Chapter 44: Turn of Events

After the vampire elite slew the Holy See Knights, they lifted the carriage and found it completely empty; in a fit of anger they kicked the carriage away.

The scene cuts; Fulade opened his eyes and looked at the crowd.

At this moment everyone's gaze turned toward them; regarding the earlier appearance of the bat and Fulade's subsequent odd behavior, everyone except Alide'anna's husband, who is an ordinary person, and the two children, had already recognized it as a form of communication.

"It seems we need to wait here for a while," Fulade said, then fell silent.

The others merely nodded in response; everyone could see that Fulade was waiting for something.

Sure enough, in less than a quarter of an hour, a whistling flapping sound rang through the forest, and in an instant a ghostly silhouette made of bats appeared before Fulade, suddenly taking human form and kneeling on the ground.

"Prince!"

"An Desen, why did you clash with the Holy Court? Give me an answer."

Although Fulade's tone was calm, it carried a faint chill, causing An Desen, kneeling before him, to shiver involuntarily.

It made him recall, from many years ago, the battlefield where thousands of towering flesh forests stood, grim and terrifying, the entire land turned into a sea of blood, a hellish scene that still remains vivid in his mind.

Beads of sweat gradually slipped down under the pressure of Fulade's gaze.

His body began to tremble unnaturally; even as a vampire, he still lived under Fulade's terrifying shadow.

"Prince, we did not cause this incident."

"Oh~ then tell me."

Fulade frowned slightly, feeling a bit surprised; if it wasn't caused by his side, how could a clash with the Holy Court have occurred?

At this moment, those around him listened attentively, clearly curious about this sudden unexpected situation.

"The cause of this conflict originates within the Principality of Virvia, where a sudden surge of werewolves appeared and attacked villages."

"Our investigation found that these were apparently defective werewolves of unknown origin; by the time we noticed, the Wolf Disaster had already begun spreading rapidly."

"The Holy Court forces stationed in that area went to the nearby Count Victor's domain to request aid, but they all perished in the Count's lands."

"That Count's domain is only separated from Transylvania by a forest; once it draws the Holy Court's attention, we have a high chance of being affected as well."

Therefore, Princess Weiluona ordered the interception of those Holy Court personnel, forbidding them from transmitting the news.

She also ordered that the Xiudaoyuan in nearby major towns be converted into Blood Race territories, reducing the risk of detection and temporarily confusing the Holy Court, granting us ample time to develop.

Upon hearing this, Fulade suddenly nodded.

He was also pleased with Weiluona's decisive and meticulous handling; even he, faced with this situation, would likely make the same decision.

"Stand up and speak," Fulade said, his complexion slightly brightening, addressing the still‑kneeling An Desen.

Watching An Desen slowly exhale in front of him, Fulade continued to ask:

"Then what does 'defective' mean, who were the people in that carriage, and how much do you know about Count Victor's domain?"

Faced with Fulade's series of questions, An Desen paused briefly, organized his words, and then continued:

"Those werewolves are not very intelligent and cannot revert to human form.

Now, for some reason, Count Victor has already taken men to fight these werewolves and has even gained the upper hand," An Desen said, his expression becoming hesitant and odd when mentioning Count Victor.

Fulade, seeing this, felt a hint of doubt, wondering if there was some hidden matter.

He slightly raised his head to signal, and An Desen continued: "We found that the group led by Count Victor resembles our Blood Race lineage, also craving fresh blood and fearing sunlight."

"However, they are far weaker than us and lack the ability to transform into bats or fly."

"Princess Weiluona speculated that, due to certain reasons, genetically mutated humans unintentionally transformed into lower‑grade Blood Race with low lineage purity."

After stating these conclusions, An Desen first looked up at Fulade, then said:

"In that carriage were a priest named Suo Luomen and his two daughters; after sensing something was wrong, he gathered a group of Holy See Knights and began fleeing toward Wallachia."

"You didn't find them, did you?" Fulade said, staring into An Desen's eyes.

"Yes, Prince."

An Desen swallowed and responded nervously.

Fulade said nothing more; after pondering for a moment, he suddenly said:

"Immediately inform Weiluona and have her clear all Xiudaoyuan within Wallachia as well.

Also, has Witch Famic already arrived?" Fulade asked his elite.

"She arrived three days ago," An Desen replied.

"Then inform Famic to search for priest Suo Luomen's trail; he must not leave this area."

Looking at the swiftly departing An Desen, Fulade, after a moment's thought, no longer hesitated, ordered everyone to set out immediately for Dracula Castle.

Fulade had a premonition that the so‑called priest Suo Luomen was likely the same priest from Little Red Riding Hood, whose wife was bitten by a werewolf and who ultimately beheaded his own wife.

In the film Little Red Riding Hood, that priest is also called Suo Luomen, also hailing from a nearby town. The primeval forest beside Jianjiaocun is the very woodland adjacent to Count Victor's domain where the werewolves appear.

Feeling the matter was ninety‑nine percent certain, Fulade dared not delay any further on the road.

Now the whole incident's trajectory, due to the sudden emergence of two groups of dark creatures, has begun to turn chaotic.

The most urgent task now is to return and swiftly claim the throne, steer the situation, and suppress this incident before it spirals out of control, thereby buying ourselves development time.

With this mindset, Fulade and his party finally arrived at Dracula Castle at noon that day.

The castle was constructed from vast quantities of neatly arranged granite, sandstone and other stones, its outer walls forming a creamy white.

On the nearly twenty‑meter‑high walls, every forty to fifty meters a tower or a group of three towers rose, and a few firearms were mounted on the walls.

As the core city of Wallachia, Dracula Castle spans a massive area, capable of housing over forty thousand people.

Outside the castle gates, the Wallachian nobles and knights led by the current Prime Minister and Finance Minister, having received the news, were already waiting outside Dracula Castle for the arrival of their new king: Prince Fulade.

(End of Chapter)