Magic Life in the Empire-Chapter 110: Clown

Cyril gasped for air and looked at his assailant.

The same vampire he met back at the zoo stood before him.

This time her white hair was gathered in a braid, and her red eyes seemed more vibrant than before. She was wearing an evening dress, though that didn't obstruct her movements.

"You might've been able to hide from my incompetent subordinates, but your little tricks won't save you from me" she said, her lips curling in triumph.

A pulsating red energy flickered around her body, barely visible.

That speed was probably the effect of a spell... Cyril deduced, or hoped more so. Because he couldn't imagine defeating someone with such speed.

"That's right. Such wary eyes should belong to the weak who face the strong." The vampire, with an intoxicated smile, enjoyed seeing Cyril's cautious movements.

Suddenly, she disappeared from her spot, and Cyril immediately sensed a presence behind him.

He dashed forward and spun around—there, right where he had been standing, the vampire princess reappeared in a relaxed stance.

"How pathetically slow you are! I could've killed you here!" She laughed with her hands on her hips.

Then the vampire disappeared again, reappearing right in front of Cyril before he could even move.

She was clearly toying with him. Showing her ability to end his life at any given moment.

"Such arrogance! We'll make her pay!" Rhamn, said through gritted teeth. This severely wounded her own pride.

As it did Cyril's.

He thrust his fist forward, but as expected, he didn't hit his target.

Instead, the vampire effortlessly dodged this attack and grabbed the outstretched arm with a sadistic smile.

With monstrous strength, she crushed Cyril's wrist, breaking his arm in one swift motion.

The pain was substantial, but Cyril at least managed to keep his voice steady.

This seemed to amuse the vampire. She punched him in the stomach, then shoved him, sending Cyril crashing to the ground.

Then, in an instant, she was sitting on top of him, a bottle of red liquid glistening in her hands.

"Pain, pain, go away~" Humming some kind of tune, she opened the bottle and forcibly poured it in Cyril's mouth.

He tried to resist, but Cyril found that not even his enhanced strength could shake off the woman's seemingly thin arms.

The red liquid began being absorbed once inside of his mouth.

Though to his surprise it turned out to be a rather potent healing potion.

The broken arm that Rhamn was sneakily trying to mend immediately healed on its own in a second.

Even the initial pain in his chest has disappeared. His body is recovering to its optimal condition.

Seeing this, the vampire made a satisfied nod and disappeared again, moving this time to a few meters away from Cyril.

She snapped her fingers, and the pulsating energy around her disappeared.

It seems Cyril's guess was correct; her uncanny speed was the result of a spell that just ended.

Perhaps as a demonstration, the vampire started leisurely walking around Cyril at a slow pace, observing him with a smirk.

"Let's have a rematch! I'll show you what real power is," she said with an obsessed smile.

Cyril slowly stood back up on his feet, his gaze filled with clear hostility. Her actions just now brought him a sense of humiliation he had never experienced before.

Even if there was a chance, he didn't wish to escape this fight.

"Haha~ That's right~," the vampire laughed with reddened cheeks.

Then she calmed herself and stretched out her right hand. In it soon materialized a blade made fully from blood.

She took a fighting stance and silently readied herself.

Cyril slowly approached the vampire, ready to strike at any sign of movement.

At this moment it was as if they were having a competition of who would attack first; Cyril approached closer and closer.

Soon he was right in front of the vampire, staring her in the eyes.

She provocatively smirked and moved first, slashing with her sword.

Turns out even though the spell was no longer active, her speed was still exceeding all Cyril's expectations.

He hastily cast a prepared spell to make a barrier around him and blocked the blade with his arm.

The sharpness of her weapon was also leagues better than before; it cut through the barrier as if it were paper, reaching the skin effortlessly.

The blade even managed to cut through the skin, getting stuck in the process.

Thankfully, by this time Cyril had improved some of the muscles underneath his skin; their durability prevented the blade from reaching further.

