Chapter 235 - House Bathory
Chapter 235 – House Bathory
The world was vast. Be it then or now, it was so enormous there were discoveries every day. It was a world the clueless Rinnie Everfell couldn't even imagine. Not only werewolves, vampires, and humans existed in this world.
The Tarsa tribe, for instance, had strength that could take down five normal wolves. Their race was nearly forgotten after the holy war as they remained in their bear's form for centuries.
That was just a glimpse of the aftermath of the war.
During the holy war between vampires and wolves that even gods had to intervene in, many creatures in this world rose and disappeared. Some remained hidden, like the Tarsa Tribe, ready to be forgotten in history. Witches and warlocks, as well.
Since the world was shrouded with power during the holy war, humans had to find their means to survive with both monstrous creatures fighting fiercely. A blessed child, who was able to absorb a little bit of power fuming and sizzling from beneath the ground—the underworld—borrowed the overwhelming power to protect humanity.
The child's courage inspired more humans to risk their life and borrow powers from the creatures dwelling deep on the surface. Although the humans' intention was good, the source of this power came from pure evil.
I couldn't blame them, though. Humanity had to survive, even if it meant selling their souls to the devil.
Thus, the creation of witches and warlocks. Humans who were born blessed succumbed to the darkness and wielded dark powers they borrowed from the god of the underworld.
Still, history was always told by the victors.
Although no one won during the holy war with the interventions of gods, the existence of witches and warlocks posed a threat to the creatures of the dark. Devil as they were, they used their cunning tongue meticulously and branded the witches and warlocks as people who worshiped the devil. The instigator of the said war.
With the latter's dangerous abilities and black magic, and their lack of control with their words and ending up cursing others, it was easy to manipulate the truth. So in the end, witches and warlocks were persecuted and were forced to live in hiding, blending in with society whilst keeping their abilities a secret.
The only benefit they had was that witches and warlocks were originally human. They were still. They simply yield powers normal humans couldn't.
Until now, they were living in hiding with a promise to never use their so-called cursed powers. But with the rebirth of the child of evil, who was meant to collect the lost powers that should be his, to begin with, their nightmare had returned.
"You are… part of a noble clan?" I asked as I looked around at the people standing in the mansion's foyer where the witch led me.
"Yes. Welcome to the noble house of a human, Lamb." The witch looked at me proudly, shrugging nonchalantly before casting the ten people a look. Four men and six women. Three were noble vampires.
A towering man approached me, placing his palm across his chest. "We're honored to meet you. I am the master of the House Bathory, Addler Bathory." He raised his head and sported a warm smile, motioning his hand to the witch I met.
"You had met my daughter, Dorothy." My eyes lingered on Dorothy, the witch who invited me into their house without a second hesitation before shifting it to the other woman, who stood beside Addler. "This is my wife, Ellaine."
"I am honored to meet you, Lamb." Ellaine curtsied to greet me.
"You might have a lot of questions." Addler flashed me a warm smile. "But it would be a long story. Why don't you follow us to the dining hall? It will be better to tell you our situation, our purpose, and our intention of inviting you to our house over dinner."
My eyes glossed over the people in the mansion's foyer who purposely waited as if they knew Dorothy would be able to take me with her. A deep exhale slipped past my lips as I nodded.
"Alright."
With that being said, I followed them to the dining hall, where there was already a feast served on the long table. They were polite and hospitable, letting me sit on the chair closest to the end where the master of the house sat down.
Ellaine perched from across my seat while Dorothy was right next to her. The chair next to me was vacant, but next to it sat a woman who seemed to be also connected with the family.
"You might be wondering if we're a family." I snapped my eyes when Addler broke the silence, making me set my eyes back to him. "Or you might not since three of them were noble vampires."
"Cut to the chase, Mister Bathory," I spoke calmly, but straight to the point. "What are your reasons and what is your purpose? I do not need to know your relation with everyone since I could tell your wife is a witch and your daughter inherited her mother's gifts."
"Gifts…" he snickered, but he shook his head. When he raised his head, he huffed and leaned his arms against the table.
"We are against the war between the vampires and the werewolves. We had heard the werewolves sheltered the lamb." His eyes darkened while staring directly into my eyes. "My point here is, you, Lamb, made another choice. Just like the void history, the lamb chose a side instead of staying in the middle."
"Therefore, the emperor also made a choice," he continued with the same weight in his words. "And that choice is to retrieve the borrowed powers from the witches. I don't blame you for the mass execution you intervened in, but it won't stop just there. The emperor had no time to spare in tracking down every witch and warlock across the empire. He can simply burn a town and let all our sisters and brothers burn alive."
"This… isn't our war, Lamb. But we always get caught up with the problem of the wolf, the lamb, and the child of evil." He breathed out before he loosened his grip.
"Please stop it."