Chapter 478: The End of the Expedition.
42,000 km away from WarFall,
30 minutes after the events of Eleanor showing her power.
Currently, the group was on top of a mountain, making a camp. They tried to pass this mountain but soon came across the vision of 20 beings over 50 meters high in the distance.
They were so big they didn't even need supernatural vision to see them.
They were Titans, beings of a class above Behemoth.
The very idea of fighting them was considered foolish by the group.
They may be slow, but they were big, strong, and highly formidable, not to mention their ability to attract the attention of various Monsters was very problematic to deal with.
Fighting two or three of them was no problem for the group, but fighting 20? All while trying not to get tired? It was irrational; they needed a bigger group and an outpost for that to happen.
Victor was reckless; that was nothing new, but he was no fool. He knew when to back off.
"Aren't you going to revert to your 'sealed' form?"
"Not yet~." Eleanor stretched.
"It's been a while since I last spread my wings; I want to enjoy it while I can."
"Hmm..." Victor looked at Eleanor with curious eyes.
He was blatantly enjoying her form.
Eleanor, of course, didn't mind that. If there was one feeling she had about it, it was that she liked it.
... She liked it a lot!
Sometimes she blatantly displayed her 'charms' for the man to observe further.
"Whoaa, what a display." Dorothy couldn't believe what she was seeing, was her leader like this before?
"Well, when we're in that form, our instincts make us more 'honest'." Alexa commented.
"That's bullshit, you know, right?" Dorothy narrowed her eyes.
"...Yeah..." Alexa muttered.
Being overpowered by instinct only happens to the youngest members of Clan Adrastea. Despite being young, Eleanor had the skill and control of an adult Vampire; she wouldn't be overpowered by her instincts if the situation wasn't too stressful.
Which meant...
She was doing it because she wanted to! She was being narcissistic!
"I can't blame her." Anrietha, who was standing next to Martha, spoke up.
"Hmm?" Alexa and Dorothy looked at the two women.
"Our Monster genes make our Clan… well, monstrous. And few outsiders can accept that, especially Elder Vampires stuck in ancient traditions." Anrietha explained.
"I have no doubt that if the Elder Nightingale Vampires knew of this transformation, they would be marching towards us seeking to eliminate us for 'tainting' the honor of Noble Vampires," Martha spoke in disdain.
"I invite them to do this... Do these weak Vampires think they can fight us?" Julieta approached, speaking while her eyes became more monstrous.
"Warfall's defense is impenetrable. No one will pass through those walls, not even those Elder Vampires." Judy was more reasonable, but it was clear she had disdain for Nightingale's Vampires.
Only a few Vampires could earn the respect of Clan Adrastea, and the number of Clans that had that respect can be counted on one hand.
Not even the Vampire King's family was respected here. Of course, they wouldn't mistreat them, but they also wouldn't lick their feet like the other Clans, either.
"Fufufu, if it was difficult for them to do something before, now it has become an impossible task," Anrietha spoke.
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Dorothy asked.
"Our' neighbor' will definitely help us if something happens." Anrietha continued.
"...." The girls exhibited a small smile and nodded their heads slightly. That was just the level of how much they trusted the man. Knowing his personality, he would definitely intervene if something threatened the Adrastea Clan.
"Hey, Eleanor."
"Hmm?"
"How did the Vampires of your Clan gain this bloodline?"
"...." Eleanor and the girls narrowed their eyes a little.
"...What do you mean by gain?" She played innocent.
"Hmm... You know what I am, right?" Victor flashed a small smile.
"A Progenitor..."
"Correct."
"And we Progenitors are quite intuitive about Souls."
"...."
"The Soul is the record of a being, the body is its receptacle, and blood is the bargaining chip that Progenitor Vampires use to alter the body and Soul."
"Your current state is much more like a hybrid than a Vampire with traits of another race like my daughter, Nero."
Victor touched his chin and made contemplated his following words, and then elaborated:
"Your Monster gene is stronger than your Vampire gene; I think it's 60% Monster and 40% Vampire?"
"Perhaps the bloodline is balanced at 50% each... Or the Vampire bloodline mutated and deviated from its normal course, for example, the Vampire bloodline 'devoured' the Monster bloodline, and assumed its characteristics."
"But through the conversation I've had with you and the girls, I've discarded the last theory."
"You and your Clan are the most perfect answer I can find for a 'natural' Hybrid."
"Why the quotes for 'natural'?" Eleanor laughed.
"Because I don't think anyone from your Clan would sleep with a Monster."
"..." Eleanor was silent.
