56: Chapter 56 The Holy Blood Royal Court

After finishing up with the old mage, Richard continued to learn blacksmithing at Balon's smithy for seven consecutive days.

The sound of the forging hammer striking the iron was no longer as chaotic as before.

The three-strike set of the Dwarven Forging Method gradually found a rhythm in his hands; though it was not yet as precise as Balon's pendulum-like rhythm, at least the landing point of each strike was within the same area.

When flipping the iron on the anvil, there was no longer any need to stop and readjust the angle of the tongs.

Balon watched from the side as he finished forging a sickle blade, fanned away the white mist from the quenching trough, and picked up the finished product, turning it over twice against the furnace fire.

Then, he let out a grunt from his nostrils that could hardly be called praise: "Human kid, you've finally made a decent sickle."

Over the past few days of forging, his blacksmith class had gained 30 experience points, and his Dwarven Forging skill had also gained a 15-point increase in proficiency. If he kept at it for a few more days, he should be able to level up.

Before Richard could reply to Balon's praise, the door of the smithy was pushed open from the outside.

The visitor was not a customer, however. Regular customers would kick the door open and shout at the top of their lungs, "Balon, you old geezer, are you in?"

Cecilia stood at the door. She wasn't wearing a helmet, and her blood-red eyes glowed like two balls of fire in the dim light of the smithy.

Since her transformation, her hair had completely turned a color between dark gold and ash gold. At this moment, it was slightly disheveled by the wind, with a few strands clinging to her temples.

"Someone found me. It's trouble," she said in a low voice.

Richard was already very familiar with her tone, and he could hear the suppressed alertness beneath her calm demeanor.

Cecilia only spoke in this tone when facing enemies.

Richard placed his forging hammer on the anvil, grabbed his hand axe from beside the workbench to hang it back on his waist, and picked up the halberd leaning in the corner with one hand, slinging it over his shoulder.

"Who?"

"Someone left a letter on my room's floor, claiming that people from the 'Holy Blood Court' would visit me tonight."

Richard had never heard of this organization, but he guessed it was likely related to Cecilia's identity as a Vampire.

He took the halberd off his shoulder and held it in his hand, gave Balon a nod as a temporary farewell, and then followed Cecilia outside.

The place where they lived was an unremarkable little stone building on the edge of the Artisans' District.

As evening approached, there would usually still be children playing and fooling around in the alley at this hour, but now the alley was completely empty.

By the time Richard and Cecilia rushed back, a man and a woman were standing at the end of the alley.

The man looked to be about thirty years old, wearing a well-tailored long black coat with a dark red silk cravat tied at his collar. His features were regular, but there was an uncomfortable air of effeminacy between his eyebrows.

The woman held his arm, looking a few years younger than him. Her dark brown curly hair fell over her shoulders, and she wore a dark green gown that was tightly cinched at the waist, outlining a seemingly delicate silhouette.

But her eyes, which were also blood-red, scanned Cecilia from head to toe with a gaze that resembled someone appraising a piece of merchandise.

"Miss Lia," the man spoke.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lucius Vane, and this is my wife, Irene. We are from the Holy Blood Court. You are a newborn Vampire, so you might not be familiar with this name yet."

"The Holy Blood Court is the oldest organization of all Kindred in the mortal realm. We guard the glory of the Blood God and offer sanctuary to every lost member of our kind."

"You've already felt it, haven't you? This human city-state does not welcome people like us."

"The temples will hunt you down, and adventurers will treat you as a quest bounty, but the Court will protect you, as long as you are willing to become one of us."

Irene chuckled softly beside him. Her laughter was not loud but very high-pitched, like someone dragging their fingernails across the rim of a glass cup.

"My dear, you are being too formal. Lia, we are of the same kind. There is no need for the hypocritical etiquette of humans."

"Hiding here all by yourself, drinking beast blood for months... don't you want to taste human blood? Real, fresh human blood? It is ten thousand times sweeter than the blood of any beast."

As she spoke, she took a step forward, her hem dragging across the stone slabs of the alley with a soft rustling sound.

"Join us. The Court has lost some manpower recently and needs fresh blood."

"Especially a newborn like you—young, strong, and unmarked by any clan. You will have a bright future."

Cecilia's left hand was already resting on her sword hilt.

Her tone was exceedingly cold:

"I don't need your protection, nor do I want your blood. Now—leave this place."

Lucius's smile did not fade.

He merely tilted his head slightly, as if admiring a somewhat disobedient collectible. Then, he let out a sigh filled with disappointment:

"What a pity. I thought you would understand. You are one of us, not one of these inferior humans... Oh well, my dear?"

He turned his head to look at his wife, smiling as he gestured toward Cecilia with his chin. "Let's invite her to come with us."

Irene's eyes lit up, and a burst of dark red light erupted from the depths of her blood-red pupils, spreading outward from her eye sockets.

Hypnosis, one of the innate abilities of a Vampire, could instantly shatter an ordinary person's mental defenses, forcing them to completely obey the caster's commands for a short time.

Cecilia's body swayed slightly.

Her left hand loosened from the sword hilt by half an inch, her fingers trembling slightly as her blood-red pupils contracted uncontrollably.

Then, she clenched her teeth. Her jaw tightened so hard that even Richard, standing where he was, could see the tendons in her neck bulging.

Her right hand suddenly gripped the hilt tightly again, and her sword instantly unsheathed!

The pale blue Sharpness Runes flashed with a cold light the moment the sword was drawn.

Her pupils refocused, completely breaking free from the control of the Hypnosis!

Irene's hypnotic beam seemed to hit an invisible stone wall in front of her, shattering into countless tiny red specks of light that dissolved into the shadows of the alley.

Seeing this, Irene's smile froze.

"Impossible..." Before Irene could finish her sentence, a burst of fire shot directly toward them, exploding right in the middle of her husband Lucius's chest.

Richard had cast his newly learned Firebolt at this guy!

The fire exploded into an orange-red fireball on the long black coat.

Lucius was knocked back several steps by the impact, his back striking the stone wall with a dull thud.

He looked down at the flames still burning on his chest, the composure on his face vanishing without a trace.

He saw Richard standing at the entrance of the alley, a wisp of white smoke from the fired Firebolt still lingering on the tips of his right fingers.

A human capable of casting spells—whether a mage or a warlock—was no longer a soft target they could easily push around.

"Watch out! This guy is actually a spellcaster!"

Lucius ripped off his ruined coat, revealing skin charred by the Firebolt.