November 4, 1876 (8:00 AM)
Two months have passed since the death of Astraea's parents and a day since her official training began. Astraea's theoretical lessons started at 9 AM and ended at 1 PM. During these five hours, Ophelia taught Astraea the tasks she would need to perform as queen to avoid being looked down upon in the palace.
At the end of her theoretical lessons at 1 PM, she had a one-hour break. From 2 PM onward, her practical lessons began, focusing on mastering her vampire abilities. She had yet to start her witch training.
Alon's schedule was no less strict. Like Astraea, his theoretical lessons—where he learned how to speak, walk, and act like a knight—were held from 9 AM to 1 PM, followed by a one-hour break before his assassin lessons began at 2 PM. Ophelia had informed him that a professional assassin would arrive in a week to train him, leaving him with his evenings free for now.
The previous day, Astraea had worked on mastering her vampire hearing. Though she could control it to some extent, her control wasn't perfect, and there were times when she struggled to activate it.
Both Astraea and Alon woke up at 8 AM and spent an hour freshening up and having breakfast. After practical lessons from 2 PM to 6 PM and an hour of rest, their day concluded at 8 PM. This routine repeated throughout the week, with not a single day of rest.
The three of them were currently at the dining table, having breakfast in silence, as per Ophelia's teachings. Once they finished eating, Ophelia broke the silence.
"There is something important we should discuss." Two pairs of curious eyes turned toward Ophelia. She glanced at Alon, subtly indicating that the matter concerned him.
Ophelia looked away and fixed her serious gaze on Astraea. "Do you remember what I told you about the abilities of an enhanced vampire?" Astraea nodded, affirming her memory, but Ophelia elaborated for Alon's benefit.
"Four types of vampires exist in the world. The most common is the normal vampire, which is created when a human dies and is everywhere. They have many weaknesses, such as being burned by sunlight and relying solely on physical strength due to the absence of a mana core, which humans possess."
"However, they also have benefits: superhuman strength and speed, as well as an unlimited lifespan and regenerative abilities. Normal vampires can turn humans into vampires by feeding them their blood and then killing them while the blood is still in their veins. The vampires created by normal vampires are called lesser vampires. Lesser vampires are the second most common and are naturally weaker, possessing speed only slightly faster than a normal human and strength comparable to a grown adult male. Normal vampires often create lesser vampires because of their loyalty to their creator, making them ideal subservients."
"The third rarest type is the enhanced vampire, of which only two exist in the entire universe—counting you and me. To maintain balance in power, there should only be one, but we will discuss that later. Enhanced vampires are stronger and faster than normal vampires and possess a mana core, enabling them to perform magic. They are also resistant to sunlight, lacking the weaknesses of normal vampires. Like their normal counterparts, enhanced vampires can create loyal vampires. The vampires they create enjoy all the benefits of being enhanced and are only slightly weaker than their creator."
When Ophelia finished explaining, Astraea regarded her with suspicion clouding her bright blue eyes. "What is your reason for disclosing this information?"
"I want you to turn Alon into a vampire."
Shock was evident on Astraea's face as she quickly shook her head. "The benefits of him being a vampire clearly outweigh the cons. However, doesn't this mean he'll lose his emotions?"
Ophelia shook her head. "Unless he chooses to relinquish his emotions in exchange for a mana core, he will remain the same as before; the only change will be his strength."
Astraea looked at Alon, who had just absorbed everything Ophelia had said. Hearing Astraea's question about losing his emotions made Alon hesitant, as he wanted to retain the ability to feel when he finally saw his father. But when Ophelia provided her answer, he came to a decision.
"I accept. I have no interest in magic, so I will keep my emotions."
Ophelia was satisfied with Alon's response and glanced at Astraea to see if she had any more questions. She did. "Will we need another ritual?"
Ophelia shook her head. "Using a ritual would create another enhanced vampire, fracturing the order of nature. Furthermore, Alon would have no loyalty to you, which is my main goal in wanting you to turn him. If he chose to pursue magic, all he would need to do is recite an ancient spell, offering his emotions in exchange for a mana core."
Astraea nodded. "Alright, what do I need to do?"
Ophelia smiled. "You just need to feed him your blood and then kill him."