Viktor sat on an old wooden chair, leaning lazily against the backrest.
One leg was casually crossed, and he held a thick magic book in his hands, completely absorbed in reading.
Beside him, Priscilla stood quietly. Her bright eyes were filled with curiosity as she stared at Viktor's serious profile.
The surrounding stench, left uncleared for a long time, spread through the air, yet Viktor remained so focused on the book.
Each time he turned a page, the rustling sound rang especially clear in the silent room.
Sensing Priscilla's constant gaze, Viktor raised his eyes and tilted his head slightly as he asked, "What are you looking at?"
Priscilla shrank back a little, seeming somewhat afraid.
"You… look good."
'What a straightforward girl.'
Hearing that, Viktor didn't say anything more.
But Priscilla still kept sneaking glances at him from the side.
After a long while, she finally managed to squeeze out a sentence, "My mother… really can't be saved anymore?"
Hearing her voice, Viktor closed the book, raised his head, and looked at Priscilla.
After he had said those words earlier, Priscilla, unable to accept it, had cried for quite a while.
Accidentally killing one's own mother with one's own hands was something no one could easily accept.
But Viktor had also told Priscilla that it was a consequence caused unconsciously because she was of the bloodline species.
So, it wasn't a mistake she had committed.
With that reassurance, Priscilla gradually calmed down a lot.
Viktor continued, "Your mother no longer has a body that can hold her existence in this world."
"If you want to bring her back to life, then as the price, you will have to die in her place."
"Then I'll die in her place!"
Priscilla's voice rang out without the slightest hesitation.
She placed one hand on her chest, and the resolute look in her eyes told Viktor her determination.
Hearing her words, Viktor suddenly turned his head, looked toward the curtains, and suddenly said, "The blood moon has arrived."
Priscilla shrank to the side, still not understanding what that meant.
Suddenly, a violent wind, like a ferocious beast forcing its way into the mansion, rushed into the room all at once.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The curtains, driven by magic, flailed wildly in the air, bursting with sharp flapping sounds.
The chaotic wind made Priscilla raise one hand to cover her fluttering hair, while the other pressed down on her black dress to keep it from lifting.
The wind blew the window open. She turned her head to look outside.
A streak of blood-red moonlight shone in through the shattered window, falling onto Priscilla's face.
She stood there blankly, looking at the blood moon that had appeared in the sky.
But she felt nothing.
Because she was only a ghost, the instincts that existed in a fleshly body had no effect on her.
But correspondingly, the monster that existed within her body reacted.
The red blood moon illuminated the entire room, and its crimson light covered the bloodline creature.
Its almost twisted head followed the crimson light, its gaze passing through the window and landing on the blood moon hanging in the sky.
In an instant, its scarlet pupils seemed to be filled with an obsession. A strong desire overflowed from its eyes, gradually devouring its entire body.
Those eyes, as clear as two rubies, reflected a frenzied scene.
Under the high-hanging blood moon, countless blood thralls danced wildly upon a crimson formation.
They tugged at their bodies, twisting into strange postures, tearing out low, hoarse wails from their mouths.
As if they were summoning something toward the depths of space or some heretical realm.
Guided by some mysterious force, the bloodline monster slowly dragged its twisted body, trying to extend its indistinct limbs to touch the blood moon that lit up the night sky.
As if craving a power that belonged to her.
The crimson moonlight kept expanding within its eyes, and its already twisted limbs curled up even more violently.
The broken bones let out chilling cracking sounds.
Bathed in the blood-colored light, its back began to wriggle, and the clothing was pushed outward by swelling flesh.
Sla...
The fabric on its back was forcibly torn open with a huge rip, exposing pale skin beneath the dim crimson glow, making it look eerily unnatural.
But then, a pair of bat wings grew out from its back.
Seeing this, Priscilla jumped in shock.
This is… herself?
The blood-colored bat wings followed along her body, as if absorbing all the moonlight.
Sharp fangs extended from its mouth, and its twisted, broken body was forcibly corrected in an extremely uncoordinated manner.
Under the influence of the blood moon, everything about the bloodline species changed, as if it were being forced to accept the transformation brought by the blood moon.
Priscilla watched in a daze, and at this moment, Viktor's voice slowly sounded, "You said you could die for your mother?"
"Even if it means letting her live on forever as you, right?"
Priscilla snapped back to her senses, turned to look at Viktor, and nodded hard, her eyes filled with determination.
Viktor spoke, "Alright. Next, I want to see how much you can do for your mother."
Priscilla grew very nervous and asked Viktor, "You… can really save my mother…?"
Viktor gave a faint smile, "I came here to treat your mother's madness."
"Come with me."
He stood up, and the crow flew onto his shoulder.
Seeing this, Priscilla quickly followed closely behind Viktor.
As they left, Vega's deep single eye suddenly fixed on the blood moon hanging high in the sky.
As if it wanted to lock the blood moon completely within its gaze.
———
The blood moon pierced through the thick clouds and hung high in the sky, like a boiling heart pounding inside a chest.
The blood thralls on the ground were like puppets controlled by strings, mechanically repeating some kind of ritual dance.
