Noble Soul

Demon Blood!? So that really was it!

At last, Roy had heard the most crucial piece of information from Dracula. This had been his primary reason for seeking Dracula out.

Although Dracula had been able to run rampant through this town after becoming a vampire, his strength was only formidable compared to ordinary people. Even he understood that his so-called power was nothing remarkable. Otherwise, why would he have remained in a remote town on the fringes of Eastern Europe for more than four hundred years without expanding his influence?

Garlic, Holy Water, Silver Stakes, fear of sunlight—these were all things that could harm vampires. He was merely a vampire transformed by a Lower Demon, and his bloodline carried innate weaknesses.

Roy had never expected that a Lower Demon incapable of using magic could grant humans supernatural power through Demon Blood.

But after hearing Dracula say so, Roy suddenly found it perfectly natural. Just look at the bizarrely varied Lower Demons in the Upper Abyss, and it became clear: Demon Blood seemed to possess extraordinary compatibility. It could combine with any bloodline, to the point of practically ignoring reproductive isolation. Even demons with insect and bird bloodlines existed, so combining with mere human bloodlines should be even easier, shouldn't it?

Perhaps it could even combine with Angel bloodlines. Roy had heard quite a few legends about Angel-Demon Hybrids...

Demons were naturally powerful. When Demon Blood began flowing through a human's Blood Vessels, it would alter the human body. But exactly what kind of monster the person became varied, perhaps because the demons granting their blood had highly complex bloodlines themselves, resulting in different manifested traits.

This was quite a good method. Roy did not actually want to spend souls to fulfill his contractors' wishes, because souls were simply too useful to him. Not only could he use the system to modify himself, but devouring souls could also increase his demonic energy. He needed them for both eating and using, and he always felt short on supplies. Every soul spent on a contractor felt like a loss.

Now that he knew Demon Blood had such wonderful uses, things would be much easier.

Those who activated a Summoning Ritual to summon demons generally sought nothing more than power or life. Only a small number wanted demons to help them fight. For those who wished for power and life, Roy would only need to give them a little of his Demon Blood in the future to fulfill their wishes. That way, he would not need to spend souls on contractors.

Having learned what he most wanted to know, Roy no longer had any use for Dracula. A man whose soul had already been taken held so little interest for Roy that he could not even be bothered to kill him. He merely said, "Don't worry. The one who summoned me was not a Descendant of Villeris Family, and I did not come here to deal with you!"

With that, Roy leaped directly onto the second floor of the ballroom and crawled toward a window in the dome, intending to leave.

When Dracula saw Roy trying to leave, he froze and shouted, "W-Wait! You're just leaving!?"

"If I don't leave, what am I supposed to stay here for?" Roy replied without looking back.

"Wait, Lord Demon!" Dracula said hurriedly. "Please wait! No matter who summoned you, since you have come here, could you sign another contract with me?"

Roy stopped and looked back at Dracula. "A contract? What contract do you want? Don't tell me you want to regain a human body?"

"No, no!" Dracula said helplessly. "I was really just venting earlier. I understand it myself. Though I no longer have a heartbeat and have lost most of my senses, those are the guarantees of my power. If I truly returned to a human body, I would be completely doomed!"

"Oh? Then you're not entirely stupid," Roy mocked.

"The contract I want to make with you isn't about me!" Dracula said. "It's about my children! Perhaps because we are Living Dead, the children my bride and I conceived have all been unable to be born. For centuries, I have tried countless methods, yet I remain helpless. Now that you have come here from the hellish abyss, could you help me? Since Demon Blood can bring me back from death, it should also be able to let my children live!"

Roy's tail began to sway unconsciously. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Then what is the price? Dracula, what can you offer?"

"All of it!" Seeing that Roy was moved, Dracula grew excited and blurted out, "My soul, my blood—anything I possess, I can offer it to you as payment!"

"Your soul? Do you still have a soul of your own?" Roy sneered. "Your soul was given to the demon who signed a contract with you long ago, wasn't it?"

"Then I'll use someone else's!" Dracula said. "If you need it, I could even slaughter the entire town and sacrifice their souls to you!"

"Ha, hahahaha!" Roy could not help laughing when he heard that. "Impossible! Dracula, don't tell me that after four hundred years, you still haven't noticed that people killed by vampires never produce souls!"

Yes, Roy had discovered this long ago. It was not just Dracula—every vampire present appeared in Black and White Tones through the Demon Eye. All of them had lost the radiance of their souls. If it had only been Dracula, that would have made sense, since he was the one who had made a contract with a demon. But why were the other vampires like this as well? That was worth considering.

