"You came later than I thought."

The hoarse and desolate voice of the High Duke echoed through the drawing room of the High Duke Makinos, filled with books, a luxurious woolen carpet, and a burning fireplace that stood out with a vampire, as Merlin and Elsa walked into the drawing room.

This legendary vampire, who had lived for more than 1,000 years and was ugly but knowledgeable, was holding a book, and he was dressed as before, in a bright red robe, with his back to Merlin, and his figure was somewhat rickety, and he said:

"It's my opinion on S.. L.D.'s expectations were too high? Or have you recently become sluggish in your perception of danger? ”

"It's just that for a while I've shifted my attention to other things."

Faced with the Supreme Duke's slight ridicule, Merlin retorted expressionlessly:

"But as you say, it may be true that I have high expectations of the Supreme Family, so that you, who have become one of the orthodox vampires in North America, have not stopped the legends who invaded this land... Are you getting weaker? Lord Makinos. ”

Merlin looked at the vampire archduke in front of him, and his tone became playful:

"Or are you afraid of Dracula who has entered your territory?"

"Hehe, who wouldn't be afraid of him?"

Maquinos was not outraged by Merlin's sarcasm, but replied calmly:

"The more you know him, the more you fear him."

"Only reckless fools find Dracula easy to deal with, and those fools often don't even see the face of my 'old friend', so they go to meet the gods they believe in, and their gods, in addition to being able to take away their souls, it is difficult for Dracula, even the gods, to do more."

The Grand Duke put down the book in his hand and said:

"Oh, I sense a dangerous new guest, she's close to you, you're lovers? No wonder, then, love is like poison for which the bravest warriors are willing to die, and the sharpest assassins lose the vigilance to survive..."

The High Duke turned around with a smile, he looked at Merlin and Elsa, he stretched out his hand, and said to the two visitors:

"Sit down, we'll have plenty of time to discuss the troubles we're up against."

The silent servant soon brought comfortable chairs for his guests, placed them by the burning fireplace, Merlin and Elsa sat on the chairs, and the Grand Duke sat on the other side, his emaciated body curled up in the chair, making his robes appear looser, and in the beating of the flames, the pale face of the Supreme Duke, full of veins, did not show a look of wishful thinking and peace.

This proves that what is brewing makes this cunning old fellow not as easy as he seems.

"Dracula came to me."

Under the gaze of Merlin and Elsa, the Supreme Duke whispered:

"Just a few months ago, on a dark, dark night mixed with rain and snow, he had so boldly crossed my family guard and toyed with the applause of my most elite warriors, and he suddenly appeared in my prayer room and sat down in my seat as if it were his domain and not mine."

"But I'm used to it... He was that kind of person, from the time I met him a thousand years ago. ”

"He has his own set of ideas and opinions about the world and everything, and no one can change his will, and no one can stand in his way."

Speaking of this, the Supreme Duke glanced at Elsa, and he said:

"Oh, of course, the tenacious and stubborn Bloodstone family is an exception."

"Dracula's several failures and deaths in the millennium are inseparable from your family, Elsa. Lady Bloodstone, it is my pleasure to welcome you and I to visit. ”

"You are the successor of Alex 774 years ago. After Mr. Bloodstone, the second Bloodstone who sat with me and chatted... It is worth mentioning that your ancestor, like you, was given a pair of green, jewel-like eyes after the witcher's painful mutation. ”

In the face of the compliment of the Supreme Duke, Elsa said in a flat tone:

"My ancestor Alex left behind a codex that tells the story of him joining forces with you against Dracula, praising your vast knowledge, your view of humans and vampires, and the strength of your blood knights... But he also left a caveat. ”

"He warns his juniors to be as wary of you as they are to Dracula."

"Lord Makinos, let's spare this pointless compliment, if you really know Bloodstone, then you should know that no one in the Bloodstone family will be friends with vampires."

She said:

"Your and my time is precious, Grand Duke, let's get straight to the point."

"Ha, look at the tone of this girl's voice."

The Grand Duke turned his head to look at Merlin, and he said:

"She's really a real Bloodstone, how does it feel to conquer one? Your Excellency Merlin, does their stubbornness make you occasionally feel emaciated? If it weren't for the stereotypical prejudices in your heart, Mr. Merlin, maybe my daughter Nissa would be a better fit for you. ”

"No, Nissa is a good girl, and she deserves a better home."

Merlin shook Elsa's hand and said:

"And, I'm in the same mind as Elsa, Grand Duke, let's get straight to the point."

"Alas, young people nowadays are really impatient."

The Supreme Duke sighed, and he continued to talk about his recent encounter with Dracula, saying:

"He appeared in my prayer room, and he told me that he was tired of this new era, that he was unhappy with the current relationship between humans and vampires, and that he was scorned by the weakness of the modern bloods after he had been asleep for a hundred years."

"Dracula is, how can I say it... A bit of a nostalgic Bloodline. ”

The Grand Duke said:

"He prefers a medieval atmosphere to a modern one. Castles, nights, fighting werewolves in the forest, then drinking the blood of their enemies, accepting the worship of humans, and giving them the glory of being a Bloodline... He wanted to go back to that era, but he himself knew that he couldn't go back, times had changed. ”

"He invited me to be a part of what he was planning."

Grand Duke Maquinos looked at Merlin:

"I refused a very dangerous thing, and he didn't get angry about it, he just expressed disappointment, and... Warn. ”

"He hopes that the High Family will not meddle in his affairs, just as the Magic Congress has remained silent about everything he has done."

"What do you think? And, what is it exactly? ”

Merlin asked:

"Does it have anything to do with the city? Would he do the same thing as the failed American Elders? Bloodbath in New York? ”

"No, no, no, no, Dracula is not that reckless."

