Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 375: I Need To Taste His Blood

Memories of the battle that broke out between Uncle Luthor and her father, who didn’t treat her as a daughter, were still clear in her mind.

”It’s time for her to go back, Luthor.” The handsome man with blonde hair and red eyes spoke firmly.

”Says who?” Luthor sneered. ”You?”

”We’ve talked about this many times already, and each time, I allowed you to keep her out of respect to our relationship,” Evangeline’s father replied calmly. ”But two years is long enough. She needs to go back and inherit her legacy. The more you try to stop it, the more she’ll suffer in the future. Is that what you really want?”

At that time, Evangeilne had hidden behind Alex, her frail body shaking out of fear and anxiousness.

She feared her father, but she feared leaving her first and only friend, who had been with her through those two years of her life.

”You’re not taking her,” Aetherius declared. ”If you do, I’ll wage war upon you! Also, she drank my blood. She can’t leave until she pays it all back!”

”Oh?” Evangeline’s father arched an eyebrow. ”You’ll wage war upon me? With what army? You’re just a brat forced to go into hiding because your family wants nothing more than to kill you.

”If it weren’t for the slight connection between your Uncle and me, do you think I’d accept his plea to seek asylum in my territory? Also, you say my daughter owes you money? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in over a century, boy.”

Evangeline’s father moved closer and towered over Alex, looking down at him as if he were a bug he could easily crush at any given time.

”This mansion belongs to me,” Evangeline’s father stated. ”I provided you with food and lodging. The teachers who taught you everything you know are all my subordinates. All the luxuries you enjoyed since you and your Uncle escaped the Empire are all provided by me.

”Last but not least, I’m the only reason why you’re still alive, you brat. The one who needs to pay is not my daughter, but you. However, I am not a petty person. I will consider the blood she had drunk from you as payment for your rent.

”Do not worry. You can stay here for as long as you want. However, it’s time for me to take my daughter back.”

The twelve-year-old boy with short black hair and blue eyes didn’t budge a single bit, even glaring at the imposing man in front of him.

”I will not let you take Eva,” Aetherius said firmly. ”You have to go over my dead body first!”

”No, Aetherius!” Evangeline pulled him back. ”You can’t fight him. He will kill you!”

”No, I won’t,” Evangeline’s father replied. ”I will not kill him. I will ’half’ kill him.”

”Enough!” Luthor stood between Evangeline’s father and the children. ”One more month. Let them stay together for one more month, then you can take Evangeline with you.”

”And why should I agree to this nonsense?”

”Because we’ll also leave this place after a month. They might never see each other again, so let them have one more month to say their farewells.”

”... Luthor, don’t tell me.” Evangeline’s father narrowed his eyes.

”The Inquisitors have grown suspicious,” Luthor said calmly. ”This place is no longer safe. It’s time for me and Aetherius to head south.”

Evangeline’s father frowned. The two adults held each other’s gaze for nearly a minute before a sigh escaped Luthor’s lips.

”This is the last favor I will ask of you, Nero.” Luthor sighed. ”After this, you will no longer need to worry about us.”

Evangeline’s father stared at the Prince’s Guardian, whom he had known for a very long time.

”You said that you’re going south,” Nero said after a minute of silence. ”But you can’t keep on running forever, Luthor. Sooner or later, they will catch him.”

”They won’t.” Luthor shook his head. ”I won’t let them.”

”Hah... you’re still as arrogant as ever.” Nero sneered. ”Fine, a month then. Nothing more, nothing less.”

”Good.”

Nero then shifted his gaze to his trembling daughter, who was hiding behind the prince’s back.

”Foolish child.” Nero sighed before looking at the Prince, who was glaring at him.

The handsome man couldn’t help but appreciate the boy’s strong gaze, which reminded him of the boy’s father.

”A month from now, you will leave this place,” Nero said as he walked toward the door. ”However, since I can’t let any information about me spread to the inquisitors, I will put a seal on his memories, Luthor. You won’t oppose this, right?”

”No,” Luthor replied. ”I know we owe you that much.”

”At least you still have a conscience.” Nero scoffed before leaving.

And just as he promised, Nero returned after a month and took Evangeline back with him.

—---

That was also the last time she had seen Aetherius, and she’d been looking for him ever since she had mastered the Ancient Blood Arts of their family.

She headed south and enrolled at Frieden Academy, believing she would most likely find Aetherius in the academy, where the most talented young men and women go to study.

Five years had passed since Evangeline had last seen the Prince who saved her from that blizzard and fed her his blood, as well as made her a maid—though he only ever treated her as a close friend.

Given how different she now looked compared to her younger self, she believed Aetherius would be the same, bearing little resemblance to the face in her memories.

No matter his change, she had also thought his base features would remain the same.

But as far as features went, only Alex’s eye color matched the Prince she knew.

Blue eyes as clear as a cloudless sky.

Unfortunately, their list of similarities ended at that.

Alex’s character and attitude were not the same as the Prince in her memory.

Also, she could fondly remember that the color of his hair was black, not white.

But Alex simply felt familiar to her.

This was why she had asked him if he remembered saving a girl in the past.

Sadly, their talk ended when Alex collapsed during the party, depriving her of answers.

But it didn’t dishearten her. There was one sure-fire way for her to determine whether Alex was truly the person she was looking for.

”Blood,” Evangeline thought. ”I need to taste his blood.”

She’d never forget the taste of the blood she had first drunk after awakening her vampiric powers.

It was a foolproof method to find the Prince whom she’d longed to reunite with, even after years since their separation.

”I miss you, Aetherius,” Evangeline said softly. ”I want to see you soon.”

The young lady gazed at the garden and once again sought out the happy scenes in her memory.

Back when she was still truly happy as she spent day after day with the person who shone in her life like the sun.

He chased away the darkness that had tried to corrupt her innocent heart and replaced it with warmth and happiness.

And now, it was her turn to protect him from the Empire, still actively looking for his whereabouts.

’If Alex is really Aetherius, then...’ Evangeline clenched her fists tightly as she made up her mind on what she would do once she had confirmed that Alex was indeed the one she’d been looking for.

At that exact moment, a young man felt a chill run down his spine, pausing his trip to his dormitory. He just came from Frann’s farm, where he thanked the Beasts that had come to help Vaan and Nessia when they needed it the most.