Long ago, humans, who were slower and weaker than other beasts running on four legs, had to utilize other strengths to survive. Fortunately, humans had another strength worth boasting of besides their large heads. That was stamina. Perhaps it was a blessing from eating anything and everything, whether meat or grass, but their fuel efficiency was excellent; they tenaciously tracked and hunted down even the fastest fleeing beasts.
Is this the revenge of the beasts hunted back then? I was precisely in the position of the prey.
"Find them! Do not let them escape!"
"Search everywhere!"
"You don't have to catch them! Just don't lose them! When night falls, the Yelings will pursue them!"
Several Ains, including Baron Zhenliu, were leading a host of their subordinate humans and searching for us. Since there were few humans who had formally learned Qigong, they were not a threat, but it was nearly impossible to shake them off as they constantly pushed forward, tracking mine and Hilde's traces.
Hilde glanced back and said.
"These darn vampires! They keep following us without getting tired!"
"You're saying foolish things. Why would a vampire get tired?"
"I know that too! That's not what I meant. The sun is blazing down, it's daytime, yet they keep chasing us! If they're vampires, they should stick to the vampire concept!"
"It's the sunlight that's the problem, not the time of day being daytime. If they have a means to block the sunlight, they can follow."
The plan went a little awry.
To vampires, sunlight is like sharp bee stings. Beyond simply becoming weak, their movements are restricted, like moving in a room full of bees. So we attacked Baron Zhenliu first and stole the horse that would serve as the legs for his impaired movement.
But of all things, he was of the Dark Knight Du Lahan's clan. Like a knight, he had prepared spare horses, and as soon as we fled, he switched to another horse and chased after us. Because it was daytime, he wasn't as fast as us, but it was enough to command.
"Look at his relaxed tone! He thinks he won't die, right?! He's so annoying I want to punch him once!"
"I'm not particularly relaxed, but I have a plan."
"What is it?"
"Taking Baron Zhenliu out."
"Surely you're not thinking of ambushing and taking him down now? You don't know anything. A counterattack is the absolute number one thing you must never do when fleeing! Moreover, the opponent is not a Yeling, but an Ain. It'll take at least a week to kill him completely! By then, the pursuit squad will have surrounded 'us' three or four times over!"
"That's a very vivid explanation. You must have run away quite a bit in your youth."
She says that because she's actually experienced it. Hilde was a public enemy of the empire formerly known as the Hundred-Faced One, and had a career of running away for years before becoming the Holy Sword Squad. In the first place, the reason she learned transformation arts was to run away, so that says it all.
Even now, if she didn't have me hanging behind her, she would have shamelessly escaped this encirclement. It's only natural she's grumbling.
"Relax. It's not such a lacking plan."
"Then what?"
"Hold on. Ah, ah."
Having cleared my throat, I turned my head back and shouted loudly.
"Baron Zhenliu! I'll tell you an incredible fact, so open your earholes and listen clearly!"
My shout echoed through the quiet gorge. There was no reason for them to answer, but perhaps because he was somewhat of a knight, Baron Zhenliu directly replied to my shout.
"I will listen! After I catch you and make you kneel!"
He must have good hearing despite the considerable distance. Drawing voice from my stomach, I continued to shout.
"Right now, your liege lord, Sir Du Lahan, is in danger! Even before I escaped, a commotion broke out in the Castle of the Full Moon, and Sir Du Lahan was caught up in it and falsely accused! He needs your help!"
"Ha! Are you telling me to believe that?!"
"You're free to believe it or not, but if you don't check quickly, Sir Du Lahan will be in danger, you know? Are you going to just stand by and watch your liege lord's crisis?"
"Are you intending to divert the attention of me and my troops! You scoundrel, if you thought I would fall for that, you're greatly mistaken!"
I'm not lying. It's true that Du Lahan is in a crisis. The problem is that he might already be dead, though.
"Sir Du Lahan, who values honor above all else, would never raise a rebellion, yet you dare to slander him! I will catch you and make you pay the price for insulting my liege lord!"
...He's actually deceiving himself. He might be honorable, but he raised the rebellion faster than anyone.
"I'm telling you it's true! Your friends who headed to the Castle of the Full Moon will appear soon, so go find them and listen to their story!"
"Shut up! Did you all hear me?! Head to where that voice just came from!"
With those words, Baron Zhenliu closed his mouth. Instead, the presence of humans gradually closed in from all directions. Hilde spurred on even more and rebuked me.
"Are you thinking of bringing the enemies here and fighting them instead of a counterattack? What a great plan!"
"It is a good plan. What I said is the truth without a single lie. With this, he'll drop off sooner or later."
"When is this sooner or later?"
"Let's see. The news from the duchy has to reach them... about two days?"
"Wow~. That's vampire-style 'sooner or later'. It feels like we'll be taken out tonight first~."
"If we just survive tonight, there's a chance."
