A week has passed since that incident.
In a hotel on the outskirts of California, a silhouette of a man with blood red eyes could be seen looking at the television.
"That's the worst possible outcome." The man spoke in a voice steeped in annoyance.
"They're still broadcasting it, huh?" A woman's neutral voice was heard.
The man looked at the woman who had just entered the room and said:
"Yes, I've tried to use the church's influence to make them stop, but they don't seem to hear me." The man was very upset.
"So, as we thought. Is this the work of vampires?" The woman spoke while looking at the television.
"Are you serious? Only vampires and witches have enough influence in society to make a move like that. And the witches wouldn't do something like this, after all, they want to keep their neutrality about everything."
Suddenly, the voice of the woman who was presenting the news was heard by the two beings:
[Father Julian, the terrorist who caused the massacre is still at large. Some witnesses claim he was seen taking a plane back to his homeland, The Vatican. Witnesses also stated that before boarding the plane, Father Julian was heard repeating the phrase: 'Hail The Inquisition'. Apparently, this is an organization that exists within the Vatican.]
BOOOOM!
The man slammed his fist on the table in front of him angrily, "Who are these witnesses!? Who are they!? This woman is just talking nonsense! And what the hell is this 'Hail The Inquisition' bullshit!? Are they comparing us to the Nazis!? Bastards!" He was furious about the final part.
"...Hmm." The woman seemed to ponder a while before starting, "Although this is a poorly told story, this is still a slap in the face for the entire world's church."
"..." The man was silent, but he agreed with the woman's thoughts.
"What was the official statement that the Pope announced?"
"What do you think? He denied everything. Officially, The Inquisition does not exist. To the world, Julian was just a madman who called himself a Priest."
"The problem is that he's calling himself Father, and his birthplace is the Vatican."
"Yes…" Julian's affiliation with the church couldn't be denied, but upon learning that there was a terrorist who was born within the Vatican, the country's very image was tarnished.
Ruby, with the help of Natalia, Sasha, and Violet, managed to change everything that happened. She turned Julian into an international criminal and put all the blame for the incident on him.
"The hero of SWAT, Commander Davi, through his efforts, managed to make Father Julian retreat…-"
"Bullshit!" The man threw the chair at the television.
"…I'll have to buy a new television to watch my K-Drama…" The woman whispered when she saw what the man did.
A people's hero, and an international criminal, that was the story Ruby made. She diverted all attention from the incident to a story more believable than 'vampires' and 'hunters'.
After all, everyone loves a hero, right? Especially when you're an American hero.
"They've captured Zandriel and Bruno, so, by now, they already know about our secret, we're at a disadvantage."
"That's a small problem. They won't discover anything from the older models, they're already outdated." The man spoke in a neutral tone again.
"The problem is something else."
"..." The woman was silent and waited for the man's next words.
"Bruno is still alive, and he knows too much." If Bruno had died, the man wouldn't have worried too much.
"Tsk." The woman clicked in annoyed tongue:
"You fucked up, huh?" The woman spoke in a serious tone.
"…When you talked about the likely possibility of that man attacking the agents, I didn't really care, but I had never thought he would hold back his anger and capture Bruno… And I was pretty sure that man wouldn't back down. " He still kept insisting on that thought of his.
"Tsk, we already had this discussion, right?" The woman clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Seeing the face of the man who wasn't listening to her, the woman said:
"Maybe you were correct, maybe the new Count wouldn't commit genocide, but you forgot something."
"You forgot the people the new Count is related to. I've said many times, people's actions are influenced by other people."
"..." The man was silent.
"The new Count is related to Scathach Scarlett, that woman is his master."
"So what?" The man still didn't get it.
"Some people just want to see the world burn. And that woman is in that category."
"Perhaps because he is very close to that woman, the new Count was also influenced by her and has the same thoughts…?"
"…" The man remained silent.
"Sigh. You never listen to me." She sighed when she saw the man's face and then walked towards the exit, "Just do what you want, I'll go back to my room."
"... Tsk. I don't know who did this, but the person in charge will definitely pay for it."
...
"Atchim!"
"Hmm? Are you sick, Honey?" Victor asked as he looked at Ruby.
"It's impossible for a vampire to get sick normally. Someone must be talking about me, I think."
"I see..." Victor said, he thought a little, "Maybe it's the hunters, those worms must have a lot of headaches right now."
"Nice job, Honey."
Ruby flashed a small satisfied smile:
"... How is she?" Ruby walked over to Victor, who was sitting in a chair beside a large bed.
"She's fine. All her wounds have healed, she should wake up any moment now."
In these past seven days, Victor never left Kaguya's side and spent the entire seven days feeding his maid with his blood. Consequently, Kaguya's wounds that would normally take centuries to heal from the priest's attacks were healed in just seven days.
