"Alucard, now is not the time for your theatrics."
Nephis's voice cut through the room sharply, cold frustration bleeding through the calm mask she usually maintained.
"Why the hell do you always insist on doing things entirely on your own without even asking whether it's a good idea first?" she continued. "Explain to me why you thought kidnapping three faction leaders—and killing one of them—without discussing it with anyone was acceptable. Do you have any idea how much danger you put everyone in?"
The room fell silent afterward.
Alucard didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he simply stared at her.
Coldly.
The tension between them became almost suffocating, thick enough that even the others in the room could practically feel it pressing against their skin. Neither of them looked away.
Finally, Alucard spoke.
"So that's why you're angry?"
His voice was calm, almost mocking.
"Because I'm not groveling at your feet like every other idiotic bootlicker in this damn city?"
Several people in the room visibly stiffened.
Sunny immediately looked away before either of them dragged him into the argument somehow, while Effie silently mouthed oh shit beneath her breath. Even Kai seemed uncomfortable now.
Nephis closed her eyes for a brief moment and let out a long, exhausted sigh. She lifted one hand to her forehead, pushing at her brow as if physically trying to hold back a headache before lowering it again.
"No, Alucard," she answered, her tone quieter now but no less sharp. "This isn't about you not listening to me."
Her white eyes narrowed slightly.
"It's about the fact that you never even considered listening to anyone."
A pause followed.
"And apparently the only person you did trust enough to involve was Seishan—someone you conveniently never mentioned being close to."
Alucard's expression darkened immediately.
Without another word, he walked over to the table and lazily dropped himself into one of the chairs, leaning back with clear irritation.
"I'm done having this conversation," he said flatly. "Especially with you."
His crimson eye shifted toward her lazily.
"If you think I'm being reckless, then fine. Think whatever you want."
He shrugged.
"But at least my plan didn't involve dragging every faction into a pointless month-long war for no reason."
Then his expression turned colder.
"And no one important died anyway, so who cares?"
That sentence almost instantly reignited the fury in Nephis's eyes.
The temperature in the room seemed to increase.
For a brief second, Sunny genuinely thought they might start fighting right there.
But after a few moments, Nephis slowly forced herself to let the comment go. Barely.
Instead, she turned her attention toward the rest of the cohort and resumed the briefing she had originally intended to give before Alucard derailed the entire meeting.
"In short," she said calmly, "the faction leaders and I will meet tomorrow to discuss how we proceed from here..."
Her gaze slowly drifted toward Alucard.
"...now that someone has completely disrupted the balance between the factions."
Alucard, meanwhile, had leaned so far back in his chair that it looked like he might fall over at any moment. His eyes were closed, his expression lazy and completely uncaring despite the obvious jab directed at him.
Then, without warning, he stood up and stretched his arms above his head.
"Well," he yawned, "I'll see you all tomorrow."
He casually started walking toward the exit.
"I'm gonna go eat dinner now."
The room collectively blinked.
Sunny frowned.
Effie tilted her head.
Kai looked confused.
Even Caster slowly lowered his teacup.
"...Where are you eating dinner?" Sunny finally asked.
Alucard shrugged casually.
"Oh, just dinner with a friend."
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"Then maybe we'll watch the moon together by the Dark Sea from atop the city walls."
His grin widened slightly.
"And if the mood's right, maybe we'll end the night with a firework or two."
The room immediately fell into confused silence.
Everyone slowly turned toward one another, trying to figure out whether Alucard was speaking metaphorically, or simply being weird.
Eventually, they collectively settled on the most logical explanation:
Alucard was just being Alucard.
Then he suddenly looked back toward them.
"You guys wanna come?"
Sunny immediately looked toward Nephis for approval, already expecting her to reject the invitation.
Instead, she answered almost instantly.
"Sure."
Her voice remained perfectly calm.
"I wanted to speak with that so-called friend of yours anyway."
The instant those words left her mouth, Alucard's expression changed.
"Ah."
Then, in a sudden burst of speed nobody expected, he immediately launched himself through the nearest window.
Glass exploded outward as his voice echoed from outside.
"Wow, would you look at the time! I gotta go! But we should definitely do that some other time!"
Silence filled the room.
Sunny slowly stared at the shattered window.
Effie sighed dramatically.
"I knew it. The bastard was hiding something."
Since Effie had clearly been looking forward to food, Nephis felt a small amount of guilt rise inside her. Turning toward the cohort, she spoke in a quieter tone.
"I'll cook dinner for all of you instead."
Effie's eyes instantly lit up.
"Okay, princess you're forgiven."
---
By the time Alucard arrived at the mansion Seishan had chosen for dinner, the moon had risen fully into the sky, casting silver light across the Dark City below.
After climbing along the outer wall and reaching the balcony, he quietly pulled himself upward before stepping onto the marble floor.
The balcony overlooked the distant Dark Sea, the black waters shimmering faintly beneath the moonlight. A cold breeze drifted through the air, carrying with it the scent of salt and distant rain.
At the center of the balcony sat a small table prepared for two.
A single candle rested between the plates, its dim orange flame flickering gently in the wind and bathing the small dining area in warm light. One seat remained empty directly across from the other.
And sitting there alone was Seishan.
Truthfully, Alucard barely noticed the table at first.
His attention immediately focused on her instead.
Seishan wore an elegant black dress that clung perfectly to her figure. The neckline dipped into a modest V-shape that revealed just enough to draw attention without appearing excessive, while intricate feather-like patterns decorated the lower edges of the dress and the sleeves around her forearms.
Combined with the candlelight and the silver moon above, she looked almost unreal.
The faint smirk that appeared on her lips the moment she noticed him only made the scene more dangerous.
"You know," she said lazily, "there are stairs inside the mansion."
Her golden eyes glanced toward the balcony edge he had climbed over.
"Why exactly did you scale the side of the building instead?"
Alucard scratched the back of his neck with mild embarrassment.
"Well... I didn't want to be late."
He coughed lightly.
"So I took a shortcut."
Seishan slowly poured herself a glass of alcohol, though the amused smile on her face never disappeared.
"How considerate of you."
Her gaze slowly drifted across his appearance.
"Though you should probably change into something more formal."
Her eyes lingered briefly on his exposed chest and ragged blood robes.
"Not that I'm complaining about seeing you half-dressed like some homeless nobleman."
Alucard rolled his eye.
Without another word, the blood making up his robe immediately began shifting and reshaping itself. Crimson liquid flowed smoothly across his body before hardening into elegant fabric.
Moments later, the ragged robes had transformed entirely.
Now he wore a fitted dark red vest paired with a matching crimson tie over a lighter red long-sleeved dress shirt. The outfit retained a slightly dangerous appearance while somehow looking surprisingly refined on him.
The eyepatch, however, remained.
Seishan let out a low whistle while openly looking him up and down.
"Well..."
A slow smile spread across her lips.
"If I didn't know any better, I might've mistaken you for a noble."
Her red eyes gleamed faintly beneath the candlelight.
"Especially with looks like yours."