The First Vampire

This dilapidated cathedral has weathered several hundred years of wind and rain, and has been abandoned on several occasions.

Priests are not given the respect they deserve in this city, and are even seen as ripe for slaughter by the city’s thugs, which over time has deterred them from coming here.

However, recently, a young bishop from the Eastern District has come here, trying to bring the grace of the Lord of Glory to this city known as “The most corrupt city on the continent”.

Of course, this bishop is not truly willing to risk his life, but rather because the city is gradually being controlled by the Alfalfa Brotherhood, and indirectly by the Eastern District.

Thus, he could preach without facing physical threats.

However, to convert all the scoundrels in this city into devout followers of the Lord of Glory seems to require some time.

Inside the empty Prayer Hall, only a handful of people were worshiping.

The elegantly dressed young man at the head was none other than Viscount Fein, dispatched from the Eastern District to Alfalfa City to handle the secret transfer of bonds with the North Wind Business Association.

He was handsome and had an extraordinary demeanor, with a distinct arrogance between his brows— a characteristic common to all those who hold high positions at a young age.

After the service, Viscount Fein exchanged a few words with the bishop before leaving the Prayer Hall.

Alone, he walked through the cloister and into the garden at the back of the church.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting, Mr. Arnold.”

“Viscount, you’re too kind. I happened to arrive at an unfortunate time and interrupted your worship.” The president of the North Wind Business Association courteously welcomed Viscount Fein into the pavilion and personally poured him a cup of coffee.

Viscount Fein sat down at the table, took a sip of the coffee, then got straight to the point, “Mr. Arnold, I am very disappointed with how this situation has unfolded.”

Arnold’s face immediately turned bitter, “Viscount, it’s not my fault! Weren’t the goods stolen by the Alfalfa Brotherhood? When Count Evan initially chose Alfalfa City as the transaction location, he promised that my caravan would face no danger here, but…”

“Mr. Arnold, you arrived earlier than the agreed time and we weren’t ready yet!” Viscount Fein interrupted, a bit embarrassed.

“Viscount, I set out early because I was worried about unforeseen circumstances on the road. Who knew something like this would happen within Alfalfa City…”

Viscount Fein opened his mouth to speak, but found himself at a loss for words.

He knew that strictly speaking, the issue indeed lies with the Eastern District, but the Alfalfa Brotherhood’s unruly members were just too hard to control.

“Mr. Arnold, you shouldn’t have let a pair of two-bit thieves steal such important goods. Is your caravan’s security just for show?” Viscount Fein questioned again, still unwilling to bear sole responsibility for the bonds’ theft.

Arnold shook his head, “Viscount, you are not aware of the whole story, that night, our caravan was visited by more than just two petty thieves.”

“Oh? Who else was there?”

Arnold’s gaze flickered as he seriously said, “I don’t know their true identities, but there was certainly another group of skilled people who infiltrated our caravan that night. All of our caravan’s security went off dealing with those people, leaving an opportunity for the petty thieves.”

Viscount Fein furrowed his brow, evidently not expecting this hidden detail.

Seeing his reaction, Arnold suggested again, “Viscount, you could ask Lord Capen. After all, he has a deeper grasp on the underground forces of Alfalfa City and might know something about that night.”

“Capen….” Viscount Fein’s brow furrowed even tighter, because ever since Capen left on his own last night, there had been no news.

He now has no idea where he went or what he’s doing.

At that moment, a thought suddenly appeared in Viscount Fein’s mind— Could it have been Capen’s people who stole the bonds that night?

Could he have been played?

Seeing that Viscount Fein remained silent with his face changing color, Arnold knew his hint had successfully influenced the Viscount and decided not to speak further.

A lie doesn’t always have to be complete or detailed, sometimes, letting someone fill in the blanks with “truth” can be more effective.

After a long while, Viscount Fein finally said, “Mr. Arnold, you don’t need to worry about the bonds. I will help you find them. You can go back and wait for news.”

“Yes, sir.”

After Arnold had left, Viscount Fein’s suspicions about Capen grew more and more intense. He sent for his attendant to inquire about Capen’s whereabouts.

However, to his disappointment, there was still no news from Capen.

