Chapter 92: Father?

"What do you mean by gone?" The old man's voice carried a tone of disbelief.

"Just like I said, it's suddenly gone—poof, just like that," replied Victoria, her words laced with an almost playful nonchalance. Her demeanor, however, seemed to find this situation amusing.

Haiter, the wise and wondering sage, observed Principal Victoria closely. It became evident to him that she wasn't taking the matter as seriously as he believed she should. He cast her a displeased look, his eyes expressing a mixture of concern and disappointment.

Sensing Haiter's disapproval, Victoria ceased her playful demeanor and adopted a more serious tone. "Like I told you, it's gone. Even though I hid it in the academy's deepest vault, it disappeared all of a sudden."

"You think I'll believe that? What did you do, Principal Victoria?" Haiter's skepticism was apparent, and he didn't seem willing to accept such an extraordinary explanation without further clarification.

Victoria sighed, the weight of the situation settling on her shoulders. "I did nothing. I secured it in the vault as we discussed. But now, it's as if it vanished into thin air. I wouldn't play games with something as important as the staff and its owner."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Victoria couldn't resist flashing her playful smile once again. "You don't need to worry about that. So just be a good old man and stay here quietly for the time being, hehe. And here." Victoria tossed an orb towards Haiter.

"What is this?" Haiter caught the orb, his curiosity piqued.

"Have you gone senile? Or do old people not keep up with technology?" Victoria teased, her tone light but with a mischievous edge. Haiter, though tempted to remind her that she was older than him, wisely chose not to provoke the playful monster just yet.

As Haiter examined the small orb, he sensed a subtle undercurrent of pure mana within it. It was unmistakably a magical device. Suddenly, the orb glowed yellow, and a translucent screen popped out, displaying a scene that unfolded like a video.

"Is this a communication crystal? No, but the scene I'm looking at... it's as if I'm looking down below the academy," Haiter observed, his curiosity piqued as he marveled at the aerial view, reminiscent of an eagle's perspective.

"You're right about it being a communication crystal, but not exactly. I made a few changes inside of it. That crystal is currently connected to my familiar's eyes," Victoria explained.

"I can't have an old man like you die of boredom, so maybe remotely watching the academy lessens it?" She looked at Haiter, a mix of amusement and genuine concern in her eyes.

Although he had once been one of her students, Victoria couldn't help but reflect on the passage of time and the realization that she was now old enough to worry about the well-being of her past students decades ago.

"I'm sure you can already feel how to use it, right?"

"Yes," said Haiter enthusiastically, making telepathic commands that prompted Victoria's bird familiar to gracefully land on a rooftop. The bird's keen eyes fixated on a particularly destroyed building, capturing the aftermath of some recent disturbance.

"That's quite the destruction you did. Are you sure what you did was right?" Haiter inquired, his curiosity tinged with a hint of concern.

"Correction," Victoria responded, her expression shifting to a more serious demeanor. "I wasn't the one who did that. That was an unexpected result caused by Lady Schwi. Haah, I didn't expect for everything to become this complicated."

Victoria, typically easy-going on the outside, was now grappling with the complexity of the situation. Her mind worked overtime as she contemplated the unfolding events. Despite her confident exterior, the unexpected turns had thrown her for a loop, and she was diligently searching for a resolution that would navigate the challenges smoothly.

Two crucial rules had been established for prospective buyers seeking to participate in the bid for the staff of Estelle. This rare and powerful artifact had attracted only two contenders – Duke Heiron and the wandering sage, Haiter.

The first rule imposed a strict prohibition on any direct contact between the bidders. The idea was to ensure a fair and impartial process, eliminating the possibility of collusion or any underhanded dealings between the two potential owners. The sanctity of the bid was to be upheld, and the bidders were to remain in isolation, allowing the process to unfold with transparency.

The second rule added an element of strategic consideration to the bidding process. Bidders were permitted to reveal their bidding numbers only once. This meant that they had to exercise caution and precision when deciding how much currency to commit on the paper provided to them. The bid amounts were to be scrutinized by the school, acting as the impartial middleman, ensuring that no party had an undue advantage.

Schwi Heiron, the daughter of a powerful duke and a member of the empire's largest merchant group, wielded financial resources that bordered on limitless. When the intense competition for the staff of Estelle commenced, Schwi wasted no time asserting her dominance. In a swift and decisive move, she inscribed the staggering sum of 10,000,000 gold on the blank bidding paper.

The school staff member responsible for overseeing the process, accustomed to more modest bids, felt a surreal disconnect as he glanced at the audacious figure on the paper. It was as if his soul momentarily left his body, struggling to comprehend the astronomical amount presented before him. The room, which had been tense with anticipation, now buzzed with an awkward silence.

