Chapter 163 : Chapter 163

Chapter 163 - Mother and Son Reunion

The woman with red glowing eyes.

Not a single candle was lit in the dark bedroom, but the darkness could not obscure the eyes of a noble of blood in the slightest.

And yet, the woman sitting on the bed was only faintly visible, her form and the bloody glow hazy.

The color of her hair, the expression on her face, the clothes she was wearing, her rings, her necklace—nothing could be discerned.

He had encountered such a bizarre form before.

From Kapus, the Viscount of Blood, his second teacher in formality.

But apart from that, there were only two people in the world who could call the Youngest Son ‘son.’

One was his father, the Family Head, Kulsian Black Millesdusk.

And the other one was….

“I did not expect to meet you this way. O, Empress of Blood.”

The moment he tried to kneel on one knee to show respect, as he would to his father Kulsian, a gentle blood stream stopped it.

The blood stream, which seeped in pleasantly like a gentle breeze, stopped his kneeling knee and lifted it right up.

“There's no need for such greetings. I didn't come here just to see my only son kneel.”

[…Who is that woman? Why are you surrounded by such monsters?]

“I’m sorry, but I can hear everything. O, blade of evil.”

[…!!]

Enad wore the most surprised expression of his life.

Though his face couldn't be seen, all those emotions were felt from his presence.

Beneath the bloody glow, red lips drew a clear arc.

“I may have aged more than anyone could wish for, but my hearing is still good. Even if you whisper to your host, I can hear it all.”

[…….]

Enad entered a vow of silence after that. The Youngest Son’s mouth opened once more.

“May I ask the reason for your visit?”

And to come so suddenly to his bedroom, without any messenger or appointment.

The Empress of Blood, within her still blurry outline, did not let her smile falter.

“Does a mother need a special reason to come and see her son~?”

“……”

This time, the Youngest Son fell silent.

The Empress knew the reason why.

“Yes, yes. You want to ask why I appeared at a moment like this, right? After not showing my face for a lifetime.”

“That is correct.”

“It’s a bit crude to say this, but honestly, I have no interest in what kind of moment this is.”

Her gracefully lined arm slowly swept through the air.

“Wisdom and Millesdusk, prominent in human history. Whether the two of them fight or not, it matters not to vampires. However.”

The Empress raised her index finger.

The tip of her fiercely grown nail pointed at her son, the Youngest Son.

“You, Dante, are an exception.”

“Why is that? I am also a Millesdusk.”

“You are also a descendant of the Queen. And the only one at that.”

“Is that really so?”

Since he was surrounded by half-siblings, he asked to confirm the story, but her answer did not change.

“I can take out my heart and show you.”

“It’s a strange feeling. To think I’m an only child on that side.”

“Furthermore, an only child is always cherished, regardless of status or family.”

Ssk─

The Empress of Blood stood up.

Before the Youngest Son’s eyes, her outline began to become clearer.

The red silk gown the Empress wore fluttered and fell, but it never touched the ground.

Like an untouchable mist, it rippled slowly in the air.

“You are the same. As you proved yourself over the past 10 years, your value has risen even higher, and I heard that at some point, you came to have the same dream as I.”

The Youngest Son, who had only been listening, voiced that dream.

“The unification of the Five Families.”

“Yes. I too held that dream, but my people, who suffered great losses despite winning the war against the Wolf Lord, fear any more major battles.”

So the Empress of Blood devised a second plan.

“So you contacted Millesdusk and gave birth to me. Because you needed a proxy to fulfill your dream.”

“We call a proxy of legitimate bloodline a successor. I believe Millesdusk does the same?”

Having stood up, she approached neither quickly nor slowly.

The Youngest Son’s bloodshot eyes saw his mother’s face.

If he hadn't known she was the Empress of Blood, he would have believed her to be a maiden in the flower of her youth.

And yet, the eyes that held a bloodshot gaze were as sharp and piercing as her fangs.

Her jawline, resembling a venomous snake, was sharp, and the lips above it were as red as blood.

Her face, which could bewitch one just by looking, was the closest thing to captivating.

“Dante. The vampires will help you. They will not spare any support from the shadows to achieve your dream.”

“I have already received help.”

“Viscount Kapus? Yes. I heard the story. That you perfected Dracul in 3 minutes.”

“Is that impressive?”

“Pfft….”

At that cheerful question, the Empress of Blood burst out laughing.

She, who was perhaps the reddest and oldest rose in the world, looked into the air as if reminiscing about a distant memory.

“Excluding me, who can use Dracul as easily as breathing, you, Dante, are the fastest.”

“I’ll take that as something to be proud of.”

“The nobles who took a day each to learn it would faint if they heard that.”

After laughing softly for a moment, she raised her hand and stroked Dante’s dark purple hair.

“The Millesdusk blood is certainly very, very strong. I didn’t have high hopes, but my blood doesn’t show except in your eyes.”

Indeed, the dark purple hair was a stark contrast to the Empress of Blood’s vivid red hair.

However, the mother and son’s eyes, as if they had used each other’s as a muse for imitation, were without a single point of difference.

The Empress of Blood smiled.

“Still, for 10 years, the only motherly thing I’ve given you is a Bloodstone, so I should do something now.”

Her pale hand wrapped around the Youngest Son’s forearm.

It was where Enad was engraved in Runes, where the Bloodstone was.

“I heard you were racking your brain over the Magic Dragon’s broken Dragon Heart.”

“That is correct.”

“The Bloodstone I gave you will be your answer, Dante. This hint is my gift~.”

Her hand that held his forearm fell away.

For a moment, his body flinched at the coldness that was distinctly felt despite the skin-to-skin contact.

“Because you have to take it out to change its purpose.”

