"Because I have left the vampire clan," Kraven said, his tone filled with undisguised contempt.
"They're nothing but a bunch of cowards who only know how to bully their own kind. They strike hard at their lackeys, enjoying the thrill of life and death; but when faced with powerful humans, they grovel and beg for mercy. If I were still in that quagmire, I would know better than anyone how to sew my mouth shut."
"However, even if I speak out, it will be meaningless," Kraven said pessimistically. "Because those powerful 'thugs' aren't afraid of you knowing the truth, and it won't do them any good even if you do."
Why? Wouldn't this help more people understand?
Trillian asked,
Kraven shook his head.
"No, in this distorted ecosystem, waking up a fool will only result in one outcome: offending four groups simultaneously: fools, bad seeds, liars, and scoundrels. They will instantly form an alliance and unite against you, who will be isolated and helpless, and you won't even have a chance to fight back."
"Four groups?" Trillian asked, puzzled.
"Yes." Kraven explained the vampire class system to the group, "The powerful scoundrels only need to form a clan, cultivate and absorb countless bad seeds and liars,"
"Let swindlers fool fools and idiots."
"Bad seeds are used as a means of suppression,"
"Fools are a valuable asset to the group."
"Cattle and horses are the cogs in the herd."
"In this way, even if a few oxen, horses, and fools finally understand, they can't outwit the fools and wicked ones who have been deceived."
At this point, Kraven gave a cold laugh:
"Therefore, a slacker only needs to be oblivious to human suffering. If there are no problems, he continues to eat, drink, and be merry, drifting through life. If problems arise, it depends on the situation—if it's a minor issue, he can ignore it, since it won't cause any trouble. If it's a major problem, then he deals with the person who raised it; if that can't be resolved, then he pushes out a few scoundrels to take the blame."
"As for whether the bad seeds have any objections?"
"Actually, it's already caught in the middle, completely powerless to control its own destiny; this is just a slightly lesser factor."
"The reason a bad seed is called a bad seed is because once it gains power, a bad seed looks down on fools and animals."
"When the fool and the oxen and horses need to get something done, it makes things extremely difficult for them, so the scoundrel doesn't even need to lift a finger. The bad seed is already at odds with the fool and the oxen and horses, and it's impossible for them to unite."
"Furthermore, precisely because bad seeds make things difficult for and deal with fools and oxen, they can only serve as the butcher's knife for thugs. Once a bad seed falls from power, the fools and oxen can devour him—so bad seeds rarely dare to disobey. In addition, they occasionally reach out and take something, so their weaknesses are firmly held in the hands of thugs, making them unable to move."
"Of course," Kraven added.
"If a bad seed does a good job, they'll be transferred to another team to continue. If a bad seed doesn't do a good job, someone else will take their place, because even if they haven't made any great contributions, they've still put in the effort—if you condemn them all outright, no vampire will want to be a bad seed."
Kraven's eyes revealed a deep sense of pity and helplessness.
"Those fools who don't know the truth think I want something from him, that I'm trying to bewitch them,"
"As for those fools who know there's something wrong... once they wake up, it will be incredibly painful; they'll need a long time to heal the wounds of their collapsed faith. So, to avoid the pain, the fools will choose to continue believing in their people and in the light."
"Then they called me a traitor, questioned why I didn't love my own people, wanted to report me, and personally handed me over to thugs in order to get some handouts from them."
"That way they can rise to the 'bad seed' class, and those bad seeds, as the butcher's knife of the thugs, even if they know I'm innocent, they'll still pick up the knife and chop me down without hesitation to show their loyalty and avoid losing the thugs' trust."
"That way, the scoundrel doesn't even have to lift a finger, not even the king or queen. Crushing me is as easy as crushing an ant... So what's the point? If you hadn't saved me, I would have been captured by Selene's team by now, and all that awaits me is the pillar of shame for a traitor."
Kraven sighed softly, his tone becoming more relieved:
"My voice will only allow the swindlers to further strengthen their ideological control over the fools without lifting a finger."
"And fools would point at me and say:"
"This is what happens when you disobey. So I choose to respect other people's fates, not to speak up for fools, and to protect myself... This is the most merciful indifference I can offer."
How could Draco not understand such insightful remarks, which were practically an analysis of vampires? But he didn't dwell on this heavy topic; instead, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl into a wild smile.
It's really hard not to laugh, because Kraven is clearly calling Selene a brainwashed idiot right in front of her!
Hermione was deep in thought, her brain rapidly processing Kraven's analysis of power structures, while Trillian was somewhat confused. However, she was quick to draw parallels and, after a moment's thought, asked suspiciously, "You mean... Selene is an idiot?"
"I didn't say that, you said it," Kraven immediately denied, then said helplessly, "Actually, it's not that I haven't tried. For six hundred years, I've hinted to her many times, both openly and subtly—but she always thought I was after her beauty."
Selene's expression shifted as she recalled the past few centuries— Kraven's words and actions had indeed always been strange.
Whenever Werewolf tracks appeared, whenever the mission made progress, he would always find ways to hinder her or find various reasons to transfer her away from the front lines. At the time, she thought Kraven was just doing this to get her attention.
With the burden of avenging the massacre of her family, she had no time for romantic love and naturally became increasingly resentful of his interference. Over time, she grew more and more disgusted with Kraven, and even completely disobeyed his commands.
In the centuries that followed, Kraven changed. He no longer allowed her to participate in anything, forcing her to form her own small team and act independently. However, Kraven mostly left her to her own devices, only occasionally warning her not to meddle too much.
After a moment of silence in the study, Hermione gently broke the stillness. "When did you start having these thoughts?"
"About eight hundred years ago," Kraven recalled.
"Back then, I was like an angry bird. The mere mention of Werewolf would make me grit my teeth, wishing I could skin them alive and grind their bones to dust. At that time, no matter what trouble happened, I was convinced it was the Werewolf' doing."
"Regardless of the consequences, I hate Werewolf. I hate them every single day, all the time, from beginning to end. Not a single wolf hair can be completely removed from my hatred."