Section IX Message

Of course, there are many things that are not entirely detailed in the rumors. In Karina's mouth, the process of fighting is far from simple. Although Brurez is a worthy brave, vampires possess all kinds of supernatural abilities, and their power is far beyond the limits of mortals. Brurez can win, his quality is one thing, but more important is his luck. Because the vampire was very arrogant and committed a taboo of underestimating the enemy in battle, he was finally defeated. Rao is so, after defeating the vampire, Brures has also suffered a lot of injuries.

And after the vampire was defeated, he didn't want to regret it immediately, because the duel was openly fought in a gladiatorial arena in West Vania. In fact, when the vampire was defeated, he immediately threw in the towel and offered a ransom to redeem his freedom.

Karena spoke in detail, because she was there at the time, she was the stakes in this duel, so she was present.

“...... So, at least on the surface, the vampire is very personable?" Ashrufat suddenly asked.

"Hmm. Karena nodded. "At least he values his honor. As far as I know, what he did meet the standards of nobility. ”

Eshuruphat nodded, which wasn't particularly surprising because he had heard a lot about Kalean from Beller. In that vampire city, vampires are all nobles, and humans are subjects. It is reasonable to say that the Scarlet Duke has developed all kinds of aristocratic habits (even on the surface).

"Vampires are strong?" said Ashrufat, changing the subject.

"Even though I don't know the art of martial arts, I can see it...... Vampires are really strong, and they are not at all comparable to mortals. Waiko was able to defeat him...... It can only be said that it is a fluke. Karena seemed to recall the terrible battle, and even after all this time, there was still a little fear on her face. It can be seen that it was indeed not easy for Brures to win at that time, but it was a line of life and death, and there were many crises.

"I heard that vampires live in a ...... Among the towers. He named his tower 'Dark Castle'?"

"That's true. It's an incredible place," Karena replied. "From the outside, it looks like a tower, but when you go inside, you find that it's a castle inside. They say that the dark castle was built by the Scarlet Duke with his own magic, and the space inside and outside is completely different. ”

Karena gave an introduction to her life in the Dark Castle. As legend goes, the castle was inhabited by thousands of vampire slave girls and minions. These teenage girls (including Karena in the past) are food for vampires. But in reality, perhaps the food was so abundant that it made the fate of the girls who lived there seem less tragic. Many young girls are able to leave the castle safely after they reach the age of seventeen, and as mentioned earlier, vampires have no interest in women over the age of seventeen. Because she has experienced it herself, Karena is less restrained in this aspect and talks in more detail. She has also proven that vampires possess near-miraculous healing powers.

Because while she was still in the Dark Castle, her job was to arrange for the people who sought medical treatment. So the situation in this area is particularly well understood.

That kind of ability can no longer be described in the normal concept of "magic" or "medical skills". To say that the rebirth of a severed limb or something is still within the logical scope of human beings, because there are indeed some creatures who have this ability. To say small, for example, earthworms, to say large, for example, greenskin. Scholars have now determined that the greenskins have the ability to regenerate from severed limbs, which of course makes them even more dangerous. But vampires' healing abilities go far beyond being limited to amputated limbs, respawns, and healing disabilities. Vampires are able to cure all human ailments based on what Karena has seen and heard, including all kinds of diseases that are thought to be incurable. There is also the ultimate need for vampires to be able to treat aging.

Think about it, an old man with gray hair instantly turned into a young man with blue hair. And this change does not come at any cost. You don't need to learn evil and dirty black magic, you don't need to go to the death to please the evil gods, you don't need to spend extra energy and wisdom, you just need a small amount of money, well, not a small point, it's a lot of money. Then you can regain your youth and enjoy all the beauty of youth again. If you are not a real old man, you will not understand how alluring this beauty is.

Can anyone in the world resist this temptation if there are conditions?

So it's natural to guess that vampires can easily amass an astonishing fortune. From this point of view, the prosperity of Sivania is also a matter of course.

“...... So, this miraculous cure is inside the Dark Castle, not the vampire himself?"

"Yes, I only saw people who were waiting for treatment being brought into a room...... And then shortly after...... This time generally does not exceed a day and a night, and they will come out of it. By this time, the disabled have returned to normal, the sick have regained their health, and the elderly have regained their youth. ”

"What's going on in that room......"

"We weren't allowed to go in. Karena replied. "Even if I peeked through the door, all I could see was darkness. But I can be sure that the Duke is not among them. ”

She unconsciously replaced "vampire" with "Lord Duke", which shows that her old life has left a deep imprint on her soul.

