牛奶色隔壁有夫之妇

After the day Malak left the Von Stein family castle, the security got higher, and it seemed the two rank-four vampires had something on their minds.

"Someone is trying to betray us. First is Malak\'s appearance, which should be locked away; now, my treasure box is missing. There is no way this is normal."

It was not the first time they suspected something was amiss inside the castle. Some time ago, they ordered some guards to keep a close watch on some people they were suspicious about and also to ask others if they saw something strange, yet it was not a success, and they found nothing.

But finding nothing did not mean there was nothing to see. They just had to look deeper. So, dark times arose in the castle, where everyone could be the culprit of something, even the weakest servant.

Yet, out of all the suspects, there was a group that was the primary one: the recruits! Not many vampires came to the family recently, those only being the recruits they chose for their army.

There was no denying that things started to look different inside the castle after those vampires appeared, and Arthur, unfortunately, was among those suspects.

"I will let you off just because Leonard said a few words to me, but we will still keep a close watch on you," a rank one vampire said to Arthur after knocking on the door of his room.

"Things are getting worse for us in the Blue Rose Order, but hey, it is what it is."

They would have to take risks if they wanted a change, and Arthur was okay with it. Things were going well for him! Leonard came to talk with him one week after Malak\'s first appearance.

"I got a new position in the army, and I will be leaving the castle for now. Kiddo, I know about the Blue Rose Order, and I\'m also a member, so we are in this together!"

"What? Really?"

"Of course. I called you today because you are the new captain!" Leonard said, putting his hands up high in celebration.

Arthur had seen that coming, but he was still happy after getting a new position and knowing Leonard was on the same team. He had been friendly with him since day one, and it would be a shame if they were enemies.

"Where are you going? Is it a mission for the order?" Arthur asked, trying to get as much information as he could.

"Correct, but unfortunately, I cannot tell you. I think you will eventually learn about it, but it is not up to me to tell you."

"No problem. Just stay safe, friend."

"You too, buddy, you too!"

Leonard hugged Arthur, tapping his back, leaving the Von Stein castle on a mission Arthur had yet to know.

"What is happening in here? Who exactly is Malak?"

There were many questions but no answers for them, yet there was one thing Arthur could do instead of looking for impossible answers: train!

He was now the captain of a squad, and for that, he had to be at least a rank one mage, yet he was just at the tenth circle.

"Boring training time, yey!" thought Arthur as he returned to his room.

~~~~

A man left the Von Stein castle, and anyone from the castle knew the man: Leonard. After leaving and walking for 100 kilometers, Leonard met with someone else, two people to be precise, Malak and Tessa!

"Did anyone follow you?" Malak asked, not willing to take risks.

"No. We are safe. Let\'s move."

They left on a journey to meet Placidusax, and with them, the wooden box that was said to contain an item precious to the dragons, even more to their lord. No one knew exactly what it was — they couldn\'t open it — but it did not hurt to try to befriend Placidusax, as that would grant them a chance to fight against all the other rank-four mages, something that would be impossible for Malak alone.

"How far are we from the dragon\'s mountain?" Leonard asked.

"Somewhat far, but hey, we are together, so let\'s enjoy the trip!"

~~~~

A loud bang and an aura spread throughout the castle! Some of the weaker servants were scared, while some of the powerful vampires were shocked!

"Is that Arthur, again? How is advancing so fast?" the ancient vampire said.

After Leonard left and Arthur got to know Tessa also did, he kept training using the blood techniques from the inheritance, and his power increased rapidly.

To outsiders, he was a genius that reached rank one as fast as anyone, but the truth? Arthur was already at rank two but kept his strength hidden from everyone, even the rank four mages — they were powerful but could not see through the spells of the Blood Monarch.

"I am getting strong fast, when will I reach rank three?"

"Captain Arthur, come outside, please," someone said.

What could it be? Arthur thought he was in trouble for being too talented or about the Blue Rose Order.

But it was neither of these two things. Instead, he opened the door and stared at the vampire guard with an annoyed face, "what\'s wrong?"

"I-I am sorry to bother you, captain. But we have a conflict, and the leaders are sending some of our squads. Yours included," the guard said.

"A battle? Exactly what I need to test my strength!" thought Arthur.

"Against what? Do you know anything?"

"No, sir. You and the other important figures are to gather in the main hall."

It was understandable a guard would not know about these things, so Arthur did not mind and left his room, walking through the castle halls and meeting with the others in the central part.

There, duke Mikael was, as well as some other captains from other squads, under the command of other dukes.

Everyone looked at Arthur when he opened the double door of the main room, and the sound of an old door echoed inside. They all knew about him, and some envied his talent.

Duke Mikael, who had a closed face while waiting for everyone to show up, had a bright smile when he saw Arthur but did not say a word.

When the remaining captains arrived, duke Mikael, standing in front of everyone, said, "I am sorry to gather all of you this late, but we have an important thing ahead of us."

"The orcs attacked one of our villages near the border, and we need to go there and teach them a lesson."

The vampires in that room whispered to each other, as orcs weren\'t easy prey, meaning the fight ahead of them would be tough.

"We will leave immediately. Each of you is responsible for your squad, and Captain Arthur will be the captain in charge of everyone. So please, captains, listen to him because if something happens, you will have to face me!"

"Wait, what?"

It took all of them by surprise, Arthur included. Never he thought duke Mikael would put him as the leader of all these captains, captains he did not know! That would surely cause conflicts.

"Maybe it is a test for me?"

That was the only thing Arthur could think of, as other captains had the position longer than him and were more suited to the job of a leader. Considering the duke, the previous captain, and Tessa, the duke\'s daughter, were all in the Blue Rose Order, it had great chances of being a test.

"Come at me, test, I will pass it like a breeze."

After the duke said those words, he left first, leaving all the captains in a strange atmosphere in that room. The captains fiercely gazed at Arthur, and the only reason they did not attack was that they were still inside the castle, and there were rules.

"So you are the one called Arthur?" a tall and muscular man asked, looking down on Arthur, treating him like a child.

Unlike most vampires, the one in front of Arthur did not wield a sword but a giant two-handed axe.

"Correct. Is there a problem?" Arthur said.

The man looked at him for a moment before punching down right in his face. Arthur wasn\'t scared of that move, as different from all the other captains, he was not a rank one vampire but a rank two!

Also, his overall strength was even higher, considering he trained with the best techniques since day one. So, without much problem, he grabbed that man\'s fist and then looked at his face, "it seems you are only big and not that powerful."

When he heard that, it enraged him even more, and the man grabbed the axe from his back with quick moves and slashed down, trying to cut Arthur in half. Of course, he would not allow such a thing to happen, so he kicked the wrist of the man, making the axe fall on the ground. After that, Arthur jumped and grabbed the man by the neck, exerting strength so that he could not breathe.

The other vampires, who thought about doing something with Arthur, put their thoughts into the back of their minds and decided to wait for a better opportunity.

As for Arthur, he let go of that vampire before it passed out, and then he said, "let\'s move to not keep the duke waiting."

They nodded and left the castle, meeting with the duke outside.

"Why took you so long?" Duke Mikael asked Arthur, smiling.

"He knows yet acts like this. What a test this will be…."