"Katrina! Hold on! Don't lose consciousness!" I screamed, desperately trying to stanch the blood gushing from her wound. "Help! Somebody!"

  A healing potion would've been real useful right about now, but the paladin and I had set out light. Since simple guards had managed to capture Selina, she must not have gotten rid of the bracelet. Katrina had been reckless bringing only me, though… given the enemy we'd encountered, I doubted a couple more people would've changed the outcome. If anything, there'd just be more corpses.

  "Katrina, can you hear me?" The girl couldn't focus on me. Her eyes kept drifting sideways, which did nothing for my optimism. "Stay with me! I'm going to find help."

  "Don't… ugh…" She seemed to be asking me not to leave. But staying meant watching her die.

  "I'll be fast."

  Pouring everything into my legs, I sprinted to the nearest house and hammered on the door with all my might, trying to rouse the residents. Silence. A dim light flickered behind the cloudy window — someone was definitely inside.

  "Hey! Open up! Someone's hurt! We need help!" I screamed. Then I gave up and ran to the next house. But no matter how hard I tried, no one answered. So I snapped, and with a full-force kick, knocked the door clean off its hinges.

  I burst inside ready to throttle the terrified peasants who'd decided to ignore a person in need. Except there was no one to yell at. I found people, alright — on the floor.

  I checked the nearest one's pulse. Alive. Checked another — same. All alive, just sleeping. I tried to wake them — nothing. I even dumped a pitcher of water on one of them. Didn't help.

  Something clicked in my head. One of a vampire's abilities was putting humans to sleep. But even for high vampires, that required direct eye contact. An entire village? That could mean only one thing — an Ancient. That female voice I'd heard from the darkness. She was an Ancient.

  Shit!

  Abandoning the futile attempts to rouse the villagers, I raced back. Katrina lay where I'd left her. She was still conscious, but barely hanging on. At this rate, she'd be dead in minutes.

  "No, no, no, no… this is a terrible idea…" I muttered to myself, as if trying to talk myself out of it. But there was no other way to save her.

  I pulled out the flask of blood and drained it instantly. My body responded immediately to the precious liquid — muscles surged with incredible power, and with it came the thirst.

  Katrina seemed to register, somewhere in her fading consciousness, what was happening. For a brief moment her glazing eyes sharpened, but she couldn't do a thing. I found myself leaning toward her bloody wound, wanting to drink more.

  "No!" I caught myself at the very last second. "I can't…"

  Fighting the urge to drink blood was agonizing. Imagine the thirst you'd feel after days wandering a desert without water. You'd lap drops off the dirt like an animal just to sate yourself.

  Think, Max. There has to be a way.

  And there was.

  I hated every part of this, but what choice did I have?

  With a quick motion, I uncapped the enchanted flask and took a couple of swallows of pig's blood. My body reacted just as instantly as before, and it took an inhuman effort not to sink my teeth into the wounded girl right then and there.

  Forcing myself not to look at her wound, I drew the dagger I'd recently bought and slashed my own wrist.

  "Drink," I said, pressing my bleeding arm to her pale lips. And of course Katrina resisted — even tried to push me away despite her horrific condition. Strong woman. Even on death's door she found the energy to fight.

  "Drink!" I repeated, grabbing her chin with my other hand and trying to get the blood down her throat. The girl tried to spit it out, but I wouldn't let her.

  Stubborn woman! I was trying to save her life here…

  Suddenly her whole body began to convulse, and I had to pin her to the ground with my full weight. She screamed from the unbearable pain of her body restructuring. She even bit my palm — nearly tore a chunk of flesh out — but that was a minor detail right now.

  Eventually the convulsions passed, and I immediately checked her pulse. Heart was beating — good sign.

  First, I pulled off her armor and partially tore open her shirt, then the bandages binding her chest. The wound needed to be fully exposed and cleaned so nothing would get trapped during the explosive regeneration process.

  The bleeding slowed noticeably, then stopped entirely. I still wanted desperately to sink my teeth into Katrina's wound and drain her dry, but the craving was much easier to manage now.

  To stimulate the healing, I used the flask again — but this time for her, pouring a little pig's blood into her mouth. And with that, I'd done everything I could.

  Now came the waiting.

  While I was lost in thought, Katrina suddenly came to and screamed. Arching her back, she shook so violently I had to use every ounce of strength to hold her down. This time the convulsions were far worse and lasted longer. The paladin screamed as I watched her wound begin to close. Blood vessels reconnected as if by magic, muscle grew, skin restored itself.

  But something else was terrifying — Katrina was turning into a vampire.

  "Katrina, can you hear me?!" I grabbed her face, trying to reach the woman writhing in the agony of transformation. "Touch of Light! Use the Touch of Light!"

  And she used it. On me. This time it hurt like absolute hell. The burn was severe enough to make me stagger back.

