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  Vd decided to follow up on Alitheus words so as not to make things more awkward. Nodding and saying that he agreed with what he said.

  “Yeah, mother, we discussed this beforehand, and with Alitheus’ healing magid his various other powers, he would be of great help,” he said. “I assure you of his loyalty to our family and his utmost help. His healing magic could also take care of me and other people. There are still many people in hospitals, right? With his help, we could quickly heal them. After all, healing magic of his caliber is very rare in here, isn’t it?”

  Healing magic is often derived from the Holy and Life Elements, all of which are attributes that almost no being iirety of the Realm of Obscuritas wields. Therefore, it was extremely rare.

  And even if there was someoh it, this healing magic would usually hurt the inhabitants of this realm as it carried deadly holy and light elements, which most races were weak against.

  However, Chris’ avatar, Alitheus, was different. His healing magic is derived from a spiritual martial teiques that the Heavenly Emperor wielded, which he jure by using his own Ki bined with Ara.

  It carried no harmful elements, and although it was bright as light, it didn’t damage vampires when it healed them, though if he wished, he could turn it into a damaging spell.

  Teressa sighed, nodding, and then crossed her arms with a slight smile.

  “I know, he’s very useful. Did you think I was going to kick him away, my son? When you find such a useful subject as him, you do everything you to keep him ed with you,” she smiled. “You’ve done good; sedug him has made him want to stay. Well done. You are slowly learning the ing ways of vampires. There is nothing to be ashamed of when using our beauty to charm other lesser beings.”

  “What is she even talking about?” Chris muttered.

  “A-Ah! Yeah! That’s right, mother!” Vd wao just py along with his vampire mother for now. “He is… very loyal indeed, and that’s exactly the reason. We have to keep him around and on a tight leash.”

  Vd patted Chris' head as the incubus gred at him with disbelief.

  “What is this idiot even talking about?” he thought.

  “Right, Alitheus? You will remain here as you suggested…” Vd smiled back at him.

  “Yeah, sure, haha! I am so charmed with you, Lord Vd!” Alitheus said. “I shall remain here and serve you and your family until my st days!”

  Chris decided to py around after he decided to just let Paul pay for it ter.

  “Well said!” Teressa nodded. “So first of all, because of your retionship with my son... I ’t simply accept you as a mere servaher. I suppose you will bee his future e, yes. At least one of his brides. Male vampires usually have many mistresses and brides, you see.”

  “Uh-huh…” Chris nodded without being able to process what was being talked about. “Wait! Bride?!”

  “Mother, there’s o go so far…” said Vd. “Leave it at just being a doctor… or nurse if you want to treat him as a female.”

  “He does look very femi isn’t as if he would be the first male to bee a bride in this try,” she smiled. “There are a few cases… Your father, for example, does have two male es.”

  “Wait, Father does?!” Vd gasped.

  Paul and Chris were still processing what was being said right now.

  Apparently the Vampires were more open-mihahought, but at the same time, they were still quite insane.

  That the Emperor himself had two male “es” already spoke great lengths about things.

  “Yes, sometimes males are taken by others as trophies and prizes,” smiled Teressa. “To strip the manhood of a feminine aiful man is a great showcase of masity! So I am quite proud of my sht now.”

  “What is she even talking about?! And why does that sound so hot?!” Chris thought, getting horny out of Teressa’s remarks about having his masity stripped by a manly stud.

  “Um, what are these two male es my father has?” Vd had grown ied in his father’s bisexuality.

  “They’re both princes of two small nations; one is from the Moon Elves and the other from the Silver Gargoyles; they’re more beautiful than most of his other brides, though they ot pare with your mother’s beauty,” Teressa stated. “Oh, anyways, that shouldn’t matter right now, and…!”

  “No, mother… Ah, this has been fusing, but I want to crify that my retionship with Alitheus is still developing,” said Vd. “And I do not io have any more brides or es; if anything, we are just dating right now. And whatever happens ter, we’ll see.”

  He was surprised he had more ce with Teressa, a terrifyingly strong vampire, than with his real-life mother.

  Well, it was a videogame, so it was easier in his head.

  “What! But such things…” she muttered. “Do you not io follow any of our family’s traditions, my son?”

  “Mama, let big brother alone already; he wants to be with his friend, and that’s about it!” said Camil. “He’ll help the city and us, and he’s a healer... There is o force them into anything! Don’t be a meanie!”

  “M-Meanie?!” Teressa gasped. “I… Well, I should perhaps rethink the words I used. Okay fine. Let’s move away from this for now. There are indeed more important things.”

  Vd could have goh his life without knowing that his father had two femboy brides, but now that he knew, he didn’t really know what to think about the man.

  “Thanks,” said Chris, sighing. “I am also a Pyer, so I’ve bee a friend of your son through this e. We’ve beeering dungeons and also growing strether. What happened betweewo… We don’t really regret that, but we’ll take our time.”

  “Hmm… It seems there’s little I do in this situation,” Teressa nodded as she started serving ptes with blood sausage stew. “My son is already an adult, and as a mother, I’ve failed him many times... I suppose what my son does or not no longer depends on me. He is free to do as he pleases, as long as he doesn’t sully the honor of our prideful family.”

  “I won’t,” Vd nodded. “I am a prideful vampire, and with this identity I have as one, I shall carry it pridefully anywhere I go. Fear not, mother.”

