DMS Chapter 187
DMS Chapter 187
The rain had started again, and Flinx thought the family running for their lives was truly unfortunate. Since autumn had begun, the night air was especially chilly. Combined with the rain, the conditions would almost certainly cause the couple's children to catch a cold or develop a fever.
Flinx adjusted the Diamond Rank Adventurers' Guild medallion hanging from his neck so it would be the first thing the family noticed when they knocked on his door.
As expected, frantic knocking soon echoed through the cabin.
When Flinx opened the door, the man—who looked terrified but was trying his best to remain brave—immediately spotted the medallion and visibly relaxed.
"Sir Wizard, please help us. Our family is being chased by bandits," the man pleaded.
Flinx stepped aside and invited them in.
"Don't worry. The men chasing you won't be able to find my cabin. I've already prepared hot water in the bathroom. It's a little small, so you'll have to make do. I've also laid out dry towels and clean clothes for all of you. Get warmed up first, and we'll talk once you're comfortable."
The children, realizing they had finally reached safety, immediately burst into tears. The younger boy looked about six or seven years old, while his older sister appeared to be around nine or ten. Their mother quickly ushered them into the bathroom to wash away the cold.
After the two children finished their hot showers—Flinx's cabin had no bathtub—it was their parents' turn.
While the family was occupied, Flinx stepped outside and cast his fourth-level Wizard spell, Hallucinatory Terrain, causing anyone searching for the cabin to be led astray.
Once the spell was complete, he returned inside and prepared a generous meal.
The children, now waiting for their parents to finish bathing, watched with wide eyes as Flinx prepared the food. To them, it probably looked as though he was conjuring an entire feast out of thin air.
When everything was ready, Flinx turned toward the children.
Despite the warmth of the fireplace, both were still shivering. His earlier suspicion had been correct—they had developed fevers.
Ignoring the fear in their eyes, Flinx gently placed a hand on each child's forehead and cast his sixth-level Cleric spell, Heal. Their shivering stopped almost immediately.
By the time their parents emerged from the bathroom, they froze upon seeing the feast waiting on the table.
"Come. Join me for dinner," Flinx invited them.
He was pleased that the husband and wife neither hesitated nor stood on ceremony. They simply led their children to the table and began eating.
As they ate, Flinx noticed Conrad repeatedly glancing toward the open window. It was obvious the man remained worried about those pursuing them.
"As I said before, you don't need to worry about anyone finding this cabin. It's currently hidden by one of my illusion spells," Flinx assured him.
After everyone had finished eating, the woman laid her children down on the thick carpet in front of the fireplace. Within minutes, they were fast asleep. She then returned to the table and sat beside her husband.
"My name is Flinx. I'm a Diamond Rank wizard and adventurer from Ilioven. I'm currently traveling across this continent because I'm not originally from here and wanted to explore it. Now, who are you, and why did you lie to me about the people chasing you? I saw them myself, and they didn't look like bandits," Flinx asked quietly.
He deliberately kept his voice low so as not to wake the sleeping children. The steadily intensifying rain also helped mask their conversation.
"My name is Conrad, and this is my wife, Sophia. Our children are Lucy and Connor. I'm a hunter, and we live in the village of Harpsidol, about two days away on horseback. My wife works as one of the cooks at Count Menard's manor, which is located in the forest near our village," Conrad explained.
After taking a drink of water, he continued.
"Everyone in the village knew there was something strange about the count's family, but my wife accidentally witnessed Count Menard drinking blood from one of the female servants' necks. She fled the manor immediately and told me what she had seen. We didn't hesitate. We gathered our children and ran.
"We realized the count was one of the blood drinkers from the old folktales. Thankfully, it was already daytime, and according to those stories, blood drinkers cannot move about beneath the sun. We were worried, however, because the skies were overcast. Instead of coming after us himself, the count sent his human servants."
Flinx found the story both surprising and fascinating.
An actual vampire living openly as a noble.
Just like Count Dracula.
He wondered whether vampires were classified as monsters, like goblins and kobolds.
"Were there many mysterious deaths in your village that could be attributed to the count?" Flinx asked.
The couple exchanged glances before nodding.
"Actually... no," Conrad admitted. "No one has died under mysterious circumstances for years. The only deaths have been from old age or from people killed by beasts and monsters in the forest, and most of those incidents had witnesses."
Flinx looked toward Sophia.
"What about the servant you saw? Was she killed?"
Sophia shook her head.
"I don't know. I ran away as soon as I saw what was happening."
"So you aren't actually certain the count intended to kill her. Nor are you certain he intended to kill your family simply because you witnessed him drinking blood."
Flinx's questions caused both husband and wife to hesitate.
After a minute of silence, Conrad finally spoke.
"Maybe not... but I couldn't risk trusting him. Even if he didn't kill us, he could have imprisoned us to keep us silent."
Flinx nodded in understanding.
After the conversation ended, he assured the family that they could rest peacefully for the night because no one would find the cabin.
The couple looked utterly exhausted. They soon lay down beside their sleeping children in front of the fireplace and quickly drifted off to sleep.
Left alone, Flinx contemplated everything he had learned.
He decided he would meet Count Menard personally.
Based on Conrad's story, the count certainly drank blood, but there was still no evidence that he murdered people to obtain it. There was a possibility that the vampire survived without killing his victims.
As for Conrad and his family, Flinx intended to help them escape toward Ilioven by providing them with a sturdy mount. He would simply cast Phantom Steed, creating a horse capable of carrying all four of them safely away.
Earlier, Pip had reported that the count's servants had already returned to the manor. By now, Count Menard was almost certainly aware that someone had interfered with the pursuit.
Flinx wrote a polite letter introducing himself and requesting permission to visit the count. He openly stated that he was a Diamond Rank wizard adventurer from Ilioven and admitted that he had sheltered the family the count's men had been pursuing.
Once he finished writing, Flinx asked Pip to deliver the letter.
About thirty minutes later, Pip returned carrying the count's reply.
Count Menard welcomed Flinx's visit and invited him to the manor the following day.
The letter also claimed that the incident involving Conrad and Sophia had been nothing more than a misunderstanding. According to the count, he had merely ordered his servants to bring the couple back so he could speak with them.
Flinx simply smiled after reading the letter.
Tomorrow, he would finally meet an honest-to-goodness vampire count.