Chapter 37 - 32 Isabella
Chapter 37 - 32 Isabella
As the dull sun completely vanished below the horizon, Lancelot and his two companions were ready inside the tomb.
The room neatly housed rows of coffins, but the most eye-catching were the three ornate stone coffins in the center. Carved from a single massive rock, they were adorned with intricate patterns and ancient characters that had long become indistinct from the ravages of time.
Their actual target appeared to be nothing more than a box, carelessly tossed into an inconspicuous corner of the chamber. If not for Lancelot’s extraordinary sensitivity of Spiritual Sense developed after becoming a Spiritual Cultivator, he certainly wouldn’t have noticed this ’bonus’ that came with the tomb.
Spiritual Sense is a very mysterious sense, somewhat like an enhanced sixth sense. It could help Lancelot detect precious materials dense in energy, as well as allow him to gauge the strength of his enemies. Creatures like Succubi and Berserk Demons felt relatively weak to him, the six-armed Serpent Demon Sonam was extremely dangerous, and the Succubus Lord Tijana was unfathomable.
Lancelot was very certain that with his current strength, he had not even a tenth of a chance of victory.
That’s why he made sure to avoid making Tijana an enemy, besides which it made no sense for a visitor to fall out with their hostess.
From the wooden box began to come creaking and squeaking noises, sending a surge of tension through the trio. Bruto and Lancelot stood at the front while Kalalin postioned himself at the rear, forming an inverted T formation behind the box.
The lid was gently pushed open, and a female figure sat up. She stretched lazily, then just sat there staring blankly at the ceiling.
After spacing out for a while, she let out a deep sigh and began to crawl out of the box.
At that moment, Bruto subtly adjusted his stance, making a slight noise.
The sound caused the figure to stiffen with fear. She seemed terrified of something behind her, and yelled into the air:
"I’m an Undead too, please no ghosts or zombies come looking for me..."
"Mmm-hmm," Lancelot decided it was best to make his presence known.
She turned around trembling, revealing a beautiful human face now dominated by an expression of fear. It was then that Lancelot took out a dining knife on which he had cast a Light Spell, illuminating his face from below like a torch.
"Ghost!!!!!!"
She let out a piercing scream, scrambling out of her coffin and sprinting towards the exit of the tomb chamber.
"Wait a moment!" Lancelot called out hastily, but the panicked figure obviously wasn’t going to listen to anything he said.
A loud thud resounded as the entrance to the tomb acted like a wall of air, barring the Vampire from entering without the master’s invitation.
It seemed that the basement was considered part of the dwelling as well.
"Ow, that hurts..."
Lancelot watched helplessly, signalling to Kalalin with a nod, who unfolded a scroll he had been holding all this while.
"Hey!" He tried again to attract her attention, raising the torch-like dining knife high, illuminating the whole tomb chamber.
She was a young human girl, who seemed a few years shy of adulthood. With golden hair, pale skin, and light blue eyes, her juvenile face still held a touch of baby fat. Lancelot noticed she wore a courtly-styled dress, stained with what was likely her own blood.
The bright light finally dispelled her fear, and she saw the figures of Lancelot and his companions clearly. In her eyes, disbelief began to emerge:
"My goodness, could the Goddess have heard my prayers? Have you come to rescue me? Is that Wolfgang fellow dead? It has been several days since I last heard his voice in my head..."
"I’m sorry, we weren’t aware of your existence before, but Wolfgang should indeed be dead. Someone saw him being thrown into the Stygian River."
"Oh, heavens, that is the best news I’ve heard since my death." The person showed a relieved expression, then became puzzled again, "But who are you folks, and why can’t I leave suddenly today when I used to clean up every day? Did you cast some kind of magic?"
Lancelot looked back at Kalalin, who nodded and confirmed:
"There is no influence of magical items, alignment is good, just like you all."
"Let’s find a more suitable place to talk and explain in detail." Lancelot performed a knightly bow, "My name is Lancelot, may I ask what the miss’s name is?"
"Isabella." The beautiful vampire returned a standard court curtsy, "I am Isabella, Sir Lancelot."
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In the drawing room, the three of them sat on the sofa, listening to Isabella recount her ordeal.
As soon as Isabella mentioned she came from a kingdom called ’Amberhill’, Kalalin jumped up from the sofa, saying that he had heard of this nation. It was located at the other end of the continent in his origin world, renowned for exquisite art and fine wines.
Isabella did not understand Kalalin’s excitement until he explained that the world they came from, the world that Lancelot and Bruto came from, and the world they were now in were all different; only then did she show a shocked expression.
She said she was a servant to a princess and was attacked in a royal garden about three months ago. The princess was killed on the spot, and none of her entourage escaped the calamity.
But when she opened her eyes once more, all she saw was darkness, and a voice in her head that she couldn’t resist commanded her to push the lid open and climb out. The one who killed her had become her master; she remained a maid, but now her range of activities was limited to a tiny tomb and this small building.
While she was narrating her story, Lancelot carefully watched her expressions. Aside from lying about some trivial details, her account was mostly true. Lancelot did not expose her, as everyone has their secrets, and he was no exception. As long as the secret didn’t harm anyone, it was okay.
"So you’ve only been ’transformed’ recently. No wonder you don’t look at all like a vampire; even your fangs haven’t grown out yet," Kalalin said with a sigh, "The good news is, you’re free now surrounded by friendly people, and that vampire who killed and enslaved you will never come back to trouble you again."
"There’s always bad news after good news." Isabella curled up on the sofa, hugging her knees, "Tell me, it can’t get any worse."
"The world we’re in now is called the Abyss, and this is exactly where Demons hail from. Things worse than death are quite common here. Our long-term goal is to return to our original worlds, but for the near term, surviving is our main task."
"Speaking of which, who exactly are you, and why are you here?" she asked.
Lancelot had to spend some time again to give her an overview of Twin Bridges Town and their situation as a trio.
"No wonder I felt like I hit a wall just now. So there’s a rule that vampires can’t enter a residence without the owner’s permission," Isabella suddenly remembered something and blushingly said, "Um, I must return to that box to rest during the day, may I continue to stay here? I can help you clean the rooms, do the housekeeping, and watch the house when you’re not around..."
Her voice grew softer as she spoke, seemingly less confident about the task of house watching.
"Of course, a knight would not abandon a damsel in distress," Lancelot said with a smile, "Welcome to join us, Isabella. That tomb will be your room from now on. But for now, let’s leave this place and get to know the city where we’ll be living next."