Chapter 200: The Vampire Family (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 200: The Vampire Family (2)
Demian Bellamorte Bloodcarmine de la Meur Nosferatu.
Demian, for short.
A descendant of the Progenitor, known as the ancestor of vampires, and the younger brother of the current Vampire Lord. He had left the demon realm out of boredom and settled in the human world.
Just as Elize had predicted, the House of Count Velcador consisted of a single person: Demian. He had lived for centuries, changing his appearance to that of an old man, a young boy, and so on.
To live for hundreds of years and still be a beggar would get you treated like a fool, regardless of your race. You wouldn’t find such a foolish group anywhere in the world.
Well, maybe you would.
The elves holed up in their forests, for instance.
In any case, Demian was far from being one of those fools. He made full use of his abilities to acquire not only capital but also a human title, despite being a vampire.
All that was left was his hobby.
He would bewitch women he fancied and turn them into vampires. He called the women infused with his blood his “daughters” and had them call him “Father.”
It was a twisted game of family.
Though he hadn’t created her directly, Elize had received his blood, making her his child as well. Of course, whether Elize accepted this was another matter entirely.
“Who are you calling your daughter? How absurd.”
Elize scoffed.
Now she understood why Roman had mentioned parents and children when she’d asked for information on Demian. He must have known about Demian’s grotesque hobby.
To think the blood of such a psychopath was flowing through her veins. An uncontrollable wave of irritation washed over her.
“Yes, it must be difficult to accept. This father understands how you feel. Still, I’m so grateful that you’ve grown up so well.”
Demian reached for Elize.
Smack.
Elize coldly slapped his hand away.
Demian looked down at his hand with a bitter expression.
“You must be bewildered. I was too hasty. But I’m not worried. I have no doubt we’ll come to understand each other soon. That’s what family is.”
“And you seem to be the type who tortures his family?”
“Torture? You could call it a form of family bonding. Look. Aren’t they all enjoying themselves?”
The women were bound and naked, their skin flayed as if by a whip. Blood trickled down, soaking the floor.
It was a sight that would make anyone frown, yet the women showed no signs of pain.
Just as Demian said, it was as if they considered the sadistic acts a form of affection.
“It’s all because my daughters wanted it. As a father, I can’t do something my children dislike.”
His words made them sound like a happy family, but Elize wasn’t fooled.
“Oh, my. I’ve kept my guest standing for too long. Ruby, please prepare a meal. The rest of you, return to your duties.”
““Yes, Father.””
The women moved in perfect unison.
Demian’s lips curved into a gentle smile.
“Now, my daughter. Let us go have an intimate meal.”
*
“Your sisters went to great trouble to prepare this for you. Please, don’t hesitate to eat.”
Elize and Demian sat facing each other at a long table.
The space between them was filled with candles and plates of food. Demian wore a smile reminiscent of a truly benevolent father.
Soon, a maid served food onto Elize’s plate and poured a liquid into her glass. The red liquid wasn’t wine the color of blood, but actual blood.
That wasn’t all.
Elize lowered her gaze.
Her eyes fell upon raw, crimson meat, so red it was tiring to look at. It wasn’t cooked rare; it was completely uncooked.
There was even a live rat.
It wasn’t a common alley rat, but a species famous as a delicacy in vampire society. To Elize, however, it looked nothing but disgusting.
Demian tore into it without a second thought. Blood splattered everywhere, but he paid it no mind.
“I heard from Cardinal Marcenus. You’ve become a Saint, haven’t you? My daughter, a Saint of the Holy Kingdom. As a father, I’m truly proud.”
That man. He claimed he didn’t know Demian, yet they were in contact behind her back. Every word out of his mouth was a lie. There was no one in the world she could trust.
“To be honest, I never thought the ritual would succeed. Mixing divine power and demonic energy… I was certain the backlash would cause the body to collapse.”
“It did. Everyone except me died. Horribly, their forms not even intact.”
“That’s why I consider you an even more special daughter. Is this what it feels like to reunite with a long-lost family member? Hmm, it’s not a bad feeling. I’ve learned something new.”
The more they spoke, the more dumbfounded she became. She felt an urge to shatter his twisted way of thinking.
“Then are the children who died not your daughters?”
“Unfortunately, no. I suppose they weren’t worthy of receiving my blood.”
Demian said with a hint of excitement.
“In that sense, you were chosen. It must mean our bond is that much stronger.”
“Spraying your bodily fluids everywhere and then claiming to be a parent. Even a male prostitute wouldn’t go that far.”
