Chapter 64 : Chapter 64

Chapter 64 - Finding Your Mother

I was kidnapped while secretly following Halsin.

The reason was as follows.

“He smells of Millesdusk.”

“He smells of the Queen, too.”

“He's definitely the First Son's subordinate.”

After those words drifted in and out of my ears, both my arms were seized.

I didn't even have a chance to see who it was.

Along with a thick scent of blood, I was immediately engulfed in a black mist, and my body floated up.

But even then, there was something I saw.

“What the, what’s that.”

It was Halsin, staring blankly this way.

The man who was supposedly a vampire hunter.

Just because his magic was sealed, he just stared this way without any hostility.

‘Shibaaal─!’

My mouth was covered, so I couldn't scream.

Even if it had been uncovered, I wouldn't have been able to let out a single breath, startled by the next words.

“Oooh, the smell of a human. I have a thing for the blood of young boys like this. Can’t I just have one bite?”

“…!”

My flailing arms and legs froze.

“One bite from you and a human’s heart will wither and dry up.”

“…!!”

My faintly trembling shoulders stopped.

My eyes slowly rolled back.

The multi-purpose porter, carried like luggage by the vampires, fainted.

“Our duty is only to carry out the Queen's command. It is enough once the item is delivered to the Grand Prince.”

The delivery of the item.

It was the first gift the Queen was giving to her only son.

Its value was equivalent to ten birthday presents combined.

Enough to make the Noble of Blood who held the item lick his lips.

“No matter how much he is the Queen's direct descendant, he is but a brat who has proven nothing as a vampire. Is he worthy of possessing this?”

“You just said we only need to carry out the command.”

“...I know.”

He put the thing he held in his hand into the human's pocket.

It wasn't the human but the box that mattered, and all they had to do was deliver it.

So, how to deliver it?

In the first place, kidnapping a subordinate to hand them an item was a method that threw all formality to the dogs.

They called him the Grand Prince and the Queen gave him a gift, but that was the Queen's stance and the Queen's thought.

“I am the Blood Duke Kisius. This Duke does not acknowledge you, Grand Prince. Human. Go and deliver my words.”

“What are you doing with a kid who's already fainted. Playing with dolls? Let's just leave him under that big building over there.”

The man's hand moved carelessly.

One person fell like a crumpled piece of paper being tossed onto the street.

As his body was quite sturdy, he managed to land (crash) on the grass relatively intact.

“Mission complete.”

“I said let's leave him! Not throw him!”

“Mission complete.”

The vampires disappeared just like that.

***

At the point when ‘human rug’ was added to the multi-purpose porter's duties.

The Youngest Son still hadn't come down and was rummaging through his pockets.

The human rug had now given up on asking.

He just lay there with his arms and legs spread out, enjoying the warm sunlight.

In the meantime, the Youngest Son's pale hand grasped what another pale hand had left behind.

“......”

His expression hardened in an instant.

Even from the human rug's point of view, his features looked grave.

“Wh-what is it that's making you act like that?”

As he became serious, the human rug became serious along with him.

It was no joke, as the cause of that seriousness had come from deep within his own pocket.

Moreover, it was something the vampires had left behind.

The Youngest Son also seemed to know its identity, as he didn't ask any questions.

He just stared silently at the ‘red jewel’ in his hand.

Red pupils staring at a red jewel.

For the human rug, what felt like an eternity passed.

The Youngest Son's tightly shut mouth spoke.

“I do not know.”

“...Pardon?”

“I do not know.”

It was the same for the system.

──「???」──

[Description]

:???

[Effect]

:???

[Unique Skill]

:???

[Grade]

:???

───────

If this friend didn't know, it meant no one here knew.

A finely crafted teardrop-shaped jewel.

It resembled a ruby, but it was not a ruby.

I tried to rack my brain to pull out any information even slightly similar to this jewel, but it was impossible.

‘Even during my playtime, there was extremely little information revealed about vampires or their history.’

So it was only natural that the jewel was also a mystery.

But there were two people who might know.

[What is this, again.]

There was one person who might know.

‘I'll have to ask Butler Amon.’

Even if he wasn't from here, the years he had accumulated could not be ignored.

He must have heard many things from here and there, so there was a definite chance he would know about this.

“...Youngest Son.”

“Is there a problem.”

“That.... No.”

Lubosch, who had lifted his head while lying down, laid it back down again.

‘As expected. The life of an agent dedicated to the bloodline is not easy.’

***

We returned to the Pantheon estate.

This time, there was one more person than when we left.

Kio. Only admiration came out of his open mouth.

“Woah....”

Millesdusk, one of the four families representing the continent.

The Pantheon, the main stronghold of Millesdusk.

Its size was incomparable to the Dusk Citadel, and the people seen below moved in perfect order.

Seen from the sky, they were as small as ants, and their orderly movements also resembled ants.

Among such an anthill, there was only one thing that was out of place.

A fly in the ointment. A mismatched puzzle piece. A single fallen leaf on a clean path.

It was truly an eyesore....

“There it is.”

“...?”

It was a relief I didn't say it out loud.

.

.

.

Jureureuk─

The Head Maid and the Butler went around the reception room, pouring tea.

The parachute Butler, who received intensive training from the Head Maid, had learned diligently and looked quite skilled.

Anything seemed more interesting than just standing still in the void of the altar.

“Head Maid. Jubel will be here in an hour. Serve him a meal until he arrives.”

“Understood.”

“Butler, follow me for a moment.”

“What is it, Youngest Son?”

“I have something to ask.”

I took the jewel out of my pocket.

The jewel given by a vampire.

A jewel probably given by the Queen.

