A group of four people were walking on the sidewalk at night. Even though there were a few people at this time of night, they didn't seem to notice the presence of the four that, if it were any typical occasion, would definitely be drawing everyone's attention.
"My son, I think you are being careless."
"I am not."
"Yes, you are!" Anna stomped her foot in frustration.
Even after screaming and making so much noise, no one seemed to notice them.
"Why are we going straight into enemy territory with just the two of us!?"
"..." Natalia and Leona looked blankly at Anna. They wondered if they had been forgotten. Or was their presence like air?
Even if they wanted to comment on it now, the two gave space for their Husband and mother-in-law to talk. After all, Anna was speaking the words they were thinking right now.
Even if it was to visit a friend, entering enemy territory alone was crazy!
"You can go home if you don't want to come, Mother."
"Say that before you kidnap me!" She replied in exasperation.
Anna had been given no choice. Before she could react, she had been sucked into the World of Darkness, where she was trapped with the other Maids, and after a few minutes, she was expelled from that extremely comfortable place.
She didn't even have time to assess her situation before finding herself back on Earth.
"Mah, Mah, don't get so worked up. Trust your son a little."
"I trust you; I know very well how monstrous you are, but going into enemy territory alone is insanity! We won't know what to expect."
"But that's what makes it so fun, Mother...." Victor flashed a bloodthirsty smile that made Anna shudder slightly. Then he turned his head forward and said: "Not to mention that you're wrong about something, Mother..."
"... What am I wrong about?" she asked cautiously.
"I'm never alone."
Leona, Natalia, and Anna shuddered when they felt several eyes on them. The three quickly looked around and opened their eyes wide when they saw hundreds of blood-red eyes spread all over the buildings and streets. It was as if those eyes had replaced all the concrete.
"Those are... Demons... Thousands of Demons." Leona swallowed hard.
"...Just how are you hiding so many Beings...?" Anna asked.
"I'm a King, Mother. And not just any King. I am The King of Hell. Wherever I go, hundreds of Legions of Demons follow me." Victor answered without pausing his steps.
"...That doesn't answer my question, Victor."
"I know."
"..." Anna pouted. She wondered why he liked to bully her.
Was it so hard to give her a straight answer?
'Wait a sec...' Anna narrowed her eyes. She just realized something. Deciding to test her theory, she asked again.
"Victor, can you tell me how you managed to hide so many Demons?"
Victor chuckled softly, "Mother, have you never heard the saying: 'A magician never reveals his secrets?""
"But if you're that curious, I can tell you that it's one of my Privileges as King of Hell."
Anna opened her eyes widely, feeling very confused: "...Huh? What is happening?"
Completely ignoring what Victor said, she looked at Natalia: "Natalia, what were you doing before you came here?"
"I was being spoiled by my Husband," Natalia responded instantly.
Anna raised a curious eyebrow, "Did you enjoy being spoiled by him?"
"I loved it."
"Why?"
"His hands are magical."
"..." Anna suddenly stopped talking and stared at Natalia, who snapped out of her stupor, and slowly her face started to turn red.
"Lady Anna, don't use that on me!" Natalia growled.
"My Power is working." She sighed in relief. For a moment, she thought her Power had broken or something.
"Of course it is! Why did you make me say such shameful things!?"
"I apologize. I was just surprised my Power didn't work on Victor." Anna sincerely apologized.
"... It's okay... Just next time, when testing your Power, use it on Leona! Not on me!"
"Oyy, don't throw me under the bus! I was quiet in my corner without disturbing anyone!"
"Hmph." Natalia snorted and turned away.
"This bitch ..." Veins bulged on Leona's head, but she didn't want to waste time on that. Instead, she looked at Anna and said:
"Of course, your Power won't work on Victor, Anna." "...Why not?"
"Because of how your Power works."
"...Huh?" Anna did not understand at all: "Elaborate, please." She humbly asked.
Leona didn't respond for a few seconds. She was finding the best words to say this, and when she formed a train of thought, she explained:
"Your 'honesty' Power is a mutation of the Vampire's Natural Charm or Compulsion. This Power was born from your hidden desire of wanting everyone to be honest like you."
"The way your Power works is similar to how Vampires 'Charm' their victims with their Vampyric Gaze. However, the difference is that in your case, you don't use your gaze but your presence. Your Power has an area of effect, allowing you to 'enchant' everyone around you to speak honestly."
"Because of these similarities, you will never be able to enchant Beings like Victor, who, in addition to being the Apex of The Vampire Species, is also someone Blessed by Aphrodite, Blessings that help him ignore these types of Abilities."
"...Oh... That makes sense," Anna said as she fell into her thoughts.
'In short, my Power didn't work because my son is too broken.' She nodded, satisfied.
"Her Power is not just that, Leona."
"Hmm?" Leona and Anna looked at Victor's back.
"Remember that this Power was born on the day she was reborn. This is her Main Skill, not just a Passive Skill like those of Vampire Nobles. Her Charm goes far beyond that of a normal Vampire Noble... In fact, I even think it's wrong to name the process of how the skill works as 'enchantment' because that's not how the skill works."
