Chương 73: The First Vampire Count

If Phatar had a bar meant for the upper class, this place certainly lived up to what one would expect from such an establishment. The dim light, controlled by magical devices, spread through a spacious hall finished in polished wood, where finely carved, cushioned chairs stood around tables set a considerable distance from one another. At one of those tables, an older man with a monocle and graying hair drank liquor over ice while listening to a woman perform on a large instrument on the stage.

But the man's tranquility was interrupted when a young man and a young woman, both with hair as white as snow and deep blue eyes, sat down at his table.

"I do not recall inviting anyone this evening," the gray-haired man remarked calmly as he took another sip from his glass.

"Sabador Lazalos," the young man across from him replied. The gray-haired man's eyebrows twitched. It lasted only an instant, but the young man did not miss it, and a smile formed on his face.

"A noble who fled his own domain like a coward despite being the firstborn," the young man continued.

"All it took was for his brothers to start killing one another."

"I believe there has been some sort of confusion," the gray-haired man replied calmly.

"My name is Sercos, and I come from a merchant family in the capital."

"There were people who helped you escape, weren't there?" the young woman spoke up this time.

"There are always rumors, and there is nothing a little charm cannot do when it comes to drawing out the rest of the story." As she spoke, the young woman's mysterious blue eyes lit up, sending a chill down Sabador's spine.

"Who are you?" he asked, lowering the glass he held in his hands and setting it on the table.

"What do you want with me?"

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Corenio." The young man gave him a broad smile as he gestured toward the woman with an open hand.

"And this is my sister, Munia."

"You have not answered my second question," Sabador pointed out, frowning.

"Relax. We don't plan to do you any harm," Corenio replied, lacing his fingers together on the table and resting his chin on them.

"On the contrary, we came to ask if you haven't grown tired of living in fear that your brother, the count of Lazalos, will find you. After all, you are still the firstborn."

"Is that a threat?"

"We already said we weren't planning to hurt you. Are you deaf or something?" Munia asked, playing with the ends of her hair.

"What we want is your claim to the county."

"My claim to the county?!" Sabador's exclamation was quiet, but the surprise showed plainly on his face.

"That is not something one can sell so easily, and I also doubt the two of you have the resources for it."

"It is not that complicated," Corenio replied.

"All you need to do is adopt us."

"Adopt you?!" This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"To be more precise, you have to say we are your bastard children from an affair you had in the city of Etresa, in the empire," Corenio continued with a smile.

"We know you visited the city years ago."

"And say we clearly got our looks from our mother," Munia added.

"It is not as if we look much like you, after all…"

"Are you insane?! Why would I do something like that?!"

"How does immortality sound as payment?" Corenio replied.

"Is that not the ideal gift for someone who has spent his whole life afraid of being assassinated?" …

"What…?"

Sabador had to rub his eyes. In the forest on the outskirts of the city, an army was waiting for him. But these were no ordinary mortals. When they saw Corenio and Munia, who had guided Sabador there, their eyes lit up with a fierce red glow, and both their fangs and claws lengthened considerably. It was to show they were ready for battle.

"With this army, we will take control of the county of Lazalos," Corenio explained.

"You will be its first count, and afterward you will hand the title over to us."

"I don't know how you could do something so erotic…" Munia remarked at his side.

"It wasn't erotic!" Corenio defended himself.

"I only bit the first prisoners. They took care of the rest themselves…"

"There were rumors that whole prison populations had vanished…" Sabador mumbled, his eyes wide as plates.

"Was that your doing?"

"A favor to the taxpayers of Phatar. We will be in charge of them now," Munia replied indifferently.

"And the prisoners now have the chance to redeem themselves through a sort of... military service."

"I call them lesser vampires," Corenio said.

"Lesser vampires?" Munia whispered in his ear.

"What happened to Children of the Night?"

"Lesser Children of the Night doesn't sound as good…" Corenio whispered back.

"Besides, Nereziel calls us vampires from time to time, and I like the way it sounds."

"Well, if Nereziel says so, then that's what we are," Munia replied, satisfied. Sabador, who was still staring in astonishment at the sight before him, slowly turned back to the twins standing behind him.

"If you make me immortal… will I become one of these creatures? One of these lesser vampires?"

"No, those are just thralls. They don't have much intelligence," Corenio answered.

"What will happen to me, then?"

"You will drink my blood. That should turn you into a normal vampire… or perhaps into something superior to a normal vampire," Corenio clarified, one hand on his chin.

"Maybe those who drink your blood will become normal vampires. We are still not entirely sure."

"And you're going to let him suck your blood erotically?" Munia asked, covering her mouth with one hand.

"It is not erotic! You definitely learned those jokes from Master Cerys… And no, I was thinking I would cut my arm and let him drink from there."

"Erotically?"

"…"

A wagon loaded with goods made its way along one of the roads of the prosperous yet gloomy county of Lazalos, in the kingdom of Phatar. On the driver's bench sat a merchant and his young apprentice, both glancing every now and then at the castle rising in the distance.

"Now that I think about it…" the apprentice murmured.

"Isn't this, like, the fifth time the counts have been a pair of twins?"

"So they say," the merchant replied, without taking his eyes off the road.

"Apparently, the Lazalos family is very prone to having twins."

"How strange…"

"There are stranger things in this county." The apprentice looked at him curiously.

"About two hundred years ago, Sabador was the count of Lazalos. Few remember it, but his full name is Sabador Lazalos." The boy's eyes widened.

"Sabador? One of the ten vampire progenitors?"

"That's right."

"The one who destroyed a city all by himself?"

"The very same." The apprentice looked back toward the castle, now looking far less at ease.

"And that's not all," the merchant continued.

"They also say there is a cult in this county dedicated to the vampires' patron gods. The twins Corenio and Munia."

"The children of the god of death and the goddess of the moon?"

"There are plenty of stories about their origins, but yes, that is one of them."

"Now that I think about it… they are twins too, aren't they?" The merchant remained silent for a few seconds.

"Yes."

"Then… what is it with this county and twins?"

"I have no idea." The apprentice swallowed.

"Doesn't that give you a bad feeling, master?"

"Nothing but a bad feeling," the merchant replied.

"Still, money is money. Let's make the sale and get out of here as soon as we can."