The First Vampire

Central Cathedral, Winterfell City.

The melodious hymns reverberate in the prayer hall, creating a solemn, profound atmosphere that enveloped the entire space.

Colin stood on one side of the hall, watching as Cusius the Mage’s son Abi staggered towards the baptismal font.

In order to make Cusius work wholeheartedly for him, he not only took Abi on as a student, but also arranged for the boy to be baptized.

Of course, Cusius had previously approached Vera, who agreed to give Abi a baptismal slot.

However, the baptismal slots in the Church were limited, and Abi’s baptism ceremony was initially scheduled for next year.

Colin personally intervened this time, forcefully making a way for Abi to get baptized sooner.

The earlier the baptism ceremony takes place, the better. This allows the baptized person to cultivate a familiarity with the Holy Light, and ascend the knight ranks as quickly as possible.

Usually, the legitimate children of high nobles are baptized shortly after their first month.

At this moment, Cusius the Mage, who was standing next to him, showed an expression full of excitement and pride, clearly satisfied with Colin’s arrangements.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Abi had now reached the edge of the holy water pool.

The retired Bishop asked in a solemn voice:

“Lost lamb, suffering sinner, Abi, are you willing to dedicate everything you have to the Lord of Glory, until death?”

Abi tightened his little face and nodded vigorously, answering:

“I am willing!”

The retired Bishop then revealed a smile, lifting Abi into his arms, slowly immersing him into the pool of holy water, while saying:

“Immerse yourself in this pool, and you will be separated from the filth;

Immerse yourself in this pool, and your sins will be washed away;

Immerse yourself in this pool, and you will be cleansed again…”

In preparation for this baptism, Cusius the Mage had trained Abi beforehand. Therefore, after being submerged in the holy water, the little boy merely closed his eyes tightly without struggling blindly.

The retired Bishop’s voice suddenly rose:

“May the Glory of the Supreme Lord forever shine on the path you walk!”

A sacred breath suddenly burst forth from the pool of holy water, which quickly returned to calm. The baptism ceremony was thus concluded.

The retired Bishop lifted Abi out of the pool of holy water and handed him to Cusius the Mage who had rushed forward.

“Thank you, Bishop, for your hard work!”

“Searching for knights to serve the Lord is my duty. You need not be so polite.”

The retired Bishop’s complexion was a bit pale – it seemed that the baptism ceremony indeed took a toll on the officiating priest. He didn’t say much else, simply gave Colin a nod before turning and leaving.

Colin approached, offering his congratulations to Cusius the Mage.

Cusius thanked him profusely. He wanted Abi to salute Colin, but the boy was half-asleep after the baptism ceremony, unable to even keep his eyes open.

Colin gave a nonchalant smile, and said to Cusius:

“We depart at nine tomorrow morning. Don’t forget.”

After speaking, he turned to leave.

Cusius handed Abi to his wife, then chased after Colin.

“Your Grace, in order to express my gratitude for your kindness to Abi, I have something I would like to present to you.”

“Oh? Really? You’re being overly polite.” Colin casually responded, not showing much interest.

Mage Cusius pulled out a scroll from his bosom and handed it to Colin.

Colin didn’t refuse, asking:

“What is this?”

Mage Cusius cleared his throat and said solemnly:

“Your Grace, during your journey to the Eastern territories, you’re likely to be attacked by mages. The only thing that could pose a lethal threat to you would be the Forbidden Curse of The Eye of Judgment.”

“That’s why I specially crafted this arcane scroll. It can prevent you from becoming a target of the Eyes of Judgement…”

At this point, Colin’s face lost its casual expression.

He stopped in his tracks, looked at Mage Cusius seriously, and asked in a deep voice:

“Are you sure it can withstand the attack of a forbidden curse?”

Mage Cusius confidently nodded:

“Yes. However, to be more precise, it can’t withstand the forbidden curse. It can only prevent you from becoming the target of the Eyes of Judgement.

You may not know, but the Forbidden Curse of The Eye of Judgment, developed by Mr. Ji, largely references a curse I once collected called the Eye of Petrification.”

“Moreover, during its development, Mr. Ji had many exchanges with me.”

Undoubtedly, apart from Mr. Ji, I understand the Eyes of Judgement the most in this world.”

“Therefore, I knew that this terrifying curse actually has a fatal weakness.”

“What weakness?” Colin couldn’t help opening the arcane scroll in his hand.

The scroll was covered with intricate magic array lines. Despite being inactive, it emitted a strong arcane vibration, almost as if it could suck the soul out of one’s gaze.

Mage Cusius chuckled and said:

“Your Grace, you should know that nearly all forbidden curses cause wide area damage. But The Eye of Judgment is a precise strike, which is very unusual.

It’s actually a smart move developed by Mr. Ji to reduce exhaustion and backlash. It allows the spell caster to select the patient…”

Hearing this, Colin couldn’t help but recall the scene in the Storm Fortress when he, with Queen Midela under his control, cast the Eyes of Judgement.

Looking back, there was indeed a process of selecting the patient. He had changed the target from Duke St. Gregorian to the Orc Emperor.

However, due to insufficient sacrifices, the forbidden curse didn’t inflict much damage on the Orc Emperor.

“…The aura of a Holy Knight far surpasses that of ordinary people, making it easy to pinpoint you as the target of a forbidden curse. However, for this reason, I came up with a way to counter the Eyes of Judgement…”

“Is it possible that this scroll might help the Holy Knight hide his aura?”

“Correct!” Mage Cusius snapped his fingers excitedly and proudly proclaimed, “This scroll merely records a fourth-order stealth spell, yet it can defend against a forbidden curse attack!

Would you not say it’s a stroke of genius?”

Colin revealed a smile of appreciation and said:

“Yes, Mage Cusius, you are truly a genius! Once I have verified the efficacy of this scroll, I will personally report your contributions to the Queen.

Trust me, with this scroll, you might earn a title of nobility!”

Upon hearing this, Cusius blushed with excitement and quickly bowed in gratitude:

“Thank you for your recognition and assistance, Your Grace!”

Seeing this, Colin couldn’t help but feel a hint of pride.

The investment he just made in Cusius’s son had already begun to pay off.

Although he was already prepared for the Eyes of Judgement, another layer of protection was always better.

He closed the scroll, secured it close to his person, and patted Cusius’s shoulder, saying enthusiastically: “Don’t forget, we leave at nine tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Grace, I’m at your disposal!”

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