[Hi all! I have a small announcement to make. Next week, there will be no chapters as I'm preparing for Christmas and the New Year. Chapters will continue until Sunday, and I'll take one week off from 19th to 25th December.
Also, I want to spend some good time storyboarding and planning the next act of the story. I am committed to writing this story to the end, so you don't have to worry about me abandoning it halfway through. However, I will need some time to adequately plan the story's conclusion. The story will resume on 27th December.
Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!]
My sparring session with Dad lasted a good few hours as the man seemed eager to test his new, improved physique. Even though he's over five decades old, Dad's movements and martial arts still remained sharp, especially regarding pure combat ability. In fact, the only reason why I could keep him at bay was my superior Progenitor physique. No matter how much power was in Dad's punch, I wouldn't budge an inch.
In a sense, it felt like a fight between an adult and a child. Although my father surpassed me in pure martial arts, he couldn't bridge the gap between a human and a Progenitor.
Therefore, even though our sparring session lasted a few hours, I tried my best not to hurt Dad while he tested his full range of physical abilities. Fortunately, by the time we were done, the girls had also concluded their bonding session.
"Mom! Have you finished your talks?"
I walked over to the five women who approached us from a distance. My mother was wearing a face filled with satisfaction with a shimmering red gleam coming from her cheeks. She was followed by the four girls who trailed closely behind her, though their faces were anything but satisfied.
All of them looked exhausted, particularly Lilith. While I didn't know what they had discussed, I could imagine Mom grilling the girls on their personalities, histories, and everything a mother-in-law would want to know about her future daughters.
Rosa and Ysabelle weren't the talkative types, and neither would Irina work to carry a conversation. That could only mean that the most personable person in the group would have to answer my mom's endless barrage of questions.
"Jin…" Lilith looked at me with pleading eyes, ready to pounce on me for a well-deserved nap. However, Mom interrupted by saying:
"We had quite a fruitful conversation! You're lucky to find these four girls, Jin!" Mom was all smiles as she said that. "We've even planned a girls' night out in the future! Once we've settled in and all your external affairs have been dealt with, I can take ALL the time in the world to bond with my new daughters! Right?"
"R-Right…"
Lilith nervously moved her eyes away, fearing to make eye contact with the devil that made her this exhausted. Seriously, Mom… What the hell did you make them do?!
"Brother!"
"Hmmm? What is it, Irina?"
"Nothing, I just missed you!"
"Hahaha, you spoiled lass…"
Never one to think about the repercussions of her actions, Irina instantly jumped to my side and gave me a firm embrace. Nuzzling her face on my arm, the girl rested her entire body on me and quickly fell into a dream-like trance. Ignoring the jealous looks the other three gave me, I turned back to Mom, who was wearing an incredulous look on her face.
"What is it?"
"It's nothing… It's just… I've never seen you smile like that before."
"Haha, I've changed a lot, Mom." I comforted Irina by patting her head, to which she purred ever so gently like an adorable white cat. "I have women that I love and protect now. Obviously, I'll have to grow into a man who can protect them."
"Wow… I never thought I would see a new side to my son." As she continued, my mother grinned from ear to ear: "But from what I heard from these girls… I shouldn't be too surprised."
Oh? What on earth did they talk about?
When I shot inquisitive gazes at the four girls, they all averted their eyes with red faces. Lilith even began fake whistling, even though she sucked at it.
Whatever, it doesn't seem like it was anything bad, so I'll let it slide.
"Mom, I won't force you to become a Vampire right now, so I'll give you the same option as I did to Dad. Join the Valter House."
"The Valter House?"
Once again, I repeated my words to her, explaining the dangers that she might face in the future. I also told her that Dad had already entered my protection and I could do the same for her.
"Oh, if that's the case! I'm totally okay with that!"
"Okay, please close your eyes and don't resist."
I summoned out my Soul Armament and channelled magic power into the four rings again, conjuring up the same protection spell I did with Dad. Mom's soul was coated with my spell in no time at all, and she was given the same four-layer protection spell. However, unlike Dad, exhaustion seemed to catch up with her as she started to hold her head up, with her face slowly being drained of its colour.
"Careful, Elna." Dad grabbed hold of her before she could collapse. Drowsy and sleepy, my mother's beaming eyes slowly closed as she struggled to keep herself standing straight.
"Jin... I…"
"Don't worry about it, Mom. Your body seems to be reacting differently to the spell. Give it some time, and you'll be in better shape than ever."
"O-Okay…"
"Dad, take her into the house. There's a spare room for you to use. We can discuss the details of your future accommodations tomorrow."
"Alright," Dad winked at me and quickly made himself redundant. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Bye!"
