Chapter 766: He is dangerous.
"I understand....So this is what he meant by curse..." Tasha growled, her words laden with burning anger. As she finished reading the Tome that Victor had given her, her body began to tremble violently. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails pierced the palms of her hands, making her blood drip. Tasha's eyes sparkled with uncontrollable fury, her gaze overflowing with pure hatred.
"Demons... and their damn cheap tricks!" she snarled, her voice dripping with venomous disdain. Every word that escaped her lips carried the accumulated anger of a lifetime of injustices. The betrayal she had just discovered ignited her being, inciting a whirlwind of enraged emotions that threatened to consume her completely.
Tasha threw the Tome to the ground with unbridled fury, causing it Lo explode into pieces of torn paper. Each fragment was a symbol of the deceit by which she had been duped, further fueling her unbridled rage. The veins in her neck throbbed with an almost palpable intensity, echoing the frenetic rhythm of her anger.
She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with hot, steaming air, as her breath turned into a fierce roar. Her body was on the verge of eruption, a storm of fury about to be unleashed upon anything in its path.
But that storm of fury didn't come when she realized what she had done; her expression shifted from uncontrollable fury to immense concern.
"Ah... What did I do?" Tasha screamed in panic, her voice echoing through her personal quarters. Panic began to seize her, her hands trembling uncontrollably. In her justified anger, she had completely forgotten that what she had was not a simple object but an item given by a King from another Realm, who specifically warned of its importance.
The gravity of the situation hit Tasha like a dagger to the heart. Her body, which had previously been consumed by anger, now filled itself with a new emotion: fear. She realized that by destroying the Tome, she had defied the will of a powerful Monarch, slighting him in the process and putting herself on a collision course with unpredictable consequences.
Tasha began to pace back and forth in a frenzy of anxiety. Several disastrous scenarios started to unfold in her mind, each one more frightening than the previous. She wondered what she should do when she encountered Victor again and how she would face the consequences of her impulsive act.
Tasha looked at the destroyed Tome on the floor, her face marked by anguish and despair. For a brief moment, a dark idea flickered in her mind. "Hmm, can I blame someone else" she pondered, a spark of malice dancing in her eyes, The temptation to shift the responsibility onto someone else was tempting, a way to escape the consequences of her actions.
However, the harsh reality was brutally thrown in her face before she could carry out her Machiavellian idea. Victor's words echoed in her ears like a sucker punch. "Only you can touch this Tome." The memory of his words resonated in her mind, shattering any illusion of impunity that Tasha may have harbored.
"Damn it, what do I do?!" Tasha exclaimed in despair, her voice laden with anguish and uncertainty. She felt lost, unsure of which path to take in the face of this chaotic scenario.
As the question echoed in the air, something extraordinary began to unfold. An inexplicable phenomenon unfolded before Tasha's bewildered eyes. The destroyed Tome, lying on the ground in pieces, began to emit a bright glow as if a mysterious force were acting upon it.
And then, as if rewinding Time, the damage inflicted upon the Tome started to undo itself before Tasha's astonished eyes. Each fragment seamlessly rejoined, the torn pages reassembled, and the Tome rebuilt itself before her as if nothing had happened. Even in her confused state, Tasha noticed several small Runes glowing in red along the edge of the Tome. They seemed to pulsate with a mysterious Energy, filling the air with an intense aura. However, before she could fully comprehend their significance, the Runes suddenly vanished as if they had never existed.
Tasha stood in astonishment, her lips slightly agape with awe and confusion. The fleeting glow of the Runes left an indelible impression in her mind, awakening a sense of perplexity. Why were those Runes there? Why did they disappear so quickly? After all, the Tome seemed to hold much deeper secrets than she had initially realized.
A wave of self-awareness washed over Tasha as she reflected on her previous actions. She felt foolish and somewhat embarrassed for panicking so easily.
"Haah... I swear that man will give me a heart attack one of these days." She sighed.
As she approached to pick up the Tome from the ground, it began to glow, and in the next moment, it vanished from existence.
"...Huh?" Tasha was utterly bewildered by what she had just witnessed, but, just like before, memories of Victor’s words resonated in her mind.
"As soon as you finish reading the Tome, it will return to me. Don't worry; its contents will be imprinted in your memories."
Proving Victor's words right, when Tasha tried to think about the Tome's contents, she could remember the entire text perfectly.
"Your Majesty" The abrupt words echoed in Tashs ears, pulling her out of her reverie. She blinked lightly as if awakening from a trance, and her expression became undisturbed and neutral. Tasha fully resumed her Queenly mask, revealing the unwavering control she displayed to the world.
The change in her countenance was noticeable. Her eyes, previously lost in tumultuous thoughts, now became sharp and penetrating. Every trace of hesitation disappeared, replaced by unwavering determination. Tasha rose gracefully and dignifiedly, imbued with a majestic aura that commanded respect and deference.
"What?" Tasha spoke as she sauntered towards her chair, her elegant posture reflecting the confidence she emanated. With natural grace, she sat down and crossed her legs in a seductive manner, a gesture that revealed a carefully calculated air of provocation.
Resting her face on her right hand, Tasha cast a penetrating and enigmatic gaze, her eyes shining with an intriguing mixture of power and sensuality. An aura of magnetism surrounded her, capturing the attention of everyone around her.
Even her own Betas were not immune to this sensuality, and although they had seen it many times in the past, they knew their place well and never looked for too long at their Alpha.
Despite being in all her majestic grace, Tasha did not expect the next words from her Beta.
