"I missed you..... And just so you know, I'm already making plans for our wedding," Elena said, still hugging Alex tightly.
Alex chuckled. "Wedding, huh? You sure are a fast planner..."
Elena smiled. "Hmm, I don't care. I just want to always be with you."
Elena Ainsley was the youngest among the three daughters of the King.
In a way, one could say the King was overprotective of his children, including his two sons. That was why he never allowed any of them to attend an academy. Instead, they were taught privately within the castle walls.
"Can't you just stay here tonight?" Elena asked, closing her eyes as she leaned into Alex's arms.
"You know that's not possible, Elena," Alex said. "I have to return to the academy, and besides, I was only granted permission to leave after curfew."
"Tch..." Elena clicked her tongue, a hint of annoyance on her face.
"But if you return tomorrow, there's nothing they'll do to you, right?" Elena asked. "After all, you're Alex."
She paused for a moment before adding, "I can even talk to my father. He'll be abl~"
"It's not possible, Elena," Alex interrupted her firmly. "If it was, I would have certainly stayed here, that's for sure."
Since they were still hugging, Elena couldn't see the annoyed expression on Alex's face.
"Don't worry, Elena," Alex reassured her. "I'll come here again... That's a promise."
A sad look formed on her face as she closed her eyes. "Okay... I trust you..."
[You have gained an ally: Leon Stormheart.]
[Note: As an ally, the probability of him betraying you is low.]
Arin read the notification on the screen before glancing at Leon, who shook hands with him.
'Good, that wasn't too stressful,' Arin thought.
When Arin asked if Leon would join him, Leon gave it some thought. After considering all the proof Arin showed him, along with what Tessa had told him, he finally decided to trust them both and agreed.
"But about battling Alex," Leon said. "He's really strong... I might be dead within seconds."
"I've already told you, Leon," Arin said. "That won't happen."
"And it's not like you'll be fighting him all by yourself," Tessa added.
Leon nodded in response.
Now, it was time for Leon to change his appearance and conceal his Dark Energy.
Following Arin's instructions, he sat down on the ground in a lotus position.
Because Leon could already control his Dark Energy, the process became easier.
Under Arin's guidance, Leon compressed his Dark Energy within minutes and covered it with the natural small amount of Mana he possessed.
Due to this, his own Mana became dominant, and in an instant, his appearance began to change.
His long black hair shortened and returned to its original yellow color. Even his stomach became big again, and his face and body regained their former fatness.
Overall, he was back to the way he was before consuming the Shadow Seed.
Leon sighed as he examined his body. "Ugh... I'm just realizing how much I hate my appearance."
"You don't have to hate your appearance, Leon," Tessa said as she walked forward with a smile. "You'll gain nothing from it."
"Hmm, you have a point," Leon admitted.
Arin, meanwhile, was lost in his own thoughts as he observed Leon. 'So now, I've gained a new ally...'
'That's out of the way now. The Nightmare Shadow will strike just a day after the ceremony... Then I'll initiate my plan.'
"Okay," Arin said. "It's tim~"
He raised his head to look at Leon and Tessa but suddenly stopped talking as soon as he saw them.
A deep frown was on Tessa's face as she glared at Leon, who couldn't stop laughing.
Leon kept switching between his normal form and Shadow form. After shifting into his Shadow form, he would then activate the transformation that made scales appear on his body and horns sprout from his head. He would then move closer to Tessa, trying to scare her.
The moment Leon did it again, Tessa couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop it!" Tessa exclaimed, anger evident on her face.
She instantly unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Leon, whose face now held a frightened expression.
"The next time you do this again, I'll make sure my sword goes deep into that hole of yours!"
Leon instantly stepped backward and began bowing rapidly. "Ahhh, I'm sorry! It won't happen again!"
"Hmph," Tessa pouted as she sheathed her sword and turned to look in another direction.
"Huh?" Seraphine muttered. "I thought these two were on good terms a while ago."
Arin blinked. "I'm just as surprised as you are."
