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Vasha also had a move in mind, but for that to work, Todd needed to escape as far as possible.
It would’ve been ideal if Todd could have been sent far away from the start, but the Shadow Travel Spell wasn’t capable of transporting him that far.
Not only was the power of the Menorah dominating the space, but even with Vasha having recovered her magic, the spell to transport all three of them was no easy feat.
And Vasha couldn’t just send Todd alone. Without Matteus holding onto the wildly struggling Todd, she wouldn’t have been able to lock onto the right target for the spell in the first place. And then there was Laurus…
'If I’m going to save Todd anyway, saving one more person along the way doesn’t really change much.'
To convince Todd to flee, it made more sense for Laurus to speak to him rather than Matteus, who was practically a stranger. At least Laurus shared some kind of bond with Todd, so there was a chance he’d listen.
'Especially now—Todd must be absolutely furious…'
Right before being swallowed by darkness, Todd’s eyes had sparkled like falling stars—Vasha could still see those eyes in her mind. The betrayal reflected in them was unmistakable.
If she had been able to explain her carefully laid plans to him, perhaps Todd wouldn’t have resisted or tried to stay. But with Strigon lurking so close, that was simply impossible.
'If only Todd and I were better synchronized, we might’ve been able to communicate telepathically… I wouldn’t have to be so anxious right now.'
But that was just wishful thinking.
At this point, all Vasha could do was hope Laurus would manage to calm Todd down and get him to escape safely. That was the only way they could all survive.
And to buy Todd enough time to flee, Vasha had to stay behind and hold the line.
No matter what.
Vasha barely steadied her staggering body and forced a smirk toward the overwhelmingly superior being.
“I must’ve kept you waiting, your grace.”
“…Hardly.”
Strigon’s voice was low and suppressed, as though someone were choking him. Contrary to his grim appearance—like someone who wouldn’t even bother speaking to a non-pureblood vampire—his response to Vasha was unexpectedly gentle.
He tapped his smooth chin with his fingernail, then smiled sweetly with a slight curve of his eyes.
“Vasha… Is that your true name?”
“Surely you jest. I would never be so careless as to share my true name with someone of your caliber.”
A true name was the very foundation of contracts and sorcery. Especially against a spellcaster as skilled as Strigon, revealing one's true name could lead to unimaginable consequences. It was all the more reason for Vasha to keep it secret.
“But you know mine, don’t you? That doesn’t seem very fair.”
Vasha was speechless at Strigon’s offhand remark.
Strigon was a legendary, ancient figure. Anyone with knowledge of vampires—including vampires like Vasha or Van Drake like Todd—would likely know his name and his true name.
What’s more, beings like Menorah had little to fear even if their true names were exposed. Lesser vampires or humans simply lacked the magical might to exploit a high-tier being’s true name.
A true name allows precise magical targeting of a being—like being able to pinpoint the horn of a madly charging bull. But even if one managed to loop a thread around the horn, what could they really do?
For a spell to succeed, you’d need a sturdy rope to restrain the bull—and that rope's strength depends on the caster’s soul.
In other words, even if Vasha temporarily gained an immense surge of magical energy, her soul wasn’t powerful enough to weaponize Strigon’s true name.
“My soul is too light to argue about fairness.”
“How disappointing.”
Strigon sighed, feigning hurt like Vasha had betrayed him. He clearly understood why Vasha couldn’t reveal her name, yet he played ignorant, acting as though he were wounded—it was maddeningly fake.
Before Vasha could even react to Strigon’s narcissistic antics, the atmosphere shifted abruptly.
A vicious surge of magical power erupted from Strigon, violently flaring outward.
“It’s fine. I have other ways of finding out.”
Despite the overwhelming, hostile energy swelling from him, Strigon’s pale face remained eerily serene, his smile unblemished. With a look of eager anticipation, he reached out his hand toward Vasha.
Then, still smiling, he clenched the empty air.
“I’d rather not leave marks on your body… but I’m afraid I have no choice.”
That was rich, considering he’d already ripped a hole in her moments ago!
Vasha clicked her tongue in frustration, but there was no time to argue.
The moment Strigon’s hand closed, the swelling magical force transformed into a torrent of crimson threads, shooting toward Vasha.
The air turned scarlet as the threads saturated the space, their density suffocating.
Vasha swallowed hard.
But Vasha couldn’t just let those crimson threads wrap around her. Gritting her teeth, she drew her magic-forged blade to fight back.
Red against red.
Blood against blood.
A battle between vampires had begun.
***
When Todd came to, he had already been transported out of the underground waterways and into the forest near the auction house.
Panicked, he tried to dive back into the shadow he had emerged from—but it was gone, leaving only ordinary soil behind.
“Damn it!”
Todd pounded the flat earth with his fist, cursing under his breath.
He was completely powerless!
'What kind of Van Drake am I? What kind?!'
Todd seethed in despair over his helplessness.
Was it because he was still young? Because the enemy was the infamous Menorah?
There were more than enough practical explanations—but none of them felt acceptable.
A tidal wave of frustration and helplessness continued to churn inside him.
Watching Todd tremble, gasping for breath and barely on his feet, Laurus finally opened his mouth with great effort.
“…You have to trust Lady Vasha, Lord Todd.”
Lord Todd?
The overly formal address caught Matteus off guard. It seemed far too courteous for someone speaking to their own grandson.
But that wasn’t the only thing that struck him as odd.
'Come to think of it… that female vampire knew my name too. Was she the same vampire lurking at the Count’s villa…?'
Still, no one here could answer Matteus’s growing questions. Todd and Laurus were too absorbed in their own heated exchange to notice.
“You don’t get it! She—she’s—!”
“You must look at the situation objectively!”
Laurus cut him off sharply, his voice suddenly fierce.
It was hard to believe such a frigid, commanding tone could come from someone who looked like he might collapse at any moment.
Even Todd, who had been about to retort, froze for a moment under the force of Laurus’s outburst. Gasping for breath, Laurus forced himself to speak calmly.
“There’s no way Lady Vasha would have come here without a plan. Take this man, for example.”
Laurus pointed his staff directly at Matteus.
“Me?”
Matteus blinked in surprise. One moment, the two of them were nearly at each other’s throats, and the next, the focus had suddenly turned to him.
Still flustered, Matteus widened his eyes as Laurus began pointing out all the strange details one by one.
“Lady Vasha recognized this individual immediately. She also wasn’t the least bit surprised to find him at the auction house. On top of that, she was aware of Strigon’s presence. That means she understood the situation at the auction far better than we assumed.”
Laurus had also harbored the same doubts as Matteus—but the difference was that Laurus had taken those suspicions and drawn a conclusion from them.
“From here on, this is only my conjecture…”
Laurus turned his body fully toward Matteus and looked him straight in the eyes as he asked.
“Sir Matteus, did Lapis Ignarius infiltrate my villa?”
“……”
Matteus didn’t even have the chance to be offended by the impersonal phrasing—‘that individual, that one’—because Laurus’s question had struck so close to home that his expression froze solid.
He kept his lips firmly shut, saying nothing.
But sometimes, silence is the most definitive answer.
Laurus nodded, as if that was the confirmation he expected.
The scattered pieces of the puzzle were beginning to align.
“Earlier, Sir Matteus mentioned that he reported the auction incident to Lapis Ignarius. It’s clear now—Lady Vasha was there when that call took place. She heard everything.”
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