Chapter 528: Act 276 – The Witch
The girl’s soft lips, like a feather, gently pressed against his neck, causing Brendel to shiver. Her sharp teeth grazed his skin, penetrating the surface and piercing into his artery. Andrigraphis lay on him like a fragile cat, savoring the taste of blood, producing a satisfied, delicate sound. After feeding, this princess-like vampire girl licked his neck again, making Brendel shudder in pain.
Brendel gasped. Generally, vampires release an emotional factor to their hosts while feeding, luring the hosts into a false sense of bliss. Overall, being fed upon is a painful yet pleasurable experience. However, Andrigraphis always looked down on such actions, claiming it was something “shameless people do”—and at such times, a certain cross-dressing individual often finds themselves in trouble. In short, being fed upon by Andrigraphis was quite painful.
The only consolation was that every time the girl drank his blood, she completely nestled against him like a lover, exuding charm; Andrigraphis was definitely a mesmerizing beauty. Her delicate, bone-less body pressed entirely against Brendel’s chest, and he could almost feel two soft things touching his skin. Her beautifully curved thighs emerged from the folds of her black gown, gleaming like jade under the moonlight in the wilderness, making it impossible not to be lost in thought.
“I’m done.” Andrigraphis spoke to Medephis like a master. The vampire cross-dresser responded with an “Oh,” as it seemed the bloodlines operated like a strict social hierarchy; once this noble girl enjoyed the host’s blood, Medephis leaned in from one side and kissed Brendel’s neck.
“Hey, hey!” Brendel was pinned down by the two golden-tier vampires and couldn’t move: “We said no biting on the neck!”
“Since my sister can bite, why can’t I?”
“There’s a difference between men and women…”
Medephis playfully fluttered her long eyelashes, pretending not to hear as she swept her hair behind her ear and leaned in to bite down.
Brendel rubbed his neck, and as he walked out from the thickets, he couldn’t help but glance apologetically at Medisa. The silver elf princess smiled gently back at him: “Lord has found that being with us undead will bring all sorts of troubles, right? After all, we are not living beings, so what do we rely on to exist in this world? That is the law of the deceased.”
Only then did Brendel remember this little princess was a ghost, but arguably the most beautiful ghost in the world. The long silver tips of the silver elf princess’s hair and her armor shimmered faintly, which was a trait of her ethereal form. Brendel shifted his gaze from her, directing it towards the small town at the foot of the mountain. “What’s going on?”
The town at the foot of the mountain lay silent in darkness, only a dim light could be seen in the distance. Only elves could see that far and that clearly—of course, the Business Lady could too.
“It’s here,” Sue replied nearby.
“Sue says it’s here; Lord Husher has led other Rubis mercenaries down to investigate. The townspeople said that for the past few weeks, indeed, there has been an external noble residing here, but it’s uncertain if it is Count Yanbao,” Medisa responded.
Brendel nodded slightly.
This was the answer Sue had given him—substituting for this Count’s envoy at the noble meeting.
Kidnapping a Count’s envoy might even involve the Count himself; it sounded absurd but was perfectly aligned with Brendel’s thoughts. The noble meeting would be held two days later at the Huai Lishi Manor, which belonged to the Temple of Fire, and the temple would arrange its own personnel to maintain the venue, making it impossible for outsiders to blend in. Brendel certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to seek Wood’s help on this matter, as it could easily leave evidence behind. Moreover, from the perspective of the High Priest, he likely would not agree at all.
The only way was to impersonate a noble. Currently known to be participating in this meeting were five of the six dukes. Duke Vieiro and Duke Karasu had sent their own envoys, while Duke Siphai and Duke Anlek were attending in person. Corvado was a royal fief, and the crown prince’s envoy would naturally attend. Only Duke Golan-Elsen remained consistently indifferent, lacking even the mood to send an envoy.
Of course, Brendel was not foolish enough to think of impersonating these figures. For the same reason, the two marquises and Prince Liuke were out of the question, leaving only Duke Erluin’s five privileged counts. Among them, Count Rendener was naturally impossible, Count Victorkin was the leader of the Black Blade Legion and also ruled out, and Earl Yanilasu was the commander of the royal fleet, also not a choice. Thus, Brendel could only impersonate two individuals.
One was Count Kordo of Grey Mountain, and the other was the Count of Yanbao. However, Count Kordo’s territory was right next to Corvado, so he would likely be familiar to the public. In contrast, Yanbao was situated at the northern border of the kingdom, being the weakest of the privileged counts. Its count rarely interacted with other nobles in the kingdom, leading a reclusive life. Even Brendel, who usually roamed around, had never seen this count, making fewer people familiar with him in the noble circles inside the kingdom.
With that comparison, the answer became evident.
“Regardless of whether it is him or not, let’s take a look first.” Kidnapping an envoy of a noble sounded simple, but Count Yanbao was, after all, a privileged count; how could his surroundings be unguarded? However, Brendel trusted the strength of his subordinates, so he decided to observe first.
