Chapter 470: Madame (3)

A woman with a tidy appearance stepped out of the elevator.

Introducing herself as Clevea, she stood with her head slightly bowed, not moving, waiting for a response.

Lennok quietly looked down at Clevea, then dispelled his magic.

Whoosh…!!

The peculiar sight of the magic that had filled the entire lobby instantly converging back into Lennok’s hand.

Lennok spoke, hearing the gasps of relief from freelancers all around him.

“Did you know I was coming?”

The wizard’s gaze, reflected in the tip of his silver staff, gleamed sharply.

“I apologize. It took a moment to prepare a gift for Van.”

Clevea carefully took something from her pocket and offered it to Lennok.

A case containing unknown pills made from compressed red powder.

“What is this?”

“It promotes metabolism and increases appetite. We call it an inhibitor because it reduces the urge to consume blood.”

Clevea smiled faintly as she spoke. Sharp fangs glinted between her lips.

“Many who have converted from human to vampire seek these. The person behind you will need them.”

“……”

A bloodline like Madame. Did she already know everything that was happening?

If so, there was no need for unnecessary chatter.

Lennok silently took the case, tossed it to Ryan, and walked into the elevator.

Seeing Clevea politely guide Lennok at the elevator door, the freelancers’ expressions hardened.

The palace lobby was a mess, as if a storm had swept through. Not a single device was functioning properly.

“Damn it, we didn’t even break even…”

“Is he even seriously injured to begin with? Does it make sense to do something like that with an injured body?”

“No, it seems he was definitely seriously injured.”

The eyes of a middle-aged man, who had been observing the situation with his arms crossed, sank heavily.

“He deliberately didn’t maintain his magic for long, trying to end the fight in one blow. He clearly couldn’t drag it out.”

“What’s absurd is Adamant Thunder’s inherent power, capable of such output even when injured.”

Someone’s muttering made the atmosphere in the lobby grow cold.

“If that’s what he does when he’s injured, then when he’s perfectly fine…”

“…What kind of fight did he have with Madrich Onnion?”

“The rumor that he might have reached 8-level wasn’t baseless after all…”

“What’s important is the information itself, that Adamant Thunder is truly severely injured and in critical condition.”

The freelancers’ eyes gleamed coldly.

“The very act of showing up with a life support device means he has no intention of hiding it.”

“The rumor will spread throughout the city soon. We need to move fast if we want to sell this valuable information.”

“We’ll report to Madame later, let’s move for now. Gotta earn some pocket money.”

Lennok let out a wry laugh, hearing the freelancers’ conversation in his ears.

Creating an alibi of injury was successful, but he hadn’t expected them to scrape the bottom of the barrel to sell that information.

For now, he’d have to be satisfied with having created an alibi that Adamant Thunder wouldn’t need to be active in the city for a while, as intended.

As Lennok was lost in thought, Clevea, who was the last to board the elevator, raised her hand.

Wooong!!

At that moment, the entire elevator, carved from a gigantic crystal, began to move and ascend.

It carried four people with not a single tremor, moving stably. Lennok’s eyes gleamed as he realized the source of its power.

“A psychokinetic. And a considerably powerful one.”

“It’s a trivial talent.”

“I didn’t expect such a high-level superhuman to still be hidden in the shadows. Vulcan is indeed vast.”

If Clevea herself wasn’t a magic user surpassing Lennok, it was proof she was using innate abilities powered by mental strength.

It was the first time Lennok had seen such a powerful superhuman, especially one with this level of psychokinesis, so he found himself intrigued.

Psychokinesis, despite its overwhelming versatility, is notoriously difficult to raise in Hierarchy.

Hadn’t the only psychokinetic Lennok knew, the broker Sebastian, only been capable of moving a wine glass?

At that level, no matter how high one estimated, it would barely be 2-level.

But the vampire guiding Lennok now certainly seemed to be a psychokinetic of at least 6-level.

“I heard that many high-level superhumans are gathering at the Superpower Awakening Division to find ways to control their powers, as they can’t control them.”

“……”

Lennok asked, looking beyond the elevator rising towards the top floor of the palace.

“Could vampirism be a way to control superpowers? What do you think?”

“…I didn’t realize you were also interested in superpowers.”

“I pay attention to innate abilities because they can always be powerful variables. I’ve experienced them a lot, in fact.”

Clevea was silent for a moment before answering.

“It would be impossible. I merely inherited the ability through my bloodline power.”

“……”

“Inheriting bloodline power is a privilege granted to purebloods. It’s difficult to expect significant results by simply converting to a vampire.”

Was she saying that she didn’t inherit it innately, but merely inherited an ability from another vampire?

However, the very fact that pureblood vampires can pass on abilities to each other is incredibly intriguing.

Perhaps the eerily powerful and unsettling sense of déjà vu from high-level vampires stems from that very characteristic.

