The silence that followed Aegis's words was so thick it felt like a knife could slice through it.
"Aegis…?"
Aegis leaned back on the throne. His posture was relaxed, but his very presence radiated an invisible pressure.
"Why didn't I sense his spiritual energy before?"
Jasmine had spread her divine energy, she'd thoroughly analyzed him, but had found nothing.
"Maybe…"
It wasn't that Aegis had hidden his power. It was that his cultivation was on a level so high her senses couldn't even register it. Like an insect trying to grasp the size of the ocean.
True God.
Something even the ancestors of her realm spoke of in reverence. The kind of legend every cultivator dreamed of reaching.
And she had attacked that legend.
Jasmine, Princess of the Star God Realm, could feel her heart pounding violently in her chest. Her hands trembled slightly now. Fear was taking hold of her.
"What do you want from me? Someone like you… why would you need anyone from my realm?"
The dragon—or rather, the white serpent—shrank in size. Then it slithered slowly, its scales shimmering beneath the light of the red constellations. Its body glided silently, curling around the throne where Aegis sat. Those golden eyes never stopped watching her.
"Hmm…? I'm not looking for anything in particular…"
'I just want a friend,' he added inwardly.
"Ah. That was rude of me," he said suddenly. "I didn't offer seats."
He'd gotten carried away and ended up acting that way. That was bad. Especially if he wanted to make friends.
—Snap!
A long stone table appeared in the hall, with many stone chairs neatly arranged around it. Aegis stood up and sat in the highest chair at the head, pointing to the seat on his right.
"Please, have a seat, Princess."
Jasmine hesitated. She wanted to grip her dagger, but realized the broken blade was useless now. She looked a bit tense. In the end, she sat down with her arms crossed.
"Hm? What's up with them?" Aegis asked, confused, gesturing toward the two girls still frozen in the back.
The black-haired girl was trembling so much her knees buckled, dragging down the golden-haired girl clinging to her shoulder. The latter wore nothing but a school jacket over her thin, malnourished body.
Aegis began to sweat. Did he scare them? That had to be it, right?
As he approached, Jin-Ah flinched, but he gently took her hand and helped her up.
"It's okay. Can you tell me your name?"
"Sung… Sung Jin-Ah."
"Alright, Jin-Ah. I'll take care of her, so go ahead and sit first."
Jin-Ah, her face still pale, nodded and let herself be guided to a chair.
Then, Aegis crouched in front of the golden-haired girl. She stared at him with glassy eyes. She opened her mouth, but seemed too weak to speak.
"Damn. You're in rough shape."
'This isn't right.'
He touched her forehead. A flash of light enveloped the girl, and out of nowhere, a simple white dress appeared over her body.
"Better."
He lifted her gently. But when he tried to set her down in a chair, the girl clung tightly to his arm.
"Mm?" Aegis blinked at her. Something wrong? Was she still scared?
She looked at him intently, refusing to let go. She didn't really look scared, instead, she looked quite interested.
There was something else.
The empty gaze of someone who's suffered too much. The hidden longing of someone who's endured loneliness for far too long. That kind of look—that kind of longing—Aegis had seen it before.
Then he understood.
"You… want to stay with me?"
"Umm…"
The girl gave a tiny nod.
"Ugh… fine."
With a stiff smile, Aegis sat her on his lap. She nestled against his chest and soon closed her eyes like a satisfied cat.
"Thank you… for pulling me… out of that abyss…"
A real, honest thank you. Her voice was hoarse, as if she hadn't spoken in years.
Aegis stayed still. He couldn't exactly tell her the character selection was random, right?
That said, the moment he touched a Fate Orb to summon an existence, the Sage's Authority activated automatically, so he already knew everything about these girls' pasts.
Still, the fact that it was him who pulled her out of that torment didn't change. If not for his intervention, this little vampire would still be trapped inside that rock at the bottom of the abyss.
That was before the protagonist of the story was even summoned into this world. Something that wouldn't happen for another hundred years.
Jin-Ah stared at them wide-eyed. Jasmine, meanwhile, wore a look of disgust.
"What the hell are you doing? Playing the Good Samaritan now?"
Aegis ignored the remark.
"Alright. Back to the topic—"
Jasmine slammed her hand on the table.
"Take that brat off your lap first!"
The vampire girl opened one eye and looked at Jasmine indifferently. Then, she snuggled even closer to Aegis.
"She stays." Aegis smiled.
At that, Jasmine made weird noises as her fingers shook, pointing straight at Aegis's face.
