Read Novel Full Chapter 263: Uncanny Resemblance
Chapter 263: Uncanny Resemblance
The young man continued walking toward them without the slightest hesitation. As the distance between them gradually shortened, Ulrich finally managed to see him clearly.
He looked no older than Matthew, perhaps only in his early twenties. His black hair was slightly messy from the snow, while a pair of green eyes quietly observed the three of them without lowering their guard.
What caught Ulrich’s attention the most, however, was not his appearance but the clothes he wore.
A thick black cloak covered a dark coat tailored with remarkable precision, while leather gloves hid both of his hands. It was winter attire, yet unlike anything people in Leuca would normally wear. Even the stitching and buttons looked more refined, belonging to a completely different era.
The young man finally stopped several meters away from them. His eyes swept across Ulrich, Andrew, and Matthew one by one before his brows slowly furrowed.
“Who are you? Are you the residents of Amber Village? My Lord said the mountain has been emptied.”
His voice carried obvious suspicion, though there was no fear behind it.
Ulrich quietly studied him in return. There was no crest on his body, nor could he sense the aura unique to a vampire. Instead, he could hear a steady heartbeat beneath the layers of clothing and smell the warmth of fresh blood carried by the cold wind.
A human…
His presence inside this domain was strange enough, but his clothes made even less sense.
“What is your name?” Ulrich asked.
The young man hesitated. His eyes briefly wandered toward the blizzard behind them as though considering whether answering was the right choice.
“Flynn.”
The name meant nothing to Ulrich.
Andrew stepped forward before anyone else could speak.
“Why are you here?”
Flynn remained silent for another moment. His expression became noticeably more cautious, but perhaps after realizing neither side intended to attack, he finally answered.
“My Lord ordered me to cross the barrier surrounding this mountain.”
Ulrich’s crimson eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
“And who might this Lord be?”
“Lord Robert Latros.”
The moment those words left his mouth, both Ulrich and Andrew froze.
Matthew looked at them in confusion, clearly unable to understand why a single name had changed the atmosphere so completely. Ulrich, however, no longer paid attention to him. His eyes remained fixed on the young man before him, his thoughts moving faster than ever.
Robert Latros.
The name alone was enough to make Ulrich’s thoughts race. He was one of their enemies, which meant the young man standing before them was most likely working under him.
But that only raised another question. Why would Robert send a human into a place like this?
Ulrich had a feeling the answer was far more interesting than it first appeared.
A gentle smile formed on his face. “We are residents of Amber Village. Unfortunately, we lost our way after entering this mountain. Since you seem to know where you’re going, would you mind showing us the way out?”
Flynn looked at him apologetically before shaking his head.
“My Lord isn’t a patient man. I have already delayed long enough.” He pointed somewhere behind them. “If you follow that path, you should be able to leave the mountain. As for me, I must continue forward.”
“Then we’ll go with you,” Andrew said without hesitation. “We’re armed, and the three of us know how to fight. At the very least, we can make sure you arrive safely.”
Flynn seemed to hesitate for a moment before smiling.
“Then I’ll have to trouble you.”
He looked past them and pointed ahead once more.
“Before that, would it be alright if we rested inside that cave? I’ve been walking for quite some time.”
“Cave?” Matthew frowned before instinctively turning around. “There wasn’t—”
His words stopped halfway. Just a few dozen meters behind them stood the entrance to a cave, its dark mouth hidden between towering rocks as though it had always been there.
Matthew stared at it with wide eyes before looking toward Ulrich in disbelief.
Flynn had already started walking toward it. Andrew quickly followed after him, never once taking his eyes off the young man, leaving Matthew no choice but to do the same.
“That’s strange, don’t you think, Lord Ulrich?” Matthew lowered his voice. “That guy dresses like he walked straight out of a Victorian magazine, and even the way he speaks feels… old.”
Ulrich simply nodded. His smile never faded, but his eyes remained fixed on the cave ahead.
There was no strange sense of familiarity this time, nor the unsettling feeling that he had already lived through this moment countless times before. If anything, everything unfolding now felt entirely new.
Whether that was a blessing or the beginning of something even worse, even he could not yet tell.
As they stepped inside, they found a fire already burning in the middle of the cave. The warmth immediately pushed away the freezing wind outside as everyone gathered around it. Only then did Ulrich have the chance to properly observe the young man.
He was thinner than Ulrich had first thought. His face was pale, almost sickly, while his hands were rough with scars that didn’t belong to someone living a comfortable life. His clothes might have been well made, but they were old and had clearly been repaired many times.
Their eyes met.
“I apologize if this sounds rude…” Flynn hesitated for a moment before asking, “But… are you a vampire?”
Ulrich gave a small nod. “I am. My name is Ulrich Draemir. They are Andrew and Matthew.” He paused briefly before adding, “Have you ever heard the name Draemir?”
Flynn’s expression immediately changed. His shoulders stiffened ever so slightly as caution replaced the friendliness he had shown moments ago.
“Yes. My Lord once told me about House Draemir.” He smiled awkwardly. “He said they are rigid vampires who value rules and bureaucracy above everything else.”
Ulrich let out a soft chuckle. “That does sound like something Robert would say. He has always been a pragmatic man. If it helps him achieve his goal, he would gladly paint others in an unfavorable light. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Flynn simply smiled and shook his head. “I don’t think so. Lord Robert is an honorable and kind man. I hope you won’t misunderstand him.”
“Oh?” Ulrich looked at him with quiet curiosity. “Then… are you his slave?”
The question caught Andrew’s attention immediately. His eyes briefly widened before he understood what Ulrich was trying to confirm. The old vampire wasn’t interested in Flynn’s status. He was trying to determine which era the young man belonged to.
Flynn looked genuinely confused. “A slave? No. I am merely Lord Robert’s servant. He took me in when I was a child. I was an orphan with nowhere else to go.”
Ulrich nodded thoughtfully. That answered part of his question.
Many of the Great Houses had abandoned the old practice of raising human blood farms generations ago.
Instead, they established orphanages and shelters, taking in abandoned children before selecting those with suitable bloodlines to serve their families.
House Velstrath had done the same, and it seemed House Latros was no different.
Just as Ulrich was about to ask another question, a furious shout suddenly echoed from outside the cave.
“Fuck! How the hell do I get out of this damn place?!”
The voice was unmistakably a man filled with frustration rather than fear. The four of them instinctively turned toward the cave entrance as silence fell over the fire.