Chapter 610: God, give me strength to fight this succubus.
"Gaaaahhhh! This is so frustrating! Why are these books so gigantic!?" Anna screamed in frustration:
"I'm done with this shit!" She threw the books on the table with a loud crash and got up quickly:
"I need some air!"
"It broke, huh," Mizuki answered absently without looking at Anna. Her focus remained on the book she was reading. Mizuki was already used to such occurrences. Victor's mother had very little patience for 'boring' things.
"To be honest, it took a while; she doesn't like to study very much," Leon replied.
"How did she become a lawyer then?"
"Pressure from her father and mother, they wanted their daughter to follow in their footsteps."
"Oh..." Mizuki nodded. She could understand some of that; after all, she'd seen something like this several times in her life.
"... What happened to the...-" Mizuki stopped the sentence at the end; she didn't know if she was being impolite or not. After all, the way Leon spoke was quite melancholic.
"... They're dead... Age overcomes even the strongest of humans... And Anna's parents were already quite old when they had her."
"... Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's okay; it's natural. One day we're all going to die."
"..." Mizuki just nodded. She knew death was an inevitability, even in the Supernatural World.
Of course, there are Races like Vampires who live an 'immortal' life, but even these Vampires are not exempt from death. After all, unlike Primordials, who are eternal, Vampires can die.
They are not immortal; they just have a long lifespan.
As a way of changing the subject, she said, "You don't seem to care about the size of the books."
"I got used to reading large volumes of words in my work," Leon replied soothingly.
"Hmm, didn't you work as a mason?"
"Yeah, but in my younger years, I was in charge of documents, which wasn't my only job. Unlike my wife, I didn't have someone to lean on when I was younger."
"Oh..." She felt a little uncomfortable at the end. She knew she shouldn't ask, but her curiosity was far greater than her thoughts of stopping the conversation.
After all, it was a chance to learn a little more about Victor, a man she was quite…close to.
"And to be honest, reading all these books is not boring. On the contrary, the stories are quite interesting; I feel like I'm reading a movie script, and because of that, I can read it easily."
"... I feel like there's a bit more history to it."
"..." Leon just looked at the beautiful Japanese woman and chuckled a little.
"You don't need to beat around the bush and be so coy about it. If you want to know something, just ask."
Mizuki was a little surprised by the way Leon spoke: 'Completely honest, just like your son, huh... I think Anna influenced them a lot.'
"And yes... There's a story about that."
"Unlike my dear wife, I am an orphan, and as an orphan, I was more concerned with earning money to survive than studying. Because of that, my education was stunted."
"Everything I know, I learned on the streets. My experiences made me who I am. Unlike me, Anna was quite a 'rich' young woman; her parents gave her a good life."
"..." Mizuki just listened in silence with curiosity. The story seemed to come out of a drama between a poor man and an upper-class woman.
"Yeah, I know, this story sounds like something out of a Korean drama movie."
Mizuki opened her eyes wide, "How-you-?"
"Everyone I've told this story to reacts the same way. I'm used to it."
"Oh..."
"Hahaha, no need to act like that. I don't deny that the stories are similar, but unlike those dramas, the 'rich princess' had quite the 'dirty' mouth."
"... What do you mean?"
"She was stupidly honest with her feelings and didn't particularly care if she hurt everyone's feelings, and because of that, she didn't have any friends."
"... Truth hurts."
"Indeed, but... For me, her honesty was quite refreshing. Living on the streets, you are used to people lying all the time; this honesty is what saved me from going down a dark path..." Leon's eyes narrowed a little at the end.
Mizuki gulped a little. Those serious eyes were a lot like Victor's when he was going to do something drastic.
'They are really father and son...'
Mizuki felt that there was another story behind it, but this time, she didn't show curiosity; after all, she'd already crossed the line several times.
"Do you know why these books are so interesting to read?"
"… Because it sounds like a plot from a movie?"
"That too, but the main reason are the ideas."
"... Huh?"
"Everything written in the Vampire stories, if edited well, and had a few name changes, could make a good movie," Leon spoke with a small amused smile.
"… You really like movies, huh."
