Chapter 224: So It Begins.
Nightingale.
Before everyone knew it, three days had pa.s.sed, and the long-awaited event had arrived.
Annasthas.h.i.+a Fulger, the former countess of Clan Fulger, will fight the current count who took her t.i.tle six months ago, Niklaus Horseman.
The Nightingale vampires were excited. After all, they rarely had the opportunity to see two vampires at the count level fight.
They felt like the MMA audience that would watch the rematch of the former champion who was defeated by the rookie; in this case, the former champion was the leader of Clan Fulger.
And that wasn"t the only reason they were excited.
The bets the two Clans were making were too big as well.
It goes without saying that the t.i.tle of count carries significant weight in the vampire world, but...
Clan Fulger"s divine artifact is of equal or if not greater weight to the t.i.tle of count, and Annasthas.h.i.+a Fulger was staking this divine artifact.
A divine weapon that is said to be wielded by G.o.ds only, she was staking such a rare treasure for the t.i.tle of Vampire Count! The woman was determined!
Needless to say, all the vampires were focused on the game that would take place today!
And as always, when an event of this size happens, merchants sell big!
Most n.o.ble vampires are beings that have a lot of money saved up, and because of that, they don"t mind spending it if it"s for their "fun".
And one of those traders who were taking advantage of the situation was...
Victoria Rider, or more precisely Victoria Fulger, Annasthas.h.i.+a Fulger"s sister and Sasha Fulger"s aunt.
"...KeKeKeKe, business is going well." Victoria laughed eerily as she watched her bank account number grow on her phone.
Even though the number is already in the trillions, it was always nice to see the number growing! Simply, she was addicted to it!
And what was she selling?
Simple, she was selling everything!
She was blatantly using the image of Niklaus and her sister to make products like t-s.h.i.+rts, mugs, even similar outfits that the two counts wear.
Anything that made money she was making to sell!
"...I still think this is not a good idea." Hecate spoke with a sigh as she looked at people shopping for clothes similar to what Natas.h.i.+a wore.
"It"s okay, it"s okay~. They are public figures, what we are doing is not illegal." Though if it was illegal, she wouldn"t mind either.
"What I mean is..." Hecate looked at Victoria and said, "What if Count Niklaus gets angry?"
"I don"t mind~. I doubt he"ll have the b.a.l.l.s to do anything to me." Now that Victoria was officially a member of the Fulger Clan again, there were a limited number of people who could harm her, considering she is the "beloved" sister of Annasthas.h.i.+a Fulger.
Money can buy security, but that means nothing in front of the sight of a super powerful vampire like a vampire count.
At least that was in the past, but now? She"s an official member of Clan Fulger, that alone is a big enough protection.
"It"s a pity I couldn"t become a count… But…" She wouldn"t admit it, but she felt a little relieved that she didn"t own the t.i.tle of vampire count.
After all, that t.i.tle gives you great status in the supernatural world, but it puts a huge target on your back, and if you"re not strong enough...
Well... Let"s just say things weren"t going to go very well.
Although... "I feel frustrated..." She really wanted the t.i.tle for herself, as expected of a greedy woman...
"Mother." Suddenly someone opens the door, and a tall man with long blond hair enters.
"Oh, Tatsuya. What happened?"
"I have information for you."
"Oh? Tell me." A few days ago, Victoria asked Tatsuya to investigate the whereabouts of the new Count of Vampires since Tatsuya"s power was very convenient for this sort of thing.
"I searched all over town, and I didn"t find my "friend"." Tatsuya spoke in a neutral tone.
"Hmm… What is he doing? From his personality, I thought he would not miss this event."
"...If you"re curious about the new count...why don"t you just ask your sister?" Hecate spoke those words carefully.
"..." Tatsuya"s eyes twitched a little.
Tatsuya won"t deny it, he was also curious to see his friend and wanted to know how much stronger this man had become. In the time that has pa.s.sed, he has trained like a madman in the lightning arts of the Fulger Clan, and he has managed to improve....But without a visible goal, he feels a bit stagnant.
Soon Tatsuya"s eyes return to normal, and he continues to watch his mother.
"..." Victoria looked at Hecate and said, "I tried... But every time I speak that man"s name, I seem to click my sister"s weird b.u.t.ton, and she keeps talking in code." She spoke in a tired tone.