“…It seems some special education is in order.”
Elize retorted with a fresh smile.
“Why did you provide your blood to the Holy Kingdom?”
“For the sake of the vampires’ long-held desire: to walk in the sun.”
Vampires may be called lords of the night, but during the day, when the sun is out, they are less than insects on the street. They stick to the ground like earthworms in summer, unable to move.
But if they could conquer the sun, much would change. By their very nature, vampires are optimized for increasing their numbers, so expanding their influence would be instantaneous.
“If a vampire who could conquer the sun inherited my blood, not even the Vampire Lord could treat me lightly. Seizing the Vampire Lord’s throne would be a simple matter.”
“In other words, a tool for your political strife.”
“A tool? Such hurtful words. You will become the Vampire Lord’s daughter. And a Saint, to boot. There will be no daughter in the world more filial than you. This must be why humans create families, too.”
Demian took a sip of his blood-filled wine with a pleased smile.
“So that’s how it is.”
Elize set down her utensils.
“What’s wrong? Is it not to your taste? I had it prepared with special care.”
“I’m not an animal, to call this lump of blood food.”
“Deny it all you want, you are a vampire who inherited my blood. It seems you haven’t consumed blood for quite some time. Your body won’t be able to hold out like that.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“How can I not worry? You’re my precious daughter.”
Elize let out a long sigh.
“Let’s stop this ridiculous family game. Just listening to it makes my ears rot.”
“It seems I must begin your home-schooling now, before it’s too late. A daughter shouldn’t talk back to her father. Yes, that’s right. Elize, go down to the basement.”
An unusual red light shone in Demian’s pupils.
A blood magic exclusive to vampires, allowing him to control those he created at will. It was bound by neither body nor mind.
Even if divine power flowed through Elize’s body, she should have been forced into absolute obedience. But Elize didn’t even flinch at Demian’s command.
“What? Why isn’t the magic working?”
Demian was bewildered.
As Elize rose from her seat, his gaze followed her up.
“I didn’t have any expectations from the start. If the clergy is like that, how could a vampire possibly meet my expectations?”
They were all the same, treating people as tools to achieve their goals. Hypocrites who pretended to care for others but ultimately put themselves first.
You’d think the repertoire would change a little, but somehow, they never defied her expectations. It was getting tiresome.
“Why? Did she not receive my blood? No, that can’t be. You are definitely my daughter. But why?”
Demian was flustered. Wondering if the problem was with him, he ordered the maid beside him to harm herself, and she immediately obeyed.
Pshuk!
A maid pierced her own heart with her hand and collapsed.
The command of a higher vampire connected by blood is absolute.
The anomaly was Elize.
A sensation like being blocked by a massive barrier.
Demian’s voice couldn’t reach Elize’s heart.
“To think the day would come when I’d benefit from being a slave.”
It wasn’t that Demian’s command had no effect at all. The blood of Demian circulating in Elize’s body tried to bind her mind and body. It tried to ensnare her will to resist and drag it down.
But there was a higher contract.
Shackles forged not upon her body or mind, but upon her very soul.
As long as the subjugation contract existed—a contract that even a Great Witch and a Fox God found nearly impossible to defy—no one but her Master could command her.
And it commanded Elize:
—Do as you please.
Elize’s lips curled upwards.
A crimson light flashed, striking Demian in a single point, as if sunlight focused through a magnifying glass.
“Kuaargh!”
“Ah, Father!”
“I’d recommend you don’t get any closer. You wouldn’t last even a moment.”
Lesser vampires would have already been reduced to ash, but Demian, born of the Progenitor’s bloodline, did not fall so easily.
He spread a blood veil to protect himself from the beam of light.
“What is the meaning of this? Are you trying to kill your own father?”
“Of course not. This is all for you, Father.”
“Hmm?”
“You shared your blood with us, didn’t you? Isn’t it proper filial piety to return the favor? As repayment, I’m sharing my divine power with you.”
“Who would want something so foul…?”
“We didn’t want it either.”
Elize’s joking tone plummeted to the depths of the sea. All expression vanished from her face.
On that day, none of the girls in that place had wanted it. If they had known what it was, they never would have become nuns in the first place.
The girls who died so horribly, knowing nothing.
The girls who were drenched in blood, robbed of even the chance for salvation.
The bastards who stained the girls’ innocent smiles with blood.
She would never forgive them.
“Just die. Don’t even think about atoning. Just flail in agony and drop dead.”