"The Matriarch of The Lykos Clan is acting as a guide to The Demon King. Reports from several witnesses confirmed a small conflict between the Matriarch’s consorts and the Demon King himself... The Matriarch and The Demon King seemed to be very close to each other."
Tasha blinked twice, processing the information provided by her subordinate. Her eyes grew colder, revealing the growing determination and intensity of her emotions. She clearly understood what was at stake.
"Did you record the entire situation?" she asked firmly.
"I couldn't record everything, Alucard is extremely skilled at hiding, but I managed to capture some parts of the trip," replied the subordinate.
"Send it to me." ordered Tasha, touching one of her bracelets. A holographic screen appeared before her, showing exactly what her subordinates had recorded.
As Tasha watched the "encounter" between Maya and Victor, her eyes grew colder and colder. To her, it was clear that Victor was interpreting the whole situation as a mere casual outing. The real problem lay with The Matriarch of The Lykos Clan, who seemed to be enjoying the excursion much more than would be appropriate.
'Shouldn't she be his guide? What is she doing?' An unknown irritation began infiltrating Tasha’s heart, spreading throughout her being, She felt as if a stranger had laid their grubby hands on something of her interest.
"Call Alucard! Inform him that I will fulfill my part of the agreement." Tasha was surprised by the tone of her own voice. She never imagined she would develop such possessiveness towards The Demon King.
"Yes!" Even her subordinate seemed surprised by Tasha’s tone, but he didn’t question the Queen and proceeded to fulfill her orders.
Meanwhile, Tasha's mind was immersed in chaos. 'Is it because of those late-night visits? Is it because I felt that he could understand me? That he could value me? ...No, it's a mixture of all of it...'
Her eyes gleamed with an unknown fear. 'This is dangerous... Alucard is extremely dangerous. He needs to leave this realm as soon as possible, or I fear he might lead me to commit an irreversible act.'
Even without doing anything, the Demon King exerted a subconscious magnetic attraction on everyone around him. Women would inevitably compare their husbands to him just as Tacha had started to do. Men would feel inferior and irritated by his presence. The longer he stayed in this country, the greater the likelihood of him passively shaping it in his own image.
And that was something Tasha could not accept.
"Alucard needs to leave." Despite speaking with evident resolution on her face, she felt an internal conflict.
'If he leaves, will I never have those enjoyable conversations again?' Tasha thought with a melancholic expression on her face.
Upon realizing what was going through her mind, Tasha widened her eyes and shook her head quickly, trying to ward off those thoughts.
"Why are you acting like a little girl, Tasha? I don’t need someone who understands me; I only need myself and my family... Yes, that's all I need" She spoke with determination, even though she knew she was deceiving herself.
...
"Hmm?" Victor looked up curiously as a Tome suddenly appeared before him.
"Is that the Tome you gave to Tasha?" Maya asked, showing interest.
"Yes" Victor nodded.
"It seems she has already finished reading it." Victor picked up the Tome and put it in his bag.
Maya looked at the bag with interest. "I really want one of those for myself; it's very convenient."
"You can get one in Nightingale. I can recommend a store for you when you go there."
"Hmm~" Maya's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Seems like you're certain I'll go to Nightingale at some point."
"Of course, you will. After all, Leona is living in Nightingale with me and seems to be of great importance to your Clan~."
A slight tremor ran through Maya's smile. "You really do know everything, don't you, Alucard?"
Victor laughed like a mischievous cat. "I don't know everything, I only know what I know."
Maya narrowed her eyes. "... I feel like I'm missing something in that last sentence."
"I can help you understand the reference if I take you there." Victor pointed to a store.
Maya looked at the store Victor pointed to and saw a very large store filled with drawn characters and various displayed books.
"That is..." Maya looked at the sign that said the store's name: "Buying and selling Anime and Manga... Hmm, I remember one of my grandchildren and great-grandchildren talking about this in the past, but I never felt like reading it."
"Mm." Victor nodded.
"It seems like the culture is quite rich among the Werewolves" Victor laughed in amusement; the girls would love this place.
Victor entered the store accompanied by Maya, but even if two eye-catching people like them entered the place, no one ever noticed them entering.
"Now that I think about it, this ability is perfect for stealing."
Victor scoffed, "I don't steal. I have enough money to buy the entire planet Earth... five times over. Why would I have to steal?"
The amount of precious items and gold he had in the Demon Realm was uncountable; he could spend hundreds of eras frivolously and probably never run out.
Searching among the displayed mangas, Victor picked up a manga with a boy with red hair on the cover; then, he grabbed all the available volumes of that manga and walked to the counter.
"I want this."
"Yes, please..." The attendant looked in shock at Victor.
Victor sighed lightly; he really was so handsome that this always happened.
"Hello? Can you do your job?"
".. Eh? Huh... Ah, Yes! I can!" As if the attendant’s drowsiness had disappeared completely, she started working at high speed.
"It's only 50 dollars."
"So cheap? Wasn't it supposed to be 100 dollars or something?"
"I'm giving you a discount, sir!"
"Oh... Thank you" Victor could understand a bit now how Lilith felt when she received discounts just because of her appearance.
"Mm... So, um... Could I take a picture with you?"
"..." Victor looked at the expressionless face of the girl.
"Just don't use it for illicit purposes"
Her face turned slightly red, "I wouldn't do that... Probably" She mumbled at the end with even more embarrassment.
Pretending not to hear the last part, he said, "Okay, I'll take a picture with you."