The Bloodstone that had been attached to Enad was once again in the Empress’s hand.

The Youngest Son received it once again in its original form.

The Bloodstone, much redder than when he first received it, showed a different value than before.

[Bloodstone Charge: 20.4%]

“Still, you’re the Vampire Queen. A gift for your son won't just be one, will it?”

As he spoke, holding up the Bloodstone, the corners of her eyes crinkled.

“Oh my. You make it impossible to refuse your request for more hints.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Alright, alright. If that’s the case, I have no choice.”

The Empress gently caressed the Bloodstone in the Youngest Son’s hand with her fingertips.

The Bloodstone was not blunt, but had some sharp edges like a natural stone, yet she pressed on it without hesitation.

It was only natural that her skin would be cut.

The Bloodstone would greedily suck up the blood of other beings just by touching it, but a noble of blood had to give it herself.

The Empress repeated an action the Youngest Son had also occasionally done. Of course, the amount offered was not the same.

One drop. Just a single drop seeped into the Bloodstone.

[Bloodstone Charge: 25.6%]

“Can you feel it being noticeably filled?”

“…Yes, I can. It didn't change much when it absorbed the blood of other monsters.”

“It’s a difference in quality. The difference between you and me is one of age.”

Chiiik─

The wound made by the Bloodstone closed in the blink of an eye.

Of course, filling it by 5% didn't complete the gift bag.

“The use of this Bloodstone, you see. There’s a reason I recommended it as a substitute for a Dragon Heart. In fact, it can replace the heart of any living creature.”

“…Any living creature, you say.”

“Yes. Any living creature, that is.”

“In effect, isn’t it no different from a second life for us?”

The head and heart are the weaknesses of vampires.

However, the head is a vital point for everyone and is small, making it easy to defend, but the chest is not.

If one failed to defend by mistake and allowed an attack on the heart, any noble of blood would die.

In such a case, if a Bloodstone existed, one could be revived once more as a second heart.

“That’s right. That’s why among the nobles, it’s called a treasure of inestimable value. The Wolf Lord lost because he didn’t know this.”

“Doesn’t it become unusable after being used once?”

“Absolutely not. As long as it’s not broken, you can use it as the Magic Dragon’s heart and take it out whenever you want. Just like I did a moment ago.”

The Magic Dragon would be unable to move then, but in the order of things, the Magic Dragon would die before this body.

Since he could take the Bloodstone from the dead Magic Dragon and use it as a second heart, there was no loss.

“Thank you. Now I just need to charge the Bloodstone.”

Due to a series of recent events, he hadn't set out solely to charge the Bloodstone.

That’s why the charge rate was like this, but if he were to leave for the sake of the Bloodstone alone, the story would be different.

“The higher the quality of the blood, the faster the Bloodstone can be charged, you mean.”

“That’s right. I made it, but its taste is quite picky.”

She shrugged and stepped away.

“It was a short conversation, but it was enjoyable. I’ll visit again next time. Though I don’t know when.”

The Vampire Queen, a confirmed plan-as-you-go type, clapped her hands as if she had almost forgotten.

“Oh, right. Your mother’s name is Lilith. Lilith Badblood.”

The Youngest Son’s mother, but a name that had not appeared anywhere in the story.

The name of the Empress of Blood, which no human would know, spread throughout the room.

“Remember it.”

“I will remember it. Mother.”

“……”

Her body stiffened for a moment.

Her lips, which always drew a curve, parted slightly as if in surprise, before quickly regaining their original form.

“That has a nice ring to it. That.”

Swaaaaaa─

Just as Messenger Ransis disappeared into the ghost dimension, the Vampire Queen also vanished as if being erased.

Left alone in the room, the Youngest Son quietly caressed the Bloodstone.

[…Is she gone? That monster.]

“Yes. She’s gone.”

At his confirmation, Enad let out a sigh of relief so deep it felt like the ground would collapse.

To him, who was much more sensitive to the aura of others as a spiritual entity, the word ‘monster’ suited her well.

[Don’t ever meet her again. She was such a big shot that my very existence felt meaningless. She’s above your father.]

“Still, she’s my mother. Telling me not to meet her again. Isn’t that too harsh?”

Enad snorted and said.

[So where’s the next destination? It looks like you’ve decided to walk into another path of hardship.]

“You know me too well now.”

[In the southern language, they call it learning from others’ mistakes. I see that and think, I shouldn’t live like that.]

To those irrefutable words, the Youngest Son chuckled and lay down on the bed.

As Enad said, the destination was set.

Furthermore, that destination required a companion.

***

At dawn, when the sun had not yet fully risen.

The Youngest Son found the Gatekeeper’s quarters and knocked on the door.

Thump thump thump thump─

“Gatekeeper. I know you’re in there. They say sleep slowly disappears around your age, so why are you like this? Wake up.”

Creek─

The door slowly opened. Not all the way, and not even half, just enough for his eyes to be seen.

“…I will report you. It’s not even my duty hours right now.”

“I know. Besides, where are you going to report me? To the Execution Department?”

“What brings you here?”

“There is a place you and I must go.”

“……”

Creek─ Thud─

He wedged his foot in the closing door.

“I can’t think of anyone else to go with. It wouldn't do for a member of the Millesdusk clan to go without a single attendant, now would it.”

“Isn’t there the Head Maid who came with an empty head?”

“As you said, she’s the one who came with an empty head. Don’t you feel sorry for taking her to such a harsh place?”

“I haven’t even heard where it is yet.”

“It’s your old workplace.”

“…Are you talking about the Execution Department?”

“The workplace before that.”

The Gatekeeper’s expression hardened.

The former Foremost Border Guard Legion Commander, Mesher Attica.

They would go to the very edge of the eastern territory, which had been his post.

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