Chapter 5: The Mysterious Blood Rose

Elder Boris, in a kind manner, held Benjamin's hand as they sat on the velvety sofa in the castle-like mansion. The soft and plush texture made Benjamin feel uneasy, despite the elder's loving smile.

This Elder Boris, belonging to the Lescanbar clan, had lived for three thousand years, yet he appeared younger and more handsome than Benjamin. Every movement he made exuded a true gentleman's charm. Even when he bit into a woman's throat, he did so with unparalleled elegance, ensuring that not a drop of blood would stain his cheeks or clothing. It was this youthful face that made Benjamin feel uncomfortable whenever it displayed a loving smile.

Elder Boris was also a pure-blooded vampire. Vampires were divided into pure-bloods and lesser-bloods. Pure-bloods were the result of breeding between vampires, a feat only achievable among the bloodlines. The chances of successful conception were exceedingly rare, making pure-bloods inherently noble. Most of them were arrogant and looked down upon lesser-bloods.

However, Elder Boris was different. For three thousand years, he had not produced any offspring despite numerous encounters with pure-blooded women. This lack of success in procreation made him cherish Benjamin even more. Benjamin was handpicked from among humans as an elite by Elder Boris himself, and he conducted the transformation ceremony, known as the "initial embrace," using his own blood to turn Benjamin into a vampire. The initial embrace was the only way for a human to become a vampire, and the lineage of the vampire who conducted the embrace determined the abilities of the transformed human-vampire hybrid.

As a human, Benjamin was already an exceptional elite, and now, inheriting Boris' pure-blood, even as a lesser-blood with a lifespan of only two hundred years, he earned the respect and reverence of the Lescanbar clan members. Alexander, on the other hand, was the son of another elder named Ray and a legitimate pure-blood. However, Ray perished in the Thousand-Year Holy War, and Alexander was taken in and raised by Boris since he was young. At that time, Benjamin didn't exist yet. It wasn't until Alexander reached five hundred years of age that Boris had Benjamin, seemingly robbing Alexander of all his affection and attention. Hence, Alexander always saw Benjamin as his mortal enemy.

"Alexander mentioned that you've met a girl with supernatural abilities." Just as Benjamin expected, Boris's first question was about Emily. There was no point in hiding anymore. Benjamin lacked the power to resist this so-called father figure.

Benjamin nodded, his emotions masked. However, inside, it felt as though his heart was being torn apart. If possible, he truly didn't want to hand Emily over to Boris.

Among the vampire clans, there were thirteen lineages that formed three factions: the secret faction led by the Vanthor clan, the demonic faction led by the Lescanbar clan, and the neutral faction. The war among the thirteen lineages, known as the Thousand-Year Holy War, had never ceased for thousands of years. In their pursuit of enhancing their own abilities, vampires constantly sought out humans with supernatural powers, drinking their blood to inherit their extraordinary abilities. As a result, humans with supernatural powers had become almost extinct. Although Emily's abilities were eerie and similar to those of vampires, she was indeed not a vampire but could be classified as a human with supernatural powers. Now that Boris had discovered this, it was inevitable that she would become his meal. Benjamin, however, was powerless to refuse.

Benjamin remembered Emily's laughter—happy, mischievous, eerie, and playful. He couldn't fathom how someone could possess such a range of emotions. Even though he had discovered his own uniqueness, he wouldn't panic too much and would accept his different self with composure.

"She... she might be useful to us in dealing with Gaia," Benjamin cautiously proposed. Despite the seemingly benevolent appearance of his father figure, Boris had a volatile temper. A single wrong word could send him into a rage, with unimaginable consequences.

Boris's smile remained on his face, but Benjamin knew that this smile was different from before—it had a chilling quality. Boris stared at Benjamin with his shrewd eyes, his gaze complex as if trying to see through him. Benjamin took several steps back, unable to meet his eyes any longer. After a moment, Boris suddenly laughed again, "Do you like her?"

Benjamin quickly shook his head, looking directly into Boris's eyes and firmly replied, "No, her abilities are similar to ours, and her attacks can harm vampires. If we utilize her properly, I believe she can help us deal with Gaia."

"Oh?" Boris's interest was piqued. Despite being a supernatural being, Emily was still a human. Even vampire hunters have a hard time inflicting harm on them, let alone just a girl with supernatural abilities.

"Alexander can confirm that she has attacked him too," Benjamin continued persuading, as this might be the only way to avoid turning Emily into dinner. With Gaia leading the Secret Party's increasingly frequent attacks on the Magic Party, and with the Secret Party consisting of alliances from 7 different clans compared to the Magic Party's 2 clans, the power disparity was significant. Boris's greatest concern was that the Magic Party would be wiped out by the Secret Party at any moment. However, he worried that Emily's rebellious nature might not willingly get involved in their war.

Boris began to ponder, his slender fingers caressing his chin. His voice, deep and contrasting with his youthful appearance, said, "In that case, this girl is also a threat to us."

"Let's try to convince her. If she can become an ally, we'll keep her. If we can't persuade her, Father can take care of her later."

Boris suddenly looked up, gazing into Benjamin's eyes, hoping to find something else within them. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be found. He then nodded thoughtfully and said, "I'll leave this matter to you. Arrange for her to come to the castle. I want to meet her."

"Yes, Father," Benjamin respectfully nodded, watching Boris leave. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had just released a breath he had been holding. If vampires could sweat, he imagined that his entire body would be drenched by now. Out of human habit, he wiped his forehead.

Alexander emerged from the corner, looking at Benjamin with disdain as he observed the gesture. He sneered, "You've lived for two hundred years and still haven't improved. You're still stuck with that human morality!"

