North from the castle, in the territory of the werewolves, there was a mansion. In the mansion, a young werewolf was kneeling before an elder."So Lance died, huh?" Asked the elder.
"Yes, third elder! Lance is dead. Richard killed him." Answered the young man.
"I see, that was expected. His dreams were too big and he was too impatient." The elder sighed. Lance was a genius, the race needed someone like him, but he had to be stubborn, going for Richard. That was a huge mistake, everyone tried to stop him, but he still lost his life.
"So there was a female pureblood vampire too? Are you sure?" Asked the elder.
"Yes, there was a female vampire! A lot of our people saw her on the battlefield!" The young man said.
"Alright, you are dismissed. Go help the injured from the war." Said the elder, waving his hand.
"As you command!" The youth bowed and left the room.
The elder started thinking of the information he got. Lance was dead, there was a female vampire. That was going to be troublesome. The vampires might rise again in the future.
"For now, we won"t act. Let"s wait and see, I am sure the perfect moment will come." He murmured to himself.
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Erin, Ricard, and Anna were just getting out of the castle. They were going to the human empire. That was going to be the next training ground for Erin. Of course, on the road for training, they would start their revenge too. The humans would have to suffer for what they had done.
Richard was planning to make Erin a lot stronger, but that would be a tricky task. His first plan was quite harsh, but there was no other way. He sighed to himself. Erin might really hate him after that. Richard hoped that she could go through it, or else it would be problematic. Thinking about that, he turned to Erin, only to see her ignoring him. He sighed again.
Erin was observing the scene of destruction after the human attack, not giving Richard a glance. She wanted to ignore him for some time, that was the best thing she could think about after the kiss. She wanted to make Richard apologize at least.
Anna, on the other hand, was excited more about leaving the castle than to take her revenge. She was really glad to have her master bring her along. Smiling to herself, she followed Richard and Erin. She peeked at them and her smile grew broader. They were really like a couple after quarreling which amused her.
Like that the three of them finally left the castle, slowly walking through the forest. From the beginning, there was no conversation. Richard felt a bit annoyed, Why was Erin ignoring him? Is it really because of the kiss? He was too proud to actually apologize to her, but thinking about it, he finally gave in.
"Erin, I am sorry for what happened the previous day. I was too impulsive back then. When I saw that wolf pinning you down, I just...."
"Stop, don"t even bring it up! I accept your apology, but please don"t bring that up!" Erin panicked from those words. The memories from back then rushing in her mind. Her face flushed from anger and embarra.s.sment. She didn"t want to remember this!
Anna, on the other hand, widened her eyes. The lord actually apologized to someone? She got curious. What really happened? She wanted to know but didn"t have the courage to bring it up. After all, she was just a servant.
The atmosphere finally eased a bit, though there was still some awkward silence. The three of them continued going forward until they saw an opening between the trees. There was a stream nearby, which they can use, and the place was perfect for a camp.
"Alright, let"s camp here we will continue tomorrow. I will go catch something to eat, you both prepare the camp." Saying so, Richard rushed into the forest.
"Anna, make a shelter for both of us, I will make one for Richard" As Erin said so, she got busy herself, looking for some branches and leaves to make a shelter.
"Um, L- I mean Erin, shouldn"t you and Lord Richard sleep in the same shelter? I can use the other one." Anna said, looking at Erin"s stern face.
"There is no way I"ll sleep in the same place with him! You"ll be sleeping with me, don"t even try to think otherwise!" Erin commanded though it sounded a bit childish, as her cheeks were puffed up, like an angry kitten. Anna put a hand on her mouth, trying hard to suppress her laughter. She nodded to Erin and started preparing for the camp.
After a while, Richard finally came, bringing a shadow panther with him. Erin"s eyes glowed as she saw that. It was her favorite meal after all. Her stomach grumbled on its own, her face reddening from embarra.s.sment.
Richard smiled at that. He wanted to make an apology. After all, a meal was the least he could do. He started a fire and called for Anna to help him. Anna, of course, helped him out.
"Alright, Anna, it"s only the three of us. I see that Erin wants you to be closer to her. So let me make it easier for you. From now on, you can just call me Richard. We"ll be in the human empire soon, after all. If you use Lord to address me, there might be some unnecessary problems.
"Yes, my Lord, I understand." Anna bowed slightly, saying that. In the next moment, she saw Erin frowning and Richard trying to suppress his laughter. She froze for a moment and then corrected herself. "I understand, Richard."
"Good that you understand, now let"s eat and go to sleep." Saying that Richard gave a piece of meat to Erin.
Like that, the mealtime continued peacefully.