"Yeah... Ever since I was little, I've always dreamed of directing a movie." He scratched his cheek as he looked away with a little embarrassment.
"Unfortunately, as you may know, being an orphan doesn't help much, and when I improved my financial situation, I was already too involved in the 'problematic' part of society. Because of that, I could never pursue that dream... And at the time, I was already in a relationship with Anna, and she had become pregnant with Victor. Because of that, I had to shoulder the responsibilities... Not to mention that Victor was born with that physical condition..."
"You are a respectable man, Leon," Mizuki spoke with admiration.
"Nah, I just won't shirk my responsibilities when I made them myself. I know how to wipe my own ass."
"Just thinking that way makes you an admirable man. Believe me when I say that few people would put aside their dreams and ambitions to care for their family."
"..." Leon just kept silent as he rubbed his cheek, a little embarrassed. It was a little strange to be praised so directly like that.
"Thank you, I think..."
"Mm." Mizuki nodded her head.
"I presume it was this attitude that shaped Victor's personality today," Mizuki spoke.
"Hmm, I didn't talk to my son as much as Anna, our words are few, but he and I always understood each other."
"I always felt that my son had the same nature as me. He reminded me of me when I was younger... Only much more honest."
Mizuki displayed an amused smile and asked, "Which part of him reminds you of your younger self?"
"The part about trying to bear the weight of the world alone."
"..." Mizuki was silent. Even though she wasn't as close to Victor as his Wives, she could easily see that part of Victor; it was very evident.
"I really appreciate it that people like Ruby, Violet, and Sasha came into my son's life. Only nosy people like them can talk sense into his head."
"...I presume you have your own opinion on this particular matter..." Mizuki poked something she was curious about.
"Yeah... I mean, it's strange to have a son who has relationships with several women, and all these women accept each other..." Leon put aside how much he envied him. After all, he didn't know if his wife was listening in or not.
"To be honest, it's completely strange. God, I don't even know how many he has! Every woman he is close with seems to have a 'close' relationship with my son; even you are no exception."
"... I mean, you are not wrong..."
Leon felt critical damage when he saw Mizuki's embarrassed expression proving that she was also in that group. 'For god sake, another one? And now it's a Japanese girl with the body of a milf. He's so damn lucky! Just how many Wives/Girlfriends does he have?'
Seriously, Leon could be many things when he was younger, but he never thought that his genes had the potential to create a MAN among MEN.
'Although with that appearance, it's quite justifiable...' Leon was honest with himself. He didn't want to get too close to his son because his current appearance gave the man strange feelings.
"I don't know what to say other than that you have my blessing."
"… Eh?" Mizuki looked dumbfounded at Leon.
"I mean, you are a good woman. My son is fortunate to have you by his side." Leon spoke.
"..." Mizuki blushed a little, but inside she thought: 'I'm the lucky one to have him by my side... If it wasn't for him... I...' She shook her head internally; she didn't want to think about it now.
"Thank you..." Mizuki murmured.
"Hmm." Leon just nodded and went back to reading.
A few minutes of comfortable silence fell around until Mizuki broke it by saying:
"When you become a Vampire, you can create a Harem, you know?"
"..." Leon stiffened visibly.
"What do you mean?" He asked with the best poker face he could muster.
"As you know, in Supernatural Society, only strength is respected, and strength can come in many forms, in the form of raw power like Victor or in the form of Titles, the likes of which can stem from the Noble Clans of Nightingale."
"Because of that, the idea of a Harem isn't strange. If you're strong, you can have multiple partners. Of course, the same concept applies to women." Mizuki thought of a white-haired Werewolf who had a reverse harem.
"Your son, Victor... He is special... In fact, the word 'special' is an understatement to describe how important he is."
"Victor is a Progenitor."
"The Beginning of An Entire Race," Leon added.
"Correct. You could say he is the 'Adam' of the Bible but for Vampires."
Leon nodded. He knew how important his son was. After all, he couldn't stop hearing the Vampires around talking about it.
But for him, it was a strange thought. Yes, his son was the start of a Race, but why make such a big deal out of it?
"… I see you don't understand how important a Progenitor is."
