The sky was beginning to turn golden when the black carriage, adorned with silver details, stopped in front of the side gate of Astrong Academy. Two magical horses breathed calmly, and the coachman waited in silence. Enrico adjusted the cloak over his shoulders, his expression calm.
In front of him stood Serenya, Kai, Valença, Elian, Caelan, Liam, and Sílvia. They knew Enrico was leaving for a personal reason—at least, that's what the headmaster had said.
Enrico took a deep breath and began to speak, his eyes turning to Seraphina as he spoke to the others.
"She's evolving really fast, so I'd like you all to help her improve."
Seraphina looked at everyone, and they nodded silently. Serenya crossed her arms, attentive.
"Sure. If you say she has potential, then she must be good."
Serenya felt she should apologize better to her, so she agreed easily. Enrico nodded.
"It'll only be a week, so it'll be fine."
Valença furrowed her brow, suspicious, but chose not to ask. Sílvia merely observed. Caelan adjusted his own sleeve, looking restless. Enrico was about to get in, but then turned again, his eyes more serious.
"Oh… one more thing. Be careful with Class S."
Everyone exchanged glances, attentive.
"The crown princess… she has a lot of influence. She manipulates Class A as she pleases. Lan, before being defeated, followed her orders. Now that we've caught her attention, it's only a matter of time before she acts."
Kai clenched his fists.
"Well, if she wants to give orders, she'll have to beat me first."
Serenya and Valença looked at him and responded at the same time.
"If she's going to talk to someone, it should be the one with the highest rank."
Kai crossed his arms and looked away, annoyed, while Valença looked at Enrico.
"Don't worry. We'll take care of everything."
"That's what I'm counting on."
Enrico replied with a calm smile.
"But be smart. Don't rely solely on strength. Manipulation, influence, and politics are also weapons she uses well."
He looked at Serenya last. Her eyes were steady, but there was something on her lips… perhaps a "don't go" that was never said.
Enrico took a step back, climbing into the carriage.
"Keep training. And look out for one another. The princess's shadow will move… and I want strong allies when I return."
The carriage door closed, and the horses snorted. And in silence, without looking back, Enrico departed.
His friends remained there, watching the carriage move away, then looked at Seraphina, who scratched her head nervously.
"When does my training start?"
Virelle observed Enrico from afar and spoke to Angela, who watched him. Angela nodded from her knees and vanished.
"Very well, time to set up the first challenge for when he returns."
Virelle sat down. She wanted to train Enrico personally, but she could only have one disciple according to her family rules, and she had already sent a request to Enrico and two others two months ago. If she wanted to train him, Enrico would need to prove to the family he was worthy by defeating the other two—then there would be no argument.
"Hope everything goes well."
Meanwhile, in the carriage.
Sitting with his arms crossed, Enrico's eyes were fixed on the window.
That's when a voice echoed directly in his consciousness.
[You're really going to mess with that family? What a genius choice.]
"Oh, look who decided to speak. I thought you'd fallen into a deep coma from sheer uselessness."
[I was just conserving mental energy while watching your brilliant performance as a hero saying goodbye. I almost cried… just kidding.]
Enrico gave a light sarcastic smile.
"I'm not going to mess with them. I'm going for another reason. I need to reach the Second Circle, fast."
[Oh sure, because that's as easy as buying bread at the bakery. You know, I did some research, and it takes at least four months for someone to reach the Second Circle.]
Enrico started clapping.
"Oh, the great system finally got off its lazy ass and did something useful instead of making me explain everything?"
[Shut up.]
Enrico sighed, returning to the subject of the Second Circle.
"Precisely because it's so hard that I'm rushing. In a few weeks, all those idiots are going to start leveling up—especially the protagonists. It's standard. If I don't advance soon, I'll stop being the wall and become the stepping stone."
[Stepping stone, wall, obstacle… you're already all of that. They look at you and think, "I need to surpass him." Congratulations, you're the emotional first dungeon boss of the group.]
Enrico scoffed, but his eyes remained serious.
"Exactly. And if I want to stay that way, I need to rise. And for that, I need power—and that's where the vampires come in."
[Ah yes, the bloodsuckers. Nothing like getting close to a group of beings known for betrayal, sadism, and insatiable thirst. This sounds promising.]
"Almost everything can go wrong. That's why I need to be smart. I don't want just a fragile alliance, I want a debt, a vow, an unbreakable bond."
[Are you planning to offer something in return? Because if it's just charm, I'll warn you now—it probably won't work on immortal millennia-old beings.]
Enrico gave a dark smirk.
"They've been searching for something for centuries… since the first vampire—an ancestral artifact hidden in the body of their progenitor. A body that disappeared… but I know where it is."
[Now that makes more sense. So where is it, oh great light novel reader?]
"The vessel is being prepared by followers of the evil god Zarthoren, the God of Silent Carnage. They plan to use that body as a new vessel for him. But if I get there first…"
[…the vampires will kneel to you.]
"That's the plan. But it's not enough."
[What?]
Enrico closed his eyes for a moment.
"I'm going to offer the purest blood they've ever seen. Something that binds them to me by instinct, desire, lineage."
[Wait a second… from my analysis, Enrico's body has normal human blood.]
"But I will have it—if I acquire three specific elements, my blood will match that of the noblest vampires. And if I use a fourth… it'll surpass even the royal blood of their purest line. The only difference is—I won't be a vampire."
[Heh… you and your madness.]
"Anything worth it—if it means surviving."
[And what if those vampires trap you somehow?]
Enrico looked out the window, seeing that he was already outside the city of Sanos.
"They won't. Because I'll offer it to the most noble and powerful family among them—and they won't refuse. The purer the blood they drink, the stronger they become."
Now the first thing he had to do was find a way to locate the first artifact—without them suspecting.