Blood Awakening: The Strongest Hybrid and His Vampire Bride

Chapter 777: The Demon Queen’s Promise

The Demon Queen from Neo Tokyo had landed in S-Kingdom.

Nikolai remained beside the vehicle for a few moments, quietly observing the woman. It wasn’t really because she was beautiful, although he’d be lying if he said those huge breasts, long legs and mature face weren’t something that caught his attention.

‘She’s stronger than I expected…’

There wasn’t any obvious aura pouring from her body, no killing intent or oppressive mana trying to crush him. Instead, it was the opposite. She stood there completely relaxed, grinning like some troublesome aunt that had come to visit after several years abroad.

Yet his instincts wouldn’t stop reacting.

The blood inside his veins seemed to pulse faster whenever their eyes met, while the darkness hidden inside her body felt so dense that Nikolai couldn’t properly measure its depth.

‘Mother wasn’t exaggerating at all.’

“Oi~ stop staring at me so seriously.” The woman tilted her head before suddenly leaning forward with both hands on her hips. “I know I’m a beauty, but you’ll make your fierce little pregnant wife misunderstand, you know?”

“Huh?”

Nikolai glanced behind him to find Madoka’s hair and tail puffed up twice their normal size like an angry cat as she glared at the woman with eyes narrowed into golden slits.

‘Ah.’

He wanted to comment on how cute it looked.

But he could feel the subtle quiver of her hands clinging to his back.

“Madoka, it’s alright…”

“Haa… haa…” Despite his words, Madoka’s eyes remained locked on the woman, as if unable to look away from the dangerous predator that suddenly appeared. It wasn’t until Nikolai pinched her cheek that she managed to snap out of it. “Ah…?! That hurt!”

“Calm yourself. She isn’t an enemy…”

“W-What makes you think I thought she was?!”

“Look at your tail.”

“?!?!?”

Madoka immediately grabbed the fluffy appendage and dragged it around her waist as though hiding the evidence would somehow prove him wrong.

“Tsk!”

“Hahaha! She’s cute. I like this one.”

“Don’t tease her.” Elizabeth groaned before slapping the taller woman’s arm. “You came here because I asked you for help, not to harass my daughter-in-law.”

“Fine, fine.”

Nikolai’s eyebrows rose slightly at those words.

‘Daughter-in-law?’

His mother’s acceptance of a woman from the same generation as her was faster than expected. He expected her to be unable to accept Madoka due to their previous clashes and history.

Madoka seemed to notice the same thing because her entire posture changed. The nervous tension in her shoulders disappeared while her lips gradually curved upward. She tried hiding it, but the way her ears perked up was too obvious.

‘This woman is ridiculously easy to understand once you know where to look.’

Even though Madoka should’ve been a little ashamed to meet her future mother-in-law. Someone who was barely younger or older than her… Yet, the shameless tigress didn’t seem to care about that anymore.

“Nikolai.”

“Hm?”

His mother gestured towards the demoness.

“She came sooner than expected. I only contacted her yesterday, but apparently she was already preparing to visit this side of the continent.”

“That’s right.” The woman raised one hand, almost proudly. “My darling told me I should stop sitting around Neo Tokyo bothering him all day, so I thought taking a little trip with our son might be fun.”

“…You brought your baby?”

“Of course.”

Her expression changed immediately when mentioning him.

It wasn’t dramatic, but the confident Demon Queen suddenly looked softer.

“My Ryuji is still young. I’m not leaving him behind just because Elizabeth called asking for help.”

Nikolai nodded before Yumiko came to mind. “I think I have the perfect woman to help you take care of him, if you don’t mind?”

“Oh my~ really?”

The instant he offered, the woman’s atmosphere changed immediately. She no longer emitted the dense darkness, and everything vanished like a dream. Now he could only see a doting mother, holding her son with an affectionate smile.

She studied him properly.

Nikolai didn’t really understand why his answer surprised her. If anything, leaving a newborn child behind while travelling to another nation sounded insane. However, that thought also reminded him why his mother had called this woman in the first place.

‘We’ve done a bad thing…’

“Is the person one of your wives?”

Her lips curled as she stroked the blonde child’s hair.

“Yeah, she’s from the Kitsune tribe, but has helped raise the other children over the past few months, and just recently gave birth to our daughter.”

“Hmmmmm….”

The woman glanced at Elizabeth, who just nodded back.

“Ohhh~!”

The Demon Queen’s eyes visibly brightened.

For some strange reason, this terrifying woman who made even Madoka instinctively shrink back seemed more interested in talking about children than anything regarding the impending war.

“Then I definitely want to meet her! Ryuji hasn’t had many chances to play with children his age, especially outside Neo Tokyo.” She lowered her gaze to the small boy sleeping comfortably against her enormous chest, stroking his golden hair with the back of one finger. “My darling says I’m smothering him too much, but what am I supposed to do? Look at this little face!”

‘She’s completely hopeless.’

Though he chuckled, the child was quite cute, but Nikolai firmly believed his Leonid was superior in the looks department.

Somehow, seeing that expression made the pressure surrounding her much easier to endure. He understood now why his father described her in such a strange way. This woman could probably erase half the city if someone threatened her family, yet right now she looked no different from any other doting mother.

