Crimson: born as noble lived as phantom

It had been several days since Grim told me about the portal.

Ten days.

That was how long it would take him to open a stable spatial gate to the Land of Vampires.

And during those ten days, I wasn't allowed anywhere near his workshop.

Apparently, Grim didn't want me interrupting him while he prepared the portal.

So, for the first time since returning from the Blood Kingdom, I had nothing particularly important to investigate.

Which was beginning to become annoying.

The Land of Vampires had been completely isolated from the human world for nearly three hundred years.

Nobody knew how to enter.

Nobody knew what was happening inside.

And according to Grim, there was even a possibility that we were already too late.

The final fragment of the Incantation of Evil could have appeared there centuries ago.

The vampire civilization might already have been destroyed.

If that was true, my journey would become significantly more difficult.

But even if I found nothing about the vampires themselves, they probably knew nothing about us either.

That meant the only useful information I could hope to obtain was information from the past.

History.

Ancient records.

The truth about what had happened to the vampire kingdom after it vanished from the human world.

And, if I was lucky, something connected to Angel.

Ten days from now, I would enter the Land of Vampires.

Until then, I had to wait.

Unfortunately, waiting had never been one of my strengths.

“Thump!”

Something struck the air behind me.

I moved on instinct.

A dagger passed through the space where my neck had been a moment earlier.

I twisted aside and caught the attacker's wrist before he could recover.

The training yard fell silent.

I looked over my shoulder.

The person who had tried to stab me was one of the younger members of my squad.

Miksen, if I remembered correctly.

His face had gone pale.

“Sorry, Vice Captain!” he said quickly. “You spaced out while giving us training instructions. We tried calling you several times, but you weren't responding.”

I glanced at the dagger still trapped between my fingers.

Then I looked at the other knights.

They were all standing stiffly, watching me with nervous expressions.

Is this the reputation I've built among my own knights?

I released Miksen's wrist and handed the dagger back to him.

“It's fine.”

His shoulders relaxed slightly.

“You're all free for today.”

The knights immediately began dispersing.

I looked at Miksen.

“You stay here.”

He froze.

“Huh? Y-Yes, sir.”

He was practically trembling.

I sighed.

Does he think I'm going to punish him for throwing a dagger at me?

I turned toward the barracks.

“Come with me.”

“Yes, sir!”

I led him to my office and pointed toward the chair across from my desk.

“Take a seat, Miksen.”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

He sat down so rigidly that he looked as though he had been placed there by force.

I leaned back in my chair.

“I want you to accompany me on a mission to the outskirts of the nation.”

Miksen's eyebrows rose.

He looked confused.

“You don't want to?”

“No, sir!” he answered immediately. “It would be an honor. But what kind of mission is it?”

“It was originally assigned to Lord Drake.”

Miksen's expression became even more uncertain.

“But as you know, that lazy fool has once again handed all of his responsibilities to me.”

I leaned back and sighed dramatically.

“Sometimes I wonder whether I became the youngest vice captain in the history of Krane because of my talent or because my captain wanted someone else to handle his workload.”

Miksen's eyes widened.

He stared at me as though I had just confessed to treason.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Well... it's nothing, sir.”

“Speak.”

He swallowed.

“Everyone believes the vice captain is a perfect monster who never makes mistakes.”

He hesitated.

“But seeing you complain about your captain somehow made me realize that they might be wrong.”

I stared at him.

Then I smiled.

“Good. At least one person understands that I am human.”

Miksen looked as though he wasn't sure whether that statement was meant to reassure him.

“Anyway,” I continued, “pack your belongings. We leave tonight.”

“Yes, sir!”

He stood and performed a sharp military salute.

Then he hurried out of the office.

I watched him leave.

He was young.

Too young to have much experience, but he was competent enough, and more importantly, he didn't seem to be connected to any of the factions involved in the rebellion.

That made him useful.

The moment the door closed, a voice came from behind me.

“Why are you taking a rookie with you on such an easy errand, Sir Will?”

I didn't turn around immediately.

I had noticed Drake's presence before entering the office.

That was why I had deliberately insulted him in front of Miksen.

Still, I allowed myself to look surprised.

“Captain, you were here?”

Drake stepped out from the shadows.

He was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a powerful build and a calm, intimidating presence. His dark hair was tied behind his head, and his hand rested casually on the hilt of the magnificent blade at his waist.

“I didn't notice you at all.”

Drake's eyes narrowed.

“Leave the acting for later.”

He drew his sword.

The blade slid from its sheath with a clean metallic sound.

The atmosphere inside the office changed instantly.

“What are you planning, boy?”

I raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean, sir?”

“The thing you did with the queen.”

His voice was calm, but there was no humor in it.

“And the way you joined the rebellion.”

I remained silent.

“I was certain you would reject whatever proposal the queen made,” Drake continued. “After all, you were always that devoted son who would do anything for his father.”

His sword lowered slightly, though he didn't sheathe it.

“So why did you suddenly take such a risk?”

His gaze sharpened.

“It isn't like you.”

I leaned against the edge of my desk.

“What makes you think there was a deeper reason?”

“Because I know you.”

That answer came too quickly.

Drake took a step forward.

“You don't gamble without calculating the outcome. You don't betray your position without securing an advantage. And you certainly don't join a rebellion simply because someone asks you to.”

His eyes locked onto mine.

“So what was it?”

I smiled faintly.

“Nothing complicated.”

“I'm listening.”

“I simply decided that staying loyal and climbing slowly through the ranks was inefficient.”

I shrugged.

“If I could accomplish something significant and rise through the ranks all at once, why wouldn't I?”

Drake stared at me.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then his expression hardened.

“There is something wrong with you.”

I smiled.

“Have you only realized that now?”

His grip tightened around his sword.

“Let's take this conversation outside.”

He turned toward the door.

“To the training ground.”

So he was challenging me to a duel.

Against an ordinary captain, I could have ended the fight without much effort.

But Drake was different.

He wasn't merely another good-for-nothing noble who had been handed a title.

He had earned his position.

Among all the captains in Krane, Drake possessed a reputation that even the other nobles respected.

The strongest captain in the realm.

Sir Drake.

This should be enough to kill some time.

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