Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Chapter 523: When is it?

They spent almost the entire lesson undergoing drills on how they could go about battling a Vampire should they have to. It was mostly all about keeping their distance to ensure the bloodsuckers didn’t get to use their fangs and claws on them.

“Cast your spells and destroy them without getting close,” were Leonce Duval’s exact words.

He took time to practice the drills with every student in the class, and Kaya couldn’t help but feel that he had spent more time with her, Aylin, Delia, and Eloise than he had with the others. But it could have all just been in her head due to paranoia.

The Class was also shown various images of moonstone rings and taught what to look out for, no matter how normal the ring looked.

When it was over, Cynthia encouraged the students to give Leonce a round of applause, and there was very little enthusiasm. Even though many had bought into his propaganda and even began to suspect their friends and classmates, Leonce was still an off-putting man.

Leonce didn’t seem to notice the lukewarm reaction, though, as he smiled at them all and waved.

“Thank you. Thank you,” He said,

“If I do return, I hope it will not be under the worst of circumstances. Do stay safe.”

He gave Cynthia a courtesy bow, which she returned. She didn’t open a portal Gate out of the classroom as Leonce and his militants turned toward the doors out of the Combat Magic Classroom and were gone.

Leonce and his militants didn’t leave Lochxen, though, and simply went to the next scheduled class visit to continue their propaganda circuit.

There were only a few minutes left after Leonce and his Militants left, so Cynthia couldn’t really teach anything. She just placed her hands at her waist and regarded the students with a mild smile and a kind look in her eyes at the troubled expressions they wore.

“Don’t tell me you’re letting all that get you down,” she said then, “I’d hope students who have faced an outbreak of Magical Beasts and survived, as well as the few who battled a Fiend from Hell, won’t feel such fear for vampires. Especially when there aren’t any here with you.”

“But how do we know that?” Said Marcus Arognite, “I mean, how do we know, really know, that there isn’t one here?”

Cynthia kept her mild smile, but the look in her stormy grey eyes was serious, and so was her tone.

“The first step would be to not get carried away by paranoia and simply use common sense,” She said,

“What use would a Vampire have for attending school? You all may be geniuses, but you’re not yet truly developed magically, and there are many better targets outside the Academy, so why would a vampire pick here?

If it wants to feed, would it not pick somewhere with less attention on it? Why risk spending its time at Lochxen and getting caught when it eventually kills, all for a less-than-satisfactory meal?

Consider how quickly it would be discovered that a student is missing or injured, and imagine how quickly a vampire’s plan to feed here would fall apart when you are all sent home on an emergency holiday.”

As Cynthia spoke, a lot of the tension they were all feeling began to melt away. She was making a lot of sense. Even Kaya, Eloise, Aylin, and Delia, who knew about the one vampire to attend Lochxen, knew Cynthia was still right, as Caius had originally been sent to Lochxen to act and behave normally. And while he had fed, he had never killed. Hence why he hadn’t yet been discovered.

“Just relax, focus on your studies, and have friends you can trust. As long as you are at Lochxen, you are safe,” Cynthia assured them.

The period ended then, and they had to go to their next class. Still, despite Cynthia’s words, which had made a lot of sense and eased a lot of worry, there were still a few skeptics.

“Lochxen is safe?” Scoffed a female student, “Where was that safety when we got trapped in the forest with rabid beasts and a Fiend from Hell?”

“Exactly!” agreed another, “I say there’s a vampire here, and it’s just biding its time!”

“Who do you think it is?” Asked the first.

“Hem hem!”

The two students stopped talking and turned their heads at the one who had cleared her throat pointedly at them;

Her face was perfect, her figure incredibly alluring with the Lochxen uniform shirt only just barely capable of covering the high peaks on her chest. Her silver white hair was flawless, and her icy blue eyes looked colder than usual.

“Sorry, Aylin,” the two couldn’t help but bow to her.

