Chapter 12: Murder
“Van Helsing! Wake up!”
It was a deep, authoritative male voice.
The witch hunter Akanis lay completely still, even showing a silly grin as he dreamed of an overwhelming number of Blansies dying by his arrows.
“In the name of Sigma, wake up now!”
The witch hunter Akanis merely rolled over.
“Slap.”
Something cold and metallic smacked hard against Akanis’s backside.
Akanis jumped up angrily, shouting, “Who is looking for death?”
In front of him was a large bald head. “Big bald head?”
The old man, dubbed “Big Bald Head,” revealed an angry expression on his waxy scarred face. He held the “Authority Staff,” one of the sacred relics of the Sigma Church.
In recent years, it had been stolen by the White Wolf Church during domestic religious conflicts.
At this moment, the old man wielding the Authority Staff had killed many soldiers supporting the White Wolf Church and reclaimed the Staff.
He was none other than the unwavering supporter of the current emperor, known as the Ruthless Walker Ma, the current High Cantor of the Sigma Church and its leader.
Akanis was taken aback.
Why had this fanatic, ruthless leader who was known for his anti-demon actions come personally before him?
Seeing that Akanis was awake, the Ruthless Walker Ma stood up straight, raised the Authority Staff, and declared, “Sigma is above! Van Helsing has a top-secret mission, and you must cooperate.”
Akanis suddenly moved, as quick as the wind, swinging his hand towards the Ruthless Walker Ma’s face. The latter was startled and angry, feeling a pain in his beard; the bald head erupted in a burst of light, enveloped in divine power.
Akanis pinched the beard and said, “Are you really Walker Ma?”
“Of course!” the Ruthless Walker Ma snapped. “You actually attacked me?”
“If it’s a fake, then I’ve suffered a huge loss,” Akanis carefully tucked away the Ruthless Walker Ma’s beard. “Who knows if that succubus friend of mine is setting me up?”
“Why are you collecting my beard?”
“I heard that even your chest hair grew to combat demons,” Akanis retorted confidently. “As a professional witch hunter, I must collect all good things that counter evil.”
The Ruthless Walker Ma’s temples throbbed with anger as he said, “If it weren’t for your pious belief in Sigma and your excellence as a witch hunter, I would have burned you at the stake already.”
“Oh.” Akanis used his pinky finger to pick at his nose while sporting Van Helsing’s face.
“I heard you’ve gotten involved with an ancient vampire named Velin?”
“Yes.”
“In the name of Sigma, you must accept her invitation.” The Ruthless Walker Ma said, “The evil vampires have already infiltrated the aristocratic circles filled with heresy, corruption, and false believers, and leading them is Velin.”
“She is ancient and wicked, and under her leadership, the vampires are exceedingly arrogant.”
“I have prepared the sacred relic to purify her properly, and most importantly, to eliminate the swarm of vampires infesting Adolf.”
“Ah…” Akanis yawned. “Can we defeat Velin?”
“That’s not for you to worry about. I’m even willing to cooperate with the evil succubus.” The Ruthless Walker Ma said, “If it weren’t for the emperor lacking piety, he would drop his duties to join the purge.”
“Do you have a way to completely kill Velin?”
“I am very confident I can inflict serious harm on her; I might even be able to kill her.”
Akanis whistled and asked, “Where do we meet her?”
“At the Dusk Mansion, but it must be during the day.” The Ruthless Walker Ma said, “It’s conveniently located and still one of the vampires’ strongholds.”
“Great, everything sounds perfect, but I have a question.” Akanis asked, “Why are you meeting with me alone?”
“I don’t trust anyone.” The Ruthless Walker Ma said, “In the dark and corrupt Adolf, I have to act like a rat in the sewers, quietly, to avoid alarming those vampires.”
“But rest assured, only a small number of high-ranking officials know about my battle plan. They are all devout believers in Sigma and would never leak information, just like you.”
Akanis clapped his hands and said, “That’s wonderful.”
The Ruthless Walker Ma thought he was suffering from green skin syndrome again.
“I read the information written by the succubus. That ancient evil vampire has a special affection for you.”
“Love me?” Akanis said, “Don’t crack cold jokes; I’m disgusted.”
“So this Hope Star.” The Ruthless Walker Ma handed Akanis a white crystal pentagram the size of a date stone. “Find an opportunity to stick it on her; preferably get it inside her. The best opportunity is when you kiss her. This is a deadly weapon against vampires. If she loves you, she will definitely let her guard down.”
However, Akanis did not take the “Hope Star”; he shook his head and said, “That seems inappropriate.”
“You soft-hearted?”
Akanis said, “I don’t like kissing her.”
“If you want to stay here forever, then don’t take the Hope Star.” The Ruthless Walker Ma said, “Furthermore, I will personally put you on trial for consorting with a vampire.”
Akanis snatched the “Hope Star.”
The Ruthless Walker Ma said, “Good, I know you’ve always been an excellent witch hunter.”
After saying this, the Ruthless Walker Ma turned around and walked to the door, reminding him, “Today’s matter must remain confidential; it is top secret.”
“Velin, the True Ancestor!”
“Velin, the True Ancestor!”
