“……”
Piarro, who had been showcasing her stunning magic with confidence using the foundation, suddenly stopped.
As if struggling to breathe, she clutched her heart with trembling hands.
The strange behavior of her drew the curious gazes of the viewers and students, but she showed no intention of stopping.
“Um… uh…”
“Is it fun?”
A cold yet beautiful voice echoed once more.
It wasn’t a loud voice, but if one listened closely, it was audible enough.
Piarro gulped at the voice she heard.
“S-sorry…”
“Sorry?”
“What are you apologizing for?”
“I don’t know. Isn’t that person the first place? They were going wild just a moment ago…”
Crunch.
Piarro gritted her teeth and looked up as if she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
Despite appearances, Piarro had made a significant achievement in this exam.
Although it was difficult to say it was entirely her own power, acquiring knowledge to that level was no easy feat.
It’s not something she simply earned by “luck”.
Having made that decision, she shouted toward the doll-like girl, Lasty, who had slipped into the crowd…
“AAAAAAAH!!! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!! I’m crazy. I’m an idiot. Please forgive me…! Pleasepleaseplease…”
She bowed down.
[????]
[?]
[?]
[What is this ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Why is she like this?]
[Crying?]
[Huh?]
[????????]
[What’s a dogeza?]
Piarro, throwing away all her dignified attitude, didn’t care about maintaining her composure and burst into tears.
She desperately sought forgiveness from someone, her hands clasped in prayer.
With her sudden change, everyone’s gaze shifted towards where she was begging for forgiveness, and at the end of that line was a small, pretty girl.
“Hello.”
[Progenitor?]
[Magic professor appears ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Lasty, you pretty lady]
[Is she going to bump her head against the Progenitor?]
[Huh? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Is it because they’re both vampires?]
[She was acting like she owned the world just a moment ago, now she’s hitting her head like a dog ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Lasty is really cute]
[What’s the Progenitor doing?]
Piarro wailed as if her hands were turning into flies.
Lasty stared at me with a blank expression.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“It seems that way.”
Lasty really hadn’t done anything.
All she did was blend in naturally among the crowd, watching the exam.
I was just casually watching the test.
The reason Piarro ended up like that is because of the insurmountable “rank” difference between Piarro and the Progenitor.
“Bloodsuckers can never surpass the Progenitor.”
This was an absolute truth that remained unchanged from the moment she acquired the power and abilities of a vampire.
Especially since she seemed physically stronger than before, it felt like she had absorbed thicker blood, yet the more powerful blood she gained, the more she felt the Progenitor’s presence.
“Often, it’s said that ‘you see as much as you know.'”
“Please spare me… I’m sorry. Please, please…”
“Get up.”
“Yes, yes!”
Jumping up!
Piarro shot up like lightning and stood at attention.
While everyone was still clueless about the situation, Lasty approached Piarro without caring about anyone’s gaze except mine and took her hand.
“Uh, uh…”
“Stay still.”
Squeeze. Squeeze.
Piarro’s mind gradually became hazy at the fact that the great Progenitor was regarding her body, but Lasty didn’t care at all and continued to touch her hands and face.
About a minute later…
“That’s enough.”
“Huh?”
Stab.
Lasty’s pale fingertips pierced through Piarro’s chest and reached her heart.
SWISH!!
A surge of blood erupted from every orifice of Piarro as she collapsed.
“AAAH!!”
“What, did you kill her?”
“???”
“Whoa, blood is exploding…”
“Oh, that…”
The fallen Piarro’s body began to levitate.
Eventually, a single drop of Lasty’s blood seeped into her, and Piarro’s eyes opened wide once again.
Piarro, with her eyes back to normal, clenched her hands and kneeled down.
“I’ve retrieved all the unauthorized knowledge. I also disposed of the ‘clumsy blood’ that stuck to me in the process.”
“…My mind feels clear.”
“You won’t go insane anymore. Normally, I wouldn’t do this, but I have my responsibilities too.”
“Uh… Thanks? But what was that—”
“My blood is better for me, so don’t cling to it.”
“…Okay.”
Feeling somewhat regretful, Piarro nodded heavily, but the memory-free her doesn’t understand.
How difficult it is to acquire the Progenitor’s “True Blood.”
■
“Now, it’s time to announce the long-awaited first place. Lord Leo, who came in second, will receive a special prize. Additionally, all participants will receive a small gift.”
So, here we go…
“And the first place, as you all expected… is Piarro!”
