"I cannot sell my soul," Vlad said, staring at Dante.
"I'm just ensuring that a Vampire Progenitor doesn't arise against us," Dante commented, "But if that's how you want it. It makes no difference."
The atmosphere in the room wasn't very cheerful, especially with such an absurd proposal.
"Just know that I won't consider you an enemy, even if you don't help me." Of course, Dante's words carried a lot of weight.
"Do you already have plans?" Nosferatu's words echoed in the room, but Dante only smiled without directly answering.
"If you have a plan, why-" He was interrupted, "Because I'm not foolish enough to tell you anything." Dante remarked. He had been thinking about something for a while and had concluded something...
"I won't treat you as an enemy, but I also can't consider you a friend at this moment. Your soul is exposed, and who knows what could happen if I tell you my plan." Dante said, perfectly directing his gaze toward Nosferatu.
"Your master may seem trustworthy, but he knows that his soul can self-destruct, besides..." Dante said, looking back at Vlad.
"You've lost control of the lineage, haven't you?" The question immediately made Nosferatu turn to Vlad, who remained silent, as if in approval.
"I see... just as I thought... That's why you don't control the Vampire Counts... It's easy to control the lesser Vampires, but the stronger ones... that's another story." Dante commented.
When Dante entered the room and saw Vlad, he realized that he was different from what a Progenitor should be, but he didn't fully understand it. Knowing about the damaged soul... gave him the answers he needed... and he wasn't happy to know that.
"We still have a few years, so a cure might be found if we look in the right place." Dante said.
His words might have sounded positive, but Vlad and Nosferatu knew that things weren't quite like that.
"Do you know where to look?" Vlad asked. It had been a while since he realized that Dante... wasn't just Dante...
The Vampire Progenitor's eyes are different... They can see souls in their natural essence, and what he saw in Dante...
Was a Red Demonic Soul, with various divergences and black cracks, it looked like a sphere of destruction. And Vlad had seen Dante's soul in the past... and it wasn't like that. On the contrary, it was just white with ordinary cracks...
"Oh... You took your time analyzing my soul, didn't you?" Dante noticed. How could he not? He was staring at Dante without any disguise, and with that question...
"If I knew, I wouldn't have tried to offer you a contract like this. Even though I can't revive you directly, if I could at least take the Progenitor's trait and send it to Elizabeth, things would be easier..." Dante muttered at the end of the sentence.
"I'll ask my wife, Voralith, to see if I can find something that might slow down the advance of the poison and the destruction of your soul. But I can't promise anything." Dante said...
"Now... Let's talk about the matter I came to resolve." Dante said, and Vlad nodded.
Nosferatu received a nod and finally, they began to address the real issue here.
"Apparently, the Vampire Counts are not satisfied with the way things are going, especially after the invasion," Nosferatu said, "Besides... it seems they're plotting a revolt."
Dante looked at him without any reaction. After all... those two in the room were really pissed off about something, and they had already antagonized Dante without him doing anything...
Damn, they didn't even know Dante and were already giving him dirty looks!
"Furthermore... the problem with the Scarlet Clan..." Nosferatu muttered. "Don't worry about that, the Scarlet Clan will continue the partnership we have," Dante interrupted him.
"The counts want to remove the Scarlet Clan to place their own clans. I don't understand why they want to be King. Well, I don't see any advantage in being a King, so I leave that to my wives." Dante said, shrugging. To him, being a King was truly a burden. To think of protecting unknown people he doesn't even feel anything for? No, he was a man who loved his wives, not people.
Vlad's face, despite Dante's words, was still not happy... Well, Dante understood immediately...
"Are you worried about your daughter and wife?" He asked. It was even curious that a monster of such size had a heart... But well, Dante himself was an example of that.
"They won't survive if I die," he commented, a bit coldly, but his melancholic eyes said much more than they should.
"I see..." Dante murmured.
"Don't worry," he said and continued, "When you die, there are currently four people who could become the Vampire Progenitor." Dante said with a smile.
"Although it's possible for a random person to become a Vampire... Valentina currently has the highest chance of becoming the Progenitor, followed by Kaalindra, Rose, and Elizabeth. Maybe even Aaralyn could be the Progenitor. But I'm betting on Valentina as the next one, after all, in terms of Blood and Strength, she is the most plausible." Dante said, and Vlad couldn't help but agree... "But..."
