Chapter 546: Jealousy is My Power (46)
Chapter 546: Jealousy is My Power (46)
There is a mantra no boy can ever truly escape.
It is the command to "always be dignified" or "remain steadfast." The logic dictates that a man must be the unshakable pillar of the household.
Looking back, it was a rather absurd expectation.
Why, of all people, must a man be dignified and composed in every single situation?
I, too, knew fear.
I harbored the natural desire to rest comfortably in a safe place, to flee, or to be protected. If I could not bring myself to do so, it was perhaps because I was still not free from the teachings of my childhood.
And had I not made a vow?
That I would run no longer. That I would never again abandon anything.
I believed that I could finally keep that promise. But at this very moment, my clumsy confidence was being shattered into pieces.
Was it because the enemy I faced was too strong?
I was a man who had drawn his sword against the 'Saint' without a moment's hesitation. I wouldn't flee from a Vampire who had yet to recover her full strength.
There was only one reason for the cold sweat trickling down my back.
It was the single word the Vampire had uttered: "Niece."
It was a statement more than capable of throwing my mind into utter disarray.
I was well aware that Seria carried the blood of a Vampire. But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine they were close enough for her to be called "niece."
There are moments when even the boldest of men cannot help but shrink.
Specifically, when facing the family of one's significant other.
Of course, Seria and I weren't exactly in a relationship that could be called 'lovers' yet. However, it was true that a strange tension existed between us, and now, her family was interrogating me.
It was too awkward to feign ignorance and claim we were nothing to each other.
I have to kill her.
My fingers toyed with the hilt of the sword at my waist, yet I couldn't bring myself to launch an attack.
If I moved now, I would be the one to die.
That intuition bound me like a restrictive thread. I had to wait for a moment when a gap in her defense became clear.
The relationship between the Vampire and Seria, the disparity in our power, and the rare opportunity to converse with one of the Seven Deadly Sins...
Ultimately, I had no choice but to let out a heavy sigh and release the hilt of my sword.
Considering the overall situation, the course of action I had to take was simple.
Even after I had hardened my resolve, the Vampire continued to gnaw on her glove.
"Little boy, can you not hear me? I shall give you one last chance. Are you my niece's lover...?"
"Auntie!"
The title I cried out as I dropped to my knees echoed through the clearing.
Then, silence.
It felt as if the parched air had frozen in an instant. Even the Vampire, who had been incessantly biting her glove, stopped her nibbling.
Her wide, blue eyes blinked at me blankly. Her expression was one of utter incomprehension, as if she couldn't fathom what I was saying.
I didn't miss this opening and prostrated myself flat on the ground.
The Vampire, now even more flustered, began to panic.
"Please forgive my late greeting. I never imagined I would encounter Seria's aunt in such a chance meeting... As you said, I am Ian Percus, your niece's lover!"
"Ah, uh... I-is that so?"
As I bowed my head until it nearly touched the dirt, the Vampire let out a dazed response.
Her stuttering voice betrayed an undeniable sense of bewilderment. It was clear she had never imagined I would react this way.
And why wouldn't she be?
Contrary to her reputation as the worst Fiend in history, the 'Vampire' seemed to have a somewhat dim-witted side. Even now, she seemed at a loss as to how to treat me while searching for her niece.
Taking advantage of this, I naturally stood up and took a step toward her.
"To be honest, it was hard to believe at first, but that beautiful gray hair... that flawless, porcelain skin, and those blue eyes that look like they were carved from jewels! Truly, you are Seria's aunt."
It was the kind of cringeworthy rhetoric I had never used in my life.
Though they were common compliments, the Vampire seemed to have no resistance to such flattery, as her face quickly flushed red. She even went as far as to avert her gaze from mine.
In that interval, I took another step.
I did not forget to steadily close the distance between us.
"Ahem, hmmm... So, you are saying you truly are my niece's lover."
"I am still lacking in many ways, but yes, I am."
At my humble attitude, the Vampire let out a small, satisfied smile.