  "On yourself, you idiot! On yourself!" I screamed. At one point her eyes rolled back and I thought she was about to pass out. But she held on. Katrina managed to use the Touch of Light on herself, and the scream that followed made my heart clench.

  Her skin smoked from the Light magic.

  "Katrina! Again!"

  She'd blacked out after the first one. I had to slap her awake.

  "One more time, Kat! Do it! Touch of Light!"

  And she did.

  And again.

  I don't want to imagine the pain she was feeling.

  "I can't… it hurts… I can't…" she whispered, half-delirious, but she kept doing it.

  After maybe the fifth Touch of Light, she convulsed and vomited blood. But I think that was normal under the circumstances.

  She rolled onto her side and curled into a fetal position, pulling her knees to her chest, no longer responding to me. That was it — she couldn't burn any more tainted blood from her system.

  "She's cold…" I noted, touching the paladin's skin.

  I picked Katrina up and laid her on a bed of hay, covering her with a couple of blankets from the nearest house. Now there was nothing to do but wait. She was alive — that was what mattered. But would she remain human?

  I didn't have an answer to that.

  I ran back for more blankets and used them to cover the dead guards. I didn't feel much of anything doing it. Like it or not, some vampire mentality had seeped into me. After death, a person becomes just a piece of meat to us — no reverence, no disgust.

  Katrina still lay unconscious, cold as before, shivering occasionally. Maybe I should warm her the old-fashioned way…

  Stripping us both, I pressed against her graceful back and fell asleep holding her close. When I woke, the beauty was no longer in my arms. I shot to my feet, looked around — and exhaled in relief when I spotted a naked female figure with long golden hair nearby.

  Katrina sat in the next stall over, wedged into a corner, gripping my dagger. She kept bringing it to her throat, but apparently couldn't summon the nerve to go through with it.

  "Katrina, put the weapon down…" I said, hands raised, taking a cautious step toward her.

  "Don't come any closer!" she cried, pressing the dagger's point to her neck with trembling hands. "Don't…"

  "Katrina, please don't…"

  "What did you do to me? I'm a monster now! A monster… just like you!" With that she leaped to her feet and closed the distance between us in an instant. One hand seized my throat and slammed me against a support beam, the other brought the dagger to my eye.

  "Katrina, please don't do anything rash…" I said, as gently as I could. This was roughly the reaction I'd been dreading.

  "You turned me into a monster! A cursed bloodsucker!"

  Her grip was iron. I could probably overpower her, but as long as there was a chance to resolve this peacefully, I wouldn't.

  "Not exactly," I said. "Is the sun burning you, Lady de Shinro?"

  She flinched and looked down at her chest, where a stripe of sunlight happened to be falling.

  "No," she answered, slightly confused. Eventually she released me and stepped back, still not letting go of the dagger. "What did you do to me?"

  "I'm not entirely sure myself," I told her honestly. "I'm a halfblood. Only half vampire. Back in my world, I lived as a human."

  "And… am I a halfblood now too?"

  "I don't know. It was an experiment — as harsh as that sounds. You were wounded, practically dying. The only way to save you was to turn you. But I'm not a full vampire. Basically, I remembered reading in some mov— book that a vampire could be cured with sunlight. Obviously that wouldn't work on a full vampire — they'd just burn. But I'm a halfblood, and sunlight doesn't affect me. So I figured if I gave you my blood, let your body heal the wounds and start the transformation, then stopped it with the Touch of Light — it might work."

  "And what if I'd fried?!" she exclaimed, jabbing the dagger forward. "Although… that wouldn't matter. Maybe that would've been better! Because now I'm a monster!"

  "You're not a monster. I believe if you don't drink blood, you'll be no different from your old self. Take it from someone who lived his whole life as a human."

  "You do realize that after what I've seen, I'm obligated to kill you?"

  I swallowed nervously, looking into her emerald eyes.

  "And myself, by rights… But… but I can't…"

  And that's when her armor finally cracked. Katrina de Shinro fell to her knees and broke down sobbing.

  "What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to handle this?" she mumbled to herself.

  "Just keep living," I said, picking up a blanket and draping it over her shoulders.

  "Live? How can I just live? I'm a paladin… a knight whose calling is to fight the forces of darkness. How can I do that knowing I'm partly a creature myself?"

  I genuinely felt for Katrina. Looking at her now, I remembered how strong she'd seemed. Cold, unshakeable. Her comrades had described her the same way. But right now, all I saw was a fragile, bewildered girl.

  "Maybe start by not seeing the world in black and white?" I suggested. "Not all monsters are evil, and not all people are good."

  "Don't compare the two," she disagreed. "It's not the same."

  "Maybe not," I conceded. "But since you don't want to die, you'll have to accept that there's monster blood in you now."

