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Chapter 30 – Part 1

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Translator: Pink Tea

Editor: Ryunakama

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「Ooh, human, a dweller of the night, is what you called me?」

「Yeah, I did, a dweller of the night. Or would you prefer a child of moon and darkness? A ruler of the night? A nightwalker? History has many names for your people.」

The vampire youngster that introduced himself as Bran gave me a disinterested look.

Just as was said earlier, for Bran, humans, and probably every other species aside from vampires, are nothing more than food that sustains their immortal lives.

Selina, who was holding my hand, shivered, even though Bran was not looking directly at her.

I guess she was affected by the power that Bran put into the gaze directed at me.

「But all of those are the names left by the poets of other races, that caught a glimpse of our world. By now, all of them should be forgotten by humans, remaining only in oral tradition and ancient texts, long since buried in obscurity. A student, huh? You seem to be very eager in your studies. Our brethren of the time extolled those poets and made a promise to never to drink their blood unless they desired so themselves, bestowing them with many riches.」

Bran stopped there, and a faint smile appeared on his face. That was a devilish smile in the most literal sense of the word, be it a woman long since past her prime or a girl that is yet to bloom, no woman can withstand the charm of that smile, reaching to the very bottom of one’s heart.

「But I’m of a different mind. My view differs from the brethren of the olden days. The one who knows our ancient names, at least give up your blood to me. Healthy young men are the most nourishing after all.」

「I don’t have a hobby of willingly getting bitten. The one born of the ancient blood bond, if you desire to taste my blood, then you will have to submit me through strength.」

「Ooh, basking in my presence, you won’t even bat an eye under my gaze? Who’d think I’d find such a hero in such a place. 」

The moonlight illuminating Bran gradually faded. As he stood there, clad in the mantle of the color of the deep seas, the aura oozing from his body suddenly changed, which might be what scared it away.

「Before I run a sword through your heart, there is something I’d like to ask. Why did you spawn this fog, and are encroaching on this land? And was it you, who caused harm to my friend, Fatima?」 p

Bran’s brows slightly moved at my question. Fraupa Village, that was swallowed by this white fog, while it remained Fraupa Village, was not Fraupa Village anymore.

It’s location now overlapped with the territory and realm of Glossgrier Kingdom, and even the moon that was shining over our heads, was the one that shone above Glossgrier Kingdom.

Even if outside the fog it’s still day, the lands shrouded in the mist are in nighttime, with the moon hanging in the sky. Not only the space, but even time itself were distorted inside this fog.

「So you noticed that those lands are already within our domain? Now I want your blood even more. I have no obligation to answer your questions, but in respect to your keen insight, I will give you the answers.
There was no particular reason why we chose this land. But if I were to name one, it would be that it was the closest by the time when our preparations were done. As for your second question, the one who drank the blood of this Fatima was not me, but my Father. He was very delighted, as it proved to be quite a delicacy. It is an extreme honor to become nourishment for my father, the unrivaled ruler of the night, reigning over the Kingdom of Glossgrier for 1300 years. You should congratulate that girl.」

「Oh really? Okay. You have my gratitude for honestly answering my questions. Now I know who hurt Fatima. So I should just pierce your father’s heart, and turn him to ash by exposing him to the sunlight.」

Since the youngster in front of me is not the one who attacked Fatima, I have no time to waste on him anymore. Pouring draconic magic power into the sword that I held in my hand I turned my Dragon Eyes to the mist shrouding everything behind the youngster.

My eyes, changing to the eyes of a dragon, shining with seven colors, pierced through the fog, and though obstructed by it to a degree, managed to catch the sight of a giant castle far away.

If the cause of this incident is sitting right there, then I have no business with the youngster in front of me anymore.

Seeing my raising enthusiasm, Bran made a wry smile.

「I can’t allow you to do as you please. Father has to stay in good health until I officially inherit the throne. And there is also a huge task ahead of us. For that, both us, the family, and the retainers have to put in the effort.」

「Is that so? Then……」

My answer to Bran, who demanded us to obey, was already decided. And the same was true for the girl, who now was furious at those that harmed her friend.

「Drop dead.」

As if finishing my sentence Nell, who until now remained silent, listening to our conversation said.

