Chapter 541: Morgana Disappointment.
When Morgana left Vlad's office.
"Piece of shit! Motherfucker! Trash!" Morgana stormed out, feelings clearly visible on her face.
When they saw Morgana passing by, all of Vlad's current servants parted ways and lowered their heads not to attract the Demon woman's attention.
A woman's anger was something few wanted to experience, especially someone with Morgana's strength.
Morgana was livid, and words wouldn't be enough to express her anger and hatefulness.
Years of frustration with Vlad's attitude returned like a tsunami of fire, and she couldn't help herself.
Despite being so furious, somewhere in Morgana's heart, she knew it would end like this; she knew! Even though Vlad had shown improvement thanks to Ophis.
She knew that when faced with a situation where he was forced to choose between his Kingdom and his family, he would always choose his Kingdom.
That was the way a man was; she'd always known that!
But... She wasn't going to lie that somewhere she was hoping that, at least in this situation, he would do his job as a father.
'Why? Is it because I'm not that fox? Is it because he didn't love me as much as that fox? But even if he didn't love me that much, she's his daughter! So why is he more attached to Ophis!?'
Feelings were complicated, and most of these questions would have answers if Morgana had a cool head, but she wasn't in the mood or patient enough for that.
Her daughter had been kidnapped! And she had no idea what could happen to her... But, in fact, she did...
She wasn't a former General of Lilith for nothing.
She knew Demons, and they were Creatures of Sin for a reason.
If her daughter didn't become a breeding mare, she would become a puppet, and there would be worse fates... She didn't even dare think about them. Her feelings were chaotic enough.
'Fuck, if regret could kill, I'd be dead a long time ago!' Only she knew how much she regretted falling in love with Vlad.
What was she thinking at the time? Why did she make that decision?
It happened so long ago that she didn't even remember anymore, and the good memories she had at the beginning of her relationship with Vlad were erased by the river of time. All that was left now were cold, painful memories.
Arriving at the Castle's exit, Morgana stopped walking and looked down. Her thoughts became solemn, and a depressive atmosphere appeared around her.
Despite her regrets, if she were given a chance to go back to the past, she would have done the same thing; she would still have gone with Vlad. After all, from this union was born Lilith and her daughter Elizabeth.
Her daughters, one born from her womb, the other born from her power, a child she'd raised to fulfill Lilith's promise but ended up clinging to her.
A promise that today was unimportant due to recent events.
She had also found someone who could be called a sister from another background.
Jeanne. A woman too kind for her own good.
"Hey, Stranger."
"...." Morgana lifted her head, and standing there on the steps with a gentle smile was someone she knew all too well.
A tall man wearing his signature black suit, with beautiful violet eyes and a gentle smile plastered on his face that had a beauty that could only be described as perfect. He was so preternaturally handsome, even by Vampire standards, she'd bet even the various Gods wouldn't be as attractive as he was.
Her heart skipped a beat, her throat felt like it had a lump, words could not be projected, and distressing feelings passed through her heart. She wanted to say many things and express her feelings, but she was afraid...
Afraid he would think she was weak.
He went so far as to get 'The Reaper' back that she was afraid to show any sign of weakness, or else he'd be disappointed.
"Do you know where I can find an incredibly adorable Succubus who often tends to overthink things?"
"... That woman doesn't exist here. You've come to the wrong place." Her voice was broken. Even though she tried so hard, she couldn't hide her emotional state; she was never proficient at it, after all.
As a Creature of Sin, she had always fulfilled her desires, and only she knew how much she was holding back from falling apart now.
"Umu. That's weird. I'm sure I had looked in the right place." He frowned a little.
"...Perhaps you should search the Castle...? I'm sure she's over there somewhere."
"Nah, I don't want to go into that place." He looked solemnly at the Castle.
"That place feels like a prison... And I like my freedom, you know?" He smiled gently at her and her alone. His eyes transmitted such an irritatingly pleasant warmth that Morgana's inhibitions seemed pointless.
That was the breaking point for Morgana. Not caring anymore about appearances, she flew towards Victor and threw herself into his arms, completely burying her face in his chest as she hugged him with a force that could kill most beings.
Her body was shaking, and her emotions were in a whirlwind. She didn't even notice the Magic Circle that at some point appeared beneath her.