‘An item plastered with question marks could be a dud or a jackpot depending on the situation.’

It was literally a lottery ticket.

Because question marks meant it was dormant and that a certain condition had to be met.

Would he be able to find out that condition?

“Do you know anything about this. It's an item from the Vampire Queen.”

“Ooh. From the Empress of Blood?”

With an interested smile, Amon picked up the jewel.

But not even a second passed.

He hastily returned it to its owner.

He placed it in my hand as if passing on a burden.

“What is it.”

“What is this?”

The two of us asked at the same time.

It was a question with no one to answer.

Instead of another question, Butler Amon showed me his hand.

“...Your finger.”

It had turned pitch black.

It looked as if it had been burned, but it was not burned.

A pain as if it were burned arose, but it was not burned.

It had simply been sucked.

[0.02% of blood has been absorbed.]

[Required blood for absorption: 99.98%]

Ah. I've found the principle.

It was a simpler principle than I thought.

It was a million times fortunate that Lubosch hadn't held it in his hand.

The Butler, who ended up being just a test subject, wiped his hand on his pants and asked.

“So what was it?”

“I think I've caught a clue. It seems this jewel needs to be fed blood.”

“And if you feed it? What happens if you feed it?”

“The jewel will awaken.”

“And what happens when it awakens?”

“Perhaps, I will become stronger. And if I become stronger, I will live longer.”

“And if you live longer, what─”

“Quiet. Go and help the Head Maid with her work now.”

“And what happens if I go?”

“I think you'll die if you say one more word.”

“I think I'll follow your orders, Youngest Son?”

The Butler scampered over to the Head Maid's side.

I only saw them for a moment, but the two of them had good chemistry.

The Head Maid's special affection for her younger brother had transferred to him, who had the appearance of a young boy.

It was a love to be thankful for, as I had once escaped pain thanks to that love.

But I digress.

The Youngest Son headed to his room alone.

On the way, I checked the progress of Eclipse.

[Domain Completion: 24%]

This completion rate also included manpower.

It meant that 100% could not be reached unless the minimum manpower to operate the domain was secured.

I also had to diligently appoint heads of important institutions.

‘I'll have to discuss this matter separately with Jubel.’

With a mind busy with thoughts that weren't quite idle, I entered my room.

The room was empty as usual.

But it was here that I first performed the Path of the Beast and detoxified Hinek's curse.

I had done many things in this room.

Today, there was something else to achieve here.

It was because of what I had obtained before the nameless jewel.

“If you acquire Magic Assimilation, there's something you must do.”

It could be called mastery, or it could be called creativity.

“There are few skills as versatile as Magic Assimilation here.”

Just looking at Halsin was enough to know.

He assimilated his magic with the darkness to hide himself or to move from one shadow to another.

Not only that, but he also wrapped his attacks in darkness, making them disappear for a moment and then reappear.

With that, he ambushed from behind shields and armor.

The attacks were almost impossible to defend against.

It was probably a method he naturally mastered while fighting the nocturnal race known as the Nobles of Blood.

But I didn't need to master it.

“If you can assimilate magic with blood, there's nothing more broken than the vampire race.”

That was the conclusion the Youngest Son had reached, and it was the right one.

Thud─

I slumped to the floor and sat cross-legged.

“Blood is magic. Magic is blood.”

This was a phrase also written on the Red-blooded Skeleton Soldier.

I could control blood before, but I couldn't learn it.

To learn it completely on my own, and quickly, this method was the best.

“Assimilate all the blood in my body with magic.”

If that happened, the blood in the body would turn into magic, eventually leading to an increase in the amount of magic.

Instead, bleeding would also become synonymous with magic consumption.

“I can negate that with regeneration.”

If a countermeasure existed, it would be strange not to do it.

[Activating the additional Trait 「Magic Assimilation: Blood」.]

I grafted my magic onto my blood.

The process was so natural, as if they were originally one.

Just as nothing happens when you mix water with water.

It was ordinary, without any sense of rejection.

‘...It's going smoothly.’

I had expected it to some extent, but it still felt strange.

It was understandable, as nothing I had ever done before had gone smoothly.

But it wasn't that there were no strange phenomena.

‘It doesn't feel very good.’

Magic was fuel in this world.

Circulating it within the body expanded the body's limits and improved physical abilities.

And blood always circulated.

‘I feel like my body's strength, including my five senses, has increased significantly.’

Literally, the body's ability.

It exceeded the power of the body's detailed components.

Furthermore, the amount of magic that had increased with the absorption of yin energy broke through that wall once again.

‘At this rate, long-term battles will be possible.’

As the fuel increased, the distance I could run also increased.

This was definitely a fortunate thing.

‘I don't know how many days I'll have to spend wide awake when I enter the Forest Witch's territory. This is fortunate.’

The three Magic Assimilators are far more sensitive to that power than ordinary people.

It must feel like their bodies are stretched out all over the world, but whatever.

And that feeling was also felt by the Youngest Son himself.

As I said earlier, it was a strange sensation since I wasn't born like this.

It feels like the taste of the air is changing.

For now, regardless of what the air tasted like, the work was proceeding smoothly.

“It is complete.”

I knew clearly where the blood came from, where it went, and how it flowed.

It felt like I could name the location of every capillary beyond the arteries and veins.

Now, all of it was under my control, and all of it could be converted into power.

As I was still sitting and gauging its potential.

Knock, knock─

“Youngest Son. The Head Maid says Jubel is here and to come down.”

Along with the knocking sound, the Butler announced the visitor's arrival.

“I'm coming.”

I got up from my seated position.

It was time to go catch two birds.

Ah. Maybe even three.

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