One of the strongest vampires joining the side of humanity will change the tides of this long battle. But those in the courtroom still need answers. They're not convinced about Ariel yet.
"A Vampire Lord betraying her kind certainly will tip the scales in our favor."
Dallas spoke his mind, and everyone naturally agreed with this statement.
"Indeed. So vampire, let's decide whether or not we can trust you."
Following what Dallas said, the President of the Hunter Agency wastes no time getting down to business.
"Why did you turn that boy into a vampire?"
Chifuyu already knew the answer to this question. It was the price he had to pay to stay alive.
"He'd been fatally wounded because of me."
"You attacked him?"
"No!"
Chifuyu interjects, wanting to answer this himself.
"It was another vampire who almost killed me. Ariel is the one who saved my life. She asked me if I wanted to live, and even though I wasn't able to say anything, she could tell that my answer was as clear as day. In the moment, I didn't think that living would mean me becoming a vampire. But I don't regret it! I'll strive to become human again while working as a hunter!"
"Is that so? But what will you do when your crave for human blood kicks in?"
"That..."
Vampires prey on humans because of their unshakeable blood thirst. Chifuyu is not an exception. Unless...
"He was captured by another vampire as an offering when I was unsealed. So responsibility for his life lies with me. Even if he consented to me saving him and has accepted that his life will no longer be the same, I selfishly brought Chifuyu into this world just so I could atone a little for all the lives I've taken."
Ariel cuts in, her words are genuine. Her life has been filled with nothing but war, she's simply tired of it.
"That's a respectable decision, but you too are a vampire. Eventually you'll need to feed as well. What will you do about that? Surely you don't think we'll have people offer up their blood each time you get thirsty, do you? If the price to pay for you joining our side is for even one person to die, we'll kill you right here and continue our never-ending battle against the vampires."
The President didn't waver while speaking. His words carried determination and complete devotion for the people of Shioto. A man worthy of the highest position.
"You don't have to worry."
Ariel speaks frankly.
"And why is that?"
"Yes, I'm a vampire through and through. But you all have one misunderstanding. Chifuyu is not a full vampire."
The hunters and onlookers all put on puzzled faces. What could she mean by not a full vampire?
"I see. I believe I'm starting to get the picture."
Dallas understood what Ariel meant, and what that also implied. The same goes for the President.
"So this boy is a half-vampire or something of the like."
The President didn't pose that as a question, but more as an assertion.
"That's exactly right. Chifuyu is a half-vampire. I fed him a substantial amount of my blood overwriting his very DNA. You can only be a full vampire if you're born as one."
Chifuyu couldn't put together what the real difference between the two is, but Dallas has already figured it out.
"So if this boy is half-human/half-vampire, does that mean he still meets the criteria that allows a vampire to suck his blood?"
"What an intelligent man."
A vampire's thirst for blood is the same as humans getting hungry, but on a more extreme level. The only way for them to get sustenance is through human blood specifically. Vampires cannot suck on each other's blood or drink the blood from animals to quench their thirst. They can still consume regular food and enjoy it but it provides nothing for their body other than momentary pleasure. If vampires go without any human blood for too long, it'll drive them to insanity first and death second.
Being a half-vampire, Ariel can get her sustenance from Chifuyu and vice versa.
"Half-vampires can also suck the blood of a full vampire to quench their thirst, so Chifuyu won't need to worry about drinking a human's blood or going crazy from not feeding."
"This sounds too good to be true. Won't the two of you eventually wring each other dry?"
After sitting back and listening, the judge speaks again again and casts his doubts.
"If vampires have a consistent intake of blood, it'll replenish itself. Also, vampires don't need as much blood as you think to quench our thirst, it's even less for half-vampires."
Wow, so it's like an infinite food glitch.
Such thoughts are occurring in Chifuyu's head as he's listening to this conversation.
"A half-vampire huh, I never thought there could be such an existence."
A hunter voices his thoughts, but a question the President has comes to mind hearing the last thing Ariel said.
"You just said something interesting Vampire Lord. If vampires don't need as much blood as we think, then why have they killed millions of us over the past couple hundred years?"
Ariel's relaxed expression twists with regret as she gets ready to answer this question.
"Because vampires began taking enjoyment out of it, I wasn't any different."
The onlookers who had calmed down didn't even try to hide their rageful stares after hearing that.
"There's another reason as well. Once a vampire has tasted human blood for the first time, they can never get enough of it. For most, they'll crave it even when they're not hungry."
"Like an addiction," Dallas adds on.
"Hm. You're starting to sound a bit believable. You've told us what happened with the young boy and how you'll both be able to live without feeding on anyone. But this trial isn't done yet."
"The judge is right. What power has allowed you to enter Chifuyu's body? Are you possessing him? Are other vampires capable of doing this?"
"She forced a master-servant contract."
Shoyo who had been sitting back after his grand declaration finally says something.
"A master-servant contract?"
"How do you know that Shoyo?"
The hunters look at each other quizzically not knowing what that is, while one of them questioned Shoyo.
"I simply had a chat with the Vampire Lord before the hunters showed up to the forest. The only thing I'll say is I have 100% trust in her."
As the man known as the strongest hunter, Shoyo's opinions have sway and meaning. Needless to say, they still need an explanation from the one in question.
"I don't doubt you Shoyo. Now Vampire Lord, if you will continue to answer the question. It sounds self-explanatory but I still want to hear it from you."
"The people of this world wouldn't know about it of course, unless that person told you."
"If you're referring to the person who sealed you, records say they disappeared a long time ago."
"I see. A master-servant contract is formed by simply using one's blood to draw the servant seal on the recipient's body. No dialogue is necessary, it's a quick process that anyone, even humans can do."
"It does sound straightforward. Did you make Chifuyu your servant?"
"It's the opposite, I made myself Chifuyu's servant. I used his blood to draw the seal on my body."
She moves her hair to the side which reveals the seal at the top of her back.
Ariel dons a short red frilly dress with black and pink ruffles. A black bow is attached at the center of her chest with its ribbons reaching just above the ruffles. The posterior of the dress is open showcasing the top half of Ariel's back. Her tight detached sleeves reach to just under her knuckles and has pink ribbons at her wrists with black frills coming out the top. At the moment she has no shoes or socks on.
This all sounds strange to the other hunters, especially the onlookers, but Dallas and the President simply accept the facts.
"You made yourself my servant? Why would you do that?"
"It's not like I'm put at some sort of disadvantage. It's just another way for me to atone. I told you didn't I, I'll stay by your side from now on. Although I was the one who forced this contract, the master has the authority to break it. So if you're unhappy with this, you can stop the contract whenever."
Chifuyu decided to put his complete trust in Ariel. As the one who saved him, he has an unpayable debt towards her.
"If you have no problem with it, then neither do I."
The newly formed partners exchange smirks.
They've accepted one another.
"Ariel Ryuji."
The President calls out to the Vampire Lord.
"In the span of this short amount of time since I arrived here, I've judged you as someone who can be trusted. I have one final question before I accept you on our side."
"Go ahead."
"Why did you decide to join us?"
Ariel's resolve will be laid bare for all to know.