Esmeralda’s intervention was enough to prevent the evening from turning into a disaster, and as Cordelia moved away, thoroughly chastised, Orion had to face the annoying truth that he was quite vulnerable to a vampire’s unnatural charm and that his hopes of finding more allies among the younger generation beyond Esmeralda might prove harder than he expected.
After staring down several thralls in Silverpeak, he believed himself to be immune, or at least resistant. However, even those brief moments under the blonde beauty’s effect were enough to leave him confused and distracted.
It wasn’t as bad as it could have been since he hadn’t embarrassed himself like he thought her goal was, but it was still frustrating. It left his fingers itching with the desire to put them in their place, but he remembered his mother’s warning and held back.
“I’m sorry about that,” Esmeralda murmured, still glaring at the group of other vampires. "They were told not to cause trouble, but it’s hard to keep them in check when they can’t socialize with anyone in Valderun like they do in the Shadow Lands.”
“So that happens often?” Orion asked.
She rolled her eyes, “We aren’t in the habit of intimidating our guests, no.” Clearly, her anger wasn't caused by the attempt itself but by their actions defying a stated rule. It was just another reminder that, despite acting as a friend—and probably even believing herself to be one—Esmeralda wasn't human.
In fact, she was a predator species that enjoyed drinking humans dry. Just because the circumstances didn’t allow him to be attacked didn’t mean that no one here wanted to do exactly that.
Could I even defend myself if that happened? Mom probably could handle the Night Lord. He’s older and more powerful, but Light magic is strong against vampires, and she wouldn’t have come here without enough potions to stall an army. But taking the higher-ranked vampires from the equation, would I be able to escape into the city, where the wards would protect me?
It was quite uncomfortable to realize that he didn’t know the answer. He’d like to say that if he went all out from the start and slung [Infinity Lasers] at full blast, while preparing a [Gamma Ray], he might get more than a few of them, but he simply had no frame of reference for how strong, and more importantly, how fast vampires of Esmeralda’s level were.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to find out. That would be a bigger disaster than uncovering the underlying principle of the Radiant Vigil’s body enhancement magic.
Picking at the food, Orion blinked in surprise at the taste. He’d not known what to expect in a vampire den, but finger food that tasted very much like fast food back on Earth wasn’t it.
“This is pretty good,” he said, chewing on a tiny tart that tasted like a mix between steak pie and Thousand Island dressing. “Do you often have this kind of food?”
Esmeralda lifted a haughty eyebrow. “Of course it’s good. Vampires might not eat mortal food very often, but that just means we save the best for when we do. And yes, it’s the kind of thing served at parties in the Night Lands, if with less blood. Blood is a common ingredient, as you might guess.”
Chuckling, Orion had to push away the image of the elegant vampire nobles lounging in recliners like emperors of old, stuffing their faces with bloody hamburgers.
“We had to bring our own chefs, of course. The fare here in Valderun is very extensive. Still, quality is hard to find outside the better establishments, and those guys have a strong hold on the high-ranking [Chef] market,” Esmeralda continued casually, popping a bacon roll into her mouth.
Though the subject of their discussion was fairly dull, it revealed something very important to Orion. Esmeralda had to be at the center of running things, even though she admitted she had only been here for a couple of days.
“I would have thought the Collegium kept the best for themselves,” he replied, slyly steering the conversation toward more valuable topics.
“Eh,” she shrugged, somehow making the motion seem elegant. “The Archmages aren’t really interested in worldly pleasures, as far as I know. They still employ decent workers, of course, but they focus more on research than living life. Which is a pretty funny thing, considering that vampires are technically undead, and are much more hedonistic.”
Orion raised an eyebrow at the blunt assessment. He’d only known Esmeralda for a short time, but he had come to see her as a straightforward person. It was still surprising to hear her be so open, but maybe his standards for what was socially acceptable were just different from hers.
“They seem pretty busy these days. Less ascetic than you make them out to be, at least,” he shot back, and received a nod.
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“Yeah, I guess you are right. They have the reputation of being very disinterested in worldly affairs, but they are just as political as everyone else,” she admitted with some amusement. “They are sounding out just about anyone with an ounce of pull, trying to make their candidate look more palatable.”
There we go; I knew she just needed a little push in the right direction.
“Have you been visited, then?” He asked as innocently as possible. Given the way Esmeralda’s eyes sharpened, it hadn’t been very effective as a misdirection, but that was exactly what he intended.
By making her believe he knew more than he did, she might be willing to share some things she would have otherwise kept to herself in an effort to get him to reveal more, and he wasn’t above using the faux pas from earlier to his benefit.
That tactic came with the risk of either admitting he’d been playing her or distracting her with something, but luckily, he had just the right thing for that.
“We have,” she sounded out slowly, still trying to decide how much to say. “I’d be very surprised if you told me you haven’t. I’ve heard from a thrall that they even went to talk to the minor factions to rally them on their side.”
