Reincarnated as the Vampire Princess' Familiar
Chapter 48 - 2 - An unexpected challenge to push beyond one’s limits

Chapter 48: 2 - An unexpected challenge to push beyond one’s limits

«Ever since my beloved sister awakened her Innatus, she now spends more time with Clotilde than she does with you. That is not proper behavior for a good mistress. I will have to scold her the next time I see her,» Daphne mutters, shrugging.

«I think it’s only natural that she trains every day with Clotilde. Ayra has grown so powerful that her entry as a prominent member of the Scarlet Army was just a matter of time...» I murmur, trying to justify her—more to convince myself than Daphne.

Ever since I recovered from convalescence, Ayra and I have barely spent any time together. In the morning, when I wake up, she’s already out of bed, and I have to wait until dinner to see her again—every single day. Sure, when we’re together in the evening, lying in the same bed, she, um... makes up for it. Nothing indecent, of course. Ayra is still my mistress, and I would never dare lay a finger on her, but when I find myself in her arms, completely naked, her breasts as my pillow and her soft hands caressing my back... it’s pretty hard to keep my adolescent hormones in check, and falling asleep becomes a real challenge!

«Anyway... where are we going? And why did you ask me to come along with you and Kajetan?» I ask, puzzled, as we march through the vast garden surrounding the castle—me on Daphne’s right and her familiar on her left.

«Where we’re going is a surprise, even for Kajetan,» Daphne replies. «Rather... why don’t you ask me why Kajetan is here instead?»

«I... I didn’t think about it,» I reply, though, in truth, it was the first thing that crossed my mind when I saw him. Still, I figured it would be rude to ask; after all, Kajetan Valakys is the familiar of a royal family member, so it shouldn’t be that unusual to see him here.

«My beloved familiar spends most of his time training with Rashid Narkov—you remember him, right? The boy he fought that time, ranked number two. But lately, the power gap between them—which wasn’t particularly significant until recently—has become quite evident. Kajetan no longer sees him as someone who can help him reach his full potential,» Daphne explains.

«His true potential...?» I repeat, genuinely surprised. «Kajetan can still become even stronger?» I add, speaking of him as if he weren’t even here—his perpetually silent and distant demeanor often makes me forget that he’s actually with us.

«Oh, young Lyon, you still have so much to learn...» Daphne sighs, disappointed. «The strength Kajetan has attained isn’t a final goal, but merely a starting point. Let me ask you a simple question: in your opinion, who is stronger, a vampire or a human?»

«Well, a vampire, obviously,» I reply without hesitation.

«Why?»

«Well... I guess because of the BloodWords...»

«If simply knowing how to use the BloodWords were enough to be strong, you’d already be the strongest familiar of all. Yet, I don’t think that’s the case,» she replies. «Do you know what the difference between a vampire and a human is?» she adds.

«The difference between a vampire and a human...» I repeat, glancing upward as if the answer might appear in the sky. I don’t think it’s something physical; Sasha said that, anatomically, vampires and humans are almost identical, which is why I can do... those things. Maybe... «...vampires possess Sanguis energy?»

«Exactly,» Daphne confirms. «The only difference between us and you is the type of energy we manipulate. In a way, since you can control both thanks to the Visanguis, one could say you’ve become a hybrid. Shocking, isn’t it...?»

«You can say that again...»

Me... a half-vampire? So Luke wasn’t entirely wrong to see me as different from them—from the other familiars... Oh my God... It’s going to take me quite some time to process this...

«Back to us. If the only difference between a vampire and a human is the type of energy they manipulate, and as Clotilde has surely already told you during your training, Vis and Sanguis are merely two sides of the same coin—two opposing but equivalent energies—then what stops a human, through dedication and perseverance, from reaching or even surpassing the strength of the strongest vampires? I’ll tell you: nothing. Nothing prevents Kajetan from becoming as strong as Clotilde. The only real difference between a vampire and a human is that vampires are born infused with magical energy, whereas yours is forcibly extracted through the BindingRitual. Since we’ve been accustomed to handling it since birth, our rate of improvement is much faster than that of a human, but I’d say time is hardly a concern here,» Daphne concludes, her voice as sweet as honey.

