The next hour passed by as comfortably as a stream running down a river. After eliminating a few Outer Demons, Irina started becoming disinterested in the Winter Hunt altogether. According to her words, once she’d shown her ability and proven to the Elders that she was indeed worthy of the title of heir-in-training, there was no need for her to remain on the grounds any longer.

In fact, if not for the time limit set by the Everwinter House, we might have already left the moment she threw a glacier at the Yzhigesh.

Still, since we had a few more hours left to kill, our small group leisurely strolled through the hunting grounds, occasionally stopping to watch the carnage of the battlefield unfold.

“How many Outer Demons are there left?” I thought out loud as we watched a group of ten Vampires battle it out with another Yzhigesh.

“I don’t know,” Irina lazily answered my question while firmly attaching herself to my body. “Every year, we capture thousands of Outer Demons. And while the Winter Hunt gathers some of the top elites that the Everwinter House has, we rarely get to eliminate them all. That’s why this damned event lasts so long.”

“I see…”

Unlike the other factions, Irina didn’t need to hunt for points. So, the time limit was more of a burden to her than a restriction. While the other Vampires were racing against the clock to eliminate as many Outer Demons as possible, our small group simply sauntered about as if we were on a weekend stroll.

“Shall we find a corner to rest then? We don’t have to dive deep into dangerous territory if you’ve already hit your quota, right?”

“That sounds like a great idea!”

Irina was delighted about my sweet suggestion. Honestly, I would have loved to test my ability out on the other Outer Demons or, at the very least, watch how the other True Vampires fought, but Irina’s safety was the most paramount. There was no need to expose ourselves to unnecessary risk if we didn’t need to.

And thus, Irina led us to a somewhat isolated location where very little surveillance would be around. A shady tree with nothing but snow surrounding it stood firmly erect even though the entire forest was littered with battles. Using her ability to control snow, Irina made a comfortable spot underneath the massive tree, giving us plenty of space to lie down and rest.

My parents, who had battled some Outer Demons already to shake off their rusty hands, also took the liberty to rest with us. Only Variel and Luminita remained standing to keep their eye out for any threats that might come our way.-.

“Hehehe, resting on our bed would have been better, but this is fine as well.”

Like we did dozens of times before, Irina happily snuggled on my chest while nuzzling her face into the corner of my arms. Perhaps it was the cool temperatures, but feeling her warm body against my skin made these perilous hunting grounds seem much more comfortable.

“Hey, my parents are watching.”

“No, no. Don’t mind us.” My mother playfully winked while she chuckled. “I’m just glad to see that my son has finally gotten someone to fawn over him! Ain’t that right, Jael?”

“Mmmm…”

Just like how I’d gotten used to Irina being in my life, my mom and dad had also opened up to her. While they were hostile to her in the beginning, as the time went by, they could tell that Irina genuinely cared about me and would never do anything to harm me.

“Hah… I used to think that there would be no one to care for my little boy when we passed on. It feels like it was just yesterday that I had to help change your clothes, bring you books and watch over your health.”

My mother’s face got a little misty as she thought back on the time when I was a cripple. Well, it was just a month ago that I had to rely on them for my daily needs. Not a day went by when they didn’t worry about my needs and sacrificed everything in their life to help me through my darkest times. And if I were to bet, I’m certain they worried about how my life would be when they eventually passed on.

Fortunately, everything worked out for the better, and I’m now recovering my lost strength and potential. Otherwise…

“Yeah, I need to become much stronger.”

“Hmmm? What are you saying all of a sudden?”

“Nothing,” I smiled and gently stroked Irina’s soft head. “Irina, what are your plans after the Winter Hunt?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you want to stay in the Everwinter Estate?”

“!!!”

My sudden question turned Irina’s face pale white. The hand that grabbed my arms slowly released their grip as the girl looked at me with watering eyes.

“W-Why are you asking that?” Irina’s voice hid a slight tremble within. “Are you planning on leaving the Everwinter House? Are you abandoning me?!”

“No, not at all!”

