Chapter 96: Vampire Research (Half R18)

I woke up with my body screaming at me. Not only was I still drained of mana, but I also had to deal with Trish, who apparently had the libido of a beast.

It was honestly a miracle I wasn’t dead by now.

But it was worth it. Of course it was. I’d be crazy not to have loved every second of what happened.

"Ugh... Trish?"

I stirred awake and sat up. To my surprise, she wasn’t standing at the side of my bed holding Anna’s portrait. In fact, she was nowhere in my room at all.

"Strange..."

Then I noticed the strange sensation on my lower body and the sounds coming from beneath the covers. When I pulled the blanket down, I found her.

She wasn’t even dressed yet, still wearing the same thing she had on last night, nothing. And she was already on me, giving me a blowjob this early in the morning while her fingers were between her thighs.

...I really had awakened a monster.

"Good morning, Reyn~"

She said it mid-lick, her smile absolutely devious, her tongue still pressed flat against the underside of my shaft. Her silver hair was a mess, tangled and sticking to her cheek, still damp from last night’s exertions.

The dried mess from our earlier activities was still visible on her thighs, a faint, chalky sheen that she hadn’t bothered to clean.

She didn’t stop. Her lips sealed around the head again, her cheeks hollowing as she sucked, and her fingers, the ones not currently buried between her own thighs, dug into my hip, pulling me deeper.

"Trish—"

"Mmph."

She pulled back just enough to speak, her lips still brushing the tip.

"You said I could have what I wanted."

Her hand was moving between her legs, wrist twisting, fingers glistening with a fresh wave of arousal that dripped onto the already stained sheets. She hadn’t even showered. She’d just woken up and decided to pick up where we’d left off.

"This is what I wanted."

She took me deep again, her throat working as she swallowed around me, a muffled moan vibrating through my length. Her fingers moved faster, the wet sounds from below the covers mixing with the sloppy, obscene noises of her mouth.

She pulled back with a wet pop, a thin strand of saliva connecting her swollen lips to the tip.

"Good thing the academy’s on break, huh?" she murmured, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Break?"

"Mhm. A letter came in just now about the Academy needing to review its Federation visit."

"No wonder you’re doing this."

She tilted her head, her expression shifting into something mock-offended.

"You thought I was hedonistic enough to do this on a school day? Of course not. No matter how much I love you, Reyn, I can’t distract you from academics."

She whispered the last part, her breath hot against the slick skin.

"But enough of that. Focus on me and let your body rest."

? ? ?

Who knew too much of a good thing could be bad?

I groaned, my entire body aching as I limped toward the Brimstone library. Trish hadn’t let me rest for another few hours. It was a miracle I even got out of bed in one piece.

Note to self: giving a crazy woman who loves you to pieces permission to do anything she wants is a terrible idea. At least while my magic is disabled.

Well, at least I was spoiled. Guess I got what I wanted.

"Academy’s on break, Anna’s probably in lockdown because her parents are worried, and I’m in no condition to do anything dumb."

I muttered the words under my breath as I headed toward the occult section. I hadn’t even been allowed to access this place until recently, relying on the academy’s library for my research instead.

But now that Father had seen enough of my capabilities, I was finally granted entry.

Gavian and Yuria were already here, of course. Gavian sat near the windows with a light magic tome open in his lap, while Yuria occupied a corner table with a stack of swordsmanship manuals.

Gavian looked pleasantly satisfied that I, a Brimstone, was finally allowed inside the family library. Yuria glanced up when I entered, her expression carefully neutral. Not as hostile as before, but still a long way from warm. I wondered if the news about the Federation incident had reached her.

"Let’s see. Vampires, vampires... there has to be something about vampires here, right?"

Seraph’s book had been useful, but it was limited. If I was going to make sure Fate Erasure didn’t have any unintended side effects, I needed more information.

"How is there nothing about vampires here?"

I crossed my arms, genuinely shocked at the lack of books about what had to be the most popular supernatural beings in existence.

I moved through the shelves, scanning the spines with growing frustration. The occult section was impressive by most standards: curses, hexes, forbidden rituals, demonology, even a few tomes on primordial magic that looked like they hadn’t been touched in centuries. But vampires? Almost nothing.

"Something wrong?"

Gavian had looked up from his book, watching me with mild curiosity.

"Looking for information on vampires."

"Vampires?" He raised an eyebrow. "That’s an unusual interest, even for you."

"It’s research."

"Research for what, exactly?"

I pulled a thin, dusty volume from the shelf.

On the Nature of Bloodbound Creatures, and flipped through it. Basic information. Weaknesses, feeding habits, a brief section on half-vampires that I already knew.

"Just trying to understand something."

Gavian studied me for a moment, then set his book aside and rose from his chair. He crossed the library with the kind of unhurried confidence that came from years of being the favored son, stopping beside me to scan the shelves himself.

"The Brimstone library doesn’t have much on vampires," he admitted. "Father never saw the point. They’re rare in Leonis, and the ones that do exist tend to stay hidden. The Church of Lumine handled most vampire-related incidents centuries ago."

"So where would I find more?"

Gavian considered the question.

"The Royal Archives, maybe. Or the Tower of Magi’s private collection. Both are restricted, but with your recent... reputation, you might be able to talk your way in."

He paused, then added, "Why the sudden interest, anyway? You’ve never mentioned vampires before."

I weighed my options. Gavian wasn’t an enemy anymore, but he wasn’t an ally either. Not fully. He’d acknowledged my improvement, but he still didn’t trust me completely.

Better I just give a half-truth.

"I’m just interested in vampire women, that’s all."

Gavian blinked. Then his expression shifted through several emotions in rapid succession: confusion, disbelief, and finally a resigned sort of acceptance.

"...Well, that’s somewhat reassuring."

"How is any of what I said reassuring?"

"At least now I know you’re still the same brother I know. And not some completely different person because of a head injury."

"Touching."

"I know, right?"

Gavian said it with a straight face, but the corner of his mouth twitched.

"For a while there, I was genuinely worried. You woke up one day and suddenly you were competent, disciplined, and not harassing every woman in sight. It was unsettling."