Night is the time of vampires. The path is not flat, so we can't ride horses at night, and if we make light, it will only reveal our figures to them. If we hide in the darkness, the vampires will become faster and stronger and chase after us.
"How are you going to survive it?"
"By any chance, do you know how we escaped from the military state?"
Hilde wasn't there, but she is of the Yukjangseong Divine Treasury and Saint Yuel's confidante. She must have heard all the stories.
"You used Rallion as bait and ran away? Yuel couldn't see through the darkness and was fooled, but that was only possible because it was on a moving conveyor belt! It's too trite to be called a plan."
"Trite means traditional. You can't live your whole life just bluffing. You have to succeed with a frontal assault at least once."
Of course, to do that, you need a better hand than the opponent, but I recently had a good encounter, you see.
As I spoke confidently, Hilde reluctantly accepted it.
"...Whatever. I don't know. Let's just do it."
***
The time of vampires had come. Deeming the sun sufficiently set, Baron Zhenliu finally shed his thick armor.
"Good work, vassal."
"Ugh, so heavy... You're finally up."
The human vassal who had been holding a parasol over the Baron's head all day grumbled as he clutched his numb arm. Baron Zhenliu deliberately frowned.
"Just for one day, holding a parasol, not even a heavy flag, and you're whining? In my time, flag bearers couldn't even let go of the flag until their arms fell off! If their arms wouldn't move anymore, they supported the flagpole even with their teeth!"
"That's only possible for the great Baron..."
"Do you think I was strong and great from the start?! I endured and overcame such pain and hardship to become who I am today! It's the same for you. Stop complaining, and if you can hold the parasol more faithfully, someday you can become a great knight like me!"
"You are an Ain, Baron. Even if I die and come back, I can't become an Ain..."
"Life is unpredictable. Even I didn't dream that I would be knighted by the honorable Sir Du Lahan and become an Ain!"
"Is that so?"
Not even dreaming that Sir Du Lahan was dead, Baron Zhenliu made an empty promise that could never be fulfilled. As the vassal's expression relaxed a bit, Baron Zhenliu patted his shoulder vigorously and said.
"Get some rest. You have to hold the parasol tomorrow too!"
"Tomorrow... all day..."
Leaving the despairing vassal behind, Baron Zhenliu raised his hand and sent a signal. Blood qi blooming from his fingers waved a couple of times like a flag. And a moment later, cavalrymen in dark armor began to appear one by one behind him.
"Knight Puanyu. I have answered the Baron's call according to the Blood Oath."
"Knight Maini of Wultari Ridge. I have answered the Baron's call according to the Blood Oath."
"Red Wild Dog, I have answered the Baron's call according to the Red Oath!"
Ten lone-wolf knights. Baron Zhenliu's Yelings. His very own knight order, which he had carefully selected and turned into vampires, lined up behind him, emitting a crimson demonic aura in the dark night.
Looking satisfactorily at his knight order, Baron Zhenliu began his speech.
"Before we march, I express my gratitude to my faithful vassals and loyal members. Your hearts, running here in one breath without forgetting the blood oath, have been conveyed."
If there's an advantage to vampires, it's that they don't feel bored even listening to that tedious speech. The human soldiers under his command made expressions of disgust, but Baron Zhenliu disregarded it and continued his speech.
"Night is our time. We must track and punish the fugitives who dared to attack me, falsely claimed to be the Progenitor's paramour, and insulted our lord, the honorable Sir Du Lahan. Even though it was daytime, the skill with which they beheaded me was unusual, but who are we? We are the limbs of the honorable Sir Du Lahan and the knights who protect this land. No one can take away our honor, our lives, or our pride."
Baron Zhenliu is also a vampire. He doesn't feel overwhelming emotion or seething feelings while making such a tedious speech. The reason Baron Zhenliu makes such a tedious speech is because he is a tedious knight. To him, a pre-march speech is 'common sense'.
It might be an even more terrifying fact for the humans listening, but what does it matter? It was none of the vampires' business.
Baron Zhenliu, who did nothing but demoralize rather than boost morale, pointed forward and said.
"...Time is of the essence, so I will stop here. We begin the pursuit. Glory to the Progenitor."
"Yes sir!"
The Knight Order of the Night, once the object of fear for many children in old tales. The Dark Knights piercing the dark night chased after the fugitives. It was night, but it was not difficult to find traces. The horse carrying two people left hoofprints and ran noisily.
"My beloved horse Nox that they stole is a fine stallion, but in this night, those who are not vampires will not be able to pick up speed. They won't have gone far, so follow the traces."
"Yes sir!"
The Yelings spread out widely centering on the road. Baron Zhenliu leisurely followed the road from a position where he could go anywhere.
The traces remained long and clear. After walking along the road for a while. One human vassal who was looking around approached Baron Zhenliu.
"Baron. Are we going to keep following the road?"
"Of course. Nox's traces remain, don't they?"
