Chapter 27: Forced to Leave the Castle!

‘Am I going to die here?’

*Cough, cough…*

Phyllis spat out several mouthfuls of blood.

Her injured body was rapidly recovering under the influence of Carola’s Gift.

She could feel the broken bones within her slowly knitting back together, but the progress was sluggish—clearly not fast enough to deal with the immediate crisis.

The black leopard stepped in front of Phyllis.

As it looked at the blood she had coughed up, a flicker of madness appeared in its eyes.

To Phyllis’s shock, the black leopard began to lap up the blood she had spilled on the ground.

‘There’s still a chance!’

Phyllis endured the searing pain and rolled onto her feet.

Taking advantage of the moment the black leopard lowered its head to lick the blood, she used every last ounce of her strength to flee deeper into the castle.

“Ugh…”

A tearing pain erupted from her ribs.

Every breath felt as if a knife was being twisted in her lungs.

*Roar!*

She heard the low growl of the beast behind her.

The black leopard was clearly not satisfied with just a few drops of blood.

It shook its head, its cloudy red eyes locking onto the fleeing Phyllis once more.

*Whoosh!*

The leopard moved.

Its massive body pulled a blur of afterimages through the air.

Phyllis could no longer reach Carola’s room; the leopard was now positioned directly between her and her destination.

‘I have to find somewhere else to hide.’

Phyllis’s mind raced as she recalled the castle’s layout.

The branching corridor ahead led to one of the castle’s courtyards.

There were dense thickets of shrubs there that might provide a place to hide.

“Hah!”

Phyllis let out a sharp breath, trying to dispel her fear and bolster her courage.

Her claws dug deep into the stone crevices as she nimbly pivoted through the corridors, narrowly avoiding another pounce from the leopard by a hair’s breadth.

Phyllis darted into a narrow passageway cluttered with junk and discarded furniture.

The black leopard followed close behind.

Its massive frame made the passage feel cramped, forcing it to slow down.

It irritably swiped aside the obstructing debris, sending splinters flying everywhere.

Phyllis didn’t dare look back.

She could smell the scent of blood drawing closer and closer behind her.

10 meters, 5 meters, 3 meters…

The end of the passage was right there!

Phyllis leaped forward.

*Rip!*

A sharp pain shot through her hind leg.

The leopard’s talons had left three significant wounds on her calf, and blood instantly soaked through her skirt.

“Meow!”

Phyllis let out a muffled groan.

Losing her balance, she tumbled forward and crashed heavily onto the cold floor of the courtyard.

Dust billowed around her.

She struggled to crawl back up, but her injured leg could no longer support her weight.

‘It’s over!’

The leopard stepped gracefully out of the passageway, stretching its body under the moonlight.

It lowered its head, bringing its nose close to Phyllis’s bleeding calf.

It took a deep sniff and let out a satisfied purr from its throat.

Then, it did something Phyllis completely didn’t expect.

The leopard didn’t immediately bite through her neck.

Instead, it opened its mouth and carefully gripped the collar at the back of her neck with its teeth.

It was just like a mother cat picking up a kitten.

Phyllis’s entire body went stiff, not daring to move an inch.

She could feel the sharp fangs pressed against her skin.

If it applied just a little more pressure…

But the leopard simply lifted her gently, turned around, and began walking toward the far end of the courtyard.

‘Where is it taking me?’

Phyllis’s heart sank.

Was it going to use her as a hostage?

‘I’ve actually been forced out of the castle?’

Phyllis had observed before that one could leave the castle through the courtyard.

However, she had never known how to evade Carola’s surveillance, nor did she have the confidence to escape Carola’s pursuit.

Thus, she had never seriously considered this route.

And now, the leopard was leaping over the courtyard wall while carrying her in its mouth.

The leopard was incredibly fast.

It brought Phyllis to the western edge of the castle grounds, a place adjacent to a steep cliff.

The leopard gently placed Phyllis on the ground.

Then, before her very eyes, its body began to twist and distort.

The fur receded, bones restructured, and limbs lengthened…

A few seconds later, what stood before Phyllis was no longer a black leopard, but a gaunt, haggard male member of the Blood Tribe.

He wore tattered prison clothes, and the marks of shackles remained on his neck.

His cloudy red eyes stared straight at Phyllis.

“You…” Phyllis’s voice trembled.

“What are you going to do?”

“Blood…” the prisoner muttered repeatedly.

“Your blood…”

Phyllis endured her physical pain and scooted backward, her claws silently sliding out from her fingertips.

Because of Carola’s red eyes, white hair, and the fact that she could randomly increase Phyllis’s attributes, Phyllis didn’t mind Carola drinking her blood.

However, other members of the Blood Tribe were a different story!

Especially a male!

The mere thought was disgusting!

She would rather jump off this cliff and die here than allow such a thing to happen, “meow!”

“Your blood is miraculous…”

Fortunately for Phyllis, the prisoner didn’t pounce on her to bite.

He simply said the same thing Carola had said before.

“I know that already, meow!”

Phyllis scanned her surroundings and realized that escaping from this spot would be difficult.

Behind her was a cliff, and in front of her was the prisoner blocking the only path across the open ground.

There was no way to run!

“Unless she jumped from the cliff…”

Phyllis looked down at the height and shook her head.

‘That would be certain death, meow!’

“Do you want to drink my blood?”

Seeing that the prisoner wasn’t going to harm her for the moment, Phyllis tried to initiate a conversation.

“I did before, but…” the prisoner replied, “I don’t have that intention now.”

“Why, meow?” Phyllis asked, puzzled.

“Because your blood is miraculous. Just that small amount earlier was enough to restore my sanity. Let me introduce myself. I am Adrian Gangrel.”

“Phyllis,” she replied, giving her name.

“Well, since you’ve regained your sanity, can you let me go?”

Phyllis tried to negotiate her way out of the crisis, though she felt the possibility was slim.

“Let you go?”

Adrian Gangrel’s haggard face twisted into a terrifying smile.

He opened his mouth, revealing sharp teeth that glinted coldly.

“Regrettably, that is not an option, Miss Phyllis.”

‘As I thought.’

Phyllis wasn’t surprised.

If this vampire didn’t have plans for her, he wouldn’t have brought her out of the castle.

“…500 years ago, Carola Brujah threw me into the Scarlet Dungeon. My power was fading, and my sanity was collapsing…”

Adrian Gangrel slowly crouched down to look Phyllis in the eye.

A scent that was a mix of rust, dungeon mold, and wild beast wafted over her.

Phyllis winced and leaned back in disgust.

“But your blood… even such a negligible amount allowed me to find myself again. It even briefly restored a great deal of my power…” Adrian’s gaze became fervent.

“Drinking your blood directly would be too wasteful! I need you alive, by my side.”

“In your dreams, meow! Carola will definitely save me!” Phyllis retreated further.

“I’m not following an old creep like you who just crawled out of a dungeon!”

“Hmm? Then why do you like following Carola Brujah? She might be a bit stronger, but I’m not lacking either!”

A look of confusion appeared in Adrian’s eyes.

“That’s because Carola is pretty! Look at yourself, you’re nothing, meow!…”

Phyllis threw caution to the wind, scolding him incessantly.

What kind of luck did she have?

Every vampire she met thought her blood was miraculous! Every single one of them wanted to use her as a mobile blood bank!

She might as well just die!

“Sharp-tongued little cat…” Adrian’s voice turned low.

“Even if you say such things, it won’t change the fact that you’re staying with—ugh!”

A pair of hands suddenly burst through Adrian’s chest from behind.