  Katrina didn't respond, just lowered her gaze to the floor, apparently weighing my words. I sat across from her and waited in silence for her decision.

  "So if I don't drink blood, I'll return to a human state?" she asked.

  "No idea. That's how it works in my case. You're clearly not a vampire if sunlight doesn't bother you. It's possible you're still completely human."

  "I see…" she said thoughtfully, and I found myself admiring her. Always so brave and strong, but now vulnerable, right in front of me. And this golden-haired beauty was actually quite young. Before, I couldn't pin down her age, but now I was fairly certain she was at most five or six years older than me.

  The moment Katrina looked up at me, I couldn't help myself — I leaned in and kissed her parted lips. She froze for an instant, clearly not expecting such audacity. But then — surprisingly — she kissed me back.

  "Sorry…" I apologized, pulling away, though I didn't feel the slightest guilt.

  "It's fine," the paladin said, eyes lowering shyly as she wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "I'll forgive you this once. After all, I owe you my life."

  Then, tossing aside the blanket, she rose to her feet, completely unbothered by her nudity.

  "But if you ever try to kiss me again without permission, you'll pay for it. I'll cut out your tongue and feed it to the dogs. Now — where are my clothes?"

  Hearing that, I smiled. Katrina was coming back. No longer the lost, frightened girl, but the slightly tired warrior-woman I'd known before.

  Her anger was mostly for show, of course. I didn't sense genuine fury about the kiss, though honestly, she'd have been justified.

  "So the lady paladin isn't going to kill her loyal squire?" I said, playing the obedient servant.

  "Not at the moment," Katrina answered, picking up her clothes. "I still don't know what to do about myself or you. But you're right about one thing — the world isn't black and white. I don't feel a thirst for blood, and I don't burn in the sun. Something human is still in me. And as long as that's true, nothing has changed — I'm still a knight of the Order of the Swallow. But if I start turning into a monster, I will kill you without hesitation. And then myself."

  I literally plopped onto my backside at that. Some gratitude. I save her life and get death threats in return.

  Still, I was glad she was alive.

  She began dressing, and I didn't deny myself the pleasure of watching her pull on those leather pants. Once she'd finished with the pants and boots, she picked up the shredded bandages and shook her head, giving me a reproachful look. Without even trying to salvage them, she tossed them aside and simply pulled on the bloodstained shirt.

  "Must've been a nasty wound," she said, examining the gaping, bloodstained hole.

  "Your shoulder was ripped apart. You nearly lost the arm. That's why there's so much blood."

  "Yeah… a bad wound. Strange that the vampire didn't finish us off."

  "It wasn't allowed to."

  "Wasn't allowed?" She looked at me, surprised.

  "It wasn't alone. There was another vampire — stronger, since the first was clearly the subordinate."

  "Did you see the second one?" she asked immediately.

  "No, only heard it. Sounded female. Possibly an Ancient."

  "That's bad," Katrina bit her lower lip. "Very bad. Two vampires, both high-level at minimum — that's extraordinary. The last time the Order fought bloodsuckers was a hundred years ago. We thought we'd wiped them all out, and now two show up at once."

  She didn't bother putting the armor back on, just slung it over her shoulder, then stepped outside. I followed, but the instant I hit sunlight, I had to immediately retreat.

  "What's wrong?" she asked, turning around.

  Forcing a smile, I extended my hand into the direct sunlight. Less than a second later, my skin began to smoke, and I yanked the scorched limb back.

  "Sorry…" I said.

  "But you told me you weren't afraid of sunlight," she narrowed her eyes.

  "Normally I'm not. It can cause mild discomfort, but it's tolerable. However, to save you, I had to drink a lot of blood — otherwise there was a risk it wouldn't work. And now the sun is… quite unfriendly."

  I really had overdone it. Before, my body had been in a precarious balance, but after today's dose, it had apparently decided to push the transformation further toward the vampire side. Not good. Very not good.

  "In that case, I'll have to—" She placed her hand on her sword.

  "Whoa! Easy!" I immediately tried to calm the trigger-happy paladin. "It's temporary. A day or two and I'll be able to go outside normally."

  "You're sure about that?" she asked, slightly calmer, though her voice was still thick with doubt.

  "More or less."

  "Fine. I'll figure something out. You stay here. And if you run, I promise…"

  "You'll find me and kill me. Yes, I got it. I'll wait."

  She gave me a displeased look, nodded, and left. I wasn't alone for long — Katrina returned quickly with a rain cloak, the kind used to stay dry in bad weather.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Put it on," she said.

  Venturing outside with the cloak proved successful, though I had to be careful.

  "Not bad," I confirmed. "Just can't turn my face toward the sun."

