Chapter 390
Chapter 390. The Lake’s Vampire Species
It was a hot night with almost no wind.
The calm lake surface reflected a sky full of stars.
Yet it was still dark. Tonight was a new moon.
A deep, dense darkness clung to the shadows lurking within.
There was a ship. Alone, it seemed to float in the empty dark shallows.
It was a medium-sized merchant ship. Fast with a large mast and sail mostly disproportionate to its hull, but in calm conditions like today, there was nothing it could do. Unable to reach its destination, it reluctantly dropped anchor to spend the night by the lakeshore.
There were lookouts positioned at the bow and stern, both desperately trying to stay awake, eyes drooping. It was understandable; being a sailor was hard work. Running around being scolded by the senior crew during the day left them exhausted, and it was indeed cruel to expect them to stand watch without sleep, even for just a few hours.
Well, nonetheless—
Even if they were on full alert while on watch,
it was doubtful they could detect the mist sliding silently across the lake surface.
A crimson-black mist climbed up the hull with ease, regaining shape behind the sailors.
Dressed in formal attire, with a dandy white complexion and a handsome face,
his bright red eyes and sharp fangs unmistakably marked him as a vampire.
His name was—Daniel Cheesuina.
The eldest son of Vlad Cheesuina, the Vampire Duke and leader of the Demonic Lord Kingdom’s vampire species.
“Good evening.”
Daniel whispered with a teasing laugh into the ear of the lookout, who, even while being targeted by this lethal monster, was half-asleep and completely unaware.
“!? W-what?!”
The lookout jumped in surprise, his foolishly delayed response marking his final words.
Daniel’s sharp claws sliced through the carotid artery, and with his blood infused with magic—
“[Blood Flower]”
With a small thud like a drumbeat, the lookout erupted with fresh blood from his ears and eyes before instantaneously dying. Despite the gruesomeness of the scene, the minimal pain accompanying his death might be the only consolation.
“Hmm… this is bad.”
Pouring the blood into a goblet he produced from nowhere, Daniel took a sip, grimacing.
“Is this a sickly drink from a drunkard? The taste is awful.”
With a splash, he discarded the contents of the goblet. The corpse sprawled on the deck grew even redder.
Then, he heard approaching heel sounds.
“Daniel? How did it go?”
A woman in a dress with an alluring beauty smiled, her sharp fangs peeking out just like Daniel’s—
“Oh, Hilda.”
Daniel shrugged playfully.
“It was terrible; a sickly drunkard. I couldn’t drink a thing.”
“Oh dear, that’s a shame.”
The beautiful Hilda Chouchilee giggled. She was Daniel’s lover.
And behind Hilda followed a humanoid figure, much like a zombie, with eyes rolled back. A hole as thick as a finger pierced its forehead, and blood sprayed out with each pulse.
“I took care of this one. Quite the catch, don’t you think?”
“Oh? Can I have a taste?”
“Of course, that’s why I brought it. Help yourself.”
The scene of blood being poured from the hole in the forehead into the goblet resembled a sommelier twisting a wine barrel’s faucet for tasting.
“Oh, this is… what a youthful flavor! It must have been raised in comfort!”
“It’s light, and I could drink this endlessly…!”
“Delicious, truly delicious!”
“I can’t stop! It’s so smooth!”
Gradually, the sparkle in their eyes intensified, their breaths grew ragged, and they ended up sinking their fangs directly into the nape of the victim’s neck, eagerly sucking.
The young man, the victim, was pitifully drained of all bodily fluids, resembling a desiccated husk in no time.
“Mmm, that was tasty.”
“Right?”
The two, having regained their composure, smiled elegantly as if to erase their previous brutality.
“The appetizer was wonderful.”
“I’m looking forward to the main course.”
They clasped hands—then vaporized and invaded the ship’s interior.
“How about that man? He seems well-fatted and could be quite rich.”
“This middle-aged one isn’t bad either. He looks healthy and might have a rich flavor.”
“Oh, there’s a woman too. Young with firm skin—”
“Daniel! I won’t allow you to touch anyone but me!”
“Hahah, I know, Hilda. I was just looking, just looking…”
“Stop it! You always do this when you’re not careful!!”
“Wow, look! A child; he looks plump. This is bound to be delicious!”
