Chapter 382 - 382: The Night of Long Fangs

At eight in the evening, standing on the observation terrace of Beauclair Palace and gazing out over the brilliant lights of the city at night was usually a sight capable of lifting anyone's spirits.

Tonight, however, Anna Henrietta, Duchess of Toussaint, was in anything but a pleasant mood, because even one of her most loyal knights had begun nagging her about something she did not want to hear.

"Your Grace, we cannot forgive this so easily. Syanna has committed terrible crimes. Innocent people have shed blood because of her..."

The speaker was Palmerin de Launfal, a knight who had just returned from his mission abroad, and Guillaume de Launfal's uncle.

"Palmerin, say one more word and I'll make you shed even more blood!" Anna Henrietta roared furiously.

Seeing the look in Her Enlightened Ladyship's eyes and realizing that further counsel would be useless, the knight immediately fell silent, bowed, and stepped back.

"I will say this one last time. Syanna has indeed caused the deaths of many people, but she is my sister. We share the same blood and grew up together. I will not execute her. There is nothing more to discuss.

"And I expect everyone present, as my most loyal subjects, to keep the truth about the Beast secret, for my sister's sake and for mine, and to protect the honor of the court."

Apart from Palmerin, who had only just returned, those present included Chamberlain Sebastian Le Goff, the lady-in-waiting Vivienne de Tabris, Deputy Captain Horace de Funés of the Ducal Guard, and the knight Guillaume de Launfal.

Captain Damien de la Tour of the Ducal Guard was currently out on patrol. Sir Milton de Peyrac-Peyran should originally have been present as well. He had returned together with Palmerin, but because of his involvement in Syanna's abuse years ago, the duchess had temporarily forbidden him from entering the palace.

Upon hearing their ruler's command, everyone bowed in obedience.

Anna Henrietta then turned toward Horace.

"My dear deputy captain, judging by your expression, that vampire is still roaming free?"

"My apologies, Your Grace! We still haven't found any trace of Dettlaff, but we haven't stopped searching. Captain Damien is currently leading troops through the city on patrol."

"Are you making a fool of me?"

Her Enlightened Ladyship angrily stepped forward twice.

The deputy captain hurriedly bowed and retreated two steps.

"No, Your Grace. We would never dare."

"I don't care how hard you've been trying. I care only about results. That monster dared challenge the authority of this duchy. I want his head brought to me on a silver platter!"

Horace bowed deeply in acknowledgment.

"And as for that pigheaded fool locked in the dungeon, go see him later. If he's finally shown some remorse, release him!"

Having vented her anger, the duchess continued irritably.

But at that very moment, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly rang out. A soldier covered from head to toe in blood stumbled onto the observation terrace and collapsed to the ground.

"Your Grace... vampires!"

His body was covered in wounds torn open by claws and fangs. His miserable appearance and terrified voice shocked everyone present, but the news he delivered next was even more horrifying.

"Vampires... So many vampires are attacking the city. Captain de la Tour is holding the square near the boat landing, but so many people are already dead..."

The soldier died before their eyes from excessive blood loss.

The duchess turned and strode toward the railing of the observation terrace.

A blood-red moon hung overhead, while countless bats and monsters wheeled through the skies above Beauclair.

Anna Henrietta clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms and drew blood.

"If Dettlaff wants war, then war is what he'll have!"

She whirled around.

"Palmerin, take command of..."

Before she could finish, a severed head suddenly came flying toward them and landed directly at the duchess's feet, throwing everyone into panic.

Following the direction from which the head had come, everyone clearly saw a naked bruxa crouched over an unfortunate soldier, tearing into him and sucking his blood.

She was tall, with long hair cascading over her shoulders, a narrow waist, enormous breasts, and a firm, well-proportioned body completely bare beneath the glow of the surrounding flames. At first glance, the only thing distinguishing her from a human woman was the beastlike look in her eyes, overflowing with cruelty and savagery.

Realizing how dangerous the situation had become, Palmerin immediately stepped forward to support the duchess.

Guillaume drew his sword and escorted Vivienne and the other noncombatants toward safety.

Horace de Funés, meanwhile, drew his steel sword, which had already been coated with Vampire Oil, and shouted,

"Soldiers, with me!"

...

"Nothing to be afraid of. An ekimmara's just an oversized bat."

, Last words of an unnamed city guard

...

The peaceful night was shattered, and in the blink of an eye the palace descended into chaos. Compared with the rest of the city, however, halls guarded by sufficient numbers of knights were still relatively safe.

Elsewhere, in places lacking defenders, such as San Sebastian in the Lower Town, the vampire assault had become a one-sided massacre.

Bats filled the skies over the entire city. The air echoed with the terrified cries and sobs of innocent citizens, mingling with the snarls of bloodthirsty monsters feasting to their hearts' content.

Among the invading creatures, ekimmaras were among the lower forms of vampire. They were not handsome aristocrats speaking in charming accents. They looked more like grotesquely oversized bats armed with razor-sharp claws and long fangs.

Nor did they feed by delicately kissing a maiden's neck and leaving behind two tiny puncture wounds.

Instead, they used their vicious claws to rip their victims apart, then licked the splattered blood from the ground.

Ekimmaras were extraordinarily vicious and astonishingly fast. These monsters, which had arrived in this world through the Conjunction of the Spheres, showed no particular reaction to garlic, holy water, or religious symbols.

The only true cure for them was silver.

And right now, one such monster stood before Iza.

She was a cheerful eight-year-old girl.

Her father, who had once been unemployed, had recently found work at Corion Manor. The owners had even advanced him a small portion of his wages so the family could improve their living conditions.

Her gentle and kindhearted mother, an honest housewife, had finally begun smiling again as well.

And all those wonderful changes had begun one evening half a month ago, when a man wearing sunglasses had personally brought Iza the Barbie doll she had desperately wanted.

From that day onward, she finally had a toy of her own, and her bright eyes had brimmed with anticipation for everything the world might hold.

Iza had originally been hiding with her mother in the basement, but then she suddenly remembered that she had left behind the doll the man in sunglasses had given her.

So she had risked the danger and come upstairs alone to rescue it.

She never imagined she would run straight into a starving ekimmara...

Overwhelmed by terror, Iza clutched the Barbie doll tightly in her hands. Her mouth opened wide, yet not a single sound would come out.

The monster's claws rose high above her.

In another instant, they would tear her to pieces.

"Aard!"

A crisp shout rang out, followed by a strange explosive boom.

The monster suddenly vanished from directly in front of her.

Then a large, familiar figure stepped between Iza and the danger.

She recognized him immediately.

It was the man who had given her the toy, the one who always wore sunglasses.

He wasn't wearing them tonight, though, and beautiful violet-black patterns now covered his face.

"Close your eyes, Iza! Since you kept your promise and took good care of your toy, I'll bring you another one in a few days."

With that, Victor raised his silver sword high above his head.

As the ekimmara lunged toward him, Frost's Lament came down in a single stroke and cleaved the monster in two!

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