Chapter 284  : Chapter 278, The Furious Red Duke_l

Upon the throne. Veins protruded from the Red Duke’s face, his features twisted grotesquely like a devil emerging from the abyss.

“I asked you a question, why weren’t the planned people delivered?” The Duke’s voice echoed eerily, sending a chill running down one’s spine.

Under the Red Duke’s rage, the remaining members of the Blood Clan trembled in fear and awe.

Having gained power, the Red Duke had become increasingly ruthless.

Throughout Crescent Heights, no one dared to stand against him.

“Your Grace, this matter has always been handled by Fielding. There may have been some mistakes,” one of the vampires spoke.

The plan to subvert Pruell City had been exclusively handled by Fielding as per Red Duke’s strict orders against interference.

Hence, they were not exactly clear on how the plan was progressing.

Now that Fielding had messed up and the Red Duke was questioning them, they felt wronged and frustrated.

Humph!!

With a cold humph, the Red Duke vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of the speaking vampire in the blink of an eye.

He gripped the vampire by the throat, sank his sharp fangs into the neck, and greedily drank the blood.

Terror danced in the vampire’s eyes as he struggled to plead for mercy, but no sound came out of his mouth.

His body quickly withered and he eventually went limp as if drained of all strength.

His body was carelessly tossed aside.

Thump!

Thump! Thump!

Emulating this painful scene, the remaining vampires fell to their knees, their faces pale and legs shaking.

They realized the Duke’s mood today was terribly unstable.

He had killed one of their own just because of Fielding’s failure.

Even with the presumed death or disappearance of the young master, ‘Giovanni,’ the Duke had never displayed such intense emotions.

Maybe a full meal had eased the Red Duke’s temper somewhat.

“I don’t want to hear excuses, I want accurate information,” the Red Duke said coldly, his gaze sweeping across everyone present.

The hall fell into silence for a moment.

Another vampire spoke up, “Your Grace, my men found signs of a struggle on the way and a human corpse in a thicket of bushes. It seems that the blood servants we were escorting were robbed in transit.” The Red Duke raised an eyebrow, they were robbed?

Who would rob people on that road?

“Did you find any corpses of half -bloods?” the Red Duke returned to his seat.

No, the crime scene was spotlessly cleaned. Everything that could be taken was taken by the perpetrators. The human body found was presumably forgotten in the thicket or missed in the dark,” the vampire replied.

“Good, you did well,” the Red Duke offered some casual praise.

“Thankyou, Your Grace.”

The Duke’s gaze swept across the room again, “Who has information about Fielding?” he asked.

Once again, silence filled the hall.

Regarding Fielding, or rather, regarding Pruell City, it was as if a dark hole had swallowed any possible information about the place. Despite their number, no one had any leads.

The Duke’s expression turned furious again as he let out an exasperated sigh.

He turned to a nearby Blood Servant, “Go check the Faceless’s cottage. There should be a message by now.”

“As you wish, Your Grace,” the Blood Servant departed swiftly to check the news from the Faceless’s quarters.

Yesterday, the Duke sent a message from the Faceless’s dwelling and by today, he was expecting new news.

The wait wasn’t long.

The servant returned swiftly with an envelope, respectfully presenting it to the

Red Duke, “Your Grace, there’s a message.”

The Duke took the envelope and began reading.

It read, ‘Fielding attempted to assassinate City Lord Cyril of Pruell City and was executed and left in the sun for days.’

Bang!!

Upon seeing this message, the Red Duke slammed his fist onto his armrest.

How could Fielding attempt to assassinate Cyril?

But instantly another thought crossed his mind, someone else must have discovered their plot, killed Cyril, and framed Fielding for it.

This made things a lot simpler.

Pruell City would focus their attention on the Blood Clan and wouldn’t dig deeper into who was really behind it.

“Enough, everyone prepare for an attack on the Undead territories,” commanded the Red Duke flatly.

The Book of the Blood Clan had to be retrieved.

Since the route through Pruell City was blocked, and he was losing his patience, he decided to wage a war and simply snatch back the Book of the Blood Clan.

As for who was responsible for Fielding’s death and disrupting their plan, all he had to do was to wait and see who ascended as the new City Lord of Pruell City, and the truth would reveal itself.

“As you wish, Your Grace,” all the vampires responded in unison and, little by little, started to leave the room.

Quiet returned to the Blood Clan’s hall.

But the Red Duke, resting his chin in contemplation, seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. The Blood Servant stood silently waiting at his side, not daring to make a sound.

After a long while, the Red Duke reopened his eyes and commanded,” Prepare the carriage, we are going to Tanhoor Lake.”

“As you command, Your Grace,” the servant swiftly left to prepare the carriage.

Once everyone was gone, silence again filled the hall.

However, the Red Duke couldn’t help but feel a sense of growing terror.

He had had a nightmare during his daytime slumber.

In his dream, the people he had killed were seeking revenge while he constantly begged for mercy.

The woman who used to believe everything he said, didn’t trust him this time.

The woman gouged out his heart. The black heart spilled a thick, black fluid, and emanated a repulsive odor.

The next second, she tightened her grip, crushing his heart.

That was why he was inconsolably irritated today. frёeωebɳovel.com

Fielding’s death was only a small part of it.

More so, it was a persistent fear etched into his heart.

He was scared that the woman might return and kill him outright.

“Your Grace, the carriage is ready,” the servant reported.

The Duke abruptly stood up but just as quickly sighed and sat back down, “Never mind, I won’t go. Double the number defenses at Tanhoor Lake, not allowing anyone or anything to approach.”

“As you wish, Your Grace,” said the servant.

The next day, early in the morning.

Fang Hao, awakened by the noise outside, stretched lazily.

He rolled out of bed and after a quick wash, he immediately left the lord’s manor.

Today, the entire fief was abuzz with activity.

Food and weapons had been loaded onto the wagons and the Orcs were doing a final check.

“My lord!” Demitrija greeted Fang Hao upon seeing him approach.

Today, according to plan, was the day Demitrija set off for Crescent Heights. The journey, despite a well-defined route, would still take two to three days. “Demitrija, this is the Sound-transmitting Shell which you can use to contact me from the fief. Be careful of the Red Duke, and if you encounter any danger, use the Bone Dragon to return immediately,” Fang Hao handed over the shell, instructing him.

The shell was borrowed from Fireblade last night.

Since Fireblade was guarding the Frostwind Fortress and currently faced no immediate threats, it was decided to give the shell to Demitrija first.

“Rest assured, my lord, we shall be victorious in this battle,” Demitrija confidently claimed.

The contrast in forces was large, eight hundred thousand against sixty thousand.

Demitrija was confident of his victory.

“Good, I look forward to your victorious return.”