Chapter 1: The Sword Saint’s Defeated Path

On a desolate plain, a swordsman clad in heavy armor knelt on one knee.

Blood covered his body, his chest heaving with labored breaths. His longsword was plunged into the ground, his hands gripping the hilt tightly to keep himself upright.

Before the swordsman stood a massive, two-meter-tall black scythe.

In stark contrast to the scythe’s imposing size was the petite figure of a girl.

She wore a black gothic dress, the lace-trimmed hem forming a striking gap with the black thigh-high stockings wrapped around her slender legs.

The girl sat perched on the scythe’s gleaming blade, legs crossed, gazing down at the barely breathing swordsman.

It was dusk, and half the sun had already dipped behind distant mountains.

The swordsman couldn’t make out the girl’s expression, only recognizing her vampire heritage by her waist-length snow-white hair and crimson eyes.

“No point struggling, Klein Bryant—is that your name, right?”

The girl propped her chin on one hand, eyeing the swordsman named Klein Bryant with amusement.

“You couldn’t beat me in daylight. Now that it’s night, you don’t seriously think you stand a chance, do you?”

Klein, leaning on his sword, lifted his head with effort to glare at the girl named Larvia.

“Shut up, Larvia.”

His voice fell, and another trickle of blood seeped from under his helmet.

“Sigh…”

Larvia sighed and leapt down from the scythe.

But the moment her feet touched the ground, Klein’s hands yanked the longsword from the earth.

“Holy Sword, Fraxus—”

He raised the blade high and charged at the unsteady Larvia.

“Die, Larvia!”

Facing the girl a head shorter than him, Klein showed no mercy, swinging his holy sword Fraxus down with full force.

The entire human empire knew Larvia’s name, but only Klein, who had fought her, understood how terrifying her strength truly was.

Thud.

With a soft sound, Fraxus, carrying all of Klein’s strength, was caught effortlessly between Larvia’s two slender fingers.

Klein poured his remaining mana into the sword, its core glowing brighter with golden light, but it wouldn’t budge an inch.

Looking up at Klein’s helmet, Larvia’s lips curved into a faint smile.

Crack.

With a slight twist of her fingers, Fraxus snapped in two with a crisp sound.

“Argh, my holy sword—”

Before he could finish, Larvia’s form blurred, and her knee slammed into Klein’s stomach.

Klein flew back several meters, the broken Fraxus falling beside him.

“Fraxus…”

Klein grabbed the sword, his fingers tracing the human empire’s crest etched on the hilt.

The sword that had been with him nearly his entire life would now fall with him in this wasteland.

“Cough, cough…”

Klein set Fraxus down, removed his heavy helmet, and spat out chunks of bloodied tissue.

“Well, well, so cooperative! Taking off your helmet for me already?”

Larvia’s voice came from above, and Klein instinctively looked up.

Meeting her crimson eyes, he felt a momentary daze.

By human standards, most would see Larvia as an underage beauty in the making.

But Klein knew the truth: this small girl was the queen who ruled all vampires.

“Ugh, you’re filthy.”

Larvia muttered, pulling a pristine handkerchief from her pocket. She dabbed it on Klein’s bloodied armor, then began wiping his neck.

“Don’t worry, the bloodsucking process doesn’t hurt at all~”

Larvia smiled, licking her lips and revealing sharp fangs.

“By the way, I didn’t expect the human empire’s Sword Saint to be so young.” She glanced at Klein’s youthful face.

Kneeling beside him, her casual chatter made Klein falter, as if the one talking wasn’t the vampire queen who’d just beaten him half to death, but an ordinary girl.

“What’s it to you?”

Klein snapped coldly, trying to distance himself from her.

He tried to spit at her face, but internal bleeding made him choke on his own blood instead.

Larvia shook her head, tossing the handkerchief aside, and leaned closer.

“Thanks for the meal~”

Klein felt her gently bite his neck, his life force draining with his blood.

He sighed inwardly, closing his eyes to accept death.

But seconds later, he noticed his life force had stopped draining.

“Hm?”

Klein opened his eyes, confused, to find Larvia looking at him with disgust.

“Okay, let me confirm: you’re that Sword Saint guy, right?”

“What… what do you mean?”

“I’m just curious—how did your people manage to make your blood taste this bad?”

“You… Larvia, you’d humiliate me even as I die?”

“Hmm…”

Larvia rubbed her chin, then her face lit up with realization.

“Ahem.”

She cleared her throat, propped Klein up, and helped him sit.

“Our royal maid corps is short on staff. Interested? I promise great benefits.”

“…?”

Klein doubted his ears.

“You won’t have to fight humans. I, Larvia Vandro, vampire queen, swear it’s just light chores. No answer? I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Wait!” Klein snapped back to reality. “No way! I’d never serve vampires!”

“Do we have any personal grudges, you and I?”

“…No.”

“Then let me ask: have we vampires invaded human lands in the last few millennia? Isn’t it always you humans stirring trouble? We drive them off, and you slap us with labels like ‘brutal’ and ‘bloodthirsty.’ Don’t lump us Truebloods with those Demonbloods.”

Klein was speechless.

“Ahem, about the benefits.”

“Eight-hour workday, including a one-and-a-half-hour lunch break, full-time position.”

“No way!”

“Four days on, three days off, plus twenty extra paid vacation days outside holidays.”

“…”

“Food and lodging included, thirty gold coins monthly.”

Klein calmed down.

First, he had no choice. Larvia was offering him a dignified way out.

If he refused dignity, she’d ensure it for him.

Besides, though he’d become a vampire, Klein had realized in his quest for strength that human bodies had limits. A higher race’s body might increase his chances of defeating Larvia.

Plus, this would let him get close to her, gather intel on her weaknesses, and prepare to defeat her later.

No creature was invincible. Even someone as strong as Larvia had to have a flaw.

It definitely wasn’t the benefits tempting him.

“Well? Decided?”

“I… never! Absolutely not!”

After a brief struggle, Klein shook his head fiercely, refusing.

Though he’d nearly been swayed, he couldn’t accept becoming a girl to serve his archenemy.

Thud!

Klein’s vision went black, and he passed out.

Larvia clapped her hands and turned to a nearby tree.

“Silia, is this the guy?” she called loudly.

A helmet peeked out from behind the tree, crimson eyes peering timidly through the visor’s slits at the fallen Klein.

Aside from the slits and breathing holes, the helmet had no other openings.

After staring at Klein, a figure in heavy, rune-covered armor emerged, wobbling toward him.

Despite the bulky armor, the figure, named Silia, was about Larvia’s height.

She reached Klein and stiffly crouched down.

“Seriously, he’s already like this. Do you need to keep wearing that armor?”

Larvia’s tone was exasperated.

Silia hesitated, then only removed her helmet.

Her face was nearly identical to Larvia’s, save for a single ahoge sprouting from her head.

“Yup, it’s him.”

Silia’s gloved hand gently tugged Larvia’s sleeve as she whispered.

“So, since he’s dead, I don’t have to be scared to go outside anymore, right?”

Her head shook like a rattle, her ahoge drooping.

Larvia shrugged helplessly.

“Fine, let’s head home.”

At the word “home,” Silia’s ahoge perked up, her eyes sparkling.

Some time later, Larvia returned alone to where Klein lay unconscious.

“Tch, you were this close to agreeing, and you backed out… what a waste of a chance!”

She grabbed Klein by the collar and dragged him toward a distant town.

After a few steps, she stopped, glancing around.

Confirming they were alone, she set Klein down, leaned in, and stuck out her tongue at him.

“Bleh—”