  "Come with me," she ordered, heading behind the barn. I was pleasantly surprised to see the very wagon Selina had stolen, leaving me to die. "Do you remember which barrel the chest was hidden in?"

  "Yes," I confirmed and immediately climbed inside — only to sigh in disappointment.

  "What's wrong?"

  "No gems."

  Hearing this, Katrina climbed in and, shoving me aside, searched the open barrel herself.

  "I think I understand now why the vampires came…" Katrina sighed tiredly, sitting on the wagon's edge.

  "Why would vampires want gemstones?"

  "Good question. Wish I knew. Maxim, tell me — what have you dragged us into? First a demon, then a fortune in gemstones, and now vampires that nobody's seen in a century."

  "Guess I'm just that lucky…" What else could I say? None of this was my fault.

  "Clearly. For the past two years, I've had barely any truly serious or dangerous assignments. Except the last one. And then you show up. And you're not even human. Don't breathe a word about being a halfblood."

  "I wasn't planning to."

  "I'm serious. If the squad finds out what you are, there will be problems. For me included. If anyone reports it up the chain—" She drew a finger across her throat. "Nothing will save you then."

  "Fine. I already said I wasn't going to tell anyone."

  "Good boy."

  "So what's the plan? Chase them?"

  "No. Our squad isn't enough to track and kill at least two high vampires. We'll report it when we get back, of course, but I'm afraid we'll have to leave it at that."

  "Just let them get away with murder?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

  "What do you suggest? Chase them? I'm not sure we could even catch them, let alone fight them. The Order has specialized tracking squads — let them handle it. The higher-ups will make the call on elimination."

  Her answer didn't satisfy me, but I didn't argue. She knew better. Personally, I had zero desire to face those bloodsuckers again, but leaving them unpunished didn't sit right either.

  "That conniving little—" I frowned, examining the remaining items in the wagon, several of which were missing.

  "What?" Katrina turned, confused.

  "I know you shouldn't speak ill of the dead and all that, but… damn it, that sorceress sold most of the looted weapons!"

  "Oh, is that what this is about?" The paladin smirked, relaxing slightly. "Didn't peg you as the mercenary type."

  "I'm not," I bristled at the baseless accusation. "It's just that I killed those bandits, not Selina."

  My indignation knew no bounds. I even went back into the barn to search Selina's belongings. It probably looked terrible from the outside, but as I'd said — once dead, a person is just meat to a vampire. If that brazen thief had ever had a soul, it was long gone from here, and I could use the money.

  Katrina watched my actions without a shred of approval but didn't object either. Since she wasn't stopping me, I intended to reclaim what was rightfully mine.

  "Don't bother," Katrina finally said.

  "Why not?"

  "You think you'll find a coin purse here? Detainees don't keep personal effects. And this is the Free Counties. Do you really think guards who find money on a prisoner are going to hand it over to the proper authorities? Whatever that girl had was already split among the guards who caught her."

  I glared at the dead guard's body but decided against rifling through his pockets.

  "Don't worry. I'll write you a bonus when we get back. Fighting a vampire is serious business, and we get paid extra for confirmed kills. Even though you're not yet a full member and haven't taken the oath, I can process it under my name."

  "That'd be great," I said, cheering up slightly, though a faint bitterness lingered.

  Katrina and I checked the other barrels in the wagon, but found no trace of gems. Or money, for that matter. During the search, one of the villagers approached us, bewildered by what had happened.

  It seemed the sleep spell was wearing off. People were gradually coming to. One of the surviving guards soon appeared, horrified to learn what had happened to his comrades.

  The villagers were left to handle the bodies, and Katrina and I, after waiting for evening, headed back to Vularian. Traveling by day was too risky for me — one careless movement or strong gust of wind could expose some part of my body.

  When the villagers learned they'd been visited by vampires, they were utterly terrified, begging Katrina — as a representative of the Order — to protect their village from the undead. No matter how much she assured them that the bloodsuckers had likely fled and wouldn't return, they kept pleading for some kind of proof.

  After sunset, we rode out despite all entreaties to stay the night. We didn't rush, afraid the horse might break a leg in the dark, so we didn't reach Vularian until dawn. At the entrance to the Order's estate, Günther met us, saddling horses.

  "Lady Katrina!" he exclaimed, concern flickering in his eyes before he instantly composed himself. "What happened? You were supposed to be back yesterday morning, but instead you vanished. I was about to ride out with the full squad at first light."

  "Unforeseen circumstances," the woman sighed tiredly.

  "Was the sorceress that strong?"

  "Much worse and more complicated. My squire and I encountered a high vampire."

  "What?! But—"

  "Yes, yes, nobody's seen one in a century," she waved him off wearily. "Contact headquarters and report it. Maxim claims there was another vampire, also at least high-level."

  "At least?" The mage's eyes went wide.