"...." With the same gentle smile on his face, Victor ignored the Magic Circle. He knew what it was with one look and started stroking Morgana's head.
Her body visibly trembled, and slowly, she began to relax as she felt the familiar sense of security.
Tears threatened to fall down her face, and a wave of worry returned to her still-turbulent heart.
"... Did you know?" In a gentle, patient tone, Victor's voice reverberated through Morgana's entire existence:
"Crying doesn't make you weak." He gently touched the horns on Morgana's head.
The woman's body trembled again, both at the gentle touch of her horns and as much at Victor's words.
"Holding all that in your heart is what creates weakness... So it's okay."
Victor gently lifted Morgana's face from his chest.
Looking into his gentle violet eyes, Morgana seemed to melt in his arms, and her entire emotional state slowly began to calm down.
He gently caressed her face, and with every touch of his ungloved hand against Morgana's skin, she could feel her inhibitions slipping even further. She realized that in front of him, pride, fear, and those useless feelings didn't matter now.
"It's okay, Morgana."
Tears began to fall silently as if she'd gotten some sort of permission.
"V-Vic, My Daughter-." A voice containing pure pain and concern for her daughter croaked out from the confines of her throat.
"I know." He hugged her again and buried her face in his chest.
"She-...I-...I couldn't protect-..."
"...I know..." Victor hugged her tighter.
For a moment, Victor felt Vlad's gaze, but he completely ignored it and just kept looking at the woman in front of him while his gaze looked like two black holes, as if he was ready to swallow everything.
...
..
.
Upon leaving the Castle, the first thing Jeanne encountered was Victor holding Morgana like a princess while the woman laid her face on the man's chest and slept silently.
She looked at peace...
That sight, unconsciously, brought a smile to Jeanne's face.
"...Vic."
"Hey Jeanne, how are you?"
"Feeling free…and worried." She didn't lie about her feelings as she completely lost her inhibitions while in Victor's presence.
"And yourself? How are you feeling?"
"..." Victor just flashed a neutral smile with his lifeless eyes:
"Angry."
"O-Oh." Jeanne was taken aback by the neutral, emotionless voice. The contrast between his words and his expression was disconcerting.
Victor nodded and asked:
"Just one more step left now, huh?" Victor knew Jeanne's goals. The woman had never hidden anything from him since that day.
Also, he confirmed such things from the information that Hecate, one of the Queen's Daughters. He knew that. And he did nothing because the woman always proved to be trustworthy.
And there was a 'story' behind Victoria and Hecate.
Not to mention, the gaze of a woman in love cannot be hidden from the outside perspective. Hecate loved Tatsuya, even if it was a 'forbidden' love.
Even though the man was denser than a black hole...
'Is it because he has the blood of a Japanese vampire?'
Victor chuckled inwardly at that thought.
"Indeed, I just have to take care of the deal I made with the Heavenly Father, and another problem in my life will be solved." Jeanne nodded.
"...." Victor smiled kindly when he saw her enthusiasm; she was really adorable at times.
"You should act more like that, you know? Be honest with your feelings and expressions."
"Staying serious all the time is exhausting..."
Jeanne's heart skipped a beat when she saw that smile. Having been with Victor for so long, she knew that this smile he gave was very different from the others.
It was a smile he only displayed to people close to him, like his Wives, Maids, and parents.
"Mm... I'll try." She replied while her cheeks were a little red, but she didn't look away from him.
"I'm happy for you."
Jeanne could feel his sincerity from miles away. He was really happy for her, and she couldn't get enough of being close to him because of that sincerity.
She got closer to Victor, and each time she stepped closer to him, a warm feeling entered her body, similar to when she was taking care of her Big Brother when he was just a little bud.
She looked at Morgana, and now that she was closer, she saw her tear-stained face. Jeanne's heart beat a painful thump as she realized that her friend was feeling much worse than she could have imagined:
"She...-"
"Sleeping..." Victor looked at Morgana in his arms, "She's tired... It's been a long night."
"... It's understandable. She had her daughter kidnapped right in front of her... And she had a big disappointment."
"Mm." Victor nodded softly.
"... What are you going to do now?" Jeanne couldn't help but ask in a neutral tone. Even if she tried to hide it, she had great anticipation hidden behind her gentle face.
Victor didn't notice it since his gaze was on Morgana the entire time, and even if he had noticed, the answer wouldn't change.
