Flap... flap... flap...
A swarm of bats descended into the broken well, vanishing into the darkness below. The two men exchanged glances.
"..."
"....."
"Well, I'll go first. I can't believe you commoners don't understand the value of nobles. That too—the heir of the Paisley," Icarus said with a mocking tone before leaping into the well, disappearing into its depths.
A few seconds later—
...Splashhh...
A moment passed.
"You can jump now," Icarus sent a mental message to Dracula. With a sigh, Dracula secured his sword in its scabbard, tying it to his back before following suit.
He landed in water that reached up to his shins.
"I hate getting wet," Dracula muttered.
"Ha! Serves you right for letting me go first," Icarus scoffed. "This is part of the sewage system built during my great-grandfather's time. I'm not familiar with this area, though—only the parts near the mansion."
"So which way did they go?" Dracula asked, scanning the dimly lit corridor. The passage was partially submerged, with sewage water flowing from small openings in the walls, filling the air with a foul stench.
"The swarm flew about twelve meters down that corridor, then turned right," Icarus replied.
Dracula frowned. "Isn't that directly beneath the cemetery?"
Realization dawned on Icarus, and he grimaced.
"Tsk. That damn demon. I'll make sure she doesn't get out of here alive." He waved his hand, and four small daggers materialized behind him, glowing with an icy blue light.
They advanced cautiously until they reached a junction where three additional corridors branched off.
For nearly ten minutes, they navigated the labyrinthine passageways until they reached a spot where a solid wall should have been—but instead, a wide-open doorway stood in its place.
"I didn't know this part of the sewage system had been altered. I never heard anything about it from the head," Icarus muttered as he sent one of his daggers through the doorway.
A few moments later, the dagger flew back into his hand. He frowned at Dracula's curious expression and said, "Well, well. Looks like the demon's been busy. We're almost late for the party."
They rushed inside.
The ground trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
...
"Hahahaha! Let's see how you fare against the blood magic my Queen entrusted me with," cackled Darys, the demon, as she sliced open a young boy's wrist.
The child, bound by dark magic, could neither scream nor move. His body writhed in silent agony, his face growing paler by the second as his blood dripped into a ceremonial bowl.
As the last drop fell and the boy's body went still, Darys tossed his corpse toward the gate, where three others were already piled.
"Hmm. This much should be enough. Lucky bastard," she muttered, glancing at the five remaining children huddled in a corner.
"Sniff... sniff..."
Some of them whimpered, though none dared to cry out loud. Among them, a larger boy held the three smaller girls and a younger boy in his arms, trying to comfort them. His own tears, however, fell silently. He glared at the witch, helpless but defiant.
Darys chanted an incantation, using the fresh blood to inscribe a large magic circle on the floor in front of an imposing door.
As she completed the ritual—
...Grrrr... Grrrrr...
A monstrous growl erupted as the very ground screamed in protest. Dark red tentacles burst forth, latching onto the door. Where they touched, deep blood-red cracks spread like veins across the surface.
...Crackkkkk...
The door shattered into pieces.
"Ha! No one can stand before me—not even ancient magic!" Darys declared as she stepped inside.
She surveyed the chamber.
'It should be here…'
The room was simple—four enchanted lamps lit the space, and in the center stood a dome-like structure. Hovering just above its pointed top was a small, spherical object, pulsating faintly.
She reached for it—
...Sizzle...
"Arghh!!" she screamed, recoiling as the object burned her hand. Her eyes widened in shock as she examined the seared flesh on her palm.
Undeterred, she struck the orb with her staff, knocking it to the ground.
...Thud...
She waved her hand, and a boy was yanked toward her by dark magic. He gasped as their eyes met.
With an impatient glare, she handed him a leather pouch. "Pick up that orb and put it inside this bag."
Trembling, the boy obeyed, quickly placing the orb inside before offering it back to her.
Darys smirked, tucking the pouch into her robes. "Well done. I'll spare your life for your service."
As she turned to leave, she suddenly stopped—
...Clank... Clank...
Two glowing daggers slammed into her shield just in time. She scowled at the silver-blue mana radiating from them.
Paisley magic.
She grimaced and searched for the attacker.
...Thud... Thud...
A dark-blond-haired man stepped out of the shadows. With every step, his presence thickened the air. Upon seeing the demon and the corpses, he unsheathed his sword from his back, gripping it with both hands as an ethereal blue light enveloped the blade.
"For Dark's sake! The famous hunter himself?! It can't be—you were supposed to be fighting bounty hunters in the Weeping Plane!" Darys exclaimed, stepping back, eyes darting for an escape.
Dracula.
"For Light's sake! Even demons know you these days. I hate how you're more famous than me," Icarus quipped as he appeared beside him.
Darys' gaze snapped to Icarus.
"Even the heir of the Paisley came himself?! Today must be my lucky day." A cold sweat trickled down her spine.
Thinking fast, she summoned four purple flames and hurled them toward the men.
...Weeeeeeee...
Dracula twisted left, narrowly dodging one flame. He rolled sideways to avoid another. When he tried to dash forward, two more flames arced back at him from behind.
...Clack... Clack...
He deflected them with the flat of his sword, sending them bouncing away.
Darys wasn't finished. She summoned two skeletal knights, which charged at Icarus.
As the men fought, she attempted to slip past them—only for her own flame to strike the back of her knees. She fell forward, rolling away just in time to avoid another blast.
She turned back—and terror gripped her.
Her skeletal knights lay in shattered pieces, destroyed by Icarus' floating daggers. Her flames had vanished.
"Go away! G-Go away, or I'll kill the children!" Darys screeched, stumbling backward and seizing the boy who had helped her.