The boy in front of her stopped smiling. And as the white serpent turned its slit-shaped eyes toward her, Aegis locked eyes with Jasmine—his golden eyes deeper than oceans.
"You… I've seen how obsessed you are with power."
"So what?"
That hunger for power came from only one thing—revenge.
Although honestly, she found Aegis's sudden interest a bit odd. Come to think of it… had she ever said she wanted power? Of course not.
"If you plan on going after the Heretic God's Legacy, I'd recommend you don't."
It wasn't really Aegis's business to meddle in others' choices. That's why he simply offered what he considered a kind warning.
But Jasmine didn't take it that way.
"And why should I listen to you?"
Aegis looked at her calmly, resting his cheek on one hand while absentmindedly stroking the small vampire's head with the other.
"You don't have to."
Jasmine twitched. This guy was starting to piss her off. She felt the urge to smack him.
"But if you go after that legacy, you'll die."
It's not quite that extreme, however, it's not far from reality either.
"That's ridiculous! You think I'm that weak?!"
"Yes."
The immediate reply stunned her.
"…What?"
"Compared to what's waiting there, yes. You're insignificant."
Jasmine clenched her teeth. Divine energy flared from her body on reflex, but before she could act, the white serpent beside her opened its eyes.
It didn't move. It simply looked at her.
And in that instant, a chill ran down her spine.
'…I can't move.'
It was like her whole body had frozen.
Aegis snapped his fingers, and the pressure vanished.
"Whew, it almost devoured you."
"…"
The Princess of the Star God Realm swallowed hard.
"You should relax a little," Aegis said, smiling peacefully. "Wouldn't it be better to just enjoy dinner?"
"…"
Jasmine glanced at the table.
She had no idea when or how…
The aroma of freshly prepared dishes now filled the air.
She stayed silent for a moment. Then, with a huff, she grabbed the chopsticks and started eating.
Could it be poisoned? She doubted it. Someone who could kill her anytime wouldn't need to stoop so low as to use tricks like that.
Aegis smiled, looking pleased.
"See? Much better."
Seconds later…
Jasmine stopped chewing. Her eyes widened as she stared at the piece of meat in her hand. Anyone witnessing the scene would think something was wrong with the food. At the same time, Jin-ah, who was about to take a bite, froze mid-motion.
The meal gave off a soft, appetizing aroma. After skipping lunch during the school break, the colorful dishes laid out before her were definitely tempting. But after seeing Jasmine's reaction, Jin-ah's gaze slowly turned to Aegis. Isn't it kind of weird for food like this to be poisoned? she wondered silently. But no—it wouldn't be, not if you considered the fact they had basically been kidnapped.
Cautiously, she addressed Jasmine:
"…Is something wrong?"
Jasmine didn't respond immediately. Instead, she slowly turned her head toward Aegis.
"What kind of heavenly food is this?"
Aegis blinked.
"Hm?"
"My cultivation just increased! This has to be meat from a True God-level beast!"
Upon hearing the crimson-haired girl's excited voice, Jin-ah stared at her own piece of meat and furrowed her brows. True God-level meat? That was a new one… Wait—gods actually existed? She didn't know. At best, she thought it was just a term hunters used, so it wasn't surprising she was unfamiliar with it. After all, Jin-ah was just an ordinary girl.
"Are you saying that just by eating—?"
"My cultivation increased."
"Eh? Cultivation? What's that?"
Jin-ah found the girl's vocabulary strange. From the beginning, she'd introduced herself as some kind of princess from the Star God Kingdom or something.
She looked at her suspiciously. Is she one of those... Chuunibyou types?
Jasmine had no idea what the girl thought of her. Instead, she looked at the meat. Then at the other dishes on the table. She swallowed.
This was absurd.
Her cultivation was at the 8th Level Divine Master Realm. At that level, not even the most legendary pills could give her a sudden boost. Advancing required hundreds, even thousands of years of steady cultivation.
But one single bite had done what she never expected.
If I eat more…
Her breathing quickened.
She no longer needed the Heretic God's Legacy.
She didn't need to risk her life.
She didn't need to wait centuries for revenge.
All she had to do…
Was eat.
Without wasting another second, she grabbed another piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth.
Jin-ah and the little vampire watched her silently.
She swallowed. And again, divine energy surged inside her.
Aegis, resting his chin on one hand, smiled.
"Well, someone's got an appetite."
Jasmine ignored him. She grabbed more food and kept chewing through the meat. Beyond accelerating her cultivation, it was downright delicious.
"…"
The little vampire sniffed the air. Gently, she tugged at Aegis's robe.
