Story

In the blink of an eye, it was already the next morning.

Life at sea was unbearably dull, and there was so little room to move around.

The weather was stifling and humid.

It made Lothar more willing to stay by Prajna's side.

The constant chill she gave off was like a little air conditioner.

Fringilla did not have that ability.

Although her body temperature was icy as well, one had to get close to feel the cold.

They were not that intimate yet.

But no matter how unwilling he was to go out, Lothar still had to carry out the social duties expected of a knight.

For instance, instructing his two attendants to train the male settlers, and having the female settlers sew tunics bearing his coat of arms for the men of their villages.

He also had to supervise whether the sailors were properly caring for their horses and whether the horses showed any signs of seasickness or illness.

Hans could handle most matters on his own.

But Lothar could not simply become a hands-off master. He had to maintain his authority.

Neither weapons nor reputation could be entrusted to others.

When he stepped onto the deck, a thin mist lay over the sea.

The sailors diligently adjusted the sails and steered the ship.

Father Beckett held a wooden cross and continued preaching to the passengers.

Lothar stood nearby and listened in silence, "devoutly" making the sign of the cross before him and praying earnestly.

Only after the sermon ended did Lothar step forward to speak with him. "Where are we now, Father Beckett?"

"We've already passed through the Ionian Gulf and have completely left the Adriatic Sea."

Father Beckett paused slightly and pointed toward the hazy coastline. "In clear weather, we should be able to see the lighthouse of Moria from here. That is Eastern Empire territory, with customs and landscapes entirely different from those of your homeland."

"The Eastern Empire."

Lothar could not help but feel drawn to it.

"One day, once the war in the Holy Land has settled down, I must visit Constantinople and witness the splendor of this City of Seven Hills, the 'Queen of all Cities'—Vasileousa Polis."

Father Beckett teased, "Then you'd better be careful. A knight as brave and formidable as you would surely be pursued madly by those imperial Noble Ladies."

Lothar joked, "If it were Empress Lagaya, I might truly be tempted."

"Who wouldn't be?"

Father Beckett sighed. "After all, she is the most beautiful woman in the world, as well as the most powerful. Marry Princess Sibylla, and you can become the Crown Prince of Jerusalem. But marry Empress Lagaya, and you become Emperor of the Eastern Empire."

The value of the two was on completely different levels.

Lothar smiled and said nothing more.

He was not one for fantasies. Becoming Emperor of the Eastern Empire was a dream far too distant to be anything more than idle talk.

"Sir Lothar, do you know? While I was preaching just now, the sailors kept warning me to watch out for sirens today."

"Usually, we need to be wary of Norman, Moor, and Berber pirates. Now we have to be wary of sirens that hardly anyone has even seen."

There was a trace of mockery in the priest's voice.

He had traveled between the Apennine Peninsula and the Holy Land at least eight times, if not ten, and had never truly encountered any sirens.

In his view, sirens were merely legends invented by bored sailors.

Suddenly, someone spoke up. "Father, few have seen them because everyone who has is dead."

The speaker was the captain of the ship.

A weathered middle-aged man.

"Just as you surely do not know what miserable lives the Christians sold to African chieftains live."

"Neither can you know what fate befell those sailors who once saw sirens."

"But not knowing does not mean they do not exist."

The captain warned gravely, "It is said that sirens prefer to appear on sunless days. They use their songs to stir people's desires, then tear those who fall under their spell apart piece by piece and devour them."

"If you hear any strange sounds, be sure to cover your ears!"

His tone was extremely serious. After saying that, he left somewhat nervously.

Leaving the two men staring at each other.

Lothar strongly agreed. "I think he has a point. Not seeing something does not mean it does not exist. I once personally killed a werewolf during the knightly tournament in Lienz."

"At the very least, that proves creatures from folklore and legends do not necessarily fail to exist."

"But sirens are legends from pagan mythology."

Lothar said nothing and merely gave him a deep look.

Father Beckett hesitated as if he wanted to speak. After a long while, he finally said, "I understand what you mean. I will relay the captain's warning to the passengers aboard this ship."

A priest who had spent time in the Holy Land was more flexible in many respects.

After all, even Jerusalem welcomed Zoroastrian merchant caravans.

By evening, the fog had grown thicker and thicker.

The entire world seemed to have darkened because of it.

Fringilla stood on the deck, freely stretching her graceful curves. Most people were asleep at this hour, so she did not need to worry about attracting too much attention.

She leaned lazily against the rail. "My lord, this life is truly too boring."

"I spent the entire day facing the wall with that woman Prajna. I feel like my vampire life has grown much dimmer."

Lothar glanced at her and said helplessly, "It may be somewhat boring, but surely it is not more boring than lying asleep in a coffin."

"Can sleeping be compared to this?"

"When you're asleep, you don't know anything. Of course you won't feel bored."

Fringilla clutched Lothar's arm, her watery eyes filled with anticipation. "Please, just let me find some random man and have a little drink. I'll toss his corpse into the sea, and the fish will clean away every trace. No one will know I did it."

"No."

Lothar frowned. "Fringilla, you need to understand that I am human, and the people whose blood you want to drink are human too. So do not speak of such things so casually—and I warned you that without my permission, you are not to lay a hand on anyone."

Fringilla snorted. "Isn't that exactly what I'm doing—asking for your permission?"

Lothar said sternly, "My answer is already very clear."

"Also, it is said that sirens attack ships passing through these waters. Sirens are creatures that dwell in the deep sea. They hate the light, so tonight's weather is perfect for them to be active. You'd better be careful."

"Tch, they're only a few sirens. Those loose creatures who like mating with humans—do they really have any abilities worth mentioning?"

Fringilla was somewhat disdainful.

If sirens were monsters on the level of school ghost stories, then vampires were at least two tiers higher, the stuff of urban legends.

"You should still not let your guard down. Fringilla, your strength has not recovered yet. You are being heavily suppressed, so you may not be much stronger than the supernatural creatures of this world."

Lothar continued urging her, "Pride is the foremost of the seven sins. I've told you many times that this world is not much simpler than yours. I do not want you to die one day because of your pride."

"Oh, I know already. Why are you as annoying as some nagging, rigid old fossil, my lord?"

Fringilla wore an impatient expression.

And a notification that their intimacy had increased appeared.

This sharp-tongued little child.

A faint smile appeared on Lothar's face. "Don't be so impatient. When we return to the cabin later, I'll tell you and Prajna a story. How about that?"

"All right."

Fringilla put on a reluctant expression.

In truth, she was looking forward to it immensely.

Having been steeped in web novels, Lothar had far too many interesting stories in his head.

"Are you going to tell the story about that monkey again?"

"You don't want to hear it?"

"Mm—listening would be fine."

Fringilla's words were somewhat indistinct as she skipped ahead, quickening her pace.

There was an irrepressible excitement about her.

No one had ever told her bedtime stories before.