Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Bath of Blood
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'Hoo.'
The tired girl trudged down the hallway. Roca. Sol de Roca slowly made her way along the corridor toward the bathhouse that a passing maid had told her about.
She liked Kyle so much that it might not seem like it, but the girl was innately a loner. She preferred being alone and disliked crowded, noisy groups. Naturally, she wasn't thrilled about anyone else being in the bathhouse.
"Uh..."
The girl stopped in her tracks before even opening the door to the bathhouse, hit by the thick stench of blood wafting out.
She might have turned back right then if not for the voice shouting from inside, 'If you're here, come in!'
Wondering if maybe she was the only one bothered, Roca hesitated for a moment before finally opening the door to the bath.
A girl who looked about her own age was humming a tune as she bathed, her pure white naked body on full display. But no man, no matter how he might try, could feel lust at the sight.
'Ugh...'
The bath was filled to the brim with dark red blood, starkly contrasting the woman's pale skin as she splashed around. Roca slowly closed the door, eyeing the girl's childishly plump, supple skin.
By her common sense, blood wasn't meant for washing the body. She had no idea where all that blood had come from, but it sure wasn't a pretty sight.
"You're just going to peep at my naked body and leave?"
The bathing 'princess' giggled. She slowly rose to her feet, her glistening nude form revealed in full. If Roca had been a boy, she wouldn't have been able to look away, but as a girl, she was only curious why this woman was flaunting her body like that. Unthinkingly, she took a few steps back.
"I'm Kamira. Vlad Kamira. Princess of the vampire clan. Nice to meet you, child of the sun."
Her greeting was elegant and refined, the kind that should have exuded old-world charm, but the fact that she was stark naked ruined any sense of grace or dignity.
Kamira showed not a hint of shame at exposing herself so boldly because, to her, Roca wasn't even an equal.
Would you feel embarrassed showing your naked body to a pet dog you owned?
Roca wasn't her pet—yet—but she would be soon enough, so there was no reason to feel awkward.
In the little princess's eyes, even an imperial princess was beneath her. She was the princess of the vampire clan, with thousands of years of history behind her, while Ardaine's princess was from a newborn empire not even 500 years old since its founding. History and tradition made the superiority clear, and she didn't think even an imperial princess was worthy of comparison.
So what was Roca, then?
There was no reason to feel shame no matter what she showed her. Kamira scooped up some of the blood sloshing in the bath and beckoned.
"Come here."
Come here? Why? What the hell are you planning?
Roca backed away stealthily. There was an old saying that you didn't avoid madmen out of fear.
The best policy with crazy bitches was not to deal with them at all, and Roca knew that common sense well. Little lord's daughter or whatever, she didn't want to get tangled up with someone like that no matter what.
"Take off those clothes too and come here. I'll clean you up nice. This bath is great for the skin."
Kamira chattered on, ignoring Roca's reaction entirely.
"Taking good care of your pet is the owner's duty, right?"
"...Pet?"
Roca, who had been gauging an escape route, bristled. She stared at Kamira with eyes demanding an explanation, but the response was even more outrageous.
"You know, I've never failed to get what I want."
Splash!
Kamira stepped fully out of the bath and walked toward Roca, stretching languidly. Overwhelmed by the woman's elegant curves, Roca retreated backward.
How could a person be so outrageously arrogant? It was like someone had sculpted a lump of pure confidence into human shape. She seemed to believe everything had to go her way.
"But there's just one thing. One single thing I couldn't get. The sun. I've always wanted it, but the sun refuses to be mine. It acts like it's something special, always hanging overhead, cursing me the moment my skin touches its light. That insolent thing—I've always wanted to have it. If possible, make it kneel beneath me."
Ah, so she really is crazy. Roca nodded instinctively. No need to get mad. She was just someone with a few screws loose.
Getting seriously angry at a lunatic would just make you look foolish. The best response was to nod along with whatever they said and get away as fast as possible.
"So instead, I'll have you."
It would have been perfect if the crazy bitch hadn't pointed right at her.
Though Kamira fell short of her mother in skill and character, she surpassed her effortlessly in arrogance.
The one and only daughter of Duke Vlad Shumira, Vlad Kamira licked her lips. From childhood, if she wanted something, she got it—no exceptions, no waiting.
