"The Inquisition?" Lucien repeated aloud, with genuine surprise. 'The Inquisition? No way! The famous Spanish Inquisition? The one that burned people?'
The more he listened, the more his excitement grew. It was as if, instead of being in danger, he was watching the trailer for his favorite game.
"Oh..." Loic looked at him in surprise. "Don't you know anything about that? How long have you been a vampire? Wait, don't tell me you're..." He spoke in an amused tone, but couldn't finish his sentence when he met Selene's cold gaze.
Cough!
Loic pretended to cough and looked at Selene.
"Lady Selene, what you say is true," he leaned back on the sofa and said, "The Inquisition is persecuting me, and I need your permission to take refuge in your territory with my family."
"I refuse," Selene looked at him with a serious expression, her eyes glowing blood red. "Loic, this is my territory, and I don't allow foreign vampires unless you want to go to war against my family."
"No, I would never dare to do such a thing, Lady Selene." He bowed with a gentle smile. "I would not offend the great Kalt family. But... you know what those Inquisition fanatics are like. They're mad. And I, quite frankly, value my life very highly."
Lucien, unable to contain his curiosity, opened his mouth without thinking twice. "Selene, what exactly is the Inquisition?"
Loic's expression hardened, and slowly his eyes began to glow red with blood. He didn't like it at all that a newly born vampire slave was ignoring him like that. "Did you just ignore me? You, a newborn? Do you want to die?" he asked in an aggressive and furious tone.
Lucien raised an eyebrow. His smile stretched cheekily, like someone who sees a fight coming that he had been waiting for all night. His own eyes burned with a brighter red.
"Loic... Have you forgotten where you are?" Selene asked with a cold smile.
Immediately, dozens of red eyes lit up around them. The ceiling, the walls, even the darkness under the floor glowed. About twenty murderous presences emerged.
Loic, sensing all the murderous intentions, felt small beads of sweat appear all over his face. Realizing the stupidity of what he had done, his attitude underwent a complete 180-degree turn.
"I'm sorry, Lady Selene." He smiled 'softly'.
Selene ignored him as if he were air and turned her gaze back to Lucien, caressing his cheek as if nothing had happened.
"Darling, where were we? Ah, yes... the Inquisition."
Her tone changed, becoming almost amused.
"It's an organization created by the Catholic Church, dedicated to training humans to hunt vampires. It used to have other names: Iscariot, the Order of the Poor, even the Holy Cross. They have always existed, always with the same purpose... to destroy us. And the ones they love to hunt the most are newborns like you. Because they are the most troublesome."
"Oh, so they're vampire hunters." Lucien said casually, because there was no point in thinking about a distant problem, and added with amusement, "And don't you have a Father named Anderson who uses bayonets?"
He expected some laughter, even if it was just a grimace. But the silence he received was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Everyone looked at him with serious expressions, as if he had said the name of the devil himself.
"What's going on?" he asked, confused.
Selene narrowed her eyes, with a mixture of seriousness and an uncomfortable gleam. "Darling... how do you know about Anderson?"
"...Huh?" Lucien froze. His smile faded.
She wasn't joking. Nobody was.
Lucien felt his brain short-circuit. Images of a mad priest with a crucifix on his chest and two bayonets in his hands forming a cross flashed through his mind.
"Wait, wait, wait! Are you telling me that... IT'S REAL?!" His face went from amusement to terror in a second. "No, no, no, no... Turn me back into a human, I don't want to be a vampire anymore!"
The silence was broken. Selene couldn't hold back any longer.
"Pfff... HAHAHAHA~"
Her laughter filled the room. Lucien looked at her indignantly, realizing she was mocking him.
He had actually believed it existed; That guy was too OP! It was like playing as the character Omega Rugal or any of his versions.
"Really?! I actually believed you... But you're a very good actress, dear." He slumped down on the sofa, grumbling. Selene continued to laugh, caressing his cheek with teasing tenderness.
Meanwhile, Loic clenched his fists tightly in his pockets, his eyes shining with indignation and rage. He wanted to slaughter everyone, but he knew it would be stupid to do so. He could only swallow his anger, silently.
Lucien looks at him out of the corner of his eye, waiting for some kind of reaction, but he does nothing, and without realizing it, he feels a great disappointment that leaves him dismissive. Why did he expect anything from him? It's the first time he's seen him.