"Why are you curious about my "friend"?" Tatsuya asked in a curious tone.
"Oh, it"s no big deal, I just wanted to know what he"s up to now..." She definitely didn"t want to know about his current appearance to make products to sell.
She"s definitely not that brazen.
"...Sigh..." Hecate sighed visibly since she could more or less imagine what was going through Victoria"s head, considering she"s known the woman for a long time.
"I"ve already told you this is a bad idea. Your sister and Count Niklaus might not do anything about it, but if that man finds out what you"re planning, he"s definitely not going to like it." Hecate has warned several times, but the woman always pretends to be deaf.
"...Hmm, I really don"t think he"ll mind that much, he doesn"t seem like a man who cares about little things like that."
"Well..." Hecate wanted to know where she got so much confidence to talk about that man like that.
"Instinct maybe?" After all, as a businesswoman, Victoria has always had a keen eye for a person"s personality.
"Anyway, where is my sister?"
"That woman, she"s in the new count"s personal cabin."
"...Did you see her in that place?" She asked since her sister should be getting ready for the fight by now.
"I didn"t have to look, she said she would go there herself, and when I pa.s.sed by that place, I saw several royal guards."
"...Royal guards only move when the King"s family is present..." Hecate placed her hand on her chin, she seemed to be thinking something profound, and then she spoke:
"Probably one of the king"s daughters?"
"... Why do you think that?" Victoria asked curiously.
"That man lives surrounded by women. If I didn"t know him personally, I could swear they are all his women." Hecate spoke in a flat tone.
"..." Victoria was speechless:
"It"s the king"s daughters, you know? Even he wouldn"t have that courage..." She was going to go on saying that Victor wouldn"t have the courage to do that, but when she remembered what her sister said about that man attacking the king in his own castle, she said:
"Nevermind."
"..." An awkward silence fell in the place, and soon Victoria spoke:
"Anyway, let"s make money. A lot of important people will be in this place today, it"s a good opportunity to make connections and make money." She flashed a smile that showed all her sharp teeth.
"Yes." Tatsuya and Hecate spoke at the same time.
Victoria looked at Tatsuya and said:
"Although I have told you before to do what you want, I want you to watch how I do things, you are still a baby, but in time you will inherit my business. So you need to learn properly."
"... Okay." Tatsuya didn"t know how to feel about being treated like a baby by his mother. He knows that at only 100 years old and is still considered a baby in the vampire world, but...
"...That man? What is he?" He can"t help but think about it.
...
"Master, I came to visit you..." Eleanor froze at the sight in front of her.
"Holy f.u.c.k...the number has increased..." She had seen the royal guards standing at the door, but she thought it would just be Elizabeth and Ophis, but even the king"s eldest daughter is in this place...
"Right? I had the same reaction as you." Elizabeth couldn"t help but speak, even though she was talking about Natas.h.i.+a, who wasn"t here.
"..." Looking at the tall woman who had just entered the room, Scathach spoke, "Have you come, Eleanor?"
"Yes."
"Sup, b.i.t.c.h from the West, I see you"ve gotten stronger huh?" Violet raised her hand in a small gesture.
Eleanor"s eyes twitched a little, "...you"re still the same Violet..."
"Of course." Violet laughed.
"..." Scathach"s eyes twitched a little.
"Are you managing to take care of everything?"
"Yes, I am." She spoke with unshakable confidence.
"...Looks like you"ve been through a lot, huh..." Scathach spoke with a neutral look.
"Well... I realized I shouldn"t depend on you forever, master."
"I see, that"s a good mentality..." Scathach then turned around and looked back at the arena.
Lilith, who was holding Ophis in her lap, looked at Eleanor:
"Welcome, Eleanor. Do you want to sit down?" She pointed to a spot next to her that was empty.
"Hmm..." Eleanor looked at the women around her, and she really wanted to deny it since she felt that if she stayed here, chaos would ensue, but as she was also interested in this chaos, she spoke.
"Sure."
As she sat beside Lilith, Eleanor asked, "Where is Sasha, Ruby, Pepper, Siena, Lacus, and the new count...?" She spoke the last part with quite unabashed interest, she may live in an isolated area, but that doesn"t mean she doesn"t know the important news.