"I will rescue her." Victor's firm, decisive tone left no room for negotiation.
Jeanne's heart pounded, and emotions of happiness spread through her entire being as Jeanne's eyes looked at Victor in a somewhat obsessive and warm way.
'As expected... I can trust him with my precious. He won't disappoint Adam.'
"...But Vlad accepted-"
"Fuck Vlad."
"Going against his orders will make you lose your Count Title."
"From the beginning, I just accepted it to find a way to prolong my parents' lives and get closer to Scathach."
"...I don't need it anymore. I can make my parents immortal any time they want, and Scathach will become my wife in the future."
"Something like a social Title is no longer important now that she has accepted my feelings."
"...." Jeanne's smile couldn't help but grow more; she was extremely happy. She was just asking these questions to understand whether Victor was acting on emotions or logic, and she was extremely pleased when she realized he was using both.
He was acting on his emotions, but the cold logic was still there, and he didn't get lost in his feelings.
Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
But despite being very satisfied and happy, she still needed to warn him.
"Social status matters, Vic. You have a lot of enemies now, and your status as a Count prevents most of them from doing anything drastic because they know that if they attack a Vampire Count, Nightingale will retaliate."
"..." Victor flashed a small cold smile, he raised his hand, and a black Magic Circle appeared:
"Silence." A simple basic Spell that prevented people from hearing something.
Jeanne opened her eyes wide: 'He can use Magic!?'
For Victor, this was easy; he already knew many Spells as he'd read countless Witch books on Basic and Intermediate Magic thanks to the Witch allies he had in the human world. However, the more specialized books could only be acquired in Arcane or if a Master Witch personally taught someone.
Victor already had the theory. He just needed the tools, and thanks to 'Albedo', he had the means.
Although if you compared Victor's Magic potential to a Witch, his Mana could only be described as... Mediocre.
He had so little Mana that he could only perform Basic Spells, and Victor knew why.
The 'Mana' he had was not his, but 'Albedo's' since she had blessed him and allowed him to use Magic.
That was why he didn't feel a Magical 'Core' inside him.
But for Victor, this was enough since Basic Spells like 'Clean', 'Silence', and 'Hide' were just very handy.
Victor didn't need attack power since he already had a lot of it, so his interest in Magic was to make everything more convenient. It was more for support.
Looking at Jeanne, who was looking at him in shock, Victor finally spoke.
"4 Clans of Vampire Counts, their respective Countesses, and Heiresses."
"My beloved Maids who each have the power to destroy a large metropolis easily."
"Clandestine Witches that Esther is recruiting as we speak."
"Various races of Supernatural Creatures that Esther and the Witches are harboring."
"Two Alpha Werewolves."
"The Last Onmyo Mage and her disciple."
"Two Heroic Spirits: one being an Old Spirit who contains knowledge of Onmyo Magic,"
"And the other being one of the Gorgons, Medusa."
"The Youkai, led by Otsuki Haruna, who recently managed to unite the Oni under her banner, whose partnership is with me, and me alone."
"An extremely seductive Goddess of Beauty who supports me in everything I need." Victor laughed in amusement.
"And last but not least."
"Jeanne D'Arc, The Saint of Orleans."
"And Morgana, The Reaper, Lilith's former general."
"Fuck Vlad, fuck Diablo, fuck the Witches and their schemes."
"Do they think I will stand still and dance to their tune?"
"Hah! That will never happen. Playing in someone else's game style is not my style. I'm the kind of man who kicks the board off the table and starts another game entirely."
Victor's facial expression lost all its playfulness and became serious, his eyes were sharp, and they carried a glint, the glow of a Ruler.
"I will do whatever I want when I want, wherever I want." Victor turned around, and a portal appeared with Natalia exiting as she looked at the sight of Victor carrying Morgana and waved lightly at the man.
"And that applies to my Faction as well."
"…Eh?"
'F-F-Faction!?'
"Come on, Jeanne, we have a meeting scheduled."
"Y-Yes!" Jeanne ran after Victor, her heart thumping with several complex feelings and a flushed expression...
She hadn't expected this kind of…demonstration.
She swallowed.
Jeanne wouldn't admit to anyone that she was a little wet now...
Maybe it was because of the rain?
Even though it wasn't raining...
.....