"I can't see a scenario where a proud Noble Vampire went to bed with Monsters to gain power."
"If it wasn't through the means of breeding that you acquired those genes, there's only one option left."
"Vampires took this bloodline by force and merged it into their bodies/souls through some ritual, strange gene technology, or magic."
"..." A hush fell over the place, and the girls stared at Victor with slightly shocked faces.
"You're too smart for your own good, huh." Eleanor couldn't help but speak out.
"…He just discovered the Clan's deepest secret that way?" Alexa couldn't help but mutter.
And when Victor heard that, he couldn't help but smile as he looked at Alexa.
"Shit."
"Alexa!" Dorothy screamed.
"I'm sorry, okay!? I was shocked." Alexa rolled her eyes.
"I don't consider myself smart... I'm just a good observer." Victor laughed lightly, and then he added in a serious tone:
"Don't worry, Eleanor."
"… worry about what?"
"I won't go around spreading other people's secrets; I'd rather die than do that."
"Do not exaggerate." Rose patted his arm lightly.
"You don't have to die. Just don't tell anyone."
"It's hard to kill me, you know?"
"Just don't try to kill yourself." She commented seriously.
"...Only if you don't talk about my secret."
"If you want to hide that you are a Progenitor, don't use that form so casually; Elder beings will easily recognize your 'presence'.
"I will try, but I promise nothing."
"You can't be trusted, huh."
"...." He gestured as if he had no choice:
"That's just who I am."
"Stupidly stubborn?"
"...I would say an honest man."
"Sure~." She rolled her eyes.
The two chuckled lightly, and soon a silence fell around them; a calm atmosphere fell around them.
Victor was silent as he watched Eleanor, who had her white hair fluttering in the wind.
"...You are correct, Vic."
"Our Clan's first generation Vampires acquired the powers of Monsters through an Ancient Rebirth Ritual."
Victor's heart skipped a beat, and a feeling of anxiety crept through his body, but he tried his best to stay calm.
"A ritual that makes us Hybrids of Monsters and Vampires."
'Unlike Werewolves and Vampires, Monsters have high adaptability ingrained into their genes, and because of this adaptability that was far superior to that of Humans, their blood easily joined the blood of Vampires.'
"An Ancient Ritual that is still used to this day to make members of our clan."
"...A deadly ritual with a survival rate of less than 5%."
"And that's counting that we are Vampires, beings with great regeneration."
Victor narrowed his eyes.
"How do you make new members of Clan Adrasteia then?"
"We diluted the effects."
"...."
"Only the main family members, in my case, my Valkyries, my butler, have their True Form as Monsters."
"The others only have features, like eyes, and the ability to change body components, etc."
"I see..." Victor thought about something; his head was spinning at full speed; then he said:
"Can I go through the ritual…?" he asked cautiously.
Eleanor and the girls opened their eyes wide. Did this man still want more power?
"You cannot." It was not Eleanor who answered but Rose.
Victor looked at Rose.
"You know me, I can survive this ritual; if there's one thing I have confidence in, it's my regeneration and Willpower."
"... I know."
"...?" So what's the problem? That's what Victor's look asked.
"As a Progenitor, you would easily go through the ritual; would it hurt like a bitch? Yes, but your chance of survival is more than 70%, counting only on your blood. With your strong will, your regeneration, that number goes up to 90% easily."
"So high?" Dorothy looked in disbelief.
"Don't underestimate a Progenitor; they are the Forefather of an entire race for a reason; their adaptability is amazing," Rose spoke up.
'Although in the case of a Progenitor, his blood would devour the Monster's bloodline, a Progenitor's blood is so arrogant that it will not allow himself to change to suit others. So others would change to suit him.' Rose thought.
"Amazing..." Dorothy once again understood how ridiculous a Progenitor was.
"You cannot participate in the ritual because only members of Clan Adrasteia can perform the ritual."
"...Which means..."
"Yeah, you need to leave your Clan...or marry Eleanor."
"Rose!?"
"...." Rose just looked at Eleanor seriously, and the woman was silent. Eleanor realized that Rose was not saying this to provoke her.
Rose continued watching Victor; his facial expression didn't change much; she only saw a visible sigh.
Sigh...
"Looks like I'll be back to simply training then." He shrugged as if he had no choice.
"Did you give up so easily? Don't you want to get stronger? If it were someone else, they would immediately ask to marry Eleanor."
Eleanor's body trembled slightly when she heard what Rose said; she realized she was correct and felt complicated now.
'Why didn't he say anything? Does he not want me?' If she were to tell the truth, Eleanor would admit that she had feelings for Victor. She didn't know if it was love or not, but those feelings had been growing since she met him for the second time.
