Chapter 137: A Beast In Gentleman's Clothing
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"You have stayed for a long while now.... A whole day. Hmm..." Vladstin regarded Leron for a long while, expression unreadable. "Ofelia....."
The Beast thought that he had begun to be doubtful of him, and would soon have the siren girl sing.
"Ofelia, you did well on practicing last night. Eat lots and rest, don't strain your vocal cords."
The Beast was relieved. Heh, idiot.
He took a sip of this horrendous bowl of chicken blood this weakling human is feeding him, trying hard not to have a devious grin escape his lips. He had been worried for nothing, even Vladstin is blind enough to be fooled by his performance. Of course, he had been exerting a lot of effort too in pretending to be Awful White, trying all the mannerisms of a docile and lamb-like gentleman.
Which he thoroughly finds disgusting, but a desperate man would do what it takes to gain a loaf of bread, as they said.
Still... This loaf of bread is pretty rotten. And he is being basically fed by a big juicy slice of ham if we keep it at this food analogy.
Sangfroid's blood is so enticing, he can smell it seeping through the bandage. Even when it is dried, the Beast will do anything just to have a lick at it. The scent is terribly unbearable, too irresistible, that he had to take all his control to not bite the hand that is feeding him already.
And he is the exact opposite of control! He is Leron's desire! It's so ironic!
He can't help but linger a bit to sniff when the fingers get too close. It is unexplainable what exactly the smell was. It was sort of sweet, but not like fruits or any sweet foods. It's not like any savory meal either.
It is just appetizing in every sense of the word.
"I.... I think I have enough now, Sangfroid. Thank you." He forced himself to say along with a good boy smile.
"Oh. Alright, Your Highness. If you are hungry, you can still ask for more." Sangfroid presented the gem hanging by his neck. "I can conjure more chickens through the Amulet."
The Beast has no idea what this Amulet is with a small dragon inside, nor how it came to Sangfroid's possession. But he had already seen it be used to elongate the small pond that the siren girl was swimming on and turn into a long river. He could not ask without risking suspicion, and so he merely pieced out the clues in his head to come up with a logical solution.
This Amulet is magical and conjures what Sangfroid wishes for.
"Can you conjure humans through it?" He blurted out.
Sangfroid's eyes widened, and he blinked. Vladstin perked his ears up too.
"Humans?"
"Yes..... You have not tried. I'm just curious and ah.... I'm really starving for human blood." He turned to Vladstin. "And I believe Vladstin is too. Vampires are not really meant to rely on animal blood, we will still keep on searching for humans."
"I am fine even when I don't drink." Vladstin said. "It does not affect me when I starve. But I suppose Leron is right, vampire lords go into stasis if they do not have enough human blood in their system. I am also interested in this too, since the Amulet can conjure any natural and not man-made object and creature, right? Is a human still considered man-made? Or is it natural?"
Sangfroid furrowed his eyebrows at this. "I do not know but..... To conjure humans to feed to vampire lords..... It is unethical."
Ah, what a bummer! This guy is concerned with ethics, tsk! Truly a weakling!
"Then once you conjure one, we don't really have to do anything with them. We can just conjure them." The Beast rubbed his chin. "I am also wondering too what will happen. Will the person you conjure be a completely new individual or..... does the Amulet just transport someone from this world?"
"Transport?" The two repeated.
"Yes. I believe we should test it. Because if it is a completely new individual, then we are sure that everything the Amulet conjures, like this chicken we had for dinner, was a new being created solely from Sangfroid's mind. But if it someone who is already existing, with an identity and all bearings intact, then it merely transports already existing things."
Vladstin and Sangfroid were now troubled by this dilemma, as they had never considered this before. They had always assumed that everything Sangfroid conjures is a new being, created due to his mind and will by the Amulet's miraculous design. But if it truly just transports....
Then somewhere, a lake has been taken away. Somewhere, jewels have been lost to be placed over Leron's head. It feels like.....
Like robbing.
Though not intentional, it still feels like taking something that isn't theirs.
