The Great Vampire General is a Girl! - Chapter 85

“I found it around here, sir,” the Ithadurna’s vampire knight informed in a nervous tone. This was his first time interacting directly with the famous Florentia commander. The knight had a slightly tall body which made him look thin.

He was not a pure-blood vampire, it was said that his parents were humans who turned into vampires because they were bitten by a pure-blooded vampire in the neck. That was a common thing in the states ruled by Avalon. They were reluctant to bring humans into their military and choose to turn humans into vampires to fill the shortage of personnel.

The tall knight wasn’t strong enough, so he was only tasked with patrolling to make sure the citizens of Ithadurna worked well and were disciplined. But that was back then, when Avalon was still in power there. Right now, he was just exploring Ithadurna’s area of ​​expertise and reporting in case he found anything interesting.

The obligation to always send reports made it difficult. Because Ithadurna was currently not experiencing any important events. He should have reported any robberies, threats or defiance that could threaten the position of the Duke family. But since there was no such incident, he and many other knights started reporting random things.

For example, reporting when a wild buffalo enters a human field. Pigs that wallow in potholes and were reluctant to move, thus disrupting residents’ access. Or when they find interesting objects such as weapons or war remains.

The tall, slightly skinny knight found an interesting stone he had never seen before. He reported it and the stone was sent to the Radcliffe mansion.

The knight was a little clumsy, he had no idea that the discovery of the stone —which he was forced to report to show he was working seriously as a knight — could get him involved in an important situation. With the commander who yesterday conquered Ithadurna from Avalon as well as Florentia’s pureblood vampire Knights.

That said, they were exploring the potential of the state of Ithadurna. The people of Ithadurna have been workers at the Avalon arms factory for more than seven generations. So it was not easy to make its citizens independent without involving the military.

Raphael and his entourage were now faced with a rocky river, with a fairly swift current. The river was shallow and they could immediately see that it was full of slippery rocks. But there was nothing similar to the rock that Darius currently had.

“Where does this river come from? Maybe we should follow it,” Raphael asked.

“Ah yes sir, but this river is very long and not deep and wide enough to be navigable,” the knight responded nervously.

“We’ll ride horses then,”

“But we may have to go through the woods and hills.”

“We will go through it, until we find the source of the stone, we will continue to walk until the source,” said Raphael who immediately got on his horse with brown hair with a firm black mane.

Raphael stomped on his reins, followed by Damian and Edgar who didn’t seem to doubt whatever their commander decided.

The tall knight also got on his horse and caught up with them from behind. The horse’s stride was also slightly awkward, similar to the feeling that pervaded that knight Ithadurna right now. Should he invite other knights? Because he didn’t know what to say to the elite Knights in front of him right now. He was just a weak vampire knight who had never even set foot in warfare.

“What’s your name?” Raphael asked.

“I—I’m Lucas,”

“You’re the one patrolling around here?”

“Yes sir,” Lucas nodded.

“In that case, is this river from a mountain or a dam?” he asked again.

Lucas thought for a moment. He was never too far to the border. But he was sure of one thing.

“This river flows from Mount Rubera, sir,” Lucas said with confident eyes.

“Rubera, what’s that place like?”

“A place a lot of people stay away from, sir, because there’s a lot of monsters there,” Lucas said.

“Monsters?”

“All the animals there are giant, especially those that eat meat. However, some people still frequent going there because Rubera is overgrown with a lot of rare herbs,”

“Herbal plant?”

“Yes sir, even vampires like to look for it. Including various tobaccos that have various effects. There are also those that can cause hallucinations or give strength. Lately gumworm plants are also popular. It can increase men’s stamina and make their women happy,” Lucas explained.

“You know a lot about that,” Raphael scratched his chin.

“Because I was patrolling around here, I often interrogated the hunters who dared to climb the mountain. I learned a lot,”

“You heard that, Raphael, maybe we can pick some Gumworms for you,” Edgar said mischievously.

“I don’t need it,” said Raphael curtly. His men laughed.