Benjamin ignored Alexander's provocation. Right now, his only concern was to leave the castle and find Emily as quickly as possible to try and persuade her.

Seeing himself being disregarded by the branch-blooded Benjamin, Alexander couldn't help but feel anger welling up inside him. He continued to taunt, "Don't think you can fool everyone just because you've fooled Father! I want you to witness that woman becoming Father's dinner!"

A shiver ran down Benjamin's spine, and he swiftly left the castle. Alexander watched him depart and a wicked smile crept across his face, making his beautiful yet sinister countenance even more malevolent.

Although Emily's blood was toxic, Benjamin, being relatively young and having spent the entire day in daylight, couldn't help but feel physically weak. He wasn't sure if the mighty Boris would fear Emily's poison. Moreover, the matter involving the Manjusha Totem had to be kept secret from Boris as well, or else he would see Emily as a threat and place her in even greater danger.

Waiting patiently until late at night, Benjamin swiftly arrived at Cyberville Academy. Emily's scent was unique, making it easy for him to locate her dormitory. However, to his surprise, the girl was sitting on the rooftop of the dormitory, swinging her legs leisurely while enjoying the night view. She had a carefree demeanor and wore a self-satisfied expression on her face. The moonlight illuminated her pale face, making it even more vivid. If it weren't for her scent, one could easily mistake her fair skin for that of a vampire princess. Benjamin couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation. This girl had no idea of the imminent danger surrounding her, yet she could still smile so happily.

As Emily caught a whiff of a mysterious floral scent, she leaped down from the rooftop and landed gracefully beside Benjamin. She looked up at him with a smug expression, as if flaunting her newfound power. Yesterday, she thought she was going to die when she fell from the building, but today she was proficiently utilizing her abilities. Benjamin was genuinely astonished by her rapid progress.

Seeing Benjamin's astonished expression, Emily smiled with satisfaction and gave him a playful pat on the shoulder. "I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Upon hearing her words, Benjamin's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a calm exterior. "Waiting for me? For what?"

However, Emily had already grabbed Benjamin's hand and started running. In the blink of an eye, they left Cyberville Academy behind and arrived in the desolate outskirts, where no vegetation grew. She had an excited expression on her face as she exclaimed, "Hurry, hurry! See what other abilities I have!"

Benjamin shook his head helplessly. "How can we test that?"

Emily's excitement froze on her face and gradually turned into disappointment. "Oh, right. How do we test it?" She then sat down with Benjamin on the ground, and in an instant, her gloom vanished, replaced by curiosity. "Then tell me about the vampires."

As Benjamin looked at her ever-changing and expressive face, he tried to empathize with her emotions. Those were all memories he had as a human. Since becoming a vampire, he noticed his own growing indifference. Over time, his emotions became more and more muted, as if he was degenerating. Gradually, he was on the verge of forgetting the feelings of joy, pain, and anxiety.

"What do you want to know?" Benjamin smiled, looking at her with an indulgent gaze, much like one would look at a child. In front of him, she was indeed still a child.

Emily tilted her head and pondered for a moment. "Why do you all have a pleasant floral scent? Your scent is different from that of that bad guy, Alexander."

Benjamin was taken aback. She could actually smell Alexander's scent.

"The floral scents on our bodies are marks of vampire hierarchy. For someone like me, who has only lived for two hundred years, the scent is of Burmese honeysuckle. Alexander, who has lived for over seven hundred years, has the scent of opium," Benjamin patiently explained.

"What scent does the oldest vampire have?" Emily asked.

"Mandrake," Benjamin replied.

Emily was taken aback once again upon hearing the name Mandrake. It reminded her of the totem that appeared on her ankle and the accompanying scent—faint and intoxicating. But why did she have that scent?

"Don't ask me, I don't know either!" Benjamin hurriedly interjected before Emily could speak. In his mind, he thought, she really is still a child, wearing her emotions on her face.

Emily pouted and casually plucked a blade of grass, twirling it in her hand.

"Actually, ordinary people cannot smell these scents," Benjamin suddenly spoke.

"Huh?" Emily was puzzled. "But they're quite distinctive scents, aren't they?"

Benjamin suddenly realized that Emily's sense of smell was even more sensitive than that of the vampires. Although vampires have floral scent marks representing their hierarchy, these scents can be concealed. When Alexander visited that day, he had clearly hidden his scent, as Benjamin couldn't smell it, but Emily easily detected it.

In the midst of Benjamin's confusion, Emily's previously nonchalant face suddenly became alert. She tugged on Benjamin's sleeve and took a couple of sniffs, gesturing for him to do the same.

It was then that Benjamin noticed the strong fragrance of Burmese honeysuckle in the air. Vampires of Burmese honeysuckle level are usually adept at concealing their scent, and he had been careless to miss such a strong aroma.

"There's also a rose scent, so fragrant!" Emily sniffed enthusiastically, but Benjamin stiffened. The rose scent she mentioned wasn't the kind found in the human world; it belonged to the dark Blood Roses. The scent was similar to roses, but its nature was completely different. Only ancient vampires who had lived for thousands of years could advance to become Blood Roses.

So, even the Blood Roses have started to make a move?

Benjamin, perplexed, sniffed the air again but couldn't detect any scent other than Burmese honeysuckle.

Suddenly, a round of applause followed by hearty laughter filled the air. A person instantly appeared before them, smiling as he looked at Emily. "Being able to detect my scent, should I give you a reward?" His smile turned sinister, and his gaze locked onto Emily's eyes, unfathomable. "What should I do? I've become interested in you, little girl!"