Nell’s staff was pointing directly at Bran. Before she even finished her words, ten spears made from ice and her magic power formed around it.

Ice Javelin, an offensive spell of the Ice attribute a tier above Ice Arrow.

Giving off a cold glitter in the moonlight, the ten ice spears immediately rushed towards Bran’s heart, cutting through the wind.

The Ice Javelins infused with Nell’s magic power, that peaked, prompted by her rage, had enough speed and penetrative power to tear through a target even if it were protected by a tower shield and a bulky steel armor.

The next moment, those ten ice javelins should’ve impaled the youngster.

「Fueling with rage the furnace known as heart, you gave more power and intensity to your spells. Splendid. Nelneshia, was it?」

It was dubious if he was actually impressed or not, but although he spoke in such a way, there was not a hint of pain in his voice.

Unable to even touch his blue mantle, the javelins stopped before reaching it, as if hitting an invisible wall.

「Impressive, for that age. But still far too unskilled to wound me.」

Like the hand of a sea god rising from the very bottom of the sea, eternally unknown to the light, Bran’s right hand emerged from the mantle, and lightly swinging it left and right in a motion not unlike sweeping away bugs, knocked away the javelins.

Everything from the golden embroidery on the white mantle to even the white fingertips that peeked from the cuffs could be called beautiful, and even that bug sweeping motion gave off an air of elegance.

「Drop dead is not quite accurate, Nelneshia. I’m an immortal one, unknown to death, even if you were to give it to me, I will come back to life. Thus, what you should be saying to me isーー」

But before he could finish the sentence, I did that instead.

「ーーPerish.」

「?!」

At the same time, a crimson beam rushed towards Bran from the tip of my sword.

An offensive spell of Fire attribute, Crimson Ray, which depending on the ability of the user, could reach temperatures high enough to melt steel.

The crimson ray went to Bran, who still stood surrounded by white smoke created by icicle flare, blowing away the smokescreen with the heat, revealing Bran in the process, and hitting him in the right hand, creating a hole the size of a fist.

As my spell easily penetrated his magic protection, he looked at me with a genuine surprise in his eyes.

「Oh, you broke through my defenses?!」

By the time Bran regained his balance, the hole in his hand already closed through his regeneration as a Royal Vampire, but when he coughed a couple of times, clearing his throat, a few blood droplets landed on his left hand, with which he covered his mouth.

「Oh my, though I closed the wound, the pain still remains. Is it because of the peculiar nature of your magic power? Kuku, looks like you are even more interesting than I initially thought.」

Bran licked up his own blood from his hand, making his already red lips even redder, and then donned a smile that made everyone who saw it shudder.

In a motion as smooth as if he was offering a hand of a partner at a ball, Bran pulled out a sword with his right hand.

The sword had a golden hilt with a few thumb-sized rubies embedded in it, and a golden blade.

「This is my favorite sword, its name Grief Maria. Since you shun becoming my slaves, then fall prey to its blade.」

In a loose, somewhat sluggish manner he pointed with the sword to the mist-shrouded ground, but before anyone could even notice, the sword was already in motion, cutting a perfectly straight line from the lower right to the upper left.

The trajectory was pointing at Nell. There was far more distance between Nell and Bran than the sword could possibly reach.

But it seems that Nell realized that this won’t save her, and leaped back to us before Bran finished his attack.

Kicking off the ground, she landed after a few moments, then, everything in the extended trajectory of Bran’s slash, be it trees, the air, or even space itself, were slashed.

「Good job on avoiding the first strike of my sword. Most were bisected, without understanding what was happening.」

Standing up from the ground, Nell began casting another spell. She seems to be intending on turning Bran to ash before he gets another chance to swing his sword.

「Scales of ice, fangs of silver, the breath snowstorms, the child of the water snake and the snow snake, double-headed white snake! Blizzard Serpent.」

The power of water attribute rapidly began flowing from the spirit world to her staff, that Nell was pointing at Bran, forming a pure white snake with scales of ice, just as one would expect from the chant.

The snake, that greatly lowered the surrounding temperature as soon as it appeared, had another head where a tail would be normally located. Turning both of its heads to Bran, it began trying to intimidate him, while letting out a breath of blizzard from its mouths.

A spell for summoning a water snake spirit, huh.

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