“Is commander Chastain married?” Lucas asked.

“He was a newlywed, but his wife left him after his honeymoon,” Damian explained.

“Please explain well, don’t create any misunderstandings. There’s no problem with my wife, we just have our own business,” Raphael clarified.

“Ah yes, maybe the expensive herbs on Mount Rubera could be Ithadurna’s new economic source, Raph,” Edgar suggested.

“Could be, we will report it to the higher-ups of Florentia, let them decide later,”

“Looks like it will be difficult sir, because Mount Rubera is very dangerous. Not many harvesters make it home alive,” Lucas answered doubtfully. He hoped that they would cancel the plan to go up the mountain because he himself was afraid of having to approach the place.

“It’s fine, our commander won’t lose to a monster,” Damian responded lightly with a laugh.

“But,”

“Is there anything else that is interesting there?”

“I don’t think so, sir,”

“Is there a place where there is absolutely no vegetation there?” Raphael asked again.

“Rubera is like a forest sir, I never get too far into it. I just got to the slopes on duty to find one of the count’s sons who went missing there. I’m not sure if there is such a place there,” Lucas scratched his head awkwardly.

“Raph, we have the same problem again. We have to build infrastructure, roads or bridges if we really want to harvest those plants. Not to mention the monsters there,” whispered Edgar again.

“Florentia might want to build it and add more defense if the commodity’s value is worth it,” Raphael mumbled.

“Sir! There’s that rock again!” Lucas pointed to a riverbank.

Raphael got off his horse to pick it up. The stone was asymmetrical, the water had polished it so that it glistened slightly. Moss was also starting to grow on one side of it and the commander wiped it off with the hem of his shirt.

“It’s a similar stone,” Raphael smiled faintly.

“So what’s so special about that rock, Raph?” Damian probed impatiently.

“I haven’t concluded anything yet.” Raphael got back on his horse.

“Obviously, this thing is scattered in the river. We just have to find the source,”

“Into the Rubera forest?” Lucas squeaked.

“Yes, is there a problem?”

“I’m sure you’re all very strong, but we might need a guide to get there. It’s not just the monsters that make people reluctant to approach the place. But the steep roads, winding paths and the danger of landslides..I mean, we have to understand the environment and know the way if we really want to go there,” Lucas said again.

“Is there someone who can come with us?”

“We could pay a mercenary to escort us,” Lucas said.

“Mercenary? Lucas, we’re knights..that should be our job,” Edgar retorted.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to escort but guide us through Mount Rubera,” Lucas corrected.

***

Even though it was dangerous, there were still people who tried to break through the gloomy forest of Mount Rubera. At the foot of the mountain, there was a bar that also sells climbing equipment. It was not a vampire bar so they didn’t provide blood. They sell beer and food to humans.

Raphael waited while sitting with Edgar and Damian. They intended to find a donor because it was almost time to drink blood. However there weren’t many women there so they thought about asking the barmaid for help later.

“What does that mean! Didn’t we already agree that I will hire your services earlier?” A woman in a hunter’s outfit with straight black hair along her waist looked angry.

She rebuked a middle-aged person who had a burly body and dark skin. Lucas was next to him and he seemed uncomfortable with the situation.

“Gabe, you didn’t say you were hired by someone,” Lucas whispered to him.

“My lady, the rules of this country, military interests must come first. The Florentian knights need my services. Sorry, looks like you’ll have to find another guide,” Gabe shook his head regretfully.

“He’s right, my lady. We reserve the right to cancel.. the rules are clearly written on the board on display at the bar,” Lucas bowed uncomfortably.

“I can’t wait that long! Then, I’d better go alone!” The woman took her backpack and quickly left.

“My lady,” Raphael called out to her.

The woman with charming brilliant green eyes looked at him fiercely. She wasn’t afraid of the knight with the high rank emblem on his uniform like Raphael. Indicates that she may be a high-class noble.

“What?” She asked fiercely.

“You can come with us, we’re also leaving soon,” Raphael offered her.. To which she responded with a suspicious look.