Chapter 343 – Your Blood Is So Sweet – Leisure and Chaos (09)
Wearing a cloak that reeked of sour stench to attend an appointment—especially one involving the Church, the mortal enemies of vampires—was something the prideful Adams would never agree to.
But wearing an ordinary cloak? He refused that too.
Caught in this dilemma, Adams removed the cloak, stared at it with disgust, and tossed it onto Edith.
All thirteen of his mood “slots” tonight had been ruined by this wretched woman.
The duke was in a foul mood, and none of the vampires under him dared risk provoking him.
They shoved Edith and Doen along, escorting them toward the agreed-upon meeting place.
When they arrived at the small wooded grove, Bai Tang and Butler Norman were already there, surrounded by many vampires who had once followed the former Prince. Now that the previous Prince had perished, their new master was the current one.
“Your Highness, this is the Church’s Saintess,” Duke Adams said, ordering his subordinates to push Edith forward.
Edith stumbled and fell at Bai Tang’s feet. She lifted her head—only to see a familiar face.
Her eyes widened. How could it be him? If he was the Vampire Prince, then didn’t that mean Trey…?
That night, Edith had returned to the castle hoping to rescue Trey and Bai Tang, but was unfortunately captured. While helping the other civilians escape, she never found any trace of Trey or Bai Tang. She had assumed that Trey had simply taken Bai Tang away to safety. She never imagined that the soft-smiling, sweet-looking boy was actually the Vampire Prince most feared by the Church. Trey was likely in grave danger.
A sense of betrayal washed over her. She lowered her head, unwilling to speak to him any further.
Speaking too much with an enemy was pointless—no matter how much she said, it wouldn’t change the situation. More importantly… she was simply too hungry to waste energy talking.
Seeing that Edith didn’t expose Bai Tang’s identity, both systems and Bai Tang himself quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Had she cried out, all their efforts tonight might have gone to waste. The little sphere had even purchased a prop so that the moment the heroine tried to reveal Bai Tang’s identity, it could seal her throat and stop her from speaking.
In the end, the prop went unused.
Its points… wasted…
The sphere wailed in despair, while Xiao A patted its “dog head” in comfort.
“Time’s almost up. Let’s go.”
Facing the crowd of vampires brimming with hostility toward him, Bai Tang’s palms were slick with sweat, yet he still forced himself to appear calm.
Adams said, “Of course. Tonight, we’ll follow His Highness the Prince’s orders.”
He bowed his head, hiding the flash of excitement in his eyes. Tonight is your death day.
Trey returned with the Church’s forces, bringing the Paladin Order and a hundred boys and girls to the designated place.
The constant chorus of cicadas in the forest made everyone even more irritable. The children being offered as “food” felt their fear growing heavier with each passing second. They were all going to die tonight—surely.
A cold gust of wind swept through, rattling the leaves violently. Dust and foliage lifted into the air, blocking their sight.
They’re here.
Everyone tensed up.
A dark mass flew across the sky and landed steadily before them.
When the dust settled, a group of vampires appeared—red lips, sharp fangs—utterly terrifying.
Though the hostages had known what fate awaited them, they still couldn’t help screaming. Some even wet their pants on the spot, and the pungent smell quickly spread through the crowd.
“Hahahahaha…” The vampires burst into laughter at the scent.
The children trembled, huddling together as if their companions’ bodies could shield them.
“I’ve brought the people. Now release the Saintess.”
Trey sat tall on horseback, dressed in armor, righteous expression unwavering.
With his sword in hand, he towered above the vampires, his presence dominating—like a king ruling from on high.
Bai Tang, as the vampires’ representative, stood at the very front.
A newly awakened, inexperienced vampire might have been terrified by this formation.
But Bai Tang wasn’t. The one across from him was his dearest and most familiar lover—Trey would never hurt him.
“Bring the Church’s Saintess forward.” The soft, milky voice carried no threat at all. The children behind the knights stared wide-eyed, craning their necks to see.
So this is the Vampire Prince?
He’s… really cute…
Before long, the whispers about Bai Tang grew louder and louder, even surpassing their fear of vampires.
Because truly—Bai Tang looked absolutely harmless. Some of the kids even wanted to pinch his cheeks to see if they were as soft as they looked.
Bai Tang shot Trey a meaningful look: “When are we making our move? I don’t want to stay with these vampires any longer.”
Treu understood the message from his beloved. He dismounted and waved for the knights to bring the children forward.
Only then did the children grow terrified again, trembling as they were pushed ahead.
Edith saw that Trey was still alive and felt a surge of joy.
As the children and Edith walked toward the other side, a group of people suddenly rushed out from the bushes and sprayed holy water at them.
Ordinary humans weren’t afraid of holy water—only vampires were.
Trey stepped forward, pulling his cloak around Bai Tang to shield him.
At the same moment, Adams gave his order: “Do it!”
Butler Norman lifted his waterproof cloak, flicking off the holy water that landed on him, while simultaneously signaling the hidden command to the vampires.
The vampires standing behind Adams suddenly turned on him, pulling out their weapons and stabbing the companions beside them.
