Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Baler made one last attempt to reach out before just grabbing his Storage Ring from off his chest and then he slumped and let his head hit the ground, giving up.

"Hey boy," Professor Raoul said peering over Baler's weak body, "Can you stand?"

Baler said nothing and that was confirmation enough as Raoul clicked his tongue with compassion for the boy's plight.

"Well, off to the infirmary with you."

As Caius returned to his seat, he saw that Delia was looking at him with a frown. When he looked at her, she held his gaze for a few seconds before looking away, to which Caius smiled.

Aurelius volunteered and helped Baler out of the classroom and off to be treated for his injuries. In their absence, the class continued.

Professor Raoul spent a few minutes just teasing the Mid-Semester Tests. He never actually gave any details and kept things vague but his excitement was palpable. And when a teacher is excited about a test, naturally, students worry.

When they were done with that portion of the class, Aurelius returned with Baler in tow. The Khione boy looked good as new. The only thing left unhealed was his pride and he showed that by allowing one glare at Caius but quickly looking away as he took his seat.

Caius could just imagine what was going through Baler's head and he had a feeling the first thing on the grey-white haired boy's agenda was a way to get back the Winter's Tear that he just lost possession of.

Mage-Knight Training continued where the class last left off; Sword play.

Which was still practice swings and footwork always followed with some sound of exertion which was usually 'Ah!'.

At some point, Delia scoffed.

"Pff, a sword," she said, "So weak."

"Weak?" Caius asked.

They were standing side-by-side performing the swings on stage in a row of students under the watchful educative gaze of Professor Raoul.

"It's too balanced," Delia said and had a more enthusiastic look in her eyes as she continued,

"Imagine wielding something with more weight built in at the top. Something you only need to move in one direction and then let gravity and momentum take over.

Something like a Double-bladed Ax. Or a Hammer— A gigantic Warhammer to bash in skulls with."

Delia ended all that with a wide grin that showed off the entirety of her teeth.

Caius chuckled which caused her to turn her pretty face to him.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing," Caius shrugged, "I just worry for your future enemies."

Delia gave him an appreciative smile at that. As far as she was concerned, that was a compliment.

When the Mage-Knight Training Class ended, Caius wasn't at all surprised to be approached by an angry-looking Baler.

"I'm going to have to request that you return the Winter's Tear. It's a Khione Family Artifact and not some common trash that can be traded or won with bets," he said.

"Well, you really should have thought of that before you agreed then, shouldn't you?" Caius answered easily.

"Then another duel then," Baler said, "If I win, I get it back."

"Well, that's the difference between you and me, isn't it? I actually know the value of it is far too great to wager with," Caius said calmly.

"You—" Baler started and Caius was quick to interrupt.

"You're wasting your time. You can't bait me to give the Winter's Tear back to you. Duel or no duel.

That said, now that we've set a precedent, I think it'd be interesting if you had something else to wager should you want to fight me again," Caius said, stroking his jaw contemplatively.

"What?" Baler said, confused.

"I happened to look through that ring of yours. You have some nice stuff. From now on, whether it be in a classroom during a class or somewhere private because you don't want an audience to watch your pain, you must bring something I'm willing to gain from winning.

The Winter's Tear has shown me that, as annoying as you are, as weak and not at all a worthwhile opponent as you might be, there are things to gain from you. I want that. I want it all."

All those insults with hardly a comeback (at least not one he could think of in the moment) left Baler steaming and soon, he just turned away and walked out of class.

"Aurelius," Caius greeted the dirty-blond-haired boy who, inexplicably, was Baler's best friend in the Academy despite their clashing ideals.

"Caius," Aurelius greeted with a smile. He always felt at ease with Caius.

There were times, like when they fought side-by-side against Professor Kragsten's Lightning Serpent spell and when they went up against each other the following week, that Aurelius had had a feeling Caius knew him better than should be possible.

Aurelius glanced at Baler's back just as his friend left the classroom completely and he let out a sigh.

"I should follow," he said.

"Hey," Caius called just as Aurelius was walking away.

"Yes?" Aurelius answered with a brow raised.

"The Mid-semester Tests. How well are you preparing for them?" Caius asked slowly.

Aurelius frowned a bit but still retained his smile.

"As well as anyone, I suppose. Why? Should I be doing anything different?"

'Should you?' Caius asked in his head.

In the original story, what was coming and bound to happen during that Test came without any real prior expectation from Aurelius. But certain things were in place at the time that certainly made it an easier time.

For one, Aurelius had better more/better friends.

Kaya, Eloise, and Delia should currently be in Aurelius's friend circle according to the original story. They braved the events of the Mid-Semester Tests together and, in the time leading up to it, Kaya and Aurelius had a moment that led to Aurelius having an epiphany about Light Magic.

It was a very fortuitous moment that led to him being better equipped to face what was coming. That wasn't the case currently and that was because of Caius's horny actions.

It was a wonder how much that could deviate things. Caius was considering that maybe the amount of changes he had caused in just a few weeks here (a few weeks that had originally flown past in the first few chapters of the original story and never had this much happen) might cause many undesired results.

He had plans for the Mid-semester Test's events himself and his desire to now delve into Blood Alchemy was with those plans in mind. But nothing could happen without Aurelius. The drive of the main plot of [To Kill A Demon Lord…] had Aurelius smack dab in the center.

"Caius?" Aurelius called then.

Caius realized he had gotten a bit lost in thought and smiled as he shook his head.

"Sorry. Of course not. How much else can any of us prepare to take some tests," he said, smiling and doing a pretty good job at selling his nonchalance.

"Exactly," Aurelius said with a bright smile and a click of his fingers before waving goodbye and walking out of the classroom.

Caius's smile slipped then. He'd need time to think things over. Time to really map out what his actions could have affected and pick out which ones were good to be changed and which ones needed to still happen as they originally did.

"What was that?" Delia asked.

She had been standing there throughout the interaction and, while Aurelius had brushed it aside and gone on his merry way, Delia saw something deeper. Especially with how Caius's expression shifted from nonchalant smiles to brooding frowns.

"It was nothing," Caius said.

Delia felt his answer was an attempt to shrug things off and was ready to press him on the matter when she saw Caius cast his eyes all over the classroom. Professor Raoul Raoul was gone and Aurelius was the last of the students—besides Caius and Delia—to leave the Mage-Knight Training Classroom.

"You know, being here alone with you reminds me of that day," Caius said.

Delia flushed knowing what 'day' he was referring to.

This was the first time she and Caius were left here alone since that day they had their amorous moment. Somehow, they just always left the classroom with everyone else. Her curiosity about his change of expression had caused her to tarry today though. Leading to this moment of reminiscence.

Still, she tried to keep those thoughts from rising and keep to the matter at hand.

"Don't change the subject," she told Caius.

"What subject?" He asked and was already holding her hand and pulling her so that she spun once into his arms. Her back was to his chest. They were pressed so close together that her ass was against his groin.

Caius leaned his face against her neck and breathed in before pressing his lips to her beautiful bronze skin.

Delia gasped. She felt Caius's hand grab her chin and the air began to tingle with electricity. Lightning obeyed her call and crackled into appearance ready to strike out.

Caius didn't even have a seal prepared to cast a defensive spell. He acted like he didn't hear or see the crackling lightning and just used his grip on Delia's chin to turn her face gently to the side, moving his lips from her cheek to grab hers in a gentle kiss.