At that moment, Viscount Fein couldn’t help but start imagining the worse—Capen hadn’t run away with the money, had he?

Before long, the attendant returned to report, “Sir, Mr. Orlando is here to see you.”

“Orlando?” Viscount Fein frowned slightly, then nodded. “Bring him to see me.”

Before long, Orlando, guided alone by the attendant, walked into the church to see Viscount Fein.

Upon glancing at Orlando, Viscount Fein snorted coldly, his anger potent. “Orlando, you dare to come see me!?”

Orlando bowed calmly and replied, “My Lord, I’m aware that you may have some misunderstandings about me, but there’s something crucial that I must personally hand over to you.”

Viscount Fein raised an eyebrow, asking, “What crucial thing?”

Orlando took several steps forward, removed the bonds hidden in his clothes, and laid them before Viscount Fein.

Viscount Fein’s face changed instantly; he quickly moved to inspect the bonds. After confirming their authenticity and quantity, he asked seriously,

“Orlando, since these bonds were truly in your possession, why didn’t you hand them over in the beginning?”

“My Lord, I knew these things were too crucial to end up in sinister hands.”

“What do you mean?”

Orlando took a deep breath and spoke painfully, “My Lord, don’t you understand? This was a performance planned and staged by Capen himself! He intended to swallow these bonds!”

“What?” Viscount Fein exclaimed.

Arnold’s report had already made Viscount Fein suspect Capen. Now there was Orlando as well.

Viscount Fein had many thoughts swirling in his mind, yet he asked seriously, “Do you have any evidence to back up your claim?”

Orlando nodded, saying solemnly, “My Lord, in the beginning, my men had no clue about these bonds, and neither did I.

They initially went to the Caravan looking for a stroke of luck. What they stumbled upon was a group of people fighting the caravan protectors. In the chaos, they accidentally stole these bonds.

Being small-time criminals, they had no idea what these things were and handed them over to me.

I knew the importance of the matter and refrained from explaining it to them. Hence, when Capen interrogated them, they had no idea what Capen sought was in their hands.

It wasn’t until Bruce cracked under torture and falsely accused me, that Capen suspected I was in possession of the bonds.

So, of course, I wouldn’t hand the bonds over to Capen.…”

Viscount Fein did not have much information about the specifics of the initial interrogation, so he did not question Orlando’s explanation. Eventually, he asked: “Why didn’t you hand over the bonds to Capen?”

“Because I suspect that those who infiltrated the Caravan are Capen’s men! Before the arrival of your lordship, Capen had ordered the Alfalfa Brotherhood not to attack passing caravans, making sure we didn’t dare touch the North Wind Business Association. Harry and Bruce were just pickpockets.

And other than him, who would dare to ignore Capen’s warning at that time?”

Viscount Fein’s eyes flickered, but he remained silent.

Seeing this, Orlando continued, “My Lord, last night Capen came to see me again. He even said as long as I handed over the bonds, he would be willing to share them with me…”

“Are you sure?” Viscount Fein’s eyes widened as he barked out the question.

“Absolutely!” Orlando stood tall, fearlessly declaring, “If you don’t believe me, summon Capen. I dare to confront him face to face!”

Viscount Fein narrowed his eyes, sizing up Orlando, who looked back honestly and without fear.

Such an attitude greatly diminished Viscount Fein’s suspicion towards Orlando.

After a moment of silence, he continued, “What happened last night?”

“As soon as I heard Capen speak, I immediately confirmed my previous suspicion. Hence, I wasn’t going to hand over the bonds to him. I pretended to go and retrieve the bonds, but instead, I escaped.

As dawn breaks, I came to find your lordship, hoping that you would uphold justice for me!”

Viscount Fein pondered for a while, then said to Orlando, “Alright, I will check the truth of your words. However, since you willingly gave up these bonds, I will definitely report your merit to Count Evan.”

“Thank you, my Lord!” Orlando bowed.

He wasn’t worried about Fein checking his story because Capen had disappeared, signaling his guilt.

After Capen’s disappearance, someone needs to fill the gap left by him.

As for the candidate…

Orlando lowered his head respectfully, a triumphant smile gracing his face.