#76
Brokoslac Clan (3)
Hoo—
“Gasp!”
Not wanting to waste any more time, Heinz seized Frigia by the nape of her neck with one hand.
As his five fingers sank deeply into her slender neck, blood trickled down through the wound.
In that state, Heinz directly injected Refined Blood Essence into her bloodstream.
Grrk—! You! What the hell are you doing…!
Is it because she’s a Trueblood?
Even while being subdued, she controlled her own blood, isolating it so that the blood which had already come into contact with Heinz’s Refined Blood Essence wouldn’t spread throughout her body.
Her ability to respond to the situation was quite impressive.
‘Of course, it’s all meaningless resistance. I wonder how long you can hold out.’
The Refined Blood Essence continued to be injected.
With Frigia’s strength already waning, there was nothing she could do about it.
Moreover, since it was coming through her neck — a vital point — there was a limit to how much she could control the blood there.
Ghk…
Eventually… the anomaly starting from her neck quickly spread to her brain and heart, soon engulfing her entire body.
‘What the hell is this lunatic doing? Forcing his own blood into me! What’s his plan…?’
Why wouldn’t he just kill her cleanly instead of going this far?
When a Trueblood’s blood enters, there would be extreme mental corruption.
Sure, she might become slightly stronger, but if she went insane, that would be pointless.
‘Could it be he plans to use me to destroy the capital?’
If that’s not the case, there was no need to go this far.
Blood is the source of a vampire’s power; why complicate things while consuming his own strength?
Absolutely not!
Originally, it was impossible to do anything with such a small amount of blood against a Trueblood like her.
Yet for some reason, the blood now inside her body constantly influenced the surrounding blood, mutating the vampiric factors within her.
It felt like a deadly poison had entered her body — her blood became hot and pain surged over her as she gritted her teeth, trying to regain her focus.
Crack— Snap!
But rather than mental corruption, unknown changes were happening in her body.
‘…What the hell is this? Did the effect of kin consumption improve this much? No, it’s not just an increase in Blood Magic?’
Having mastered control of her body over many years, Frigia quickly realized.
Her physical abilities, including strength, agility, and flexibility, were exponentially growing.
Not only that, but she could now handle Blood Magic much better, and the efficiency had reached another dimension.
Her mind, which had been focused on resisting mental corruption, finally began to analyze the situation objectively.
Due to blood injected from the outside, the vampiric factors within her body underwent mutations all at once.
…It was a drastic change that could only be called evolution.
Then, the words Heinz had spoken reappeared in her mind.
‘Don’t you want to follow me? I can make you much stronger than now.’
It seemed that what he said back then wasn’t the ramblings of a madman.
“You! What have you done to me…?”
Frigia showed a bewildered expression as she looked over her transformed body repeatedly.
Her mind was still clear, and she no longer felt pain.
Without any sense of alienation, she was much stronger than before.
Heinz observed her quietly and nodded in satisfaction.
‘Fortunately, it works on Truebloods too. Although I consumed quite a bit of Refined Blood Essence compared to others, that’s nothing compared to the effectiveness.’
He didn’t relax his guard, ready to deal with her if she didn’t remain under control, but thankfully, it felt like a dependency had been established seamlessly.
“Looks like you’re okay now. So shall we get up?”
“What’s your scheme? You think I’ll just follow you after this sudden turn of events…?”
Frigia glared at him coldly, but then stood up and politely saluted.
“Ah…?”
Only now did she seem to realize something odd, as she glanced between him and her body in succession.
Then, she suddenly swung her arm at him in an ambush, only to freeze in place as if turned to stone.
‘She caught on. But now, she won’t be able to attack me.’
That was the basic effect of the ‘Blood Dependency.’
“W-What is this? How can you…? Wait, what?”
No matter how hard she tried, her hands wouldn’t move any further.
Realizing the current situation once and for all after confirming with her own eyes, Frigia fell into confusion.
