欧美亚洲日产综合新一区

Chapter 245 Sanguinis Clan Conflict 05

Lysander was about to respond when Maria suddenly vanished into mist and reappeared behind him, holding two blessed blade daggers. One dagger was at his neck, almost touching his throat, creating an intense sensation of sanctification that seared his throat, while the other dagger was aimed at his back, right over the location of his heart.

"This... Vatican blessed blade! You are vampires but serve those pigs in the Vatican!?" Lysander blurted out in alarm, realizing the deadly potential of these blessed blades with their potent sanctification power, which could easily kill him many times over if they were to be pierced in his heart.

"The Vatican? I\'m sorry, but those fanatics weren\'t qualified for me and my father to serve them," Maria replied, her disdain for the Vatican evident in her voice.

"Now, it\'s my turn. Why are you hiring the Umbra clan? Who do you want dead?" Maria inquired, pressing her dagger closer to Lysander\'s skin.

As Maria\'s dagger pressed closer to Lysander\'s back, his initial attempts to lie and divert her attention grew increasingly futile. He stammered, "Wait, you don\'t understand. It\'s a misunderstanding. We didn\'t hire the Umbra Clan for any…uh, nefarious purposes. It\'s all just a security measure. Yes, that\'s it, a security measure."

Maria couldn\'t help but chuckle at Lysander\'s feeble attempt to come up with a believable excuse. "Ha hahaha, Hiring the Umbra clan for security!? Come on, you can do better. Even idiots know that the Umbra clan never take commissions other than assassinations."

"Ok… How about…" Lysander attempted to stall for more time, but Maria\'s cold voice cut through his words. "One more lie, and I\'ll puncture your heart with this blessed dagger!"

Lysander, sweating profusely, had no choice but to reveal the truth, "Fine, fine! We hired them to eliminate the first Elder!"

"I see… that makes sense," Maria nodded but still kept her blade pressed against Lysander\'s throat and back.

From the information she and her team had gathered, the first Elder of the Sanguinis Clan was a formidable vampire, earning the nickname \'Blood Knight\' due to his strict adherence to chivalry from the old days, much like his grandfather, the clan\'s Ancestor.

While Maria was contemplating their next steps, Vlad, who had been sipping his tea and enjoying dessert, stopped and put down the spoon in his hand.

"If you\'re already here, why don\'t you come in? Lurking outside like a thief shouldn\'t be one of your hobbies, right?" Vlad called out as he turned his attention toward the entrance.

In a moment, a young man clad in red armor with a red robe draped over it walked into the guest house. His face bore a solemn expression and exuded an air of authority, leaving no doubt about his power and position.

Maria recognized him immediately. He was the first Elder and the mightiest member of the Elder council in the Sanguinis clan, Ulrich Sanguinis. Given that Ulrich didn\'t bother to conceal his information from others, it had been quite easy to extract details about him from the databases of the Hightower and the information brokers in the Syndicate Union.

"What are you trying to do to Lord Lysander?" Ulrich asked, his voice resolute.

"Lord Ulrich! Please help me! They are intruders who wanted to assassinate you!" Lysander cried out, trying to play the victim and seeking assistance from Ulrich, the man in the shining red armor.

"Wasn\'t it you who wanted to kill him? You even planned to hire the Umbra clan to do your dirty work. You confessed to us just a moment ago," Maria retorted, thoroughly unimpressed with Lysander\'s poor attempt at deception. Even a three-year-old wouldn\'t have fallen for it.

"Lord Ulrich! I was forced by these two to speak those words! They wanted to come in and make a mess of our clan! Please help me!" Lysander shouted again, leaving Maria on the verge of frustration with his pitiful display of feigned helplessness.

At that moment, a spear made of blood launched toward Maria. She quickly dodged to the side, releasing Lysander from her grasp in the process. Recognizing the opportunity to create some distance between Lysander and the intruder, Ulrich rushed to the front, positioning himself as if to shield his clansman.

The spot where Maria had been standing a moment ago was now a small but deep hole, and the marble floor had cracked around it, proof of Ulrich\'s formidable strength as the first Elder.

Meanwhile, Maria walked casually to her foster father, standing behind him with a relaxed smile, as though the perilous situation didn\'t faze her at all.

