Chapter 464: Scathach has arrived.
The moment Morgana, Jeanne, and their children were in front of the guard, they heard something.
BOOOOOM!
Something fell around them, and a small crater was formed.
"What is this mess?"
"SSSSS-..." The guard passed out.
"Now that's an overreaction." Lilith laughed amusedly.
"Why does it look like he saw a ghost?" Elizabeth spoke up.
"Well, for some people, Countess Scathach might be considered a ghost." Adam continued.
"Scathach, what are you doing here?" Jeanne asked.
"I came to visit."
"..." Morgana narrowed her eyes:
"By any chance, does this visit involve a certain tall man with black hair and violet eyes?"
"Heh~, how did you know?" She spoke in a sarcastic tone.
A tone that Morgana ignored and explained her thoughts:
"Few things make you move in this life, and apparently, that man is one of those things."
"You talk like I'm lazy." Scathach rolled her eyes.
"Besides training and causing chaos, what else do you do in your life?"
"Training talented people?"
"I bet you hadn't been doing much till you found Victor."
"...Hmm, you're right." Even Vlad's castle royal guards were being trained without any real motivation, and she was only doing it because it was her duty.
Of course, Scathach wouldn't move completely out of 'duty', she was not that generous.
She had her own reasons for accepting Vlad's order, one of those reasons being that this plan was primarily made up of her disciple's idea in cooperation with the two bitches. [Natashia and Agnes.]
After the recent events of Natashia 'marrying' her disciple, Scathach was feeling quite sour about this development.
The other reason was that Scathach wanted to see what kind of change this plan would give Nightingale. How would the immutable city change now with this plan?
She wanted to know, she was curious.
"Anyway, what is this mess, why does this place have so few guards?" She looked around with narrowed eyes. She didn't remember this place having so few guards before.
If there was one thing that Scathach had made sure to beat into the forces of Clan Adrastea, it was to never fall to complacency. After all, they fought monsters, and those kinds of creatures were usually very unpredictable.
A good example of this was the Predators, creatures capable of becoming invisible.
Even though the city's stronghold weapons could sense these monsters, they shouldn't let their guard down like now.
"Ohhh, it's all because of Ophis."
"Ophis?" Scathach raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Morgana repeated her explanation to Scathach about Ophis and Nero and about Victor's reputation in the city.
"Fufu~, he's still very overprotective as usual."
'Good, good.' She nodded several times in satisfaction.
'But... to think that they did it until they destroyed the mansion...' Scathach's eyes glowed slightly blood red for a few seconds.
Unbeknownst to Victor, he'd ended up awakening Scathach's competitive side.
Another guard appeared and looked at Scathach with his mouth open in shock but quickly took on a professional expression. He grabbed his fellow guard, dragged him to the next quarters, and then came running back.
"Countess Scathach Scarlett, your daughters are at Lady Eleonor's mansion."
"Oh..." Scathach snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the guard's voice.
'Come to think of it, my daughters were here, huh?' The moment that thought crossed her mind, she was shocked at herself.
'Have I really changed that much? If it were the old me, I would be going crazy right now that my daughters were not in my sight... Or is it because I trust my foolish disciple too much?'
After some thought, she imagined a hypothetical situation. She pictured leaving her daughters in Eleanor's care, and she couldn't help but disapprove of that decision.
But when she imagined leaving her daughters with Victor, she didn't feel anything and felt secure in her decision.
The reason for this was that Scathach knew her foolish disciple. He would rather sacrifice himself than allow danger to fall upon even a single strand of her daughters' hair.
He was a lot like her in that sense after all.
"I will visit them, thank you." She spoke with a small smile on her face, something she'd unconsciously let occupy her expression. She was clearly still lost in her imaginary thoughts.
"...Y-You're welcome."
As Scathach entered the territory, the guard looked at the group in shock:
"She just thanked me… Huh? Am I dreaming?"
"...Can you hurry up, please?" Jeanne was too tired to explain anything and just wanted to get this over with.
"Yes!"
...