"You like her a lot, huh?" Ruby spoke in a neutral voice,
"Yeah… She's my precious Maid." Victor laughed a little.
"...It makes me a little jealous." She spoke in a low voice in a slightly sulky tone.
"..." Victor looked at Ruby, his eyes went blank:
"If you were in the same situation as Kaguya, if I saw you in the same state as her, I wouldn't know what my reaction would be. But I'm sure of something. It didn't matter if I had to burn my entire soul to achieve it, but I would jump into the Vatican and destroy that whole country." He spoke in a monotone, but his voice held such certainty that it scared Ruby a little.
"..." Ruby looked at Victor with the cold look she always had on her face, then sighed, took on a gentler look, and hugged him.
Ruby rested Victor's head on her breasts, "I know, I know you would do that... I'm sorry, okay?"
"Mm." Victor nodded.
"Darling..."
"What?"
"Don't think about throwing your life away so easily. Just as we are very important to you, you are also very important to us."
"..." Victor opened his eyes a little.
"I want you to never forget that." Her voice was so serious that Victor was a little surprised, but soon he revealed a gentle smile, as he nodded in agreement:
"Mm."
"..." Ruby felt that this wasn't enough. She pulled away from Victor and held his face while looking into Victor's red eyes:
"Darling, promise me you won't throw your life away for our safety?"
"..." Victor was silent.
Ruby's eyes began to darken, "Darling..." She didn't like Victor's lack of response at all.
"...I can't promise that because I would be lying to myself." In the end, Victor knew who and what he was; he couldn't lie to himself.
"..." Ruby stared into Victor's face for a few seconds, and, seeing his unyielding gaze, she visibly sighed.
"Sigh..."
"I'm sorry." Victor flashed an apologetic smile.
"It's alright..." Ruby hugged Victor again, "There is a very simple solution to this problem."
"Oh?"
" Violet, Sasha, and I should just become strong enough that we never have to get into a situation like Kaguya's."
"... That's a good idea." Victor supported that mindset since he wanted his wives to grow stronger too, but he also knew he would worry the same way. He was just that kind of man.
A petty man...
"Right? We just need to get strong enough for you not to worry, a simple solution."
"Hahaha, that's impossible."
Victor continued, "No matter how strong you are, even if you end up stronger than me, I would still worry."
He couldn't help being the way he was, even with Scathach. He knew that woman was strong enough to protect herself without needing his help, but even knowing that, he would still worry if she were to fight alone somewhere he didn't know about.
He also knew that by showing his concern for her, the woman would only hate him. After all, she was a warrior, not a little child who needed protection.
She was a strong and independent woman, and Victor loved her for it. He wanted his wives to be like that too, strong and independent women...
But… Despite wanting it, he couldn't help but worry...
'Hahahaha, I feel like an overprotective father.' He chuckled depressingly in his heart. He knew this was something that would never change about him.
"... Indeed, you are an incorrigible man." Ruby displayed a gentle smile.
It's not like she hated Victor's personality. She felt safe around him, the same security her mother conveyed.
"An incorrigible man, huh?" He repeated the words Ruby spoke...
"Maybe I am..." He hugged Ruby tighter...
"..." Ruby continued with the same gentle smile while she looked at Victor's hair. It was as if the hair was demanding that she stroke his head.
And that's what she did.
"..." Victor closed his eyes and enjoyed Ruby's caresses.
'... Hmm... This peace... I like it.' Victor understood a little why his wives liked it when he stroked their heads.
A few minutes passed, and Ruby continued to stroke Victor's head.
"...Hmm, where am I?"
Hearing Kaguya's voice, the couple broke apart and looked at Kaguya.
Victor displayed a gentle smile, he touched Kaguya's head and said:
"Good morning, my Maid."
"Good morning, Master." Kaguya smiled gently.
"How are you feeling?" He asked in a voice of visible concern.
"...I'm fine..." Kaguya spoke with the same gentle smile, but for just a few seconds, she wore a strange face, as if something wasn't quite right.
Victor noticed this, but he didn't ask anything since if Kaguya wanted him to know something, he was sure she would tell him.
"How long did I sleep?" Kaguya asked while she tried to get out of bed, but Victor stopped her from getting up.
"Stay down, okay?" He spoke in a neutral tone,
"...But-." She tried to protest and say that she was fine, but the look on Victor's face startled her a little.
"Okay?" He spoke in a tone that didn't allow for refusal,
"...Okay." Soon she gave up on getting up and remained lying down.
Victor displayed a gentle smile when he saw that Kaguya had gone back to rest, and when he answered her question, he made sure to speak in as calm a tone as possible:
"You've slept for 700 years, my Maid."
"…huh?
...
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