  "Our dear squire says the vampire we fought addressed the second one as a superior. In other words, it was a mere subordinate. It's possible the other was an Ancient."

  "That's not good…" And I understood the mage's concern perfectly. Ancients differed from high vampires the same way vampires differed from ordinary humans. Ancients weren't just stronger and faster — they were practically gods, fearing neither sunlight nor other weaknesses. Even if you tore an Ancient to pieces, it would still regenerate.

  "Agreed, which is why I'm telling you to notify headquarters. Let them deal with the vampires — our squad would be devoured by those two."

  "And us?"

  "We proceed as planned." The golden-haired paladin stole a glance at me. "Tomorrow at dawn, we head out to find the Inferno rift. Or the mage who summoned the demon."

  "Still, leaving vampires alone feels wrong…" Günther seemed to share my feelings. "But you're right, my lady. Our squad is no match for two high vampires."

  "Glad you agree," the girl nodded, heading toward the manor, but stopped halfway and added: "Squire Maxim is resting in his quarters today. Don't disturb him."

  Günther glanced at me and smirked.

  "Why are you bundled up in that cloak?" the mage noticed.

  "Just cold," I lied and hurried inside. Last thing I needed was him yanking back the hood. That would be bad.

  Thankfully, the squad leader's orders weren't questioned, so I was genuinely left alone and could spend the entire day sitting in the little room I shared with Gera.

  "I heard you and Lady de Shinro fought a vampire?" the girl-squire addressed me without her usual haughtiness. I was actually a bit surprised by the tone. Before, she'd looked at me like a pile of manure. Now there was something resembling respect in her eyes.

  "Yeah. A high vampire, to be precise."

  "What did it look like?"

  I gave her a brief description of the bloodsucker, then a summary of what happened. Katrina hadn't given me any restrictions on this, and I was careful not to share too much — particularly that the paladin had nearly died.

  "I see," Gera nodded when I finished, then stood up and simply left without another word. Strange girl. I couldn't figure out what was going on in that short-haired little head of hers.

  The rest of the day was quite dull. Since nobody was pushing me through physical training, I decided to work my brain instead. I spent most of the day meditating and trying to form the "inner reservoir." And I seemed to be making progress. Katrina's advice had been right — I just needed to gather energy from my entire body into one point. Unfortunately, the tiny warm spot didn't last long. The moment I lost concentration, it dissolved back into my chest.

  I tried not to think about Selina. Did I feel sorry for her? A little, probably. Despite her attempt to kill me, I was still alive. She wasn't — and she'd died a particularly ugly death. The vampire had gutted her like a pig. How could I still be angry? The girl had gotten what she'd asked for.

  After something like that, you start believing in karma.

  And I'd warned the sorceress those gems were wrong. They literally reeked of blood.

  By evening, my vampiric state was genuinely fading. Sunlight was still extremely unpleasant, but at least my skin no longer smoked, and I could approach windows without fear.

  Shortly before lights-out, Rol stopped by, also wanting to hear the vampire story. I had to repeat what I'd already told Gera, except this time my audience was more appreciative — after I finished, he kept expressing admiration. Like I'd performed some great heroic deed.

  "They'll probably give you a bonus for that!"

  "Lady Katrina mentioned something like it," I confirmed. "Do you have any idea how much, roughly?"

  "What? No, no clue. I know the bounty for killing a lesser demon is ten silvers. How much for a high vampire — I have no idea, and you didn't actually kill it, so I doubt it's much."

  But our chat was cut short — Lady Katrina summoned me. Following her to her quarters, she asked Gera to leave, and we were alone.

  "How are you feeling?"

  "Not terrible," I said, and walked demonstratively to the window. "I'm no longer at risk of spontaneous combustion, but it still stings a bit."

  "Good. I don't want to delay tomorrow's demon hunt because of you. We've already wasted too much time with your sorceress and the sun problem." Then, after a brief pause, she asked something else. "Any cravings for blood?"

  "Honestly? A little. But I'm not losing control, and it'll get weaker every day."

  "Wonderful." She shook her golden head. "I trust I don't need to remind you that this stays absolutely secret? If anyone in the Order finds out I'm keeping a halfblood vampire, nothing good will come of it. For me included. If someone reports it to the top—" She drew a finger across her neck. "Nothing will save you."

  Interestingly, I'd started noticing that Katrina's attitude toward me had shifted. Whether it was because I'd saved her or helped her process the "shattered worldview," I couldn't say. But where the paladin had previously looked at me only slightly better than she looked at Gera, now I caught a hint of warmth in her gaze. She still tried to maintain her untouchable facade, but I could feel the ice between us was melting.

  "I understand."

  "Good. Now go rest. And send Gera in."

