Chapter 441: Determination.
Victor had lost track of time, but he couldn't be blamed for this, considering Nightingale had no sun to indicate the passage of time.
He just knew that some time had passed because at some point, the noise of the conversation started to dissipate, and he saw that some people started to leave.
Those being Jeanne, Adam, Morgana, Lilith, and Elizabeth.
Victor, all the while, continued to silently support Agnes.
At some point, the woman had stopped crying, and slowly, she willingly began to hug him:
"Let me stay like this for a while…"
"Mmm." Making an approving sound, Victor just let Agnes do what she wanted.
Using Victor's body as a support, Agnes hugged his body and laid her head on his chest.
Victor was taller than she was, and that was something she was secretly happy about now because she could completely surrender her body to his embrace.
Feeling the heat of the man's body, feeling the caress on her head, smelling his sweet scent, sensing the silent care he had for her.
Agnes felt so protected. It was as if she could just lie down without worries in the world, a feeling she had long forgotten and only now realized she had lost.
Due to always being worried about the illness of her... late husband, she was always on edge, the fear of losing her Darling at any moment, the fear that she would close her eyes and the disease would strike her husband.
Because of this, she had few moments of peace in her entire married life.
She lightly squeezed her hand and bit her lips as a bad feeling began to grow in her chest as negative thoughts began to invade her interior.
Vampires were a troublesome race since they felt everything more intensely, like a button that increased everything by 100x value.
She was experiencing this firsthand, and, with the way her moods change quickly, it was quite frightening.
But that didn't seem to be a problem when she was around Victor... Her mood quickly lifted as she felt Victor's caress on her head, and unconsciously, she focused her attention on Victor's connection.
And she felt all of Victor's feelings about this situation.
Victor could hide his feelings well, but for someone who's been 'married' a long time, she knew feelings can't be hidden between the couple.
That was just how magic worked.
And as she felt those emotions, she began to calm down again.
Sigh...
'The ease with which he calms me down is quite frightening…' Agnes sighed as she thought of fun.
Even her late husband couldn't do that to her...
After a few more moments of silence, Agnes' emotions had completely calmed down, and now she just had her eyes closed as she remained cuddled with Victor.
She was thoroughly enjoying this peaceful emotion she was feeling.
Honestly, she felt so grateful right now… If Victor hadn't been around, she wouldn't have known how she would react.
The vampire race that feels everything most intensely, with the effects of the Snow Clan's powers on their emotions, if left unchecked, their feelings towards the situation, not forgetting their peculiar personality of exaggerating everything and adding to their connection with the sword Fafnir.
Putting all these factors together that amplify her emotions, Agnes was like a walking bomb of feelings.
"Have you calmed down?" Victor asked in a soft tone.
The sudden question startled Agnes a little and woke her up from her thoughts. Looking up a little, she saw Victor's kind face, and her heart gave a little beat as she responded.
"Yes..." Despite immense reluctance, she pulled away from Victor's dangerously comfortable arms, and it was only when she pulled away that she saw the state of Victor's clothes.
"...I'm sorry about the clothes." She started to have a little internal meltdown when she remembered what she had done earlier, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on her face.
'AHHHHHHHHHH! Someone, please kill me! I can't believe I cried like a little girl!' She was so embarrassed that if there was a hole nearby, she would quickly jump into it and only come out after everyone else was gone!
"Umu?" Looking at his clothes, he said, "Don't worry about it." Victor's eyes gleamed slightly, and the atmosphere around his body began to heat up, and as if by magic, his wet clothes dried completely.
"...Your control over fire is quite impressive..." She sincerely praised, there were few people in the Snow Clan who had such meticulous control.
Victor opened his eyes a little when he heard what Agnes said:
'I think that was the first time she complimented me or looked at me without comparing me to anyone.'
Showing a small smile, he said:
"I'm still far from my goal."
"...Oh? What is your goal?" Agnes asked curiously.
"Combine the elements, and create new properties like an ice fire?" Victor spoke honestly as he touched his chin.
"..." Agnes looked at Victor in shock.
It was as if she'd heard some senseless nonsense.
"That is-." She stopped what she was going to say when she remembered who was in front of her.
Alucard, the fifth Count of Vampires, the youngest vampire in history to become a Vampire Count, and the second progenitor of the vampire race.
