Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Chapter 521: Correcting misguided notions

Caius wasn’t in Combat Magic Class to the great disappointment of the ladies who sat together. Delia had decided not to sit at the back of the class anymore— it never helped her avoid her sister’s attention anyway.

And speaking of her sister—

Professor Cynthia Kragsten opened a Portal Gate and stepped into the classroom, sweeping her eyes over her students. They were almost the exact number they had been in the first half of the semester, as none of them really had cause to drop the class.

Only one student was missing, but Cynthia had known he wouldn’t be here. Following three Professors vouching for him about a much-needed break from school, Caius Von Helsing had been allowed a leave of absence.

Even though she already knew, Cynthia couldn’t help the flash of disappointment that crossed her face. She hadn’t received any message from Caius on why he was away. Only that he’d return soon.

And after over a month of giggling when talking to him on the Loqui-Link—like she was back in Lochxen as an eighteen-year-old—that little message didn’t change or at all affect how much she had been looking forward to seeing him in person again. Especially for their extra lessons over the weekend.

“Good morning, students,” she greeted as her heels clicked and clacked across the concrete floor of the classroom.

“Good morning, Professor,” the class chorused.

Cynthia nodded.

“Yes, yes. I like the enthusiasm. It will be needed,” she said,

“The break was a lot longer than the school’s schedule had bargained for. And after a lot of deliberation, it has been decided that the rest of the Semester will not be extended and will go on as planned.”

“Professor, that’ll mean—” Kaya started.

“Yes, Miss Aeisling,” Cynthia nodded, accurately guessing what she wanted to say,

“You have only two more weeks left for the second half of the semester, as a month has already been used up for your break.”

This caused an outcry of disagreement from the class, and Cynthia let it go on for longer than she normally would. Probably because she shared their sentiment.

Eventually, though, she raised a hand, and they went quiet. Still, one delicate and perfect hand was thrust up.

“Yes, Miss Khione?” Cynthia called.

“How is two weeks going to be enough?” She asked, and a round of agreement followed.

“By you working hard,” Cynthia said, “Your Professors, myself included, of course, are coming up with revisions for your lesson outlines for the rest of the semester to ensure you know all you need to know before the exams—”

“There’ll still be exams?!” Exclaimed a boy called Marcus Arognite.

“There will be,” Cynthia answered him easily and spoke over the noise that was about to follow,

“This means there can be no wasted lectures. There is so much more you need to know, and anyone who isn’t up to snuff, or causes disruption, will be out.”

“Of the class?”

“Out of Lochxen,” Cynthia said sharply,

“Now, if you will join me in welcoming a guest lecturer today who has paid a visit to the Academy to instruct you all on very important matters.”

As she spoke, Cynthia gestured at the wall behind her, opening a Portal Gate into her office so someone could walk out to scattered applause. Well, it was actually more than one person.

In the lead was a man dressed in a smart-looking robe. He had a thin mustache and a pointy beard jutting from his chin. His smile looked like it was supposed to be kind, but instead swarmed Kaya with an air of distrust.

Behind the man were three people dressed in military wear— one male and two females, all looking severe as their eyes raked the crowd of first-year students.

“Good day to you all. I am Leonce Duval, and I’ve come to discuss— really teach you something very important,” said Leonce, the man in the lead.

Cynthia had stepped aside, now giving him the floor and just regarding him with a strange expression. It looked like distaste that she tried to cover up with neutrality.

It wasn’t just Cynthia looking at Leonce with distaste. In fact, compared to many of the students who recognized Leonce’s name, she was actually covering up how she felt about Leonce really well. But that was to be expected. Cynthia was a Professor and needed to remain professional even if she hated Leonce’s guts. Or more accurately, his methods.

Leonce had grown in renown over the past couple of weeks. The tales of his slaughter of now eight Noble Families—thousands upon thousands of lives—were a thing of legend now. A terrible legend. There were still those in the Capital who didn’t fully agree with his methods, and there were even more outside of the Capital who definitely didn’t.

Sure, one could use the excuse that those outside the Capital who were opposing Leonce just did not understand how serious the issue was— but that would be silly because Vampire attacks are Empire-wide. It’s an epidemic that everyone in the Empire can at least somewhat relate to. And they all agreed that killing humans in the thousands could not possibly be the best way to deal with it.

Still, Leonce had an imperial decree that accorded him the power to do as he saw fit, so there was little anyone could do just yet.

“I expect many of you have been shielded from the more gruesome happenings by your Parents or guardians—” Leonce started.

“Why would they do that?” Marcus Arognite asked, “We’re not five.”

That got a chuckle from the rest of the class. Especially from those who already found Leone off-putting and, of course, found the idea that they would be shielded from ‘gruesome’ things silly since, by all rights, they were all young adults.

Sure, adulthood technically starts at 21—the age when any supposed genius must have surpassed the Blossoming barrier of the Third Circle—but Eighteen was when they stop being minors and begin to take their place in this world where strength—of magic or muscle—is touted as supreme.

Leonce didn’t seem put off.

“Yes, I shouldn’t have assumed. Surely, you are all mature enough to have been told and shown all. But permit me to speak to you as if you’ve not. Just to ensure I get you all on the same page.

Alright? Alright.

Our Empire— our home has long been infested with the blood-sucking monsters known as vampires. This much I know you are all familiar with. But have any of you actually seen a vampire victim?”

Kaya, Aylin, Eloise, and Delia all shared the barest of glances but did well to mostly keep their attention on Leonce and their faces clear of anything that could expose what they knew. They joined the class in shaking their heads even though, in the case of Kaya, Aylin, and Eloise, they technically had been victims.

“Hmm, then how many of us have heard what a vampire victim looks like?” Leonce asked, and now hands went up. Practically the whole class.

Leonce nodded.

“Can anyone describe what they were told?”

There was silence at first. Many felt uncomfortable with the topic and didn’t even know why. It was like they could just sense that, by the look on Leonce’s face, they were about to learn something they’d rather not.

“Fangs in the neck—” Doran Langston said in a low voice. He was sitting beside Marianne—once a member of Aylin’s posse—with whom he had maintained a stable relationship over the break.

“Yes?” Leonce prompted, but someone else continued where Doran stopped.

“Drained completely of blood,” Baler Khione said with finality.

Baler came from the Northern part of the Capital, the coldest region of snow and ice, where his family, the Khiones, governed a Duchy that used to be their kingdom and commanded the most power and respect in the region. The North was also the location most infected with Vampires. So really, if any of the students should know that was all there was to a vampire attack, it was him. And his sister, Aylin, of course.

“I’m afraid you have all been fed the palatable version of a vampire attack. I can hardly even blame you, as many adults have also been misguided just like you.

And that’s part of the problem. Because you are the future adults who will carry on this misguided notion and pass it on, contributing to the lessening of the gruesomeness that follows a vampire infestation.”

As he spoke, Leonce retrieved a device from his storage ring.

“There have been many attacks recently, and so I have an array of images to correct your misguided notion. This—”

Leonce activated the device and projected an image that caused the entire class to gasp. There were even a few squeals from boys and girls alike.

“— is what a true vampire attack looks like.”

On the image was a man, his midsection ripped to shreds, revealing his innards—intestines spilling out—as he lay spread-eagled on the ground. His head was turned to the side, and there were fang marks, but not small, cute ones like Kaya, Eloise, and Aylin were familiar with from Caius. These looked like jagged marks of two rows of teeth ripping at the man’s flesh.