Son of the Baron

Spring always arrived late in the northern lands of the Glorious Empire. It wasn't until early April that the relentless snowstorms, which had plagued the region for half a year, begrudgingly receded, allowing the warm sunlight to once again grace the North and breathe life into all living things.

However, not everyone seemed to appreciate the radiant sunlight, like the man who had just emerged from the Grey Keep. He wore a leather tricorn hat, its brim pulled low, completely shading his eyes. Yet, even so, he seemed to find the sunlight excessively dazzling and raised his hand to lower the brim a few notches.

This young man appeared to be in his late teens, tall and handsome. He wore a black shirt with red patterns, and the crimson cross-striped knight boots reached up to his knees, causing his already slightly billowing black pants to swell further. In the presence of his knee-length wine-red coat, he exuded an air of nobility.

However, his complexion was unusually pale, as if recovering from a severe illness.

"Master Colin!"

"Master Colin!"

As he walked along, the servants from the Grey Keep greeted the young man with courtesy and well wishes. However, Colin seemed preoccupied, responding to their greetings with minimal attention.

After a while, he finally halted his steps in front of a small cottage, seemingly undecided about entering.

"Meow~"

In the corner of the wall, a little cat emitted a dissatisfied meow, as if reproaching the man for blocking its sunlight.

Colin Angley, snapped out of his reverie, glanced at the cat by his feet. The tension in his furrowed brow eased slightly, and a hint of a smile crept up at the corner of his mouth.

He crouched down and reached out to pick up the little cat.

"Meow!" The disgruntled feline hissed and clawed in protest, but it couldn't escape Colin's grasp. Eventually, it resigned itself and quieted down, though it continued to gaze at the foolish human before it, its eyes wide open.

Colin's fingers gently caressed the cat's delicate neck, as if contemplating something.

"Hiss—" Seeing the human in front of it gradually revealing sharp fangs, the little cat also bared its teeth in defiance.

After a short standoff between the two, Colin suddenly burst into laughter, placing the cat back on the ground.

"Meow! Meow! Meow~" Feeling victorious in its confrontation with the foolish human, the little cat proudly let out a few more meows.

Then it skillfully lay down, rolled over, and exposed its belly, signaling for the "defeated" subordinate to come and serve its master.

Unfortunately, the foolish human paid it no attention and instead stepped into the cottage.

Inside, the busy maidservants were taken aback at the sight of Colin. They promptly ceased their work and cautiously inquired:

"Young Master Colin, what brings you here? Dinner will take a while longer. If you're hungry, we can prepare afternoon tea for you."

"No need, I'm just strolling around." Colin scanned the kitchen, and upon spotting the tethered reindeer in the corner, he asked, "Is tonight's dinner reindeer meat?"

"Yes, Young Master. Carrot-stewed reindeer, along with vegetable soup, buttered bread, and wine," the maidservant replied.

Colin touched his cracked lips. "Skip the wine and prepare a glass of deer blood for me."

"Very well," the maidservants responded, slightly surprised by the request, but still nodded in agreement.

In their impression, only the Baron himself enjoyed drinking deer blood, while Young Master Colin had always preferred milder tastes.

After giving his instructions, Colin turned to leave. However, as he reached the doorway, something seemed to occur to him, and he turned back to issue another command:

"Add an extra serving of raw garlic."

"Yes, Young Master," the maidservants replied promptly.

But within their hearts, they silently criticized—Young Master Colin's taste is indeed becoming increasingly peculiar...

Night fell, and the restaurant on the top floor of Grey Castle was illuminated by a row of candles and the flames in the fireplace. The decor in the hall was luxurious, but it also had a rugged touch.

Above the fireplace hung a kite shield carved with a roaring bear's head, surrounded by variously styled paintings and animal skull specimens, showcasing the owner's prowess.

"Master, the wine cellar recently acquired several barrels of white grape wine from Winchester Manor. Would you like to try it?" After the maids finished setting up the dining table, the butler, Eamon, stood behind Colin with his hands folded, quietly making a recommendation.

"Last year, Winchester had a short rainy season with abundant sunlight. The quality of this batch of wine should be excellent and pair well with tonight's venison," Eamon added, concerned after learning about Colin's unusual behavior in the kitchen earlier.

Eamon had given up hope on the crude Baron Angley, but he had high hopes for young Colin, who was eager to elevate the Angley family's taste. However, Colin surprised him today by having the kitchen prepare deer blood and garlic! Eamon felt that he had to do something.

The Angley family had to become more elegant!

"Very well," swayed by the butler's words, Colin nodded in agreement.

Eamon smiled with satisfaction and promptly poured a glass of white wine for Colin.

"Is there anything else you need?" Colin waved his hand dismissively. "No, you may go."

"Very well."

As the butler's footsteps faded away outside the door, the spacious dining hall was left with Colin alone. His father, Baron Angley, was away at war, his mother had passed away years ago, and his sister was already married. Thus, Colin sat alone at the long, empty dining table. However, he didn't seem to feel lonely at all.

Quickly finishing the food in front of him, Colin drank the white wine while staring absentmindedly at the remaining deer blood and garlic.

After finishing the glass of wine, he finally picked up the cup of deer blood, furrowing his brow slightly, and brought it to his lips—there was no anticipated stench, no nausea. Colin drank it all in one gulp.

It was somewhat sweet.

Colin licked the corner of his mouth, unsure whether to be happy or sad.

"Could it be that I've really become a vampire?" Colin murmured softly to himself.

Then he put down the cup and took out a scroll of parchment from his pocket, laying it flat on the table. Using characters that didn't belong to this world, he recorded:

[Regular food does not produce a sense of satiety.]

[Drinking deer blood provides significant satisfaction and restores stamina.]

[Other blood types, to be tested...]

Setting aside the quill pen, Colin sighed.

What he desired most now was a "Beginner's Guide to Transmigration" or a "Vampire Survival Manual" or something similar that could provide him with guidance, instead of having to guess and experiment on his own.

Even if he didn't have those, it would be enough to transmigrate into an existing species in this world, so that Colin could clearly know what he was and have a path for advancement, maybe even find a mentor.

But unfortunately, in this world resembling a medieval Western setting, there was no record of vampires.

There were elves, orcs, trolls, naga... and even the extinct dragons that once ruled the world.

But there were no vampires.

Colin felt that he might be the world's first vampire.

This troubled him because, in his original world, vampires were creatures that existed only in fantasies.

Their abilities, weaknesses—everything was imagined.

And the settings varied across different works.

Therefore, in order to fully understand his new body and role, Colin could only experiment on himself...

So far, he had discovered that he was indeed very similar to the vampires of legends.

Aversion to light, bloodlust, immortality...

Yes, immortality.

Because when he arrived this morning through transmigration, he found...

A dagger was lodged in his chest.