“That’s a good answer. It was helpful.”

“I’m glad my answer was to your liking.”

Saying so, Clevea immediately led the two men to the uppermost floor of the grand mansion.

The very top of the mansion, built in the form of a palace nearly five stories high.

The sight of people laughing and chatting in the hallways and rooms quickly vanished as they ascended.

The moment they reached the highest floor, an eerily profound silence fell.

“……”

A carpeted corridor where an unknown, almost hazy, aura lingered.

Ryan, too, seemed to sense something as a vampire, swallowing hard.

Clevea passed countless doors on either side, then slowly opened a massive stone door at the end of the corridor.

A dark, spacious room lay beyond the door.

Only faint candlelight, reflecting off a window in the wall, dimly illuminated the room.

In the deepest, darkest corner of the room, draped in shadows, was an ornate armchair.

Someone nestled within it quietly raised their head.

[Oh, if it isn’t…]

Though it had been a long time since he heard it, that somewhat haughty tone remained in his memory.

A quiet voice came from behind a veil so sheer it almost revealed her face.

The parasol she had been using, even at night, was neatly folded and placed beside her chair.

She wore a light shirt suitable for her residence, but with gloves on her hands and a veil, no part of her skin was directly exposed.

[So much time has passed… I thought you’d forgotten the invitation I sent.]

A hint of a smile could be felt through the hazy veil.

The oldest living broker in this city, and a vampire.

A eccentric individual rumored to find pleasure in working with talented freelancers.

Madame, Elevra Trivair, was finally meeting him again.

[Time is truly fleeting, isn’t it?]

She leisurely looked up at Lennok’s face, crossing her legs.

[It feels like only yesterday I gave you the invitation in that old factory, and yet so much time has already passed…]

“I didn’t forget it. I just didn’t have time.”

[Didn’t have time, you say… Heh heh, I understand. It’s hard to call it an excuse when you’ve accomplished so much in that time.]

“……”

[A wizard who has grasped power comparable to an 8-level, or should I say, has already reached the realm of a Grand Wizard?]

Madame shrugged and chuckled quietly.

[Either way, I honestly didn’t anticipate our positions would shift this dramatically. I humbly admit it.]

Who could have imagined that a wizard who drifted into the city just a few years ago would be such an absurd monster?

Even when she handed him the invitation, in Madame’s eyes, Lennok was merely a wizard with unusual talent.

To blame Madame’s abilities for not predicting such a complete reversal of their positions in just a few years would be unfair, given how abnormal Lennok’s accomplishments were.

But Lennok, hearing Madame’s words, actually let out a small laugh.

“Well, didn’t you find it awkward, rather?”

[Pardon?]

“Despite our overlapping spheres of activity, we had no contact with each other. That’s quite strange for a coincidence.”

[……]

In a way, Madame was a far more famous and powerful broker in this underworld than Jenny or Sebastian.

Unlike Sebastian, who mainly dealt with VIPs, or Jenny, who primarily handled high-value nominated requests through her network, Madame had handled almost every field.

So, was it truly a coincidence that Madame was never involved even once when Lennok became entangled with organizations like The Triad?

Was it not, perhaps, the result of Madame deliberately avoiding contact with Lennok?

Lennok had vaguely suspected this, which was why he hadn’t felt the need to visit her with her invitation.

“You thought you couldn’t control me, so you kept your distance, and now that you can’t avoid me, you try to draw closer… It’s not an incomprehensible approach.”

Lennok chuckled, perching on the opposite chair without Madame’s permission.

“But it was too obvious.”

[…You’re right. I thought giving you the invitation was a mistake.]

She hesitated briefly, then admitted it with a surprising directness that slightly astonished Lennok.

Madame sighed deeply and immediately continued.

[I hoped you wouldn’t come if possible. To last long in this business, you shouldn’t get close to people who cause trouble.]

“Have you had a change of heart now?”

[It was enough time for me to change my mind. Don’t you think so?]

Lennok chuckled at Madame’s artful reply.

She kept her distance because he seemed uncontrollable, but if that wizard became a formidable figure beyond control, wouldn’t she have to change her mind?

It was a calculating mindset, but at least Madame’s frank attitude about it wasn’t bad.

The very fact that she brought it up this way was proof that she had been closely observing Lennok and putting in effort all this time.

As expected, Madame’s lips opened again immediately.

[I am aware of the situation. I will take full responsibility for the issue with the blood wizard boy.]

“Do you have a solution in mind?”

[Once Black Blood has been consumed, it’s difficult to guarantee a complete return to the previous state.]

Madame answered calmly.

[It’s the legacy of a mutant with special talent even among vampires, and it’s equally difficult to erase. A long-term solution will be needed.]

“You mean it’s difficult for him to quickly revert to human form.”

[If I had known the true nature of the item earlier… it’s my mistake. Sometimes, items that shouldn’t pass through our hands end up in transit.]