"Who would have thought that he would become a vampire count..." Eleanor had her eyes glowing blood red a little as her curiosity was flickering.
"Siena, Pepper, and Lacus left a few minutes ago just before Lilith arrived. They went to have fun at the festival before the game started." Basically, they went to spend money.
"..." Hearing what Violet said, Luna can"t help but think she wanted to go too, she wanted to have fun, but it"s too bad she"s at work now.
"Sasha is with her mom helping her, and Ruby is on a date with Darling." Violet answered everything in a neutral voice.
"..." Lilith"s ears twitched a little when she heard about Victor.
But her expression hasn"t changed as she continues to look at the woman with a neutral face while stroking Ophis"s head.
"...Father, late..." Ophis pouted since she wanted to see Victor!
"Oh, I see..." Eleanor seemed to be thinking about several things.
Violet looks at Eleonor and asks, "How long are you going to be here, b.i.t.c.h from the west?"
"…Until the game is over, then I will go back to my territory."
"I see... That"s good." Violet had a small, satisfied smile.
"...?" Eleanor didn"t understand Violet"s smile, but when she remembered Agnes" personality, she thought:
"Ah... Possessive as usual, huh." She laughed a little, as she didn"t find it a bother. After all, all female vampires were like that, although... The Snow Clan"s possessiveness was much greater than usual.
Suddenly, a black creature with a distorted image appeared in the sky of the arena, and the moment it appeared, everyone felt immense pressure fall on their shoulders.
"Oh? He"s here, unexpected... I thought he wouldn"t be interested in such things..." Scathach flashed a small smile.
"!!?" Everyone looks at the sky, and when they see the creature, they said:
"The King..."
Gulp.
They can"t help but swallow dryly.
How many centuries has it been since they saw the appearance of their king?
Seeing the fear and admiration of his people, Vlad looked at one spot and slowly floated in that direction.
As he floated in the air, his appearance began to change, and soon a man with long black hair who was wearing black medieval armor with red accents appeared.
As the man stood on the platform, a vampire appeared and spoke:
"My king, you come... I don"t have a proper seat worthy of you."
"It"s all right." Vlad raises his hand, and a type of black blood begins to form in front of him, and soon a black throne with gold accents appears.
"!!!" Everyone was shocked by this demonstration since they didn"t even understand what they just saw!
The man sits on the throne and a.s.sumes a relaxed position as he rests his head on his hand and speaks only to his children:
"Daughters, and Sons."
"Come."
"Yes, Father." All the children in their respective places spoke.
Except for one, of course...
"Ophis..." Elizabeth didn"t know what to do.
"But..." Ophis pouted. She didn"t want to go.
"Father will be angry." Lilith spoke.
"...Evil Father..." She couldn"t help but curse under her breath.
Soon the girl gets up and goes with her sisters.
"Hahaha~, that old man"s reputation is being tarnished in this kid"s head." Scathach shamelessly laughed at that fact.
Vlad looked at the vampires who were staring at him and spoke in a neutral tone:
"My citizens." His voice seemed to echo throughout the arena.
"!!!" All the bodies of all the vampires present seemed to tremble at the man"s voice:
"You haven"t seen my face in a few years, right?"
Unconsciously, all the vampires nodded.
"I see..." Vlad"s eyes began to glow blood red, and he spoke, "Just like a few centuries ago, I hope you can ignore my presence and enjoy the game. Today"s protagonists are Annasthas.h.i.+a Fulger and Niklaus Horseman. Today, I"m just here as a spectator, just like you."
He flashed a small neutral smile, "… Shall we enjoy the show together?"
"..." All the vampires opened their mouths in shock, and suddenly, as if they were synchronized, they spoke:
"YEAHH!"
"You haven"t lost your tact with words, Master."
Vlad turned his gaze and saw what Alexios looked like.
"Did you do what I asked?"
"Of course."
"...Good." He flashed a small smile.
"What are we supposed to do, master?" Alexios asked.
"Let"s just enjoy the show." When Vlad finished talking, someone appeared beside him.
"Prince Theo." Alexios made a gesture of respect.
"Alexios." He waved at the man and made a respectful gesture to Vlad:
"My king." Then he looks at the arena with a neutral gaze.
And as if it was timed, all of Vlad"s children began to appear one after the other.
......
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