Walking through the city, Scathach was wondering what to do.
'My disciple is not in town, nor am I feeling the presence of Rose, Eleanor, and the Valkyries.' Looking around and seeing men and women in armor, Scathach couldn't help but flash a tiny, imperceptible smile.
She might be a little biased, but she liked the atmosphere of the city of WarFall. This city reminded her a little of the place she'd grown up in.
A place where warriors gathered.
'Although, this town has a better atmosphere than my village… This is all Eleanor's achievement, huh...'
Eleanor Adrastea was considered by Scathach to be a rare, unpolished gem, a genius. It was no wonder she'd achieved the title of Vampire Count at such a young age.
Although no one made a fuss about it, after all, she came from a 'Noble' lineage. So while it was surprising what she had accomplished in so little time, it was practically expected by everyone that she would have achieved it.
She wasn't applauded or given a shocked reaction like when Victor became a Vampire Count.
The thing is, Victor was an unknown man. He had no Noble Clan, he was a 'commoner' who was a disciple of Scathach and somehow had connections with the three Vampire Count clans. He was a Vampire who the King himself recognized and made him the fifth Count of Vampires, thus starting a new Vampire Clan and a new bloodline.
Because of this, the shock was greater. Upon becoming a Vampire Count, Victor became a turning point in Nightingale's history, writing a new chapter of a story that would be told in the books of the future.
'Being born into a well-established old family has its drawbacks too... She didn't get attention because she was 'expected' to do that and become a Vampire Count.'
Was Eleanor sad to see the lackluster response of the Kingdom's people?
Definitely not. Contrary to what was usually to be expected of a Noble Vampire, Eleanor was not vain. She sought personal conquests, and in her opinion…
Only the recognition of your Clan, and your master, was what mattered.
She didn't care what the people of Nightingale thought about her.
For starters, she was from an isolated town and barely interacted with Nightingale's Noble Vampires.
And for her, that was perfect.
She was given the 'privilege' of staying away from Nightingale's disgusting politics and could completely focus on her town.
'...I have to admit that that day, I was surprised.' Scathach thought in amusement as she arrived at Eleanor's house.
'I had underestimated Eleanor a little at the time.'
Passing through the gate as if she were the owner of the house, she felt a presence appear near her. She looked towards a tree and said:
"Walter, how long has it been? I see you've gotten stronger."
"...I cannot compare myself to you yet, Countess Scathach." An Elder Vampire came out from behind the tree and bowed in awe.
"Hahaha~ don't be modest. Just like the late Prince Theo, you are a Vampire over 3000 years old. I'm sure you are stronger than me." Scathach flashed a bloodthirsty smile.
'It's been a while since I fought this old man, I wonder how he is now...'
Walter narrowed his eyes when he saw Scathach casually drop such important information, but he was used to the woman's eccentric personality.
'I'll investigate this later.'
"...Far from it. Countess Scathach definitely outsmarts me." He spoke in a humble tone.
He definitely didn't want to set alight the powder keg known as the Scathach. As an experienced old man, he knew well the ways to avoid trouble.
After all, that same old man had fallen for her tricks in the past, and for an entire month, he'd had to deal with a battle-hungry Scathach. He didn't want to repeat that same misfortune.
He didn't want to have his old bones intimidated by this monstrous woman.
'Tsk, you're going to play like this, huh.' Scathach clicked her tongue. Why did everyone avoid fighting her? She's harmless!
She just wanted to stretch her body a little and have a fun fight.
'As expected, Victor is the best. He always fights me... I really want him to get stronger so I can loosen up more.'
Scathach knew a lot about Clan Adrastea. She knew that within that Clan, there were two Vampires of 'Master' level, the same level as her.
Vampires who were the sword and shield of Clan Adrastea.
And the first of them was the commander of the Valkyries.
Rose Adrasteia, a woman who reached the peak in the art of swordsmanship. Scathach had never seen anything this woman could not cut with her sword.
Rose had reached an unprecedented realm in her sword technique, a realm that not even Scathach had yet managed to reach.
