Chapter 604: A High-Level 'Game'.
Chapter 604: A High-Level 'Game'.
At the same time, a meeting was taking place in Nightingale.
Roxanne was looking at a group of Fairies with an emotionless face.
"Lady Roxanne, do you need anything?" Viviane, The Lake Fairy, asked with a look of absolute adoration in her eyes.
"I don't need anything right now, thank you," Roxanne replied in a gentle tone.
"Oh... If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask; we'll do anything for you."
"We will do ANYTHING." She emphasized her point.
Roxanne broke out in a cold sweat when she heard the Fairy's fanatical tone: 'Damn! My Husband abandoned me to these fanatics!'
Roxanne was muttering a lot internally. When they returned to Nightingale to find the group of Faeries, Victor was cordial and kind. He greeted them as new members of the alliance and quickly threw all the responsibility onto Roxanne... And fled.
He said he was leaving to talk with his Wives, which wasn't a lie, but...
Evidently, he didn't want to deal with a group of fanatics.
'I should have suspected something when the Master smiled in a strained way! He's a master of body language; it's obvious he knew what kind of trouble awaited him, and because of that, he left me here!' Roxanne groaned even more as she remained seated on the sofa with several small spots of light surrounding her.
Footsteps were heard, and this made Roxanne perk up internally. She couldn't bear to feel those Faeries' adoring gazes anymore; she felt as if thousands of needles were piercing her body; it was very uncomfortable.
Roxanne, despite her Status as a World Tree, had never been arrogant. When she merged with Victor's Soul, she took on most of his traits, hence her 'humble' attitude.
Victor could be arrogant because of being a Progenitor, but most of all, he was honest and humble with the people he loved, and as Roxanne never had to interact with other people she didn't know, she'd never had to 'act'.
Natasha, Sasha, Violet, and Agnes entered the room.
At one glance, it was apparent that Natashia, Sasha, and Violet were glowing way above normal, and with just one look, she could see Agnes's annoyance.
'Yes, they had sex...' Roxanne nodded to herself: 'I wonder how he didn't break the girls' bodies during the act. After all, he can't control himself properly now.'
The four girls looked at the red-haired woman with sharply pointed ears and gasped a little at her abrupt change in, precisely speaking, her 'body'.
'Who is this milf?' The four women wondered, but the answer was evident when they glanced at Roxanne's ears.
They assumed an expression of understanding:
'Oh, so that's what he meant...' The four thought.
The day Victor returned, he met with the Fairies alone and left the matter in Roxanne's hands. The Vampires in the room didn't get to see Roxanne in person; after all, they were busy filing documents and preparing to receive the Fairies.
Unlike the important people in the new city that the Snow Clan built, the Fairies would reside in another location. After all, they were allies of the 'ALUCARD' Clan, not the 'VAMPIRES NOBLES.'
There was a big difference between the two, so extra attention was needed.
Viviane, seeing the people arriving, quickly lost the adoring look on her face and assumed a serious expression.
"Return." With just one command, the Fairies that had been surrounding Roxanne like pursuers fell behind Viviane.
"Is it wise for all four of you to come here? Won't Vlad suspect something?" Roxanne asked.
Violet, Agnes, Natashia, and Sasha opened their eyes wide at Roxanne's 'sensible' question, but they quickly snapped out of their stupor.
"Officially, my mother has invited Clan Fulger in to 'check' the supplies for the new citizens, and since I'm being trained as future Clan Leader, I was able to come too. So the visit here is 'official', of course, we can't stay long... Or the paperwork will grow beyond normal, that damn monster." Violet started to explain in a neutral, rational way and grumbled at the end with a slight tremor of annoyance.
The urge to burn all that paper was very tempting.
"Not to mention my 'Husband' got us into an internal political firestorm," Agnes spoke the word Husband with a lot of venom in the word.
She was agitated for many reasons, mainly due to her body's growing frustrations, which was her fault, and she knew it, but... Women were known to be irrational beings for a reason.
"Has the act of marrying Kaguya caused this much trouble?" Sasha asked curiously. She had no idea about the so-called political 'storm' Agnes was talking about.
"Of course! You know the history of Clan Blank, right?"
"A little bit; I just know they are a subordinate Clan of Clan Snow."