And the one thing she alone couldn't obtain was the sun. The moment she heard about a wolf beastkin with the power of the sun's mana, she badgered her father the duke for permission to make it hers.
That was how badly she wanted to bring the sun beneath her.
To Roca, it was incomprehensible, let alone acceptable, but that really was the whole reason. This young lady couldn't stand anything above her and wouldn't be satisfied until everything bowed down.
"Come on, pup. Let me make you a proposal. Promise to obediently wear this collar and become my pet. Strip naked, kiss the top of my foot in a vow of fealty, and I'll promise to play only with you."
She pulled out a slave collar and dangled it. At its center was embedded something called a crimson stone, a specialty from the demon realm obtained from the demon merchant Olok.
An exceedingly rare gem born naturally when demonic energy condensed to an extreme degree, it had the property of suppressing all mana other than demonic energy.
For someone with Roca's level of mana, wearing a collar made from it would make it impossible to draw on mana ever again. Of course, everything in the world was relative, and demonic energy was just one form of mana, tied to the demonic attribute. It was merely one of the universe's many forces.
For example, if an imperial princess wore this collar, her draconic mana's power would overwhelm the crimson stone's demonic energy, shattering the whole thing outright. Such tricks wouldn't work on the truly strong, but was Roca that strong? Not a chance.
"You want me to become your slave?"
"Become? What are you saying? You will become."
Kamira covered her mouth and laughed.
"Our progenitor bloodline rules supreme over all. Serving me, of the noblest lineage, would be an honor for you."
I already have a master, and I have no intention of serving two.
Especially not a crazy bitch like you.
And who are you to take away the freedom my master gave me? I don't want that at all.
She had plenty she wanted to say, but her thoughts tangled into a mess. Roca gave up on trying to argue logically!
When had the girl ever needed to speak at such length anyway?
Her habit of short sentences meant that was all that came out.
"You crazy bitch."
It was fine. The intent got across.
Roca nodded inwardly. A bit harsh, maybe, but she'd expressed her refusal!
"Hmm. Looks like my little pup needs more training?"
Kamira sneered at the words.
The blood in the bath evaporated into mist, spreading a thick blood fog everywhere. For vampires, rank was power and status. The progenitor clan wielded immense strength from birth.
Talent, effort, time—Kamira surpassed her mother in none of them, so she wasn't as strong as Duke Shumira, but capturing one inexperienced wolf? Easy.
Even with the variable of solar mana, she was confident.
"Come now, little one. Watch closely."
Kamira gestured. A vampire staggered into view, then suddenly vomited blood! Not just blood mixed in vomit, but as if the blood from its entire body erupted from its mouth. The blood vaporized instantly, merging with the fog, of course.
"Every time you uselessly resist me, innocent kin of yours will die because of you. If you want to minimize the sacrifices, wouldn't it be better to surrender quickly?"
To progenitors, even vampire lords were mere tools—nothing more.
Ordinary vampires were nothing but expendable consumables. If needed, they could drain them dry and discard them, regardless of their own will.
Roca watched the pale-faced vampire collapse and die with an indifferent expression before replying.
"Do whatever. What does that have to do with me?"
Those who had seen their homes destroyed, tribes fall, and kin sold into slavery sometimes develop noble hearts, using their pain to empathize with others and wishing no one else suffers the same. But such people are exceedingly rare.
I've been through hell like this—how can you whine over something like that?
Most think that way. Others' pain seems trivial compared to their own, and they grow stingy with sympathy. That was Roca's mindset.
I didn't kill them, so if she kills her own subordinates and blames me, what could the girl say? Do what you want! What more could she do when the woman was killing her own people?
Kamira cackled, and blood pooled across the bathroom floor. She raised her right hand, spreading four fingers. A show of confidence that subduing this insolent wolf would take no more than four moves.
"I'm already curious how long you can hold out. At least make it to two, okay? That way, it'll be fun to play with you."
Come now, devour the earth, devour the land, and advance to devour heaven and earth!
Blood energy writhed, dyeing the ground crimson. The first of the four arts—earth, water, fire, wind—Blood Heaven's Earth—began to slowly reveal itself.
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