Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Chapter 522: Propaganda

Leonce Duval flicked through other images, all as, or even more, terrible than the first. There wasn’t a kill that wasn’t ripped to shreds, and soon, many in the class were getting nauseous. But even as Leonce saw faces turning green, he didn’t stop flicking through the images.

He had shown them more than a hundred victims before Aylin finally cried out.

“Stop this!” She said it without any honorific to show respect for Leonce. She felt none for him.

Leonce looked at her but didn’t stop flicking through images.

“Oh?” He said in a would-be innocent voice that was betrayed by a slight amusement in his tone,

“I thought you were all mature enough to know the sordid details. I thought it was ridiculous that I’d assume you’ve been shielded from gruesome matters.”

The class said nothing. Aylin glowered at Leonce but didn’t speak either.

With a light smile of satisfaction, Leonce continued flicking.

“I hope you won’t look away,” he said when he spotted some of the students starting to cover their eyes or avert their gazes,

“These men, women, and children inadvertently gave their lives for your education. The least you can do is pay attention.”

“This is not an education,” Cynthia said then, looking to be at the limit of how much she could just stand back and let Leonce discomfort her students,

“This is a gore fest that teaches them nothing.”

Leonce paused and stopped flicking through images, but he didn’t turn off the device in his hand, so it continued to project its last image. The most gruesome so far.

“It teaches them everything. It teaches them not to show sympathy to the enemy. It teaches them the gravity of the situation, and it prepares them to not hope to see any humanity in monsters seeking to drain them of their blood.

Now, I will ask you, Professor, to stay out of my lecture as it doesn’t concern you.”

“It does concern me,” Cynthia said calmly, “I am well aware of the danger of vampires, and I also know there are better ways to instruct than using the horrible, gruesome death of hundreds to prove a point to children.”

“Do not question my methods!” Leonce snarled at Cynthia in the first slip of his calm demeanor.

Cynthia just smirked without an ounce of worry or fear. She opened her mouth to speak, but someone spoke before she did.

“How dare you talk to her like that?!” Delia asked, now on her feet, her stormy grey eyes glowering and her hand clenched like she could imagine herself gripping a weapon.

There was silence then.

Cynthia looked amazed that her sister had risen to her defense, but also a bit disapproving that she had spoken that way to authority. Though as far as she was concerned, Leonce hardly qualified.

Delia kept her glowering eyes on Leonce, who was staring back.

And then Leonce let out a breath, and a calm smile returned to his face.

“I believe we’re getting off track. Sit down, Miss Kragsten,” he said in a cool voice.

Delia remained standing.

Still, with a smile, Leonce regarded her.

“Sit down,” he told her again, and despite the coolness in his voice, there seemed to be a great annoyance brewing.

Delia glanced at Cynthia, who gave her a little nod, and then she sat down but didn’t stop glaring at Leonce, who had looked away from her now.

“I apologize for my tone,” Leonce said with a little bow to Cynthia.

“And I for interrupting you,” Cynthia answered with an inclination of her head and her arms folded nonchalantly beneath her breasts.

Leonce acknowledged her sort-of apology and turned his eyes back to the class.

“That’s enough for a visual demonstration, I think. The reason for my visit and my theatrics has been to let you understand what is at stake. Even if you have not faced the danger yourself, many already have.

And the monsters are not so scarce as many would have you believe— No, no. Chances are that you have eaten with a Vampire, drank with one while it flawlessly passed itself off as human.

Because that is what they do. They pretend, they lie, they deceive, they charm, and finally, they kill. In the brutal ways you’ve seen on screen.”

Kaya, Eloise, Aylin, and Delia were determined not to share a look. They didn’t dare. They kept their eyes on Leonce, the same as the rest of their classmates, keeping their expression attentive and nothing more.

Still, as Leonce was speaking, Kaya couldn’t help the feeling that his eyes were on her, attentive to anything that could reveal what she knew.

Marcus Arognite raised a hand.

“But, Vampires can’t move in the day. The sun burns them,” he said.

“Another myth and misconception. In the right conditions, Vampires can act in the day, protected from the Sun,” Leonce said,

“The most common method is the use of a Moonstone Ring, whose magic shields a vampire from the sun’s rays. Teaching you how to spot a moonstone Ring and tell it apart from any other rings will be part of your training today.”

“There will be training?” Doran asked.

“Why, of course, there will be. You didn’t think I came here just to traumatize you with gory images, did you?” Leonce laughed, but no one laughed with him or was amused,

“There will be a crash course to help you identify the vampires in your midst and also help you fight against them and ultimately avoid becoming their next victim.”

Kaya noticed Leonce didn’t word their identification of vampires as just a possibility but rather as something that was sure to happen.

But the joke was on him, though, since the only Vampire in their class was away.

Kaya was starting to smile at this when she paused and realized that might not matter. What if Caius was Leonce Duval’s target and this ‘crash-course’ was his way to arm the class with the necessary knowledge and tools to find Caius out upon his return to school?

The lesson began, and Leonce had one of his militants project the images now so that he was free to use those images to teach the class.

The images were those of vampires, but in different states;

A mild state, which they used to convince humans they were normal.

A prowling state, which they used to stalk their victims.

A pouncing state, which they used to attack.

And finally,

A revel state— this just showed the diagram of a vampire with blood trickling from its mouth and a look of deranged ecstasy on its face.

“Pssh, stupid propaganda,” Aylin whispered with a scoff.

Kaya and Eloise just smiled but said nothing. They didn’t actually agree that it was all propaganda and believed some vampires definitely did look like those images, but Caius didn’t. And they knew that was what Aylin meant.

“If you find yourself facing off with a Vampire at the same Magic Circle as you, do not let your guard down. Vampires are naturally at the peak of their Circle in terms of Mana reserves and physical prowess. They will always outclass you.

If you find yourself facing a vampire above your Magic Circle— ensure you have support because you will need it,” Leonce said dryly.

“What if we meet a vampire below our Magic Circle?” a student asked. And by their tone, it meant as a joke to carry on the trend Leonce’s instructions/advice had been taking.

Leonce didn’t take it as a joke, though. He saw it as a legitimate inquiry.

“Excellent question. The answer is that you must face it, even then, as though it were at your Magic Circle or higher,” he answered seriously.

That caused a curious murmur to break out, but Leonce wasn’t done.

“Vampires are blessed by darkness and can never be underestimated in case of some magical boon or dark art they have dabbled in.

But besides their Magic and physical prowess, Vampires possess other great weapons they never even have to work for;

Their fangs and their claws.

Thanks to these, it doesn’t matter how many Magic Circles separate a vampire from its target; it doesn’t matter how thick the target’s skin is or how tough it may have been made with magic, their fangs and their claws will always rip through.”

Silence followed that as many of the students seemed to be coming to terms with what it meant to have such an advantage.

“So if a vampire gets close—” Marcus Arognite started.

“It could all be over,” Loence said with a nod,

“And that is why they are so insidious. Combine this advantage with their ability to blend in, their ability to act as your friend, and you might be able to imagine how much of a threat they pose.”

Kaya frowned. Aylin was absolutely right. It was all propaganda. And it was working. She could see that at the mention of ‘friend’, many in the class were glancing at their sides at the one beside them, wondering if that was what their friend was doing, lying in wait to suck them dry.