My Vampire Little Sister-Chapter 79 Circumstances Of The Blackburn House (3)
The Blackburn Estate was quite different from the Everwinter Estate and the Moonreaver Dimension that I’d visited. The Everwinter Estate was a mansion built in the middle of a Winter Wonderland, and the Moonreaver Dimension was a place that was crafted entirely through magic, a perfect Nightmare Realm where all Vampires could thrive.
The Blackburn Estate, on the other hand, was much different. It had functional roads, houses, suburbs… It even had a centralised city area. Rather than a family residence, it looked much more like a small town.
As beings of the night, the town wasn’t completely in the open. Most of the important infrastructure had been hidden underground, both for protection and comfort purposes. Also, since it was a Vampire settlement, they were far away from any human civilization, placed right in the middle of a vast canyon. And due to the rugged terrain, it was near impossible for any planes or land vehicles to enter or leave the Blackburn Estate.
The only way to enter this remote area was through the Warp Gates that the Moonreaver House provides or by walking in on foot.
But surprisingly enough, even though the Blackburn House was extremely remote, the facilities that they provided were top-notch. The guest villa that we were staying in contained everything that one could ask for, even a mock training room to hone one’s magic skills.
However, I wasn’t the one using this training room this time. Rather, it was Capella who had booked it to torture… Ahem, train her lazy little sister, Lisa. Lilith was present as well, but she was just reading a book. Well, her eyes were clearly plastered on the paperback, but for some reason, I could feel her gaze stuck on my body, and for good reason.
Seated on a comfortable sofa that I’d created, I had one of my hands stroking Irina’s silky white hair while she leaned happily on my lap. Each time my fingers ran down her neck, the girl let out a blissful purr while the warmth of her satisfied breath tickled my hands.
If I were just a guest, I would have nothing to complain about. A beauty on my lap as we rested for an indefinite amount of time without a care in the world. Most men would kill to be in my position. Alas, I had an objective that had yet to be fulfilled.
“It has been five days! Is Ysabelle even going to come?” Irina pouted angrily while shuffling her head on my lap.
“Weren’t you happy that she wouldn’t meet Jin?” Lilith interjected while resisting the urge to pull the girl off my body.
In the beginning, the pair continuously fought over who should be the one who could cuddle and stay by my side. Irina complained that she hadn’t seen me in over a month and she deserved to be with me twenty-four seven. Lilith, on the other hand, argued that she had recently become my Bloodmate, and as the one who knew about rituals the best, she could tend to my soul should any issue come up.
And sadly, my idea to share the love between the three of us was quickly shot down by both their vicious stares.
In conclusion, the pair decided to come up with a compromise. They would alternate the days they spent in my bedroom and the time we spent outside. And since Lilith had her turn yesterday, Irina had turned far clingier than usual. Especially since Lilith was in the room with us as we discussed Ysabelle’s matter..
It might take a long time before the two of them would start to get along.
“Yes, I’m happy that Ysabelle hasn’t come into the picture yet. After all, with you around, it’s already a crowd. I don’t need another pest flying around Brother.”
“… You really want to go down that road?”
“Hmph! We haven’t settled our battle! There’s no telling who is stronger!”
The two girls locked eyes with gritted teeth. Although magic wasn’t used, a faint pressure descended upon the chamber that we were in, winding up the tension so tight that you could cut it with a knife. And so, to prevent the girls from causing any property damage, I immediately intervened:
“Girls, relax. If you keep arguing, nothing will get done.”
“…”
“…”
Perhaps it was the sternness in my voice, but the pair instantly stopped their quibbling. They were currently in a war for my affection, and they didn’t want to do anything to screw that up. And while it sounded chauvinistic to say, I had to man up sometimes and put my foot down. Otherwise, the girls would keep stepping over me, making me just a spectator in our twisted relationship.
“Miss Capella, do you have any information about the happenings of the Blackburn House?”
At my words, the silver-haired knight stopped her barbarous training session and pierced the Stargazer on the ground. Wiping her sweat off, she replied: “Nothing. The Blackburn House has been tight-lipped, even to the Moonreaver House.”
“That’s worrying…” Lilith frowned and rubbed her chin. Her adorable nose twitched a little as she started to fall deep into thought. “Judging from the number of troops involved, there seems to be a big operation. Plus, they had asked for help from the Werewolves instead of bringing it to the Council. It shouldn’t be just a simple outbreak like they said.”
“Have the Blackburns and the Werewolves always been this close?”
“For strategic purposes, the Blackburn House and Warclaw Tribe have some diplomatic relations. They do, after all, help each other to guard a Gate. And not just any Gate, a Gate that a Demon Lord had come out from before.”
Outer Demons invaded our world primarily from the prominent Gates that ripped open the fabric of Spacetime, connecting our two worlds together. On record, there were twenty-seven major Gates, each one serving as a portal for the dangerous Outer Demons to pass through.
The Everwinter House guarded one of those Gates, and due to the Winter Graveyard and their advantage in sub-zero climates, the Everwinter House was the sole entity that possessed the capability to do that.
The vast majority of the twenty-seven major Gates were protected by the collective power of multiple races. The one that the Blackburn House was guarding was one such Gate.
The Blackburn House, the Warclaw Tribe, Hunters from the neighbouring country… Even Exorcists from the Holy Church. They all allied together to protect the world from the Outer Demons. And if it were a Gate that a Demon Lord had once exited from before… Well, let’s say even the most egregious of sins could be forgiven.
