Carlyle heard Vivian’s remark, and a layer of sweat broke out on his forehead. He looked at Nolan with a worried gaze.
Nolan shook his head and said, “That’s not appropriate. Such behavior would be unjust.”
Having said that, he pulled a piece of jerky out of his pocket that he had taken from Edward’s house. Without even asking for Vivian’s opinion, he stuffed the jerky directly into her mouth.
“If you’re feeling unwell, chew on some jerky to distract yourself.”
He leaned down, leaning toward Vivian’s ear, and whispered in a low voice, “I know you’re hungry, but you’ll have to bear with it for a little longer.”
“When night falls, I’ll let you have a few sips, alright?”
Taking a vampire for a wife naturally came with the obligation of providing her with blood. This thought was engraved deep in Nolan’s heart like a brand.
His lips were almost pressed against Vivian’s ear. His warm, moist breath combined with his low voice lightly brushed against the tip of her ear.
Vivian’s small face instantly turned beet red. Her eyes flashed with excitement as she said, “I want to drink until I’m stuffed!”
“As you wish.”
“Yay!”
Nolan gently patted her soft hair. ‘How much blood can a little sprout like Vivian drink? It’s not like she’ll suck me dry.’
“Pack your things and come with us,” Nolan said, turning back toward the caravan leader, Carlyle. “If you are unwilling, I will have to resort to forceful measures.”
He raised the longsword in his hand.
“Lord Knight, I am more than willing to prove my innocence to the Church, but…” Carlyle squeezed out a look of utter heartbreak, wiping away tears with one hand and snot with the other. “But, I must lead this caravan into the city for a brief rest. This caravan is my life’s work, yet it has just been attacked by a demon, resulting in heavy losses of both personnel and goods. If this isn’t handled properly, my entire family might end up wandering the streets!”
He lowered his head in a humble posture, frantically weeping and complaining to Nolan.
“Fine. You may bring the caravan and come with us,” Nolan said after a moment of consideration. “Once we reach Ma’en City, I will take you to the Church.”
“Thank you for your tolerance, Lord Knight. I’ll have the men pack up everything immediately so we can set out.”
Carlyle’s expression brightened with joy as he turned and ran toward the rest of the caravan.
Under Carlyle’s command, the caravan, which had been in a state of chaos, quickly regained order. They began methodically gathering the goods scattered on the ground and calming the frightened pack beasts.
A short while later, the caravan abandoned several boxes of severely damaged goods and left behind seven unlucky souls who had lost their lives in the demon attack. Finally, they dragged their wheels out of the deep sand and set off toward Ma’en City.
Vivian and the others followed at the rear of the caravan, keeping a close eye on Carlyle as he moved back and forth through the ranks.
Time passed as the sun dipped toward the west. As the last beam of sunlight vanished over the horizon, night fell.
The caravan, which had been traveling across the endless sea of sand for an entire day, came to a halt. Because the road conditions ahead were less than ideal, wheels kept getting stuck in the sand. This had severely slowed the caravan’s progress, to the point that they hadn’t even cleared the desert by nightfall. They were forced to rest upon the sand.
The temperature difference between day and night in the desert was massive. During the day, the direct assault of the sunlight caused the atmosphere to reach abnormally high temperatures. But at night, the temperature in the wilderness would drop below freezing.
The group quickly hauled large bundles of firewood from the wagons. They lit three large campfires in the wilderness.
Vivian sat before a campfire, her eyelids drooping. She hugged Nolan’s arm tightly to her chest, using his warmth to heat her cold skin.
“I’m hungry… I want to drink blood…” she said weakly, shaking Nolan with hollow eyes.
Nolan turned his head and looked at Vivian’s face, which was dyed red by the firelight.
“Then let’s find a corner in secret,” he whispered.
He took Vivian’s cold little hand and led her behind a wagon at the rear of the line.
Not far away, Carlyle, who was warming himself by the fire, slightly turned his large bald head. From the corner of his eye, he saw the two of them acting suspiciously as they walked together into the shadows. He watched until Vivian and Nolan’s figures were hidden by the wagon.
‘Hmm? What are they doing?’ Carlyle frowned. ‘They… they aren’t going to that corner to sneak a little intimacy, are they!?’
His heart jolted. Carlyle had long noticed that the relationship between Vivian and Nolan seemed a bit special. Whenever they had the chance, the two of them would stick together. The logical explanation was that they were a pair of passionate lovers…
At that moment, a sinister glint flashed in Carlyle’s eyes. An evil plan sprouted in his mind. ‘Perhaps I can strike them when they’re at their most passionate and their guard is at its lowest!’
*Heh heh heh…*
He couldn’t help but let out a sinister laugh. He slowly retracted his distorted facial muscles, putting on a calm expression that showed no signs of anything unusual. He patted the shoulder of the guard next to him and said in a heavy voice, “It’s too stuffy here. I’m going for a walk nearby.”
Without waiting for the guard’s response, he quickly stood up. He first made a few rounds around the perimeter of the caravan as a pretense. Then, he changed direction and stealthily crept into his own carriage.
He opened a hidden compartment beneath the seat and rummaged through it until he found a dagger wrapped in cowhide. Carlyle carefully unrolled the leather to reveal a plain-looking dagger. There were no extra decorations or carvings on the blade; it simply glowed with a faint blue luster. One could find several identical models in any blacksmith shop on the streets of Ma’en City.
However, Carlyle’s expression was solemn. He devoutly closed his eyes and prayed silently in his heart. Then, he respectfully hung the dagger at his waist, hiding it under his heavy coat. He treated the weapon with as much care as he would his own wife.
As he went to close the compartment, he caught sight of a small holy icon lying in the corner. His movements hesitated for a moment.
‘I’d better bring this too. The opponent is a Paladin. If something goes wrong…’
Carlyle took the icon and hung it on the other side of his waist. He did a final equipment check, and once everything was ready, he closed the compartment and stepped out of the carriage.
A faint smile hung on his face. He looked entirely like someone taking a leisurely stroll after a meal.
Carlyle walked toward the carriage where Vivian and Nolan were hiding as if nothing were wrong. When he reached the blind spot of the carriage, he slowly lay down on the ground. He looked toward the other side from beneath the wagon. It wasn’t until he saw two pairs of feet pressed close together that he straightened his back in satisfaction.
They were still there!
But Carlyle didn’t intend to strike immediately. The critical moment hadn’t arrived yet… He would observe the situation first. He pricked up his ears and focused his attention, listening for movement behind the wagon.
“Wait, Vivian. Let me prepare myself.” A low male voice drifted over.
‘Ho ho! Is the girl the proactive one?’ While eavesdropping, Carlyle didn’t forget to mock them in his mind.
“Hurry up and take it off! I can’t damn well wait any longer!”
‘Damn! This is intense!’ Carlyle hadn’t expected the girl who looked like a dead fish to be such a person in private. ‘Women are truly like floods and ferocious beasts; one must not get close…’
Carlyle waited a bit longer. He noticed that the voices behind the carriage were gradually fading away.
The time was ripe!
He quietly drew his dagger and held it in his hand. Keeping his footsteps light and using the darkness as cover, he stealthily rounded the carriage and crept toward the back.