“Progenitor…? You?”
“Oh, look at you getting all serious now?”
Merton Gloton murmured in disbelief, and Aria tilted her head slightly in response.
Thud! It felt like someone was squeezing his heart.
In an instant, as if the blood flowing through his veins had completely stopped, the Grand Duke Gloton fell to his knees, unable to resist even slightly in front of his many subordinates and the citizens of the duchy.
The feeling of weakness came and went as quickly as it appeared.
It was barely a second long.
Yet, once he barely regained his composure, he felt his blood run cold again at the approaching presence.
“Strange. I heard the vampires have been hunting for me before I was even born. Can’t recognize my face even when it’s right in front of you?”
Aria tilted her head again with a confused look.
At first glance, her movements seemed innocent and childlike, but the unsettling contrast between the unfathomable power she just displayed and her lighthearted demeanor bred a fear that was hard to comprehend.
“My apologies! I pay my respects to you, Progenitor!!!”
Despite being completely liberated from the unknown pressure gripping his body, Gloton kneeled without hesitation and bowed his head at Aria’s feet.
A few breathless seconds passed.
As if satisfied with the impeccably formal greeting, Aria finally nodded.
“Hmm, well, it’s possible not to recognize a face.”
Grateful for the years spent serving Helraig’s Grand Duke, Gloton exhaled a sigh of relief internally.
Of course, he had no way of knowing that this whole situation stemmed from fear of the unknown and an imbalance of information.
Aria had merely used Blood Magic to manipulate the blood within his body to bring the vampires to their knees, and in fact, this method could only cause meaningful damage to those beneath a certain level of strength.
If she had to go to such lengths, it would have been more effective to just walk up and give a solid smack. But the vampires of Helraig Duchy, who had never experienced Blood Magic, had no way of knowing it was merely a display of bravado.
It was the same with the fact that Aria had no intention of fighting here.
‘…Is she really the Progenitor?’
Gloton desperately wracked his brain with his head bowed.
Since the opponent was an unknown strong one, he bent the knee. However, just because someone was a strong vampire doesn’t automatically lead to the conclusion that they are the Progenitor.
In fact, feeling that this opponent was strong made him even more inclined to rule out the possibility of her being the Progenitor.
Even disregarding the fact that the existence of the fourth Progenitor was unclear until recently, according to the information, there was no way the Progenitor could be this strong at this point in time.
“Look up.”
At the clear voice coming from above, Gloton found himself lifting his head as if pulled.
He too had the information concerning the appearance of the Progenitor. Just three years prior, when the news of the Progenitor’s death was announced, Jeil Helraig, his lord, had been frantically searching for her.
He quickly and cautiously moved his eyes, worried about being criticized for staring rudely.
A woman with a relatively tall stature, flowing white hair, and ruby-like eyes.
Her features were like that of a sculpture, with smooth, flawless skin that looked soft at a glance. And even beneath a thick overcoat, she showcased a feminine figure and long legs that couldn’t be hidden.
Upon closer inspection, her physical traits matched nearly perfectly with what he’d heard about the Progenitor’s appearance.
The speculation was based solely on the information that spread after the Progenitor’s escape from the Luminous Kingdom, so it was not perfect, but now that it was right before his eyes, it felt as if there could be no one else like her.
‘Even though rumors had circulated that the Progenitor hadn’t died recently.’
Rumors are just that—rumors. He hadn’t yet reached the level of directly confirming any solid clues.
But even if the rumor of the Progenitor’s survival was true, and even if her appearance matched what he had heard, this level of strength was still unexplained.
‘At least several decades.’
According to what he had heard from the Grand Duke, the only one who had actually seen and experienced the existence of the Progenitor, it was said that to reach a level where a vampire could be called a strong one—not an invulnerable domain—would require at least that much time.
But the fourth Progenitor had yet to even reach four years since birth.
It was nearly impossible to gain this level of strength in such a short period. That was why he had naturally ruled out the option of her being the Progenitor until now.
‘That’s impossible.’
Honestly, Gloton still thought it was unlikely for her to be the Progenitor.
Realistically speaking, it seemed far more plausible that the Duke of Sahelrn, who was disguised in appearance, was pretending to be the Progenitor.
