My Stepmom Is A Vampire & Her Entire Bloodline Wants To Breed Me

Chapter 256: Protection From X

"What was that? And what exactly is a Crying Witch?" Andrew asked.

"It is an old folklore from this region," Ulrich explained calmly. "A witch said to lure away children who wander outside at night."

His gaze shifted briefly toward Matthew, whose expression had become increasingly terrified and clearly trapped inside his mind.

"Would it be possible for you to contact X and ask him to protect Matthew? We cannot leave him like this. He will freeze to death long before we uncover anything, and I need to ask him about something important."

Andrew nodded immediately. "I’ll try."

He closed his eyes and concentrated for several minutes while Ulrich kept his attention on Matthew. Unfortunately, he possessed no psyche bloodstyle himself, meaning he had very few options when it came to dealing with mental interference.

Still, Matthew’s existence might prove essential to this expedition. So Ulrich continued speaking to him, keeping the young man grounded before he could completely drown in whatever influence lingered within the mountain.

Eventually, Andrew opened his eyes again with a relieved exhale.

"Alright. He said he’ll come later. But first we need to set up a tent."

He suddenly cursed under his breath and quickly removed the heavy trekking bag from Matthew’s shoulders.

"Damn it. I should’ve contacted him this way earlier."

"A reasonable mistake, Humans do, unfortunately, possess limits."

They moved deeper into the forest afterward, leaving behind the frozen villagers lined across the snow like silent markers guiding them further into the mountain.

Once they found a suitable area, Andrew and Ulrich prepared a tent while gathering twigs for firewood. Soon flames crackled against the cold night air, casting warm orange light across the snow.

Andrew followed X’s instructions carefully, keeping Matthew seated near the fire at all times.

A few moments later, Matthew suddenly blinked several times and looked around in confusion, as though waking from a dream.

"Huh?" His voice sounded clearer now. "We’re resting already?"

He looked upward toward the dark sky, clearly unaware of how strange he had been acting earlier.

Andrew let out a long breath of relief.

"So fire is the weakness."

"Which explains why the villagers and soldiers survived for as long as they did," Ulrich said thoughtfully.

He sat atop a fallen tree trunk and looked back toward the frozen bodies standing motionless in the distance.

"If we continue following the direction of those corpses, we will eventually find the source."

Then he calmly turned his head toward the figure that had silently appeared nearby. "Wouldn’t you agree, X?"

Across from him stood the only person present without a winter coat, completely unaffected by the brutal cold surrounding them. X grinned casually and gave a lazy nod.

"Yep. Long time no see, Ulrich."

His eyes scanned the ancient vampire up and down. "You somehow look even older than before. Did Aconite finally drive you insane or something?"

"I shall be certain to pass along your kind regards,"

Ulrich replied with a faint smile. "And you are mistaken. Lady Aconite is a remarkably well-behaved young woman."

"Behaved?" X snorted. "She’s catastrophically stupid."

"At the very least, she did not let her crest be stolen and disappear for centuries merely to appear mysterious."

X rolled his eyes immediately while Ulrich’s smile never once faltered.

"Anyway, I already know what you want to ask. Yes, the concubine is here. And yes, she’s angry too. I mean, people literally call her the Crying Witch. That should make things fairly obvious."

His tone became slightly more serious afterward. "She’s furious enough to kill anyone who tries getting too close."

Andrew frowned immediately. "Wait, why? And who exactly is this concubine?"

"It’s a rather long story, but to simplify things, she’s the reason Crimson Nectar exists in the first place."

Then he pointed casually toward Andrew. "And technically, she’s your son’s ancestor."

"...What?"

"You heard me."

Andrew looked completely lost. "So she’s... the first Crimson Nectar?"

Ulrich shook his head. "No. She was a witch. A Pharos powerful enough to bear the child of King Morum. According to recorded history, both the concubine and the child died shortly after birth because of the princes and princess attack. Clearly, that account was false."

Understanding slowly dawned across Andrew’s face, though confusion still remained.

"And that is why Crimson Nectar bloodlines continue to exist even now."

Andrew fell silent afterward, visibly trying to process the absurd amount of information he had just received.

Meanwhile, Ulrich turned his attention back toward X.

"The crest was once hidden here, correct? Was that what awakened the concubine’s anger?"

"Most likely." X shrugged lightly. "The crest probably disturbed her and honestly? I don’t think the concubine ever wanted to remain trapped inside the King’s tomb."

"I see. That explains quite a few things."

Then he studied X more carefully. "You can sense your crest somewhere nearby, can you not?"

X grinned immediately. "Still as sharp as ever. Yeah. Bjorne’s close. But you’re safe for now. The concubine allowed you inside this place which I don’t know the exact reason why she still didn’t want us to get closer."

X then stood up and stretched lightly before glancing toward the others. "For now, I’ll place protection on the three of you."

His gaze lingered briefly on Matthew. "Her spell attacks the mind, but it isn’t a psyche bloodstyle. Which means none of you are naturally immune to it."

X raised one hand casually. A glowing magic circle with the crow symbol spread across the snowy ground beneath them.

A warm sensation immediately flowed through Ulrich’s body. The pressure clouding his thoughts vanished almost instantly. Beside the fire, Matthew suddenly exhaled shakily in relief while Andrew straightened his posture, his eyes finally regaining focus.

"What should we do now?" Andrew asked.

"Well, I think the three of you are about to do some fighting." X replied casually,

Ulrich’s eyes narrowed slightly. "We have company."

The atmosphere shifted immediately. A deep growl echoed from somewhere within the darkness beyond the trees. The sound of wolves howling soon filled the frozen forest as the creatures finally emerged from the shadows.

Mutated wolves.