'If it's him... Maybe it's not impossible...' It was a ridiculous thought to change the characteristics of a power or combine them and transform them into something new, but that possibility wasn't impossible for Alucard.
Victor crouched down and picked up her sword from the ground, his violet eyes glowed slightly, and for a moment, he felt the intent of 'something' invade his mind.
"!!?" Seeing the sword react, Agnes was going to alert Victor, but what happened next left her in complete shock.
"Behave yourself."
The authority contained in his words seemed to be able to bend the world itself to his will.
And the effect of those words was immediate, as the sword slowly began to calm down.
'What...? Despite containing only the fragment of a dragon's soul, it is still the most powerful fire dragon's soul. How can he suppress the sword so easily?'
Victor examined the sword and nodded, satisfied. It was a beautiful sword and quite interesting, just by touching the sword, he could feel his fire abilities increasing the amount he could control.
If before he could make a big fireball with just his powers alone, now he can make five fireballs of the same size.
The sword amplified the power of fire and increased the user's 'output', thus amplifying the destructive power.
"It's a good sword." Victor had memories of this sword but never got to see or touch it. Though he learned of the sword through the Snow Clan records and conversations with Agnes in the past.
Victor approached Agnes and handed her a sword while holding the handle:
"Just be careful not to let yourself be swayed by it." He gave a slight warning showing his concern, but he's sure he didn't need to say the consequences of wielding this sword.
As a countess and Leader of the Snow Clan, Agnes knew the risks all too well.
"…Mmm." Agnes didn't say anything, just accepted Victor's concern and kindness with a simple gesture, as she took the sword hilt and held it.
Soon her gaze returned to Victor, specifically speaking, his neck.
gulp.
Now that she felt a weight lifted from her body, the bloodlust had taken hold of her entire being, and she looked like a wanderer lost in the desert who hadn't had a drink of water in a long time.
"...." Victor chuckled gently when he saw Agnes' blood red gaze and her explicit desire emanating from their connection.
"You know what will happen if you drink my blood while staying with this 'bond', right?"
"...Yes." Slowly, she turned her face away as she bit her lip in frustration. She wanted so badly to lick and suck on that neck, the very act of holding on felt like torture.
Agnes had never had to hold back her bloodlust for so long since, unlike Natashia and Scathach, who killed their husbands and suffered from lack of blood, she's never really had a problem with it before.
'How did Scathach put up with this for so many years?' A new respect for that woman was born in Agnes' body.
"Take your time to think about the ritual, Agnes."
"Hmm...?" She looked at Victor and only saw him walking away.
"If you want to end this connection, I'll be there for you." No feelings could be heard from Victor's voice, he was just stating facts.
After all, as long as Agnes remained in this connection the way she is now, it would only be torture for her, but Victor also had no right to expel her or ask for a 'divorce'.
He understands very well that this connection is something of a last memory for Agnes of her ex-husband, and he respects that of her.
After all, in a way, Victor is the intruder of all this, and Agnes is not to blame for anything.
"Wai-." She was going to tell him to wait, but she stopped as she realized she didn't have that right now.
As she thought of the words Victor had spoken as he left, she realized what he meant:
'The ritual divorce needed the consent of the couple... Only then will the magic be undone.'
Looking at the back of the man walking away, several feelings passed through her heart, but the most predominant feeling was...
Reluctance.
She didn't want to lose 'it' that she had with Victor.
But at the same time that she felt it, she also understood that she must give a quick answer to this problem. She couldn't stay on the fence for too long.
That would only hurt Victor and herself.
Just as the wife needed her husband's blood, the husband also needed his wife's blood.
And in that brief look Victor gave her body, she could feel her desire spilling over.
He wanted her, he wanted her blood, he was bloodthirsty for her.
But... Out of respect for her and her alone, he did nothing.
This kindness and affection touched the depths of Agnes' heart.
'Sigh... No wonder even Scathach fell.'
Picking up her cell phone, she looked at the photo she'd taken of her son-in-law.
As she watched the photo, for just a few seconds, her golden eyes had turned lifeless, she bit her lip, and a variety of complex feelings flooded her heart, feelings that even she didn't understand.
She needed space to think.
A few seconds later, her eyes returned to normal, and she put her cell phone away.
As her hair fluttered in the cold Nightingale winds, she looked at the two moons:
"...Tonight is a beautiful night..."
.....
