That bard is such a charmer!

Chapter 121 The Redemption of the Vampire Prisoner

Isabella took out the world map again and had Jon unfold it in front of everyone.

She pointed to the area east of Longspear Keep and said, "Next, we have four paths to choose from. Three of them require passing through a highland called Tanik, where many orcs roam."

"Logically speaking, although beastmen are dangerous, they have always disliked vampires and would not deliberately be hostile to us."

"However, according to that prisoner, the vampires found a perfect middleman who persuaded and hired the chieftain of a nearby orc tribe—in other words, they are now actively hunting us down."

Jon, who was listening in, frowned.

"It's really strange. I can't figure out how a bunch of mosquitoes in formal attire can chat with a bunch of wild boars."

Holcher shrugged, making a bitter joke: "Who knows? Maybe the mosquitoes took off their dresses and gave them to the wild boars to use as underwear."

Jon laughed heartily.

After going through the battle together, Richard not only gained respect, but the noble mage and the mercenary leader, who were originally somewhat estranged, also got along much better.

On the other side, Richard asked, "What about the other road?"

Isabella replied, "There are indeed no orcs on the remaining road. Instead, there is an adult blue dragon in the desert to the south of the road. He has a terrible temper, is untrustworthy, and his hobby is raiding and robbing."

Richard's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

Got it, so none of the next four paths are safe.

Just as he was pondering whether to choose curry-flavored shit or shit-flavored curry, the Schneider family suddenly joined the discussion.

Marek Schneider then said, "Your Highness, you have more than just these four options."

Isabella asked curiously, "Count, what do you mean?"

Malek pointed to the edge of Tanic Valley on the map and said, "Actually, there's another path here, which, to my shame, was originally used by our family for some less-than-honorable business—"

Given that the empire lies to the east, it's clear that the business Malek was referring to was most likely smuggling.

He paused awkwardly before continuing, "In short, you can take that road to avoid the dragons and orcs. My son can be your guide—as for myself, I would be happy to lead the troops out of the city to attract the attention of those orcs."

As soon as he finished speaking, Marek's eldest and second sons straightened their backs.

Isabella smiled, selectively ignoring the minor details related to illicit business, and replied, "Thank you, Earl, you've really been a great help."

Marek quickly replied, "There's no need for that, Your Highness. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know the secret of the world within the painting, and I might have been assassinated by a vampire that crawled out of it one day—"

Moreover, the words and actions of the ancestor in the painting also gave them great inspiration.

Or to be more precise, it made them feel a little ashamed.

Of course, this does not mean that the Schneider family has changed their personality and decided to follow the will of their ancestors and embark on the glorious path of knighthood.

But at least it makes them realize that sometimes, a little more courage and openness isn't a bad thing.

These are all Marek's thoughts.

He didn't say it aloud, but just glanced at his sons, hoping they would share the same feelings as him.

present.

With Marek's help, the group's itinerary became much easier to plan.

While everyone was actively discussing, Richard also let his mind wander and came up with an idea that, if successful, would further reduce the risk, and if it failed, it wouldn't matter much. He said, "How's that vampire captive doing now? If he's still alive, we might as well continue to use him a little longer, just do this and that—"

After hearing his idea, everyone was full of praise.

Isabella's eyes lit up, and she immediately made the decision: "Yes, let's do as Richard says—"

One day later.

After the main force finished its rest, it left Longgun Fortress.

It was at this moment that the vampire prisoner named Alsina, who was imprisoned in the castle's underground chambers, keenly sensed that the guards had become lax.

Hmm, just because the princess and the descendant of the Ash Duke left, you think everything is fine?

This is wonderful!

He huddled in the corner of the cell, pretending to groan in pain from the injuries he sustained during interrogation, but in reality, he was secretly plotting his escape.

He knew that Marek wouldn't keep him around for long, and if he wanted to survive, he had to escape the castle as soon as possible.

Fortunately for him, he had an excellent opportunity late that night.

To celebrate the successful departure of the princess and her entourage and the killing of the vampire Vespera, Malek hosted a grand feast, which even included the lowest-ranking servants in the castle.

But precisely because of this, the prison guards who were required to stand guard during the banquet inevitably became even more distracted.

Seeing this, Alsina decisively took action.

While the guards were secretly gathering to drink ale, he took out the wire he had found earlier, unlocked the handcuffs and cell door, and then sneaked to the toilet near the cell.

"Damn it—"

He really disliked this place.

But with his abilities suppressed by the Spear Fortress itself and unable to transform into a bat again, this was his only option to escape.

Just as he was about to take a deep breath and crawl into the tunnel, he suddenly heard several footsteps outside.

He quickly hid in the innermost cubicle.

Immediately afterwards, he heard the faint sound of flowing water and a casual conversation between two people: "Speaking of which, why did Your Highness choose the path with the blue dragon? Those are blue dragons, after all. It's bound to be more troublesome than dealing with orcs, isn't it?"

"Who knows? We can't possibly guess what important people are thinking. Maybe that prince has some trump card up his sleeve."

Alsina's eyes widened.

Ha! The princess's whereabouts!

This is the most crucial intelligence!

If he can bring this news back, then half of the humiliation of being captured will be offset!

As for why the princess chose to confront the blue dragon directly, the two soldiers didn't know, but he could guess somewhat, since he had personally witnessed a red dragon in the previous battle—

Although it's unclear why these Imperials were able to get the Red Dragon's help, reality is reality.

A few minutes later, the two soldiers left the toilet.

Excited, Alsina could wait no longer and plunged into the filthy tunnel, transforming from a blood-sucking mosquito into a swarm of maggots in a sea of ​​dung.

next morning.

Although he was nearly shot dead by the remaining vampires who mistook him for a dung beetle, he eventually managed to return to the makeshift camp that Vespera had set up in the wilderness.

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