710 Stalkers

"One of your descendants died in the demon worship case, too? Why didn't the Church say anything about it?" Asked Katrina in surprise.

Vampires were as 'evil' as sorcerers. The Church could've totally blamed the whole thing on them, too.

Viscount Carendia shook the wine cup in his hands. "He was a descendant that I had from one of my trips to the Schachran Empire before. He was a distinguished noble. Therefore, after his identity as a vampire was confirmed with his body, the nobles pressured the Church to hide it in case the image of nobles was tarnished. After all, there were 'evil' sorcerers who could take the blame."

"That explains a lot. Then, have you found any leads, Mr. Viscount?" Katrina nodded and asked expectantly, hoping that the vampire viscount who had also located the graveyard could provide more clues.

Leaning against the tree lazily, Viscount Carendia did not seem to care as much about his personal image as other vampires would. "Although I can sense the death of a descendant remotely, I cannot confirm who it is exactly. So, by the time I came here with enough intelligence, most of the valuable clues were already gone. Chances are that I don't even know as much as you do."

"Have you checked the knight's body? What sealed his blood power?" Asking, Katrina opened the tomb with magic, not entirely letting go of her wariness. Just because the guy was an 'old acquaintance' didn't mean that he was not dangerous.

"It's true that I'm good at identifying the marks on bodies." Viscount Carendia hinted that Katrina had asked the right person, but then he shook his head. "But you've got to have a body that I can examine."

Katrina was stunned. "Are you suggesting that there are no bodies in the tomb?"

The coffin was pulled out by magic after the tomb was opened. Then, when the cover was moved away, the coffin revealed nothing but clothes and an urn.

"If we know that something must be wrong with the body, how could the people who organized the demon worship party have neglected it? According to what I learnt, the nobles dare not be careless about this vampire plus demon worshiper, so they cleansed the body with fire before they buried him." Viscount Carendia looked rather gloomy under the silver moonlight.

Vampire plus demon worshiper? It seems that this knight is Viscount Carendia's descendant… Katrina thought to herself.

"I investigated his family and found nothing suspicious. His close friends are also in the circle of nobles. It's not easy for us to investigate each and every one of them. We might as well sneak into the inquisition for the Church files." Said Viscount Carendia with a bitter plan.

It's very similar to my 'plan', Katrina thought to herself. "I can apply to the Congress for the aid of senior-rank sorcerers."

And you can ask your father to come to help. They should be powerful vampires in the level of duke or count.

"He was my descendant. Until real danger emerges, I have to find out the criminal myself as his 'parent'." Viscount Carendia said with unusual solemnity.

Parent… Looking at Viscount Carendia's handsome face and charming gold hair, Katrina suddenly had a feeling of absurdity. Such a long-life species could see the grandsons of the grandsons of the grandsons of their grandsons if nothing went wrong, which was impossible for her to imagine.

"I've investigated the sorcerer who died and looked for the people he was in touch with, but nobody ever saw him except during the deals. They do not know whom he acted with. He must've changed his appearance. Do you have any leads about that?" Viscount Carendia revealed his purpose.

Katrina thought for a moment. She was alone in this place. There were plenty of experts in Carendia City, which was the third largest city in the north province. It would be safer for her if she had someone to help her. Therefore, she informed Viscount Carendia of the intelligence she obtained from Yakov.

"Duke Duda was one of my descendants close associates. It seems that he is truly a suspect." Viscount Carendia said that with the rhythm of a poem. The laziness on his face was gone, and his gold eyes were glittering.

Most importantly, this Duke Duda was rather mysterious, and Viscount Carendia suspected him in the first place.

"Most of the leads are broken right now, but the existing ones all point at Duke Duda. Perhaps, we should 'visit' him sometime. Katrina, would you like to come with me?" Viscount Carendia called Katrina by her name as if they were close friends.

With a vague smile, Katrina said, "I was going to invite you, Mr. Viscount. However, Duke Duda lives in the district nobles right now. I fear that we have to wait for other opportunities."

"He has to go out of the city at some point." Viscount Carendia drank up his wine and unfolded the black cape on his back. "I'll come to you when the day comes."

He seemed to have been melted into the darkness, leaving a chuckle and a humorous remark, "He thinks that some big shot is backing him up, but do we not have one as well? Perhaps, ours is even bigger and more monstrous…"

"More monstrous…" Katrina subconsciously repeated. Then, she looked around and patted her chest. "I almost described my teacher as a monster just like him. Thank god my teacher is not here…"

Time flew. Both worried and expectant, Yakov was knighted and given a manor out of the city. So, he packed up his stuff and led his subordinates to his fief.