"Shall we test it, then?" Vladstin asked. "It really is an intriguing point."
Sangfroid furrowed his brows. "I could but..... Not children. If it truly is just transporting, I do not want children to be taken away from their parents. And also..... The Amulet might conjure someone from afar, and it will take longer for that person to travel back."
"So you need to think of conjuring someone who is near, and can return to their home quickly." The Beast nodded.
Suddenly, Vladstin laughed.
The other two men just looked at him in a perplexed manner as they do not know what they are laughing about.
"Hey, none of you had thought about it either? It's so simple!" Vladstin clapped. "We could just ask the Amulet to conjure the Hermit here to test this theory!"
Both men's eyes widened, but for different reasons. Sangfroid was genuinely surprised by the possibility....
While the Beast has no idea who this Hermit person was!!!
Who is it? Why do they have to conjure that one out of everyone else?
But the two seemed to be zealous with anticipation, as Sangfroid held up the Amulet. They all just watched, as he cleared his throat.....
"Bring us the Hermit of the Libitinous Mountains."
They waited.....
And waited...
And waited.......
The suddenly......
Crack!
The floor beneath them, exactly below the Amulet, had cracked!
Out came.....
"Ah, this is not..."
"Hmm...."
"????"
It was the Hermit indeed. Exactly hold Sangfroid had remembered in his memories from childhood, with the long gray beard and the goatskin cape. But there's something wrong with him.
He is standing straight, not moving at all.
Vladstin took hold of this strange entity's hand, and confirmed it is made of flesh. But still.....
It is completely inanimate.
He waved on its face, jumping up due to its towering height. It still did not breathe nor move.
"So it does create a new creation. This isn't the Hermit, it is a lifeless replica of it." Vladstin analyzed. "But how strange..... The fishes and the birds that Sangfroid conjured are still very much alive. Why is it only different with humanoid and sentient creatures?"
"Hmmm...." The Beast rubbed his chin, and proposed an idea. "Perhaps it is because sentience is what makes man itself, and as you said, this Amulet cannot conjure something man-made. But man itself as a being is made of nature, and so, you are still able to create a man, but just an empty shell."
That really was a sound proposition. But...
Vladstin recalled Leron saying that he had forgotten a lot of memories, and he assumed that it must be because the other souls were lost. After all, the spleen soul is for intellect and the heart soul is for the mind and memory itself. But he still seems to be as intellectual and quick in thinking as before, with what he said just now.....
He does not want to seem paranoid, so he settled with observing more for now.
"What shall we do with this empty shell then?" Vladstin asked.
"Well... it is an inanimate object. It does not feel any pain, it has no identity, it has no life. It does not even breathe, only exists. And yet....." The Beast tried to hide it, but a small growl escape the back of his throat and his eyes glimmered a bit. If he was not tied up by the Enchanted Rope Bind, he would have rubbed his fingers together. "It has blood. So can I..."
"Can I have it?"
Sangfroid considered it, looking back and forth at this hollow replice of the Hermit then back to Leron. He was right but then... There is still an aversion in him to see such a scene himself, of Leron drinking the blood of the Hermit. He knows it is not the Hermit itself..... But it still feels wrong.
It feels wrong to see him drinking the blood of anyone.
But then again, he knows how hungry he is. And he is loyal to him, he can't resist him. Perhaps this aversion is just silly, and there really is nothing wrong with it. Sangfroid took a moment to convince himself, and exhaled heavily.
"Alright..... You and Vladstin can drink from it. I can also conjure more like this from now on." He said.
Ofelia was eating happily far away from them, and thankfully could not see the scene of her mother's goat friend being bitten and feasted on by her other friends. Ignorance is bliss, they say.
The two nodded, but they seem to share the same idea. They turn to Sangfroid at the same time, eyes gleaning.
"Then can we make a request for next time?" Vladstin asked.
"W.... What is it?" Sangfroid was caught aback by their eager expressions and even took a step back.