"I think we're done here," Arin said, gaining Tessa and Leon's attention. "I'll go before curfew time reaches."
Arin glanced at her. "You know how it works..."
Tessa nodded in understanding.
Leon was about to follow Arin, but Tessa suddenly grabbed him, stopping him from moving.
"Huh? What's the issue?" Leon asked, surprised.
"Just wait..." Tessa said, glaring at Leon, anger still evident on her face.
Leon shivered slightly and stopped resisting.
Meanwhile, Arin had already exited the forest and removed his mask, heading toward the dorm building.
'Tomorrow is the ceremony... I should have something to wear...'
"You're just thinking about that now?" Seraphine asked.
"Yes, any problem with that?"
"No," Seraphine replied. "It's just that..."
She suddenly stopped talking and chuckled—a cheeky chuckle.
Immediately upon hearing it, Arin already knew she had a stupid thought in her head.
Seraphine finally stopped chuckling and continued. "It's just that... what if you don't have anything formal to wear? Will you wear the academy uniform to the ceremony?"
The moment she finished speaking, she burst into loud laughter in Arin's head, making him click his tongue in annoyance.
"I can already imagine everyone wearing suits while you show up in your uniform, hahaha!"
Arin finally reached the dorm building and climbed the stairs, arriving at his room.
He dropped the bracelet on the floor, and in an instant, it glowed, revealing Roxanne.
She immediately lowered her head. "Greetings, Lord Arin."
Arin nodded in response as she raised her head before rushing toward the window as usual.
He stared at her for a few seconds before speaking.
"I have some questions..."
Instantly, she turned back with a smile. "Go ahead, Lord Arin."
Arin nodded. "Do you know how to hide your Blood Energy?"
"Yes, I do," Roxanne answered.
'That kinda sounded like a line from a wedding,' Arin thought.
"I thought as much," he muttered.
Ever since she told him that the students of Progenitors learned a lot from them, he had suspected Roxanne would also be able to conceal her Blood Energy.
'I knew there was a high chance that the other Progenitors would know how to hide their Blood Energy... It would've been strange if they didn't.'
"Well, apart from the Progenitors and my parents, who somehow know how to hide their Blood Energy, other vampires in the kingdom can't," Seraphine added.
'That's good,' Arin thought. 'That means the favor I asked Riya won't go to waste.'
Arin glanced at Roxanne again. "Good. Though, I want to know something else."
Arin's eyes fixated on her before he asked, "Among all the Progenitors currently in the Vampire Kingdom, who is the strongest?"
Roxanne squinted her eyes at the question.
"I myself don't know the answer to that," she admitted. "Because it's complicated."
"What do you mean by complicated?" Arin asked immediately.
He hadn't asked Seraphine this question because he knew Roxanne, as a student of a Progenitor, would have more insight.
"It's complicated because there are two of them who stand above the rest," Roxanne explained. "And it's hard to determine who is truly the strongest."
"And who are those two...?"
"Lord Vaelric and Lord Liora," Roxanne replied.
"It's hard to decide because they both have a strong Special Ability," she added.
Roxanne knew that she would have to explain to Arin before he would understand what she was talking about, so she began explaining.
"Lord Liora's Special Ability is powerful," Roxanne began, "she can copy the Special Ability of the other Progenitors."
Arin already knew about that after she kissed him and the System notified him about what she was trying to do.
"But that's not just it," Roxanne suddenly said.
"Huh?" Arin muttered as he raised his brow curiously.
Roxanne stared at Arin. "She doesn't just simply copy their Special Ability, she also stores it."
Arin's eyes widened slightly. "Do you mean...?"
"Yes," Roxanne said. "She can use the Special Ability of all the Progenitors."
"As long as she has copied it, she'll be able to use it anytime she wants, and since she has copied the Special Ability of all the Progenitors, she can use all their Special Ability anytime she wants."
"This alone makes her terrifying. That's why she can be said to be the strongest Progenitor."
"But then....." Roxanne squinted her eyes. "There's Lord Vaelric...."