"I'll elaborate further. In the past, my foolish uncle decided it was a good idea to travel the world. Now, the act of doing this was not a problem... The problem started when he traveled to Japan and had a child with the Kuroyami Clan, an Ancient Clan of Assassins, and this son did not inherit our Flames, but he did inherit our immunity to the Sun."
"This was something that didn't go down well in the past. My mother, who was Clan Leader at the time, was furious. As the Kuroyami Clan was experiencing difficulties at the time, my mother made an alliance proposal. All Leaders of Clan Blank must enter Clan Snow as subordinates, and by doing so, Clan Snow will give them everything."
"A Master to serve."
"A purpose."
"The power to walk in sunlight."
"And lands for them to control."
"...Wait, subordinates, not servants?" Sasha raised an eyebrow.
"Correct. In the past, Clan Blank was not a Clan of Servants, but of subordinates, but... Everything changed when the Heiress of this Clan died."
"Some Clan 'Elders' took advantage of this moment of weakness and went behind my mother's back, having the entire Clan sign a contract of lifetime servitude."
"... Were there Elders in the past?"
"Yes, some bullshit about if the Leader became 'evil' or 'unfit' to lead, the Elders would have the power to remove that Leader from power."
"...What nonsense is this?" Violet was incredulous.
"Yes, I don't know why my mom agreed to it."
"But evidently, it didn't end well. My mother didn't take too kindly to their actions and burned all the Elders for their insubordination."
"Umu, it was something I would do too." Violet nodded while Agnes agreed with her.
Roxanne, Natashia, Viviane, and Sasha 'sweat-dropped' a little when they heard the two women's response.
'Is the answer to all their problems just burning them?!' They genuinely asked themselves.
"The point is, the contract was already made, and by that time, my uncle was already dead. So with my uncle dead, and the Clan Heiress dead, Clan Blank lost two important figures in domestic politics."
"Wait... What about that man's son?" Natashia asked.
"He was alive... As you know, Clan Blank is a clan of Ninjas. Their loyalty would always be questioned; after all, they acted like mercenaries. But that was something that changed when my uncle's son grew up and had the strength enough to be called an Heir."
"That man... He wielded the Snow Clan's Fire and the Snow Clan's immunity to the Sun, but he also had the Clan Blank's darkness."
"He was extremely strong. He could've easily claimed the contract and had it voided if he wanted to, but... That would've been spitting in the face of the Snow Clan, who helped him so much."
"Therefore, he chose to serve. He accepted the contract willingly, and that was how Clan Blank became the most trusted servants of Clan Snow. They are a force who answered only to the Leader of Clan Snow."
'Of course, that wasn't all that happened, but it wouldn't be wise to tell everything here. After all, that Fairy still can't be trusted, and this is my Clan's internal matter.'
"And this is where problems begin to arise..." Agnes put her hand on her brow and smothered her irritation. Then, she huffed a big sigh and said:
"Kaguya is a descendant of that man, and she married the damned Second Progenitor. So her Status, on paper, is technically now higher than even The Four Clans of Vampire Counts."
"... Oh... So, she's like my aunt, or a big sister..." Violet displayed a small gentle smile. She completely ignored the political part of the problem and focused on what was most important.
Agnes rolled her eyes at her daughter's attitude.
"... It makes sense. In Vampire Society, blood is everything. As a Progenitor, his opinions would always be considered even if he didn't have any 'real' political power." Natashia spoke.
Agnes nodded. Now that Victor's Status had spread like wildfire, everyone was trying to lick his boots, and the news of him losing his Title as Vampire Count wasn't even seen as a negative.
After all, a Progenitor was far 'above' a 'mere' Vampire Count.
"... And? I don't see the problem. It's not like Kaguya, or her Clan, holds a grudge against us, and we're also married to Victor. Our Statuses wouldn't be any different." Sasha spoke.
And Roxanne agreed with her. Inside she was amazed that a simple question had triggered this whole argument, but that was good for her; at least the Fairies were ignoring her existence now.
"Huh... The problem is that this marriage status is not 'public'. If all Vampire Count Houses suddenly united with Alucard, everyone would think that the Vampire Counts are supporting the 'new Progenitor', and that the 'Old Progenitor' is no longer necessary. Nightingale would erupt into civil war, which we don't want right now."
"...Is Kaguya's Status public?" Sasha pursed her lips and asked cautiously.
