June—a month of restless monsters, uncontrollable magic, and the ominous red moon. These elements combined to strike fear in the hearts of ordinary beings. While the elites, wizards, and officials called this month the Crimson Moon or the Month of Magic, the common folk preferred to refer to it as the Month of Disaster.

On this day, Norton planned to take some action, embarking on an adventure. It would not only enhance his strength but also add excitement to his somewhat mundane life. Though he was not a grand mage, the young master, with his natural affinity for magic winds and considerable magical reserves, possessed power that surpassed that of an average grand mage.

From years of observation, he had gained an understanding of this month and the mysteries of the red moon. As a skilled psion, or in this world, a proficient battle mage, Norton had learned the techniques to navigate this storm, akin to how the best sailors mastered the tides, monsoons, and ocean currents.

Living in a society ruled by the vampire nobility, a community of solidarity and mutual affection, didn't mean Norton could relax and do nothing.

He was a vampire noble and heir to a noble family, destined to join the army at sixteen and become a warrior, fighting to expand territories and protect his domain.

On the battlefield, swords and axes made no distinctions; enemies wouldn't care about one's status. Norton's biological father, the former Count of the Carstein family, died six years ago, two months before Norton's birth. The young count was ultimately cleaved in half by a green-skinned orc warlord.

At that time, the count was fully focused on commanding his army, as the undead legions needed a necromancer's guidance to function. Engrossed in this task, he was defenseless against the sudden appearance of an orc chieftain. The vampire warriors and high undead guards around him were no match for the warlord.

Thus, the previous Count of Carstein fell, and the 15,000 undead soldiers under his command lost their leader, becoming inert skeletons. The battle ended in a devastating defeat for Sylvania.

Named the Battle of the Southern Wastes, this conflict, due to the Count of Carstein's failure, resulted in the loss of a tenth of the army, a twentieth of the territory, and exposed vast, defenseless plains to orc ravaging. The losses were grave, and Norton's mother, overcome with grief, gave birth to him two months prematurely—perhaps this is why Norton retained memories of his past life.

Fated to become a vampire noble, head of the Carstein family, and a count, Norton didn't feel obliged to accept his parents' roles in his life. Technically, without them, he wouldn't exist, but the count's death was somewhat of a relief for Norton.

He called his sister Juana by her name, seldom addressing her as "sister." As for his biological mother, Countess Windsor, he only referred to her as "madam," a distant title that naturally displeased both his sister and mother.

The Countess felt her son seemed to harbor some dislike for her, perhaps because she was somewhat cold toward him. After the count's death, she had to manage the vast family estate herself. Although relatives and other families helped, core family matters required her attention.

Additionally, another reason was Norton's uncanny resemblance to his late father. As he grew, the countess couldn't help but think of her deceased husband whenever she saw her son. Thus, she deliberately avoided contact with Norton to spare herself further sadness. This was, of course, beneficial for Norton as well.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Juana, on the other hand, refused to accept what she saw as an affront to her sisterly dignity, constantly trying to provoke Norton into calling her "sister."

Of course, for Norton, a twelve-year-old's pranks were child's play. Traps, lures, lies—he could easily spot them without effort. Norton feared prolonged engagement with his playful sister might dull his intellect.

The real challenge for Norton wasn't dealing with his sister but pretending to solve her "plots" with effort, as if he were a clever yet not overly smart child. Balancing this act was driving him mad.

Fortunately, after some reflection, Norton devised a simple and effective counter-strategy for Juana's antics: pretend to be injured by her traps, acting gravely hurt. At times, he even faked tears, leading Juana to show genuine concern and thus setting up opportunities for payback and negotiation.

In hindsight, playing these games with his sister was quite fun, and to outsiders, it seemed like normal children's play. Adults who saw them concluded, "Ah, these siblings truly share a strong bond." This apparent outcome allowed Norton to relax.

Thinking about this, Norton, outwardly a pure and adorable child, wore a genuine and endearing smile. As his soft laughter reached the ears of the maids outside, a subtle pain caused them to fall into a deeper sleep. Norton often used this technique to sneak past the servants when he ventured out.

It wasn't a question of disobedience; Norton simply wished to avoid unnecessary trouble by keeping his outings private.

Among the maids, Maya was an exception, not because Norton favored her but because she needed to rest and recover after providing him with dinner. For better sleep quality, she took a special sleeping potion, sparing her from Norton’s intervention.

Aside from the few servants, the only other inhabitants of the Dekhnhof Castle were Norton and Juana. The Countess was typically absent, handling family affairs or working at the civic assembly. Other Carstein family members either had their own castles, lived in the city, or worked within the civic assembly system, so they weren't present.

This didn't mean the castle lacked manpower or defenses. Indeed, compared to the few sentient beings, the number of undead within the castle was significantly greater.

Unlike random, poorly assembled skeletons inferior to common militia, these undead warriors were elite defenders of the castle.

In life, they were distinguished soldiers, renowned fighters, or rigorously trained knights. After death, their bones were reclaimed by vampire nobility, transformed into powerful undead through special resurrection methods.

Though reduced to skeletal forms, the dark power of necromancy enhanced these undead, often making them stronger than they had been in life.

With faster speeds and greater attack power, these undead, with green flames flickering in their eye sockets, wore black iron plate armor etched with magical runes, wielding foreboding black iron spears or dual swords and shields. They formed the elite main force of the vampire nation, acting as elite guards known as Tomb Wardens.

These fearsome and numerous Tomb Wardens tirelessly patrolled the Dekhnhof Castle, defending their lord's fortress, repelling intruders, or awaiting their master's call to battle.

They were determined, well-equipped, tireless, and dealt harsh blows to any daring enough to challenge the Carstein family. Yet now, as Norton passed by them, they continued patrolling, ignoring his presence.

Norton was not an enemy.

On the contrary, Norton was a part of the Dekhnhof Castle, the future Count of the Carstein family. He was someone they were tasked with guarding. The mechanical and rigid nature of undead soldiers was evident—they wouldn't stop Norton, inquiring, "My young master, what brings you here so late at night instead of sleeping?" and then escort him back to his room.

These undead soldiers were obedient to a fault, and sometimes too obedient. If a mentally unstable necromancer ordered their undead warriors to "kill me," the undead would unhesitatingly attack until their master was dead or changed the command or until they were defeated by their master.