"Chelsea, are you feeling unwell?"
Haruki asked with concern.
He had noticed that Chelsea's eyes were glowing a vivid crimson, a glow that stood out starkly in the darkness.
Every girl who became one of Haruki's bloodkin shared a common trait—crimson pupils. Chelsea was no exception. From the moment she became Haruki's bloodkin, her once-orange eyes had turned deep red. But until now, they had never actually emitted a red glow.
Chelsea didn't respond. Her eyes were locked onto the corpses in front of the warehouse entrance—the ones Night Raid had just slain. Blood was still steadily seeping from their wounds.
At the same time, Chelsea was quietly muttering to herself.
"Blood… blood…"
Her voice was soft, but no one present was an ordinary person—everyone clearly heard what she said.
"Brother, I think Chelsea wants to drink blood."
Kurome spoke up. Though she hadn't yet become a member of the Vampire Clan, she had lived with Tsukushi and Pony long enough to understand their habits.
Whenever Tsukushi and Pony fed on the Meiki and Meina sisters, their eyes would faintly glow red—though never as intensely as Chelsea's right now.
"I see. That makes sense."
Haruki replied.
Though he was a True Ancestor Vampire, Haruki had never needed to drink blood himself, so he knew very little about the feeding instincts of vampires. Thanks to Kurome's reminder, the pieces finally clicked.
Chelsea had only recently become a vampire—less than a month ago. As Haruki's direct blood relative and a noble Progenitor Vampire, she naturally possessed strong resistance to bloodlust. That was why she hadn't shown any particular craving until now, and Haruki hadn't thought much of it.
However, even the most resistant vampires couldn't suppress their instincts forever. The longer it went on, the stronger her craving would become. Tsukushi and Pony, also Progenitor Vampires, needed to feed on Meiki and Meina's blood every month.
Though Chelsea had been a vampire for less than a month, the time was nearly up. And more importantly, the place where they stood was surrounded by corpses. The air was thick with the scent of blood, and rivers of it were still flowing across the floor. The combined assault on her senses—both visual and olfactory—had completely triggered Chelsea's feeding instincts.
Realizing this, Haruki grew even more anxious.
There wasn't anyone suitable nearby for Chelsea to feed on.
As for asking her to endure it—Haruki had never even considered that. Resisting one's instincts was agonizing. And for most vampires, blood was the very essence of life. Suppressing the urge would only do harm.
"Brother, why don't you let Chelsea drink my blood?"
Seeing the worry on Haruki's face, Gin spoke up.
She had come from the same kind of hardship as Chelsea, and they had always gotten along. More than anything, she didn't want Haruki to feel conflicted.
"No way!"
Haruki refused without a moment's hesitation.
He had already made up his mind—once everything in this world came to an end, he would share his blood with the girls closest to him. While becoming a second-generation Bloodkin like Chelsea could grant immortality, it would severely limit their future potential.
Gin was one of his women, and one of the earliest girls to stay by his side. Haruki would never allow her to sacrifice her growth for this.
As anxiety started to set in among the group, Haruki's gaze suddenly shifted to the corpses near the warehouse entrance. More specifically, to the only female body among them—Aria.
"I've got it."
He spoke up, then, under everyone's confused stares, strode purposefully toward Aria's body.
Haruki certainly didn't intend for Chelsea to drink the blood of a corpse. But they shouldn't forget—he wielded Tenseiga. And Aria had only just recently died, making her a perfect candidate for resurrection.
A golden vortex appeared as Haruki drew Tenseiga. Since this wasn't his first time using it, he moved swiftly.
With one clean strike, he cut down the underworld messenger clinging invisibly to Aria—unseen by anyone else. Just like with Cornelia, the fatal wound inflicted by Tatsumi healed in an instant. Moments later, Aria slowly opened her eyes.
"Huh? Didn't I... die...?"
She looked at Haruki, just about to ask the question—when a black shadow suddenly flashed into view, right before her eyes.
Before she could say anything else, the shadow lifted her clean off the ground. What she saw next was a beautiful face... and a pair of glowing red eyes.
It was Chelsea.
She had been desperately trying to suppress her growing thirst. But the moment she sensed a living presence among what should have been only corpses, her instinct took over. Overwhelmed by hunger and drawn to the scent of blood, she had raced to Aria's side.
Four sharp fangs pierced Aria's neck without hesitation.
"Aah—it hurts... mmm, but it feels so good..."
Aria had screamed in pain at first, but soon a wave of tingling warmth spread through her, and her expression shifted into bliss.
The scene now was surreal.
A tall girl held a smaller girl off the ground, biting into her neck and drinking deeply. The smaller girl's face bore a look of sheer pleasure.
As Chelsea fed, her awareness slowly returned. But even once she realized what was happening, she didn't stop. The sensation—feeding freely after starving for so long—was simply too satisfying to resist.
Only after a while did Chelsea finally release Aria.
Thud...
Aria collapsed to the ground. Her complexion was deathly pale, yet her face still wore that dazed, satisfied smile.
"Brother, um... what should I do now?"
Chelsea asked with a hint of embarrassment, licking her lips as she pointed to Aria.
The moment she regained clarity, she'd known exactly what had happened. Haruki had thoroughly explained the nature of vampires to her after she turned, so she understood all too well. But the sheer pleasure of feeding had made her lose control.
"Give her a little of your blood. From now on, she'll be your servant. That way, something like this won't happen again."
Haruki said calmly.
Unlike Meiki, Miyuki, or Taeko—whose blood had been treated by Haruki to retain a degree of autonomy—Aria, who had directly consumed a Progenitor's blood, would be bound in a different way.
She would become a blood slave.
That meant not only providing her master with blood regularly, but also absolute obedience. She would no longer have the freedom to defy Chelsea, who now held full control over her life and death.
But honestly, for Aria, this was the best outcome possible. Haruki hadn't even intended to save her at first.
Still—better to live than die. And besides, aside from her obedience to Chelsea, Aria had now gained eternal life. How many people could only dream of such a fate?
Hearing Haruki's instructions, Chelsea didn't hesitate. She casually bit her finger and let a few drops of her blood fall into Aria's mouth.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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