The Beast smiled with his beloved's sweet smile, as he bit into the empty Hermit replicas wrist. After sucking in and licking lips he said what he and Vladstin had been thinking:
"Can you conjure someone who looks like you next?"
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"You have stayed for a long while now.... A whole day. Hmm..." Vladstin regarded Leron for a long while, expression unreadable. "Ofelia....."
The Beast thought that he had begun to be doubtful of him, and would soon have the siren girl sing.
"Ofelia, you did well on practicing last night. Eat lots and rest, don't strain your vocal cords."
The Beast was relieved. Heh, idiot.
He took a sip of this horrendous bowl of chicken blood this weakling human is feeding him, trying hard not to have a devious grin escape his lips. He had been worried for nothing, even Vladstin is blind enough to be fooled by his performance. Of course, he had been exerting a lot of effort too in pretending to be Awful White, trying all the mannerisms of a docile and lamb-like gentleman.
Which he thoroughly finds disgusting, but a desperate man would do what it takes to gain a loaf of bread, as they said.
Still... This loaf of bread is pretty rotten. And he is being basically fed by a big juicy slice of ham if we keep it at this food analogy.
Sangfroid's blood is so enticing, he can smell it seeping through the bandage. Even when it is dried, the Beast will do anything just to have a lick at it. The scent is terribly unbearable, too irresistible, that he had to take all his control to not bite the hand that is feeding him already.
And he is the exact opposite of control! He is Leron's desire! It's so ironic!
He can't help but linger a bit to sniff when the fingers get too close. It is unexplainable what exactly the smell was. It was sort of sweet, but not like fruits or any sweet foods. It's not like any savory meal either.
It is just appetizing in every sense of the word.
"I.... I think I have enough now, Sangfroid. Thank you." He forced himself to say along with a good boy smile.
"Oh. Alright, Your Highness. If you are hungry, you can still ask for more." Sangfroid presented the gem hanging by his neck. "I can conjure more chickens through the Amulet."
The Beast has no idea what this Amulet is with a small dragon inside, nor how it came to Sangfroid's possession. But he had already seen it be used to elongate the small pond that the siren girl was swimming on and turn into a long river. He could not ask without risking suspicion, and so he merely pieced out the clues in his head to come up with a logical solution.
This Amulet is magical and conjures what Sangfroid wishes for.
"Can you conjure humans through it?" He blurted out.
Sangfroid's eyes widened, and he blinked. Vladstin perked his ears up too.
"Humans?"
"Yes..... You have not tried. I'm just curious and ah.... I'm really starving for human blood." He turned to Vladstin. "And I believe Vladstin is too. Vampires are not really meant to rely on animal blood, we will still keep on searching for humans."
"I am fine even when I don't drink." Vladstin said. "It does not affect me when I starve. But I suppose Leron is right, vampire lords go into stasis if they do not have enough human blood in their system. I am also interested in this too, since the Amulet can conjure any natural and not man-made object and creature, right? Is a human still considered man-made? Or is it natural?"
Sangfroid furrowed his eyebrows at this. "I do not know but..... To conjure humans to feed to vampire lords..... It is unethical."
Ah, what a bummer! This guy is concerned with ethics, tsk! Truly a weakling!
"Then once you conjure one, we don't really have to do anything with them. We can just conjure them." The Beast rubbed his chin. "I am also wondering too what will happen. Will the person you conjure be a completely new individual or..... does the Amulet just transport someone from this world?"
"Transport?" The two repeated.
"Yes. I believe we should test it. Because if it is a completely new individual, then we are sure that everything the Amulet conjures, like this chicken we had for dinner, was a new being created solely from Sangfroid's mind. But if it someone who is already existing, with an identity and all bearings intact, then it merely transports already existing things."
Vladstin and Sangfroid were now troubled by this dilemma, as they had never considered this before. They had always assumed that everything Sangfroid conjures is a new being, created due to his mind and will by the Amulet's miraculous design. But if it truly just transports....
Then somewhere, a lake has been taken away. Somewhere, jewels have been lost to be placed over Leron's head. It feels like.....
Like robbing.