"Yes, when Victor came to the Snow Clan, he said it out loud, and you know how Vampires are... In less than a few hours, all of Nightingale knew that shit." Veins began to pulsate on Agnes' forehead; she was irate now.
"Whoa...he really caused a political firestorm with just simple words..." Natashia laughed in amusement, but inside, she was thinking about that particular move.
"Hmm, we didn't know that," Sasha spoke.
"Of course not; you two were busy riding his goddamn cock." Agnes growled.
"..." Sasha blushed and turned her face away; she didn't expect such vulgar words from Agnes.
"Mah, Mah, don't be so jealous; my daughter and I needed our vitamin V, you know? We did a good job!"
Agnes's eyes changed to blood-red, and she looked at Natashia with a glint that promised pain. It was as if she was trying to bore holes into Natashia's body with her gaze alone.
"Indeed, I can't bear to face that paperwork without a little motivation. I was already getting frustrated with my existence just by looking at those papers. Fuck, I swear I will never take over the reins of Clan Snow, at least not until Ruby makes a damn server to handle all this shit."
"Damn, now I'm getting irritated." Veins began to appear on Violet's forehead as well.
"... The Snow Clan is quite temperamental, huh," Viviane spoke in a calm tone.
"You haven't seen anything yet." Sasha, Natashia, and Roxanne spoke at the same time.
"Back to the subject..." Natashia looked at Agnes with a serious look.
"Agnes, you are forgetting a key point."
"... What?" She asked with irritation on her face.
Natashia ignored this and continued with a serious look: "Read between the lines; it's a common lesson in politics. Answer me, who is Victor? Specifically, who was the man he merged with?"
"...Adoni-"Agnes opened her eyes wide.
"As someone who inherited everything from that man, he definitely knows the consequences of his action. After all, he led the Snow Clan without you for a long time now... So why did he do that?"
"...." Agnes was silent as she thought about the matter; a little painful feeling arose in her heart when she heard Natashia mentioning that he'd led the Snow Clan for a long time.
That particular sentence brought back many memories she didn't want to remember right now. 'I promised to look at him for who he is and not as my late Husband. Despite having his knowledge, existence, and Soul merged, he is not Adonis... Adonis is a part of him; he is Victor.'
Taking a moment for these thoughts to sink into her psyche, she thought back to Victor's actions.
'Because he declared that amid so many servants and Royal Guards-...' Agnes opened her eyes wide.
"Of course... The bloody Royal Guards. Fuck, it was a warning to Vlad. Why didn't I see it?"
"Well, to be honest, we ignored the Royal Guards due to Victor's presence... He's very conspicuous, you know?" Violet said. At that moment, everything in her vision was her Husband; she didn't care about anything else; she just wanted to take him to the bedroom and have all his affection.
Even if Victor did nothing and just stood there like a statue, he would still draw everyone's attention. His height, his posture, everything about him screamed nobility, power, and Status.
In a group of Noble Vampires, that man was superior to them simply because he is a Progenitor, and all Vampires subconsciously knew it.
Even the arrogant Royal Guards didn't say anything in the presence of the 'Progenitor' because they knew that in terms of existence, Victor was the same as Vlad, their Master.
"It wasn't just a warning for Vlad; it was for all Vampire Clans." Natashia smiled gently, but a sadistic glint could be seen in her eyes.
"By marrying Kaguya, a woman with the lowest' status' in Nightingale's hierarchy, he is basically announcing to the Lesser Clans that there is a chance for them to rise in the rankings by siding with him."
"He used Clan Blank to deliver a message."
Sasha and Violet narrowed their eyes:
"Tsk, you're talking like he used Kaguya. I don't like it. Darling would never use us for that." Violet spoke.
"He loves us too much to use us like this," Sasha added.
"And I agree with that, he is a fool who knows he has control of three Vampire Counts, yet he asks nothing of us out of respect." Natashia displayed a small gentle smile. This was a trait of his that she loved very much.
'Victor accepted me for who I am, not because of my Clan. He wanted 'Natashia', not 'Fulger'...Lightning is just a consequence of having me, something he completely ignores because he loves me.' She completely understood that, and by understanding that, she didn't fully understand why he made that move.
Wasn't it safer to remain silent? Why make so much noise?
"Fufufufu, it's funny to see you guys trying to guess Darling's steps when he didn't do much."