Roy guessed that Dracula had probably fallen into a trap when he made his Demon Contract. Aside from turning him into an undead creature, the contract ensured that anyone killed by a vampire would have their soul sacrificed to the demon who had signed the contract with Dracula.

In other words, that nameless demon had made a huge deal through Dracula. It was like holding Dracula's stock and receiving an endless stream of soul dividends... It seemed that demon, though also a Lower Demon, was definitely quite intelligent.

Under such circumstances, how could Dracula possibly sacrifice souls to Roy? Even if he signed a contract, he should have to fulfill the earlier Demon Contract first.

As for having his human servants kill people, that was even more absurd. Those human servants had not signed contracts with Roy. If they killed someone, Roy would not receive any souls at all.

So in Roy's view, Dracula simply lacked the ability to carry out a second Demon Contract. Otherwise, he could have summoned a demon to fulfill his wishes long ago, instead of waiting until Roy appeared to make the request.

For all Roy knew, Dracula was trying to get something for nothing from a demon, using another contract trap. If Roy did not understand the situation and foolishly signed a contract with him, Roy might give away Demon Blood for nothing and receive not a single soul in return...

Roy did not mind assuming the worst of people who summoned demons now...

Yet Roy had assumed Dracula would restrain himself after being exposed. To his surprise, Dracula instead said confidently, "No! My lord, I have a way to provide you with a soul—and it will be a Noble Soul!"

"Oh?" Roy was immediately intrigued. He jumped back down and stood before Dracula. "A Noble Soul? You really have a way?"

A Noble Soul? Was that another type of High-Quality Soul...?

Corrupted Souls and Noble Souls—those two names sounded as though they referred to souls on the same level. Roy had smelled the scent of a Corrupted Soul on Lucius before. What would a Noble Soul smell like?

A soul would become corrupted through malicious intent and evil deeds. Then how did a Noble Soul come into being?

Seeing that Roy was finally interested, Dracula perked up as well and explained, "A Descendant of Villeris Family. At present, only two descendants remain in the Villeris Family: Anna and her Brother, Viken. But Viken has fallen into my hands, and he has already been bitten by a werewolf and turned into one himself. If I use Viken to threaten Anna and tell her that I will spare her Brother as long as she sacrifices herself, then based on what I know of Anna, she is very likely to do it. The moment she sacrifices herself, boom—!! A Noble Soul will be born!"

"What do you think, my lord?" Dracula said excitedly. "This kind of Noble Soul can only be born from someone pure and kind, someone capable of self-sacrifice and devotion. Since she will not die by my hand, her soul will not be sacrificed. More importantly, because of the oath made by the Ancestor of Villeris Family, the souls of Villeris Family members cannot enter Heaven until I am killed. So even a Noble Soul will not be reclaimed by Heaven. Instead, it will remain in this world. When that time comes, you need only appear and take this Noble Soul without difficulty!"

Dracula had thought Roy would agree without concern after hearing his explanation. Yet unexpectedly, Roy fell into deep thought instead.

"No!" After a moment, Roy shook his head. "If the Villeris Family's oath is real, then forget taking a Noble Soul. Once you die, the souls of every Descendant of Villeris Family will be taken up to Heaven, including the souls you have already sacrificed to demons. At that point, they may even have to be returned!"

"How could that be? Once Anna dies, I'll kill Viken too, and the Villeris Family will become extinct. An unfulfillable oath naturally won't interfere with you obtaining the soul!" Dracula said with a smile. "Besides, not every member of the Villeris Family can enter Heaven. At the very least, I myself—and that Villeris descendant who summoned a demon, gained demonic power, and turned into a werewolf to kill me—cannot. God cannot tolerate such actions that rely on demonic power... The oath of the Ancestor of Villeris Family has a loophole!"

"Is that so?" Roy said lazily. "Then talk to me once you've actually managed it. Nothing you say now matters!"

With that, Roy climbed up to the second-floor passage again, preparing to leave.

"My lord, if I accomplish it, how can I find you??" Dracula hurriedly shouted.

"Go find the Town Chief of Transylvania Town. He is the one who summoned me!" Roy sold Lucius out without hesitation!

"I'll definitely do it, I swear!" Dracula roared after Roy's departing figure, declaring his resolve...

Some readers have said the story is progressing too quickly, but don't worry. According to my plan, the Lower Demon rank will likely last quite a while. Advancing to a Middle Demon requires accumulation; it cannot be achieved too quickly.