Chapter 123: Audience with the Strongest Vampire

After the unexpected words from Lucian, Kanna went quiet as she kept walking ahead with measured steps, her expression still unreadable, though her mind was anything but calm.

Beside her, Lucian followed in silence, lost in his own thoughts as he wondered who this Duchess was, quietly observing the corridor around him.

The maid beside him was already far stronger than him.

He could feel it, even without checking her status window. He was certain of it—especially after she had put on his clothes without him even noticing when she moved.

And if she was this strong, then this Duchess would be far stronger than her.

And according to Kanna’s words…

She was the strongest vampire in the world, second only to the Vampire Queen herself.

And yet, strangely enough—

Instead of fear or hesitation, he felt something closer to anticipation and curiosity about the meeting, far more than the uneasiness he should have felt in this situation.

After walking for another minute through the dim, elegantly structured corridor, Kanna finally stopped in front of an exquisitely designed door.

Despite standing outside, Lucian couldn’t help but feel his heartbeat quicken as he unconsciously felt a heavy presence from the other side.

Without hesitation, Kanna raised her hand and knocked twice on the door with her knuckles.

“My Lady, I have brought him,” she said flatly, her voice controlled, but beneath that calm exterior, there was a faint trace of respect in her tone that couldn’t be hidden.

Lucian almost felt the urge to roll his eyes as he observed the formality of it all.

He hadn’t thought he would hear people speak like this ever in his life.

“Come in.”

A mature, feminine voice echoed from the other side.

Kanna gently pushed the door open and stepped aside, gesturing for Lucian to enter first.

The moment Lucian stepped inside, his eyes instantly adjusted to the interior that was more dim than the corridor.

A large bedroom stretched out before him, and beside the bed that was even larger than he had just seen, a woman sat on what could only be described as a throne.

Gold and crimson intertwined across its structure, giving it a regal presence.

Lucian’s eyes froze for a brief moment as he focused on her.

Carrying a heavy aura around her, she rested casually, her head tilted slightly as her cheek leaned against the knuckles of her hand placed on the armrest.

The moment his gaze fully locked onto her—

He instantly felt it.

A pressure.

Just by standing before her.

“So you are the Newborn Vampire…”

Her voice echoed through the room, smooth and almost playful, followed by a faint smile forming on her lips as her gaze slowly swept over him from head to toe.

Behind Lucian, Kanna quietly closed the door and moved to the side of the room, standing with disciplined silence.

Almost as if she had merged into the background itself.

The woman on the throne wore a black gown that clung to her figure, accentuating a mature silhouette, with soft curves and a refined yet subtly relaxed posture, and an overwhelming presence that made it difficult for the eye to look away—yet even more difficult to hold eye contact for too long.

Lucian found himself slightly surprised, as he hadn’t seen a woman as beautiful as her.

And not just that—

It wasn’t just her appearance, but the sheer weight of her presence.

Just standing before her made him feel as though an invisible weight was resting over his shoulders—as if gravity itself had increased around her.

For a long moment, he remained silent.

Then—

“And you must be the Duchess Kanna was talking about.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, the woman’s expression shifted slightly.

She raised an eyebrow, as if amused he had even opened his mouth, while Kanna, standing at the size, froze for a brief moment.

“So you can talk…”

The Duchess spoke clear amusement in her tone, making Lucian tilt his head slightly, confused by her reaction.

“Well, nice to meet you, Lucian Foster.” her tone softened just a little.

“Did my maid tell you my name as well…?”

Lucian simply shook his head.

“She didn’t. Other than the fact that you could give me a gruesome death, she didn’t say anything else.”

“Oh…?”

The Duchess’s eyebrow lifted again as she glanced sideways toward Kanna, who stiffened before lowering her head in response.

Turning her gaze toward Lucian, the Duchess slowly removed her hand from her face, leaning forward slightly.

Her expression softened further as she let out a light melodious chuckle.

“No, no… she must be joking. Do you think a beautiful woman like me would do something like that?” she asked in a soft, playful tone as her lips curled into a smile that revealed the sharp edges of her teeth ever so slightly.

But the atmosphere in the room changed, the air grew heavier, as if contradicting her statement entirely.

Her golden eyes remained locked onto Lucian with a hidden sharpness, attempting to peer past his expression, searching for hesitation, fear, or a composed mask, but… she was slightly surprised to see he wasn’t pretending.

Lucian tilted his head once again.

“What does killing have to do with being beautiful?”

For a second, the Duchess simply stared at him.

Then—

“Pft…”

She suddenly leaned forward further, her lips parting as a soft laugh escaped her.

