Gretel covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes wide open. She stood there dazed, staring at the scene inside without blinking, her mind completely blank.
After a while, Hansel, awakened by Gretel's movement, also came out since he couldn't sleep.
Seeing his sister curiously looking at Vlad's carriage, Hansel, not understanding what was going on, approached cautiously.
Only when a sharp "crunch" of a branch breaking sounded did Gretel, lost in thought, suddenly snap back to reality.
Noticing her brother was about to get closer to the carriage, Gretel's heart tightened. For some unknown reason, she didn't want him to find out what was happening, and immediately pulled the confused Hansel away.
Meanwhile, Vlad, feeling restless, paid no attention to what was happening outside.
Instead, his gaze stayed fixed on Mina, who was panting heavily as she moved on him.
Her pale skin was flushed an unnatural rosy red, beads of sweat slowly sliding down her slender waist with every rise and fall of her body.
Marishka, standing beside her, looked just as confused.
Vlad had been very disciplined lately thanks to Adrianna and her family's influence.
Even when Marishka occasionally teased or seduced him, he remained unmoved.
However, after seeing the strange relief mural the night before, Marishka, sensing Vlad had something on his mind, had invited him out with Mina to help him relax.
This time, driven by restlessness and a sense of premonition, Vlad didn't refuse. Instead, he used his energy to isolate the sounds inside the carriage and allowed himself to indulge.
That was how the previous scene unfolded.
Shortly after Gretel left, Mina, now stiffened, softly collapsed into Vlad's arms, bringing the somewhat hasty encounter to an end.
The three of them were unaware of a figure outside the carriage watching them in secret.
"Ka Ka~"
After loosening his stiff limbs, Vlad looked up at the late sky, dressed as usual, and went out early.
He was surprised to find Hansel and Gretel already awake.
Without overthinking it, Vlad walked over and greeted them warmly.
"Why are you two little ones up so early today?" he asked with a smile.
Usually close to him whenever possible, Gretel today avoided his gaze and blushed for no apparent reason.
Though puzzled, Vlad didn't press further.
Hansel, on the other hand, chatted on excitedly as usual.
Knowing the two were full of energy, Vlad smiled and said,
"Becoming a wizard isn't easy. You have a lot to learn, so be prepared."
"Who knows, someday it might be you two little ones protecting me," Vlad joked.
"We'll definitely become great wizards! When we grow up, we brothers and sisters will protect you, Uncle Vlad," Hansel declared confidently.
Even Gretel, though shy, looked at Vlad and nodded in agreement.
Vlad smiled warmly at the confident siblings, patted their soft shoulders to encourage them, then turned and headed toward the forest stream.
He scooped a handful of cool water from the stream, wiped his face casually, then suddenly looked up at the sky.
A dense, swirling flock of ghostly bats suddenly flashed across the distant horizon, rushing toward the far side of the forest.
Vlad focused on their direction. After a moment, a bat separated from his body, circled around him slowly, then flew into the air chasing after the flock.
Vlad turned and returned to the carriage to prepare breakfast.
Soon, a pot of delicious wild meat and mushroom soup was ready. The rich aroma spread throughout the camp, making the siblings helping nearby drool.
Marishka and Mina, now dressed, also stepped down from the carriage. They inhaled the scent and exclaimed in disbelief,
"Oh~ Master, I didn't know you had this skill!" Marishka said excitedly.
"There are many more skills you don't know about," Vlad teased, raising an eyebrow.
Marishka immediately gave him a teasing and provocative look. It was obvious this little girl's thoughts were seriously wandering, and she had misunderstood something.
Hansel and Gretel looked stunned.
Especially Gretel, whose face flushed red. Clearly, she had thoughts swirling in her mind, and she kept casting strange glances at several people.
Mina stepped forward, scooped a bowl of soup, tasted it, and praised it.
Until now, most of the camp's meals had been handled by her and Adrianna.
But today, Vlad, who had gotten up early, took over the task, having been delayed the previous day.
Mina never expected Vlad to have such impressive cooking skills.
Besides admiration, she looked at him with shining eyes.
Everyone had finished preparing and sat down to eat.
Just as they were about done, a bat suddenly landed on Vlad's shoulder, squeaked a few words, then transformed into a wisp of gray smoke that drilled into Vlad's mind.
Suddenly, vivid scenes unfolded in his thoughts like a movie, as if he was witnessing them firsthand.
Dozens of armored knights were escorting a carriage, rushing along a road flanked by dense jungle and tall trees.
Their hurried pace and panicked expressions were clear.
After blocking out irrelevant images, a group of bats descended from the sky, turned into vampires, stormed the convoy, and slaughtered the knights.
Although the knights were well-equipped, their lack of battle experience meant they caused little harm to the vampires.
As the death toll rose, many weak-willed knights tried to flee.
However, they were all intercepted and slaughtered by the vampires.
Looking closely, Vlad recognized one of the vampire guards as the one he had left behind with Verona.
The knights they were attacking, judging by the insignia on their armor, were clearly from the Church.
"We actually have a conflict with the Church. Now is definitely not a good time," Vlad murmured.