August stood beneath this blood-red moonlight, extending his arm, as if he were the only conductor in this chaotic dance.
The surrounding nobles stared at August. Though their faces showed dullness, deep fear and shock were clearly revealed in their eyes.
They were afraid. They were fearful. They were angry.
But even more than that, they were confused.
Why had August become like this?
Perhaps it wasn't sudden. After all, this banquet was clearly a setup that August had arranged long ago.
The demi-human siege led to the destruction of the royal city, forcing this banquet to be held at Count Laurien's residence.
At this moment, no one cared anymore why August wanted to marry Count Laurien's already deceased daughter.
Everyone was only curious.
Why had August suddenly become connected with the vampires?
These mysterious beings were something the people present knew very little about.
But they were destined not to be human.
And yet, as the king of a nation, August had colluded with them.
This left everyone present shocked and unable to understand.
They instinctively wanted to condemn August, however…
The earlier example of Count Cody was still fresh in everyone's minds.
There was one thing August had said that was correct.
To become king, his strength could not possibly be weak.
In fact, something seemed different about August now.
He had clearly taken a sword strike from a fourth-tier warrior head-on, yet he was completely unharmed.
But in the next moment, something even more terrifying happened.
The count whose head had fallen to the ground earlier... his headless body suddenly began to writhe on the ground.
His body twisted on the ground, his legs stamping firmly into the earth as he forcibly dragged his original body upright.
In the next second, he suddenly stood up and, like those blood thralls, began dancing wildly, moving in mechanical motions.
Only, he made no low growls.
Because this body had no head.
Seeing this, a noble suddenly felt overwhelming grief and anger and shouted at the nobles present, "Count Cody!"
"Even Count Cody has…"
At this moment, everyone present was terrified.
Under August's control, even death did not bring peace.
August showed no surprise at their emotions. His delighted voice rang in their ears, "This is not death. This is offering yourselves in service to the kingdom."
"So, what are you afraid of?"
Soon, he came back to his senses from that fervent excitement and calmly said, "Right now, beneath all of our feet, a large amount of gunpowder has already been buried."
"At midnight, everything will be reduced to nothing."
"At that time, all of your flesh will become nourishment for the queen's rebirth."
All the nobles present stiffened.
They looked at August and cursed loudly, "August, you've really gone mad!"
"How dare you! How can you do something like this!"
He paid no attention at all to their shouting.
August put on a smile again and said to Aurelian and the twelve diplomatic ministers beside her, "My sincerest apologies, Princess, and all esteemed ministers, for having you attend such an unfriendly banquet."
"Before the gunpowder is detonated, I will have people escort you safely out of here."
Hearing this, they did not feel fortunate for escaping disaster. Instead, they found August even more absurd.
Their bodies trembled as well, blood rushing into their faces.
One of the ministers finally couldn't hold back and spoke to August in a trembling voice, "You… what exactly are you trying to do?"
"The Grand Duke will never allow you to do this!"
August returned a cold gaze.
"To make the kingdom stronger."
"Isn't that reason enough?"
After those words fell, the entire hall fell silent.
Soon, August turned around, his gaze roaming through every corner of the hall, as if he regarded the nobles present as the audience of this chaotic dance.
Seeing the terror on their faces, August felt an extreme sense of pleasure.
These people who usually only showed obedience before the Grand Duke were now deeply afraid of him.
This made August even more certain that everything he had done was correct.
He enjoyed it greatly. He was even somewhat intoxicated by the nobles' fear.
"As for the Grand Duke? He won't interfere.", August narrowed his eyes and chuckled softly.
The more one comes into contact with life and death, the more one distances oneself from it.
Having long been accustomed to life and death, Grand Duke Barlow was like an observer, a passive guardian of the kingdom.
He would not care about the future of the kingdom, nor would he care about changes in power.
As long as the kingdom did not fall, he would not take action.
Suddenly, August sensed that something was wrong.
Because the count who had just stood up as a blood thrall had broken free from his control.
"What is goi..."
His gaze focused on that headless count.
A ghostly green flame suddenly climbed up from its body, all the way to the top.
The fire of the soul formed into a head, landing upon the count's body.
The flames burned his body. The ghostly green fire devoured and stripped away his flesh, revealing stark white bones.
Everyone who saw this scene was stunned, including August.
Because this power that was being released was none other than the necromancy that the people of the kingdom were very familiar with.
But the only one who could use necromancy, Grand Duke Barlow, was not here.
Suddenly, a flash of green light passed before August's eyes, and he abruptly turned his head to look.
Aurelian's body was now burning with the same ghostly green flames.
At this moment, her entire body was wrapped in a deep green fire, with a faint emerald glow floating across her surface.
A ghostly green light reflected in her pupils, like invisible flames burning within her eyes.
Her pure white dress was also consumed by the green flames, turning into a pitch-black garment.
Above her head, a ghostly green crown appeared, still emitting a strange, blazing green fire.
At this moment, she seemed to have transformed into a witch.
Carrying a hollow yet deep voice, it echoed in everyone's ears.
"I really hate placing my fate in someone else's hands."
"Your Majesty, what do you think?"