385
Chapter 385
THUD! THUD!
Zeke took a carriage led by a ghost horse with his guide Nicky to the castle where Carmilla was staying.
Throughout the carriage ride, Nicky kept staring at Zeke's face.
Under her persistent gaze, Zeke finally spoke up.
"What are you looking at so intently?"
Nicky quickly turned her head away and pretended she wasn't doing anything.
When Zeke looked back out the window, Nicky turned back to examine his face just like before.
'Maybe it's because she's a vampire. What an odd personality.'
Having never formed relationships with vampires in either his past or present life, Zeke simply let it slide.
After a long ride, the carriage arrived at a castle standing alone on a hill.
After getting out and looking around the castle, Zeke asked Nicky.
"Why do vampires always stay in places like this? Old monasteries and castles, I mean."
After pondering for a moment, Nicky responded:
"Because it's dark and damp. It's comfortable."
"...?"
It wasn't just mold that liked dark and damp places.
Due to their racial characteristics, vampires couldn't move around in bright sunlight.
That's why they preferred places that were always cloudy, dark, and damp.
The North was suitable for vampires to live in since there was hardly any sunlight.
To begin with, vampires with cold blood barely felt the cold.
Though feeling the answer was insufficient, Zeke said nothing and entered the castle with Nicky.
The castle seemed long abandoned, with no trace of human presence.
Nicky skillfully found her way through the darkness and went down to the castle's basement.
Following her down, Zeke discovered stone coffins placed throughout the underground.
'Is this a catacomb?'
He hadn't known such a space was secretly hidden under the castle.
Looking around, it seemed this place itself was a safe house used by vampires to hide.
'With no houses or anything nearby, no one would find them if they sneak in here.'
Nicky and Zeke passed the stone coffins and went even deeper underground.
Then suddenly, a huge door appeared in the inner part of the underground cavity.
Nicky approached the door and sent a signal inside.
At that moment, a message appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[Detected White Face Clan's sanctuary.]
[The sanctuary's system is destroyed and not functioning normally.]
[The door opening mechanism has been switched to manual mode.]
'White Face Clan?'
It was the first time he'd heard of this clan.
Then there was a sound of those inside opening the door after receiving Nicky's signal.
WHIRR!
The heavy machinery began to turn.
Soon the thick door slowly opened, and Nicky gestured to Zeke.
He entered through the door where Carmilla was waiting.
The inside of the sanctuary was rather like an ordinary mansion.
Though dark, it didn't feel gloomy and candles were lit throughout.
Then Bacchus was seen approaching from inside carrying a candle.
"Welcome."
Bacchus personally greeted Nicky and Zeke and guided them inside.
Following the dark corridor, there was a door at the end.
Bacchus said to Zeke.
"Mother is inside. Nicky, wait here."
Nicky nodded and sat cross-legged in a chair placed nearby with a languid expression.
Bacchus gestured for Zeke to follow.
The two quietly entered the room.
Inside was a massive bed that looked like it could fit several people, surrounded by thick curtains.
Bacchus hung the candle he was holding on the wall and approached the bed.
"Mother, Zeke has arrived."
Though it was dark around, Zeke could peer into the darkness with his dragon eyes.
Because of this, he noticed Carmilla rising from the bed inside the curtains.
'Huh?'
Then Zeke couldn't help but be surprised seeing Carmilla who got up from the bed.
'She's a child!'
A red-haired little girl who looked less than ten years old rubbed her sleepy eyes while yawning.
When Zeke turned to Bacchus, he nodded and said.
"I know it's hard to believe, but this is Mother."
"...?"
To Zeke who was wondering where to start pointing out what was wrong, Bacchus shook his head and said:
"When going through the resurrection process, the body slowly grows from that of a newborn. Three weeks ago, Mother was still babbling, so we waited until she could have a conversation."
Zeke's eyes shook greatly at Bacchus's words.
"So when resurrected, the body has to grow again from the beginning?"
"Yes, since the original body disappears and must grow again from the start, one is inevitably very weak in the early stages of resurrection. That's why both Mother and I had to be careful."
Zeke could understand why Carmilla hadn't shown herself until now.
Wearing a cute dress with lots of frills, Carmilla got down from the bed while rubbing her eyes and said to Zeke.
"Mmm. So sleepy."
At her age, it was certainly a time when one needed lots of sleep.
To Carmilla, who was still dazed from sleep, Bacchus said.
"Mother, Zeke is here."
Rubbing her eyes again, Carmilla said:
"...Zeke, you say?"
Though she recognized Zeke, Carmilla spoke slowly and started nodding off, still seemingly not fully awake.
Bacchus looked at Zeke with difficulty and said:
"Since Mother's body is still growing... though her memories and mind are intact, inevitably the body being young means certain age-related instincts can't be helped."
Bacchus took Carmilla to wash her face to wake her up.
While Carmilla went to change clothes, Zeke waited drinking tea.
'Growing again from a child. I didn't know True blood vampire resurrection worked this way.'
Having the original body disappear and starting completely over with a new one was actually a big burden.
Even with intact mind and knowledge, it was difficult to overcome the physical limitations of an underdeveloped body.
Things like stamina, strength, and flexibility at that age were inevitably determined by the body's condition.