Gloton was troubled. His plans would change dramatically depending on whether she was the Progenitor or not.
If she was truly the Progenitor that the Grand Duke was searching for, then no matter what, he had an obligation to present himself before her.
But if she was a vampire of the Sahelrn Duchy pretending to be the Progenitor, it would be wiser to request reinforcements and ensure her removal as soon as she carelessly stepped into Helraig Duchy’s territory with only a few people—
“Can you hear me thinking over there?”
At the sound of a chuckle like marbles rolling, Gloton’s heart sank.
He looked up at Aria with an expression full of pure confusion, not at all understanding what she meant, but then felt a chill down his spine as he sensed three pairs of impassive gazes standing behind him—the Progenitor’s inscrutable smile and the intimidatingly emotionless expressions.
“No need to ponder. Just look.”
Aria lifted her cloak and raised her right arm.
Whoosh!
From beneath the fluttering fabric emerged her pale, thin wrist, which was suddenly wrapped by a thin red line that pierced through and quickly circled around her wrist in a 360-degree motion.
Thud! The wrist fell to the ground, severed cleanly at the bone.
Before he could even manage his expression at the unexpected act of self-harm, Gloton’s mouth hung open in shock.
However, the severed wrist of Aria did not roll on the floor.
The wrist, dropping as if trailing a thread of blood, seemed to lose volume and liquidize right before hitting the ground, leaving a crimson trail behind.
“Blood, magic…”
Gloton murmured in a daze.
His gaze fell upon the swirling blood that had escaped from what was a part of Aria just moments before, gathering in the air.
Aria, clearly showing off, raised her index finger while bringing her thumb and middle finger together.
Only then did Gloton realize that Aria’s wrist, which had just been severed, had perfectly regenerated to the point where not a single trace of blood had dripped.
“Bang.”
With a playful sound effect, when Aria snapped her finger, the blood that had gathered in a sphere exploded outwards with a loud splat.
Gloton trembled as he stared at the ground around him, which had become riddled with holes and was now emitting smoke, swallowing hard.
There was no longer any room for doubt.
She was the Progenitor. The woman before him was undoubtedly the Progenitor.
“Now do you understand? Lead the way.”
Did she know?
That he was still doubting whether she was really the Progenitor after hearing her self-introduction? That he was contemplating how to respond accordingly?
‘Your Highness, is this correct?’
Gloton couldn’t hide his agitation as he looked at his subordinates, who surrounded the area, unable to hide their restlessness. He lamented toward the Grand Duke who was back at the Grand Duke’s Castle.
This was entirely different from what he had heard.
Not only did the Progenitor, less than four years old, possess this level of strength, but she also seemed clever enough to read other people’s thoughts.
He’d been told that she’d be no different from a beast who knows nothing but blood.
But now, he couldn’t be certain whether he could continue to trust the existing information and plans.
“I, Merton Gloton, shall guide the Progenitor to the Grand Duke’s Castle.”
In the end, all Gloton could do was lead the Progenitor’s party to the Grand Duke’s Castle.
He wanted to ask why there were Elves and Dragonkin in her entourage and what their purpose was, but in the current situation, it was not possible.
Ultimately, the Grand Duke’s orders were to “capture the Progenitor alive and present her to him if found,” so for now, this was the best course of action.
At this moment, the most dangerous thing was to go against the Progenitor’s mood.
It would be far more prudent to guide her to the Grand Duke’s Castle as she walked willingly than to try to forcibly capture her with a battle that might not even guarantee victory considering their current forces.
Whether she knew what he was thinking or not, Aria nodded confidently.
She seemed to be saying, “Finally, we’re communicating.” Still, Gloton decided not to gauge whether her emotions were genuine or acted.
“Clear the way. We are headed to where His Highness is.”
At Gloton’s command, the horde of vampires parted with seamless precision, creating a path.
Although there were a few vampires with anxious expressions, as this was the decision of the strongest and highest-ranking noble here, and considering what they had just witnessed, nobody dared voice discontent.
Gloton cautiously moved ahead, and Aria exchanged a brief glance with her three companions.
Silently nodding to each other, they soon followed behind the Grand Duke’s subjugate with confident steps as if nothing had happened.
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