Taming My Vampire Servant

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NOTE: This is a very important extra chapter which introduces a very important person! Reading this will make you understand the upcoming main story chapters :)

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Umbria City was the wealthiest city in the Land of Rosaria. The special thing about it was its view of the Silverblade Castle behind the terraced houses, which had vibrant colors, cascading down the hillside.

Nobles rode their eye-catching carriages adorned with intricate designs. Those who were fond of spending their pot of wealth walk around town in their expensive outfits. They always brought with them their butlers or maidservants, letting them carry the things they bought.

A brown-haired young man, with calm indigo blue eyes, strolled the busy streets while looking around the extravagant shops. Judging from his outfit - a white shirt with a standing collar underneath a brown overalls and light brown boots - he did not belong to the upper class. His shoulder armor on his left shoulder and light brown mitts had scratches, and the bandage on his right arm had a little dirt on the surface.

Since his clothes were ripped by the thorny bushes when he set a camp in the forest, he wanted to buy himself something comfortable to wear.. As he panned his sight to the glass windows of the clothing shops, he narrowed his eyes on the wooden price labels.

"A thousand silver coins for a freakin' belt? No way," he murmured to himself as he shook his head. Disappointed, he walked past it and peeked at the next shop.

He widened his eyes on the most beautiful mantle he had ever seen. The ermine trimmed royal blue mantle was hand-woven using purple silk velvet and satin with golden embroideries on the edges of it. The collar was also hand-woven with white silk. 

As he was imagining himself wearing it, the female shopkeeper went out of the shop and looked at him from head to toe. Although the brown-haired guy had a handsome face, the cheap and worn-out clothes he wore made her assume that he's a lowly peasant!

The shopkeeper asked, "That is the King's mantle. It is worth ten thousand gold coins, so I am very sure you will never afford it." She then started explaining that her clothing shop has been one of the official dressmakers and tailors of the Royal Family for generations. "A nobody like you will never get to wear this. So get lost, or you will bring misfortune to my store! Scram!"

But the young man just chuckled, "Apologies, but you'll regret this day," then he left, leaving her dumbfounded.

The young man had been to Umbria City a couple of times, and every time, he would get disappointed because of the rude people around him. The city was full of snobbish nobles who were hungry for attention, and desperate shopkeepers who were quick to judge their customers by their appearances.

As a long-time adventurer, he had already seen all the cities and towns in the Kingdom. The most peaceful place was Valios City where the Sanctuary of the Goddess was located and the locals were kind and hospitable. But his favorite place was Sapphiros Town, which was the strictest but safest for him, because people from the castle were not allowed to enter. 

There's one place that he had not yet visited after a very long time - the Silverblade Castle. As he was only around six years old at that time, he couldn't remember much of what it looked like on the inside.

The brown-haired man gave up on finding good clothes for him. He walked and walked until he reached the Umbrian Bridge, which connected the city to the main road. It was a stone bridge in which the balustrade was decorated with stone statues of dragons that were sculpted by one of the most famous sculptors in Prisma Town. 

He stopped for a while at the bridge and gazed at the view of the Silverblade Castle. As he sighed, he wondered when he'd be able to reclaim the throne that was said to be destined for him.

A while ago, he had a morning nap while he slept under an oak tree. He dreamed about a cousin who did not know him anymore and introduced himself as someone who lived so far away. Both of them were chatting idly in that dream, to the point that he wondered what the point of that dream was. Even so, for Levi, it was such a pleasant moment, because he had not seen him after a very long time. 

Actually, he kept on dreaming about some of his relatives these past few days, but he never dreamed about his father who died in the Silverblade Castle. 

"Levi!" someone who was in a pleasant horse-drawn carriage suddenly called his name when it passed by. It was Cael, the adopted son of the Gilmore family head who owns a couple of restaurants around the Land of Rosaria.

Levi immediately recognized his friend's short silver hair and lavender-colored eyes as the carriage stopped in front of him. He waited for him to be assisted by the coachman in stepping down from the carriage.

"Cael, you bigshot!" he flashed a wide smile as he saw his friend cladded in a blue suit with white cape placed over his shoulder. "Until now I can't believe you're one of the nobles. It feels like yesterday when you and I were still camping out in the woods."

"Father said he wanted to adopt us both, but you refused," Cael sighed. Then, they both leaned on the railing. He told him discreetly, "I thought that being a noble can make you reclaim the throne easier, that's why when I heard he'd like to adopt some sons in his household, I wrote our name in his scroll of choices."

"Thank you, but I have another plan. Being a noble means being watched by many, and my cover will be blown by then. I want to stay lowkey, and attack that shitty Dragonicus King at the least moment he expected."

"But Father is a supporter of the late King, so you will be safe-"

"I've been through a lot during my travels, and I have learned to trust no one but myself."

"But you have to trust us Werewolves," he whispered, "We traded our wolf ears to the Goddess just to conceal ourselves from the enemies, and live independently without Masters. You'll need us once you fight with the forces of Dragonicus, and we'll make sure to protect you until the last string of our mana. You know that we'll do our best to be of use to you, Your Highness."

Levi sighed, "Call me Levi. Did you forget? I told you to be informal with me. It's an order," then patted Cael's head momentarily. "Alright, here's the plan. I need you to stay as a noble and tell me what's going on within your circle."

"Yes, I got it. I will make sure to tell you everything I'll discover."

With that, Cael offered Levi to ride his carriage and he agreed, then after a couple of minutes on the road, he was dropped off to Prisma City. 

The city of arts is colorful, and as Levi walked on the cobblestoned road, some street artists offered to give him a sketch, but he only gave them a gold coin and said that he's very busy. The artists thanked his kindness and then bid their goodbyes.

In that colorful and lively area, where there were half-timbered houses painted with bright colors, there was one place wherein he felt shivers down his spine whenever he passed by. It was the Prisma Gallery, which was a beige-colored half-timber building with a flat clay tile roof.

He never once entered that place. Something inside of him had been telling him not to go.

"Hey! Move!" a man in leather armor yelled, and Levi was startled. 

But the calling was not for him; it was for a four-year-old girl who suddenly crossed the street. She did not notice the horse galloping towards her.

Without hesitation, Levi jumped off towards the center to save the girl and embraced her. He then used Air magic pushing them forward to go to the other side of the street quickly.

The man stopped his horse and told them, "I am one of the King's messengers!" he checked the pocket watch attached to his belt, "Damn it, I'm bringing important scrolls, and they can't even be compared to your life!" 

Levi almost responded in an angry manner, but he stopped himself. It would not be wise to attract attention. Him using his Silverblade mana was a dangerous move to do, and he wished that no one noticed what he just did.

When the rude man left, the little girl wiped her tears, and told her hero, "Thank you, mister!"

Levi smiled sweetly at her and they both stood up. He helped her remove the dirt off her dress, "You're welcome. Be careful from now on, okay?" When the girl was fetched by her worried mother, he decided to walk around to find himself a place to stay. 

But then, someone suddenly grabbed his arm!