«In other words... a vampire’s strength increases faster than a human’s, but both can reach the same level?»

«The fact that you’re so surprised makes me think my dear Ayra has taught you nothing... and yet, these are fairly well-known facts. My little sister will deserve much more than a scolding tonight,» Daphne mutters again.

«...Oh, we’re almost there,» she adds, spotting a small clearing in the distance where Dorje and Gerard are training together. Nearby, Sasha is lying on the grass, dressed only in underwear—which, knowing her, is already more than expected.

«Well, look who decided to visit me... what a pleasant surprise...» Sasha murmurs with evident sarcasm, her voice tinged with annoyance at the sight of us. Her irritation likely stems from Daphne’s presence, as it’s clear Sasha can’t stand her—though I still don’t understand why. I just hope it’s not because Daphne wins that famous annual dance commemorating the founding of the Mildelar kingdom every single time...

However, Daphne doesn’t respond to the provocation, maintaining her usual calm and composure.

«...Oh, your little dog is here too...» Sasha adds with amusement, only now noticing Kajetan’s presence, probably concealed by Daphne’s wide white coat.

«My little dog has a name!» Daphne points out, her tone calm but firm.

«Yeah, yeah...» Sasha sighs. «Anyway, what do you want from me?! Can’t you see I’m busy training my familiar?!» she asks arrogantly, still lying down.

To me, it honestly looks more like she’s taking a nap...

«As you can imagine, no familiar can rival my beloved Kajetan anymore, so he has decided to raise the difficulty level and test himself not against other humans, but against vampires...» Daphne begins, drawing Sasha’s attention with those words, her gaze now filled with curiosity. «...A high-level vampire, someone who can push him beyond his limits... but unfortunately, Clotilde is busy with Ayra, which leaves only you,» Daphne concludes with a hint of sarcasm.

«Are you seriously asking me to fight your familiar...?» Sasha asks, her tone unmistakably perplexed.

«Exactly, if you feel up to it, of course. I understand that losing to a human in front of your own familiar could be humiliating, so I’d understand if you refused the challenge...» Daphne’s words are as calm as they are sharp.

At that point, Sasha finally stands up—her barely covered body displaying all its exaggerated sensuality—as she gazes at her sister and Kajetan with an amused look. «Why don’t you fight him yourself?»

«Oh, we’ve already fought twice... and he’s defeated me both times,» Daphne replies, a hint of pride in her voice.

Sasha is stunned for a moment by those words, and so am I, although, to be honest, I had already seen him kill a vampire of the CrimsonRequiem during the ambush in Noxscura—probably someone stronger than Daphne. Anyway... it’s truly incredible how strong that guy is.

«And tell me, my dear sister... what do you want to bet? You are asking me to put my reputation on the line in a fight I frankly don’t care about, so you can’t expect me not to ask for something in return,» Sasha says, her eyes now glued to Kajetan.

«If my familiar wins, you’ll be his training partner for the next week. I must admit, albeit reluctantly, that you’re stronger than me and, obviously, than Levreshka,» Daphne proposes.

«I accept,» Sasha promptly responds. «But, in case of my victory...» She mischievously licks her index and middle fingers, sliding them sensually under her thin panties. «...I get to have sex with your familiar all night... if he still has something left down there...» She adds that last sentence with a rather suspicious tone. What does she mean by that?

«I expected nothing less from you...» Daphne mutters, shaking her head slightly. «If Kajetan is fine with these conditions, so am I.»

Kajetan simply nods, though he doesn’t look entirely convinced by Sasha’s counterproposal. Still, it’s the only way for him to test himself against a high-level opponent.

«Perfect.» Sasha then extends her arm to the side. «BloodWord: Telum!»

A large scythe with a long, curved blade materializes in her grip—the same weapon she used during her skirmish with Ayra some time ago. «Come on, human, bring it on!»