Since Haruki was always surrounded by beautiful girls, and not a single man could be seen in his expansive mansion, it was easy for outsiders to assume he was a shameless womanizer. The Prime Minister was no exception, which was why he had brought two girls as a peace offering.
Haruki understood exactly what the Prime Minister was thinking but didn't bother to explain.
"All right, they can stay. You can go now."
Haruki said to the Prime Minister.
Seeing that Haruki had accepted the girls, the Prime Minister left cheerfully, clearly pleased with himself.
"Brother... you're not really planning to keep them as personal attendants, are you?"
Nina asked in a slightly sour tone the moment the Prime Minister stepped out. Even the other girls around Haruki were eyeing him suspiciously.
To them, sharing Haruki with people they knew was one thing—but suddenly throwing two strangers into the mix made it hard not to feel jealous.
"Of course not!"
Haruki was amused by their reactions. Their jealousy only proved how much they cared about him.
"Tsukushi and Pony constantly taking blood from each other isn't a long-term solution. It might be fine in the short run, but over time it's harmful to your bodies. So let's take this opportunity—Tsukushi, Pony, turn these two into your bloodkin. That's the proper way for Vampire Clan members to meet their blood needs."
Hearing this, Tsukushi and Pony were deeply moved. Haruki's words showed just how much he cared about their well-being.
But for the two girls brought by the Prime Minister, words like "bloodsucking" and "Vampire Clan" were terrifying. Their faces turned ghostly pale as they began trembling even harder, clutching each other in fear.
It was clear they had been carefully dressed up before being sent over. From their appearance, it was obvious they were sisters.
After a few questions, Haruki and the girls quickly learned about their background.
Just as Haruki had guessed, the two girls were indeed sisters.
The older sister was named Meiki, fourteen years old. She had long, light purple hair that flowed down to her hips, large brown eyes, and pale, flawless skin.
What stood out the most were her long, slender legs—far too striking for someone her age. She wore a sailor-style uniform, similar to Kurome's, though hers was in soft shades of white and light blue. A red ribbon bow tied at her collar, and matching light purple stockings hugged her legs, creating a look that was subtly enticing.
Her younger sister, Meina, was thirteen. Like her sister, she had light purple hair, though hers was tied up in a bun with a large bow. She wore a sailor uniform as well, with long black stockings. Unlike Meiki's slim figure, Meina had a plump, soft build that made her legs look especially shapely.
The sisters' background was especially tragic. Due to the crushing taxes in their hometown, life had become unbearable. And in the Empire, the preference for sons over daughters was widespread. A year ago, in desperation to support their younger brother, Meiki and Meina's parents had sold them off to the Capital. Their exceptional looks caught the attention of the Prime Minister, who selected them from among many girls with the intention of raising them to eventually use as political pawns.
Among the many girls groomed by the Prime Minister, Meiki and Meina were by far the most beautiful.
As the sisters shared their story, it immediately stirred the sympathy of the other girls. Whatever jealousy they'd felt earlier vanished completely. After all, aside from Nina, most of the women present had suffered through similar experiences—and that shared pain created an instant sense of kinship.
"Big sisters, please don't drink Meina's blood—take mine instead!"
Even though she was terrified, Meiki still instinctively protected her younger sister.
"Don't listen to what he said just now. Let us explain what's really going on."
Moved by Meiki's bravery, the girls around them felt a wave of sympathy. Tsukushi and Pony quickly stepped forward to comfort the sisters, shooting a side glance at Haruki, clearly blaming him for scaring them with his choice of words.
After some time, with the girls taking turns explaining, Meiki and Meina finally understood what Haruki meant by "bloodsucking." Though the concept of vampires still felt strange to them, they didn't hesitate to agree once they heard that becoming one would grant them a significant boost in power.
Having gone through so much already, the sisters understood better than anyone how important strength was. They knew that as girls—especially attractive ones—survival in a world like this meant having power. Nothing else mattered.
Seeing that the girls weren't opposed, Haruki didn't delay.
He first drew blood from both Tsukushi and Pony, storing it in test tubes. Then he took out a variety of materials from the storage ring on his hand and added them in sequence. As the components mixed, the vivid red liquid gradually grew paler.
These materials were items Haruki had exchanged from the System and preserved since a thousand years ago, back when he was forging Teigu. Thanks to his experience crafting Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Essence, Haruki was able to complete the preparation swiftly—far simpler than creating a Teigu.
This time, however, the concoction he made was quite different from the one he had given Tsukushi and Pony. By adjusting the ingredients and their proportions, Haruki had drastically altered its effects.
After drinking it, Meiki and Meina would gain the strength of noble-class vampires. But unlike ordinary vampires, they wouldn't be harmed by sunlight and wouldn't need to consume blood anymore.
Of course, nothing comes without trade-offs. While they gained immense benefits, they also lost out on some of what a standard transformation would have given them. For instance, their power among noble vampires would only be average, and their long-term potential was significantly reduced. Still, compared to ordinary humans, they were vastly superior in every way.
Once Haruki handed the mixture to them, the sisters drank without hesitation. Like Tsukushi and Pony before them, their bodies began to react—though their transformation was much smoother. After all, Tsukushi and Pony had consumed Haruki's own blood as a true progenitor.
Now, the sisters' already delicate figures became even more flawless. Their brown eyes turned deep crimson, just like Tsukushi and Pony's. Their pale purple hair, once close in shade to Haruki's, had now shifted to the same light blue as his.
That was the nature of vampires—descendants created by a True Ancestor or Progenitor would always take on traits from their bloodline. It's why vampire clans each have distinct physical features. In Haruki's case, it was his blue hair. Red eyes, however, remained a universal trait among all vampires.
Since Meiki and Meina had never undergone any training, their mental endurance was weak. The transformation overwhelmed them, and the moment it was done, both had already lost consciousness and were now fast asleep.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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