Using this opportunity, he ignored the pain and struck with his other hand.

But the princess easily intercepted the attack, catching it with her palm.

"How weak~" She mocked, gripped the fist tightly, and twisted his whole arm, breaking it in the process.

Then her smile got wider, almost ominously so.

The blade that was still stuck in Cyril's arm began rotating in place.

This way it started slowly sawing through the skin and muscle, bringing even more pain in the process.

Cyril struggled but couldn't bring his hands free. He attempted to cast a spell, but it was interfered with by a grinning vampire.

"It's all pointless. You are like an ant to me, understand?" She said with joy.

Eventually, she stopped the blade before it could sever the arm completely, making it vanish.

Then, the vampire coldly thrust her hand and grabbed at Cyril's neck.

"It's time to end this." She said with a smile. "Don't worry, I remember how you let me escape. This princess is a kind one and won't repay your mercy with evil."

She brought the struggling Cyril closer to her, exposing his neck. "On the contrary, you should be rewarded~"

The vampire bit down with her fangs, drinking blood without restraint.

After thirty seconds or so, when Cyril almost lost consciousness, the woman let him go, and he dropped to the ground.

She took a few steps back with a surprised face. "That's- what an unusual taste..."

"I've never had anything better than this..." Her face gained some eagerness. "This is getting more and more enjoyable."

Just as she was making a step forward, the wall nearby was broken, and two figures in knight armor jumped in at great speed.

"What?! But how..." The vampire moved away, wary of them. Even a vampire princess didn't wish to engage in battle with the Empire's knights. "... doesn't matter."

Then she turned to look at Cyril, who was trying to stand up with difficulty. "Now you are not going anywhere. I'll see you in a couple of days. Bye~" She whispered with a wink.

And soon her body disappeared from where she stood, immediately after an arc of light cut through the air where she once was.

One of the knights came forward in a hurry. "Check the wounded; I'll go in pursuit!" The man yelled and dashed, chasing the vampire.

"Filthy creatures..." He muttered as he left.

...

The remaining knight ran up to Cyril and cast a few healing spells. "Sir, what happened here?" He inquired in a polite voice.

Though the young man didn't answer anything, he blankly stared ahead.

The knight frowned at such a reaction.

He was relatively inexperienced for now and lacked the strength of his colleagues; such was the reason he was told to remain.

But he was still a fully qualified knight, and he knew all the required knowledge.

Included in there was information about vampires. Through feeding, they could turn others into their kind.

This transformation also altered their victims mentally, turning them into loyal servants. Unfortunately, there was no cure—aside from a quick and merciful death.

Thinking this far and steeling his heart, the knight cautiously cast a spell at the unresponsive student, his other hand gripping tightly a sword.

Yet, to his surprise, there was nothing wrong. Before him was unmistakably—without a shadow of a doubt—a human.

The knight breathed a sigh of relief and cast another healing spell before repeating himself, "Sir, how are you feeling right now?" This time his voice was louder.

Cyril's current state was pretty bad.

Both of his arms were basically useless for now, and he lost a vast amount of blood. Though he was swiftly recovering now.

The worst of all was the wound to his pride.

Lately he's been having easy victories one after another. None of the students from his grade held a candle to his prowess; even Myra was slowly starting to fall behind.

The strongest person he fought was Selene, and she also showered him with praise, never showing the disparity between them except in their initial encounter.

Recently, every opponent Cyril faced screamed that he was invincible, and in the end, he began believing it too.

Just because I defeated a few common thugs, I let arrogance get the better of me... I shouldn't have entered melee combat with her; I should've been more careful...

Who knew how the fight would've gone if he had behaved more cautiously?

Regret and shame flooded in at this moment; he wished he could fall into some hole and hide there forever.

What a clown I am.

The knight could only stand awkwardly near the unresponsive Cyril and scratch his head in confusion.