Chapter 2
They came on nights when the crescent moon hung in the sky, abducting virgins and men with pure blood.
Their fiery red hair—so distinctively vampiric—flowed wildly as they moved.
No one knew what happened to the people they took.
But one thing was certain.
The very existence of these beings, who sustained their lives on human blood, was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.
And so, vampires were outcasts, shunned by all races.
“Knights, hear me.”
The knights, including Mikhail, were already assembled and prepared in formation.
A commanding voice rang out with regal clarity—it was Selenia.
“Last night, those filthy vampires committed another ‘human hunt.’”
Her voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable undercurrent of seething rage.
Raising her sword high, she cried out:
“I order you—strike down the vile creatures hiding in the Witch’s Forest!”
“Strike them down!”
Led by Selenia and Mikhail, the knights began their march.
The vampires lived not far from the capital, in the so-called Witch’s Forest.
It wasn’t an actual witch’s dwelling, but the towering trees and their enormous leaves blocked the sun year-round, earning it that eerie name.
“They’ll never expect us to move so quickly.”
Mikhail had always admired Selenia’s decisiveness, especially in moments like this—swift and calculated.
Thanks to her immediate response to the news, they were likely marching undetected. The vampires had no idea the knights were coming.
And truly, there was no shortage of things to admire about Selenia.
After all, she was the one who had granted him a noble title despite his common birth.
He had lived in obscurity despite his swordsmanship, ignored for his status—until she reached out her hand.
With her golden hair shining like warm sunlight, she was his beacon.
Mikhail looked at Selenia with eyes full of reverence.
And Selenia knew exactly how he felt.
“To win, we must strike first.”
With a quick smile to Mikhail, she took the lead.
Their haste brought them soon to the edge of the Witch’s Forest.
The knights, including Selenia, slowly dismounted.
The forest floor was too damp for the horses to proceed, so they were tied securely at the entrance.
Then, step by cautious step, the knights entered the forest.
No sunlight pierced the darkness, and the smell of stagnant water clung to everything.
A silence so deep it bordered on fear filled the woods.
Only the squelching of boots in the mud broke the quiet.
“Vampires really are foolish creatures.”
“Hm?”
They still had some distance to cover before reaching the vampire den, but tension was high—no one knew when they might appear.
Unable to bear the silence, Mikhail gripped the hilt of his sword and whispered,
“They never use weapons.”
Selenia, eyes scanning the forest, replied without relaxing her guard.
“It’s not that they don’t use them…”
A smirk curled her lips.
“…They don’t need them.”
Her face darkened.
Disgusting beings who fed on human blood—they possessed physical abilities far beyond humans.
Without blessed weapons infused with divine power, the Empire couldn’t hope to stop them.
“Well, they are unnaturally strong.”
Mikhail replied bluntly.
Vampires didn’t need weapons.
Their teeth and claws—sharper than any monster’s—were their weapons.
That’s why the knights didn’t bother with shields. Or rather, they didn’t need them.
Vampires didn’t use bows or ranged weapons.
Bringing a shield would only slow them down against such fast enemies.
What mattered most was precision and speed—to drive a holy blade straight into a vampire’s heart.
“Shh. Something’s coming.”
As a pureblood of the Apollonia Empire, Selenia had heightened senses far beyond the average person.
She heard it—something slicing through the wind, heading toward them at great speed.
So faint, no one else noticed.
She pressed her finger to her lips and raised a hand to the knights behind her.
They gulped and froze.
A chill ran down her spine.
What she’d heard wasn’t the wind.
It was the sound of vampires moving—faster than the wind.
Her pupils widened.
She shouted in alarm:
“Combat positions!”
An arrow suddenly whizzed out of nowhere.
“Ugh!”
It struck Mikhail directly in the leg.
“Mikhail!”
Selenia whipped her head toward the direction of the arrow.
There stood Luciel, leader of the vampires.
His face was deathly pale, his red hair wild in the wind.
It wasn’t just his presence that gave him away as the leader.
