They didn’t waste ti—there was no point in lingering, and frankly, they probably couldn’t afford to.
The journey itself was surprisingly smooth. Not difficult, not tedious. Their act played out flawlessly. While they did draw so glances along the way, none carried suspicion—just curiosity.
Surprised, intrigued faces watched as a high-profile noblewoman walked openly through a less-than-prestigious part of the city, escorted by a single man. It wasn’t a sight anyone saw every day, but it wasn’t alarming enough to provoke intervention.
And Irsted had been right: it would’ve been impossible to miss the baroness’ domain even if they’d tried.
It wasn’t just another sprawling estate tucked into a corner of the undercity.
Far from it.
The estate stretched high—soaring all the way to the jagged rock ceiling above and even extending into the upper city, connecting the underground world to the surface in a show of raw authority. The sheer verticality of the place made it feel like the baroness didn’t just control part of the undercity—she ruled above it as well.
The surrounding wall looked like sothing straight out of a dieval war novel—thick, fortified stone stretching dozens of feet high, complete with battlents patrolled by a constant stream of armored guards.
"Looks like an absolute fortress..." Corven muttered, his eyes sweeping across the dense periter brimming with security.
The number of guards was staggering. Even more notable was that they were all human—a risky job, given who they were protecting against.
The front gate alone was lined with at least thirty armored knights, every one of them dressed in silver-plated gear. The mont Corven laid eyes on them, a sharp discomfort pierced him. The silver didn’t just gleam—it burned.
"Can’t bla her for being cautious," Lilian said calmly, matching his pace. "We don’t even trust our own kind. This level of defense feels appropriate."
They approached the front gate, only to be halted instantly.
Two guards standing at the entrance lowered their spears, the silver-tipped ends gleaming just inches from their path. Though their helts covered most of their faces, their body language radiated firm rejection—no aggression, just the cold efficiency of soldiers following orders.
"We’re on direct orders from her majesty," Lilian stated with a commanding tone. "You don’t have the right to stop us."
Corven slipped his hands into his pockets, sensing tension thickening in the air like a storm on the horizon.
"So you’re the ones she summoned," the guard on the left finally said.
"Doesn’t matter," the other added. "The command was clear. No entry, no exceptions."
Corven narrowed his eyes.
"That doesn’t make sense now, does it?" Lilian replied, her voice growing sharper.
What followed was a brief but heated debate—Lilian demanding entry, the knights holding firm, and Corven silently analyzing every word exchanged. Sothing wasn’t right. The phrasing. The posture. The tone. It all felt... off.
He wasn’t about to argue with foot soldiers who didn’t even know what ga they were playing.
’Bloodborne Charm won’t work here. Too many witnesses. If I influence a few, the rest will notice sothing’s off.’
Instead, he opted for sothing less direct—and far more insightful.
[Bloodreader Activated]
He cast his reach not on the individuals in front of him, but across the estate. A wide sweep, aid at sensing the emotional undercurrents of the entire compound.
The response was instant—and overwhelming.
From the fourth floor of the massive multi-story stone mansion ca a flood of emotion, crashing into him like a wave of static.
Fear.
Anger.
Sches.
Contempt.
Bloodlust.
All centered in one place.
And then—just for a flicker—sothing else.
Panic.
Not general fear. Not ambient anxiety. This was sharp, sudden, and specific.
Soone was in danger. Right now.
Corven’s eyes narrowed. No one else seed to pick up on it—not even Lilian. Which ant either they weren’t capable... or his abilities were far more advanced than he’d realized.
Regardless, one thing was clear: sothing was wrong inside.
Very wrong.
And now that Lilian was already this close to the estate, she was technically within its protection. Any vampire stupid enough to try and kidnap her here would be greeted by a wall of silver and likely their own execution.
That gave Corven just enough confidence to act.
He didn’t explain. There wasn’t ti.
Instead, he moved—abruptly brushing past Lilian, who blinked in confusion.
"Corven...?"
She barely had ti to say his na.
BANG.
With one explosive burst of speed, Corven ramd his shoulder into the gate, shattering the wood and iron reinforcents in a single blow. The gate didn’t just creak—it disintegrated under the force, splinters and tal raining down around him.
The guards barely had ti to react—his vampiric speed outpaced human reflexes entirely.
Of course, that didn’t an he was off the hook.
The knights weren’t amateurs. They were trained specifically for vampires.
Still, Lilian was left alone. And after a mont of stunned silence, the two gate guards approached her cautiously.
"You’ll have to co with us," one said firmly.
Though she hadn’t moved a muscle during Corven’s assault, they recognized that she wasn’t involved—and more importantly, she was still considered a protected figure.
Given the breach, standard protocol was kicking in. She would be escorted to a secure zone, while the rest of the force would attempt to detain Corven.
Lilian was undeniably powerful—stronger than Corven and even the guards. But as soone of importance, she couldn’t simply go around killing on her own. Power didn’t exempt her from consequences, especially in a world where there was always a bigger fish lurking beneath the surface.
So, for now, she chose to comply.
’All these guards, and not a single one of them felt the chaos inside? What’s the point of them being here, then?’
The front of the mansion was now in full lockdown.
An entire phalanx of silver-clad knights blocked the entrance, shields up, spears bristling.
Corven didn’t bother trying to fight them directly.
He could wipe them all out in seconds—his abilities allowed for lethal precision. One detonation of a bone inside the formation would take most of them down.
But he wasn’t here to start a war.
He was here to make sure the baroness—or soone under her—wasn’t plotting the assassination of his most valuable ally.
"Don’t take another step forward!" the lead knight barked, planting his spear forward with deadly intent.
Corven stopped, smirking.
"Sorry, but I’ll have to pass," Corven said with that sa too-casual tone that always ca before chaos.
The phalanx tensed.
They were expecting an attack—but not the kind he was about to unleash.
"Consider this a lesson in why static formations don’t work against unpredictable targets."
[Umbrakin Activated]
In an instant, Corven twisted his entire body and slamd his foot into the ground.
CRACK.
The stone pathway exploded beneath him, sending chunks of rock and a cloud of dust flying into the air. The improvised smokescreen swallowed the knights’ line of sight completely.
And while they waited for a frontal strike—
Corven was already gone.
Sliding cleanly past the formation through the cover of dirt and debris, he slipped through their lines like a shadow and darted straight into the mansion.
Could he have used Bloodborne Charm instead?
Sure.
But it would’ve taken too long.
And, well... this was way more fun.
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