Though not intentional, it still feels like taking something that isn't theirs.
"Shall we test it, then?" Vladstin asked. "It really is an intriguing point."
Sangfroid furrowed his brows. "I could but..... Not children. If it truly is just transporting, I do not want children to be taken away from their parents. And also..... The Amulet might conjure someone from afar, and it will take longer for that person to travel back."
"So you need to think of conjuring someone who is near, and can return to their home quickly." The Beast nodded.
Suddenly, Vladstin laughed.
The other two men just looked at him in a perplexed manner as they do not know what they are laughing about.
"Hey, none of you had thought about it either? It's so simple!" Vladstin clapped. "We could just ask the Amulet to conjure the Hermit here to test this theory!"
Both men's eyes widened, but for different reasons. Sangfroid was genuinely surprised by the possibility....
While the Beast has no idea who this Hermit person was!!!
Who is it? Why do they have to conjure that one out of everyone else?
But the two seemed to be zealous with anticipation, as Sangfroid held up the Amulet. They all just watched, as he cleared his throat.....
"Bring us the Hermit of the Libitinous Mountains."
They waited.....
And waited...
And waited.......
The suddenly......
Crack!
The floor beneath them, exactly below the Amulet, had cracked!
Out came.....
"Ah, this is not..."
"Hmm...."
"????"
It was the Hermit indeed. Exactly hold Sangfroid had remembered in his memories from childhood, with the long gray beard and the goatskin cape. But there's something wrong with him.
He is standing straight, not moving at all.
Vladstin took hold of this strange entity's hand, and confirmed it is made of flesh. But still.....
It is completely inanimate.
He waved on its face, jumping up due to its towering height. It still did not breathe nor move.
"So it does create a new creation. This isn't the Hermit, it is a lifeless replica of it." Vladstin analyzed. "But how strange..... The fishes and the birds that Sangfroid conjured are still very much alive. Why is it only different with humanoid and sentient creatures?"
"Hmmm...." The Beast rubbed his chin, and proposed an idea. "Perhaps it is because sentience is what makes man itself, and as you said, this Amulet cannot conjure something man-made. But man itself as a being is made of nature, and so, you are still able to create a man, but just an empty shell."
That really was a sound proposition. But...
Vladstin recalled Leron saying that he had forgotten a lot of memories, and he assumed that it must be because the other souls were lost. After all, the spleen soul is for intellect and the heart soul is for the mind and memory itself. But he still seems to be as intellectual and quick in thinking as before, with what he said just now.....
He does not want to seem paranoid, so he settled with observing more for now.
"What shall we do with this empty shell then?" Vladstin asked.
"Well... it is an inanimate object. It does not feel any pain, it has no identity, it has no life. It does not even breathe, only exists. And yet....." The Beast tried to hide it, but a small growl escape the back of his throat and his eyes glimmered a bit. If he was not tied up by the Enchanted Rope Bind, he would have rubbed his fingers together. "It has blood. So can I..."
"Can I have it?"
Sangfroid considered it, looking back and forth at this hollow replice of the Hermit then back to Leron. He was right but then... There is still an aversion in him to see such a scene himself, of Leron drinking the blood of the Hermit. He knows it is not the Hermit itself..... But it still feels wrong.
It feels wrong to see him drinking the blood of anyone.
But then again, he knows how hungry he is. And he is loyal to him, he can't resist him. Perhaps this aversion is just silly, and there really is nothing wrong with it. Sangfroid took a moment to convince himself, and exhaled heavily.
"Alright..... You and Vladstin can drink from it. I can also conjure more like this from now on." He said.
Ofelia was eating happily far away from them, and thankfully could not see the scene of her mother's goat friend being bitten and feasted on by her other friends. Ignorance is bliss, they say.
The two nodded, but they seem to share the same idea. They turn to Sangfroid at the same time, eyes gleaning.
"Then can we make a request for next time?" Vladstin asked.
"W.... What is it?" Sangfroid was caught aback by their eager expressions and even took a step back.