"Sister Katrina, are you really not coming with us?" Anna seemed to be sobbing, unwilling to be separated from her sister-like friend. Her mother had died when she was little, and she always yearned for the caring of older females.

Yakov coughed and stammered, "As a matter of fact, you always need a place to live in, and hotels are costly."

Katrina shook her head with a smile. "I've found a few partners to go to the desert with me, so I'll act with them. I appreciate your kindness. I'll visit you after the adventure is over."

Then, it was the official farewell.

"Sister Katrina, you've found new partners? How come I didn't know?" Asked Anna in confusion.

"You've been as busy as a bee recently. How could you know?" Katrina and Layria were both patient and meticulous. That was why they distinguished themselves in material studies.

"Actually, with your conditions, Sister Katrina, you don't have to make a fortune through adventures; plenty of people are willing to offer it to you." Said Anna half-jokingly.

Katrina rubbed her gold hair with a smile, "That is an easy way but not the way I want. Only the things that you truly grasp belong to you. They are more steady and can help you walk further."

She subtly rejected the hint in Anna's words with the attitude of arcana studies.

"Sister Katrina, you sound so philosophical…" Anna sniffed.

You don't know the first thing about philosophy… Katrina had mixed feelings when she recalled the Evans field equation and the unknown features of the microscopic particles. Even her teacher said that he was often puzzled. Whoever was not confused by the microscopic domain and quantum mechanics hadn't really studied them at all.

Thinking about that, she suddenly sensed a deep chasm between her and her friends. She cannot join their life, and they cannot understand anything she worked on.

Seeing Yakov, Anna and the rest of them off, Katrina packed up and checked out, melting into the crowd on the street.

As she walked on, Katrina suddenly combed her hair and zigzagged in the alleys of Calcate in a hurry.

When she attempted to pass an empty alley, a crazy-looking man suddenly appeared before her and cackled, "You are very keen, but it is not enough to get rid of us!"

His nose sniffed, and he said lasciviously, "Your perfume betrayed you."

At this moment, another brawny man approached Katrina from behind, blocking her way of escape. "My lady, are you luring us by choosing this empty alley?"

"Why did you stalk me?" Asked Katrina, her voice 'shivering'.

"Because you hung around with them…" The man before her suddenly stopped and laughed. "Do it. We have plenty of time to get to know this beautiful lady."

Hardly had he concluded his sentence when he saw Katrina raising her head. Her blue eyes were ripping and captivating, like the clearest lake in a forest.

The man behind her grabbed Katrina's neck, but suddenly, his face hurt and his teeth flew out as he was entirely blown back into the wall.

Looking at his partner who attacked him, he asked in shock, "What are you doing?"

A green light glittered, and his eyes also lost vigor. He stood there in a daze.

Clap, clap, clap. Somebody applauded. A gold-haired male appeared at the corner of the alley and smiled, "Sometimes, magic is truly a time-saver."

"Mr. Viscount, I didn't expect to run into you here." Katrina bowed courteously.

"No, I came specifically to meet you, because Duke Duda left the city for his manor." Viscount Carendia went to Katrina.

When he passed the brawny men, his nose suddenly twitched, and he said in disgust, "What a filthy smell. They are savage werewolves. Damn it. They are involved in this, too?"

"Werewolves?" Looking at the two brawny men who had grey hair, Katrina identified them with magic.

...

The night was dark.

Yakov suddenly woke up from a nightmare, only to discover that his body did not have the slightest strength. He looked around in shock and saw Anna and the other mercenaries who were also kept in the prison.

"This is…" It was not until then that he remembered that the previous battle was not a nightmare but what happened in reality. It was impossible for him to resist the grand knight, so he was knocked out.

"Boss…" Anna's tearful voice echoed. She did not understand why they were ambushed in the manor by a bunch of enemies that they could not resist when they had already got rid of the dangerous mercenary life! She was chilled and horrified just thinking about it.

Would they be killed this time?

Taking a deep breath, Yakov held back his fear with his knightly willpower. He pacified his partners, "Don't worry. Since they didn't directly kill us, it means that we are still useful. There's still a chance."

"Hehe. You were not killed only because the ritual demands living creatures." A creepy voice came from out of the prison cell.

Yakov's pupils constricted. "Duke Duda!"