Draconic Vampire: Curse of the Blood

Keith looked at Valencia with caution and said with a hushed tone.

"Miss, I can go to the student council office, why do you insist on taking me to your living quarters?" 

"Oh please! Like we will have any privacy. The two vice presidents will be present and even if we talk about something sensitive, it won't be ideal as the professors' chambers are nearby."

Valencia said with annoyance.

"What could be so sensitive and important that we can't talk about it there?" Keith couldn't understand her reasoning.

"Let's say I have a particular interest in you. I want us to have a good relationship so we could help each other out." 

Keith was surprised by the statement. At first glance it didn't seem much, but if you considered the position she was in, the meaning of the sentence changed drastically. Her statement could be taken as a compliment to Keith but at the same time, it showed she was regarding Keith as an equal.

It was a huge deal if you take into account her position as the student council president. She was also significantly stronger than Keith in every aspect. He couldn't even sense her aura level. So it came as a shock to him that she said such words to him.

From the smug smile on her face, it was evident that she didn't do it without a reason. She was making a statement that, if he agreed to her proposal, she was willing to treat him as an equal. That meant, he could ask her for help and in return, he had to do whatever she wanted.

After contemplating for a while, Keith shook his head.

"I… want to know the exact reason why you are inviting me to your place?" Keith asked in a serious tone.

Valencia squinted her eyes and peered into Keith's.

"That depends on what secrets you're hiding. I am particularly interested in your high blood-qi density, so naturally, I want to study it. From the look on your face, you do know some things about it."

Keith showed no surprise after Valencia told her about his dense blood-qi. Still, it was one of his well-kept secrets of the warrior frame, at least he thought so. Considering Valencia was able to know about his dense blood-qi, he suspected the professors and dean to know it as well.

'Well, there goes my precious secret. Now everyone will be on my tails.' Kieth facepalmed while shaking his head.

"Rest assured, you will be properly compensated. I will give you precious resources for blood condensing and no one will mess with you inside the campus." Valencia tried to entice him with her offers.

"Can I ask one thing? Will you be using some kind of blood ritual on me?" Keith went straight to the point.

This was the one thing that bugged him. If the blood ritual was advanced, his other secrets would get revealed as well. He wanted to avoid such places if possible.

"Yes. But it's a safe blood ritual made by my family's ritualists to scan the physique. So you don't have to worry about it." Valencia assured him.

"I'm sorry but I can't take that offer. I appreciate your kindness, but I can't enter a blood ritual knowing my secrets will be revealed." Keith flatly denied.

"You don't have anything that interests me apart from your blood-qi technique to increase its density. I want to observe it to get enlightenment. You don't need to worry about me getting all your secrets. Literally, every technique you use is inferior to mine. Do you have a King-level blood-qi technique to hide?" Valencia asked.

Keith didn't reply. From his silence, she guessed he was lacking in high-level blood-qi techniques.

"I have king-level blood-qi techniques to hide, so I don't need your viscount or count-level warrior frame technique." She said with a frown.

"Still, I can't come to your place and enter into a blood ritual. I will meet you at any other place apart from that." Keith said resolutely.

Valencia stared at him for a while and then withdrew her gaze. 

"Fine, I am not forcing you. Instead, you have to join the student council disciplinary committee, or this incident will put you in the dungeon for at least a week." 

"Alright. I will join the disciplinary committee. But I have a condition." Keith opened his right index finger.

"Speak."

"I don't want to be restricted and come under any council member. I will act independently and do things my way. I don; want anyone to keep tabs on me or constantly. If you agree to these conditions, I will join the student council."

Valencia thought for a while and nodded her head.

"That is doable. I will arrange a special rune card for you. You will work directly under me and no one will bother you unless they have a death wish." 

"Great! I will do my best to not make trouble." Keith bowed his head forward.

"You are one fine piece of work. There is still a lot of time before you leave this academy, so I'm not too upset about your refusal. Who knows, maybe I will change your mind next time." Valencia sighed and looked at the mess surrounding them.

"Leave the courtyard. I will clean up this place." She activated her rune card.

Keith didn't ask any further questions and quietly left the courtyard. He was very tired after the fight and conversing with this dangerous woman. He wanted to take a long nap after all this.

Vampires didn't sleep much, if at all. But when they were exhausted or lost a lot of blood-qi they entered into the state of sleep to recover while their metabolism was low.

After he got out of the courtyard, Annica confronted him.

"Wow! Look at you. Aren't you going to collect your reward for the bet?" She said coyishly.

"I'm very tired at the moment, so just give it to me." Keith extended his hands.

"Hmph... You know how to fool people, no?" Annica snorted with anger.

"What now? Don't tell me you don't want to hold your end of the bargain?" Keith was too tired to argue more.

"That's not it. You kept your power hidden and made me believe you were weak. How is that fair? I didn't even know your capabilities before the fight. I feel like getting cheated." She turned her head around with clear discomfort.

"Hahahaha! You shouldn't have assumed my strength was low. It's your fault for believing in your preconceived notions." Keith laughed, hearing her absurd claims.

"Here! Take this. Make sure to properly study it. It's a precious artifact and can help you improve your outward blood-qi projection required for the blood esper discipline." Annica handed him the ring.

He dropped it inside his chest pocket and turned around to leave.

"Thanks for showing me around the campus. Now good night." Keith waved his hands as he walked away from Annica.

"Are you going to at least tell me if you are going to join the blood esper department or not?" Annica asked while turning her head.

"I haven't decided yet. You will know if you see me in the class. Bye for now. Haaaa!" Keith yawned slowly and left the corridor.

Annica stood there staring at the leaving figure of Keith until he completely vanished from her view.

"Ughh! I feel so stupid. I lost such a precious artifact. I need to vent my anger, or I will go crazy."

She also left the corridor from the other side.

Arriving at his room, Keith took off his sweaty clothes and entered his bath. After taking a quick shower, he changed into a comfy pair of pajamas and plopped into the bed.

"Ahhhh! Today was so stressful. I was also at the end of my rope. If She hadn't arrived at that moment, I couldn't have sustained it for long."

Sigh!

He circulated his blood-qi and the temperature of his body dropped. Examining his body, he searched for any internal injuries, but surprisingly he found none. 

"Seriously, no injuries even after taking this many attacks. I wonder what my body is made of?" 

Keith patted his muscles with pride and turned back, falling flat on his belly.

"I hope tomorrow is not this stressful." 

His eyes turned hazy and he entered into a deep sleep.

…

…

"Haah! Haah! Where am I?" 

A foggy surrounding covered Keith as he moved his hands to clear the fog.

"Is this inside the academy? I don't see any buildings around here. What's going on?" 

He looked around and found nothing in the vicinity.

"Am I dreaming or something? But it looks so real." 

When he was looking around, he saw a small pond in front of him. He approached the pond slowly and looked at the water.

It was pitch black and there were two glowing red eyes looking straight at him. Keith jerked back after seeing those eyes and his entire body shook.

"WHAAT... What is that thing?" 

An unknown fear enveloped him as he woke up from his sleep.

Huff! Huff! Huff!

"Master! Are you alright?" 

Rena looked at him with concern as she stood near the bed.