Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Chapter 571: At Northern-Star

***

-The Khione Capital—

The journey had been long but Caius and his posse had finally arrived at the main hub of the Khione Duchy. They didn’t plan to stay long— Just a night at most to rest anywhere else that wasn’t the inside of the Carriage.

It had been just over one week since this journey began; it had taken six days to reach that Northern County where they had been attacked, and then a few days more to finally enter the Khione Duchy Capital.

Whatever stops they had taken, even with the risk they had entailed and the battle that had ensued, he believed they were necessary at least at the time.

And whatever time they spent not driving, they made up for with Kyre driving as fast as his Eighth Circle Mana and awareness could allow.

By all accounts, considering their starting point and the means of transportation they chose, they had made good time. Once they got past the Khione Duchy, it would only be a two-day journey before they were over the Acheron Empire border and finally found Athenodora. If the memories she had fed to Caius’s mind were correct, anyway.

By Caius’s estimate, the journey would be complete in less than two weeks. Athenodora had known where he was when she asked for him so he had to believe she could hold on for that long despite whatever was ailing her.

And he was so close now too.

”The Capital is beautiful,” Meline said.

”Northern-Star it’s called,” Hugo said in his gentle, low-timbre voice.

The Leopolds gazed out at the City in admiration after that. Looking out himself, Caius could see what they meant; Northern-Star, the Khione Duchy Capital, was like a winter wonderland with many breathtaking architectural structures. Everywhere one looked, the city seemed to be bustling with wealth and grace.

Capital City, for all its beauty and prestige as the home of the Imperial Family and the center of their power over the Acheron Empire, pales in comparison to Northern-Star.

The carriages that pulled along the streets complemented the beautiful visage of Northern-Star, which made the Leopold carriage stand out more because of its decrepit look.

Caius’s lips twitched at such a turn of events; The decrepit state of the carriage had suited them for going unnoticed or at least dismissed as unworthy of attention. But in a region like this, abounding with affluence and grace, the carriage stuck out like a sore thumb.

’Oh well, we’ll be gone soon enough,’ he thought right before an arm looped through his.

Roxanne pulled his arm against herself, snuggling it between her perky, ample breasts but she didn’t seem conscious of the fact— At least, she didn’t seem to have done it to be lewd, but had just been seeking closeness.

Roxanne snuggled her body against Caius even more and let out a breath while her smile deepened and she kept looking out of the window.

Caius felt his other arm get pulled and looked to see Meline claim his other side. Even as she leaned her head on his shoulder and let out a breath similar to how Roxanne had done, Caius didn’t get any feeling like Meline was acting out of jealousy.

In fact, as far as Caius could tell—and what he could tell was pretty darn accurate due to the bounds that tied him to the Leopolds and them to him—Meline hadn’t even noticed what Roxanne was doing and the two ladies just sought closeness with him, in similar ways, completely by coincidence.

Caius chuckled and pulled his arms out of the hold of both women but before either of the two could wonder why, he wrapped his arms around their shoulders, pulling them against himself. With smiles, Meline and Roxanne mewled a little as they let themselves sink into Caius’s arms, wrapping their arms around him in turn and enjoying the scenery of Northen-Star.

Caius smiled in reminiscence;

There was a passage in [To Kill A Demon lord...] about how the Khione Duchy was the most romantic region in the Acheron Empire, primarily because of how it inspired closeness between lovers.

By advancing in Magic Circles, people eventually reach a point where their body regulates their temperature so perfectly that they are never too cold or too warm. Because of this, there should be no need to seek the body heat of another which is one of the most primary causes for snuggling. And yet, somehow, the atmosphere of Northern Star gets you all the same.

Having never actually been here, this was the first time Caius was confirming the words of the passage to be true. After all, here were two ladies who should know to keep their hands to themselves because they weren’t actually alone with Caius, and yet they were running their hands across his chest.

Caius couldn’t even blame them. He was getting carried away by the atmosphere as well. Still, he remained lucid enough not to take things too far, and, even more important, he remained lucid enough to stop the ladies from going too far.

He was shameless, yes, but getting felt up, maybe even jerked to completion, in the uncomfortable presence of other men did not at all sound appealing to him.

Still, it was nice to just sit, feel the weights of Roxanne and Meline against his body and enjoy the beauty of Northen-Star while acting oblivious to how the others were making a point to not glance in his and the ladies’ direction.

”Huh,” Kyre let out up front in the driver’s seat.

”Something the matter?” Caius asked.

”No My Lord,” Kyre answered slowly, ”It’s just... well, I can’t be sure but it seems like we’re being followed.”

That perked everyone up instantly. For Meline and Roxanne, their smiles faded and they seemed to snap out of Northen-Star’s atmosphere as they rose slowly from where they rested on Caius’s chest.

”What?” Nadine said, instantly on alert.

”I can’t be sure but they’ve made the same turns as us so far,” Kyre said.

”They?” Meline noted with a raised brow. She looked out the window and her eyes widened as she said,

”Two Carriages. Medium builds; Small enough to be quick but large enough to endure a few attacks. Those aren’t civilian carriages.”

”That’s what I thought,” Kyre mumbled with a deep frown.

”Make a turn,” Caius said.

Kyre made a sharp turn down a beautiful cobbled street and as soon as they came up on the bend, the two carriages made the same turn.

”We’re definitely being followed,” Roxanne said.

”That’s what I was worried about,” Kyre mumbled.

Kyre made even sharper turns and without fail, the Carriages followed.

”With all those turns, they’ll know we’ve noticed,” Meline said.

”And then what?” Nadine asked.

”They might just keep following,” Meline shrugged.

”Or they’ll throw caution to the wind,” Caius said.

And sure enough, an opening appeared at the top of one of the carriages and a female figure rose out of it. She was dressed in battle-robes and her fingers were already forming seals that conjured up a Spell Circle that blazed a bright red.

”Kyre!” Caius ordered.

”Yes, My Lord,” Kyre answered, ”Hang on!”

And with that, he spurred the carriage as fast as it could go, faster than was preferable to go in such a populated region, and tore down the street, creating panic as carriages tried to get out of the way. Some succeeded, others were knocked aside, creating pile-ups that Kyre hoped would slow the pursuers down.

Just as Kyre was speeding up, the attacker’s spell fired. It was an arrow formed of red flame, with a shaft as thick as a pillar. The fiery red arrow slammed into the Carriage pile-up, clearing a path, and still had enough force to continue and slam into the back of the Leopold Carriage, causing its wheels to screech as Kyre tried to bring it under control.

Inside the carriage, once Kyre had gotten it under control again and was back trying to put as much distance between them and the enemy, Nadine said what the others were thinking;

”The Emissary?”

”No, those are humans,” Caius said.

”He used humans the last time too,” Meline pointed out.

”True, but...” Caius trailed off here as, with another screeching of wheels and a hard turn made by Kyre, he was thrown into Roxanne who held him.

Of all in the carriage, Caius had the lowest Magic Circle, making him much more affected by the sudden movements of the carriage since it was moving at a speed only accessible to those at the Eighth Circle.

”But what?” Meline asked.

”It doesn’t feel like the Emissary,” Caius said, ”I just feel like I would know if it was him doing this.”

Another spell struck the Carriage and this time, Kyre was unable to keep it on the road and was forced to drive right through a building— A restaurant by the look of the tables around which people were seated and having meals.

As the occupants of the restaurant cried out, taking cover and moving out of the way if they could, Kyre kept going, smashing through the opposite wall and back onto the road.