“They must still be in the thick of it, then. I would have thought there’d be a favorite by now," he replied, ignoring the unspoken question.
“There might be some truth to that,” she huffed, “but even the mages sent out to curry favor still believe they are too important to spill their secrets so easily. To them, we are just pawns in their internal game. Which is pretty funny, now that I think about it, because if there's one thing vampires are known for, it’s the long game.”
Yes, Orion remembered that. He hadn't forgotten the incident that marked his first life-or-death situation, his introduction to magical combat, or how, to this day, there was still confusion about who was responsible for turning the Sanctum’s soldiers into ghouls.
Though he’d come out unscathed, if one ignored his run-in with Morliana, he had to face the consequences ever since, as the security of the coven had become much tighter than what he remembered as a young child.
“They are cutting it close, though, aren't they? The vote is coming up soon, as far as I know,” he said as he popped another juicy mini-pie into his mouth.
“Indeed. Everyone was certain Archmage Antares would step in, especially after the show he put on at a Council meeting. Apparently, he stepped in directly to help a witch and her soooon...” her voice trailed off as she regarded him with quiet intensity, and he knew she was connecting the dots.
Orion limited himself to smiling politely, though he tilted his head just right so the low light of the party could reflect off his snow-white hair, and saw the moment realization hit.
“It was you. And you are—”
“Yes, yes, you got it right,” he waved her off, subtly eyeing the group of vampires that had tried to charm him earlier.
Esmeralda’s mouth snapped shut with a click, but her eyes burned into his, and he knew she was eager to ask follow-up questions.
Not desperate enough to give her fellows a hint about such a juicy piece of gossip, though.
It wasn’t like the secret would stay hidden for much longer, so Orion didn’t mind letting his acquaintance know a little earlier than everyone else. With Set making moves and the people at the Guild aware of his connection to his father, it was only a matter of time before the news spread.
She couldn’t know that, and she clearly thought he had revealed something very valuable.
“Now then, what do you think will happen next?” He asked, a sly smile on his face.
She stared for a moment longer before her expression softened, and she even rolled her eyes, which was somewhat unsettling, given the crimson glow they emitted and her starkly pale skin.
“Alright, let’s talk shop.”
Orion grinned back.
And they did, spending the next hour or so discussing the details of Valderun’s internal politics, only confirming Orion’s belief that Esmeralda had to be much higher in the totem pole than she first appeared.
His revelation paid off, as she spent quite some time outlining all the connections she’d noticed and the hidden movements, such as the Crimson Wheel Consortium, the largest merchant organization in the land, and the only major faction not focused on combat, which was spending large sums to acquire valuable crafting materials.
Some believed it was meant to bribe whoever came out of the Collegium’s internal conflict, but Esmeralda seemed convinced they were probably preparing for a period of instability after the election of a weak Speaker.
“Given the still-ongoing war in the south, it’s definitely not a bad investment, but you say they aren’t being deliberate about what kind of material they buy?” he asked as he went to get another bite off his plate, only to realize he had emptied it while he talked.
“They are buying up everything above tier two, and most of the good stuff below, so no, I wouldn’t say they have a specific use in mind. I heard they went so far as to outbid the Lord of the Seas, which is the most important old boys’ club in Valderun, and the traditional buyer of the first Snow Flower of the season.” She replied, before gesturing for the thrall that had been silently waiting behind him.
The young man reached for his plate, and he let her take it, then stood up to follow him.
“Do you want anything else?” He asked Esmeralda, but she shook her head, and he shrugged, going back to the buffet.
Usually, he didn’t need to eat much, but the last few days had been very energy-consuming, and he’d kind of forgotten to eat several times.
Since vampires rarely ate human food, he doubted they would mind if he piled up his plate anyway.
As he reached the spread, he noticed his mother doing the same from the other side and smiled at her. Suddenly, two vampires in the elegant robes he associated with their upper crust approached her from behind.
Both were males, and both had grins that showed they enjoyed looking at his mother more than just in a platonic way.
His eyes narrowed. If they are in the third tier, they might be quick enough to dodge if I make a move too early. I bet I can cast an [Infinite Laser] quickly enough to hit one now that I have upgraded it with all the Light mana usage data from the System, but the other one would survive for too long.
“Magistra, I must say, your company has been truly delightful. Nothing would please my good friend Ebereth and me more than to give you a tour of the embassy. You see, there is a beautiful sculpture of a maiden in my chambers that I am sure you would enjoy. She even shares some of your features, so you might be related to the original model!”
Orion’s soul burned as he furiously worked to channel all the light mana he could into [Infinite Laser] through the shadow-aligned Field, more determined than ever to punish these cretins if they even dared to lay a hand on his mother, only for Asteria to burst into peals of laughter, shutting down the entire gathering’s conversations.
“Oh, that is just too good. You boys should go on without me—I’m sure you can explore each other enough to find what you’re looking for.”
The first vampire’s eyes narrowed, and Orion got ready to act.
