Ashen Dragon

Chapter 33 Northwind Castle Log (3)

The Swashbuckler clung to the ceiling of the dark dungeon, silently crawling, while the blood slaves in the iron cages let out shrill wails.

"Ow, ow..."

"Blood..."

"Give me blood..."

They had long lost their sanity from the many years of captivity, their desire for blood reducing them to beasts driven solely by instinct.

"None of them can even speak properly."

The Swashbuckler looked at the blood slaves, shaking his head in exasperation.

Suddenly, a hoarse voice broke the silence.

"Newcomer, you should escape. Once the Duke wakes up, you won't be able to."

"At least now you can still enjoy playing the cat-and-mouse game, stealing a moment of freedom, pretty amusing, right?"

The Swashbuckler glanced toward the voice. A man stood straight within a cage, his face pale but his attire much more intact, though marked by the ravages of time and partially decayed.

"Who are you?"

"Yeno Rackman."

"That surname..."

"Yes, I am the Duke's offspring, the former Earl of Herray Fortress, and one of his one thousand one hundred and seventy-two vampire variants, imprisoned here with the blood slaves for rebelling against his brutal ruling." Even in captivity, his tone carried the inherent arrogance of his family.

The Swashbuckler retorted: "Why do you think I can't escape?"

Yeno Rackman chuckled lightly, "Heh."

The Swashbuckler, unable to bear it anymore, cursed, "F***, what's wrong with everyone in your family? Is there anyone who can speak normally?"

Yeno's hoarse voice rose again, "My father's strength is far beyond your imagination. All vampire variants have a slave mark branded deep within their souls. The Duke can easily control all the variants with his will, and when he ascends, you and I will turn into boiling blood within his body."

The Swashbuckler replied bluntly, "Then just kill the old vampire, won't that solve it?"

"Heh..."

Another weary chuckle followed.

The Swashbuckler raged, "What's so funny, huh? Is it really that funny? Even Creekwood Town's chicken god I dared to kill, what does an old vampire count for?"

Yeno gently shook his head, "I've seen too many like you. Over a hundred years in the dungeon, I've seen countless escape from their cages, seeking revenge, but ultimately, none have escaped their destined fate, becoming mindless blood slaves. This is the Duke's eternal curse."

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"So, run while you still have some freedom left."

"I know my father well. He enjoys this cat-and-mouse game."

"He often plays the role of the all-knowing and all-powerful, watching his prey spiral into despair. Perhaps...he's watching you now."

The Swashbuckler shuddered at the thought of the old vampire observing him.

"That old vampire...could he really be all-knowing?"

The Swashbuckler shook his head, dispelling the dreadful thought, and said to the man in the cage, "Then why the f*** did you rebel if it's all destined? Do you think you're so noble? If it were truly destined, you wouldn't be locked up in this godforsaken cage."

"Your words only show how you've become more cowardly."

After a moment's silence, Yeno finally spoke, "Maybe you're right."

The Swashbuckler, sensing he had the upper hand, continued, "So, there's no difference between you and those people you mock. Stop pretending to be a prophet, it's damned irritating."

He held up two fingers.

"I'll give you two choices. First, I break you out. You've been here for over a hundred years, so you should know something useful, right? If not, you're a total waste. You'll lead me to rob your father's lair and find a chance to take him down.

"Second, keep rotting in this dog cage, moaning and posing, boasting about your nonsense destined fate to newcomers, only to end up as a pool of blood."

"Choose."

Although Yeno didn't understand some of his terms, he could tell from the tone that it wasn't anything good.

He fell silent, staring at the infuriatingly nonchalant face of the Swashbuckler.

This vampire variant was unlike any he had ever seen. Others, upon becoming vampires, reacted with panic, despair, or rage, but never with such...indifference.

Yes, indifference.

Every move he made seemed to say, "So what if I die? It doesn't matter."

Even upon becoming a vampire variant, instead of panicking, he seemed intrigued, experimenting with his new abilities.

Too strange.

In a century, he had never encountered anyone so strange.

Yeno Rackman remained silent and pensive.

The Swashbuckler finally couldn't hold back and muttered, "Are you coming or not? Spare me the sullen face. If you weren't of some use, I'd have pissed in your cage and bailed. Quit dragging your feet. Are you a man or what?"

"Fine, I'll go with you."

After a long silence, Yeno finally made his choice.

This peculiar individual might just have the power to break this miserable destiny.

"There you go, why the hesitance? I almost thought I'd need to haul you out in a grand sedan chair."

The Swashbuckler grumbled as he deftly picked the lock.

The iron door creaked open, and Yeno took his first step out of the cage in a hundred years.

The Swashbuckler urged, "Quickly, is there a treasure room or something? Lead me to rob that old vampire blind. I'll show him what it means to be robbed of everything he owns!"

Yeno: "..."

The Swashbuckler demanded, "Is there or not? Don't tell me you spent a hundred years telling stories here and can't even find your dad's secret stash. If so, get back in the dog cage. I don't need a useless teammate dragging me down."

Yeno was speechless. As a noble, it was his first time dealing with someone like this. Still, he said, "I do know the locations of some of my father's treasure vaults, but they're heavily guarded. With our limited strength, we may not be able to..."

While speaking, he noticed the Swashbuckler had vanished.

From a dark corner came the sound of rustling. Cloaked in black, the Swashbuckler clung to the wall, stealthily moving like a cockroach.

"What are you staring at? Never seen a Trickster Thief?"

"Do you even understand stealth? Get up here and lead the way, forget about the guards, we'll sneak right into that old vampire's stash."

Yeno once again fell into silence.

Hesitating, he finally relinquished his last bit of noble pride and climbed up.