The Great Vampire General is a Girl! - Chapter 86

“Why should I go with you guys? I don’t like dealing with the military,” the woman said curtly as she folded her arms. She wore a shirt and trousers and a leather vest. Her appearance was like a hunter. She wore leather gloves and tied her long hair back. She didn’t appear to have any weapons in her hands. Florentia’s knights guessed she might be thinking of relying on a mercenary named Gabe to Protect her.

“If you insist on going up the mountain alone, of course we can’t ignore it. It’s not because we care whether you die or not, but because it’s our duty as knights,” Raphael dropped his formality and responded firmly. He was disturbed by the attitude of the woman who he thought was arrogant.

“We’d better leave before noon, sir. Because at night the monsters will come out of their dens to hunt,” Gabe, who had a rough beard not too thick on his face, recalled as he put on his backpack.

“Do the animals there come out at night?”

“Yes, most animals that live there are nocturnal. This as far as I know only occurs in the Rubera Mountains,” said Gabe again.

“My lady, if these knights allow, you’d better come along. I’ll guide you because the path is one-way. You don’t have to pay. You better decide right away when these knights are being kind to you,” said Gabe again.

The girl bit her lip slightly annoyed. She didn’t like to depend on other people. But apart from Gabe, no other guide was willing. She didn’t have much time either.

“Okay, thanks for letting me come with you sir,” although still wearing a forced face, the woman lowered her face slightly. Then she immediately picked it up and showed her usual haughty eyes.

“Raphael, here’s donor blood for you..Lucas is the one Harvesting it for us,” Damien handed him a glass of blood. The commander immediately took a gulp and took his equipment which was also not too much. He left his horse with Lucas. The skinny knight decided not to come along for fear of burdening the knights.

“My Lady, what is your name?” Edgar asked with an interested expression. The woman has a beautiful body and face. But Edgar of course still kept his distance. He was currently on duty.

“You can call me Ivanka,” she said nonchalantly.

“All right, Lady Ivanka, and all of you let’s climb now,” Raphael ordered.

***

After more than an hour of walking. At last they arrived at a more dense part of the mountain forest of Rubera. The forest was dominated by dense and towering pine and juniper trees. They did not find any animal or monster other than the sound of birds chirping and the neighing of monkeys in the trees.

The midday sun helped illuminate their path. But the light was also not too strong because it was filtered by the thick leaves. The sun’s rays were not so torturous. To vampires, the midday sun was a dangerous thing. If they were exposed for too long they could die in a dry, red skin state.

Although vampires could still roam during the day, they often stay away from direct sunlight. They could not be like humans who leisurely play on the beach and sunbath. It was an act of suicide.

Raphael looked at his hand. He always wore long sleeves that covered all his exposed skin. He also wore a hood to protect his head. As he walked, he watched his finger become slightly off the part of his skin that wasn’t covered by the cloth.

The sunlight was quite dim, but it was enough to make his fingers hot and sore. He frowned, trying to understand his current situation. Vampires in the younger generation like himself should no longer be so easily defeated by the sun. It only happened to ancient era vampires who could burn to ashes just from being exposed to sunlight for a few seconds. They were very strong, but also very susceptible to death due to their main weakness—the sun.

That was the reason why ancient castles had few windows and were dark. It was also the reason why the vampire ancestors built many dungeons.

Raphael remembered that he had never been this vulnerable to sunlight before. Over the past few months, he had felt her body change. He didn’t deny it. He also remembers the last time he fought Caesar that pushed him to the point where he turned into something he wasn’t. Bluish veins in the temple area and long fingernails, that’s what Valerie had said yesterday about her brother’s condition. She was also talking about Raphael who might be the same as Jasper.

Devil’s DNA she said. Caesar also once called it directly to him. Now Valerie sounded worried about his condition and asked him to tell the higher-ups of Florentia. But Raphael had yet to find a reason for that. He didn’t feel like he was going to lose control of himself. He knew he wasn’t that weak.

Raphael re-wrapped his hands and fingers with gloves and returned to focus on his current mission. Follow the river.

“Master Gabe, what about what you said? Do you know where I can find the herbs?” Ivanka whispered to Gabe.

“We’re in the same direction, my lady, maybe when these knights arrive at their destination you’ll find them too,” Gabe said with a friendly smile.

“Lady Ivanka, what are you looking for here?” Raphael asked.

“Why is that interesting to you?”

“Because I know, you are a noble. You’re not the type of girl to run into danger unless it’s absolutely essential. I guess you’re not short on cash, so I know you don’t need to sell herbs. Something pushes you out of your comfort zone. I could feel the nervousness, the fear but also the forced courage. So, are you a fugitive?” Raphael analyzed. Their eyes met each other. Ivanka didn’t notice earlier, but the knight she was talking to right now was very attractive. He had deep black eyes, a firm handsome face, and perfectly gleaming black hair. As a normal woman, of course she was now a little nervous.

“I— I’m not a fugitive, but I did go secretly to come here,” Ivanka nervously cast her eyes elsewhere. That was dangerous, she almost continued the conversation with a flushed face. It wasn’t her fault that she was weak with handsome men. Because all her life she has only seen rude men who didn’t know how to take care of themselves. Her father gave a bodyguard of such knights for her.

But the Florentia knight who was with her right now, had an attractive physique. Especially Raphael. Ivanka immediately knew that they were elite knights who came from noble families. They were elegant, and did not show a rude or brutal attitude. Yet each and every one of them emitted a formidable aura.

“So what brought you here?” Raphael confirmed his question. He suspected the woman. His offer to climb Mount Rubera with them of course wasn’t just because they cared about the Lady’s safety. Raphael’s instincts told him to investigate the woman.

Ivanka seemed softened. Perhaps the fatigue in her legs had caught her off guard. She had now put off her stubbornness and arrogance and spoke more softly.

“I’m here to help my little brother,” Ivanka said.

“What about your brother? Is he lost in this forest?”

“No, he is sick and I want to cure him,” said Ivanka again. There was a look of sorrow in her eyes.

“By looking for herbs here?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“This is too dangerous for a girl like you, you should—” Raphael commented.

“Do you think that women are weak creatures?” Ivanka once again turned stern. She was offended by the commander’s words.

“No, absolutely not..I know a strong woman. Not just one, There are many female knights in Florentia. What I mean is, you’re not a knight. I know that nobles receive martial arts training, but nothing in my opinion can make them strong enough to climb a mountain full of monsters. I speak with my logic, Lady Ivanka,” Raphael clarified.

“I came here fully aware that this is a dangerous place. But what can I do if my whole family doesn’t want my brother to get cured?” Ivanka shook her head sadly.

Raphael guessed in his mind. What kind of situation happened in her family? Ivanka was not like a girl who was born in a disharmonious family. She was confident and vocal. Not a girl who was easily frightened let alone low self-esteem.

“Sorry to have to ask this, was your brother not born from a legal marriage?” Raphael knows that children like that were often bullied and treated unfairly by their families.

“No, absolutely not! My family values ​​honor. They couldn’t have allowed an illegitimate child to be born in our family,” Ivanka shook her head firmly.

“Now I’m the only one defending him, only I want to see him happy and normal again.. But all my family members just want him to be a monster,” said Ivanka with tears welling in the corners of her eyes.