“I knew you hated me. But if the Sahelrn Duchy falls, this place is next.”
Perhaps it was because Jeil Helraig, who stubbornly refused to communicate, finally opened his mouth, but even knowing this conversation was merely part of his time-wasting tactic, Aria spoke.
The tension in her voice suggested a hint of force and subtle threats mixed in her persuasion, but Jeil scoffed and mocked her.
“That’s true. But does that give you a reason to help you?”
“Well, seeing as you care for your subordinates, I’d say it might be a good enough reason.”
With a spark igniting silently at the crossroads of their gazes, heavy breathing had long since ceased. The situation was ripe for battle to resume. Breaking the silence that felt like walking on thin ice, it was Aria who spoke again.
“Just help me this once. I won’t ask for you to do it for free. You can ask for anything I can pay.”
Were her words a soft carrot rather than a whip? Unlike her prior vague threats, her tone was now gentle, almost soothing as if scolding a child.
Jeil flinched inwardly. To lower his pride, even for show, was an act unworthy of the Progenitor.
“Ha. You want me to help after you’ve destroyed half my castle? If your intention was to anger me, you’ve done a commendable job.”
“…I think you share some of the blame for that. I wanted to solve this through conversation, but you were the one who came at me first.”
As the flow of conversation hinted they might discuss liability for damages, Aria cut the thought short. Sneaking a glance away, though not completely avoiding blame, she refused to admit responsibility for the castle’s destruction. Having spent twenty years in a country where saying ‘sorry’ first makes you a scapegoat demonstrated her keen sense of self-preservation.
“A price, huh? Would you be willing to give your life then?”
“No, you jerk. Don’t get ahead of yourself. I said ‘a price I can pay’.”
Aria’s expression turned serious again at Jeil’s taunt.
The tension felt so thick one could cut it with a knife. It wasn’t merely her strength that made this moment charged; it was Jeil forgetting for a moment they were in the middle of battle, the absurdity lightening the mood.
“That woman’s insane.”
Even if she pretended to bow down, wanting to assert she was above him despite her poker face was truly not ordinary.
“But.”
She was certainly different from the Progenitor Jeil remembered, who was an unwavering presence.
Common sense and logic didn’t apply. The world revolved around her, and her emotions took precedence over everything.
In terms of being arbitrary, the fourth Progenitor wasn’t much different. With just four of them, they had launched a full-scale assault that demolished part of the Grand Duke’s Castle without a second thought.
But the Progenitor Jeil knew would never lower their head to others, even if it was for show.
To go this far, wanting reinforcements not just to satisfy personal desires but to support the Sahelrn Duchy, showed a value for life not typical of the Progenitor Jeil knew.
“But in any case, I’m the one who will be king.”
He knew better than anyone that he was not suited for the throne. After two thousand years, he understood his limits.
However, someone had to bear the weight of the crown. If the foolish Martini Sahelrn didn’t have the will, then he was the best alternative.
Even with the second and third Progenitors having lived short lives, with the emergence of the fourth Progenitor, the need to act hadn’t changed. No, it was precisely because the Progenitor had appeared that Jeil had to become king.
“Right, whatever it takes.”
He could not allow someone to reign simply because they were born with True Blood.
One failure was enough. A ruler who is excessively sentimental cannot be a good monarch, but a whimsical one who prioritizes their emotions over the safety of their people and subordinates is nothing less than a seed of destruction.
“While it’s infuriating to blatantly let it slide…”
To win, he’d have to endure that as well.
If he hadn’t been careless from the start and had kept his guard up, and if he hadn’t spent most of his strength recovering from the collapse that had destroyed part of the Grand Duke’s Castle, perhaps he would have had a chance in direct confrontation.
“Well, that’s enough.”
At this point, it was a meaningless assumption.
Excuses were unnecessary in a life-or-death struggle. The only undeniable fact was that Jeil couldn’t win against Aria in a direct confrontation.
Use whatever he could.
Whether by capitalizing on her moment of distraction or orchestrating a cunning deception, as long as it could provoke her to lower her guard and secure an advantage, any method would do.
He would utilize every means at his disposal to fight to the end.
And he would find a way to subdue the fourth Progenitor, seize that power, overcome the sun, and once again herald an era for vampires.
This trial was also a gateway that needed to be crossed to become a king.
“What I’m aiming for is just before dawn.”