“I see… Truth to be told, I have done some digging.”
“Huh? But you didn’t go anywhere?”
Lilith looked a little stunned by my statement. She had spent the last few days by my side, and even when Irina had her turn, she had been observing my every action. That’s how she knew I didn’t take a step outside of this villa.
“Heh, so you didn’t notice.” Irina let out a triumphant smile as if she had finally taken a big win over her adversary. “Brother has been using his clone to sneak out for the past two days.”
“You did that?!”
“Of course,” I waved my hand and using my Creation magic, I moulded a man into existence. However, unlike the clones I created in the past, this man had a wizened, middle-aged appearance. If he didn’t do anything to attract attention, he would simply be just another face in the crowd.
“… You’ve changed your clone’s appearance?”
“Just a little,” I replied to Lilith’s question with a smile. “The Blackburn House knows what I look like, so creating a clone that looks like a whole other person to collect information would make more sense.”
“And you used this clone to sneak around?”
“Haha, I’m not that crass. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, I don’t want to aggravate the Blackburn House. I just let this clone wander around public places, eavesdropping on conversations from everyone it comes in contact with.”
“How would that help?”
“You underestimate how talkative people can be, Lilith. People on the field would often brag about how many Outer Demons they have slain while people living in the Blackburn Estate would spread rumours about anything. While on its own, they might be mundane information, if we have enough data points, we can paint a rough picture about what’s going on here.”
The two girls fell silent at my explanation. Logically speaking, the best way to get information is to directly ask the Blackburn House what they were doing. However, none of them wanted to meet me, and Ysabelle’s butler kept up the lie that his master wasn’t near. And my comrades weren’t going to help either, given that their interests were to keep Ysabelle as far from me as possible.
Otherwise, why would I take such a long-winded route to gain information?
“Sometimes, I’m terrified by how your brain works, Jin.”
“You could be a master spy, Brother.”
“Really? I feel that it’s just common sense.” I brushed aside Irina and Lilith’s faces of awe and started projecting a video in mid-air. Although I’ve thoroughly reviewed the data, it was still good to get a second opinion. “These are some of the highlights that the clone has recorded.”
The first memory I played was that of two doctors on their smoke break. They were discussing the severity of their patient’s injuries. One of them even described in great detail how difficult it was to treat a Werewolf with several broken bones. The most crucial detail, however, was the doctor’s accounts of what Outer Demons had appeared. f𝒓𝑒e𝙬𝒆𝚋𝘯૦𝘷𝐞𝑙.c𝑜𝐦
Following that was a conversation between a pack of Werewolves. Most of them were drunk, causing them to swear about Vampires, drawing ire from Lilith and Irina. Even Capella couldn’t hide her disgusted look after watching those boorish Werewolves. However, in their drunken stupor, they divulged the total number of Werewolves the Warclaw Tribe had sent, and even their plans to add reinforcements.
“That many?! Is the Blackburn House trying to start a war?!”
It wasn’t Irina or Lilith who screamed out loud, but the seasoned veteran Capella Moonreaver. She knew that the situation was dire, but she never thought that the Blackburn House would request so many Werewolves to help. Even Variel, who had always worn a smile of complete professionalism, couldn’t help but frown at that drastic number.
“That’s not the worst part.”
At this point, I played the last memory that I wanted to show. It was between two Blackburn Vampires who operated the Warp Gates.
“Yet another batch of Werewolves have arrived.”
“Goodness, how many hundreds have arrived?”
“Too many… To allow this many Werewolves to enter our home… Has the General lost his mind?”
“It can’t be helped; we need the Werewolves’ strong physical powers to deal with the Outer Demons. The ones that appeared this time are much more troublesome than before.”
“Because of their resistance to magic, right?”
And therein laid our answer. The reason why so many Werewolves were coming and why the Blackburn House has yet to ask for any help from other Guardian Houses. The Outer Demons they faced couldn’t be defeated by magic, making it difficult for Vampires to fight them. While the Blackburn House could always rely on their Blood Servants, getting the more physically dominant Werewolves to fight their battles would be better.
Yet, the conversation wasn’t done…
“Then, have you heard of that rumour?”
“What rumour?”
“You know the one where the Warclaw’s Alpha has taken an interest in our young lady.”
“Ah, that one. Don’t tell me…”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that the main reason why the Warclaw Tribe has sent so many Werewolves to help us is because of the Alpha’s desire to chase Mistress Ysabelle. The Werewolves are apparently getting rowdy as they believe a marriage proposal is coming.”
“What?! Has the General accepted their terms?!”
“Of course not! There hasn’t been a formal proposal yet. And the General doesn’t want to aggravate the Werewolves due to our current predicament. Either way, there’s no way the General would sell his only daughter to the barbaric Werewolves… right?”
At that point, the memory ended, and silence fell on all who witnessed it.
Needless to say, Irina and Lilith were speechless, unaware of what was the best reaction to have. Their subordinates were as dumbfounded as they were, but it was mostly from disgust as matrimony between a Werewolf and Vampire was highly irregular, even with the long history between them.
As for me…
“Let’s go find Ysabelle.”
I wasn’t going to stay quiet as some smelly old wolf dares to lust over Ysabelle. Even if Ysabelle had fallen out of love with me or if she was unhappy with how late I’d come for her… There was no way I would let her marry someone else entirely.