"If you're concerned about the two of them, I'll try to protect them. As for the throne... Valentina will take over." Dante said seriously. He couldn't let this opportunity slip by. "Considering what the Scarlet Clan is, a substitute for the Tepes Clan, if we can't save you... We'll take on the responsibility."
Dante's words echoed through the place, and soon... he left the Domain... The first person he saw was Nagasawa waiting for him...
Dante didn't look very happy.
"W-What's wrong?" Nagasawa asked, seeing that this Dante... wasn't his usual self. He seemed... furious.
"It's nothing," Dante said. Well... He wasn't one to lie much to his wives, but now... Maybe even he didn't realize how he looked.
The demonic power in his fists already showed that Dante... wasn't in the mood for jokes, but with a single breath, it all vanished...
The tense atmosphere disappeared, and Dante returned to normal, a calm smile forming on his lips as he gently stroked Nagasawa's hair.
"See? Everything's fine," Dante said, trying to reassure her. But Nagasawa was still uneasy.
"It's better if you tell me when we leave here... there are too many eyes and ears," she murmured, looking around suspiciously. Dante just nodded, knowing he couldn't say more there, even if he wanted to.
"So... shall we go on a date?" Nagasawa murmured, changing her tone to something more daring. She was determined to enjoy the moment, desperately needing some normalcy and connection between them.
"Yes, but first... I'm going to get that little girl..." Dante replied, leaving Nagasawa completely confused.
"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to understand what he was planning.
"Those two... they... Never mind. There's a Scarlet Clan mansion in the city's luxurious zone. Go there," Dante said, stopping the caresses and getting ready to leave. "I'll be back soon."
"Wait—" Nagasawa began to protest, but before she could finish, Dante disappeared in a cloud of bats, leaving her surprised and somewhat disconcerted.
"S-Since when can you do that..." she whispered to herself, trying to process what had just happened. "Did he copy the Vampire King's technique?" Nagasawa questioned in a low voice, still in disbelief at the ability Dante had just demonstrated.
Nagasawa was left... disappointed to have been abandoned so quickly like that. She just wanted to spend some time with her husband... "Ah... I deserve this..." she said as she headed out of the Vampire King's castle.
"Let's see... Scarlet Mansion..." She murmured, feeling... lost...
...
...
...
"Achoo!" Valentina, who had been completely carefree, suddenly had an allergic reaction, "Achoo!" She sneezed again.
In front of her, the She-Wolf woman watched her curiously; she had never seen this before... such a strong woman... sick?
"What is it? Stop staring at me like that!" Valentina growled fiercely, seeing Siren looking at her with great curiosity.
"I thought you were all-powerful, but even the strongest have human illnesses," Siren commented with a sly smile, clearly trying to provoke her.
"What the hell are you talking about, mutt? Some idiot is talking about me! And they can't be saying anything good!"
Siren looked at Valentina with a blank expression, as if to say, "Seriously?"
"You really believe that, huh..." she murmured, and Valentina glared at her. "Who's that woman with Velkan?" she asked.
Valentina had been thinking about that for a while... That woman... somehow reminded her of someone she had killed, someone who gave her the title that only she, in this entire world, held. Enjoy exclusive chapters from m-v l'e|m,p| y- r
"Fenrir... we have no information about that woman, we've tried everything, but... she seems like a ghost. No background, no affiliations, no location, no history, no existence," Siren said, and Valentina just gave a wide grin...
"W-What is it?" Siren stammered, knowing that every time Valentina flashed that smile... she was up to something...
"It seems we have an intruder in our world..." Valentina said, stretching her smile as she released an aura...
"Not a god, but... the reaction when she saw my spear was clear... She recognized Gungnir..."
Siren looked at her, confused. "Valentina... everyone in this world knows your god-slaying weapon..." Siren murmured.
It was a well-known fact: The Golden Spear of the Red-Haired Vampire is a god-slayer!
"You don't understand... her reaction was different..." Valentina murmured, "Another one Descended from the Stars... Not a god, but... strong."