Reincarnated As a Vampire [English Version]

Chapter 27

The Princess Branded as a Threat

That day was supposed to be just another ordinary day at the Valderland Magic Academy. Classes were progressing quietly, the instructor's voice echoing through the grand hall. But everything changed in an instant.

The heavy doors of the hall burst open with a thunderous bang. The sharp clanging of metal boots struck the stone floor. A tall knight clad in full silver armor strode in, followed by a formation of fully armed guards.

They halted in the center of the hall. Tension filled the air.

"Apologies for interrupting your lesson," the knight said in a deep, formal voice. "We are here under royal orders to arrest Princess Avrora."

The room erupted in shock. All eyes turned to me at once. My eyes widened in disbelief.

What?! Arrest me?

Before I could react, Leon rose from his seat, his gaze sharp and burning with restrained fury.

"Why are you trying to arrest my sister?" he demanded.

The knight smirked arrogantly. "We carry an official warrant, sanctioned by the four great kingdoms. Only the Kingdom of Neverland refused to sign it. But one voice won’t stop justice."

Leon gritted his teeth. "What is the reason? What has Avrora done wrong?!"

The knight gazed at us briefly before replying coldly, "Princess Avrora has mastered all elemental magic. That makes her too great a threat to be allowed to live. Her sentence is execution."

A deafening silence followed.

"All elements…?"

"Impossible… Isn’t that just a myth?"

Whispers of fear rippled through the crowd. The once-friendly faces now turned doubtful and afraid.

My heart pounded. No… So someone really did overhear that conversation...

Alden stood up, his face filled with rage. His eyes locked onto Cleve.

"This is all your fault, Cleve! You must’ve eavesdropped and leaked it!" he shouted.

Cleve looked bewildered. "What? I don’t know what you're talking about!"

"Don’t play dumb, you bastard!" Alden clenched his fists, ready to punch Cleve. But just before the blow landed, a high priest entered the room.

"Stop, Prince Alden!" Gail’s voice echoed with authority. "If you assault Prince Cleve, we will be forced to arrest you for attacking a noble."

Alden hissed in frustration and backed off. "Tch."

"Seize Princess Avrora at once!" the knight ordered.

My body froze. My thoughts raced. What should I do?!

Without hesitation, Liza, Alden, and Zen leapt forward, standing between the knights and me.

"Avrora, run!" Zen shouted. "We’ll hold them off!"

Tears welled in my eyes. They… they truly wanted to protect me.

"Thank you… all of you..."

I tried to open a portal to escape. But my magic didn’t respond.

No way!

"This must be an anti-magic barrier..." I whispered. "In that case… there’s only one way."

I rammed my shoulder into the stained glass window and leapt out. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the academy.

But as soon as my feet hit the ground outside, my eyes widened. The knights had already surrounded the entire building.

Damn it… This was all planned from the beginning.

Suddenly, something coiled around me. Glowing chains wrapped around my wrists.

"Argh!"

"AI-chan! Help me!"

A calm voice responded inside my mind. "Sorry, Avrora. There's an anti-magic barrier here. I can’t activate your Demon Vampire powers."

"What? But why?! I need that power now!"

"You’ve become too reliant on it. To use it permanently, you must evolve into a true Demon Vampire. But to do that… you need to kill 10,000 humans."

"NO WAY!" I screamed in my heart. "I’m bound by these chains already!"

"Those chains were forged by Heroes. They’re holy and weaken dark powers. I can sense four Heroes nearby. We can’t fight them now. They’re the ones who defeated the Demon King sixteen years ago."

I bit my lip. So I really have no choice…

My body weakened. I collapsed to my knees. The knights quickly shackled me and dragged me away. I held back my tears.

---

Hours later, I awoke in the darkness of Valderland's royal prison. My arms were bound high in chains, my body limp.

Footsteps echoed. Gail entered, accompanied by a masked man.

"Hahaha… finally," he said, lifting my chin. "This is payback for the time you ruined my beautiful eye, Lady Avrora."

I glared sharply at him.

"This masked man… he’s the one who eavesdropped on all your secrets. I’ve had him following you from the very beginning. You were a fool to suspect Cleve."

Damn it. So I was wrong about Cleve… This was Gail’s scheme all along.

Gail stared at me, his eyes darkening with perverse intent.

"You’re so beautiful… It would be a waste not to inspect your lovely body before your execution."

"What are you planning…?"

He began to touch my sleeve, slowly pulling it down. I gritted my teeth.

"If you dare touch me… I will kill you!"

But Gail only laughed wickedly.

"Hahaha! Kill me? In your state? You can’t even stand!"

His hand moved toward my bare shoulder.

Damn it! I have to do something!

But before he could go any further—

"Stop right there!"

A commanding voice rang out across the prison.

Someone had arrived.

To be continued...