And these feelings grew even more on this expedition. She didn't want to be separated from him.
Suddenly something occurred that shocked all the Valkyries. Victor looked at Rose with anger, genuine anger.
"Do you think so little of me?" He spoke in disdain.
"Hmm?" A bloodthirsty aura left his body.
"Do you think that, in my quest for power, I would step on Eleanor's feelings?"
'Vic...' Eleanor opened her eyes slightly wider.
Crack, Crack.
A web-shaped crater formed beneath him, and the bloodthirsty sensation grew even more potent.
Unfazed by this, Rose asked:
"You know Eleanor likes you, and your feelings for her are the same. If you ask her to marry you, she will surely accept. You get a beautiful wife and a new lineage to get stronger. Isn't that amazing?"
Victor's gaze changed from anger to disgust.
"And to think you would say that even if it were a test."
"Disgusting."
"...." Rose felt her heart ache a little. She saw that those were Victor's real feelings and opinion on the matter.
"Do you think me like a fool, Rose?"
"You think I don't know what you wanted with these questions?"
"And to think you wouldn't understand me even after being around me all this time."
Victor's look of disappointment really hurt more than a knife in her heart, she knew the boy had always been kind to them and always valued them, but as Eleanor's guardian, she needed to be sure of Victor's feelings.
"To answer the question of this useless test."
"Yes, I like Eleanor."
"!!!" Eleanor opened her eyes wide.
"But I will not ask her to marry me because of something like gaining 'additional' power. I will not step on her feelings for something so petty. I will never marry for mutual benefit or because I want something from a person."
"If I'm going to marry someone, it's because I like them, and I expect the same level of feelings from that person."
Victor's bloodthirsty feeling died away, and a neutral expression appeared on his face.
"Satisfied?"
"...Yes."
"Good." Victor soon turned around.
"Let's go back. The expedition is over. We won't get past those Titans without getting hurt or losing a Squad Mate, something I want to avoid."
Looking at Victor's back as he walked away, Eleanor spoke:
"You know you could've just asked, and he would've answered, right?" Eleanor spoke with a visible look of anger, a look she had never given Rose before, and it hurt the older woman's heart even more.
Eleanor soon turned and flew towards Victor.
"...Victor is sincere. He will never lie to people close to him." Martha spoke.
"He always treated us as companions from the beginning of the trip, and without wanting anything in return, he used his body to protect us and saved us..." Julieta spoke.
"His intentions were pure from the start." Alexa and Judy spoke.
"I know, but..."
"You needed to be sure," Anrietha spoke.
"...." Rose nodded.
"I won't say you're too paranoid. After all, you were just taking precautions..."
"Thanks-."
"But, you're too paranoid."
"...." Rose looked wordlessly at Anrietha.
"He's not like the other Noble Vampires who've come after Eleanor before. You've had enough time to observe him."
"You know it."
"...." Rose nodded.
"Even knowing this, why did you carry out this useless test?" Anrietha asked.
"...Feelings of worry often outweigh something you already 'know'... I can't lose Eleanor like her mother." She looked at Eleanor's back with a sad look.
Sigh...
Anrietha and Martha sighed at the same time.
"Just apologize to him later. He already knows why you did it, and he will understand; he will not blame you."
"...Yes, he will."
"Although you lost some respect points with him." Julieta laughed.
"..." The girls looked at Julieta.
"What? It is the truth. Because of her severe paranoia, she misjudged the situation and lost some of that man's respect."
"For God's sake, he's someone that even I'm okay with playing around and acting normal with, and that says a lot."
"....."
"Now that she's said that..." Judy said.
"She's right, right?" Alexa laughed.
Julieta had always been very suspicious of outsiders, and if she acted normally around Victor, it was because she trusted him enough.
The girls watched Rose, who was depressed.
At that moment, Julieta showed a sly smile and said:
"If you want to regain his respect, why don't you..." She approached Rose and spoke in her ear.
Rose's face turned red, and she tapped the ground with her foot:
"Never! I will not do something so indecent, and Eleanor will not forgive me!"
"Tsk, Puritan."
"Mah, Mah, just apologize and train Victor; that will be enough. The man is easy to deal with. He's like a lion. Just a little training, some lionesses, a field of prey to sharpen his claws, and he will be happy; you just overcomplicated things." Alexa spoke.
"Ugh, okay, I'll do it."
"Sex?" Juliet asked.
"NOO!"
"Apologize!" Rose turned and walked away from the group.
The girls looked at each other and smiled, then grabbed their things and followed after Rose.
.....