"If it's those who are incapacitated...... How do they get in?"

"There will be special people who will bring them in. Karena replied. "Usually the guards in the castle. ”

"The guards in the castle?" Ashruphat thought of Laria for a moment. Although he hadn't seen her since he returned to Eagle City, he heard that she was still with the little girl. "I heard...... Are they all women? The girls sold their souls to vampires and became his minions. ”

"Yes......"

"How many of these female guards are there in the Dark Castle?"

"Not a lot, but not a lot. Karena said. "But they're strong...... It's really powerful. None of those who tried to infiltrate the Dark Citadel ever succeeded. ”

She laughed. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you want to seek medical treatment, don't mind. It's just a simple transaction, with money and goods at the same time, and there is no special risk. ”

Ashrufat was silent for a moment, then asked suddenly. "Lady Karina, when you saw me just now, and when I said my name, you seemed to ...... Very unsettling. ”

"This ......," Karena didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"Do I look like a vampire?" Ashruphat asked.

In fact, you are not only very similar, but even the names are the same. Karena said so in her stomach, but not in her mouth.

"No, this...... Actually, I haven't seen the Duke very often," she said, slurring. "But...... It's really like that. ”

"There's a reason for that," Ashrufat said. "I was once hired by a vampire. He remembered what Bayral had said. What Beller knew was actually very one-sided, but it did not prevent Eshuruphat from completing the matter in his own mind. "I guess face resemblance is a very important factor. ”

According to Beller's speculation, the vampire must have borrowed the name of Aerufat, as the Scarlet Duke didn't mind changing his name, and according to Beller, the Scarlet Duke had changed his name several times. He will undoubtedly continue to change if necessary.

Although Beller couldn't tell why the vampire borrowed Essrufat's name, Essrubat could guess it. Because the two sides look alike. Ashrufat guessed that he was not only a vampire's stand-in, but also a vampire's trump card to save his life. If the vampire's undead legion were defeated by the Ryanns, the vampires would have left Ashrufat as bait to give themselves a chance to escape.

Ashruphat even guessed why he was working for the vampire because of the withering sword. Beller said that when he first met Essrubat, it happened that Essrubat was fighting a group of men as a bodyguard (according to Bayral, a noble branch of the mercenary profession). At that time, the weapons used by Ashrufat were sword and shield: a one-handed sword and a one-handed shield.

Objectively speaking, the reason for this misunderstanding is that the twins refused to mention the first meeting and battle with Ashrufat.

The conversation began to shift away from vampires and Sivania to Ryan's current situation. Although she is a woman, Karena also lives here, and naturally knows much more things than Ashrufat. Through her description, Ashruphat began to understand that Ryan's situation was indeed bad.

Due to the protracted war, the country has been exhausted. Trade revenues originating in West Vania became an important pillar of the country's finances along Ryan's main north-south highway. The fool could also see that in this trade, Sivania received far more benefits than Ryan. But the Ryan could not interrupt the trade route in this impoverished situation.

To make matters worse, it doesn't make much sense for the Ryan to cut off trade routes at all costs: Sivania is close to the sea, and its maritime and shipbuilding capabilities are very well developed.

With all of this power, the entire south of Ryan is now almost under the control of vampires: not an overt rebellion, but a covert infiltration and domination behind the scenes. The vampires never sent their undead legions north, but they never stopped buying and coercing. It is said that many lords in the south are forced to swear allegiance to vampires, otherwise they will not be able to stay in their own realm. Those who dare to fight the vampires to the end will one day be wiped out by a group of rebels, bandits, or anything like that.

But this kind of thing is lurking in the dark, and there is no reliable evidence to be found. Conversely, those places that are secretly dominated by vampires are often the ones where Ryan recovers the fastest. The most obvious evidence is that local taxes, specialties and other products can be quickly restored. In short, this kind of thing has made it impossible for Ryan to make up his mind to ask for assistance from other countries.

These are scattered speculations and rumors that are not necessarily true, but they also give the impression that Eshurufat is related to.

At the end of the visit, Ashrufar presented him with a gold gift box worth 100 Golli as a sign of his respect for the warrior. Then he spent a little more time painting and bought some supplies in the neighborhoods of the city. By the afternoon, the guards at the gate saw the "generous carriage" rushing out of the gate and galloping along the end of the road.