Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Chapter 410: Capital City (2)

The drive to Capital City took minutes despite an incredible distance from the Von Helsing Estate because Alexia drove like a maniac. It didn't matter if the road was clear or busy, she drove as fast as her state-of-the-art carriage would allow.

How they didn't hit anyone was a surprise.

They stopped in front of what looked to be a restaurant and Alexia led the way in while looking around, clearly in search of someone. Caius was looking all about as well but unlike Alexia, he did it because this was the first time he was seeing this part of the Acheron Empire that had been so important in [To Kill A Demon Lord].

Even with all the time he had spent in this world, and how absolutely irrefutable it was that this was a full, living breathing world, populated with people who had their own goals, personalities, desires, and everything that made his previous world 'real', he couldn't help but still be amazed.

He wished he could talk about it with Samantha, the only one who would understand his amazement. Alas, she was still silent and hadn't reached out to him in weeks.

"Caius, this way," Alexia said once she found who she was looking for.

She approached the table and a lone man sat there. He was dressed ib armor marked with the insignia of Capital City. While it was the first time he was seeing it in person, Caius knew enough to know this man was a member of the 'City Guard' which is essentially a police force of Capital City. And by his armor, he was clearly high-ranking.

"My Lady," he greeted Alexia and looked at Caius like he wasn't sure who he was.

Caius didn't blame him. He was only amused that the City Guard hadn't simply assumed he was also nobility worthy of respect since he was walking beside someone he already acknowledged.

Sure, the City Guard could have been wrong about Caius's nobility but it couldn't hurt to assume.

Alexia and Caius sat at the table and the Guard passed her a flat disc.

"Thank you," she said in a detached tone, "You may leave."

"Thank you for your attention to this matter," the City Guard bowed and walked away with disciplined but troubled steps.

"That's it?" Caius said, a little surprised.

"Hmm?" Alexia intoned as she observed the disc she had been handed and then she started with a smile,

"He was merely passing on a request. He's done his part and everything I need to know is in here."

"And what is it that you need to know?" Caius asked.

Alexia turned on the disc and on it were a scrawling of symbols and writings that scrolled fast across the disc. Caius didn't understand it but Alexia clearly did and her expression became solemn.

"There's a Vampire coven in Capital City," she said, "There have been multiple victims and the City Guard has been unable to stop it. Many Guards have been lost to the infestation. Some of the bodies were recovered, drained of blood. Others have not. Likely faced a worse fate;

They were turned."

Caius was quiet for a second.

"And the request is for you to take care of it?"

"Not me in particular but I intercepted it since I was heading for the Capital anyway," Alexia said and eyed Caius with a smile,

"You seem skeptical."

"I wasn't," Caius said. A lie.

"You think I can't take care of it?" Alexia asked.

Now Caius was taken aback,

"What? No," he said and he meant that.

While they were a monster-hunting family in a general sense, the Von Helsings had particularly made a name for themselves in facing Vampires and while some Von Helsings, like Lucian, do this by being insane powerhouses, there are other ways to defeat Vampires and Monsters than being actually stronger than they are.

The Von Helsings are well practiced in those means. They have tools and weapons specialized for the task. They are always ready to face a monster threat or at least equipped enough to get the hell out and seek reinforcements.

Alexia might be dressed simply but as a high-ranking member of the Von Helsing monster-hunting force, her Storage Ring was most definitely stocked with the necessary tools.

And yes, the Von Helsings don't share their secrets of monster Hunting, of which there are many, with anyone.

For instance, they don't share how, once a Von Helsing is inducted into the monster-hunting business, they go through rituals that make them immune to getting turned while also being granted advantages that build on the Von Helsing Regimen to offer insanely boosted physical attributes that are especially useful against Vampires.

They don't share these secrets partly because, once it's widely known, it loses the mystique that makes them unique and also gives the enemy a chance to counter it.

But they also keep the secrets close because a lot of the rituals are exclusive to the Von Helsing Bloodline. So exclusive that the Hellsingers, despite their private army, don't have access to these advantages because they are not Von Helsings and do not possess the Bloodline.

And why is this?

Well, the Von Helsings didn't just fall into the Monster Hunting Business and over thousands of years, they themselves have been changed and are not quite 'human' anymore. At best one can call them 'enhanced'.

Caius had access to these 'enhancements' himself but, having not been inducted into the Family's monster hunting pedigree, he hadn't gone through the necessary rituals to trigger those advantages, and thus, had been all too primed to be picked off by Athenodora.

Interestingly, Athenodora hadn't known of this when she went after Caius. She hadn't known that, because he was thirteen and had just barely advanced to the third Circle, he was not yet ready to be inducted, and thus wasn't yet immune to being turned.

Anyway, the advancements of the Von Helsings were what had made them so successful in Monster Hunting and what had given them such an illustrious reputation to the point where City Guards, despite possessing considerable strength themselves, would turn to them still.

And it was because Caius knew all about the family from having read the original story, that he didn't doubt Alexia's potential capability.

However, he knew the existence of one Vampire Coven in the City;

The Leopold Coven. I.e HIS Coven.

If there was another coven rising, he felt like it would be something that would affect the Leopolds who already took care to keep their hunting far from the capital.

Hunting in what is essentially your background when you're trying to be hidden, would be very foolish. Which is why the Leopolds bring in blood from all over the Acheron Empire instead of hunting in the capital.

Sure, there had been cases of Vampire Hunting in the capital by Vampires who were not part of the Leopolds but those were usually stragglers. Just a couple of them. The kind that the City Guards themselves were usually more than capable of taking care of themselves.

But the infestation was never to the degree of a full-on Coven. The Leopolds would never let such competition stand let alone grow.

So the look Caius had wasn't skepticism. It was Worry.

Because any Vampire Coven threat that was serious enough to warrant the City Guard calling on outside help couldn't be good for him and his Coven.

Suddenly, this didn't seem like he was just tagging along with Alexia. If anything, this matter involved him more than it involved her.

She was only here to rid the City of monsters.

However, Caius might be up against some very unwanted competition.