“Let’s have him for dessert!”
“Before that, just a little tasting—”
“…Wait, who? Ehh, wow! Mom! No, stop—”
“Ah! That’s unfair, Daniel!!”
“This is amazing, truly amazing! A jackpot!!”
“I wanted him for dessert! No way, I want some too!!”
Slurp, slurp, slurp.
The previously quiet ship’s interior was being ravaged by monsters.
Some had holes drilled into their foreheads as they were drained alive, others had their heads pulled off in dramatic blood sprays to entertain the pair, and some were cut to pieces, providing the thrilling taste of pain and suffering—
After thoroughly savoring all the noteworthy prey in the cabin, Daniel and Hilda returned to the deck, looking highly satisfied.
“Wow, this ship was a ‘hit’.”
“It was delicious.”
Hilda smiled dreamily as she linked arms with Daniel.
“I’m really glad I followed you…”
“It won’t be like this in the Demon Lord Kingdom. This lake is paradise.”
Hehe, haha, they laughed as they took each other’s hands and danced beneath the starry sky.
Then they vaporized together, sliding across the lake surface once again.
Cutting through the darkness, ahead lay—
Another ship.
An unremarkable transport vessel equipped with both oars and sails—at least that’s how it appeared.
“We’re back.”
Daniel and Hilda materialized naturally on the deck.
“Welcome back!”
The rough-looking men greeted them. Thugs armed with short, easily wielded curved blades that were also good for using on the ship.
—Lake Pirates.
“If we head northwest, we’ll find a ship. We’ve dealt with the lookout and broken the helm; now you can do as you please.”
“Alright! Thank you very much!”
Bowing sharply at Daniel’s pretentious words was a burly man who was once the captain of the lake pirates. Now, however—his complexion was surprisingly pale, even in the night.
“They’ve left the woman alive too. As always, remember to clean up after yourself.”
“Of course!”
The men buzzed with excitement. Hilda only looked at Daniel, scornfully dismissing these lowlifes from her sight.
“Shall we take a break?”
“Yeah.”
Hand in hand, Daniel and Hilda cheerfully disappeared into the cabin.
“Alright, raise the anchor! Let’s go, everyone!”
The captain shouted, raising his curved blade. The fangs visible from his mouth were extraordinarily sharp and pointed, far from human.
The crew began moving busily, but the leaders all shared a sickly pale demeanor, their eyes bloodshot.
—Subservience.
The lake pirate ship, having set out with oars in the water, split through the surface as it advanced into the dark lake night.
With confidence, the captain took the helm, his reddish eyes able to see through the darkness illuminated only by the stars. To him, the darkness was no longer an obstacle but a friend—
“There it is! Alright, everyone, board!”
“Woohoo!”
The pirates boarded the ship ravaged by Daniel and Hilda.
“Hah hah, a woman!”
“Nooo! Help, someone! Hero—!”
“There ain’t no hero in a place like this! Hey, behave yourself!”
“Wow, what a gruesome sight…!”
“You guys, clean up as usual.”
“Right…”
Some rummaged through the cabin, others committed acts against a woman, while yet another sank his fangs into the nape of a trembling guest, draining blood. The once quiet merchant ship—where they had aimed to pass the night in silence—turned into hell in an instant, filled with screams and chaos.
“What a terrible sight…”
A lean pirate took out an axe to chop a desiccated corpse into pieces to toss into the lake, sighing.
“Someone will hear.”
Another chubby pirate commented with a face like he’d given up on everything, throwing bodies into the lake as is.
“Oh, you…!”
The lean pirate shot a reproachful look at the chubby one. They had received strict orders to cut up and properly dispose of the bodies killed by Daniel and Hilda.
“It doesn’t matter; they’ll just be fish bait. Now let’s hurry to the women; they say they found some drinks too.”
The chubby one, with a most degenerate grin, offered this in a joking manner and sauntered off with a bouncy step. Though their races were different, they each shared the same taste for human flesh—an attitude laden with defiance and resignation.
“……”
The lean pirate looked down at the half-processed desiccated remains.
“…Well, I guess it’s fine! Drinks! Women!”
He tossed what was left of the corpse into the lake and danced after his colleagues—
The gruesome dark feast continued.
The stagnant night air did nothing to disperse the stench of blood.