Even Zeke, when he first regressed and had to rebuild his body from scratch, might have broken mentally if not for his solid mental defense skills.
Soon Carmilla appeared with Bacchus, having changed into a dress and braided her hair.
Bacchus lifted Carmilla onto his lap and sat facing Zeke.
Though Carmilla tried to maintain a solemn expression, to Zeke she just looked like a cute little girl.
Carmilla looked at Zeke and said.
"I am Carmilla. The Vampire Queen."
Though she tried to make her voice deep, Carmilla's eyes wandered from Zeke to the snacks on the table.
As she sneakily reached for the cookies, Bacchus shook his head.
"No, Mother. Your teeth will rot if you eat that now."
Carmilla's face fell in disappointment at Bacchus's words.
With her body still being a child's, she instinctively craved sweet snacks.
After watching Carmilla for a moment, Zeke took out an Eastern specialty pie that Helen had gifted him and placed it in front of Carmilla.
"Wow, this! This is super delicious!"
Carmilla looked up at Bacchus with pleading eyes.
Unable to resist Carmilla's sparkling gaze, Bacchus allowed her to eat it.
She ate the pie Zeke brought out messily, getting it all over her mouth, while Bacchus wiped her face and took care of her.
Watching this, Zeke commented:
"You're surprisingly good with children. Seems like your true calling."
"..."
Bacchus didn't respond, and Carmilla, full from eating lots of pie, leaned back on the sofa with a satisfied expression.
Zeke looked at Carmilla curiously.
After a moment, Carmilla turned toward Zeke and stared intently at his face.
"But are you really Zeke?"
Bacchus nodded and answered for her:
"Mother, yes he is."
Carmilla tilted her head and kept staring at Zeke.
"Strange. I'm sure I've seen him somewhere. It's right but..."
Carmilla kept muttering while tilting her head.
Watching this, Zeke said to Bacchus:
"If she grew this much in 3 weeks from an infant, it probably won't take too long to grow into an adult."
But Bacchus shook his head.
"The speed varies depending on growth stages. Growth is quick from childhood to adolescence, but gradually slows after that. It will take several years to reach a complete adult form."
Zeke nodded at Bacchus's words.
He looked at Carmilla and said:
"Carmilla. Given the unusual nature of the family I belong to, even parents and children rarely see each other's faces. You seem to be mistaken, but this is our first meeting."
Carmilla shook her head and said:
"No! I saw Zeke when he was a baby! I gave him milk instead of Laura and sang him lullabies. He was small and cute."
Zeke was surprised at Carmilla's words.
"You helped raise me when I was young?"
Suddenly Carmilla's expression darkened.
"Laura suddenly disappeared... left baby Zeke behind and vanished."
Carmilla muttered before starting to cry. Bacchus hugged and comforted her. After finally stopping her tears, Carmilla sniffled and tried to grab snacks from the table but had to put them back when caught by Bacchus.
Zeke asked the calmed Carmilla.
"So my mother didn't die right after giving birth?"
At those words, Carmilla trembled and shouted:
"Laura is a healer! She couldn't have died like that!"
Though he'd never considered it before, Carmilla's words made sense.
'Mother had excellent healing abilities, though not as good as mine. As Carmilla says, she couldn't have died during childbirth.'
Something felt suspicious.
Then Carmilla clenched her tiny fists and said through gritted teeth:
"Arthur Draker! That bastard hurt Laura!"
Zeke snapped to attention and asked:
"What do you mean? Arthur Draker hurt my mother?"
Carmilla said with a reddened face.
"Arthur Draker! He's evil! He can't be trusted!"
Bacchus soothed the agitated Carmilla again.
Zeke watched and said to Bacchus:
"She seems to really dislike Arthur Draker."
Bacchus nodded.
"Because the head didn't marry Mother out of love before having me."
"I don't understand why he'd marry a vampire without any affection. The Zeke family values bloodline too much to allow that."
His older sister, Kali’s maternal family, Prana, was a renowned noble house. Helen’s maternal lineage, the Millaris family, was a prestigious knightly bloodline from Thebea, known for their powerful inherited abilities.
Abel's maternal family Jiemens was one of the strongest Zeke blood alliances.
In contrast, marrying vampire Carmilla or Laura Agamemnon from the feared cursed family seemed to offer no benefit to Arthur Draker.
Moreover, both Carmilla and Laura hated and despised Arthur Draker, making the marriages questionable.
After a moment of silence, Bacchus told Zeke.
"Arthur Draker was conducting a kind of bloodline experiment."
"Experiment?"
"He was testing what offspring would result from combining the power of the strongest direct Zeke line with women of special abilities."
"So Arthur Draker married Carmilla because she was a True blood vampire?"
Bacchus nodded and said with a smirk:
"Zeke, have you ever felt any fatherly affection from Arthur Draker?"
There was no way he had.
In his past life, he barely saw his face. In this regressed life, though Arthur showed favor to Zeke's excellent abilities, it could hardly be called fatherly affection.
'He probably thinks of me as a useful chess piece.'
Listening to Bacchus, Zeke understood how the marriages to Carmilla and Laura made some sense from Arthur Draker's perspective.
But then Carmilla shouted:
"Ah! I remember!"
She looked at Zeke and said:
"Kai Lubern! You're Kai Lubern!"