Miss Tracy is now one hundred and thirty-four years old, which still counts as youth among the exceptionally long-lived vampires. Yet Miss Tracy's prowess is truly remarkable. She ventured out on adventures at a very early age. Like most vampires, she disguised herself as a human in her youth and traveled through human empires and other kingdoms. This journey of broadening her horizons and acquiring knowledge spanned a full sixty years, taking her from the northernmost reaches of the Old World in Noska all the way to its southernmost point in Arabia.
It is said that had war not erupted in Sylvania afterward, compelling her to return and enlist, she would have sailed with the fleet to witness the New World's turmoil.
Thus, while this lady's combat prowess may not be extraordinary, her breadth of experience and worldly perspective surpass even many vampires who have lived for millennia.
Upon her return to Sylvania, she participated in the great war between the vampires and the greenskins of the Eastern Wastes—a conflict known to the greenskins as the "Dead Man's Bones Rampage" and to Sylvania as the "Fifth Orc Invasion War."
This colossal campaign raged for over fifty years, severely depleting Sylvania's national strength. Hundreds of precious vampires perished in the conflict, including a Count—Vared's father—who fell in the final battle. Yet this war also forged a cohort of exceptionally formidable vampire warriors. Miss Tracy was among them. To survive decades of continuous warfare speaks volumes about her prowess.
As the Green Fever gradually subsided and Sylvanian transitioned from a war-time to a peace-time order, Tracy also left the military. Accepting an invitation from Varred's father, Count Castanein, she became a teacher at the academy within the count's domain. She taught her specialty: elemental magic. Although dark magic and necromancy were the most popular forms of magic in Sylvanian, many students pursued elemental magic as a minor subject. The vast majority of them held Miss Tracy in high regard.
On the other hand, when faced with a request from her former senior, adventuring companion, comrade-in-arms, superior, and now Countess—a woman who had once looked out for her—the young (?) Miss Tracy felt both honored and humbled. Given their bond, there was no doubt she would teach Valed with utmost dedication.
This woman possessed both formidable power and extensive experience, was skilled at teaching, and held significant ties to the Castanin family. After learning all this, Valed felt she was perfectly suited to be his tutor. It felt almost like a waste of her talents.
Thus, Miss Tracy became Valed's tutor. Since elemental magic was a specialized subject, her teaching load wasn't particularly heavy. Later, Lady Windsor arranged with the academy's dean to schedule all her classes in the mornings. This ensured she had the entire afternoon free to educate Valed.
From the age of four, they spent two years together. Valed was thoroughly satisfied with her teaching and truly gained a wealth of knowledge. His understanding of the world expanded greatly.
Miss Tracy, too, found Valed a very satisfactory student. Though initially, this somewhat timid tutor had reservations, fearing Valed might become a problem student like his sister. Despite his exceptional talent and academic prowess, his temperament was deeply concerning. Yet after spending time with him, her worries completely vanished.
His impeccable manners, proper demeanor, gentle speech, and refreshingly lighthearted wit— Tracy felt such a person truly deserved the title of Night Noble. When interacting with Valed, she often forgot he was merely a six-year-old child, treating him as an equal. Only on rare occasions—when Valed deliberately feigned ignorance, or when his worldview led to awkward gestures or peculiar questions—did she remember the child sitting opposite her.
At twelve thirty, the ghostly carriage bearing Miss Tracy came to a smooth halt before the gates of Dekkenhof Castle. The four skeletal warhorses, their bodies glowing with an ominous pallor, seemed to loathe the midday sun. They snorted restlessly, yet could do nothing about it. Only after Miss Tracy slowly descended did the ghostly coachman crack his whip, steering the carriage into the castle's shadows. The skeletal steeds finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Miss Tracy, the governess to the Varre family, wore a black dress and a wide-brimmed hat trimmed with pearls, lace, and feathers, worn at a slant. Her elegant attire accentuated her delicate curves. Her dainty movements and slightly ethereal beauty were captivating.
