired girl was his superior.
In front of me was a long, high-quality linen tablecloth with woven patterns of roses and lilies, fringed with tassels. The table was set with silver candleholders, and patterned candles served both as lighting and decoration.
The table already had appetizers and the first course: a small piece of fried fish fillet with pork sausage as the appetizer, and roasted venison leg with cinnamon and cloves, served with white bread and blueberry sauce as the first course.
"My dear guests, please do try the wine from our estate. The tannins are very delicate."
Old Vosman gently swirled the silver cup in his hand, his bushy goatee bobbing with each sniff. His indulgent expression combined with his twitching beard made him look humorous and comical.
The other four didn't seem as interested as old Vosman. Besides the brown-haired girl on his left, the other three occasionally glanced at me as if I were an enigma.
Especially the black-haired girl opposite me, who kept cutting her meat with her head down, but her eyes always lingered on me.
This eerie tension made me feel on edge, and despite the tenderness of the venison, I lost my appetite.
I put down my knife and fork, wiped my mouth with a napkin, then raised my glass towards the black-haired girl and said:
"Beautiful lady, your grace is as rich as the wine shared by Lord Vosman. May I ask what keeps your heart soaring in the clouds?"
The black-haired girl stiffened like a frightened rabbit, a blush creeping up her ears, her knife and fork clattering to the floor as she pressed her hands tightly against her skirt, looking down without saying a word.
"Don't use your archaic compliments on commoners. You're making both of you uncomfortable," said the girl next to me, grabbing a piece of meat while speaking.
Only then did I realize that there was a girl here with a great appetite and no sense of decorum.
Her words reminded me of my mistake. The black-haired girl sat there, flustered, while the maid picked up her fallen cutlery, and she looked like a deer about to cry.
I suddenly felt a wave of self-loathing, disgusted by my uncalled-for superiority that had cornered an innocent girl.
I put down my wine glass, undid the top button of my shirt, took a big gulp of wine, and then tore off a piece of venison, coughing as I swallowed, before saying to the girl:
"Sorry, I was too nervous. Everyone kept staring at me, so I instinctively raised my posture, like a frightened hen trying to protect her fragile eggs."
The braided girl might have really seen a frightened hen before, as she thought for a moment and then laughed, accepting the new cutlery from the maid and resuming her meal like a small, busy rabbit.
"Hey! Boy, don't you recognize us? Not even one of us?" The silver-haired Wolf stared at me suspiciously.
I shook my head helplessly. "Sorry, sir, is there an issue with that?"
At this point, the blond young man took over the conversation.
"Do you know about the ethereal realm?"
"I’ve heard of it," I replied truthfully.
"Did you hear the ethereal realm prompt?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you remember the content?"
I hesitated and then replied, "Realm 103, Dracula’s Mystery, five realm mages have been gathered."
The blond young man's expression turned serious, and he turned to stare at me. "Then, are you a realm mage?"
I was speechless. If the previous owner of this body had been a realm mage, they wouldn’t have died in the storm.
The blond young man ran his hand through his golden hair in frustration, then pointed to his forehead and said:
"Let’s set aside the realm mage issue for now. Do you see the realm mark on my forehead?"
[So this thing is called a realm mark.] I instinctively nodded.
"A level-1 realm mage has one realm mark, and I have two, indicating I am a level-2 realm mage."
At this point, Wolf chimed in, "The summoning in the ethereal realm follows the principle of conservation. Realm 103, Dracula's Mystery, is a level-1 realm, accommodating up to five level-1 realm mages, or one level-2 realm mages plus three level-1 realm mages, or one level-3 realm mage plus one level-1 realm mage.
In total, the realm energy token cannot exceed five. The blond knight Kevin, as a level-2 realm mage, takes up two realm energy units. Adding us three level-1 realm mages, the realm energy units are already five. Therefore, theoretically, there cannot be a fifth realm mage."
The blond knight Kevin pointed to his forehead and continued, "After confirming you are not a realm mage, we must consider an exceptional situation, which is when the number of people does not satisfy the required number of five for a level-1 realm. The ethereal realm will summon ordinary people without realm energy to fill the gap."
At this point, the black-haired girl finally mustered the courage to speak, "The rule for summoning ordinary people is that this person must have had a strong bond with someone in the realm recently."
Silver-haired Wolf continued, "Yet you say you don't recognize any of us, not even one person."
Everyone’s eyes turned back to me. I shrugged helplessly and shook my head again.
At this moment, the brown-haired girl, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke, "Perhaps I know him."
Everyone turned to the brown-haired girl in surprise.
Kevin, the blond knight, asked in disbelief, "Prin…I mean Miss Clara, how could you possibly know him?"
Clara continued to eat her meat indifferently, showing no signs of a noble lady's demeanor, "I heard that a rude guy at the Royal Lionheart Academy offended a great noble and was locked in the cleansing room. One of my uncles is a teacher at Lionheart Academy, and he showed me a picture of this unlucky guy. Maybe that’s our bond."
Everyone fell silent. This bond, strong? More like a weak link.
Kevin lightly tapped the table to regain everyone’s attention and said seriously:
"Then there's only one last question: the ethereal realm prompt is never wrong. Where is the fifth realm mage?"