“Yumiko will probably love him too. Though…” Nikolai scratched his cheek as several images appeared in his mind. “You might have trouble getting him back.”

“Even better!”

“What?”

“Hahaha! Raising children is exhausting, young man. If your wife wants to steal him for a few hours, she can!”

Elizabeth covered her mouth, clearly trying not to laugh while Nikolai stared blankly at the strange woman.

‘Didn’t she just say she couldn’t leave him behind?’

Women were impossible to understand.

“Anyway.” His mother finally interrupted, tapping the Demon Queen’s arm before glancing towards Madoka. “Why don’t you take her inside first? Nikolai and I need to discuss why she came here in the first place.”

Madoka immediately frowned.

“What? Why can’t I listen?”

“Because you’re pregnant, just moved into this mansion and haven’t even met half the women living inside properly.” Elizabeth approached without hesitation and grabbed Madoka’s hand. “Come on. I’ll show you around before those idiots start fighting over rooms again.”

“H-Hey?!”

Nikolai expected resistance.

Instead, Madoka looked back at him almost helplessly while his mother practically dragged her towards the entrance.

Their eyes met.

‘Save me!’

At least, that was what he imagined her expression was screaming.

So he just waved at her with a smile.

“Forgive me, but even I cannot go against my mother…”

‘Good luck.’

“You bastard!”

Her voice echoed across the estate as the doors closed behind them.

Nikolai smiled for several seconds before the amusement slowly faded. His mother clearly understood what he wanted without needing him to explain. Madoka needed time to settle into the mansion without hiding behind him the entire day, especially if she was going to live alongside the others from now on.

More importantly, it left him alone with the woman his family had specifically contacted because they were worried about leaving S-Kingdom vulnerable.

“So…”

Nikolai turned around.

The Demon Queen was still rocking her son quietly in her arms, but the playful expression from moments earlier had vanished.

It was almost disturbing how quickly she changed.

“Mother explained everything?”

“Well, most of it… I could gather there was something wrong the moment this damn moon turned red and I almost made a second child, despite being so frail~ Fufufu.”

“And you still came?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Nikolai narrowed his eyes. “Because we’re basically asking you to protect another country’s capital while most of its strongest people disappear onto a floating island.”

“Heh.”

Her lips curled upward.

“Elizabeth really didn’t explain much about me or how we met, did she?”

“No.”

He shook his head, completely oblivious.

“Well, just know that the debt me, this little one and my darling owe her is bigger than anything else in the world… to be honest. When I heard she died, I almost destroyed the entire Nosferatu clan myself…”

The woman stepped closer, and for the first time Nikolai realised that she was indeed slightly taller than him. Yet despite her huge body and voluptuous figure, there wasn’t any heaviness to her movements. Each step seemed strangely light, almost like the darkness beneath her feet carried her forward.

“I didn’t come here because your family begged me, Nikolai.”

Her gaze drifted towards the distant skyline.

“I came because Elizabeth is my friend, no… it’s more that she is like my only existing family member in this shitty world. So don’t fret and have no fear. I promise, on my name, Lucianna Vincenzo, to protect this household with my full power.”

Her hand gently covered Ryuji’s head.

“Also… if what she told me about the Blood Moon is true, then allowing S-Kingdom to collapse would eventually threaten Neo Tokyo as well.”

‘She thinks the same as I do…’

Nikolai shoved both hands into his pockets before looking towards the mansion.

“In that case, I will not treat you as an outsider, but as family. Most of the strongest members of the family will leave this place with me… the only ones you’ll likely be able to count on are my wives who have given birth already.”

“Hahaha!”

She suddenly began laughing, which confused him.

“W-What?”

The next moment, she’d approached him before he even sensed it and placed her hand on his cheek, smiling down at him. “Well~ forgive me, for a moment you just reminded me of my darling, and it made me want to tease you.”

She then held out Ryuji to Nikolai’s chest.

“Ryuji, this is your big brother, Nikolai.”

“Ah!?”

Nikolai instinctively wrapped the small body in his large palms. Even though he was the son of this demon, he wasn’t any different from a human.

“Oh?”

It seemed the movement disturbed him as Ryuji’s little eyelids fluttered, opening slightly and staring up at Nikolai for a few seconds before he settled once again.

Lucianna watched Nikolai gently bouncing her son, her lips forming a faint smile as she slipped her hand to his shoulder. “Do not worry, I know what you are thinking. I have enough power to let you focus on the task at hand, right?”

Nikolai felt a heat spread through his chest and blood across his cheeks.

This woman was similar to his mother… able to read him like a book. Yet it wasn’t unpleasant. He wiped the faint little crust from the corner of Ryuji’s eyes and met her gaze with a fleeting smile. “I do, so please help us.”

“No problem, anything for family. Fufufu~ it seems Ryuji likes you. It’s rare he ever settles in a man’s arms.”

“Haha, well… he reminds me of my son, and why I have to leave.”

“Mhm~ a good man, just like my darling! I knew I wasn’t wrong…. Now then.” Her cheerful voice returned. “Take me to this fox wife of yours! I want to see whether she’s really good enough to babysit my Ryuji!”

“Yeah, of course.”