  With that, my "audience" ended. I returned to my room while Gera attended to Katrina's errands. The former slave had a packed day — all the duties that had been mine were now on her shoulders. Yet she didn't complain. On the contrary, after completing everything Katrina assigned, the girl went out for an evening run, circling the estate in near-total darkness.

  Her discipline was astounding.

  When she returned, she simply collapsed onto her mattress and passed out. I actually felt a little sorry for the girl and covered her with a blanket. I was thinking of going to sleep myself when Katrina appeared.

  "Ready?" she asked.

  "For what?" I didn't follow.

  "I want to see how well you handle a sword. All the other recruits have been tested except you. Your turn."

  "Now? It's the middle of the night…"

  "Why not? Or are you sleepy?"

  I had no objections. I followed the paladin to the back courtyard, where she handed me a wooden sword with a satisfied look. Originally, sparring had been done with plain sticks, but apparently someone in her squad had gotten bored and carved proper training swords.

  I took a couple of practice swings. The wooden weapon was surprisingly well-made, and it sat in my hand far better than the first sword Ficht had given me. But it was obviously no elven blade.

  "Well? Ready?" she asked.

  "Yes," I said, and in that instant the girl lunged with a sharp thrust and jabbed the tip of the wooden sword directly into my heart. I lost my footing and dropped, clutching the impact point.

  "Bit weak, Maximilian," Katrina said with a touch of her signature arrogance. "You said you were ready, but you couldn't even react. In a real fight, you'd be dead."

  She wasn't wrong. Nobody had forced me to say "yes."

  As I was getting up, people started drifting over to watch our little sparring match. First Rol appeared, then Torig and a couple more warriors whose names I couldn't remember. The recruits were curious too.

  "Fine…" I grumbled under my breath.

  Katrina waited for me to stand and dust myself off, then readied her next attack. This time she thrust at my chest again, and being prepared, I deflected her blade fairly easily. But that turned out to be part of her plan — in the same instant she spun her whole body and cracked me right under the ribs on the left side.

  "What's the matter, Maximilian? You're not even trying to fight!"

  Dammit. I supposedly had superior speed and strength compared to a normal human. In theory, I should've easily dodged her attacks, but she kept getting past me in ways that defied logic. How was this even possible?

  This time I didn't let her attack first, trying to knock the sword from the warrior's hand. I had plenty of power right now and could generate serious speed. One solid hit on the wooden blade and her hands would go numb.

  But the golden-haired knight seemed to predict my attack and didn't even try to dodge. Instead, she took the blow but at the last instant angled her sword slightly, sending my wooden blade plunging downward. All she had to do was spin and crack me across the back of the head.

  "Well, that's it," came the whispers from the spectators. "Lady Katrina went too far. The kid needs a healer right now. Definitely has a concussion."

  "Don't count on it," I snorted, getting to my feet for the third time.

  Katrina wasn't hitting at full force, but if I'd been an ordinary human, I doubt I could've gotten up so easily. Pushing the pain to the back of my mind, I focused, waiting for her next attack.

  This time Lady de Shinro seemed to decide she was done going easy. Eyes narrowing slightly, she attacked head-on with such speed I barely registered it. But thanks to superhuman reflexes, I managed to block the blow — and once again she stepped back and without losing any momentum, threw a feint that I fell for completely, opening my left flank. Her elbow immediately slammed into it.

  "Where does that speed come from?" I coughed, recovering from the hit. "I should be faster and stronger, but it feels like you're outclassing me completely."

  "Not at all," she said with a rather sweet smile. "You surpass me in strength, agility, and endurance — when I'm not using magical enhancement. It's just that unlike you, I have years of practice with a sword. Torig, for example, could easily parry all those strikes despite being physically inferior to you."

  She said this quietly, for my ears only.

  "Your problem is you swing a sword like a club. Just look at your feet." She stepped forward and with a light tap of the wooden blade to my shin, toppled me to the ground. "Your stance is wrong. Knocking you down is child's play." Then, waiting for me to get up yet again, she continued: "Watch me. Repeat."

  Reluctantly, I tried to mirror her stance. The paladin immediately rapped my ankle again — but this time I didn't fall, managing to hold my ground.

  Sensing the show was over, the other Order fighters began drifting away. A few stayed, including Günther. And that kid with the broken jaw — Unar — apparently enjoying the spectacle of someone else taking a beating for once.

  Meanwhile, Katrina pressed against my back, and since she wasn't wearing armor, I immediately felt the pleasant softness of her chest. No bandages today…

  "Are you even listening?" she asked, irritation right against my ear.

  "Yes, my lady," I answered immediately.

  "Good. Your feet are in the right position. Now the sword." She placed both my hands on the hilt, intending to teach me proper grip. "Like this. Got it?"

  "Yes."