"Let me ask you something, Lysander. Since you\'re the third Elder and you want to assassinate the first Elder to take his seat, what about the second Elder? Shouldn\'t he have a claim to the first Elder\'s seat first?" Maria inquired, her curiosity piqued by the hierarchy within the Sanguinis clan.

Lysander remained silent, refusing to provide an answer to what he considered a sensitive and unimportant question, especially in his current predicament.

Instead, Lysander shifted his gaze to Ulrich\'s back, letting out a sigh of relief. It seemed he had won his bet – Ulrich, known for his trust in his fellow clan members and his strict adherence to knightly chivalry, appeared to be standing by their side.

Lysander decided to make one more attempt at inciting Ulrich. He turned to the first Elder and said, "Lord Ulrich, these two vampires serve the Vatican. They have been sent here to destroy our clan! Look at that woman\'s dagger; it\'s a blessed blade, the iconic weapon of the Vatican!"

Ulrich immediately recognized the distinctive nature of the blessed blade. Even at this distance, he could feel the itching sensation of the holy blessing emanating from those two daggers. It was clear that even he, the formidable first Elder, would have no chance of survival if one of those daggers pierced his heart.

"What are you? The hound of the Vatican\'s Secret Exterminator Units or the personal pet of the Pope himself? You overestimate yourself if you think you can destroy our clan!" Ulrich inquired, his eyes devoid of the contempt that often colored the gazes of other vampires when they mentioned the Vatican. Ulrich\'s eyes held only a steely determination, as he viewed the Vatican as a formidable adversary worthy of respect.

In Ulrich\'s eyes, contempt led to arrogance, and arrogance could ultimately lead to underestimating one\'s enemy and, consequently, one\'s downfall. He never harbored contempt for anyone or anything, regardless of their origins or affiliations.

"Kid… your name is Ulrich, right? Your features are very familiar," Vlad suddenly spoke after scrutinizing Ulrich. He continued, "Do you know anyone named Radu in your family? His name should be Radu Dracula. Are you somehow related to that dimwit who liked to play knight?" Vlad\'s words lacked respect, but his tone and voice were filled with fondness and nostalgia, as if reminiscing about an old friend.

At the mention of the name Radu, Ulrich was taken aback. Radu was indeed his grandfather\'s name, and Radu Dracula was the original name his grandfather used before adopting the name Radu Sanguinis, and He\'s the Ancestor of the Sanguinis clan.

"That was my…" Ulrich began to respond but was abruptly halted by Lysander\'s intervention.

"My Lord! Please don\'t fall for his trick. He wants information! We shouldn\'t give it to him," Lysander cautioned, casting a wary glance at Vlad.

Lysander\'s motive for preventing Ulrich from revealing information about Radu wasn\'t rooted in concern for their clan\'s well-being or a fear that Ulrich might inadvertently disclose sensitive details. Rather, he had a deep-seated apprehension that if Vlad, who had identified himself as such, confirmed that Radu was, in fact, Ulrich\'s grandfather and the progenitor of the Sanguinis clan, it could have dire consequences for Lysander\'s own plans.

"Ah! Pardon my negligence. You\'re right, my friend. I shouldn\'t divulge our information to the enemy," Ulrich conceded, deciding to withhold his response.

Ulrich shifted his gaze back to where Vlad had been, but to his surprise, Vlad had vanished, instead, there was the sound of gurgling and struggle sounded out behind him.

"Urghh… Argghhh grrggh…"

The gurgling voice from behind startled Ulrich. He swiftly leaped backward to create distance and turned to see what was the cause.

The sight that met his eyes left him stunned. Vlad, who had seemingly disappeared, was now standing there, his iron grip clamped around Lysander\'s neck, forcing him to kneel and glaring down at him as if he were looking at trash.

"You think my temper is too mild, huh? Do you believe I won\'t kill you just because I\'m in the midst of this clan? I\'ll make this clear: even if Radu were here in person, he wouldn\'t dare deny me the thing I wanted to know, let alone you!" Vlad declared in a cold, irritated tone, his patience worn thin by Lysander\'s audacity in denying him the information he sought.