And that was something Scathach was not ashamed to say.
After all, unlike her, Rose focused all her training on her sword.
In the truest sense of the word, she lived to become one with her sword.
She was a true swordsman. A true Master.
Scathach, on the other hand, was a Master of many things, and she had spent a lot of time training her ice power as well.
The reason Scathach didn't entirely focus on her Spear was because of her simple belief.
'A warrior must have several cards to use on a battlefield.'
A lesson that was taught by her mother.
She should never limit herself to just having one option. Instead, she should have several options and use the best one possible in different situations.
Because of that, she trained with various weapons. Because of that, she trained her powers. Because of that, she learned various techniques and created her own fighting style.
She didn't want to be limited.
And if there was one thing that Scathach had the most in her life, it was time… and she planned to use all her time to improve.
The other Master was Walter Adrastea.
The man in front of her.
And in a simple way to understand... Walter was a Master of Close Combat.
A man that even Scathach had a hard time fighting against if he fought seriously.
His fists were deadly. Not only that, his physique was leagues above a normal Noble Vampire. Even Alpha werewolves, who are beings with ridiculous physiques, would have a hard time dealing with Walter.
He was also a master of various domestic matters.
Etiquette, leadership, politics, those were just some of the topics that Walter had mastered, and there were thousands more to the list.
Walter was the epitome of the perfect butler. He was always around to advise, teach, and help the leader of Clan Adrasteia.
If Rose was the sword of Clan Adrastea and focused on military matters…
Walter was the shield, and his expertise was in domestic matters.
Of course, as Elder Vampires, they had a certain grasp of each other's areas of expertise. Their duty, above all, was to help the leader of Clan Adrastea.
And they needed various knowledge for that purpose.
This was also one of the reasons why Scathach ended Eleanor's training earlier than usual.
Eleanor already had her base, she already had her support, and two teachers Scathach thought were competent enough.
Scathach couldn't stunt the girl's growth with her teachings. Because of that, she only taught her the 'base'. After all, her belief in a strong foundation has never changed, and that was a teaching she carried with her through life.
Scathach prepared Eleanor and gave her the foundations to train properly. Walter and Rose polished the girl and turned her into a warrior and, more importantly, a leader of the clan.
Of all the Vampire Count Clan heiresses, Eleanor had the most exceptional teachers and the best base to grow. After all, she lived in a perfect place to train and improve.
"Far from it, Countess Scathach is, in fact, stronger than I am."
"Stop with the flattery, it won't work for me." Scathach snorted and started walking.
"...." He flashed a small smile and followed behind the woman while keeping a neutral gaze on his face.
"Where are my daughters?"
"Currently, Lady Pepper and Lady Lacus are training with Mizuki."
"…Mizuki?" She remembered hearing that name somewhere.
"Yes, she is a human, an Onmyo Mage."
"...Oh..." The feeling that she knew that name started to grow, but she still couldn't remember.
"Where are Victor and Eleanor?"
"On an expedition, Count Alucard is supporting my master. They are aiming to pass the 30,000 KM barrier."
"...." Scathach stopped walking and looked at Walter with her eyebrows raised a little.
"Are you sure about this? Won't your Clan leader be in danger?"
"They are adults, and as adults, they must make their own choices. Rose and I will always support our Master's decision."
"...I'm not talking about that." Scathach put her hand on her brow and said:
"I'm talking about the natives of this world and their 'Gods'. They won't stand by and watch their territory being invaded."
"Alphas are not a problem."
"I'm more concerned about the Gods."
"...That's a valid concern." Walter couldn't deny that concern because, honestly, it was a concern he had too.
'I'm glad I asked Rose to take our Clan's treasure in case a problem occurred.' Precautions were never unnecessary, especially when your leader was more than 30,000 km away from your safety.
"As long as an Elder God doesn't show up, Rose will deal with the enemies."
"...That's true..." Scathach replied after thinking about Rose's abilities from the past, and as it was an old memory. The woman should definitely be stronger now.
.....