But I did not let my guard down yet.
My intuition was screaming. A densely woven killing intent was still aimed directly at me.
There was only one reason this monster was playing along with me.
She was confident.
Confident that no matter what I tried, I could never harm her.
It was the sentiment of a wicked child watching the struggles of a dragonfly whose wings had been plucked.
The way the Vampire's lips curled into a smirk was hauntingly beautiful.
So much so that even my heart skipped a beat for a moment.
Whether that was because I was enchanted by her or because I felt a strange sense of foreboding, I couldn't be sure.
By now, the Vampire's tone had become somewhat boastful.
"Hmph, fine. That is a relief... I heard you were a notorious playboy, but I suppose you're surprisingly sincere?"
A crack almost appeared in my composure, but I endured it with superhuman patience.
It was an undeniable fact.
Even excluding Seria, there were several other women with whom I shared deep connections.
The Saintess and Senior Delphine, of course, not to mention Senior Elsie and Emma.
To be honest, I had almost been tempted to ask, "Wait, which niece are we talking about?"
But I couldn't very well announce my own sins.
In the end, I licked my lips and decided to pile on the brazen lies.
"Auntie, do I look like that kind of person to you?"
"Uh, well...?"
Taking another step until I was within arm's reach, I reached out and boldly snatched the woman's hand.
The Vampire seemed startled for a moment, but she didn't pull away. She merely looked at me with slightly flushed cheeks.
Regardless, I didn't stop my desperate pleading.
"Please, Auntie, judge for yourself. Do I truly look like such a piece of trash to you?"
Technically, I was a piece of trash.
But how much did the truth matter at this point? How the Vampire evaluated me was entirely up to her—even if that judgment was completely wrong.
With a dry cough, the woman turned her head away to avoid my gaze.
I read the hesitation bleeding through her reaction. I tightened my grip on the arm holding her hand.
"N-now that I see you in person... perhaps not...?"
"Then, do you accept me?"
At my direct question, the Vampire let out a long, weary sigh.
After hesitating for a while, she finally adopted a dignified expression.
"If you insist, I suppose it cannot be helped. If you grant me one condition, I shall accept you as part of our family."
She spoke as if she were bestowing a great mercy.
Perhaps the concept of 'family' was important to the Vampire. Come to think of it, I remembered the Vampire's subordinates I had encountered before being strangely obsessed with 'mothers' and 'sisters.'
Of course, I had absolutely no intention of joining that criminal organization.
She hadn't completely lowered her guard yet. I decided to play dumb.
"...What kind of condition?"
The moment I tilted my head with a bewildered look, the atmosphere shifted.
It felt as if the surrounding temperature had suddenly dropped several degrees. The air filling my lungs grew heavy, and an indiscernible gaze licked over my entire body like a serpent's tongue.
The Vampire's smile grew deeper and more viscous.
Flames flickered within her blue eyes. Facing them, I nearly lost my senses for a moment.
Then, a sweet voice that seemed to heat my retinas pulled at my hand.
"Will you give me your blood?"
My body followed that hand without any resistance. My leaning frame collapsed entirely, without even a thought of regaining balance.
Even as my posture broke, I dully repeated the same thought.
Right, the Vampire was a Fiend.
Just because she had played along with me for a moment didn't mean I should have given her an opening.
I already knew this.
A low voice leaked through my lips, almost like a moan.
"Gladly..."
Slowly, a sweet scent completely overwhelmed my sense of smell.
As my consciousness blurred and white fangs glistened through my unfocused vision—
The metallic scent of blood overflowed, snapping my mind awake.
Naturally, it wasn't from the Vampire's attack. The moment I bit down on my lip, a sharp pain pierced my brain, striking my hazy mind.
And then, the world began to grind to a halt.
The source of this anomaly was my arm. While I had been holding the Vampire's hand and applying pressure as if I were excited, I had a different purpose.
The few seconds I needed to awaken my 'Mental Image.'
Having bought that time, my hand finally began to move.