Hearing that the blame had conveniently fallen on the Strigoi, Norton finally relaxed, his fear dissipating. With the immediate danger passed, his mind turned to regret. Due to the serious injuries he had sustained that night and the peak of the Red Moon Moriah's power in late June, he hadn't been able to use magic. Moreover, he had been preoccupied with learning black magic from Triss, which diverted his attention from the ancient tomb. As a result, he hadn’t retrieved all the treasures from it.

“I suppose all the other grave goods have been taken by now,” Norton thought, feeling a sharp pang of loss. What should have been his exclusive bounty had slipped through his fingers. Worse still, if other vampires conducted thorough searches, they might discover the empty tomb he left in the wilderness, losing him the tens of thousands of skeletons he had stashed away. Over two years of planning and execution had turned into a futile risk.

The thought gnawed at him. Although the tomb was on his family’s land, meaning any revenue would belong to the von Carstein family, there was a vast difference between family-owned and personally owned wealth. As the soon-to-be count at just six years old, the provisions he could draw from the family were limited to meals and education. His meager allowance was frequently siphoned by his sister, Juana, under the pretense of borrowing.

Juana always promised to pay Norton back, yet her debt of 4,125 Larkin—equivalent to 2.0625 kilograms of gold and 41.25 kilograms of silver—remained unpaid. When lending her gold coins, Norton had been clever, insisting on repayment in gold bars to profit from the minting disparity. She had agreed without hesitation. Back then, Norton had smugly thought her a fool, not realizing the real fool was himself, as she seemingly had no intention of repaying him.

“Enough, there’s no point dwelling on it. Thinking about it only makes me angrier. Both this and that are just headaches…”

Norton recalled his fourth birthday, when he received his first allowance, carefully counting it. Then, Isabeau, with her sweet smile, had approached. Unaware of her bottomless pit tendencies in alchemy, pharmacy, and magical arrays, he had lent her his entire allowance, reassured by her promises of interest returns. Now, reflecting on Isabeau’s sweet smile, she seemed more like a wolf preying on a naïve rabbit… Hmm, an older sister with a penchant for devouring younger brothers? Oddly enticing...

Despite such thoughts, Norton’s strategies had resulted in others reaping the main benefits. Even risking his initial investment of skeleton soldiers with wooden spears felt unrecoverable. These musings offered distraction to prevent fainting from frustration, tempered by the knowledge he still possessed a valuable artifact, enough to turn his fortunes around.

After briefing the children on recent events, Headmaster Asta launched into a patriotic lecture, only leaving satisfied once he had delivered his message. He approached Lady Windsor, the evening’s host, politely taking his leave and nodding to other clan members before departing for the academy.

With this news in mind, Norton lost interest in further war games with his peers. The distraction had failed. Claiming mild discomfort, he retreated to a corner sofa to rest his eyes.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He endured until twelve midnight when the banquet reached its latter half. Norton appropriately expressed his fatigue to excuse himself to his room. Other children, mostly tired by now, were escorted home by their parents, who also bid Lady Windsor farewell. Norton, residing there, remained but seized the opportunity to retire to his room.

As the reception waned, many vampires departed—an aspect Norton no longer concerned himself with. If not for the lessons ingrained in him about maintaining a vampire's dignity and noble demeanor, he’d have eagerly dashed to his room to inspect his replica of the Knights’ Codex.

“Composure, composure. I am (the future) Count von Carstein. These are (my future) subjects gathered here. I must maintain composure.”

Yet, despite his internal mantra, Norton’s pace quickened. By the time he reached the second floor, out of the sight of vampires below, he broke into a run. Once in his room, he locked the door, dashed to the study, and tip-toed to retrieve the Knights’ Codex replica, cradling it like a lifeline.

Norton hadn’t expected his hurried entrance to stir someone, but it did.

While cradling the precious volume, the library door opened, revealing Maia, the young maid, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Perhaps half-awake, she had forgotten to knock, assuming Norton would be out until dawn.

“…Master?”

With the faint moonlight illuminating her young master warmly holding a hefty book and smiling foolishly, Maia felt a mix of curiosity and concern. Half asleep, she softly called his name.

Maia’s voice, usually gentle, was now almost a whisper, akin to the drone of a mosquito. Yet, it startled Norton, causing him to instinctively tense, gripping the Codex to his chest with his left hand and clutching his sword’s hilt with his right, assuming a defensive stance.

It didn’t last long.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet, Maia?” Recognizing the voice as his maid’s, Norton relaxed his posture, though slightly irritated, asking her directly.

Maia, staring wide-eyed, hands covering her mouth, appeared terrified, tears glistening at her eyes' edges. Her expression was pitiful, surprising Norton into stillness.

In that brief instant, Norton’s serious demeanor had revealed the commanding aura of a mech warrior, a reminder of his grim past that, though unintentionally projected, deeply unnerved Maia. It was akin to when she had encountered a wild wolf during her first months at the castle, the predator’s glowing blue eyes and menacing growl, a nightmare since.

Fortunately for Maia, like that well-fed wolf, Norton had no intention of harm. In fact, her tearful expression amused him, prompting him to pat her head.

Maia instinctively wanted to dodge but found herself frozen. She understood that displaying refusal before her young master could lead to unfavorable outcomes, so she maintained her usual compliance.

“Surprisingly good texture,” Norton mused softly while pinching Maia’s cheek.

“M-Master?” Relieved by the absence of danger, Maia breathed a sigh, tentatively addressing him.

“You were exhausted today and slept deeply. You didn’t notice me come in, understand?” Norton instructed firmly.

“I understand.” Though unsure of the full context, Maia nodded vigorously. She was not one to gossip, nor did she have confidants within the castle due to her unique position.

Her status, fostering both envy and fear among human servants and indifference from vampire kin, rendered her isolated—a lonely middle-ground. Despite the castle’s bustle, she felt alone, cherishing any rare kindness from her young master.

“If only Master would be a little nicer to me,” Maia sighed internally, a thought growing more frequent. Yet, she knew the chasm between them remained. Nonetheless, Norton’s rare moment of playfulness tonight felt like a small fulfillment of her wish.

“I’ll keep your secret, Master. I won’t tell anyone,” Maia solemnly promised Norton, understanding his command as more than a request, given their circumstances.