Upon seeing Valed waiting at the doorway, she offered a pitifully sweet smile. This instantly boosted her already high appeal.
Smiling, she gracefully curtsied to Valed. This gesture amplified her delicate appearance. Yet, to mistake her for a fragile woman would be the gravest error one could make.
Valed knew that the pure white wand Miss Tracy held—which at first glance resembled an ornament—contained a full twenty-four Ice Arrows. It could unleash them in rapid succession, turning heavily armored foes into sieves. Even creatures renowned for their thick hide, like trolls and ogres, were no exception.
Beyond that, this frail, sickly beauty was also a master swordswoman. With a slight infusion of magic into the wand, a dagger made of refined metal would spring forth from its tip. Though she appeared delicate as a flower, Miss Tracy was, after all, a vampire. Even the strongest human men couldn't match her wrist strength.
Seeing his tutor curtsy to him, Valed didn't dare be disrespectful. He promptly bowed in return, stepped forward, and took the hand Miss Tracy extended, lightly kissing her fingertips. As Valed moved, a faint blush seemed to flicker across Tracy's pale face.
"How charming," Miss Tracy murmured inwardly. "He'll surely grow into an exceptional man. Though he lacks some childlike innocence and can seem peculiar at times, he unexpectedly feels dependable."
As these thoughts crossed her mind, Valed released her hand, stepped aside, and cleared the path. "Please enter, Miss Tracy. My mother left this morning, and my sister is at the academy. I'm the only one here now. Please forgive any shortcomings in my hospitality."
"No, you're doing wonderfully. There's really no need to be so formal," Miss Tracy shook her head, her words half reassurance, half encouragement to Valed.
"Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease," Valed nodded, walking beside Miss Tracy. Speaking like this, though only six years old, he used the tone of an adult, causing Miss Tracy to chuckle.
"So, no need to be so formal, Valed," Miss Tracy repeated her earlier words. Seeing Valed look slightly puzzled, she couldn't resist the urge to reach out and pinch his cheek. But just as her arm extended, Valed broke into a smile:
"I understand," Valed said. Only then did Tracy realize how inappropriate her gesture had been. She withdrew her hand, slightly embarrassed. Of course, the look on her face was utterly adorable. So it was perfectly fine.
Thus, they both went to sit in the living room for a while. Naturally, a maid approached, offering black tea and pastries. They sipped tea and chatted casually. Tracy did most of the talking while Valed listened. She recounted stories from her years of war, adventures, and teaching students.
Tracy wasn't the most eloquent speaker, but Valed listened intently—much of his understanding of the world came from his tutor. And certain adventure experiences offered invaluable knowledge books couldn't teach. Though Tracy treated these tales as stories meant to entertain children, Valed approached them with the diligence of a student, striving to absorb every detail.
Thus, one spoke while the other listened. When Tracy finished recounting one of her adventures, the tea was finished, and the formal lesson was about to begin. Over the past two years, Valed had primarily studied languages, general knowledge, and foundational magical principles. He also practiced fundamental calisthenics and physical conditioning. For most vampire children, this constituted the entirety of their required studies before entering the academy at age eight. A few, lacking talent or with inadequate teachers, failed to master even these basics.
In other words, Valed had completed in two years what an average vampire took four to accomplish—nearly doubling the pace. This was undeniably an outstanding achievement—though still falling short of the most exceptional prodigies.
This was precisely the level of aptitude and ability Valed wished to project: significantly above average, yet not quite genius-level. Upper-middle tier. It reduced others' interest in him while avoiding the appearance of utter uselessness. Neither playing dumb nor overreaching. Valed found this middle ground quite satisfactory.
In truth, Valed held little regard for basic physical conditioning or calisthenics. Though close combat was rare in future warfare, military units still widely practiced various martial arts for physical conditioning and brawling. Additionally, since psionic armor was equipped with psionic swords, professional sword training was also conducted. All these disciplines far surpassed the foundational training Miss Tracy had provided.