“Ryan.”

“…Understood.”

At Lennok’s words, Ryan, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, nodded with a grim expression.

He too knew that there was no other option after coming all this way.

If anything, he should consider himself fortunate that a method had appeared at all.

Watching Clevea lead Ryan out, Madame spoke.

[I intend to provide the minimum necessary blood flow manipulation and education to prevent his concepts from twisting. Even if he returns to human form, it will greatly aid his achievements.]

“I see.”

[At the very least, he won’t be taken over by the subconscious inherent in the Black Blood.]

“Good. That’s enough for now.”

Although Lennok had intervened due to the unexpected development of Ryan becoming a vampire, it wasn’t a bad thing that Madame herself took responsibility for it.

After all, it was an internal vampire matter, and it would be advisable to entrust the solution to an expert who understood these things well.

[Now that we’ve mutually agreed on a suitable public justification, shall we get to the main point?]

Madame leaned forward slightly, her hands clasped in front of her. The veil over her face shimmered faintly.

Lennok involuntarily smiled bitterly at Madame’s words.

“You knew.”

[While the incident with the blood wizard boy is troublesome, it wasn’t something that required Adamant Thunder’s direct involvement.]

She tapped the armrest with her gloved hand.

[Rather, the very fact that you came at this point, knowing I’ve avoided contact with you for years, made me think you were using the boy’s issue as an excuse to ask for something else. Am I overthinking it?]

“No, you’re precisely right.”

Perhaps because she had lived as a broker for so long as a vampire, her intuition in these matters was uncanny.

When she first met Lennok, her suspicions were uncertain, but during their conversation, she became certain and quickly sent Ryan and Clevea away.

Resolving Ryan’s problem wasn’t unimportant, but Lennok hadn’t sought out Madame solely for that.

The doctor Lennok was searching for in a particular field, the one with the closest connections to the foremost authority in that field, was the vampire before him.

After confirming his non-existence beyond the Outer Sea’s branching point, Lennok had felt the need to properly understand his own body.

And that opportunity had approached Lennok faster than he expected.

Madame surveyed Lennok’s body from head to toe through her veil, then nodded.

[I heard rumors that you suffered an uncharacteristic major injury. But now that I see you… it seems it wasn’t just a rumor.]

“Do you have any thoughts on this?”

Lennok raised the staff in his hand, and Madame nodded.

[How could I not? The gem on that staff and the presence of the artificial blood vessels acting as an IV drip. They perfectly match the characteristics of a life support device that high-level wizards often use as a second heart.]

“……”

[Even now, the artificial blood vessels twitching on your wrist are almost perfectly identical to a heartbeat. As a vampire, I can sense it even more acutely.]

“So that’s why…”

Now, Lennok understood why the vampire he met back then had been so certain his staff was a life support device.

It was because the movement of the staff, as sensed by a vampire, was exactly the same as that of a life support device acting as a heart.

Was it because she was half-certain that there was no reason to carry such an object merely as an ornament, that she had changed her attitude so instantly?

Having confirmed that, Lennok concisely stated his need for a doctor.

Madame, who had been quietly listening to Lennok’s words, burst into laughter.

[Jenny’s intelligence network is truly impressive. Almost no one knows that I sponsor her…]

“I’d like to deal with this as quickly as possible. Can you help?”

[Alright. But you know I won’t do it for free, right?]

Madame said, crossing her arms.

[That person really dislikes meeting strangers, so normally, I wouldn’t even entertain such a request.]

“……”

[However, please understand that I’m agreeing to this deal solely because the responsibility for that blood wizard boy lies with us.]

“Tell me the terms of the deal.”

[What I want is simple. I have no intention of bothering an injured person.]

It felt as if Madame was smiling behind her veil.

[As you may or may not know, for pureblood vampires like us, blood infused with magic is a great delicacy.]

“……”

[The blood of a high-level superhuman, especially one as pure a sorcerer as yourself, is particularly helpful in awakening our inspiration and intuition.]

Saying so, Madame pointed a gloved hand at the wall of the dark room.

Hundreds of test tubes, arranged like wines in a gigantic glass display case. Inside them, blood of various colors was carefully preserved.

The lower shelves had quite a few test tubes filled with blood, but as one looked upwards, empty test tubes could be seen, not even a single drop inside.

Madame precisely pointed to an empty space on the uppermost shelf of the display case.

[A single drop of blood from an 8-level Grand Wizard. A single drop, willingly given by the blood’s owner, is enough.]

“……”

Lennok realized what Madame was saying and fell silent.

Though she had spoken somewhat indirectly, there was no need to ask whose blood she wanted.

“Alright.”

[What, I thought you’d refuse. Giving blood to a vampire in the first place… Huh?]

Madame, who had been shrugging, suddenly shot up from her seat.

[R-Really?]