"Pointless," the Alpha growled, claws tearing at the cracked earth, red eyes blazing. "No one fast enough will ever come to save you."
Alvara burst out laughing, her voice echoing from the head still perched on Chen Le's shoulder. "House pet! You dare underestimate a vampire?"
Chen Le almost toppled off his scooter. "Why the hell are you laughing?! This is life or death!"
The air suddenly trembled. A crimson flash ripped through the night, followed by a mocking voice.
"Oh wow… so it really was this dumb sister making all that SOS noise."
Chen Le turned sharply. From the mist stepped a girl—black hair tipped with blood-red, body whole, eyes glowing cold. Her glare locked straight on Alvara.
"You're stirring up trouble again, aren't you? Even as just a head, you're still annoyingly loud."
"What?!" Alvara snapped, face flushed.
"Why is it you who shows up?! I asked for an elite squad, not my nagging little sister!"
The girl sighed. "I don't have time to argue with a barbarian sister. Move."
Her hand lifted. The blood in the air shivered, weaving into crimson threads that gleamed like steel. In seconds, the Alpha was bound—neck, chest, and all four legs tied tight.
"Grrrhh—!?" The Alpha roared, thrashing in panic.
Chen Le swallowed hard. "No way… she's gonna—"
With a single tug—srrrkkk!
The Alpha's body was sliced apart cleanly, chunks falling like butchered meat, black blood spraying the ground.
He went pale, throat dry. "That's way too OP…"
Alvara huffed, still sulking. "Hmph! Cheap thread tricks like that? A true vampire could break them easily. Don't get cocky just because you diced up a wild mutt."
Lia finally let out a relieved breath. "Huft…" She lowered her rune blade, then patted the neck of her still-restless horse. "The battle is over. Let's move on. The road is still long."
She climbed back into her saddle, her movements still graceful even after such a fierce struggle.
Meanwhile, Chen Le sat frozen on his scooter, hands clamped tightly on the handlebars, his heart refusing to settle.
The young vampire girl stepped forward—back straight, expression composed. She dipped her head slightly, introducing herself with a voice both cold and elegant.
"My name is Alia Dureim. Third daughter of the Bloodveil Citadel's line of heirs."
Chen Le swallowed and nodded awkwardly. "O-okay… nice to meet you…" Inside, he could only mutter, Damn, one's a brute, the other's icy scary.
Alia approached the scooter. Her pale, slender hand swept across the dashboard as if she were stroking a cherished pet.
"Such a… cute mount."
She glanced at Chen Le. "Where did you hunt it?"
He nearly choked on air. "H-hunt?"
If you could hunt it, why the hell would I be paying installments? he thought with a sigh.
"I… bought it. Well... I pay for it. Something like that."
Alia studied him for a moment, then let out a long breath. "Hhhmmm… I wish to keep it as a pet."
Her fingers continued tracing the dashboard softly. Chen Le couldn't help it—a small laugh slipped out.
"Haha… unbelievable. A scooter as a pet?"
Alia's gaze snapped toward him, eyes narrowing. On his shoulder, Alvara cackled with delight. "See?! Even a courier's laughing at you! Hahahaha!"
Alia's face flushed red. "Enough." Her voice was heavy, piercing. "I will ride this mount."
He blinked, dumbstruck, but eventually gave in.
Lowering the rear footrest, Chen Le watched as Alia stepped closer, lifted her skirt slightly, and sat neatly on the pillion seat. "Oh… it even has a foothold." Her tone was flat, but her eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"Of course. It's a modern bike, not a wooden horse," he muttered as he kicked the side stand back.
Lia, already poised on her horse, glanced back at them with a questioning look. "In that case, we'll take the longer path. The main road is too dangerous now."
As if in response, a cold voice echoed in Chen Le's mind:
[ Alternate route approved. Temporary. ]
He sighed, glancing at the mirror. Great. An elf knight in front, a vampire head on my shoulder, and now the vampire's little sister riding pillion.
Twisting the throttle, the scooter roared back to life. The alternate path split into branches, then slowly lit up with a faint blue glow before merging once more with the system's main route.
[ Route stabilized. ]
[ No further threats detected. ]
For the first time since the night began, Chen Le felt he could finally breathe. "At last… a stretch without any more surprises."
Behind him, Alia sat sideways, her long skirt draped elegantly. Unlike a normal passenger who would straddle the seat, she placed both legs to one side, as if she were sitting on a park bench.
Every so often, her fingers brushed lightly against the back of Chen Le's jacket—just enough to steady herself without breaking her composure.
What baffled him even more was her expression—utterly calm, almost serene. Is this really happening? I'm giving a ride to a noble vampire heiress… on a scooter? What a perfect fairytale.
Up ahead, Lia rode steadily, her horse's pace strong and even, golden hair flowing with the night wind. On his shoulder, Alvara only scoffed, irritated at the sight of her younger sister sitting there as if it were a pleasant picnic.
The rest of the journey passed smoothly—no ambushes, no tremors. The forest air slowly gave way to open plains. Faint lights flickered in the distance, and soon the towering silhouette of walls and spires came into view.
Bloodveil Citadel.
Chen Le straightened on his seat, hands tightening on the handlebars. "Finally… we've arrived."