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‘As expected, something's off.’
Todd glanced toward Laurus, who should know Lucy better than anyone.
But right now, Laurus was simply standing there blankly. It was impossible to tell whether he was overwhelmed with joy at seeing Lucy again or devastated that she didn’t recognize him. His face was a complete mess.
In any case, it was clear that Laurus had no doubt that the woman in front of him was Lucy...
While Todd scrutinized Lucy closely, Lucy herself quietly observed the lower-ranking vampires who were eagerly showing their loyalty to Strigon. She muttered with a hint of envy.
“How lucky Strigon is to have such diligent subordinates. If they do their tasks well, he must be pleased…”
“We can only hope so.”
A gleeful smile spread across the lower vampires’ faces. Just as Lucy had said, if they managed to capture those humans and present them to Strigon, he might reward them generously.
If, by chance, their father gave them another drop of his blood…
The mere thought of it stirred their excitement. Becoming high-ranking vampires seemed within reach. So caught up in their hopes, none of them noticed the way Lucy’s lips twisted as she stood in front of them.
Lucy murmured softly.
“But you know…”
In that instant, Lucy's demeanor, previously no different from that of the other lower vampires, shifted entirely. Like a hawk unfurling its wings before a hunt, a sinister wave of magical power surged outward.
“I don’t want to see Strigon pleased, actually.”
In the blink of an eye, massive crimson spikes appeared above the vampires’ heads. They rained down like a torrential storm, piercing through the vampires below.
“Gah!”
The vampires collapsed to the ground. The crimson spikes had impaled their hearts like stakes, pinning them down. Blood gushed from the wounds where the spikes had passed through.
The blood that soaked the dirt quickly slithered toward a new master.
Though they were merely lower-ranking, vampire blood carried far stronger spiritual power than that of humans. Lucy closed her eyes, relishing the flood of strength as she absorbed the blood, her face flushed with ecstasy.
“Why…?”
One vampire, still clinging to life, looked up in horror and mumbled. He had been the one most vocal in his loyalty to Strigon.
“Why? Because I’m Strigon’s dog, you thought I wouldn’t dare lay a hand on the likes of you?”
Lucy’s crimson eyes curved into a smile as she stared at the twitching creature beneath her feet like it was nothing more than an insect.
When the last drop of blood drained from his body, the vampire shriveled up like a mummy. Then, as a light breeze blew past, he crumbled to ashes.
“For some low-tier wretches to act so arrogantly… I must have seemed like a complete fool to you. Well, I suppose all that acting paid off.”
If not, those pathetic vampires would never have dared be so bold in front of her. Nor would she have been able to lower their guard so easily.
That particularly arrogant vampire had nearly reached the threshold between a low-rank and a high-rank. Lucy’s current unstable condition made prolonged combat difficult. Had she failed to finish him off, it could have caused serious trouble.
Todd’s group stood frozen in shock at the sight of vampires suddenly killing one another. By the time they came to their senses, only Lucy and themselves remained. Todd tensed up.
‘When she first appeared, her aura didn’t seem any stronger than a low-ranking vampire’s…’
But the overwhelming burst of energy just now.
That was on par with a Menorah.
‘Damn it…’
He had no choice but to admit it, he had been far too optimistic about the situation. Todd clenched his fists tightly.
Matteus, on the other hand, was completely confused. When he first saw this vampire, he thought she might be Vasha, the vampire who had saved them from Strigon’s clutches.
But the way Todd and Laurus were reacting said otherwise.
Todd was on edge like a cornered animal, every nerve on high alert.
Laurus, meanwhile, was trembling so badly he had collapsed to the ground, unable to control himself.
And yet even in that state, Laurus bowed his head low with exaggerated politeness. Matteus clicked his tongue in disbelief.
‘Is he really groveling like that to beg for his life…?’
There’s no way that vampire could be the Vasha who saved them.
‘Now that I think about it, those lower vampires earlier called her 'Lucy'… It seemed like she was acquainted with Strigon’s bloodline too…’
Now that he looked more closely, her appearance was a little different from the vampire who had brought them here.
That meant this Lucy could be either friend or foe to them, and there was no way to know which.
‘Friendly? Ha! As if a vampire would ever be friendly to humans!’
Realizing the absurd thought he just had, Matteus shuddered.
Clearly, what Vasha had done had left quite an impression on him.
Matteus recalled the true nature of vampires-they were selfish and only cared about themselves.
To them, human life was nothing more than a tool-or food.
Even if Vasha had saved them, it must have been because it served some purpose-not out of any compassion for humans.
‘Maybe Laurus’s name proved useful in the human world…’
In other words, it wasn’t kindness, but utility.
Though standing against someone like Menorah just for the sake of a 'useful tool' didn’t quite add up, Matteus tried to ignore that part.
There was no such thing as a kind vampire.
But if, somehow, Vasha was that kind of vampire…
‘Then maybe… the young master is safe…’
Matteus shook his head. Here they were in a life-threatening situation, and he was off having useless thoughts.
He bit down hard on his lip and pointed his blade at Lucy.
Regardless of whether she was low or high rank, it didn’t change the fact that they’d agreed to work together.
While Matteus and Todd remained wary, Lucy-having absorbed every last drop of blood from the fallen vampires-finally turned her gaze toward them.
As Lucy’s gaze swept over them, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
“Hmmm…”
Her eyes moved from Matteus, who was pointing a sword at her, to Todd, who was watching for an opening, and finally landed on Laurus, who was still bowing low with his head to the ground.
The sharp, cynical expression she had shown earlier had vanished without a trace, replaced by a bright, innocent smile.
A name she had quietly repeated to herself over the years had long since been buried beneath the dust of time. As if brushing that dust away, Lucy softly spoke his name.
“So it really is you, Laurus.”
“…My lady… You still remember this old servant…?”
Laurus looked up at her with tears welling in his eyes, as if he had just heard a divine revelation.
The once-brilliant eyes of his youth had turned dull and cloudy, and the smooth lines of his mouth had been buried beneath deep wrinkles.
And yet, the fiery passion Lucy had once admired-the kind that seemed to burn even oneself like firewood-still flickered in his eyes.
Lucy gently reached out and helped Laurus to his feet. Despite his not-so-small frame for an elderly man, he was easily lifted by her delicate hand, as if he weighed nothing.
“Your scent is just the same. So unmistakably you-stiff, gruff, and…”
“You still enjoy teasing this old man, don’t you, Lady Lucy?”
The fact that she had recognized him right away, despite his aged appearance, and still spoke to him with warmth and familiarity, made Laurus burst into tears.
Matteus, who still had no idea what was going on, stood slack-jawed as he looked from Laurus to Lucy, then to Todd.
‘What the hell…? They know each other too? Are all purple-haired vampires in the world secretly friendly with humans or something?’
He was dumbfounded. His shaken emotions must have shown, his sword trembled slightly in his grip.
Todd also found it hard to process what was happening.
‘Did Lucy really turn against Strigon… for the sake of her follower, Laurus?’
Even if Lucy was a Menorah, Strigon was still the first Menorah of the Progenitor—the one known as the Magician.
Given how, for vampires, age equaled power, even if they both held the same title, there was no way Lucy could match Strigon, who had lived for centuries more than her.
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