The call to the outskirt villages arrived abruptly.

One hundred and seventy soldiers galloped on horseback across a stretch of amber plains. Wilted grass kicked behind their horses as they approached the distant smokestack.

They had been patrolling the territory of the House of Relace for the last few days conducting summary collection. By the decree of the acting sovereign: Mary D’ Grace: they were to ensure that the laborers of the Empire were meeting their harvest quotas.

Despite having been out in the fields and horseback for multiple days and nights, the soldiers appeared fresh and well fed. There was not a single blemish on their skin, and they also appeared well groomed.

Their equipment consisted of bright red metal plate armor. Padded beneath were regal clothes rather than chainmail or leather. In fact, some of these soldiers did not wear armor at all and rode in expensive apparel befitting that of high society.

The soldiers were also an equal mix of men and women. Typically, forward and scouting soldiers in Emvita were male, since it was more valuable to keep women in strategic positions. The reason for this was because of their high affinity for magic over Martial Arts.

Additionally, the soldiers were quite young. Of course, this was largely because Vampires retained their youthfulness longer than most races. But they were immature, and they howled in the wind as the silhouette of the village steadily formed from behind the smoke. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

“Third village today~ Look! That one doesn’t use brick and mortar for their homes!” A woman chuckled haughtily as she pointed a delicate finger in its direction.

“And they wonder why they are where they are. Putrid low blood purity scum cannot fathom improving their life. They are content with living in filth.” A man spoke incriminating, with a tone that sounded like he was laughing at them at the same time.

“Should we skewer them on the stake?”

“How about burn them? We have spare oil from the last village.”

“We cannot keep depopulating the villagers. If we were tasked with that, then we should have brought the uniforms of the Chlam Empire.”

“It does not matter whether we wear the colors of the Chlam Empire or do the bidding in our bedwear. The Duke of the House of Relace has the authority to impale whoever he wishes on a stake, and to burn them. It is justified by the virtue of their blood.”

“Think about sustainability. The impure ones we trade with will send their envoys demanding the Larin Empire to reach their export quota.”

Indeed. Mindlessly slaughtering the common folk for sport was bound to create ripples in the future. However, only this person was concerned about this. None of the soldiers bothered to consider this. Or perhaps they already had, but deemed that the Larin Empire does not need to fulfil the quotas, since they saw the people they traded with as ‘impure’.

Their hubris was staggering.

But it was natural for Vampires, who had absolute dominion over those with lesser quality blood than themselves. Regular soldiers would have staunchly advocated for the common folk. However, this organized band of one hundred and seventy people was not the same as those soldiers.

That was because they were the children of noble Vampires. The Redfiend’s goal was not for defense, nor an assault unit. They were specifically used against the citizens of the Larin Empire, whether to distribute rations, enforce law, or: in reality: do whatever they wished.

Children who were far too troublesome to discipline were often sent into the ranks of the Redfiends. Thus, the Redfiends was made up of rejected delinquents who abused their power as they saw fit.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

And no one could reprimand them, as it was within their right as Fifth Generation Vampires.

“The Three Houses can deal with enemy forces if they become dissatisfied with the Larin Empire’s contributions. They should just accept our blood. Such peasants. They enjoy food grown from dirt.”

“This talk isn’t very fun. These hills make for a good spot for golf. See how many heads the village can spare.”

“Aren’t we cutting down too many?”

“Forget the thought. The twenty… Possibly more, such is how diluted their blood is: have you seen how they breed? They’ll repopulate in no time.”

“And if it doesn’t work?”

“Desperation can turn a single pair of hands to work like ten. Pwaaaah. I’m parched~”

One particular Redfiend snacked on bloody vials. They downed five in an instant and shoved the vials into their pants. What later came out were five vials filled with a murky, amber fluid which was placed into the container carrying another fifty more vials.

These were the rations that were meant to be delivered to the village ahead.

Chuckles were shared as they shared ideas on what to do with the villagers, as though they lived exclusively to serve as their playthings. They did not see their own people as people at all, but a means to satisfy their boredom.

It was common sentiment in the noble classes of Elysia, who were often prone to joining the Blood Festival since it aligned with their world view, and preyed on their sense of self-importance.

They were close now. Across the hill, and past a dried-up lake, they noticed that there were no flames to be found. Such an enormous smokestack must have been caused by wildfire, and yet, the village was completely untouched.

It was coming from a crater.

When they realized this, the one leading the group at the front retrieved a hollow tusk and blew. The war horn blared, and the group entered a heightened state of readiness.

Even though they were not hardened soldiers, they knew the presence of an enemy when they saw it. Elemental magic was impossible for Vampires to use, which meant that a human must have infiltrated their borders.

This caused many of them to begin salivating. Human blood was exceptionally tastier compared to most humanoid races. The stronger the magic caster, the more flavorful their blood was.

They were not even concerned about this mage’s capabilities. They simply saw them as a living bag of blood that was likely in the hands of despicable, lowly Twentieth Generation Vampires. It was like giving high quality wine, which had been aging for a thousand years, to a peasant who did not know the taste of wine.

How could they ever dream of appreciating that taste? They would undoubtedly scoff it down and see it as nothing more than food.

“Large crater~ So scary!” A girl giggled. “Doesn’t that remind you of what happened to the Northern House of Haemolite?”

“The crater here is significantly smaller than what that Phenom of Contempt left behind.”

“Which one? The one carrying the ridiculously sized Justica Arm, or the Second… or was it another Third Generation Vampire? The one Haemolite crossed paths with?”

“At this point, it’s better that we forget what occurred there. Not like any of us knows. Our parents did everything to erase that incident. But the Larin Empire never forgets~!”

In the past, there was a sharpshooter in red who singlehandedly destroyed one quarter of the Larin Empire. The reason was not known, but it was what caused this being to be elevated into a Phenom of Contempt. Not only that, but they were accompanied by an unbelievably powerful Vampire with strangely colored hair.

There were also rumors of a Healer, which was what likely sparked the conflict.

The Vampire had no reason to fight the Larin Empire.

“I believe in the Queen. No one leaves the Larin Empire without being stalked to the ends of Elysia!” One exclaimed, rallying the others as they noticed figures gathering outside of the village.

“There they are! Take your picks! How shall we go about this!?”

“Haaaah! Haaaah~! I’m too riled up to hold back! There’s more than enough to bleed into that dried up lake we passed by. I wouldn’t mind bathing in their blood, as our benevolent Princess does!”

Someone raised the flag of the Larin Empire into the sky. The flag covered the sun as it waved in the wind. A glorious smile formed across their face as they thought about the ways they could entertain themselves with these villagers.

Then, as they opened their mouth to command the villagers:

“… Huh…?”

“Where did that:!?”

“An attack!?”

–A crystal needle had found its way into their mouth. Protruding from the back of their head was the tip of the needle, which skewered splices of their brain. The impact was so violent that their head began steaming, and what was supposed to be pink brain matter became a brownish color.

To their surprise, there was not even a drop of blood either.

Just as another was about to speak, they found themselves utterly incapable of speaking. A horrific pain shot up their body as a crimson needle entered through their collar bone and left through the sole of their feet.