  "Good. Now, a vertical strike." She guided several swings with me, demonstrating how my arms should move and where to stop. Then she stepped back and asked me to repeat on my own. It went smoothly enough. "Wonderful. Now take your real sword and repeat that swing one thousand times."

  "WHAT?!" I nearly jumped, and Unar couldn't help snickering — earning an immediate jab from Torig standing beside him.

  "You want some too?" the warrior asked the recruit, who vigorously shook his head.

  "One thousand," the paladin repeated. "You have excellent potential, given your origins. So we need to make you a proper warrior."

  "Can't we do less? A hundred, maybe?"

  "No. One thousand," Katrina stated firmly, then turned to the warriors nearby. "Torig, make sure he doesn't slack off and does everything properly. If he starts cutting corners, add another thousand."

  "Will do," the warrior smirked.

  "And when he's finished, teach him the reverse strike."

  "As you wish."

  I spent the entire evening completing those wretched thousand swings. Despite all my superhuman capabilities, by the end of the hellish training my arms were practically numb. Torig, meanwhile, looked at me with unconcealed respect.

  "Honestly, I thought you'd be at it till morning. Good work. At least I'll get a couple hours of sleep before we head out — I'm not a fan of alertness potions," the warrior praised me, having counted every single swing the whole time.

  He turned out to be a decent guy. He even offered a few solid tips and allowed short breaks. Along the way, Torig entertained me with his stories, which helped take the edge off the evening somewhat.

  At dawn, the squad set out in near-full strength to find adventures — I mean, demons. They didn't bring the recruits, but Gera and I, as squires, were exceptions. Well, the exception was for Gera — I would've gone regardless, since I was essentially the guide.

  Rol was clearly disappointed about being left behind, and the other recruits looked unhappy too. In their minds, they weren't being given a chance to prove themselves. In mine, they were just being kept from dying a stupid death before completing full combat training.

  This time, unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to ride with Katrina. I ended up on a horse with Gera, who was naturally thrilled about that — but she accepted it silently as given.

  "Get handsy and I'll throw you off," the girl warned the instant I settled in behind her. Not that I had any thoughts on the matter — flat rear, no chest to speak of. Cute face, sure, but the rest of her figure was too scrawny to pique my interest.

  The squad rode at a decent pace along the old road in the right direction. The journey was mind-numbingly boring, and attempts to entertain myself by talking to Gera went nowhere. She remained cold. At some point I just gave up trying to build a rapport. Maybe with time she'd make the first move. Until then, let things run their course.

  We were traveling significantly faster than a loaded wagon would've, owing to the lack of carts, so familiar landmarks began appearing after about five hours. Soon I spotted the road I recognized.

  "This way!" I called to the squad, pointing toward the turnoff.

  A couple of minutes later, we were approaching the site of the bandit fight, but we didn't stop — rode straight through. And about thirty minutes after that, we reached the old campsite. Nothing had dramatically changed, except that little remained of the demon carcass. Apparently, the local wildlife wasn't above snacking on Inferno spawn.

  "It was here," I said, dismounting. "I killed the demon here." I pointed to the bloodstain near the remnants of the campfire. "Though there's not much left of it now."

  "Günther, can you find a trail?" Katrina immediately asked the mage.

  "I'll try. There's blood here, so chances aren't bad."

  "Do it."

  The mage crouched over the stain and began tracing magical diagrams in the air. My knowledge, gleaned from the book he'd given me, wasn't enough to understand what exactly he was doing.

  Then a faint glowing thread appeared in the air, hovering about half a meter above the ground and stretching into the forest. I couldn't resist reaching out to touch it, but my fingers passed right through.

  "Trail confirmed," the mage reported. "But from here on, we'll have to go on foot."

  After hobbling the horses, we set off on our own legs. Gera and I were positioned in the center of the formation. Katrina walked near the front, while Günther plodded alongside us. As I understood it, the mage never fought on the front line, since rapidly constructing spells in the thick of things could be problematic.

  We marched long and slow, the trail leading us deeper into the forest. At least the insects weren't too bad — thanks to Günther. He'd cast some kind of bug-repelling spell around the squad, so at least that wasn't an issue.

  Toward evening, we were starting to consider making camp when we unexpectedly spotted lights ahead. Katrina immediately sent a pair of scouts forward, who soon reported ruins up ahead.

  "Looks like we found where the demon came from," the paladin smirked with satisfaction.

  The squad was tired, but hesitation wasn't an option. Günther distributed small vials of green liquid to everyone.

  "What's this?" I asked.

  "Vigor potion. Removes fatigue, though there can be side effects afterward. But for a squad about to engage without rest, it's indispensable."

  Satisfied with the answer, I drank the foul-tasting concoction and indeed felt my strength returning. Even my arms, which had been aching all day, stopped bothering me. I felt like I could move mountains barehanded.