He moved with the elegance and poise of a nobleman—an air that clashed with the bloodthirsty image of a vampire.
Luciel flashed his sharp fangs in a grin, green eyes gleaming.
“Do not panic! Everyone, battle formations—!”
“Aaagh!”
Vampires standing behind Luciel raised their bows in unison. Selenia’s mouth dropped open.
And then—arrows rained down like a storm.
Time around her seemed to slow.
Her eyes blinked sluggishly in shock.
The arrows pierced her knights’ hearts.
Screams echoed in all directions.
The “unshakable truth” that vampires never used weapons was shattered.
And worse—they had surrounded the knights in advance, as if they’d known they were coming.
‘Damn it!’
Selenia cursed and drew her sword. In the darkness, its silver blade glinted brightly.
With one arm she supported the staggering Mikhail, while fending off the vampires attacking her.
“This… This can’t be… How did they know…?”
Mikhail choked on his own blood.
“Shut up, Mikhail. If you die, I won’t forgive you!”
But even for the Empire’s finest warrior, Selenia couldn’t keep up while supporting Mikhail.
One by one, the remaining knights fell.
The vampires tore through them with claws like knives.
“No!”
Her scream echoed in vain.
It wasn’t arrogance. Even if they never used weapons before, they should’ve prepared.
This was all her fault.
Watching her knights fall, Selenia bit her lip.
How had they known?
There had to be a traitor among them.
Otherwise, how could they have prepared so perfectly?
She shook her head, stabbing her blade into the heart of another vampire. Blood sprayed like a wave.
No… No.
She didn’t want to suspect anyone. Not her people. Not her comrades.
To live thinking someone close had betrayed you—that was its own kind of hell.
Her thoughts spiraled endlessly.
And in that moment of distraction, a vampire’s claw tore across her shoulder.
“Ugh…!”
She staggered back with a groan.
“Let me go… Your Highness!”
“I ordered you to be silent.”
Even with all her strength, Selenia could only barely hold them off while supporting Mikhail.
She gritted her teeth, panting.
Looking around, she saw her knights all fallen—vampires closing in around Luciel.
He smiled wickedly and spoke:
“Capture the Crown Princess.”
His snake-like voice slithered through the forest.
All at once, the vampires lunged for her.
Their claws—once used to rip her knights like paper—were now aimed at her.
Selenia focused on fending off blow after blow, gasping for breath.
Steel clashed with claw in sharp bursts of sound.
But there were too many.
Her grip on her sword began to weaken.
What do I do…?
Sweat dripped from her jaw.
No matter how strong she was, she couldn’t take them all.
In a fight you can’t win—escape is the only option.
She dropped her sword.
And then, without warning, turned and ran.
“Get her!”
Still supporting Mikhail with one arm, she ran with every ounce of strength left in her.
“Huff… huff…”
After running for what felt like forever, her feet came to a sudden halt.
A steep cliff lay before her, a raging river crashing below.
Is there no god?
She squeezed her eyes shut.
All that running… for nothing.
Then—an arrow struck her back.
“Ugh!”
Right on an old scar.
As the arrow pierced it, the sacred power once sealing the wound dissipated, and poison began to seep through her body again.
Pain radiated through her back, almost unbearable.
She tightened her grip around Mikhail.
“Got her!”
Voices of triumph rang out behind her.
Luciel emerged from the shadows, stepping into the clearing.
He approached slowly, his eyes fixed entirely on her.
He looked at her like a man admiring a fine sculpture.
“Why not surrender, Your Highness?”
“Surrender?”
“One bite from me, and your noble blood will become like mine. I offer you salvation.”
Luciel was a pureblood vampire.
Being bitten by him didn’t kill—it turned you into one of his kind.
“Salvation? No. That’s a curse.”
Selenia spat at him as she began to back away.
“I’m sorry, Mikhail.”
She didn’t want to become a vampire, even in death.
She whispered quietly into his ear.
Then turned coldly to the laughing vampires:
“I refuse to become one of your filthy kind who drink human blood.”
And with that, she grabbed Mikhail—and threw herself off the cliff.
