Chapter 397


The Crimson Tower.


Two half-vampires knelt humbly on the ground, their faces plastered with obsequious smiles as they carefully held up an ornate jar.


“Milord, this is a rare serpent honey your subordinate obtained through countless hardships. Its sweetness is said to be—”


Before he could finish, a crimson blood whip lashed through the air, striking them brutally and sending them crashing into the wall. They landed hard but dared only let out a muffled groan.


“How many times have I said this,” Sigismund’s slightly plump figure leaned forward on his throne, eyes glinting with dangerous red light as he spoke each word with icy precision, “Do not bring me anything sweet during this period of time! Next time, I’ll kill you!”


“Y-yes! Yes! We understand, milord!” The two half-vampires scrambled to their feet, hurriedly picking up the fallen jar before retreating into a corner, wishing they could disappear altogether.


Watching their pathetic display, Sigismund’s eyes flashed with unhidden disgust.


Only his peculiar-taste roommate would actually appreciate such spineless flatterers.


Still, the man’s talent for picking out the most groveling sycophants among countless subordinates was… impressive, in its own way.


If not for that roommate’s preference, Sigismund would have long sent those wretches off on suicide missions.


Just then, his adjutant stepped into the hall. “Milord, Duchess Veyralis’s forces have entered the Sky Curtain perimeter.”


“So they’ve finally arrived!” A sharp gleam lit Sigismund’s eyes. “I’ve been waiting long enough! Has any word leaked out?” Googlᴇ search novel※


“Please rest assured, milord. After incorporating the Blood Knights into the scout corps and enforcing a strict border lockdown, no human scouts have been able to cross the defense line to gather intelligence on our rear.”


Sigismund nodded in satisfaction. Such an overt lockdown would of course alert his old rival Alamar to something—but that no longer mattered. As long as the information blockade held, the humans wouldn’t have time to send reinforcements to Highwall Fortress!


Of course, this achievement came with a heavy price.


“How heavy were the Blood Knight casualties?”


“Milord, over the past half month, a total of 187 Blood Knights have fallen.”


Naturally, that was Alamar’s handiwork.


Sigismund clicked his tongue in displeasure. His order numbered only about two thousand knights—losing nearly a tenth pained him deeply.


But… it was all worth it.


The adjutant chose this moment to ask tactfully, “Milord, the Duchess Veyralis has arrived in person. Should I go out to greet her on your behalf?”


Sigismund gave him a sidelong glance. He knew the inexperienced officer was trying to earn credit—but clearly, the man didn’t understand Veyralis. Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare volunteer for such a thing.


Still, as the man was his adjutant, Sigismund didn’t rebuke him directly. Instead, he pointed toward the corner, where the two half-vampires still trembled in fear. “You three—go greet Veyralis.”


The two half-vampires exchanged bewildered glances. The adjutant looked equally confused.


“Milord,” the adjutant asked carefully, “did you mean for us three to go together?”


Sigismund’s patience thinned, but he repeated curtly, “You’re not going.

They three are.”


Following Sigismund’s gesture, the adjutant looked again—but his eyes found only the two kneeling half-vampires.


Wait… was there an unseen third person in the room?


A chill crept over him. As a Sanctum-level powerhouse, he prided himself on his perception—no one could possibly hide from him at such close range.


And yet, he sensed only those two quivering figures.


He opened his mouth to ask again, when Sigismund suddenly lifted a hand to his forehead, frowning deeply. In a low, almost inaudible mutter, he whispered:


“No… wait, he and they… one plus one equals… three? No, that can’t be right… the math’s wrong…”


The words came haltingly, thick with confusion.


After a long pause, Sigismund suddenly snapped out of it. Anger flared across his face as if enraged by his own lapse. “Just let those two go! Now!”


“Understood!” The adjutant bowed quickly, suppressing his unease as he led the two trembling half-vampires away.


Lin Jun observed everything quietly, recording every detail of this rare moment of instability.


【Skill: Multiple Consciousness LV1】


If the Divine Tree hadn’t mentioned it in passing when killing Iros, Lin Jun would never have noticed this minor skill on Sigismund.


After all, the vampire duke possessed hundreds of skills—Lin Jun usually focused on the high-tier ones, rarely paying attention to low-level scraps buried at the bottom of the list.


Of course, he had no intention of reminding Sigismund. As a perfect observation subject, the duke was best left just as he was.


“Say, Little Sig,” Lin Jun said in the tone of a supervisor, “why are you so attached to that Blood Knight Order of yours? What makes them special?”


Having regained his composure, Sigismund acted as though his earlier outburst had never happened.


Though he disliked his roommate’s nickname for him, he still answered with a hint of pride:


“The Blood Knights are handpicked from slave stock and raised as elites since childhood. Each generation is taught that serving me brings them everything they could ever desire. They endure the harshest training. Finally, every batch is divided into groups of twenty, and they must—”


“—fight each other to the death until one remains, and only the victor earns a place in the Blood Knights?” Lin Jun interrupted, finishing for him.


Sigismund paused briefly. “…No, not that extreme. If they all died, there’d be no one left. The losers continue their training and compete again when replacements are needed.”


A faint sound of disappointment echoed faintly in his mind. Sigismund’s knuckles turned white as he resisted the urge to crush the armrest beneath his hand.


……


Veyralis’s troops set up camp behind the Crimson Tower. From above, one could already see several towering figures among them—Trolls.


Trolls’ greatest racial trait was [Rapid Adaptation], allowing them to quickly build resistances and adjust to harsh environments.


And their trademark skill: [Regeneration].


Fascinating—humans never encountered such creatures in their territories.


Lin Jun’s eyes gleamed with interest. Unfortunately, he had no current means of acquiring a Troll specimen.


Trolls were clearly not the most disciplined soldiers; even after a few moments of observation, Lin Jun noted several scuffles breaking out between them and ordinary demons.


Still, Veyralis’s troops seemed well-practiced in handling such unrest. The disturbances were swiftly quelled.


Sigismund soon descended to meet her, giving Lin Jun his first look at the so-called “madwoman.”


“Ah! Sigismund! Long time no—” The half-demon girl waved both hands and wagged her tail cheerfully as she ran over, voice booming with unrestrained enthusiasm.


Except…


“Uh…” When she got close enough to see clearly, her eyes flicked over Sigismund’s slightly rounder figure, and she asked uncertainly, “You… are Sigismund, right?”