Chapter 411: The Second Moon Elf

“You are that Vampire.”

Before Richthofen could react in his astonishment, the other party spoke first. Her familiar voice and steady, unruffled tone were identical to what he had heard two or three days ago!

The Elf’s tone wasn’t one of questioning, but rather a statement of fact.

“Y-You are…?” The Vampire Count cautiously took another step back, pressing his back against a fungus-covered tree trunk. It offered him a sliver of security, however meager.

‘That woman must have been with that bumpkin Lord. Why would she suddenly appear here?’ The Vampire Count’s mind raced, but he was clueless. He could only make the most optimistic assumption: this Moon Elf and that Ron weren’t allies at all. She was merely pretending to be on his side, but secretly had her own agenda!

‘It actually made sense, now that he thought about it. How could a bumpkin Lord possibly recruit a powerhouse like her? A being this powerful could easily become a queen or even an empress if she were truly ambitious! She could attain a status even more sublime than that of the Hailan Empire’s Eldest Princess!’

‘Working wholeheartedly as an enforcer for some country lord? Don’t be ridiculous!’

‘That’s right, the Hailan Empire.’

His red eyes darted about in their deeply sunken sockets. Richthofen felt he had guessed her intentions. ‘An Elf… this powerful… Disregarding the legends of ancient times and my own long-dead contemporaries, there is only one Elven regime capable of producing such talent.’

“Are you… from the Hailan Empire?” the Vampire Count asked, mustering his courage.

The Elf seemed to pause for a moment, not immediately crushing the Vampire. This outcome greatly satisfied the Lord Count. Although his own domain was quite remote and had long been cut off from the outside world, he had still heard whispers of the dreadful reputation of the Hailan Empire and its imperial Laine Clan.

‘Compared to that Eldest Princess, even the demons of the Abyss and the fey of the Fairy Wilderness would have to call themselves neutral! A person like him was practically a living—no, a dead—saint!’

“I heard you’ve been holed up in Delusional Land for centuries. I’m surprised you’re so well-informed,” the lake-blue eyes beneath the mask blinked, seeming to observe the Vampire Count’s reaction. “Hailan and Laine were only glorious for a mere three centuries. Among the kingdoms established by the short-lived races, that’s not considered a long life.”

From a human perspective, three hundred years was about the limit an empire could be sustained. Beyond that, even if the empire continued to exist, it would be in name only. But for an Elf, a three-hundred-year-old kingdom wasn’t just a premature death—it was practically a stillbirth.

“Some organizations last for ten thousand years, but they are merely struggling on their last legs. Others, though fleeting, leave a brilliant mark on history!” The Vampire Count’s eyes darted back and forth as he hurriedly explained, “Isn’t the Hailan Empire such an existence? Even a long-dead corpse like myself can feel the vibrant life force of the mighty Elven race whenever I hear its name!”

Perhaps because he had been dead for too long, or perhaps due to selective amnesia, Count Richthofen seemed to have forgotten that one of the main reasons he, his wife, and his daughter had come to Delusional Land in the first place was because they couldn’t stand the ambitions of the Laine Clan and their lackeys.

In any case, his silver-tongued flattery seemed to please her, and the atmosphere in the dense forest soon relaxed.

“Whether you mean it or not, there aren’t many people willing to speak well of the Hailan Empire these days.” The Elf with lake-blue eyes curled her lips into a smile that could make even Spore People and Thorny Beasts swoon. “Alright, it seems my teacher’s eyes haven’t gone blurry with age just yet. His judgment of character is still quite sharp.”

“You look like you’re being chased by someone. Come with me, I’ll take you back.”

With that, giving Count Richthofen no chance to react, the Elf turned and walked back the way she came. She moved slowly, as if deliberately waiting for the Vampire to follow.

‘Being chased by someone… Being chased by someone?’

The Vampire stared blankly at the Moon Elf’s back. He was now almost certain this was the same person from before. ‘How could she say such a thing with a straight face?!’

‘Doesn’t she feel even a shred of embarrassment?!’

He was the dignified lord of a county, a true Vampire! Even though he had lost his domain, his prestige remained! Why had he been reduced to being chased by people and bitten by dogs?!

‘Wasn’t it you who ruined my plans?!’

‘How dare you say that!’

Just as the Vampire was cursing her inwardly, the Moon Elf ahead suddenly stopped. As her steps halted, her voice became like a winter wind, chilling him to the bone. “What are you still standing there for? Could it be… you have a problem with me?”

“None at all! Absolutely not!” The Count hastily bowed and quickened his pace to catch up to the Moon Elf. He only dared to grumble in his heart; he wouldn’t dream of saying a single word of it aloud.

Vampires need to sleep during the day, but he had already been awake for two full days and nights. Exhausted from being on the run, he couldn’t muster the will to resist—not that it would do any good. He couldn’t beat her the day before yesterday, and he certainly couldn’t beat her now.

The Vampire followed closely behind the Moon Elf, heading deeper into the dense forest. Soon, he saw the shadowy outlines of the ruins where the Red Mould had once grown. What shocked the Count was that this Moon Elf seemed even more familiar with the terrain than he was. Following her, it felt as if he had saved a full day of detours!

But the two of them hadn’t taken any turns at all; they had been walking in a perfectly straight line! How was that possible?!

“Your Excellency, you seem… very familiar with this place?”

After hesitating for a long moment, the Vampire forced himself to stay alert and asked cautiously, “Have you lived here for a long time?”

“Do you think I would enjoy settling down in such a filthy, messy, and wretched place?” the Elf’s retort was blunt. “Only someone like you would choose a dump like this.”

“You’re from the Richthofen Clan? What a disgrace. Just as disgraceful as those clansmen of yours who willingly degenerated and entered the Shadow Plane (Shadowfall Netherworld).”

“Von Richthofen. Such an illustrious surname, ruined by scum like you.”

“Y-Yes, yes…” Faced with her denunciation of his clan, the Vampire didn’t dare offer a single word of rebuttal, only maintaining a fawning smile. Perhaps his sycophantic attitude pleased her, as the Moon Elf’s mood visibly improved. She pointed a hand toward the dark silhouette of the ruins ahead, and almost instantly, Count Richthofen was horrified:

The ruins, which had been at least several hundred meters away just a moment ago, were now directly in front of them!