[Clap clap clap clap]
[Clap clap]
[She did well!]
[Kyah]
[Piarro! Piarro! Piarro!]
[Didn’t see that coming;;]
[In the end, it’s a race thing]
[I want some progenitor blood too]
[So jealous]
Boom, splashy splash!!
Magical fireworks soared into the sky and exploded as Piarro stepped onto the designated podium for the awards ceremony, bowing her head.
Her mind was perfectly intact, but she had an extremely embarrassed expression, as if she might remember everything that happened.
Piarro was undeniably first place, and although it was thanks to snagging Lasty’s decryption book, luck is also a part of skill.
Being able to seize an opportunity without hesitation when it arises means she had the requisite skill after all.
In that regard, there was no reason to revoke or dodge Piarro’s first place win, so she was selected as number one.
As I hung the necklace of space adorned with amethyst jewels around my neck, the first festival of the academy came to a close.
Although the event had ended, the academy still hadn’t closed its doors.
Before the day was entirely over, everyone could enjoy delicious food here or explore the facilities they hadn’t been able to appreciate before.
Private rooms were even prepared, so those who had personal connections or wanted to build new friendships would naturally engage in conversation.
The reason it was originally named a ‘social gathering’ was precisely for this purpose.
After concluding the broadcast, I called over the still-embarrassed Piarro.
She approached me, flabbergasted yet willing to follow.
“…!!”
“Hello.”
Of course, Lasty was there with us too.
“Ah, ah, hello…”
“We have things to discuss, right?”
“Um… that’s true?”
“Where is it?”
Where is the original of the ‘Book of Revelation’ that Piarro took?
Piarro gulped and trembled.
Speaking in front of the progenitor while being a bloodsucker was a daunting task, but in the end, she was a user.
No matter how much she was bound by blood limitations, the system’s ‘protection’ took precedence.
Lasty understood this too, so she didn’t press Piarro hard, patiently waiting for an answer.
“…If I tell the truth, will you let it go?”
“We’ll see how it went.”
“I—I wasn’t in my right mind; doesn’t that count as a mitigating factor—”
“Do you want to stop being a bloodsucker?”
What currently resided in Piarro’s body wasn’t just simple blood; it was the ‘True Blood’ of progenitor Lasty.
Even in a minimal quantity, it carried the same level of blood as the highest-level vampire once known as the Elder.
Just having it allowed a lower angel in a state of infancy to match some demon race, making it the absolute best power from a user’s standpoint.
Piarro shook her head vigorously.
“Th-then! I gave it to my master! I greedily swapped the blood…”
He, so! I gave it to the Master! Out of greed, I… drank that blood…”
“Master? Who?”
“Oh, it’s someone named Ardor, an Elder…”
Gasp!
Piarro shut her mouth.
A subordinate vampire cannot carelessly disclose information about superiors.
Of course, it’s possible indirectly, but specific names or identifiable terms cannot be revealed.
She feared tremendous “punishment” would fall upon her, yet after waiting for a while, there was no punishment, not even a breeze.
“…?”
Lasty continued to gaze at her with cold eyes.
“Why is nothing happening…”
“In front of the Progenitor, the restrictions of all vampires are nullified.”
“…Is that even possible?”
“Of course.”
The Progenitor is the beginning of all vampires.
No one dares to impose the standards of restriction in front of her.
Lasty nodded and propped her chin with one hand.
“Explain in detail.”
“Ah, yes.”
Piarro continued her explanation.
In the Land of Vampires, there are vampires and the Seven Elders who rule them, with the Throne of Blood occupied by ‘Blodia.’
He suppressed all the Elders and claimed the position of King, during which he took the name ‘Erbenus’…
“Erbenus. I’ve never given that name.”
“Elders and Erbenus. It seems you’ve been influenced by Lasty.”
“But I really haven’t given that name. All the Elders should be dead by now.”
“What if it’s about the bloodsuckers who survived after the previously mentioned ‘harvest’?”
Lasty collected the lives of all vampires after their defeat, and the Elders did so themselves.
Once the support was cut off, the subordinate vampires lost their vitality and naturally returned to the earth after three days.
Thus, no vampire influenced by Lasty remained, but if they moved the ‘dimension’ itself to avoid the repercussions, the story changes.
“…Even so, that’s unauthorized information. My name cannot be known outside of Elders.”
…As expected.
“I’ll have to meet him directly.”
What on earth is going on?
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