In theory, Schwi had secured an immediate and irrefutable victory. Her bid surpassed any reasonable competition, and by all accounts, the staff of Estelle should have been declared hers. However, unbeknownst to Schwi, Principal Victoria, the orchestrator of the bid, had other plans.

Victoria, perhaps motivated by an unforeseen twist or her own concealed agenda, decided to fabricate the result. In an unexpected turn of events, she chose not to acknowledge Schwi's overwhelming bid. The principal lied and manipulated the outcome.

Initially, Principal Victoria's plan for the staff of Estelle involved concealing it in a location so obscure that even the successful bidder wouldn't be able to locate it. This strategy aimed to allow the school to retain its most prized possession, with the excuse that the staff had been stolen if a bidder were to win. The checks, connected to the bidders' bank accounts through a document of immediate money transfer, ensured the school received the funds even if the artifact remained hidden.

However, as the intricate web of the bidding process unfolded, Victoria recognized the flaws in her initial plan. The idea of claiming the staff as stolen seemed implausible and fraught with potential complications. In a decisive shift, Victoria altered her approach, opting for a more direct and unconventional tactic.

I observed intently as Charlotte and Peter, sensing imminent danger, prepared themselves for the impending visitors.

Peter, displaying his proficiency with blood magic, unleashed a dozen blood spears into the distance. However, the effect on the approaching peril seemed minimal, as the threat drew nearer, undeterred by the initial assault.

Suddenly, an ominous shift occurred. Dense demonic energies materialized, encircling both Charlotte and Peter. Suspended in the air, their vampiric bats quivered, sensing the malevolence emanating from the approaching danger.

Charlotte attempted to cast celestial magic in a bid to escape, but each attempt was thwarted, her magical incantations breaking apart the moment she invoked them. The looming threat drew closer, ominous dark red lightning crackling as it encircled them.

The air crackled with tension as the dense demonic energy that cloaked Charlotte and Peter dissipated. In its wake stood fourteen demons, each radiating a sinister aura. It was evident that they were middle-class demons, their forms twisted and malevolent.

However, what sent a chill through Charlotte and Peter was the man leisurely looking at them—their leader. Long black hair framed his face, and two formidable horns protruded from his head, marking him as the only high-ranking demon in the vicinity.

"Hmm? Two vampires? I was sure I felt Father's mana signature here," a voice echoed through the air, carrying with it a sense of surprise and confusion.

Turning my attention to the side, I found myself taken aback. Despite counting the approaching 14 mana signatures, I couldn't sense the source of this particular voice. It was a perplexing feat, and the realization that the speaker eluded my supernatural perception left me astounded.

However, my astonishment deepened as I laid eyes on the owner of the voice. Standing there, in a form that resembled the queen of the elves, was an unexpected and confusing sight. Questions swirled in my mind, creating a web of uncertainty.

'Why is the queen of the elves here?' I pondered internally.

'As a matter of fact, why do the elves look demon-like now? Are they all possessed?'

The situation took an even stranger turn as I examined the supposed elven queen?

Not only did she bear a striking resemblance to the queen, but her presence carried an unsettling weight.

The density of her mana wasn't merely elven; it was enigmatic, shrouded in an aura that mirrored my own.

'It's almost identical to mine. At this rate it's basically a copy of mine, what happened?'

"What should we do with these two, your majesty?" inquired the leader demon, a sense of anticipation lingering in the air.

The demon queen, seemingly indifferent to the fate of the two vampires, responded nonchalantly, "Oh, do whatever you want. I got all excited for no reason." With those words, she floated back, her movements carrying an air of detached amusement.

A wave of sinister delight swept through the demons at the queen's whimsical command. Even the leader, who had maintained an air of aloofness until now, couldn't help but succumb to the collective amusement.

It was a peculiar revelation, reminding me that demons, whether in this otherworldly realm or in my own, were perhaps more alike than different. Emotion, unbridled and untamed, seemed to guide their actions, regardless of the world they inhabited.

The gleeful expressions on the demons' faces hinted at their desire to inflict the most heinous deeds upon Charlotte and Heiron.

'Should I help them or not?'

'Master!!' Meralda's urgent telepathic message resonated once again. It became evident that the earlier barrier had indeed disrupted our communication.

'Are you alright? Where are you?'

'Master, quickly flee. There's someone coming your way!'

'Eh? They're already here though' I responded, perplexed by the swift turn of events.

While engrossed in this exchange with Meralda, an unexpected presence materialized before me. The elf queen, Elaniel, stood right in front of me, a radiant smile adorning her face. Astonishingly, she reached out to hug me, completely aware of my invisible presence.

"FATHER!!!" she said as my face was swallowed by her humongous breasts.

"HUH!????"