"Isn't her skill a Charm? If not, then what does she do?" Leona asked.
"When Noble Vampires use their Bloodline, 'Energy' from our body is drawn. This 'Energy' has no name but is linked to our stamina, and this 'Energy' is what Anna uses to fuel her Power."
"When utilizing this 'Energy', a domain of 'Authority' is created around her, and within that domain, she has absolute control of all Beings conscious enough to understand her orders."
"She isn't Charming Beings. The reason I say this is because when she uses this Power, the affected individuals' eyes do not appear unfocused as they do when they are under a Vampire's Charm. Therefore it is more accurate to say that she is talking directly to their subconscious and altering the Will of the affected Being without the Being knowing that their Will is being altered."
"It is not wrong to say that within her domain, she is an Empress whose orders are absolute."
In a way, this Power was very similar to Aphrodite's Charm, but at the same time, it was different. After all, individuals exposed to Aphrodite's Charm still demonstrate some semblance of control over themselves.' Aphrodite's Charm did not control an individual's mind but rather 'influenced' them to do whatever the Goddess wanted.
A modern way of explaining it was that Aphrodite was a hot Streamer, and she used her beauty to get 'donations', and since she was very hot, everyone would do whatever she wanted, thinking of the 'chance' to get in her pants. But, of course, this effect is magnified thousands of times over. After all, she was the most beautiful woman in existence.
And thanks to her beauty, she can influence not only men but also women of all Races. Even animals themselves cannot escape her influence. As long as an individual understood the Concept of 'Beauty,' the Goddess could use her Divinity to influence them.
On the other hand, Anna was more subtle. Her Power was like a voice speaking directly to the subconscious of her victims to do whatever she wanted. In a way, it was a lot like brainwashing.
"..." Leona and Natalia looked at Anna in shock, and when they saw Anna reacting in shock as well, Leona couldn't help but ask.
"Why are you shocked!? Didn't you know that?"
"Of course not! Hilda didn't teach me that!"
Victor looked back and spoke while looking into Anna's eyes: "Don't blame Hilda. The only reason I could understand the true workings behind your Power is because I could 'see' it."
'...." Anna squirmed, feeling her son's gaze. Every time those Draconic Eyes stared at her, she felt that any attempt to keep a secret hidden was futile beneath their gaze.
"I'm not blaming her... Master taught me many things, but it's a fact that she can't help me much in my Power. She can only give me useful hints that all Noble Vampires know."
"Understandable. Your Power is based a lot on intention; it's very different from the Snow Clan's Power which is based on emotions." Victor looked back to the front and started walking again.
"Isn't your Power basically brainwashing, Lady Anna?...Should I be concerned?" Natalia commented as she backed away from Anna a little.
"Wha- Of course not! I would never use this on my acquaintances!" Anna quickly spoke.
"... You just used that on me a few minutes ago!"
"Ugh, I didn't know it was so dangerous! I promise not to use it on you again in the future."
"...Thank you so much for understanding," Natalia commented and soon returned to Anna's side.
"Hmm... Now that I think about it, if Anna and Aphrodite worked together, they could brainwash any Being that doesn't have protection from that kind of manipulation." Victor thought aloud.
"..." The three didn't really know how to react to those words from Victor.
[Roberta, do you still have your Mind Manipulation Powers?]
[Yes, Master.]
"Hmm~." Victor smiled slightly when he thought of Roberta, Anna, and Aphrodite's skill combo.
Leona walked up to Victor's side, and when she saw his slight smile, she thought:
'Yes, he's definitely thinking of something evil.'
...
In a luxurious building, a meeting was taking place.
Victor, who just got off the elevator with Anna, Natalia, and Leona, walked into the room and saw a tall man.
When the two men saw each other, they immediately spoke in unison.
"Anderson!"
"Victor!"
The two men walked to the middle of the room, and then the two shared a powerful handshake that made the muscles in both men's arms flex. 2
That handshake was so firm it released gusts of wind.
"Gaaah, you and your ridiculous strength; I see you've gotten stronger again!"
"Of course I have! I never stop training." Victor let go of Anderson's hand and watched in amusement as the Wolf shook his hand to relieve the numbness.
'I wonder how he would react if I uttered I didn't even put that much force.' Victor thought.
"No wonder you're the most infamous Being currently."
"Unfortunately, that reputation comes with the territory." He gave a small sigh.
"Well, the former Demon King wasn't the most well-liked fellow around. He caused a lot of trouble."
"Don't even get me started. I still have to deal with the mess that man left behind."
"...." As the two men exchanged conversation with each other at a fast pace as if they were old childhood friends, the group that came with the two men just stared at each other with a strange look.
"Hello," Anna spoke diplomatically.
"Hello," A tall woman, who looked like an Amazon, spoke diplomatically as well.
"...." The two groups stared at each other, not knowing how to proceed with the conversation, but one thing was sure, the mood between them was awkward!
...
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