“What’s going on?!” Duke Adams was horrified. This wasn’t the plan. They were supposed to attack the civilians—not kill each other!
Fortunately, Adams had a backup move. He grabbed the transparent thread tied to his wrist and yanked it hard, dragging Edith—who had already returned to the Paladin side—back toward him.
Edith wasn’t prepared; she fell forward and was dragged across the ground.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Doen—who had been standing behind Adams—tried to run. Just as Edith was about to be pulled all the way back to the duke, Doen shoved Adams and bolted toward the trees.
The last-generation vampires who had been drenched in holy water let out agonized cries.
The Paladins clashed with the enraged vampires, throwing the scene into total chaos.
Butler Norman waved his hand, and a swarm of small bats swooped down from the treetops. One little bat per child, they lifted every one of them away.
“Adams! The hostages are escaping—go after them!” Bai Tang pretended to be furious.
Vampires had a strict hierarchy. When the Prince gave an order, those beneath him had no choice but to obey.
Adams transformed into a bat and chased after them.
With the biggest threat out of the way, Butler Norman began directing the battlefield. One of the knights was knocked back by a vampire, and Edith helped him up and fled with him.
Trey also took Bai Tang away from the chaos. The rest depended on Butler Norman—so long as the plan was followed, nothing should go wrong.
Edith supported the injured knight as they ran through the forest when suddenly a man’s agonized scream came from ahead.
They approached and found Doen—who had run off earlier—fallen into a pit. He clutched his leg and wailed nonstop.
“Help me… help me, please…”
The moment Doen saw Edith, he cried out for assistance.
Edith remembered the treatment she endured in the castle dungeon and felt no desire at all to save this man.
She let out a cold laugh and spat in his direction. “You can just stay there.”
For someone raised with strict noble etiquette, this was an extremely rude act—but it was the only way she could express the fury she felt toward him.
Just as Edith turned to leave with the injured knight, the other end of the transparent rope tied to her wrist slipped into the pit and was grabbed by the enraged Doen.
He yanked hard, and the unprepared Edith and the knight were both pulled into the pit.
“Well, now none of us can get out. We’ll all die here together,” Doen sneered, revealing yellowed teeth that made Edith feel sick.
“Shameless,” Edith spat.
“Who cares? Dying with a beauty like you—I’d say I’m pretty lucky,” Doen said in a disgusting tone, angering Edith enough that she raised her hand to strike him.
“Allow me.” The knight beside her could no longer tolerate it. To insult their Saintess was to insult the Church.
Trained and disciplined, he easily overpowered Doen—even injured, dealing with him was no problem at all.
Doen was subdued immediately. Edith freed herself from the rope and helped the knight tie Doen up instead.
“What do we do now? We need to find a way out,” Edith said, looking up. The pit wasn’t terribly deep—they should be able to climb out.
“Step on my back. See if you can reach the top.”
The knight bent down, allowing Edith to climb onto his back.
Edith’s fingertips barely reached the edge of the pit. “A little higher.”
Thank goodness for Trey’s strict training—this knight still had strength left even under such circumstances.
Bracing his hands against the ground, he slowly pushed himself upright. Edith grabbed onto the plants growing along the pit’s rim and used the edge as leverage to climb up.
After finally pulling herself out, she collapsed on the ground, completely drained.
She lay there, staring at the dusk-tinted sky and gasping for breath.
A dark mass flew across the sky toward her. Edith watched the black swarm rush straight at her.
There was no time to dodge. She shut her eyes, and chaotic noises erupted around her—mixed with a man’s unending screams.
She opened her eyes and forced herself to look into the pit. The tiny creatures were tearing into Doen’s body, and the screams were coming from him.
The horrifying sight jolted Edith back to her senses. She reached down and shouted to the knight at the bottom, “Give me your hand! I’ll pull you up!”
More of the black insects were swarming into the pit. If he didn’t get out soon, he’d suffer the same fate.
With tremendous effort, the two of them finally managed to climb out. They hurried away from the pit to avoid being attacked by mistake.
Walking through the forest, Bai Tang and Trey also heard the screams.
The sound was so sharp and miserable that anyone hearing it would feel their scalp crawl.
“What is that noise?” Bai Tang shrank into Trey’s arms, soaking in his warmth.
“Someone’s being attacked.” Trey kissed the top of the boy’s head. “Do you want to go check?”
Bai Tang shook his head. “It must be dangerous. I’m not going.”
He wasn’t stupid. Why walk into danger on purpose?
“Alright. Whatever Tang Tang says—we won’t go.”
Trey turned the horse around.
“Host, the heroine is ahead. If you don’t go, she and a knight might die,” Xiao A reminded him.
“Huh?!”
“What’s wrong?” Trey stopped the horse and held the boy closer.
Bai Tang hadn’t wanted to go, but then remembered one of Trey’s subordinates was still up ahead. If that knight died, Trey would be sad.
“Trey, let’s go check. If we can save someone, it counts as doing a good deed.”
“Alright, I’ll listen to Tang Tang.”
Author’s Note:
The ones having a leisurely time are, of course, our male lead and Tang Tang.
The one suffering in the chaotic battle is poor Butler Norman.
Butler Norman: Pretty boy, just you wait!