When I come back from the border city…

It was night, and the plains were utterly silent.

Only the flawless, bright moon still hung in the sky.

In the distance, the constructed city walls were ablaze with lights.

The patrolling soldiers’ gazes continuously swept across the plains outside the city, allowing no hidden movements.

A grim, murderous aura could be felt emanating from them, an atmosphere forged only through the crucible of blood and fire.

This marked their transformation from ordinary superhumans into seasoned soldiers.

However, a dark silhouette slowly descended onto a hillside not far from the city.

The person in the lead had broad, blood-red wings, which he folded behind him as he landed.

Seeing him land, the other dark figures already on the hillside all addressed him respectfully, “Lord Baron!”

Among the vampires, bloodline was an absolute form of suppression, a hierarchy no one could break.

Therefore, as the instigator of the raid and the only noble present, everyone here was obligated to be utterly respectful.

Baron Hyde gladly accepted the reverence of the vampires present.

As a vampire who had once tasted human blood, he simply could not tolerate a life of consuming the blood of magical beasts.

He intended to use this raid as an opportunity to capture a batch of humans not on the official registers and take them back to his territory.

“Since you have all come here, it means you all miss the taste of fresh blood immensely.”

Hyde’s words made the assembled vampires nod in agreement.

“Then, as long as we enter this Northern Border Defense City before us, we can plunder the humans inside as we please.”

Hyde’s gaze rested on the heavily guarded Northern Border Defense City ahead, as if he were looking at an all-you-can-eat buffet of blood bags.

He fantasized about the day they would breach the city, listening to the terrified screams and wails of humans, just like the old days of conquest and plunder.

However, someone stepped forward at this moment, expressing slight hesitation, “The humans defending the border city opposite us must have high-sequence individuals. With our strength alone…”

The person did not continue, but his implication was clear.

Hyde, as a mere Baron, was only at Sequence Four.

If the Northern Border Defense City was truly so easy for him to breach, then even with the Queen’s command, the humans would not have been able to live here in peace until today; it would have long since become the vampires’ back garden.

Uncharacteristically, Hyde did not deny the other’s words, nor did he fly into a rage.

Instead, he nodded in agreement, “I understand, but our objective this time is not to assault the city, but to bypass it and plunder.”

“Bypass the border city?”

This statement caused a stir among the crowd.

The defensive line formed by the six border cities supported one another.

If they were to simply bypass it, they would risk having their escape route cut off by the two adjacent border cities.

“Lord Baron, we answered the call to participate in a raid, not to be fools who cross the defensive line only to die.”

“Even if I don’t spell it out, Your Lordship should understand the risks of bypassing the border city!”

For a moment, emotions ran high.

Hyde allowed them to say everything on their minds in one go.

If he were to suppress them now and not let them voice their opinions, it would be inconvenient to command them later.

Only after everyone present had more or less said their piece did Hyde slowly begin to explain, “We are not the only ones participating in this raid. There are many other teams like ours. As for the threat from the border cities, three Earls will take care of it. In return, all you need to do is hand over a portion of your spoils.”

At this, everyone fell silent.

An Earl among the vampires represented Sequence Six, and there were three of them acting together.

For ordinary vampires like them, this was basically the pinnacle.

To advance further to Duke or Marquis, it took more than just simple strength.

With three Earls making a move, it meant that for this raid, they only needed to follow behind and pick up the scraps.

After hearing the news from Hyde, the minds of everyone present began to stir with ideas.

They knew that on their own, they lacked the ability to initiate such a raid.

Each of them began to calculate how to maximize their own gains.

Looking at the silent crowd, Hyde was particularly satisfied.

He asked deliberately, “So, everyone, are you still going to participate in this raid? It’s not too late to back out now.”

“Lord Hyde, I’ll go back and gather my men right now!”

“Me too!”

The vampires, in a complete reversal, began to eagerly express their commitment to Hyde.

They knew from Hyde’s words that there were many teams like theirs.

If they were too slow, it was hard to say if there would even be a place left for them.

Of course, they had to seize this opportunity to show their loyalty to Hyde, fearing they would be kicked out.

After agreeing on a gathering point and a time for the attack, the assembled vampires scattered and left, returning to gather their forces for the upcoming raid.

None of them noticed that a pair of eyes was watching their every move from the shadows.

‘The Northern Border Defense City?’

Eve, who was in the middle of a training camp at the superhuman school, was currently taking off her magenta school uniform jacket, leaving only a white shirt underneath.

However, compared to her snow-white, smooth neck, the white shirt no longer seemed so white.

“Eh? Eve, you don’t know? Didn’t Teacher Bai mention it in class this afternoon?”

The girl who was speaking looked at Eve taking off her jacket, her eyes lingering with envy on the fullness that strained against her white shirt, especially when compared to her own flat chest.

In response to her roommate’s words, Eve shook her head, indicating she didn’t know.

She had spent the entire day in class worrying about whether Su Ran had been eating his meals on time.

How could she have had the mind to listen to what the school’s teachers were saying?

“Are you worried about that boyfriend of yours?”

“Lily!”

Her thoughts exposed, Eve’s voice rose an octave, and the heat on her face intensified.

Lily was Eve’s roommate.

Since Eve was never in the dorm every day, it was impossible to hide the matter of Su Ran from her.

After all, she needed Lily’s help with roll call to deceive the teachers.

“If you ask me, what’s so special about that boyfriend of yours that makes you go back every day?”

Lily rested her chin on her hand, her eyes filled with a curiosity known as gossip.

“He’s wonderful, wonderful in every way.”

Faced with Lily’s question, Eve replied softly with a smile on her face.

Perhaps Eve didn’t notice it herself, but she didn’t deny Lily’s reference to him as her “boyfriend.”

“Oh my, I’m so jealous. Anyway, we’ll graduate after we go to the Northern Border Defense City. Why don’t you two just get together officially after you come back? It’ll save you from all those people at school who keep pestering you.”

“To others, maybe a union between two superhumans is the right answer, but in my opinion, liking someone is the most important thing. Eve, you shouldn’t care what others say.”

Lily’s casual words were spoken without much thought, yet they made Eve freeze, and the hand putting away her clothes paused.
‘Together?’

She murmured softly, seeming to genuinely consider Lily’s suggestion.

However, no one noticed the sorrowful look that clouded Eve’s features.