"I want to try…"
Aegis looked at her. Until recently, she'd been trapped at the bottom of the abyss for hundreds of years. And while she looked a bit grimy, her body was frail, and even her skin and hair had lost their natural luster.
"You don't want to try something else?"
Loli vampire tilted her head, as if confused by his question. Then, seeing him begin to unbutton his robe, her eyes went wide.
"…Aegis."
He knew what she was going to ask, so he looked her straight in the eyes.
"I know."
That she was a vampire. The girl's secret. And the reason she was betrayed and imprisoned in the abyss.
The female vampire's expression stiffened. Aegis shook his head and gently patted her on the head.
"Don't worry. You're not my enemy. I don't care that you're a vampire."
He paused.
"I want to help you."
Then he tilted his head to the side and gestured to his neck.
"So, do you want to?"
The little vampire, clearly soothed by the head-pat, stared at him, studying his face to see if he was serious.
She'd seen a lot during her life in the castle. She could tell when someone was being genuine—and when they were hiding behind a mask.
And right now…
"Um…"
Apparently she didn't sense anything strange, because although her face stayed blank and expressionless, her crimson eyes sparkled like they were smiling.
Without another thought, she turned around in Aegis's lap and straddled him. To reach his neck, she had to get on her knees.
Then she looked at him up close.
She hadn't noticed before, but now that they were face to face…
Aegis was beautiful. Immaculate.
Every being she'd seen before seemed dull by comparison.
Her cheeks flushed.
Softly, she buried her face in his neck.
"I trust Aegis…"
She sniffed.
A tiny sound escaped her lips.
Then she stuck out her tongue and licked his pale skin.
The next time, she didn't hesitate.
She opened her mouth—and bit.
White blood spilled from the corner of her lips, but most of it went straight into her mouth.
The instant the flavor touched her tongue… her eyes flew wide open.
Her cheeks burned, her vision blurred.
A small moan slipped from her throat.
"Mmm…"
Delicious.
No—more than that.
It was the most exquisite blood she'd ever tasted.
Not even the best chefs could craft a dish this divine.
Unable to resist such divine blood, the vampire wrapped her slender arms around Aegis's neck and clung to him tightly.
Her small body trembled as she drank.
"Mmm…"
Soft moans of satisfaction escaped her lips.
Jasmine, still chewing, froze mid-bite with her chopsticks in the air.
…What am I looking at?
Jin-ah still hadn't decided if she should eat or not. After hearing what Jasmine said about her cultivation increasing—though she wasn't exactly sure what that meant—she was curious.
She was a little envious of hunters who awakened superhuman powers. Though if she ever awakened and became a fighter-type hunter, she'd probably just stick to her everyday life and stay away from dungeons.
But if she became a healer-type hunter… that would be incredible. Though, even S-rank healer hunters couldn't heal her mom…
And then she saw what the other two were doing, and her attention shifted to them.
Jasmine and Jin-ah stared in disbelief.
The sound of sucking continued.
Chup, chup…
Jasmine blinked.
Her eyes moved from the girl to Aegis. He looked perfectly calm. As if this was completely normal.
But… how could this be normal?
"W-what are you two doing?!"
Aegis looked at her calmly—and flashed a mischievous smile, the kind that made Jasmine want to slap him.
"Feeding her, obviously."
Feeding her? That's what you call it?
Seriously? Who feeds someone like that?
Jasmine felt her face heat up.
She slammed the table.
"Quit being a pervert in front of people who are trying to eat!"
"Isn't that a little unfair? You get to eat, but this girl hasn't eaten in over a hundred years, y'know?"
Ignoring Jasmine's reaction, Aegis gently patted the little vampire's back.
"Eat up, no rush."
Jasmine watched as the girl only clung to him tighter and kept drinking.
It was weird. Really weird.
But for some reason… that scene had an intimate feel to it. Which is exactly why she wanted to jump in and rip them apart!
Jin-ah, who had been silently watching, had a thought.
A cute girl with fangs, drinking blood from a guy's neck…
It wasn't hard to put two and two together.
She'd never heard of a race like that in real life… but she'd seen it before. In movies, games, and books…
"A vampire."
Jasmine looked at her, frowning.
"Vampire?"
She had never heard that word before.
However, seeing the speechless look on Jin-ah's face, she got the feeling she'd just learned something important.
Maybe she really was in a completely unknown place. A place where even the knowledge inherited from the former Star Goddess didn't apply.
And what happened seconds later would shake the world Jasmine knew even further.
×××
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