In Sylvania, the vampire population had remained low due to constant wars and low reproductive rates. Even at its peak, the number of vampires never exceeded ten thousand. This situation was troubling, yet, from another perspective, such scarcity and weakness sometimes ensured the realm's continued existence. Being impoverished, backward, and not too threatening, other powers were naturally disinclined to waste time on Sylvania, instead targeting richer, more populous, and more threatening adversaries.

As a result, wars between Sylvania and the Sigmar Empire's regular army were infrequent. Most of the time, vampires dealt with adventurers, freelance mercenaries, bandits, crazed rogue knights, equally crazed witch hunters, or battle priests. Although they weren't insane, they weren't far off—like the greenskins, who were collectively lacking in intelligence by nature.

This is why, for nearly a century, the kingdom regarded greenskin orcs as its primary adversary. Other enemies were either greedy or insane but not mainstream threats among humans. However, lacking intelligence was inherent to the entire greenskin race.

"Thinking about it carefully, aren't we in a situation where we can defend ourselves but lack the means for offense? It's not too far-fetched to call it mere survival. We take shame in this, yet we must face this reality and use it as motivation to strive harder!" This was an impromptu speech delivered by a vampire, and it resonated with the audience, who applauded in response.

The banquet began. Dozens of crystal chandeliers emitting soft golden light illuminated the castle brightly. An abundance of expertly prepared dishes and smuggled wines from around the world were offered in near-endless supply. Vampires gathered, sampling the cuisine, engaging in conversations, or enjoying games in the entertainment rooms—playing billiards, bridge, or othello, to name a few.

Some combat-oriented vampires took the opportunity to visit the underground fighting arena to spar, while others delved into the alchemy lab to conduct magical experiments. Several research-obsessed vampires, who had made significant progress in June but were idle since the month's end, relished this chance to indulge in their experiments. Initially, Juana attempted to learn a trick or two by sneaking in, but she was quickly discovered and expelled.

It wasn't that the vampires were unwilling to share their knowledge, but rather that the alchemical experiments were exceedingly dangerous. While Juana's small-scale experiments might result in minor explosions, their larger experiments could lead to much more catastrophic failures, and they didn't want Juana to get hurt.

With no other choice, Juana returned to the main hall to find her playmates—girls around her age—to chat with.

Norton, on the other hand, tried to mingle among the crowd, hoping to glean insights or updates from his fellow vampires. However, like his sister Juana, Norton soon encountered the same fate. His identity was unmistakable to all present, and despite receiving warm smiles and greetings, everyone inevitably said, “Norton, why not join your friends?”

Such words made Norton feel uncomfortable. Like his sister, his “friends” were boys of a similar age to him.

After hearing this several times, Norton couldn't remain in the hall. Looking over to see a group of kids his age waving and signaling to him, he could only sigh inwardly, force a smile, and walk over to his "friends."

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Although there was no age restriction at this banquet, most vampires weren’t interested in playing with children, and the kids preferred the company of their peers. Except for cases like Norton, typically, adults interacted with adults while children played together. Among the children, there were those attending school and those who were not.

“You say so, but I’d really like to play billiards, bridge, or othello,” Norton silently lamented. These games, similar to pool, poker, and chess, were popular entertainment among vampire society and indeed across all civilized species on the continent.

Vampire gentlemen enjoyed billiards, while ladies preferred card games. Both genders loved chess—the truth is, kids enjoyed these games too, though their skill levels were generally at the children's level. Playing against kids was fun but could become tiresome. Norton yearned for more challenging opponents.

Yet, it was clear that such a thing was unlikely.

Norton wasn't particularly keen on earning another prodigy title in othello, preferring less attention. Moreover, cultivating strong relationships with his peers was essential. Childhood friends who grew up together naturally shared deeper bonds and trust.

With such pragmatic thoughts, Norton smiled and waved back at the other children, joining them quickly. He greeted each one warmly, exchanging brief conversations, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Most of these children were around Norton’s age, and many were his relatives, either direct or collateral members of the von Carstein family. Some were from other small families. Given Sylvania’s small vampire population, nearly every vampire was related by blood to some degree, making the vampire community one large extended family.

Among this group, Norton stood out as a natural leader due to his experience and status. During such family gatherings, the boys looked up to him, and the adults were pleased, as Norton was destined to become the new count of the von Carstein family. Bonds formed in youth could endure for a lifetime.

While the boys gathered around Norton, the girls of similar age clustered near his sister, Juana, for analogous reasons.

“So, Norton, what should we play?” someone eagerly asked after exchanging greetings. But from his eager demeanor, it seemed he had already decided.

“Anything’s fine. What do you have in mind?” Norton replied with a question.

“It’s that—” The boy, two years Norton's senior, pointed to a few tables nearby. “The simulated battle training machines. I asked the adults earlier, and they said we could use one.”

“Oh…” Norton's interest piqued slightly at the mention. In an era with limited entertainment options, the simulated battle machines were among the few things that captured his attention. These machines, capable of fully simulating battles, served both as entertainment and sophisticated military training equipment—an alchemical marvel ahead of its time.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go,” a child added enthusiastically, encouraged by Norton’s interest. Norton nodded, leading the group to the corner.

Unlike the other entertainment rooms, this area wasn’t crowded, and the atmosphere was more somber. The adult vampires engaged in intense matches didn’t offer their usual warm smiles to the passing children, focusing all their energy on the battles.

It seemed the vampires had chosen the real battle mode, requiring magic equal to real-life situations, demanding complete concentration to control their necromantic troops. This highly realistic setup was a major reason the platform was popular.

As children, however, playing in such a mode was impossible. Their limited mental power, minimal magic reserves, and poor control over the winds of magic constrained them. Though they might become skilled adults, for now, they were just kids.

Fortunately, the battle simulator’s developers anticipated this issue. Magic crystals could replace the user’s magic when unavailable. Alternatively, the virtual mode required significantly less magic.

Even so, magic was still magic, and crystals were still costly. Thus, opportunities for vampire children to play with such machines were rare, limited to academic military training or occasions like this, when the adults were feeling generous.