The First Vampire

Atop the White Dew City’s crenelations, Knight Rupert was hunkered down beside a fire basin, meticulously cleaning his longsword.

Rupert was a typical knight from the Eastern Territory, a handsome young man in his early thirties, whose demeanor resembled more of a suave and dashing bard rather than a warrior. Only his carefully groomed beard lent a hint of stern masculinity to his captivating visage.

He was also among the few veterans of the Pegasus Army who returned unscathed from the battle of Shadow Gorge. Severely wounded, Rupert had been sent back to the eastern territory to recuperate early, hence he was spared from following Marquis Vincent to Silver Moon City.

When Rupert was initially injured, he had begrudgingly worried that failing to accompany the army to Silver Moon City was a missed opportunity for valorous service. However, in retrospect, he could only take solace—had he not been wounded, he might’ve ended up as one of the casualties at Silver Moon City.

Being the principal army of the St. Prowse Family who held dominion over the Eastern Territory, restoring the Pegasus Army was given top priority. Within a year, the decimated Pegasus Army was rapidly replenished to nearly a hundred thousand soldiers, replenishing personnel, logistics, and equipment swiftly.

The Pegasus Army seemed reborn anew.

However, Knight Rupert was under no illusion. The present Pegasus Army was starkly different from what it was before the restoration.

Though the new recruits had achieved some semblance of being soldiers after over a year of training, Rupert knew that it was merely a facade. They were far from being an elite force and stood no chance against the fearsome warriors of the Northern Territory.

Every time he thought of this, the horrifying memories of the bloodshed at Shadow Gorge cant help but engulf Rupert’s mind, causing his old wounds to throb. Grimacing against the stinging cold, Rupert hastily scooted closer to the fire basin.

Of course, the revival of the Pegasus Army was good news for soldiers like Knight Rupert.

With so many vacant posts, Rupert’s military rank naturally rose along with the tide. As a third-tier knight from a nondescript family, he wouldn’t have acquired the rank of a Captain in the reforged Pegasus Army otherwise.

Nevertheless, the current state of the Eastern Territory had Rupert deeply concerned.

Even now, there remains uncertainty regarding the sequence of events that unfolded at Alfalfa City, and varying rumors have only added to the confusion.

Did Count Howell betray the St. Prowse Family?

Does the Eastern Territory still control the Angry River?

And where is the Blood Knight Army now?

The last question troubled Rupert the most—he was dreading another encounter with the dreaded Northern Riders.

Lost in thought, an odd sensation suddenly overcame him. Rupert paused to listen carefully.

There seem to be some disturbance.

Immediately, Rupert rose to his feet, sword in hand, and walked towards the city wall to survey the outside.

The night was devoid of starlight and the moon hid behind the clouds, camouflaging the surroundings in complete darkness.

But something didn’t feel right to Rupert.

It was an instinct exclusive to veteran soldiers.

Signalling a squadron, Rupert commenced a thorough survey around the city wall.

But the search yielded nothing, seemingly alluding to Rupert’s paranoia.

Just as Rupert was about to abandon his inspection and return to the warmth of the fire, a creaking sound distinctly echoed in his ears.

Before the soldiers could react, Rupert, instantly alert, barked out orders:

“Go see if someone is trying to open the city gate!”

The soldiers exchanged puzzled glances, questioning the sanity of their officer—who would dare contravene the military order and open the city gate at this hour?

Just then, the faint sound of galloping hooves outside the city punctured the silent winter night.

As far as their eyes could reach, they saw a fire dragon spreading like a tide under the hazy moonlight.

Now, even these inexperienced new recruits of the Pegasus Army understood.

An enemy attack!

“Quick! Blow the horn, blow the horn!” Knight Rupert bellowed with all his might.

Whoom—

The low-pitched sound of the military horn immediately reverberated across the city wall.

Rupert’s reaction hadn’t been too slow, but alas, the newly formed Pegasus Army was still too green.

Due to the lack of a large amount of experienced junior military officers, when they heard the military horn for the first time, they didn’t know to guard the crucial city gate first and plunged into a panic.

Moreover, it was late at night, and the military orders were not smoothly conveyed. By the time Knight Rupert and his soldiers arrived at the city gate, they were shocked to find that the cavalry vanguard outside the city had already rushed to a position less than five hundred steps away.

Such a short distance, the cavalry could cover it in the blink of an eye.

At this time, there was not enough time to close the city gate.

Knight Rupert didn’t know how the city gate was opened, but at this point, he no longer had the energy to ponder over this issue.

Because with the help of the firelight, he had already seen the enemy’s flag—Blood Knight Army!

The name had changed, but the degree of terror remained unabated.

Old injuries in Knight Rupert started to throb again. Suppressing the fear in his heart, he roared, “Block the city gate!”

Block?

With what?

Of course, with lives, with flesh and blood.

Unfortunately, not everyone has such courage, especially these new soldiers who have never experienced a battle.

More importantly, the force they were facing was the Blood Knight Army that had put the once-glorious Pegasus Army in trembling fear.

So, when Knight Rupert stood at the city gate with a sword in both hands, he found that there were no companions by his side.

A wave of bleak sentiment surged in his heart.

Has the Pegasus Army come to such a pitiful state now?

Facing the rushing Northern Riders like a tidal wave by himself, Knight Rupert seemed to return to the Shadow Gorge a year ago in a daze.

For a moment, he suddenly calmed down without fear or resentment, what he had was just a sense of relief and resignation.

The familiar faces of the Pegasus Army once appeared in Knight Rupert’s mind, and he yelled out loud:

“Brothers, I’m coming to join you now!”

Thump!

Like a sand and stone blocking in front of a giant wave, Knight Rupert was knocked away with a single blow, and the surging wave of the cavalry continued rolling forward without any hesitation.

The killing began to spread in the city.

…

White Dew Fortress.

The butler, who always paid great attention to etiquette, ran panic-stricken into the study, reported with trembling:

“My…my lord, it’s bad! The Blood Knight Army has stormed into the city!”

Duke St. Prowse, who was playing chess with Marquis Vincent, didn’t seem surprised at all. He did not put down the crystal chess piece in his hand and the gaze still rested on the chessboard, asked lightly:

“Which gate? How did they get in?”

Influenced by Duke St. Prowse’s calmness, the butler took a deep breath to steady himself and said:

“They entered from the North Gate. The information we have received indicates that traitors secretly opened the North City Gate and let the Blood Knight Army in.”

“I see,” Duke St. Prowse nodded.

Seeing this, the butler felt much relaxed.

Obviously, Duke St. Prowse had anticipated all this.

Perhaps this was a trap set by the Duke for the Blood Knight Army.

Seeing that Duke St. Prowse did not have further instructions, the butler bowed and exited the study, even closing the door on his way out.

In the study, Marquis Vincent looked at Duke St. Prowse with a grave expression, saying in a deep voice:

“So, father, you should believe me now, right?”