"Yes... I mean, I know he's the Beginning of a New Race, but after the Race grows, won't he be useless...?"
"Hmm, a reasonable question. In fact, this was the same question I had before my Master spoke about the Progenitors." Mizuki spoke honestly.
"Put simply, a Progenitor is more than the Beginning of a Race."
"He's an individual capable of leveraging an entire Faction."
"Huh...?"
"Hmm, take Werewolves, for example. You know every Race has a Progenitor, right?"
"Yes."
"Now, think about this scenario. The Progenitor of Werewolves appears and bites a 'Werewolf,' giving him a strength boost."
"That Werewolf he bit will become much stronger than his peers."
"... Oh."
"Seems you understand."
"Progenitors have the ability to empower the members of their species."
Mizuki nodded her head.
'That wasn't all; they also have special abilities only Progenitors have, which can make them deadly to other beings.' She thought.
"In a world where power is everything, having an individual who, with just one gesture, can empower a being to ridiculous levels is quite valuable."
"Just look at Victor's Maids. They were created not long ago, and most are as strong, if not stronger, than an Adult Vampire." Mizuki didn't comment on the fact that Scathach trained the girls, but even with the best teacher in the world, if the student didn't have potential, the effort was just useless.
"Do you understand now how special the 'bite' you are going to receive from your son is?"
"...Yes, I now understand when the girls said that a normal Vampire would kill and commit atrocities for the simple privilege of receiving power from Victor." Leon swallowed hard.
To be honest, he understood more from talking to Mizuki than from the other female Vampires' explanations. 'I think having a human's opinion is important... Or is it just because she's good at explaining?'
Instead of 'vaguely' understanding his son's importance, he now understood 'completely'.
"Hmm, and this is where we return to our earlier discussion."
"You will receive a Progenitor's bite, and just because of that, your initial potential will be ridiculous. With enough effort, you can become stronger in the future, and by becoming stronger, you can have a Harem... Of course, you'll have to 'defeat' your Wife first."
"....." Leon blushed a little bit with that comment at the end.
"H-How do you know?"
"Anna isn't very subtle about it."
"Ugh, that woman." He grumbled.
"Just know that Anna's resistance will grow even more when she becomes a Vampire."
Leon's entire body was petrified, as if Medusa herself had turned him into stone. He turned white like a ghost, and the only coherent word that came out of his mouth was:
"... Ah."
Mizuki displayed a small, amused smile: "Before you try to chase another woman, or lust after another woman, try to satisfy your current Wife completely... She is quite insatiable, after all."
"Jesus Christ." He began to sweat like a pig when he thought his Wife was going to suck his 'Soul' out even more now.
'At least I won't die of snu snu now... Probably.'
Despite all the internal debate, Leon realized something:
"You don't seem disgusted or angry that I'm considering that possibility."
"... You really should study more about Vampires and not just look at their history, but at their biology."
"Huh?"
"Haaah..." Mizuki sighed and spoke, "Leaving out the fact that in the Supernatural World, polygamy is common practice and that your feelings of love are quite sincere, and I respect that a lot..."
"You have to understand that Vampires, as a species, are a lot like Demons."
"They are Beings of Desire."
"When you turn into a Vampire, all your emotions will be multiplied by 100."
"That I understand. Violet has talked about it before."
"You don't understand… It's not just emotions that are amplified; your desires are too."
"Huh?"
"I am saying that all the desires that have been suppressed in your heart for years, desires that you didn't even know existed, will suddenly be stirred up, and you will have a great urge to act upon those desires."
"..." Leon froze.
"To be honest, in this coming Vampire transformation, I'm not worried about Anna. She, for better or worse, is a woman who is honest with her feelings. So her transition will not be so difficult."
"But you? You will be the one that gets hit the hardest."
"...But the Maids didn't suffer much from it..." Leon spoke.
"Every Maid had a particular situation that their most repressed desires had been resolved, or were left to resolve later."
"Bruna's wishes arose from her need for revenge when she was turned, and her wishes were 'dedicated' to a new God."
"Eve watched the beings that harmed her burn, and as Victor fulfilled her deepest desire, for Eve, Victor is her world."
