Saito moved through the crowds in the mall with a calm expression, but the aura around him suggested he was in a bad mood.
There was no mistake; that scent belonged to Krul.
Saito hadn't expected Krul to pick up his trail on only his second day in Kyoto.
He was currently a defector from the Vampires, and since his experiments weren't yet complete, it wasn't the right time to face Krul.
Damn it, the plan is all messed up!
Saito had considered that Krul's people might find him, or even that his own child, Ferid, might seek him out, but it shouldn't have been this soon. (A Vampire's "child" refers to a Vampire turned with one's own blood; for instance, Mika is considered Krul's child.)
According to the plan, Saito would find a way to get Luke alone, knock him out, and kidnap him, then figure out how to deal with his family later.
However, not long after finding Luke, he caught Krul's scent.
A Vampire's physical capabilities are generally seven times that of a human. As a former Second Progenitor, he could hold his own against the Guren Squad without even using his hands or feet.
Saito was certain he had smelled Krul's scent just now. It was faint, so it probably wasn't her in person, but it was definitely someone who had been in close contact with her for a long time.
Although it had been many years since they last met, they were both children of the Progenitor; Saito wouldn't forget Krul's scent.
Thus, without hesitation, he turned and left.
After exiting the mall and reaching a deserted alley, Saito vanished after a few leaps.
Three minutes later, Saito reappeared.
"They didn't follow? The scent is gone too."
He took out a bottle of perfume to mask his own scent and put on a mask before blending back into the crowd.
"I can't stay long. Whoever that was will definitely report back to Krul. No matter what, I must leave before tomorrow morning!"
After asking around, Saito arrived at the only inn in this small town.
Since there was only this one inn, Luke would definitely come here at night.
But what he didn't know was that Alucard had been watching his solo performance from the sky the whole time.
If that human child hadn't looked so tempting that it couldn't resist taking a sip, Saito would never have smelled its scent in the mall.
It had originally wanted to bite his neck, but Luke was wearing a down jacket, making the neck inaccessible, and it couldn't risk exposing its presence.
But it had to be said, even if it only bit the back of his hand, that human child's blood was just too delicious. It just felt a bit lightheaded after drinking it.
It had only come out to scavenge a bit, but it hadn't expected to find a big shot and a top-tier delicacy.
Hmph, now Krul can't say I'm just a useless mascot anymore!
Seeing Saito check into the inn, Alucard flew unsteadily toward the mountain like a drunkard... "Oh? Interesting. You're saying Rig actually came to Kyoto?"
In Sanguinem, inside Krul's palace.
Krul was sitting on a throne with her legs crossed, her right hand supporting her head, while her left hand swirled a glass of bright red liquid.
Beside her, a tipsy Alucard was reporting what it had seen outside to Krul.
Don't ask how Krul understood it—the answer is telepathy!
Saito's appearance now was worlds apart from when he was the Second Progenitor, but Alucard was related to the Progenitor, so seeing through his identity was incredibly simple.
"A defector of the Vampires... what could he want by coming to a Vampire city now? I'm truly curious."
Krul took an elegant sip of the blood in her glass and frowned.
"The quality of this human blood is getting worse and worse. It's almost at its limit."
As the Vampire Queen, the blood Krul drank was provided by specially selected humans whose blood was reserved solely for her.
While other humans lived on nutrient solution, these people ate proper meals.
But now there were few opportunities to capture new humans, and Krul's special supply list hadn't been updated in a long time. The blood quality was declining year by year.
Krul glanced at the unsteady Alucard flying nearby.
Without warning, she stood up and sent a kick sweeping toward it.
Alucard:?
Barely dodging the strike, Alucard scrambled into the air.
It let out a series of gibberish cries.
Well, it was clear that the cursing was quite foul.
"Tch."
Seeing the strike miss, Krul curled her lip.
As expected.
"What else did you do out there besides tailing Rig? Why do you look like a drunkard?"
Upon hearing Krul's question, Alucard immediately began excitedly telling her about the top-tier delicacy it had found outside, as if it had discovered a rare treasure.
It described at length just how delicious Luke's blood was.
"Oh? What kind of blood is so good that you'd praise it like this, and has such a strong aftereffect?"
Krul showed a look of interest.
After all, Alucard had been by her side for over two thousand years. What blood hadn't it tasted? This was the first time Krul had seen it praise blood so much, so she couldn't help but feel interested in this human child.
While Alucard was reminiscing about the taste of Luke's blood, a glass suddenly flew out of nowhere and trapped it.
This turn of events caught it completely off guard.
Seeing Alucard trapped under the glass in the corner, seeing stars from the impact, Krul cheered inwardly.
That felt good. After two thousand years, I finally caught it once. Hahaha.
I really have to thank that human child.
Krul felt an inexplicable bit of goodwill toward the human child.
Krul didn't press her advantage while Alucard was dizzy. Her palace was huge, and the corner was twenty or thirty meters away—enough time for Alucard to take flight again.
Krul was in a good mood, but Alucard was very frustrated.
If I hadn't been drunk on blood, would you have succeeded in a sneak attack? Damn it!
"A human child with delicious blood and a former Vampire Progenitor with unknown motives... I really can't sit still anymore~"
Krul's interest was piqued.
"You say he's at the inn at the foot of the mountain?"
Alucard reluctantly bobbed its body up and down in affirmation.
"I'm tired of staying in this oppressive underground palace. I'll head out tonight and take a look."
"Just what are you planning, Rigr Stafford? I hope you can bring me some unexpected surprises..."
...Luke searched everywhere nearby, but there was still no sign of Alucard.
Left with no choice, he gave up the search and went to find Akane Natsume with the items he had selected.
Although Akane Natsume had only mentioned buying a bag, women always find other things to catch their eye.
Sure enough, when he reached the second floor, Luke saw Akane Natsume staring at a piece of jewelry, unable to look away.
With an "I knew it" expression, Luke spoke up:
"Mother, if you like it, buy it. There's nothing to hesitate about."
Akane Natsume didn't turn around. She looked a bit conflicted as she glanced at the handbag she was holding.
"But... this month's expenses are already close to exceeding the budget..."
"It's fine. If you like it, Mother, just buy it."
Akane Natsume was moved. She turned around.
She was about to praise Luke for growing up when she saw the two shopping bags full of items in his hands. Her words of gratitude caught in her throat... It seemed like buying one more piece of jewelry wouldn't be too excessive.
By the time the two returned to the inn, it was already dusk. After shopping in the morning, they had left their things in the mall lockers and spent some time wandering around the small town.
Since they had come under the guise of a vacation, it would be a waste to just buy things and leave.
"Ah, this isn't much different from my usual life during company holidays."
Akane Natsume stretched her waist and sat on the tatami, rubbing her feet to let the day's fatigue fade away.
Luke, on the other hand, was long past his limit.
He didn't even bother changing his clothes and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
"Miku, wake me up at midnight."
Then he drifted off into dreamland.
You will get 90 chapter ahead for this fanfiction.
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