"Lady Selene, do you accept my request?" asked Loic.
Selene looks at Loic and replies, "No, I don't accept other vampires in my territory. Even if the Inquisition knocks on my door, my family and I can handle it. Besides, are you stupid? You have shit in your head instead of a brain."
Lucien opened his eyes in surprise. Is it okay to talk to a guest like that? But he didn't really care.
Selene's eyes flashed blood red. "First, you come to my territory, ask to stay here, but offer nothing in return. Do I look stupid to you? And on top of that, you'll bring your family with you, and it won't be just one or two people."
Several veins stood out on Loic's forehead, but he swallowed his pride, bowed his head, and smiled with that false courtesy that already reeked of venom.
Lucien watched him out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know why, but something about that smile made him feel that he had just signed himself up for trouble in the future.
"Honey, why don't you let him into your territory?"
"Lucien?" Selene looked at him with questioning eyes.
He was simply applying the famous saying: Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.
In addition, they would also be perfect for being cannon fodder, to see the power of the Inquisition, without lifting a finger.
That would be killing three birds with one stone, although that wasn't how the saying went, but it didn't matter.
"Link, Loi, Loic, whatever your name is, how many vampires will you bring with you to my wife's territory?" Lucien looks at Loic.
"My name is Loic, and show some respect, I am a senior vampire." He growls. "And there are twenty-five vampires."
"Oh, quite a large number," Lucien whistled indifferently, but his eyes sparkled mischievously. "Are they your family?"
"No, they are my slaves."
"Well, since you want to protect yourself from the Inquisition, we accept your request," he applauded with a big smile, crossed his legs, and added, "But... my dear friend Loic, what do you have to offer us? As you know, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
Silence fell again in the room as they waited for Loic's decision. Lucien simply crossed his arms with a calm expression.
He was simply applying the knowledge he had acquired at the company where he earned a miserable $500 for twelve hours of work.
'And to think that crappy job would help me now.' He laughed to himself, amused.
"I have a human virgin with RH-negative blood type. I can give that as payment," said Loic. After thinking about it, he was reluctant to give it up, but his life was more important.
"Then, it's a deal." Lucien felt that this human was important. He looked at the maid, Mayla. He gestured for her to bring a map.
She disappeared and reappeared with a large map of the area that was Selene's territory.
He drew two large circles on the map with the red pencil.
"Stay away from these two areas," he said, pointing to the two circles on the map, which were the regions where they were currently located and their small apartment.
Loic looked at the two marks and nodded, then looked at Selene for a few seconds, waiting for her approval. Selene nodded her head in agreement.
After a short while, he got up from the sofa and extended his hand: "Thank you very much, Mr. Lucien. I'll send the human to you in an hour."
"Don't worry about it, that's what friends are for, right?" Lucien also extended his hand, giving him a simple handshake.
Suddenly, he feels Loic begin to squeeze his hand harder, as if trying to impose his dominance over him. Lucien smiled, gradually adding more force until...
Crack!
Loic's hand was destroyed, his face was full of surprise, but when he sensed Selene's murderous intent, he forced a smile.
"Until another day, Lord Lucien and Lady Selene, I will send one of my relatives with the human." He bowed and left, accompanied by Mayla.
Lucien sat back down on the sofa, smiling, and Selene sat on his lap, looking into his eyes, which had returned to normal.
"Why did you let him into my territory?" she asked, smiling flirtatiously.
"Why does Loic reek of trouble? Why is an older vampire like him being hunted by the Inquisition? He must have stolen something important," Lucien said casually, observing Selene's luscious lips. "Besides, you can keep an eye on him. That way, you'll kill two birds with one stone."
Of course, the real reason was different: he wanted to see the power of the Inquisition firsthand. But he wouldn't say that out loud.
"Hey, aren't you getting used to this too quickly?" Selene whispered before capturing his lips in a soft, lingering kiss.
When they separated, a thread of saliva remained trembling between them.
Lucien looked at her with a playful gleam, devouring her perfect face with his eyes. "Humans are adaptable beings... well, I'm not human anymore," he said, amused.
"Of course not..." Selene murmured, caressing his cheek gently. Her lips curved into a dangerous smile, and her eyes lost all life, becoming like two black holes. "You're no longer human... now you're mine. Only mine. Darling~"
Lucien shuddered at the sight of that lifeless smile and gaze; his lips curled.
"Of course, I'm yours~"