For a king who had to live hidden among humans, it was an ideal solution. The king was very satisfied with the method Strigon had shared, though one thing puzzled him.
<What if… the homunculus body isn’t empty? What happens if I end up making a complete homunculus…?>
<Ha! Do you think that’s something so easily done? If that happened, you’d be hailed as the father of homunculus magic. Quite the title for a mere human.>
Strigon cut off the king’s words with a mocking laugh.
The king bowed his head sheepishly at the ridicule.
Still, if even a magician like Strigon spoke that way, then there was probably nothing to worry about. Only then could the king feel somewhat at ease.
With the secret to immortality now in his hands, the king immediately set about creating a homunculus.
If I’m going to do this, I may as well have a beautiful body. It doesn’t have to look exactly like me now. And one that’s a bit stronger would be nice too…
Then, a brilliant idea struck the king.
‘What if I take over Van Drake’s body? Not even Strigon would be able to stop me then, would he?’
Strigon couldn’t even bring himself to kill Van Drake directly. He had to manipulate the humans he despised to do it. Van Drake was… the nemesis of vampires.
If Strigon had bound the king’s soul in a true name pact, such thoughts would’ve been meaningless. But fortunately, the king’s soul remained free.
Strigon was deeply suspicious by nature, but he also had a profound disdain for humans.
No one makes a contract with insects or livestock to use them. Likewise, Strigon considered humans beneath such formalities—he believed he could always read and manipulate their minds at will. So for him, a true name pact with a human was disgraceful.
But Van Drake was immune to a vampire’s mental attacks.
That’s why the king believed that, if he could acquire Van Drake’s body, he would finally be free from Strigon’s manipulation.
Thinking he’d come up with a brilliant plan, the king’s first move was to check whether there existed a Van Drake he could quietly snatch away without the higher-ups of the Lamphas Church noticing.
But that was no easy feat. Van Drake was monitored thoroughly by the Church from head to toe.
The best the king could manage… was to obtain the corpse of the Duchess of Van Drake.
Because she didn’t carry Van Drake’s bloodline, he was able to smuggle her away unnoticed. But precisely because she didn’t have Van Drake’s blood, it was meaningless.
‘Damn it… Is getting Van Drake’s body really impossible?’
Still, the king clung to a shred of hope. And thanks to that persistence, he discovered the unborn child of Van Drake’s bloodline in the womb of the deceased duchess.
Oh, the thrill of that moment!
Using that lump of flesh as a base, the king created a homunculus. This Van Drake homunculus was growing steadily in a nutrient solution mixed with the king’s own blood…
Just a little longer now.
King Parachelsus of Herodes endured the humiliation of having to bow his head and watch his words around mere vampires—for now—holding fast to the day he would finally rise.
***
Todd and Laurus had barely managed to escape to a storage room within the auction house. It hadn’t been used in quite some time; a thick layer of dust covered the old opera costumes and stage props scattered around.
Todd immediately bit his index finger to draw blood. Then he traced a formation in the center of the tightly shut door.
The places his blood touched scorched black as if burned. But the marks vanished the moment he completed the formation.
“I made a fool of myself…”
Only after being dragged to the warehouse did Laurus finally come to his senses, muttering an apology in a faint, dying voice. Todd, however, just scoffed and waved it off.
“Foolish? You’d do the same if it happened again.”
“Well, that… I couldn’t help it…”
“A follower’s instincts, huh? Sure.”
Todd’s sarcasm was biting. Normally, Laurus would have snapped back immediately, but today he had no words.
Todd gave him a sidelong glance and continued.
“Are you actually ashamed of what you did? Or are you just embarrassed to face your master after acting like that?”
“………”
Todd hit a nerve. Laurus winced. He was embarrassed in front of Todd—but the real shame came from imagining how Lady Lucy might have seen his disgrace. He honestly wanted to bury his face in a bowl of water and never come up again.
Truth be told, he was incredibly grateful that Todd had quickly swept him away before Lady Lucy could see him fall apart.
Todd, who understood a follower’s mindset all too well, clicked his tongue at Laurus’s guilty reaction.
“Tch.”
Still, watching the old man—already physically exhausted from their escape—now look so defeated and sunken was not a pleasant sight. With that kind of attitude, he probably wouldn’t make it out alive. Todd glanced at him sideways and muttered.
“If you want to meet your master again in one piece, then focus on getting out of here first. Linger any longer and you’ll just show up half-eaten.”
Then, sharply turning away, he pressed his ear to the door to gauge what was happening outside.
His words had come out cold, so it took Laurus a moment to realize Todd’s true intentions.
Todd was trying, in his own clumsy way, to comfort him—to urge him to escape together. Laurus saw the faint blush on the tips of Todd’s ears and let out a short chuckle.
‘Honestly, Van Drake really sucks at comforting people… Lady Vasha must have a rough time with him.’
While Laurus was chuckling to himself, Todd’s expression darkened.
The brief moment of levity was gone, replaced by heavy tension.
“…Is it bad out there?”
“Seems like the vampires have taken control of the entire building. Doesn’t look like we’ll be getting out easily.”
Laurus let out a low sigh. He was already well aware of how dire things were.
The vampires lurking outside were slaughtering any humans on sight. If Todd hadn’t dragged him away, Laurus—an unmarked follower without protection—would have been ripped apart like the rest.
He quietly turned to look at Todd, the one who had saved him.
Quick, agile legs. Movements light as feathers.
Todd moved like a cat, sensing the faintest disturbance. Laurus believed that if anyone could slip past the vampire-infested building, it was him.
Compared to him…
The decision came swiftly.
Laurus spoke in a firm voice—
“…Leave me behind.”
“What?”
Todd frowned deeply. Before he could say anything else, Laurus quickly continued, trying to persuade him.
“If you go alone, you won’t draw attention.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. If I were going to escape on my own, I wouldn’t still be here.”
If he had planned to run alone, he would’ve fled long ago instead of wasting time arguing in the auction house to bring Laurus with him.
Escaping with Laurus was Todd’s own choice. And Van Drake never went back on his decisions.
Todd glared at Laurus, who stubbornly refused to listen. Even though his eyes had turned light brown, Todd’s gaze still sparkled like stars—eyes that always looked toward the future.
Laurus spoke with determined resolve.
“I’ve already fulfilled my wish of seeing Lady Lucy again. I don’t mind dying now, no matter how it happens—”
“Shut up!”
Before Laurus could finish, Todd lunged forward and hastily clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Mm!”
‘He’s silencing me by force because he can’t win the argument—!’
Laurus flailed, unwilling to let Todd act so irrationally. He had to convince him somehow.
Todd’s grip was strong, but his hand was still too small to cover Laurus’s entire face—he hadn’t fully grown yet. Laurus managed to wriggle free and shouted.
“…Still! But you have to survive, Todd! You need to get revenge! If something happens to you, how could I ever face Lady Vasha?!”
“I said shut up!”
Todd hissed, lowering his voice to a growl.
While the two continued their bickering, the sounds outside were growing louder.
Only then did Laurus realize why Todd had told him to be quiet.
Someone was approaching.
