Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

Long ago, humans were weaker and slower than the beasts they hunted. To survive, they had to rely on their strengths—endurance, adaptability, and sheer persistence.

Unlike fleet-footed predators, humans could run for hours without tiring, sustaining their chase until their prey collapsed from exhaustion.

Perhaps this was some ancient revenge.

Because now, I was the prey.

“Find them! Do not let them escape!”
“Search everywhere!”
“You don’t need to capture them—just don’t lose them! Once night falls, the Yeilings will take over the pursuit!”

Baron Jenryu, along with several other Ains, led a band of humans in relentless pursuit. While only a handful of them had properly trained in qi techniques, they didn’t need to be individually threatening—because they were tracking us down with unyielding persistence, never losing our trail.

Hilde glanced behind us and groaned.

“Ugh! These damn vampires! They don’t get tired, do they?”

“You’re saying something ridiculous. Vampires can’t get tired.”

“I know that! That’s not what I meant! It’s broad daylight, and they’re still chasing us! They should at least pretend to act like vampires!”

“The problem is sunlight, not the time of day. As long as they have a way to block it, they can move just fine.”

My plan had hit a snag.

For vampires, sunlight wasn’t just an inconvenience—it was a lethal threat, like a room full of wasps ready to sting at any moment. That’s why I had targeted Baron Jenryu first, disabling him and stealing his horse.

But I had overlooked something.

He was an Ain of the Dark Knight, Dullahan. And like any true knight, he had spare horses prepared. The moment we fled, he simply switched mounts and resumed the chase.

He wasn’t as fast under the sun, but he could still command his forces well enough.

Hilde, watching the headless vampire knight galloping after us, clicked her tongue.

“Look at him! He’s so smug because he knows he won’t die! I really want to punch that face!”

“I wouldn’t call it smugness. I just have a plan.”

“Oh? And what is it?”

“We need to take Baron Jenryu out of the picture.”

“…You’re not planning to ambush him again, are you? Because that would be stupid.”

Hilde gave me an incredulous look.

“You never turn around when you’re running! That’s like, the number-one rule of escaping! And he’s not just some low-rank Yeiling—he’s an Ain! Even if you completely kill him, it’d take at least a week! By then, we’d be surrounded ten times over!”

I smirked.

“That was… a very detailed explanation. You seem like you’ve been in this situation before.”

“…Tch.”

Of course, she had.

Hilde had once been known as the Faceless One, a fugitive and a sworn enemy of the Empire. Before she joined the Holy Sword Order, she had spent years on the run, evading capture. The entire reason she had learned transformation techniques was to escape.

If she weren’t carrying me on her back right now, she probably would’ve already slipped through the net effortlessly.