The vampire knight quickly turned her head, only to see the ghoul king's sinister smile. The one frozen in ice was merely a magical illusion; the real creature had been lurking nearby, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.
Norton's battle-hardened experience and caution made the ghoul king realize that attacking him would likely fail. Instead, the inexperienced vampire knight, despite her skills, was targeted for her lack of experience. The ghoul king thought, "If I can't kill the von Carstein count, taking down an Averell Rasin heir would suffice."
However, all of these plans were within Norton's calculations. The future Count von Carstein had anticipated this move, pretending to be unaware all along.
Seeing that the bait had been taken, a smile crept onto Norton's lips. With a quick flick of his left hand, he released the short sword gripped within it. Utilizing a clever maneuver, the sword hilt bounced off the bridge under the nightmare's belly in a V-shape, shooting rapidly towards the Strigoi ghoul king. The ghoul king was fast, but Norton was faster, leaving no room for evasion!
Terrified by the short sword suddenly emerging from beneath the nightmare, the ghoul king didn’t flinch or retreat, still reaching for the young knight, intent on taking her down with him.
The knight, petrified by the ghoul king's viciousness and madness, stood frozen as his magic-clad claw reached for her neck. Seeing this, Norton cursed under his breath and grabbed her belt with his free hand, pulling her toward him.
In that split second, Norton’s quick action saved her life. The claw scraped past her side, while Norton's short sword pierced the ghoul king's body. A flash of light from the magic crystal embedded in the hilt caused the surrounding flesh to explode, shredding the ghoul king's organs.
A loud "boom" followed as the blast wave and Norton’s pulling force dragged the knight off her mount, landing her heavily onto Norton. The combination of her twenty kilos of complete armor made of mithril alloy and her own weight caused Norton to grimace in pain, feeling as if he’d been crushed.
In the blink of an eye, the fierce battle concluded, leaving the ghoul king blown to bits, the ghoul horde utterly annihilated, and three crypt horrors dead with one injured and fled. The intense combat ended in Norton and the knight's complete victory.
These two young vampires—one a mere heir—had triumphed over a mature Strigoi ghoul king, his four crypt horror minions, and a pack of ghouls, all without a scratch. Few would believe such a tale, and even Norton might have scoffed had he not lived it himself.
But this victory wasn’t just luck; it was earned through skill. In another fight, they’d likely win again.
Norton's prowess was undeniable: excellent swordsmanship, combat skills, extensive battle experience, and mid-level spellcasting capabilities, not to mention a magical energy reserve and affinity that could even rival archmages.
The vampire knight’s performance was equally praiseworthy. She single-handedly killed two crypt horrors and wounded another. While her superb equipment—a lethal lance and a sturdy shield capable of reflecting enemy attacks—played a part, her precise grasp of strategy and courageous spirit were key to victory.
However, after achieving such a feat as killing a Strigoi ghoul king, neither youth felt triumphant. The explosion’s shockwave had dazed the vampire knight, rendering her unconscious. Her full armor, combined with her body's weight, pressed Norton painfully into the ground.
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She lay unconscious with her helmet knocked off, a cascade of orange-red hair spilling over Norton’s face, tickling him. Compounded by the pressure on his stomach, he nearly lost his lunch. Norton grimaced in pain, unable to move.
After some time, Norton finally regained enough strength to push the hefty knight off him. Taking a few deep breaths to ease his compressed chest, he stretched out his limbs, relieved to find he was unharmed. He then checked on the vampire knight’s condition by crouching beside her.
His examination revealed something unexpected.
"A girl?" Norton muttered with a frown. Her helmet had masked half her face, and her hair was hidden, making it hard to tell at first glance.
But now, with her helmet off and hair down, revealing a gallant face, Norton realized her voice had been slightly sharper when she was emotional.
To better assess her condition, Norton had removed her full armor. Holding her in his arms, her slender form and soft skin were fully apparent to him. If he still couldn't recognize her as a girl, he might as well find a crooked tree to hang himself on.
After confirming that the young knight was uninjured and would awaken shortly, Norton knew he couldn’t linger. He gathered his short sword from the scattered remains, wiped it clean with a handkerchief, then sheathed it. Searching the battlefield for any valuables from the ghoul king yielded nothing of use; the impoverished Strigoi lineage left him with nothing but smelly flesh. Frustrated by the fruitless effort, Norton snapped his fingers, conjuring pale flames to reduce the bodies to ash, leaving the bridge unscathed.
Having cleared the battlefield, Norton prepared to leave, ensuring he wouldn’t abandon the girl. He placed her on the nightmare, using anti-gravity magic to levitate and transport her armor, shield, sword, and lance alongside him. Leading the nightmare, he walked towards his nearby carriage. As a semi-undead creature, the nightmare was instinctively intimidated by such a powerful vampire. It couldn’t misbehave.
A while later, the young knight stirred awake, finding herself resting on Norton’s lap in the carriage. With a confused shake of her head, she looked down and exclaimed, "Ah!" upon realizing her situation.
"Your armor and weapons are right there, not a piece missing," Norton assured, gesturing to the neatly stacked gear at her feet.
"…Thank you," the knight murmured, blushing slightly with embarrassment.
"It’s nothing; it's only right for kin to help each other," Norton replied. He then asked, "But I’d like to know, how did you end up tangled with that creature? From what I know, Strigoi renegades usually lurk underground and don’t venture out unless necessary."
"I don’t know," she said, her voice tinged with embarrassment, waving her hands dismissively. "I only recently arrived and am not familiar with the happenings here."
"I see… then it’s likely they were after me," Norton mused aloud, deducing that she might be one of the children Principal Asta mentioned would stay at Drakenhof Castle.
The knight didn’t seem to mind that “it may have been Norton’s fault she was in danger,” as such a negative mindset didn’t exist among vampire kin. She then asked a question of her own:
"How did you discover them? They should have concealed their aura. I couldn’t detect them at all."
"It’s witch sight. Due to the Strigoi’s degeneration, they’ve lost the innate witch sight ability. Perhaps they forgot that," Norton explained, finding her ignorance peculiar.
"Um… I get headaches and can’t see clearly whenever I use witch sight," she admitted quietly, clearly embarrassed.
"I see." Norton nodded, then asked, "So, why were you waiting for me at the bridge?"
"…No reason," she responded hastily, her panic evident at Norton’s inquiry. Seeing his puzzled expression, she elaborated, "I had a reason, but it's irrelevant now—let’s just leave it at that. Please take care of me in the future, Norton von Carstein."
"Very well." Norton, perceiving her unease, didn’t press further. Instead, he smiled and asked his next question, "By the way, after all this, I still don’t know your name."
"Annie von Averell Rasin, cousin to the current Count of Averell Rasin," the young knight introduced herself, smiling at Norton. "You can just call me Annie."
"Norton von Carstein," he replied, formally introducing himself despite her already knowing his name. He took Annie’s hand and gently kissed her fingertips. "Though I’m still unclear on some matters, welcome to the von Carstein domain."