"Hmm, is that so..."
As the vassal tilted his head and trailed off, Baron Zhenliu answered as if he knew his question.
"Are you perhaps thinking... that they might have used the horse's traces as bait and fled in another direction?"
"Yes. It's not like we have been slack in our pursuit until now, but even if Nox is a fine horse, I don't think he would have the strength left to carry two people up a slope."
"A plausible enough deduction. However, there are two problems."
Baron Zhenliu folded his fingers in a solemn tone.
"First. My horse Nox is a famous horse overflowing with spirit. He wouldn't get tired just from carrying two people, and a woman who doesn't even look like half of me and a scrawny weakling at that!"
It was the theory of spirit that old knights like him loved. The words 'Nox is not a vampire like you' rose to the tip of the vassal's throat, but he barely swallowed them inwardly. Because he feared the nagging the Baron would do when angry more than the Baron's anger itself.
Baron Zhenliu continued speaking, disregarding the vassal's feelings.
"And second. Have you seen any human footprints or traces of someone pushing through the bushes, other than the horse's hoofprints?"
"Uh, no I haven't."
"That's it. Right now, there is only one road, and the sides are dirt paths with overgrown bushes. It is difficult for humans to pass through there, and even if they did, large traces are bound to be left. If they had pushed through the bushes, even you dense lot would have noticed."
"Couldn't they have erased the traces?"
"Erase the traces? You seem to think erasing traces is similar to cleaning a room."
Baron Zhenliu clicked his tongue and scolded the vassal.
"Executing Qinggong with Kun Qigong to leave no footprints, using Kan Qigong to protect the body amidst vines and branches, and moving carefully but quickly while keeping the branches intact? A Qigong master who has reached such a level would be rarer than a tireless stallion. You might as well say they flew in the sky."
"Ah...! You had it all thought out!"
"It is your thoughts that are too short and lacking. I won't scold you. Wisdom is like training; it must be experienced firsthand to be etched into the body. However, if there is something you don't know, you must think of listening and learning a little more humbly! How many years of experience do I have, that I wouldn't have thought of something your short insight could come up with! This is deplorable. There is a reason for not considering your meager deductions..."
"I'd rather you scold me!"
While advancing, listening to the nagging that grew as long as the pursuit, a Yeling who had gone ahead first sent him a signal. Baron Zhenliu stopped nagging and said to the soldiers.
"Everyone halt. You guys stand guard around here."
"Is it a battle?"
"No. Even if it is a battle, unless it's an unavoidable situation, I won't leave it to you. The knight order will take care of the battle, so be faithful to your scouting and guard duties."
Humans are resources. They can communicate and are useful in many ways, but above all, their blood is precious, so them getting hurt or dying is the greatest loss for vampires. Therefore, combat is the role of the stronger vampires who do not get hurt.
This common sense was quite similar to the chivalry that Baron Zhenliu followed, so Baron Zhenliu was able to maintain his consistent character even after living for hundreds of years. Having gathered his troops, he headed to where the signal came from.
"It's here!"
Yelings gathered one by one around him as he took the lead. The Yeling who had scouted the farthest and returned guided him by pointing out traces first. The sound of Nox neighing could be heard from afar. The vampires all raised their respective weapons, preparing for a potential battle.
And beyond the bushes, Nox was seen panting as if exhausted, chewing on grass. There was no human shadow nearby, as if they had abandoned the horse and left. Baron Zhenliu scanned the surroundings meticulously and ordered.
"Find the traces. A tired horse wouldn't run the night road alone. There should be human traces nearby."
"Yes sir!"
While the Yelings scattered in all directions, Baron Zhenliu approached his beloved horse. Although he was an ungrateful beast who had run far away carrying the fugitives, what could a mere animal know?
Baron Zhenliu was a knight merciful to horses as well as humans. Because he was a vampire knight superior to both horses and humans.
"Running away without even recognizing its master... I need to give him warhorse training. I've been raising and sending off too many horses and neglected his training. Both horses and humans get slack if they don't experience actual combat, you see."
Approaching the tired horse, he soon saw a strange sight. Looking closely, a blinder was put over the horse's head, and a small pouch was tied to its mane. As the horse moved, something inside the pouch bumped together, making a rattling sound.
Horses are cowards. If a rattling sound from behind their ears chases them while their vision is restricted, they will run away on their own even if there is no person. Only at the moment it stopped from exhaustion would Nox have been freed from the chasing sound.
"...If so, when?"
But while coming, they hadn't discovered any traces. It would have been rather fortunate if they couldn't see because it was dark, but that wasn't the case either. Baron Zhenliu is a vampire. Even if the human soldiers couldn't see, he and his Yelings could pierce through the darkness. He clearly confirmed that there were no traces of the Dark Knights pushing through the bushes.
This time, the human vassal's judgment was right.
Whatever the method was, they had the means to erase their traces.