I Wouldn't Want to Burden You

185. I Wouldn't Want to Burden You

When they heard that John Kane had come here in response to Keisha Ellis's message, the others finally noticed the silver bell hanging at his waist.

Several Vampire Hunters instinctively tucked their bells deeper into their clothes, feeling it somehow improper to display the same rank insignia as General Kane.

The Vampire Hunters dispersed one by one. Naturally, a conversation between two H.A.R.M. generals was not something others could intrude upon.

Rose Hightower recalled witnessing a large portion of Mount Strachan collapse in the Chuckanut Mountains. After seeing John's earlier display of power, she finally connected the dots in her mind.

Upon returning to the ruined temple, Senior Sister Patani's first priority was to heal John's wounds.

She now realized that Senior Sister Patani likely wasn't the one who truly fought and killed Moonfeather that night.

This also explained his rapid promotion to H.A.R.M. general upon returning to Seattle.

Now it made sense why he remained so calm and collected while slaying the young tiger cubs, the Toad Lord, the three Peacocks, and even Moonfeather. He had been among Cascadia's top-tier powerhouses all along.

Rose gave a wry smile, realizing how foolish her earlier worries now seemed.

"General Kane, please come inside," Albany Laurent said, turning back toward the house and settling into his chair at the table.

He looked at the gold bell in his hand and raised an eyebrow—the Red Mane Snow Rabbit wouldn't be able to defeat Olivier Maes alone.

The snow rabbit's illusion technique was so convincing that even he couldn't detect it. He had only deduced its identity through two clues: his certainty that Hunter Maes would never treat his gold bell carelessly, and his knowledge of the rabbit vampire's magical superpower.

Yet somehow, the gold bell still had made its way into the snow rabbit vampire's hand.

With only three Gold Bell Vampire Hunters in all of Cascadia, he couldn't risk taking chances.

It was precisely this victory over Olivier Maes that had emboldened the rabbit vampire to swagger right in front of him—perhaps in an attempt to assassinate him using that disguise.

Yet General Kane's decisive attack suggests he must have a plan to rescue Hunter Maes.

At this thought, Albany Laurent was filled with a complex mix of emotions.

He picked up his teacup and took a small sip. The familiar bitterness spread across his tongue, but it brought a glimmer of satisfaction to his eyes.

Cascadia suddenly had such a H.A.R.M. general who was nearly flawless.

This actually gave him an unprecedented sense of relief.

Albany Laurent moistened his lips and glanced at his junior sister beside him with a smile. "I have a long conversation ahead with General Kane. Do you have anything you want to talk to him first?"

At his words, Rose Hightower, who had been biting her lip, finally revealed a delighted smile. The next moment, she saw John calmly glance over, his eyes immediately fixed on the scratches marking her face.

Rose froze for a moment, a hint of warmth welling up in her eyes. She had spent the whole night with Albany and Keisha, yet they never asked whether she was hurt—but that was the first thing John noticed.

She said softly, "It's nothing serious—I'm used to it by now." Then she glanced at her senior brother and Keisha beside her, suddenly noticing their stares. Finding herself at a loss for words, she stammered, "Never mind, attend to your important matters first. We can talk tonight."

At the word "tonight," Albany's expression shifted to a mix of amusement and awkwardness.

Keisha gripped her sleeve tightly, eyes fixed on the tips of her shoes as she remained silent.

… …

"Okay," I smiled at Rose, agreeing, then turned my attention to General Laurent.

"General Kane, your methods have truly broadened my horizons," Albany smoothly took over the conversation. This wasn't mere flattery—he had witnessed warriors with unmatched killing techniques and those whose movement skills reigned supreme in Cascadia. While he hadn't personally seen body-tempering martial artists in action, he had fought countless vampires whose physical prowess made ordinary martial artists seem weak in comparison.

But someone who mastered all these skills? He had truly never encountered such a person before.

Even someone as exceptionally talented as Junior Sister Patani would focus all her efforts on one path, striving to break through to higher realms quickly. As for himself, once considered a top talent but inferior to true prodigies, he simply couldn't master multiple disciplines at once.

A versatile fighter like Kane was a natural-born killer.

Setting everything else aside, even if Albany had faced the Red Mane Snow Rabbit himself, he could never have dispatched it as efficiently and decisively as Kane had.

"I had initially planned to invite Olivier Maes to discuss a strategy to kill one of the three harmonizing vampires..."

Albany's expression turned remorseful. "I never anticipated these three vampire lords would intercept him. The information may have leaked from within my team."

Though he hadn't managed to invite the Gold Bell Vampire Hunter, fate had brought him a H.A.R.M. general instead.

"Thankfully, you came to our aid."

He glanced out the window at the rabbit vampire's corpse lying in the cul-de-sac, his expression growing contemplative. "Now it seems there's no need for discussion anymore."

With one of the three harmonizing vampire lords now dead, Albany's burden would be significantly reduced.

Upon hearing this, Keisha Ellis looked back at them.

General Laurent was a harmonizing expert who nurtured his Redeemed Spirit and was bound by the power of faith. Unlike General Patani, once he left Cascadia, his power would be significantly weakened—he couldn't stroll leisurely through a horde of vampires as General Patani could.

Seeing that he had abandoned such a dangerous plan, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Rose Hightower stole a glance at Kane. His presence alone seemed to dissolve any difficulty, wrapping everyone in a blanket of security.

At that moment, John's voice broke the silence. "Actually... we could still discuss that strategy."

… …

I raised my eyes. With both the Nine Cycles Sanguine Resurrection and Cosmic Devouring Crystallization techniques requiring resources, I found myself in constant need.

A single harmonizing vampire's crystal core wouldn't be nearly enough to fuel my advancement.

Seeing my serious expression, Albany Laurent was taken aback. "General Kane, are you aware that the vampire lord you just killed was the Blood Moon Vampire King's wife?"

After letting those words sink in, he continued. "I'm not being overly cautious, but I suggest you lie low in Seattle for a while—somewhere you can easily receive the Admiral's support."

Although Blood Moon, being a beast vampire, might not care much about his wife, one must still be extremely cautious in this matter.

"Thank you for the warning." I nodded thoughtfully. No wonder it seemed so weak—it wasn't one of the Vampire King's top generals.

Seeing that the young man heeded Albany's warning, Keisha let out another sigh of relief...

"That's why we need to kill all three of them—ensuring no one can relay the message to Blood Moon anytime soon." My voice remained calm, but it left everyone around me stunned.

"General Kane is truly..." Albany Laurent took a deep breath, somewhat at a loss for how to describe this guy's train of thought.

It sounded really reasonable.

And with his help, the chance of success was actually quite high.

At this thought, he smiled warmly. "In that case, I certainly cannot refuse..."

"General Laurent, I believe there's been a misunderstanding," I rose from my seat. "I merely wanted to know how you tracked those two vampires. You need to guard the city—I wouldn't want to burden you with this task."

I had never intended to bring Albany Laurent along. For one thing, what if he were to kill the vampires instead of me?

And if we encountered an ambush like at Mount Strachan, I could rely on my Whispering Gale technique to either fight or escape. Having him along would only slow me down.

"..." Albany Laurent's clasped hands froze in mid-air, his expression showing a flicker of awkwardness.

Though my reasoning was sound, this unfamiliar sensation of being dismissed was something he had never experienced before.