#Episode 40
Todd had already been pressuring her, asking when she would find a hiding place. If the Count were to make such an offer, that innocent vampire might eagerly accept it.
However, creating another vampire was not as easy as it sounded. If turning a human into a vampire had no risks, the world would already be overrun with vampires.
When a vampire turns a human into another vampire, they must share a portion of the blood power stored in their soul.
The strength of a vampire is determined by the quality and quantity of the blood stored in their soul, so giving some of it away was essentially diminishing their own rank.
High-ranking vampires could turn several humans into vampires without much difficulty, but for a lower-ranked vampire like Vasha, the loss of blood power could be quite fatal.
‘As it is, I’m already wondering when I’ll be able to feed her and make her a high-ranking vampire…’
I can’t afford to waste any more precious blood on that old man!
Moreover…
‘I haven’t even begun my revenge, and there’s already someone trying to interfere.’
Currently, Todd was Vasha’s only familiar, and because of that, he was acting rather recklessly.
Todd himself acknowledged this fact. As a Van Drake, he had willingly become a vampire’s familiar, so he felt Vasha should tolerate at least that much.
But if the old Count were to interfere and claim kinship with Vasha, who knew how the situation might change?
Especially since the opponent was a cunning noble.
Todd wasn’t sure how long Vasha had lived, but judging by her behavior, it didn’t seem like the time she’d spent alive had much significance.
From what Todd had observed, Vasha had a naïve and fragile side, and the Count might exploit that to manipulate her.
In doing so, he could become an obstacle to Todd’s revenge.
‘I’m not yet strong enough to compete for control with others… It’s too soon to start creating a clan by increasing the bloodline.’
Once Todd grew stronger and gained more influence, things might be different, but not now.
For the time being, it was best for him to remain the only one by Vasha’s side…
Todd suddenly stood up.
“Yeah. If that foolish vampire makes a dumb choice and messes up my revenge, that would be a problem! A clan? What clan!”
Rationalizing his desire to separate Vasha from the Count as a noble cause for his revenge, Todd stormed out of the room.
Todd’s footsteps as he ran were completely free of the hesitation that had previously plagued him.
***
“…One of the four direct descendants of the Vampire Lord, Lady Lucy van Vassenar, of the Menorah, is my master.”
‘What? A direct descendant of the Vampire Lord?’
Vasha was taken aback by the unexpected mention of such an important figure.
Just as it is better to serve a noble family if you must be a servant, who you serve made a significant difference in how vampires were treated.
Serving a direct descendant of the Vampire Lord, a Menorah, was something even high-ranking vampires would be wary of.
This was because no one wanted to provoke the wrath of a Menorah.
The term ‘Menorah,’ which means candelabrum, was a title given only to the first lineage that the noble Lord had personally turned into vampires. The name came from the resemblance of the candelabrum to an inverted family tree.
Vasha recalled the future she had seen in her dream. Hudel had fought against many vampires, including direct descendants of the Vampire Lord.
‘But Lucy van Vassenar… I’ve never heard of her.’
Of all things, she had encountered a follower of a Menorah about whom she had no information. This was troubling.
‘On the bright side, at least it’s not one of the other Menorah followers with terrible personalities.’
Hudel had dealt with two Menorahs, both of whom had notoriously awful temperaments. From what Vasha had seen of them in her dream, even as a fellow vampire, she found their behavior appalling. It was a relief that she hadn’t gotten entangled with them.
Still, she needed to be careful around the Count. If Lucy turned out to be yet another troublesome Menorah with an obsessive follower, it could spell disaster.
‘A vampire of Menorah’s caliber would have their true name heavily protected by powerful restrictions, so it’s impossible to falsely claim to be a follower. The fact that the Count declared himself Lucy’s follower means that Lucy has granted him permission to use her name.’
That meant Lucy must have a great deal of trust in the Count.
As Vasha tried to figure out how to handle Count Renfield, the Count began praising Vasha with a respectful and reverent demeanor.
“My foolish nephew spouts nonsense about wanting a companion, but to think I would meet the bloodline of Vassenar again… It is the greatest honor of my life.”
“What?”
Vasha unintentionally asked again, confused. Vassenar?
Vasha quickly realized that the Count had misunderstood something.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I am not part of the Vampire Lord’s bloodline.”
Vasha hurriedly corrected him. Bloodlines and clans were serious matters that could not and should not be lied about.
Count Renfield, shocked by Vasha’s response, also seemed flustered.
“That can’t be.”
Even though Vasha had denied it herself, the Count seemed unable to believe it.
Seeing how far the Count was going, Vasha became even more confused.
Since she had lost her memories, Vasha wasn’t entirely sure herself whether she had any connection to Menorah or not. This thought made her wonder if the Count could hold the key to her lost memories. Her heart raced at the possibility.
However, it was still difficult to trust the Count. Trying to act as calm as possible, Vasha asked:
“And why are you so certain?”
“That’s because…”
The Count hesitated, glancing at Vasha before asking cautiously:
“Have you perhaps met Lady Lucy before?”
“No, I’ve only heard her name.”
“I see…”
The Count sighed deeply. Perhaps thinking that words alone wouldn’t be enough to convince Vasha, the Count slowly rose from his seat and made a suggestion:
“Then, could you follow me for a moment?”
The Count, leaning on his cane by his bedside, stood up. His body seemed so frail it looked like he could collapse at any moment.
Vasha quickly grabbed the Count’s free hand and asked:
“Where are we going?”
“To the annex.”
Now that she thought about it, the key Albert had been after was also for the annex.
Vasha had always been curious about what was in the annex, so she had no reason to refuse the Count’s proposal. She nodded.
***
The annex wasn’t far from the Count’s room. Night had already fallen, and the sky was dark.
In the darkness, the annex gleamed white. The building, finished with marble, had intricately carved pillars, each one a delicate work of art.
With trembling hands, the Count inserted a key into the lock on the annex door.
Click.
The sound of the lock opening echoed, and the Count pushed the door open. Vasha followed him down a dimly lit hallway.
After walking for a while, they arrived at a large circular space. The ceiling of the room, which resembled a ballroom or lobby, was domed. In the center was a small glass window.
A single beam of moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the hall with a serene beauty.
Standing under the moonlight in the center of the hall, the Count turned to Vasha and spoke:
“Now that I think of it, I haven’t properly introduced myself to your esteemed self. I am Laurus Renfield. Though I am lacking, I am somewhat known as the painter Laurus.”
Vasha had heard the name before.
‘When I first came to Noctiluca, some drunkards or gamblers were gossiping about one of Laurus’s unreleased paintings… Who would have thought Laurus was Count Renfield?’
Finally, Vasha took the time to calmly observe her surroundings. The walls of the hall were lined with paintings.
This annex was Laurus’s gallery.
‘I heard that just one of these paintings could be worth an entire mansion…’
The paintings were indeed worthy of such a reputation.
It seemed that the paintings were what Albert had been after as well.
‘Isn’t Albert the only heir to the Renfield estate? Even if they’re Laurus’s paintings, he’d inherit them eventually. Why would he go to the trouble of stealing the key?’
The paintings were undoubtedly beautiful. Even in the darkness, they seemed to glow with an inner light. Vasha couldn’t help but admire the artwork that filled the annex.
Then, one painting in particular caught her eye. Hanging behind Laurus in the most prominent position in the annex was the only portrait in the entire gallery.