The Beast smiled with his beloved's sweet smile, as he bit into the empty Hermit replicas wrist. After sucking in and licking lips he said what he and Vladstin had been thinking:
"Can you conjure someone who looks like you next?"
"You have stayed for a long while now.... A whole day. Hmm..." Vladstin regarded Leron for a long while, expression unreadable. "Ofelia....."The Beast thought that he had begun to be doubtful of him, and would soon have the siren girl sing."Ofelia, you did well on practicing last night. Eat lots and rest, don't strain your vocal cords."The Beast was relieved. Heh, idiot.He took a sip of this horrendous bowl of chicken blood this weakling human is feeding him, trying hard not to have a devious grin escape his lips. He had been worried for nothing, even Vladstin is blind enough to be fooled by his performance. Of course, he had been exerting a lot of effort too in pretending to be Awful White, trying all the mannerisms of a docile and lamb-like gentleman. Which he thoroughly finds disgusting, but a desperate man would do what it takes to gain a loaf of bread, as they said. Still... This loaf of bread is pretty rotten. And he is being basically fed by a big juicy slice of ham if we keep it at this food analogy.Sangfroid's blood is so enticing, he can smell it seeping through the bandage. Even when it is dried, the Beast will do anything just to have a lick at it. The scent is terribly unbearable, too irresistible, that he had to take all his control to not bite the hand that is feeding him already.And he is the exact opposite of control! He is Leron's desire! It's so ironic!He can't help but linger a bit to sniff when the fingers get too close. It is unexplainable what exactly the smell was. It was sort of sweet, but not like fruits or any sweet foods. It's not like any savory meal either.It is just appetizing in every sense of the word."I.... I think I have enough now, Sangfroid. Thank you." He forced himself to say along with a good boy smile."Oh. Alright, Your Highness. If you are hungry, you can still ask for more." Sangfroid presented the gem hanging by his neck. "I can conjure more chickens through the Amulet."The Beast has no idea what this Amulet is with a small dragon inside, nor how it came to Sangfroid's possession. But he had already seen it be used to elongate the small pond that the siren girl was swimming on and turn into a long river. He could not ask without risking suspicion, and so he merely pieced out the clues in his head to come up with a logical solution.This Amulet is magical and conjures what Sangfroid wishes for. "Can you conjure humans through it?" He blurted out.Sangfroid's eyes widened, and he blinked. Vladstin perked his ears up too."Humans?""Yes..... You have not tried. I'm just curious and ah.... I'm really starving for human blood." He turned to Vladstin. "And I believe Vladstin is too. Vampires are not really meant to rely on animal blood, we will still keep on searching for humans.""I am fine even when I don't drink." Vladstin said. "It does not affect me when I starve. But I suppose Leron is right, vampire lords go into stasis if they do not have enough human blood in their system. I am also interested in this too, since the Amulet can conjure any natural and not man-made object and creature, right? Is a human still considered man-made? Or is it natural?"Sangfroid furrowed his eyebrows at this. "I do not know but..... To conjure humans to feed to vampire lords..... It is unethical."Ah, what a bummer! This guy is concerned with ethics, tsk! Truly a weakling!"Then once you conjure one, we don't really have to do anything with them. We can just conjure them." The Beast rubbed his chin. "I am also wondering too what will happen. Will the person you conjure be a completely new individual or..... does the Amulet just transport someone from this world?""Transport?" The two repeated."Yes. I believe we should test it. Because if it is a completely new individual, then we are sure that everything the Amulet conjures, like this chicken we had for dinner, was a new being created solely from Sangfroid's mind. But if it someone who is already existing, with an identity and all bearings intact, then it merely transports already existing things."Vladstin and Sangfroid were now troubled by this dilemma, as they had never considered this before. They had always assumed that everything Sangfroid conjures is a new being, created due to his mind and will by the Amulet's miraculous design. But if it truly just transports....Then somewhere, a lake has been taken away. Somewhere, jewels have been lost to be placed over Leron's head. It feels like.....Like robbing.Though not intentional, it still