  “Well said,” his mother nodded, caressing his face, kissing his cheek, and then hugging him. “Now, let’s eat a meal together. I owe you this much after being away from you for so long. There’s a lot we o discuss as well.”

  The family of four sat down around the table as they happily started digging in. The blood sausage stew, which at first seemed slightly gross to Chris and Paul, ended up being surprisingly delicious.

  The blood fvor wasn’t strong, and the sausages were meaty and juicy. There were also purple-colored potatoes and red-colored carrots named Moonlight Roots and Scarlet Fingers, both endemits of Obscuritas that were farmed all year.

  They possessed a rge quantity of Blood Essend Moonlight Essence, which was very healthy for vampires, most demons, and werewolves to eat. Usually, normal vegetables wouldn’t be patable, but these roots were good enough and supplemeheir diets, which often sisted of pure meat or blood.

  For lower csses that couldn’t afford too much blood or meat, they were essential for their survival; eating a pte of this stew a week was enough for Teressa’s family to be filled with energy for a whole week.

  “So how is it?” woeressa with a smile, having already finished her pte. Vd noticed his vampire mother ate very fast and had a lot of manners.

  “It’s delicious…” Vd smiled. “The soup is creamy, the sausages are meaty, and these roots I had asted before; they’re both slightly sweet and spicy, and they plement well with everything else.”

  “I want seds, mama!” Camil had already emptied her pte as well.

  “I’m so happy you liked it!” Teressa seemed to be in bliss as she quickly served seds to everyohis is a meal from my family that has passed through many geions. Blood Sausage Stew is not needed anymore; our wealth allows us to easily sustain ourselves with blood alone. But I’ve grown bored of just drinking blood. Food is fioo, sometimes.”

  “So mom is a foodie, noted,” Vd nodded. “I’ll try t you new ingredients to cook new dishes with you then, mother.”

  “F-Foodie?! I would never!”

  Teressa felt slightly embarrassed about having been caught.

  “Hmm, I hought the food here would feel so realistic!” said Chris, eating his fill. “Do you have any bread, though? I think these sausages could make a really good sandwich…”

  Chris words made Teressa rather ied.

  “Bread, you say? Isn’t that something only the people of other Realms e?” she wondered. “Last time I heard about you people, succubus and incubus are demons that live off the life force they drain from their victims. Or from eating their dreams and draining their souls. So where did you learn about such a thing? And what do you mean by realistic?”

  “A-Ah, I mean… That’s right! I haven’t really had a proper meal in a while, so it feels… Realistically amazing!” Chris was improvising. “And about bread, they used to have it in the brothel. Demons also eat it; it’s easy to make with grains.”

  “I see,” said Teressa. "Grains, you say… I don’t know if it could be healthy for vampires to eat that, but perhaps if we add some roots to it to make it edible, it could work. Now, let’s go to more important topics while you finish your meals.”

  Teressa then proceeded to talk about what has happened so far in Elderbridge. She was blunt and direct, saying that roughly eighty people lost their lives. Thirty houses were pletely buro the ground, and five streets had beeroyed and required proper repairs.

  The lost people will be mourned in a special “Festival of the Dead” to let the souls pass by with the blessing of the three moon goddesses, a special festivity of the people of Obscuritas, who were very spiritual and ected with souls and the cepts of the afterlife.

  However, the people arose from the lost houses and markets, and also from the streets themselves.

  “I’ve calcuted, and we’ll need roughly ten millio s to buy everything necessary for proper reparations,” she said. “Our small city is also being overdriven by thugs, and most citizens have not been paying taxes either... Now that I am awake, I thought I should ask for taxes and also punish those who have skipped them.”

  “Wait, are you sure?” Vd wondered. “Wouldn’t that only make things worse? The citizens already went through a lot themselves, and most people are in terrible poverty; nobody in Elderbridge had money. If you ask them for taxes and they have not a single penny, what are you going to do? Throw them away? You’ll only hurt yourself in the long run.”

  “What? You dare speak to me in such a tone, my son? You…!” Teressa’s pride as a vampire kicked off, but then she calmed down wheiced Camil was looking. “Ahem… Well, I suppose… No, you’re n…”

  She quickly realized the truth. Although she was incapable of applyihy to other people other thawo childreo her ruthless nature, after her son opened her eyes regarding the situation of the citizens, she realized that her pns were foolish.

  “But without the funds, our city will only grow poorer and look even worse,” she sighed. “If my husband learns I’ve left things like this, he’ll surely take away my title as Duchess and…”

  “I think I have a pn,” said Vd.

  “Oh? What is it?” Teressa wondered.

  “I’ve heard that there are several anizations that deal with magic drugs, illegal traffig of potions, elixirs, magic artifacts, and so on. As long as we take care of them and fiscate what they had, we could gain enough moo restore the city to its former state,” he said. “Ohat is over, we should reahe Guilds and directly recruit men below our wing to quer the dungeons and bring us their resources. Later, ohe ey has finally stabilized, we will ask for taxes once most people have already found a new job.”

  “Vd… Is this really the same sickly son I once had?”

  Teressa couldn’t believe it was her sickly son who was giving her a lecture about how to maerritory.

  But as the son of a duchess, Vd was not going to waste this opportunity.

  Territory ma was never something he imagined he would be doing in a game like this.

  But he was slightly excited about it.

  -----

  Pach