The manor where Count Yanbao was staying was nestled in a secluded forest near the town. This count had no reliable friends in Ampere Seale, so the manor was temporarily rented. Ampere Seale often hosted merchants and nobles, making such manors numerous; before arriving, Sue had already inquired, and this manor belonged to a merchant, with no significant background.
This news eased Brendel’s mind considerably regarding the entire plan.
The group silently sneaked into a thicket of Anlek hazelnut trees just a hundred meters away from the manor, dense with bushes, ensuring the guards inside the manor would not notice anything from this distance. Even so, Brendel still commanded Medisa to stay further back. The elven princess, clad in slightly shimmering silver armor, was indeed suited for infiltration. He instructed her and Xi to set up the Fireclaw lizards at a proper distance, ready to back them up in case of any unexpected events.
Regardless, their upcoming actions could be considered somewhat crazy, so Brendel had to act cautiously.
Beside Brendel were the Rubis mercenaries, two lovely vampire ladies, and the black derivatives of Andrigraphis known as ‘Bloodlines.’ These Bloodlines appeared as young boys and girls, with strength ranging between the peak of Black Iron to the initial phase of Silver, yet they were exceptionally skilled in stealth operations, rivaling seasoned mercenaries from the Ten City area.
Additionally, there was an extremely untimely presence—the Business Lady had quietly followed them without anyone’s consent. She moved like a little kitten, and if she hadn’t been stealthily trailing behind Brendel, he might not have even noticed her presence.
This could only be described as an incredible talent for stealth, especially without formal training. Even the best among the Rubis mercenaries, Nightingale, couldn’t help but praise her a bit. However, in Brendel’s view, it was more like this lady had an innate proficiency in such skills used for wicked deeds; in short, the term ‘lady’ was entirely unrelated to their Business Lady.
Nevertheless, Brendel also realized that it would be better to keep this little one close rather than allowing her to scheme unnoticed. At least by staying by his side, he could monitor her to prevent any significant trouble. Therefore, after severely instructing Romaine not to leave his side by five feet, he decided to let this lady be.
It seemed Little Romaine was quite satisfied with Brendel’s command; ultimately, she just wanted to adventure alongside him.
After settling this minor episode, Brendel released several wind spiders. The wind spiders could not share sensory perceptions with him, rendering them nearly ineffective for exploring the terrain but very practical for detecting the surroundings. He then lifted his head to survey the direction of the manor and asked, “How many guards are there?”
“I could see one at the front gate, but I’m not sure if there are any hidden sentries, my lord.” Under dark conditions, vampires have far superior vision to humans, and a Bloodline immediately answered. This answer pleased Brendel; considering the layered woods behind, expecting to see the manor’s situation from a hundred meters away was somewhat asking too much.
He nodded and first used a wind spirit to sense whether there were any hidden sentries, then was about to command the others to approach the manor when Little Romaine suddenly said, “Romaine sees there are more people inside the manor; I see someone by the fountain in the courtyard—oh, he seems to have kicked something; he bent down to pick up a stone and tossed it into the fountain.”
Everyone stared in shock at this Business Lady, and Brendel remembered he actually had a human radar next to him. He suddenly felt that Little Romaine coming along was a great idea, hurriedly asking, “Do you see any hidden sentries?”
“Hidden sentries?”
“People hiding.”
“Oh, there are two.”
“Where?” Husher raised an eyebrow and immediately asked.
“Right behind the guard at the entrance.”
Husher immediately leaned towards Brendel and said, “The opposing party is quite experienced; we don’t know how many men are inside the courtyard, which is a bit troublesome, my lord.” As an experienced mercenary, the Rubis mercenary captain was very sensitive to sentry positions; often, from mere traces, he could draw a general conclusion. Brendel had always trusted his judgment, so he nodded and mused, “Is there any way?”
“Find a way to catch one of them alive,” Husher replied.
Brendel nodded again, “Then Medephis, you come with me.” As he spoke, a layer of misty black smoke suddenly emerged from his clothing, quickly enveloping his conspicuous crimson blessing and Earth’s Blade. This was the dark element commanded by the Messenger of the Dark God; Brendel didn’t want to reveal his identity, so disguising as a cultist was the best choice.
He pulled up the hood of his cloak, ready to depart, but just then, Little Romaine suddenly took out a small, exquisite silver cage, looking quite pleased, and said, “Is Brendel going to catch someone? Can Romaine help you!”
Before Brendel could react, Romaine clapped her hands and chanted, “Caged person, caged person, who has imprisoned your freedom?” She clapped her hands, a flash of white light illuminated the empty cage, and a tiny person suddenly appeared inside. Brendel and the others were fine, but Andrigraphis and Medephis, along with the rest of the vampires, stared in astonishment at this Business Lady.
“What is this?” Brendel immediately stopped, looking at the tiny person in the cage who was now terrified.
“Big… person,” the previously speaking Bloodline responded with an unusual expression, “This… this is the guard at the entrance.”
“Black sorcery!” Brendel was instantly petrified.
…(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