  Once everyone had taken the potion, the squad began its cautious approach to the ruins. Katrina split her people into two groups — one under her command for a frontal assault, the other to circle around and hit from behind.

  No surprise that I ended up in Katrina's group. Probably because I was hard to kill and would likely survive taking the brunt of the enemy's initial attack. Gera, on the other hand, was sent with Günther. The girl was clearly unhappy about it but didn't dare argue with her mistress. She didn't want to lose the one area where she had me beat — discipline. Unlike me, Gera followed every order without question. I had issues with that.

  So our group consisted of me, Torig, Lady Katrina, and eleven more fighters whose names I couldn't remember. I needed to fix that — I'd be serving with these guys, and I only knew their faces. Meanwhile, they all addressed me by name.

  We moved slowly, trying to stay quiet.

  "Looks like they're performing some kind of ritual," Torig said from slightly ahead.

  "Lucky us," Katrina smirked again.

  We spread out, pressing against the stone ruins. Peeking over the top, I saw three people standing near some kind of pedestal. Two of them were casting spells; the third — honestly, I had no idea what he was doing. Walking circles, occasionally bending down, skeptically surveying the proceedings.

  They wore perfectly ordinary clothes. And here I'd thought dark mages were supposed to wear black robes.

  "Cultists," Katrina whispered.

  "Yep," Torig confirmed. "But I don't see any affiliation markings. Can't tell which sect they belong to."

  "Who cares? Kill them first, sort it out later," another fighter suggested.

  Besides the people, I spotted five demons identical to the one I'd killed.

  "Ready? Attack on my command."

  Katrina's "command" turned out to be blasting the mages with a Touch of Light. It didn't do significant damage, but it blinded them and interrupted the ritual. The demons charged us without waiting for orders, but the paladin decapitated the first one with a single sword stroke. And naturally, one of the Inferno spawn made straight for me. Fortunately, after the first fight I had a rough idea of how these things moved. Sidestepping and slashing its hind leg wasn't too difficult.

  One of the warriors rushed in and crippled the other hind leg, and together we finished it off easily enough. Meanwhile, Katrina and Torig had killed two more. But by then the mages had recovered.

  An energy bolt sailed overhead and shattered a column behind us. Lightning struck one of our warriors, knocking him flat. And then the rest of the squad arrived as reinforcements. Günther blew one of the mages apart with a single powerful spell. Chunks of meat splattered my way. Two soldiers immediately drove their swords into the back of the mage standing nearby, while the third was tackled and pinned.

  "Alive! Take him alive!" Katrina shouted, but her well-drilled squad already knew the drill.

  The fight lasted all of two minutes.

  "Amateurs," Günther scoffed, surveying the battlefield. "Didn't even bother setting up a detection ward."

  "What interests me more is the ritual they were performing," Katrina said, eyeing the bound dark mage. Half his face was swollen, and since they'd slapped on anti-magic shackles, all he could do was glare at us with pure hatred.

  Overall, the fight had gone surprisingly well and quickly. As Torig put it, if they'd been expecting us, things could've gone much worse.

  I was more interested in what sat on the pedestal. It was a skull encrusted with gemstones, sporting horns and teeth more reminiscent of a shark's. Something sinister and simultaneously mesmerizing emanated from the strange skull, making it impossible to look away from the black eye sockets and the glittering stones.

  "You feel it too?" Gera asked, walking up beside me. I wasn't even surprised by her appearance — I kept staring at the magical object, transfixed. And I had zero doubt it was magical.

  Everyone else was more concerned with the injured soldier and the dark mage sitting on the stone floor, mentally wishing us all dead. Very unwise of him.

  Gera, admiring the object, eventually couldn't resist and reached out her hand. Katrina, busy tending to the lightning-struck warrior, noticed too late.

  "Don't touch anything!"

  But it was too late. The girl's fingers brushed the skull's teeth — and its jaws snapped shut instantly, biting off the tip of her index finger. Gera recoiled with a cry of pain, and the gems on the skull began to glow.

  "Akha-Hangu-Sikarazafvakht Angura!" the dark mage mumbled something unintelligible and erupted in sinister laughter.

  "Shut him up!" Katrina ordered, rushing toward us. Meanwhile, the skull's glow only intensified, and then something flared behind it. "Get back!"

  The air behind the skull began to shimmer, gradually forming into something like a mirror framed in crimson flame. But the strangeness didn't stop there — because something stepped out of that mirror.

  It was a massive monster, four meters tall. In its right hand it gripped something like an enormous sword, from whose hilt extended a chain. But the more interesting detail was where the chain went — directly into the creature's arm. Its left limb was grotesquely oversized, with long, sharp blades instead of fingers, each about half a meter long. The head appeared encased in a carapace, and the maw looked more insectoid than anything, which only added to its alien horror.

  "I think we're in trouble…"