“Haha…”

And in the next moment—

“HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Her laughter burst out without restraint, echoing through the room with a force that seemed to shake the very air itself.

The air around Lucian grew heavier, and he instantly felt the weight over him increase drastically.

His legs tightened as his knees threatened to buckle under the invisible weight.

His brows tightened as he grit his teeth, his boots scraped faintly against the floor as he kept his legs steady.

His breathing grew heavier, and his fingers twitched at his sides, curling instinctively as he tried to keep himself composed.

A looming sense of death washed over him, his mind screaming danger—and that was while the woman wasn’t even consciously doing anything.

Lucian’s eyes flickered toward her as she laughed like a beautiful maniac, revealing sharp white teeth that glinted whenever her lips parted.

After several seconds, her laughter began to fade, the lingering echo still sounding in Lucian’s ears.

“Haha… Haa…” she exhaled lightly, raising a hand to wipe the corner of her eye as though brushing away an invisible tear.

Her gaze once again settled on Lucian.

“You really are different from other humans… even though it hasn’t even been a month since the barrier broke.”

Her words made Lucian narrow his eyes.

‘Barrier…?’

The unusual word immediately made him suspicious. He felt like it had something to do with the dungeons and monsters.

“Let’s leave that aside for now…” she dismissed it before leaning back as if it wasn’t anything important.

Lucian, still processing her words and overwhelming presence, absentmindedly nodded before suddenly asking,

“Why did you bring me here?”

The Duchess’s golden eyes settled over him for a few seconds.

Then—

“I just wanted to make sure if you turned into a vampire, but it seems that you gained something more than that.”

Lucian frowned slightly.

“What do you mean—”

Before he could properly ask the question, she lazily raised a hand and waved it dismissively.

“Nothing, you can go now,” she said, once again resting her head against her knuckles.

In a clear gesture that said the conversation was over.

Kanna immediately reacted, stepping forward slightly to guide him out.

But then—

“Hey…” Lucian suddenly called out, drawing the Duchess’s attention toward him.

“I wanted to ask you something.”

The moment those words left his mouth—

The Duchess’s irises shifted to blood-red, and at the exact moment, a sudden surge of crimson pressure erupted outward without warning.

Kanna froze mid-step, her body trembling as she instinctively dropped to one knee, her expression tightening under the overwhelming bloodline suppression.

Lucian frowned, sensing something unusual. He noticed her eye color had changed as well.

“Can I…?” he spoke again, without the slightest change in his expression.

The Duchess blinked once.

Seeing him stand there without even the slightest trembling, she found herself surprised once again.

Slowly, the pressure faded, and Kanna immediately regained her composure before stepping back, almost blending into the dim shadows.

The Duchess gave a subtle nod, prompting him to continue, and was also curious about what he wanted now.

Her eyes slowly returned to their original golden hue.

Lucian exhaled quietly as he continued.

“I heard you’re the strongest Vampire. Is that true?” he asked simply.

Kanna instinctively tensed again, wondering why he would ask such a stupid question.

‘Why did I even bring him myself…?’ she couldn’t help but lament inwardly, wondering if she should have sent someone else to bring him before the Duchess instead.

The Duchess, however, only tilted her head slightly, then nodded.

“What about it?”

Unconsciously, Lucian’s lips curled into a small smile, as if he had heard the thing that he most wanted to hear.

The Duchess looked slightly confused, though she still waited for him to continue.

And he did.

“Then can I ask for a favor…?”

“Mm?”

The Duchess frowned faintly.

After a few seconds of a long, heavy silence, she gave a subtle nod, growing even more curious to hear what he would say next.

There was something about him that made her slightly anticipate his next words.

Maybe it was because of his confidence.

Or perhaps the complete lack of reaction despite standing under her pressure.

Seeing the beautiful yet overwhelmingly dangerous woman sitting leisurely upon the throne while carrying such immense pressure around her—

A thought had been forming in his mind from the moment he had stepped into the room.

After witnessing the strength she had displayed unconsciously, he had already understood his position—already seen the difference between them.

The gap was so vast that he couldn’t even begin to imagine it.

Which meant that if she truly wanted to, she could kill him before he even realized what had happened.

That wasn’t speculation.

It was simply a fact.

And that feeling disgusted him.

The helplessness. The powerlessness of standing before someone so far beyond him—it felt utterly repulsive.

So he finally made a decision.

A decision to become stronger… not just through the help of his system.

But beyond even that.

“I… I want you to train me.”

Here is another chapter for completing 50 golden tickets.

Enjoy… and comment and give your reviews.