The Supreme Duke shook his head, and said:

"He's a legendary lord, Merlin, how can a lord not have his own realm and people? How can a lord not have his own soldiers and knights before he is about to go to war? ”

"His goal is Brimstone Harbor, Merlin, and he's going to conquer that hidden city, take in the millions of aliens in it as his own people, and then... Then he would turn his gaze to the city on the ground. ”

"Bloodbathing New York, or pulling New York back to the Middle Ages... That's all for later. ”

Maquinos, curled up in his chair like a drooping old man, said:

"As for my thoughts..."

"Didn't I say that before? Mr. Merlin, Dracula is a nostalgic, I'm not, I've told you about what I see as the relationship between the Bloods and the Humans, and I don't really like strife. ”

"You're on our side?"

Merlin's finger stroked the carba ring of his little thumb, and he paused and said:

"Or remain neutral?"

"If I answer you and I remain neutral, I'm afraid that the next moment, this Miss Bloodstone's silver sword will be slashed at me, right?"

Archduke Maquinos smiled, and said with the same countenance as usual:

"I'm not stupid, Lord Merlin, I know that there is no such thing as neutrality in such a situation, so I'm on your side... The premise is that you have to show me that you can deal with Dracula, please understand that I am not alone, I also have followers who need shelter, and before I take a big gamble, I have to think, I have to see the form, before I can make a decision. ”

Speaking of this, the Grand Duke sighed:

"It's not like I'm pleasing you, Mr. Merlin. You can ask Miss Bloodstone next to you, there should be a record of the battle between the two legendary bloodlines in their family. The war with Dracula means more to me than it means to you, and once I bet the wrong bet... It is likely to lead to an even worse situation. ”

Merlin looked at Elsa, who nodded at him and whispered:

"Legendary Bloodlines are hard to kill, and they all have different legendary powers, and if Grand Duke Makinos and Dracula fight in the wrong place, at the wrong time, I'm afraid all of New York will be pulled into their intertwined realms... That would be a true disaster. ”

"So, you're the hole card."

Merlin pushed his glasses, and under Icarus's lenses, the pattern representing the assessment of combat power was a clear, bright red skeleton, which meant that the old vampire in front of him, who looked so weak that he could be blown down by a gust of wind, was indeed a ruthless character who was hidden.

"Yes, I'm the hole card."

The legendary vampire Grand Duke Makinos nodded, and he said:

"I can only show up at the most critical moment, cooperate with you to seal or destroy Dracula's body, as for killing him completely, sorry, that can't be done."

There was a hint of jealousy in the bright red eyes of the Grand Duke, and he said:

"Dracula is immortal, there is no doubt about it, even if the world is destroyed, he will wander the wasteland like a lonely ghost, and even become a ghost wandering among the stars."

"You can defeat him, you can imprison him, you can destroy him, but you can't kill him."

"There is no creature in this world that cannot be killed."

Merlin Says:

"It's just the wrong way, and of course, I don't want to argue with you about that. Grand Duke, you just said that Dracula is planning to occupy Brimstone Harbor, and as far as I know, there are many ruthless characters in that city, right? Are they just going to let Dracula do whatever he wants? ”

"Where you didn't notice, Lord Merlin."

Archduke Maquinos said with some embarrassment:

"The strife in the darkness has already begun, from the time Dracula entered that city, up to now, one-tenth of the large and small forces in that city have disappeared, Dracula has completed the cleansing of one-tenth of the forces in Brimstone Harbor, and he has a terrible weapon in his hand..."

"What weapon?"

Merlin noticed that the Supreme Duke's expression changed for a moment, and he asked:

"It doesn't sound so simple to make you so jealous."

"Yes, it's not that simple."

The Supreme Duke was silent for more than ten seconds, and he said something else:

"As I said to you and Lord Fury, I've been trying to solve the twisted thirst for blood that comes with the Bloodline's body for a long time, and I think that deep-rooted thirst is the main reason why the Bloodline can't live peacefully with humans..."

"Yes, you did."

Merlin has a good memory, and he remembers the stories he heard about the maverick legendary vampire when he met with Fury with the Grand Duke.

"You say you've tried magic, witchcraft, alchemy, modern biology and genetic technology... You've tried it all, and you've built a large laboratory in Europe to conduct all kinds of biological experiments for you. ”

"Yes."

The expression of the Supreme Duke darkened, and he said:

"Actually, a year ago, I had a breakthrough in my research on blood bloodlust... Unfortunately, the research that was originally going smoothly made a regrettable mistake in the final link. ”

Archduke Makinos did not hide all this, and he said in a calm tone:

"The antibodies I found did not make the blood family fade away from the effects of hemophilia, but instead caused his already stable gene to mutate again, which we called the mutant R... Not only can he suck human blood, but he can even infect his fellow Bloods by sucking blood. ”

"You mean, you only made one vampire for the vampires?"

Merlin said with a serious expression:

"I guess he can infect more than just vampires, right?"

"Yes."

The Supreme Duke closed his eyes and said:

"His terrifying ability can infect all the aliens we know so far, and he, now a Shadow Descendant under Dracula, the first Shadow Child of the New Age. Aliens infected by that particular blood are roaming around Brimstone Harbor, and once bitten by an infected person, they will quickly succumb to Dracula's majesty. ”

"In the words of you humans, a terrible Resident Evil is breaking out in Brimstone Harbor at this time."

He opened his eyes, staring at Merlin with those blood-red eyes, and he said:

"Once Dracula unifies Brimstone Harbor, the insatiable, blood-thirsty infected will naturally turn their gaze to the surface..."

"Luckily, we still have time..."

"We can still stop him."

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