Chapter 79: Shadows of Rosewood

Richard didn't head to class. As usual, he lounged in the bell tower, gazing at the sun veiled by the clouds. The sunlight fell gently on his handsome face, not harsh but warm. 

Richard cherished these moments. After all, a vampire's body was cold. 

The vampire world was one of survival of the fittest. Those accustomed to the peaceful life of Rosewood Town were ill-suited to return to their European roots—especially the lowly slaves, scorned as "useless" by their kind. These vampires were weak from birth, terrified of sunlight, and not much stronger than humans. In Europe, they still faced discrimination, forced to live in the shadows. But in Rosewood, they could bask in the sun. 

When Richard's father, Jonathan Morris, took his most skilled warriors back to Europe, Rosewood became a refuge for many of the "outcasts" abandoned in Scotland. Today, most vampires in Rosewood were not particularly powerful; his father had essentially turned the town into a haven. 

The secret pact with the Z government had been signed by Richard's great-grandfather. Now, the relationship between the Morris family and humans was one of mutual benefit. 

For the first time, Richard felt a pang of unease. In the past, he'd never concerned himself with such matters. He'd stayed out of family affairs. But now, he found himself troubled by these issues, slowly understanding the weight of his great-grandfather's decisions. 

Still, Richard didn't dwell too deeply on why he suddenly cared. If he realized it was because a certain girl had been drawn into these events, he might not even believe it himself. 

Regardless, he was starting to care about things—and the peaceful school life he now enjoyed wasn't so bad, was it? 

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When Wolfen returned home from the castle, he was brimming with energy. 

He began poring over ancient books and scrolls left behind by his ancestors. The texts were written in complex, classical language, dense and difficult to decipher. 

After days of study, Wolfen managed to understand about 60% of the material. He regretted not paying more attention to his studies in his younger days. 

Back at the castle, Wolfen had mentioned that his ancestor was a general—and that was true. But Richard's claim that he was descended from refugees wasn't entirely wrong either. 

The first leader of the Helan family to settle in Rosewood was, in fact, an exiled general! 

When William Morris and his vampires arrived in the desolate wilderness of Rosewood, they had managed to solve the problem of moving about in daylight thanks to the potions of an Eastern herbalist. But finding sustenance remained a challenge. 

At the time, Rosewood was uninhabited, and vampires survived on blood. For a while, these European aristocrats were reduced to consuming the blood of animals. 

But this harsh existence didn't last long. A human caravan, hundreds strong, stumbled into this vampire-infested land. 

Upon seeing the large group, the vampires, who hadn't tasted human blood in ages, nearly lost control. The Morris family had already claimed the territory, so two vampires impulsively attacked the caravan, expecting an easy victory. To their shock, most of the humans weren't ordinary travelers but battle-hardened soldiers! 

The leader of the caravan, Helan Xuan (Wolfen's ancestor), was a renowned general who had once served the emperor with great distinction. Later, framed by corrupt officials, he was exiled. With his old comrades and clan, he wandered from place to place, facing rejection and hostility, until they arrived at Rosewood. 

The fate of those two overconfident vampires was predictably grim. Instead of securing a meal, they lost their heads. 

To the humans of the East, vampires were blood-drinking monsters—devils unlike anything they'd encountered before. To the vampires who had settled in Rosewood, these humans were the invaders. Thus, an inevitable war broke out between the two groups. 

The vampires in the East were already few in number, and losing two members so quickly was a heavy blow. William Morris ordered all his elite warriors into action. Though the Helan clan was fierce and skilled, their lack of knowledge about vampires left them at a disadvantage. The vampires won the initial rounds of battle. 

But Helan Xuan, a seasoned commander, was no fool. He excelled in military strategy. With a numerical advantage, he devised a cavalry-based tactic to encircle and eliminate the vampires (a method Wolfen later adapted, replacing horses with motorcycles). 

The war raged on for two months. Both sides suffered losses, though the humans appeared to fare worse. Yet the vampires, with their already small numbers, valued each companion highly. For the Morris family, who had come East to escape the Western wars and preserve their lineage, this conflict went against their original intent. 

So, how could vampires and humans coexist in this land? 

It was William Morris's wife, the daughter of the herbalist, who came up with a brilliant solution.