"Do you realize now? Each one had a particular situation or was already connected to the Supernatural World like Maria." Mizuki added this because she still didn't know all the Maids' stories.
"Yes… I presume that, in my case, it is more complicated."
"Correct. Like it or not, it is a fact that you suppressed your desires a lot when you were younger because of several factors."
"..." Leon narrowed his eyes.
"Don't look at me like that. This is normal; I'm not judging you."
"I think of you as an admirable man. Few would do what you did. You had balls and took responsibility and took care of your son. That is much more than men today are capable of doing."
Leon's gaze returned to a neutral tone, and a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry, it's just that in my head, I think what I did wasn't a sacrifice or anything like that, but it was my obligation as a man."
"Mm, that's why I said you're an admirable man."
"... But that doesn't change the fact that you held back."
"..."
"Instincts and desires. This is the basis of the Race known as Vampires. Young Vampires like Ruby, who act through logic the majority of the time, are quite rare. Her coldness is something you'd usually get after living for a long time, and even then, it is impossible to suppress your wishes for a long time." Mizuki blushed a little when he remembered Ruby's moans.
The phrase: 'the quiet ones are wilder' was pretty accurate when it comes to Ruby.
Leon thought of Scathach when he heard those words. He knew the woman's history and how she'd spent so long thirsty for blood yet still didn't go crazy.
"Haah… I see what you mean… So you're saying I should be more honest with myself, huh?"
"Correct. You have to understand that your son is no longer a child. He is an adult with several Wives and even has children. It is time for you and Anna to think a little more about yourselves."
"... That's...-" Leon was going to say something but stopped. He realized that Mizuki was right. He was so used to caring for his son that he'd forgotten about himself.
"You're right."
"Hmm, don't think about it too much, and act normal. Victor respects both of you a lot. You two are the only ones his innate pride doesn't act on. You are his parents, two important figures in his life that shaped Victor into who he is today, and even if he becomes a Being that even the Gods are afraid of, you have to remain by his side."
"... Of course, this is something that will never change. I still want to spend some evenings watching movies with my son." Leon smiled gently.
"Hmm." Mizuki nodded in satisfaction.
"Oh, by the way, you're the one I support the most right now. You'll make him a good wife. Victor needs someone who has a good head on their shoulders like you and Ruby."
Leon just chuckled in amusement when he saw the blush appearing on the woman's face.
"Leon."
With just one word, the whole fun mood was cut like a sharp blade.
Leon felt his body chill as if naked at the north pole. Then, slowly, he looked back and saw his wife with a 'gentle' smile on her face.
He also saw that his son was behind his wife with a smile that said:
'You fucked up.'
Sometimes he hated how well he understood his son.
"A-A-A-Anna."
"O-Oh, that's a shame. I finished my books; I have to look for other books to read." Mizuki spoke with a slight stutter, quickly grabbed her things from the table, and went deeper into the library.
Leon looked at Mizuki as if she had betrayed him.
A look that Mizuki wholly ignored.
"Children, I will accompany my Mizuki... I feel like she will need my help to understand many things." Victor smiled softly and walked where Mizuki was.
"So... What was that story about a Harem...?"
Leon sweated. Moreover, his clothes were completely soaked with sweat.
"W-Well... You know... It's just a wish..." He swallowed hard.
"I see... So I'm not good enough for you?... It seems I was taking it too easy on you during our evening activities..."
Leon's gaze just widened in horror:
"That's not it! You are definitely enough!"
"... Really?"
"..." He nodded like crazy, confirming her words.
"Then why do you want more women?"
"It's every man's dream." His answer was instantaneous... And he regretted those words when he saw his wife's gaze becoming lifeless. A dark aura came out of Anna's body and spread throughout the place.
'Now, I know where Victor got that personality from...' A casual thought flashed past his mind.
"Ara… It seems I've really gone soft on our nightly activities… And that's something I plan to change soon." Anna took Leon's hand and pulled him along.
Knowing his fate, he just gave up; there was no point in fighting: 'God give me the strength to face this Succubus... I'll need it.'
.....
