Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle) can be said to be the most famous attraction in Transylvania—indeed, in all of Romania.
Thanks to its portrayal in literature and film, along with centuries-old vampire legends passed down locally, this ancient castle, shrouded in mystery, is extremely popular with foreign tourists and brings in substantial annual revenue for the local government.
As a result, the sudden appearance of two foreign travelers near the castle was nothing out of the ordinary.
To avoid drawing too much attention, Jon deliberately prepared a Scythian black cloak for Sandru, wrapping him from head to toe. Though it looked a little strange, it concealed Sandru's overly rugged appearance and kept people from staring at him.
Sandru was quite unhappy with the outfit, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"That Muggle Pistol… are you really comfortable letting him go on his own?" Sandru asked in a low voice, his head lowered beneath the black veil. "What if he leaks our information…"
"He won't," Jon said confidently, shaking his head. "We're his only hope for revenge. He definitely won't betray us."
Sandru pursed his lips and said no more.
In the meantime, Jon had already bought two tickets to enter Bran Castle.
...
From his conversation with Mayor Pistol, Jon was able to confirm that there had been virtually no recorded vampire activity in Transylvania over the past fifty years.
After all, since the 1940s and 1950s, the media had become fairly well developed. If there had really been large-scale vampire attacks causing heavy casualties, it would have been impossible to keep them hidden.
Those who had truly experienced vampire attacks were all elderly now. Although they genuinely believed vampires existed, most people regarded their stories as fabrications meant to scare children, or as exaggerated rumors passed down as "legends."
However, the core of many of these so-called legends ultimately pointed to Bran Castle—Dracula's Castle itself.
After careful consideration, Jon decided to come and investigate. Perhaps he might uncover some clues.
The number of visitors at Bran Castle exceeded Jon's expectations. He found a tour guide and patiently followed behind a group of tourists, listening to her explanation.
"Many monsters in legends are actually related to common local beasts," the Transylvanian guide explained in slightly halting English. "For example, in Transylvania, large numbers of wolves and bats lived here in the nineteenth century and earlier. The locals feared them, so they anthropomorphized these animals in folklore. Over time, through exaggeration and distortion, they became monsters like vampires and werewolves."
"Such anthropomorphic monsters exist all over the world," she continued. "For instance, India has tiger-men, Peru has leopard-men, and Egypt has the sphinx. All of these are connected to the abundance of tigers, jaguars, and African lions that once lived in those regions…"
Jon listened attentively and felt that her explanation made some sense. Of course, according to A History of Magic, humanoid magical creatures such as werewolves, vampires, and sphinxes were mostly the result of failed transfiguration or curses cast by dark wizards.
...
Putting his wandering thoughts aside, Jon continued to follow the guide, blending into the crowd as he carefully observed his surroundings.
The guide led them to the castle's drawbridge. Several mischievous children were tugging at it, making it sway back and forth and prompting shrill screams from the women nearby.
"According to our archaeologists," the female guide continued, "the real Count Dracula never actually existed. His prototype came from Vlad Țepeș, the medieval Prince of Wallachia. He ruled what is now Romania from 1456 to 1462. It's said that this prince suffered from a bloodlust condition and was extremely cruel, enjoying the torture and execution of prisoners on sharpened stakes, even desecrating their bodies afterward… During Vlad III's reign, there were—"
"Vlad Țepeș is Dracula, the first Count Dracula!" Sandru suddenly said in a low voice, his expression darkening. "He used the identity of a secular prince as a disguise to hide his true vampire nature. His torture and slaughter of prisoners was meant to share their blood with his descendants…"
"…During the Fourth Battle of Krujë, it was this damned vampire who informed the Ottoman sultans, leading to Albania's defeat and ultimately causing the death of the great George Skanderbeg…"
"…George Skanderbeg, our ancestor, also died inside Dracula's Castle, along with a thousand brave Krujë warriors he had captured. They were drained dry by that bastard and his descendants…"
Sandru wiped away his tears as he spoke in broken phrases.
"From that day on, we swore eternal enmity with those bat-like creatures of darkness… Even if we are no match for them, even if we fight until the very last man…"
Jon gently patted Sandru on the shoulder, offering quiet comfort.
At the same time, he heard the guide pointing toward the forest on one side as she explained, "That forest ahead used to be a graveyard several hundred years ago.
According to legend, every time Vlad III and his descendants killed a captive, they would discard the body in those woods. Over the centuries, tens of thousands of corpses have accumulated there…"
Sandru wiped his tears, turned toward the forest, and prayed silently.
Jon's gaze swept across their surroundings.
When he looked behind them, his brow immediately furrowed, and his right hand slipped into his pocket.
Not far behind them, a group of travelers with fierce, menacing expressions was striding quickly in their direction. Other tourists hurriedly stepped aside to make way.
The brutal-looking face of the man in the lead struck Jon as faintly familiar…
PS: George Skanderbeg (1405–1468) and Vlad III (the prototype for Dracula, 1431–1476) were indeed contemporaries. The events in this chapter and some earlier ones are based on artistic interpretation and pure fiction—please do not take them as historical fact.