I watched my parents disappear through the doors of Rosa's abode before finally turning to the girls, who were all eager to pounce on me.
"Hey, Irina! That's enough! It's my turn now!"
"Ehhhh, just five more minutes!"
"Hmph! Your five minutes can turn into five years if I don't separate you now!"
Lilith argued with the cosy white-haired girl, who wasn't interested in the slightest about leaving my side. And while I enjoyed watching their friendly banter, I had an agenda to fulfil.
"Alright… Alright… Stop arguing! I'll pamper you all equally tonight! For now, let's focus on the important things at hand."
"... Are you asking about your parents being harassed?" Ysabelle made a reasonable guess. No, given that the Blackburn House helped them out, she should be the one most familiar with my worries.
"Yes, but not just that." I frowned and brushed aside my parent's situation for now. "I want to know who the enemies we're going to face are. Whether they'll be hostile or welcoming to me as the Progenitor. I know the Holy Church will never accept me, and the Werewolves wouldn't be thrilled about my ascension either. The problem is… other Vampires."
Being new to this Vampire Society thing, I couldn't differentiate between the allies and foes. While I would guess the Everwinter, Moonreaver, Blackburn and Shadowgarden Houses would ally with me, I couldn't be too certain.
"The Blackburn House is committed to you, Jin."
Ysabelle immediately answered without any hesitation. With her reply, I gave a warm smile and nodded. Of all the Houses thus far, the Blackburn House had been the most welcoming. And without Ysabelle's confirmation, I already had faith that they would uphold their oath to me.
"Shadowgarden… Ally…"
Rosa said with conviction. Right… She was essentially the hidden Empress of the Shadowgarden House. There was no way that they'll go against her words.
"The Moonreaver House is an ally as well… is what I would like to say." Lilith was the first of the four to express doubts about her family. "But I'll return to the Moonreaver Dimension to force them to commit. At the same time, I'll make them create a Nightmare Realm that our Valter House can stay in."
"... Do you need me to come with you?"
"No, there's no need." Lilith reached out and connected my hands with hers. "My brother might be a knucklehead, but he has a soft spot for me. Plus, he's smart enough to recognise the colossal repercussions of crossing a Progenitor. No harm will befall me if I go back now. In fact, I could likely bring more Moonreavers to our side."
"Okay… But be careful, alright?"
"Haha, you don't have to worry about me! Not to mention, even if something did happen, you'll appear to save me, right?"
"... You little fool."
I smiled and looked away. Lilith was right. My magic allowed me to teleport to her instantaneously the moment I sensed she was in danger. So, even if the Moonreaver House were to harm her, they wouldn't be able to escape my magic.
"As for the Everwinter House…"
I looked at the little imp, still stuck to me like glue. Irina looked at me with her signature grey eyes and tilted her head to the side.
Yep… As expected, this girl was clueless.
"Irina… You should talk to your House more…"
"Who cares about that archaic place? Besides, my House is now the Valter House. I have nothing to do with the Everwinter House!"
"You ignorant..!" Lilith was on the verge of exploding, and her fist was already raised. But before I could stop the girl, an unexpected piece of help came from the side.
"Everwinter… Dangerous…"
"Rosa?" The green-haired Goddess spoke out in a calm and bored manner. She looked at Irina and repeated herself, this time with more details.
"Scheme… Jin… Damien… Dangerous"
"Hoh? So Damien Everwinter is scheming against me?"
"Mmmm…"
Rosa nodded her head at my brilliant deduction. As someone who could commune with any plant in the world, there wasn't any scheme that Rosa couldn't uncover. That's what made her the perfected Shadowgarden, whose forte was in intelligence gathering and espionage. If she claimed that Damien Everwinter was scheming against me, I would trust her unconditionally.
"What?! They're trying to do that with Brother?! No wonder they're trying to get me to go home!!!"
"Wait, the Everwinter House has summoned you back?"
"Yeah," Irina folded her arms, her nostrils still expanding with fury. "Ever since word got out that Brother has become a Progenitor, the Everwinter House has been trying to get me to go back. From what I heard, Damien's faction was insisting on it. And since that senile granny has something to gain, she supports Damien's agenda. Who could have guessed that they're scheming against you…"
Irina's charming attribute has always been her dedication towards me. If it wasn't related to me, the girl would ignore most things, even if it was a direct summon from Matriarch Everwinter.
Usually, I might have chastised Irina for her behaviour, but it seems that her blind love for me had saved us from walking straight into a trap.
Well, unlucky for them, we have a trump card they could never have expected.
"Rosa… Tell me all about this scheme that they're planning…"
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