Under the hated sun, vampires would lose their strength. Jeil, one of the strongest descendants to carry the blood of the Progenitor, was no exception.
Once the sun rose, he wouldn’t be able to endure even the level of intermittent skirmishes currently ongoing. The moment dawn broke, Jeil’s defeat would be sealed.
“The Progenitor surely understands that.”
So it had to be just before dawn. In that moment when she would begin to relax, if he could gather what little power he had left and strike with a final blow, what would happen?
She would instinctively question, “Wait, if I let this hit me, won’t I die?” She would certainly recognize the opening since she had deliberately avoided lethal force to leave room for negotiation.
Cowardly and despicable, Jeil deemed this his only chance of victory.
If he fully recovered his body and confronted her in peak condition, perhaps another means might reveal itself, but he wasn’t optimistic enough to think the opponent would sit idle until nightfall.
“Everyone, retreat.”
For now, he would withdraw his subordinates and actively show he had no intention of fighting any further.
Aside from the lower part of the spire where the throne room was located, the Grand Duke’s Castle was relatively intact. From the Progenitor’s perspective, it would seem plausible to withdraw before dawn and prepare a defense inside or underground.
Of course, Jeil had considered actually doing that.
Even during the day, he could use vampire powers, including dark magic, in areas away from the sun, be they indoors or underground. However, considering he was facing an enemy that had already partially destroyed his castle out of spite, he decided against that.
“You’re not stopping me.”
“Do you really want to torment the pawns when you’re in a situation where you can’t lose?”
That was a pompous yet meaningful remark. After all, it was the Helraig Duchy that had tried to silence the Progenitor’s group through sheer force instead of engaging in dialogue.
Jeil turned his back without offering excuses.
Showing his back to the enemy was akin to a death sentence, but he understood Aria had no intention to kill him.
Sure enough, there was a hint of hesitation behind him.
Would she strike while he was vulnerable, or would she ride the softened atmosphere to continue a peaceful negotiation?
And she chose the latter, just as Jeil expected.
Regardless, after dawn, pressing him into submission wouldn’t be difficult. There was no need to hasten what could wait. That was the decision she likely made based on her assessment.
He felt a creeping discomfort on his skin.
The instincts of a vampire screamed at him. The detestable sun would soon rise, warning him to flee into the darkness at once.
Jeil feigned vulnerability and waited for the optimal moment.
And when the dawn began to paint the sky red over the horizon, Jeil gathered his last remaining strength and twisted his body.
Boom!!!
With a thunderous sound that pierced the ears, sand flew, and the ground shattered.
Jeil launched himself forward with explosive force, successfully burying himself right next to Aria in less time than it takes to blink.
It was perfect.
Even though his body was in tatters, he devoted everything to a strike with no regard for his back, threatening enough to rip space itself, and with a perfectly timed motion, there was not a moment wasted.
Just before Jeil’s right hand pierced Aria’s heart, locking eyes with her, a chilling sensation ran through his body.
“This woman, from the very beginning—!!”
White, slender fingers wrapped around Jeil’s wrist.
Her movements were light yet dignified, reminiscent of a lady picking up a teacup. But in the next moment, Jeil’s body spun through the air.
Thud, he landed on the ground, a hollow smile escaping him. The rising morning sun seemed to mock him, casting shadows that danced away from his face.
“…You were reading me from the very start.”
“Did you think I consider you a fool? A Grand Duke shows his back to the enemy? The more you seemed willing to converse, the more cautious I’d be about letting you inside. Am I wrong?”
It was an undeniable and perfect counterargument.
“No, it’s true that I am a fool, but that—well, was a figurative expression…” but Jeil couldn’t hear the rest.
When Jeil suddenly attacked Aria, her face showed no sign of surprise, merely calmness in her gaze as she followed his movements.
Every one of her actions was void of hesitation, and yet she adjusted her force with precision to ensure he would land harmlessly on the ground.
Thus, she had known from the very beginning. She had seen through him perfectly, anticipating he wouldn’t give up resisting until the last moment.
“…This is ridiculous.”
The difference in experience, stemming from pure strength and a unique way of thinking, was another matter entirely.
Even after promising himself he wouldn’t underestimate a Progenitor with unusual strength at such a young age, he couldn’t deny that the lack of wisdom in his mere physical strength was a flaw far too glaring.
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