“Try to get the Hell out of my way before you yap on about nonsense,” Aylin said coldly with an annoyed sneer.

One of the two glanced at the rest of the corridor, where there was more than enough space for Aylin to use. It was clear she had just picked them to vent some frustration, but neither of the two could voice this out.

“Sorry,” they simply said and separated enough to give her room to pass.

Aylin wasn’t the only one who passed. She was followed by Kaya, Eloise—who looked apologetic—and Delia.

“Ugh, bunch of idiots!” Aylin said, seething.

“Calm yourself,” Delia told her lightly.

“How could I?” Aylin asked, “They’re all talking about things they know nothing about.”

“I mean, technically, they’re not wrong,” Eloise said in a low voice.

“But what good does it do anyone for them to be all suspicious when there’s nothing to worry about,” Aylin said, still annoyed.

“But, is there really nothing to worry about?” Kaya asked.

Aylin rounded on her.

“He would never—!” She started to say in Caius’s defense.

“I know,” Kaya said and looked insulted now that Aylin would even insinuate that she doubted Caius,

“I wasn’t talking about him, I was talking about the school in general. After what happened during the mid-semester break, is there really nothing to worry about?”

“They’ve improved the Academy security,” Eloise said, “Increased the strength of enchantment, and also widened the net on the kind of creatures they hope to keep out.”

“Eh, according to Caius, that’ll likely not be enough,” Delia said somberly,

“The demonic attack was all part of some Divine deal. Can mortals possibly stop it?”

No one had an answer.

“When’s the next one?” Kaya asked Delia then.

“No idea,” Delia answered, “Caius might know but—”

She trailed off while the others nodded in understanding.

“Aurelius could know, though,” Delia said then.

“Did he know of the last one?” Eloise asked.

“I don’t think so,” Delia answered, “He seemed as surprised as I when the portal appeared and the Fiend came out of it. But he did say they came for him, so he might know something.

I mean, it’s all happening because of him anyway.”

“I’ll ask him,” Aylin said then.

“Hmm?”

“During Alchemy Class,” Aylin said, “I’ll ask him.”

And that seemed fine with the others. It was better than talking about it with Aurelius in a crowded area like the cafeteria, where anyone could listen in.

Alchemy was the second class of the day, and many of the First years had dropped it after the Mid-semester tests, either because they hadn’t felt confident enough to take the test or because they had taken the test and failed.

Of the four ladies—Kaya, Aylin, Eloise, and Delia—Aylin was the only one to keep taking the class. She enjoyed it and had gotten the best result of all. She and two others got the same grade, but her scores were better than those of Caius and Aurelius, who were second and third, respectively.

Professor Arlette Louvene had given Aylin extra points for using Alchemy within the Lochxen Forest when facing off against the beasts that had been corrupted with Demonic energy.

In the classroom, Aylin looked around and found Aurelius quickly enough.

“I’m sitting here,” she told him as she took the seat by his side.

“Uh, okay,” Aurelius said with a confused smile.

“So when is it?” Aylin asked then.

There were only a few of them left taking the class, and the others had taken seats so spread about the large classroom that they could take in normal volumes and not be overheard. But still, Aylin whispered.

“What?” Aurelius asked, even more confused than he had been when she first sat down.

“Your trials,” Aylin clarified with an alluring roll of her icy blue eyes, “When is the next one?”

Understanding dawned on Aurelius’s face.

“Oh,” he said, “You know.”

“Of course, I know.”

“How many people has he told?” Aurelius let out in exasperation.

“Well, there’s me, and Eloise, and Kaya, and—” Aylin began to tick off names with her fingers.

“That was a rhetorical question,” Aurelius cut in, mildly annoyed.

“You haven’t answered,” Aylin said, “When is it?”

“Sorry, I haven’t yet checked my schedule,” Aurelius said sarcastically.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Aylin asked, obviously missing the sarcasm,

“Check it right now!”