It was only natural to react this way after a Trueblood like her became dependent on someone she had just met.
“Now we have a steady environment for conversation.”
“T-This can’t be possible! Even a Pureblood wouldn’t be able to do this…”
No, it seemed she wasn’t quite ready for conversation yet.
“Focus on the conversation, Frigia.”
“Yes!”
Only then did she finally meet Heinz’s gaze and prepare to listen, making him nod with satisfaction.
Then, just like he had been doing, he revealed his identity, offering her greater power if she followed him.
Of course, her reaction was as expected: negative.
“The Brokoslac is one of the ‘Starting Bloodflows.’ Moreover, it remains one of the few blood sources where the Pureblood resides. You think someone of your branches could dominate such a place?”
Additionally, unexpected information popped up.
While he knew that Brokoslac was an original lineage that had continued since the dawn of time, he hadn’t known about the story concerning the Pureblood.
‘I’ve only been educated for about a week on being a Lesser Bloodline.’
Because of that, he didn’t have a way to access such high-level information, but now the situation was different.
“Tell me more about that Pureblood.”
Ugh… So…
The Pureblood, who was also the progenitor of the Starting Bloodflow.
While they possessed immense power, as time passed, they were said to have dwindled until only two or three remained today.
Because the inheritance of Pureblood was incredibly meticulous, that power hadn’t been properly passed down.
“Is there anyone who has inherited the Pureblood?”
…I heard that a few decades ago… the lord of the Yufershi Clan succeeded. I don’t know if that’s true, but…
He had heard of the Yufershi Clan during his schooling.
They were among the top three clans in Auterica alongside Brokoslac.
‘But judging by her reaction, it seems they’re the stronger force.’
“And our progenitor, Lord ‘Brokoslac,’ has gone into hibernation a long time ago. He is waiting for a successor capable of enduring for as long as possible before he wakes up again.”
This was information only the Trueblood within the clan was privy to.
However, even they had kept the hibernation location a secret, so she didn’t know where the Pureblood was sleeping either.
“But if the Pureblood were to wake up later and discover that their lineage had shifted to the branch… you would never die peacefully!”
“But for now, you say they’re in hibernation. We don’t know when they’ll wake up?”
Ugh… it was initially a means to endure over time. Only they know when they’ll awaken, but it shouldn’t be soon.
Then, it really didn’t matter.
It didn’t matter when that person would wake up because, by then, he wouldn’t need to care anymore.
More importantly, it was time to persuade this woman.
To easily reach the lord of the Brokoslac Clan, he needed her active cooperation.
“So, Frigia. Are you satisfied with the current situation?”
…What do you mean?
“A life hidden to avoid being detected, a life where you can’t proudly show yourself, a life where you worry about the church’s watchful eyes.”
Frigia’s face hardened.
While gathering other vampires and obtaining information, he had heard much about her.
Through that, he learned one side of her.
Of course, making rash conclusions based solely on hearsay was a dangerous judgment, but one thing was certain.
She longed to live proudly under the sun.
No matter how much a Trueblood she was, frequent outings in the sun are uncomfortable.
Indulging in luxury through expensive shopping while forming relationships with humans at frequent social gatherings.
Through that, she enjoyed the flattery and praise of those around her, relishing life as a human.
But all those things were nothing but a fragile illusion that could disappear at any moment.
She must have acutely realized that fact herself.
She had likely had to create new identities several times, sacrificing everything she had built up until now.
“But that’s a problem we can’t help! We are a race that cannot walk into the light!”
“Who decided that?”
…The humans’ perception and the actual judgment of the Holy Church…
“Why should we fear the Holy Church?”
Because they are strong! How many can oppose them on this continent? Without the empire or magic tower alliance, it’s impossible!
Even those who were strong maintained good relations with the church, making them practically nonexistent in reality.
Heinz nodded at her reply and spoke.
“In the end, it means you feel weak.”