feels like taking something that isn't theirs. "Shall we test it, then?" Vladstin asked. "It really is an intriguing point."Sangfroid furrowed his brows. "I could but..... Not children. If it truly is just transporting, I do not want children to be taken away from their parents. And also..... The Amulet might conjure someone from afar, and it will take longer for that person to travel back.""So you need to think of conjuring someone who is near, and can return to their home quickly." The Beast nodded.Suddenly, Vladstin laughed.The other two men just looked at him in a perplexed manner as they do not know what they are laughing about."Hey, none of you had thought about it either? It's so simple!" Vladstin clapped. "We could just ask the Amulet to conjure the Hermit here to test this theory!"Both men's eyes widened, but for different reasons. Sangfroid was genuinely surprised by the possibility....While the Beast has no idea who this Hermit person was!!!Who is it? Why do they have to conjure that one out of everyone else?But the two seemed to be zealous with anticipation, as Sangfroid held up the Amulet. They all just watched, as he cleared his throat....."Bring us the Hermit of the Libitinous Mountains."They waited.....And waited...And waited.......The suddenly......Crack!The floor beneath them, exactly below the Amulet, had cracked!Out came....."Ah, this is not...""Hmm....""????"It was the Hermit indeed. Exactly hold Sangfroid had remembered in his memories from childhood, with the long gray beard and the goatskin cape. But there's something wrong with him.He is standing straight, not moving at all.Vladstin took hold of this strange entity's hand, and confirmed it is made of flesh. But still.....It is completely inanimate.He waved on its face, jumping up due to its towering height. It still did not breathe nor move."So it does create a new creation. This isn't the Hermit, it is a lifeless replica of it." Vladstin analyzed. "But how strange..... The fishes and the birds that Sangfroid conjured are still very much alive. Why is it only different with humanoid and sentient creatures?""Hmmm...." The Beast rubbed his chin, and proposed an idea. "Perhaps it is because sentience is what makes man itself, and as you said, this Amulet cannot conjure something man-made. But man itself as a being is made of nature, and so, you are still able to create a man, but just an empty shell."That really was a sound proposition. But...Vladstin recalled Leron saying that he had forgotten a lot of memories, and he assumed that it must be because the other souls were lost. After all, the spleen soul is for intellect and the heart soul is for the mind and memory itself. But he still seems to be as intellectual and quick in thinking as before, with what he said just now.....He does not want to seem paranoid, so he settled with observing more for now."What shall we do with this empty shell then?" Vladstin asked."Well... it is an inanimate object. It does not feel any pain, it has no identity, it has no life. It does not even breathe, only exists. And yet....." The Beast tried to hide it, but a small growl escape the back of his throat and his eyes glimmered a bit. If he was not tied up by the Enchanted Rope Bind, he would have rubbed his fingers together. "It has blood. So can I...""Can I have it?"Sangfroid considered it, looking back and forth at this hollow replice of the Hermit then back to Leron. He was right but then... There is still an aversion in him to see such a scene himself, of Leron drinking the blood of the Hermit. He knows it is not the Hermit itself..... But it still feels wrong.It feels wrong to see him drinking the blood of anyone.But then again, he knows how hungry he is. And he is loyal to him, he can't resist him. Perhaps this aversion is just silly, and there really is nothing wrong with it. Sangfroid took a moment to convince himself, and exhaled heavily. "Alright..... You and Vladstin can drink from it. I can also conjure more like this from now on." He said.Ofelia was eating happily far away from them, and thankfully could not see the scene of her mother's goat friend being bitten and feasted on by her other friends. Ignorance is bliss, they say.The two nodded, but they seem to share the same idea. They turn to Sangfroid at the same time, eyes gleaning."Then can we make a request for next time?" Vladstin asked."W.... What is it?" Sangfroid was caught aback by their eager expressions and even took a step back.The Beast smiled with his beloved's sweet smile, as he bit into the empty Hermit replicas wrist. After sucking in and licking lips he said what he and Vladstin had been thinking:"Can you conjure someone who looks like you next?"