An urgent female voice woke the lightly sleeping Velin. She opened her blood-red eyes to see her blood servant hastily bowing beside her bed.
“My servant, what urgent matter requires waking me?”
“That succubus has betrayed you! She has colluded with humans.” The blood servant, dressed elegantly with a sun hat adorned with feathers, had a black veil hanging down to obscure her face. “Those humans plan to besiege you, and even the Ruthless Walker Ma is involved in this despicable ambush!”
“Oh? Do you have proof?”
“True Ancestor! You have to believe me.” The blood servant presented a stack of papers with both hands. “This is a copy of their battle plan. That Ruthless Walker Ma is very cunning, thinking he’s being secretive, but he didn’t realize one of the participants is my prey.”
Velin lifted her little hand, and the stack of papers flew automatically to her. Leaning against the headboard, she read each page. The gist was that local Sigma Church armed forces were being urgently mobilized, along with the Rick Guard, and after encirclement was complete, battle mages from the Magic Academy would be notified to come.
Her tone remained calm: “So the succubus set a trap; she has been deceiving me all along.”
As expected of a True Ancestor, she must have seen her fair share of storms, displaying no signs of emotion.
The blood servant said, “True Ancestor, how do you plan to deal with that two-faced succubus?”
“There’s no rush.” Velin said, “She is very weak, and the human allies she found are weak too. I will feign trust in her but will have her by my side under the pretext of seeking her advice. As long as I want to kill her, no matter how many escape routes she has, she won’t be able to flee.”
“At that time, I will capture that unfaithful man and keep him forever by my side. As for those humans, they are mere prey; as long as we act quickly, we can easily carve a bloody path and eliminate all of his subordinates.”
“When that time comes, who will still support him in targeting us? Humans are weak and prone to compromise. They will understand that opposing us only ends in death, and they will eventually accept our existence as long as we publicly comply while fooling the common folk beneath us.”
The blood servant said, “True Ancestor, you are truly wise, but the human armed forces…”
“Are you willing to die for me?”
“Willing!”
“Bring all my servants.” Velin said, “And do not tell anyone about this, or the succubus will be alerted.”
“Understood, True Ancestor.”
Within half an hour.
Jima came to visit.
Receiving her was a blood servant wearing a sun hat, her face obscured by a black veil.
She said, “I came today to continue teaching Miss Velin how to be a good housewife.”
“Just in time, the True Ancestor has awakened and is preparing to attend a banquet.” The blood servant looked at Jima, her face carrying a faint smile. “She has something to discuss with you.”
Jima sensed something was amiss from the blood servant’s subtle expression; something felt hostile towards her.
“It’s still early today.” Jima said, “I can talk to her; I have matters afterward.”
“What specific matters? You should discuss with the True Ancestor first.”
Led by the blood servant, Jima followed her into the dimly lit residence where all windows were closed, and the luxurious decorations inside were blurred in the darkness.
Upon entering, it felt like stepping into a tomb. But inside, it wasn’t as oppressive as a tomb, showing no signs of life.
Almost all the chairs were filled with vampire ladies, softly chatting among themselves, dressed elegantly, exuding charm. If the alchemical light balls were lit and music was played, it would be not much different from gatherings of other high society.
Even the people were similar.
Jima also recognized a few familiar vampire ladies. A few noble ladies with fans masking the lower half of their faces greeted Jima:
“Good day, Ms. Jima, don’t you remember me? We met at the celebration banquet.”
“You?”
“Yes.” The other party lowered their fan, revealing two white fangs and grinning at Jima.
Jima was slightly startled: “You are also a vampire?”
The other party laughed cheerfully, “Yes, the world thinks the emperor is the puppet ruler. But foolish humans do not realize he is merely a marionette; the real rulers are often in the shadows.”
Truly shocking.
Jima thought to herself, waving her hand, “I have matters to attend to and will take my leave.”
Following behind the blood servant, she walked up the staircase covered with a crimson carpet.
“Do you know?” The blood servant started, “Do you know why Adolf has become so conservative?”
Jima thought about it; in formal social occasions at Adolf, even the table legs had to be covered with tablecloths to avoid reminding people of indecent thighs.
“You did this?”
“Yes, this way, for those foolish human men, just revealing a little bit, they’ll be caught off guard and become our prey.” The blood servant paused and said, “We’ve arrived. Are you ready to meet the blood lord?”
Before Jima could agree, the blood servant opened the door.
Jima entered and saw Velin already dressed and made up for the occasion, donning luxurious attire, resembling not a housewife but rather a bride.
Jima stepped forward and said, “I suggest you dress a bit more casually.”
Suddenly, Velin grabbed her hand with such speed that Jima couldn’t react.
“Jima, my best friend.” Velin said, “You must stay by my side and help me; I’m very nervous.”
Jima initially wanted to refuse, but Velin’s blood-red eyes seemed to flash with a light, causing Jima’s mind to go blank. She felt as though she had just been dazed and said, “Of course, we are good friends.”
“Sort of.”
“I will give you what you want.” Velin’s words dispelled Jima’s doubts, “But you must help me get Akanis here so we can have a proper talk, my friend.”