…I acknowledge your capabilities, but this is not a problem that can be solved just by a few getting stronger.
“What if that’s not just a few?”
Huh? What do you mean?
He looked at Frigia with a small smile at the corner of his mouth.
“For example— what if all the vampire clans on this continent could unite and combine their power?”
That’s impossible! What kind of nonsensical talk…
“Why does that sound impossible?”
Clans are each independent organizations. There’s no way to collaborate; every time something happens, they’ll regroup based on mutual interest and fall apart soon after.
Heinz continued to nod thoughtfully, still smiling.
Her words were undeniably correct.
“Right. So what if… there was a lord with absolute power who could control them all?”
Ha! That’s impossible, even for a Pureblood… uh…
Frigia hesitated, as a sense of déjà vu suddenly washed over her.
Of course, that statement was precisely what she had muttered to herself after becoming dependent on Heinz just moments ago.
Looking down at her with a blank expression, he leisurely continued.
“It’s my ability. Through this blood, I can unite all the vampires on this continent under my command… and they will all become stronger like you.”
Ah…
“How long will you keep living in hiding? With vampire numbers being so few, you’ll continue to face oppression if you don’t unite.”
Frigia’s eyes wavered.
It was clear she was conflicted.
“Well, you are saying that the Brokoslac will…”
“Of course, as the first faction to enter under my lineage, the Brokoslac should also receive the same treatment.”
Almost there.
This was almost the end.
“When I become the king ruling over them, you will bask in glory by my side.”
And so.
Frigia Brokoslac completely surrendered to Heinz II.
*
In the depths of the Bright Duke’s mansion in the Talia Kingdom.
In the pitch-black darkness, a man seated in a large armchair was receiving a report from a middle-aged man.
Mulo Brokoslac, the lord of the Brokoslac Clan, lightly swirled the wine glass in his right hand as he looked at the respectful figure before him.
“So the situation is turning ambiguous, you say?”
“Yes, that’s correct. In fact, they are now seeking our cooperation regarding him.”
Hmm, so the Undead King has resurrected…
“From what I’ve gathered, the current atmosphere in the church seems unsettling. Timing-wise, it is likely linked to the last time their elite moved urgently through our shrine. Something must have gone wrong back then.”
Information had been discreetly communicated from the Holy Church’s upper echelons to various powers.
News of the Undead King’s resurrection and a warning to prepare accordingly had been relayed, alongside plans for a meeting to discuss further details soon.
“Just keep trying. He’s the Undead King, and we can’t afford to let the church gain more power.”
“Yes, then I will gather the nobles beneath me and come to a consensus. My lord.”
“Step outside.”
“Have a pleasant time, sir.”
The middle-aged man folded his hands and bowed cautiously, leaving the room without making a sound.
Click—
Gently closing the door, he wiped the cold sweat from his brow and swallowed a sigh that threatened to escape.
In this place, even a sigh had to be kept in check.
This mansion was only named after him, yet there was nothing he could freely decide.
As the middle-aged man silently crossed the hallway, he momentarily halted his steps upon seeing someone approaching from the opposite side.
“Lady Frigia, how do you do?”
“Oh, is that you, father? Are you well? I see you must be on your way to report to my lord.”
Frigia referred to him as her father since her disguised identity was one of the Duke’s daughters.
It was rather a burdensome title to him, as it would be more comfortable if she spoke casually.
“Yes, I’m on my way to report about the church matter.”
As the Duke finished speaking, he subtly glanced at the person beside her.
While he had never seen them before, the Duke didn’t show it and bowed politely as he stepped aside.
Since Frigia, a Trueblood of the clan, was next to him, he had to blindfold his eyes and ears to any matter.
“Well then, I shall go see my lord. Father, please do enter and rest.”
“Yes, so I will take my leave…”
The Duke again bowed his head and exited the corridor.
Then, the two who had passed the Duke entered the inner heart of the mansion where Mulo Brokoslac was located.
