When it came to getting thrown into dungeons, Annan, King of the North, Ratfolk Nemesis, Rat-Hunting Champion, Lord of the Floating City, Champion Sorcerer, Dungeon Keeper, Hide-and-Seek King, and Reeves, had plenty of experience.
And he was not all that opposed to it. Annan was even considering giving up and letting them take him to the Dungeon. Then the Flower Capital would owe him a favor.
"No..." The handsome knight's armor gleamed under the Light Spell as he pronounced Annan's fate. "We have a blood feud with the Vampire Clan... Die!"
Annan should have summoned Mr. Swaro then. His Epic aura would have subdued the hall, the guests would have testified on his behalf, and once they reached the Flower Capital, Annan could have declared his innocence and exposed the princess's identity. That was how it was supposed to go.
But every torch in the dark hall suddenly went out. Screeching bats flooded in, and Light Spells flickered among the panicked guests. The bats ignored the princess and even left the old vampire beside her alone. Instead, they seized Annan and carried him out of the chaos of screams and shouts.
The good news was that Annan had escaped. The bad news was that bats had rescued him—making the princess's slander look true.
It was already late at night outside. Knightly retainers and Soldier stood with torches before a hill whose deep entrance gaped open.
Lights shone in the distance. They were not far from the Flower Capital.
Tens of thousands of bats threw the Cavalry on the ground into disarray. High above them, the swarm bore Annan into the night and flew into the Mountain Range.
After an unknown stretch of time, the bats, a black ribbon across the night sky, approached an Old Castle in the Forest.
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