"..." The four women looked at Roxanne and raised their eyebrows, their faces saying, 'Explain!'
"No matter how much Victor changes or gets stronger, he's still the Victor Violet knew in the past when she first turned him into a Vampire."
Viviane looked at Roxanne with a slight shock on her face: 'That man is considered so highly by The World Tree?
"You are being deceived by his mask, which is pretty awesome since you guys are the people who know him the most."
Now, Violet was offended. Was someone claiming to know Victor more than she does?
'Bitch, please, I've been chasing him since he was a kid!'
"Explain," Violet growled. The temperature in the room seemed to rise several degrees; she was losing her temper, and very fast.
"It's simple to understand, Violet."
"He didn't do this for Clan Blank or Kaguya."
"He knows the political problems it can cause by saying it out loud, but he didn't care. His sole purpose was to announce something to Vlad."
"What he was truly saying was:"
"Bitch, I'm here in Nightingale. I saved your daughter, something you weren't able to do."
"..."
"I ignored your order, I shat on your authority, and I'm still here, alive and well, and you can't do anything about it, HAHAHAHA~"
"..."
Finishing the perfect imitation of Victor, she returned to her natural tone:
"Vlad must be furious right now."
An even greater silence fell in the room.
"... Well, fuck. At first, I imagined something like that, but I never believed it to be true." Natashia was speechless.
"You yourself said so before Natashia. Read between the lines. The 'Game' of Progenitors runs much deeper than just petty minor Clan squabbles."
"Tsk, he's just being mean."
"Indeed, but he's the only one who can do so to Vlad. Existentially speaking, they have the same Status, and thanks to you three Countesses, indirectly, he also has the same Social Status as Vlad."
"Nightingale is torn between Vlad and Victor, two Kings in one country, and they both know they can't clash. Their fight will only hurt the people they care about."
"First, even though they don't get along, they respect each other, even if Vlad and Victor don't admit it."
"Victor was the one who helped Vlad's relationship with Ophis, Victor was the one who saved Vlad's daughter, and even though the King grumbles about it, deep down, he's still grateful for that action."
"Vlad was the one who gave Victor status, money, and power. Thanks to his Title of 'Youngest Vampire Count', this opened up many opportunities for Victor to act. As a result, he gained his independence in the Supernatural World, something he values very much."
"The two are simply too bonded to fight openly; because of that, they fight this way."
"....." The girls looked at Roxanne as if she had grown a second head.
'Is this Roxanne?' Natashia didn't remember the airheaded Maid being as serious as she was right now.
'Darling must be upset by what Vlad did, even if he didn't care much...' Violet thought.
"They really are similar and, at the same time, opposites of each other. The name Alucard is really quite appropriate." Natasha sighed at the end.
"... But that doesn't change the fact that he caused so much trouble for me!" Agnes roared.
"Oh, that was on purpose too."
"Huh?"
"He likes to see you pissed off. Your mask kind of pisses him off, so he pisses you off so you can break that mask and show your true self; after all, you only do that when you're pissed off."
Instead of getting irritated, she opened her eyes wide in shock.
"Maid, how do you know all this? Explain!"
"Meh, I'm connected to him on a Soul level, don't you remember? So, of course, I can see the underlying intentions behind his actions."
"..." Viviane opened her eyes wide.
'She is not connected to the planet but to that man? Huh...? How strong is his Soul!?'
"... This... This is unfair! You and Aphrodite are unfair!"
"Says the woman who has known the man since childhood." Roxanne snorted.
"Indeed, shut up, Violet. You can't talk about injustice."
"Sasha!?" Violet looked at her friend wide-eyed: "Aren't you on my side!?"
"I mean, I also wish I could've met Victor when I was younger; I'm a little jealous...."
"I wonder if Anna brought pictures of him?" She asked herself curiously.
"..." Natashia and Violet opened their eyes a little, and their eyes glowed blood-red.
"I will visit Anna now!" The three spoke at the same time.
"Idiots, we have a meeting!" Roxanne grumbled; why did she have to stand here putting up with these fanatics? They will not run away! Not until this mess was sorted out!
"Oh." Sasha, Natashia, and Violet spoke at the same time.
During the whole discussion, Agnes just kept silent: '... He really is different. Adonis would never do something to piss me off or something to make me react in a certain way... Does he like to see me like this? Why?' She was very confused now.
.....