This time I was the one who took the initiative and brought the girl closer to my chest. While stroking her soft and luscious hair, I whispered: “Didn’t I promise you that I would protect you for the rest of my life? That I would be your older brother for as long as you wanted? How would I dare go back on my promise?”

“T-Then why are you thinking of leaving the Everwinter House?”

“Irina… I want to become stronger.”

That was my heartful and earnest wish. I knew what it was like to be powerless. To fight a battle throughout as a cripple, forced to live under the mercy of others. It was a feeling that I never want to feel ever again. And therefore, to grow my strength, I needed to leave the Everwinter House.

It… was a decision that I didn’t make lightly. Yes, the Everwinter House was the perfect place for me to hone my abilities. There were Blood Servants that had mastered literally every martial art. There were True Vampires that were far stronger than any Hunter the human world had ever produced. There were even all the facilities, supplies, training manuals and teachers that I would ever need.

And most importantly, there was Irina to stay by my side. To be my rock, protection, and anchor for my love and desires.

It was truly a paradise for me to train peacefully.

Alas, I knew the fastest way for me to grow. And it wasn’t safely behind the walls that Irina had safely made for me. It was to experience the wide-open world. To hunt the Outer Demons that plagued our planet. To meet with other species and learn their ways.

And besides…

“Irina… I know.”

“K-Know what?”

“… I know that there are three others.”

“!!!”

If Irina wasn’t surprised before, she sure was now. Her gorgeous and charming face quickly turned paler than the snow that surrounded us, and her body trembled violently. Shifting her eyes to the side, Irina muttered softly:

“W-Whatever are you talking about?! I don’t know three others! Brother, you must be tired! Let’s just head to the exit and call for a doctor, alright?”

“Irina…”

Goodness, what an adorable creature. Even when she’s trying to lie, her expressions are this cute. I would have just let it slide if it were any other topic. No, I have been avoiding this issue for the past month now. I can’t allow her to evade this any longer.

“When I awakened my Vampire Aspect, I saw four souls attached to mine. They were all moulded to keep my soul from tearing apart, and like guardian angels, they watched over and protected my fragile soul.”

“…”

“But now that I have recovered, those souls need to return to their owners. I can tell since I’ve been monitoring them ever since I’d awakened my Aspect. Now that their job is done, they have turned parasitic. Rather than keeping my soul from tearing apart, they are now absorbing the powers of my soul. That’s why I’m unable to use the full power of my Soul Armament.”

I’d only figured this out after observing the four blobs attached to my soul. While they would not harm my soul in any way, they were limiting me from reaching my full potential. And I’m guessing that the fact that a quarter of their souls were attached to mine, their potential had also been limited. ????????????????????????????. Com

“Irina, I know that I have to return your soul to you. But, there are three others waiting as well. And when I dream, I can often see visions of them. We weren’t the only ones that met and played together fifteen years ago, right?”

“Brother, your memories?!”

“No, they haven’t returned yet.”

Perhaps it was the power of the Outer Demon that attacked me, or maybe it was the fact that there were four soul fragments within mine. But the memories that I had fifteen years ago had been sealed tight.

Although, I would often get hazy dreams where I played with four young girls. Not just that, I could feel that my affections weren’t only directed at Irina. Deep within my consciousness, I knew that there were three others. I could even vaguely pinpoint which direction they were in.

Maybe if I were to return all their souls back to them, I could finally get out of this deadlock that I was in. I could someday return to my maximum potential and grow into the Vampire I was meant to become.

“Irina, I know this might be selfish to ask, but…” Grabbing her hand, I made sure that Irina met my eyes. I knew about her love for me, and I knew the best way to move this cold beauty was to sincerely ask her with all my heart.

“Would you travel with me to meet the other three?”

“T-That…”

Once again, Irina tried to evade my question. However, this time, she was going to be successful because…

Scrrrrrreeeeeeeee!!!

“Tch, another one came to annoy us.” Before I could force an answer out of my adorable little sister. Yet another Outer Demon came flying our way. Sighing, I gently stroked Irina’s face and said: “We’ll continue this talk after the Winter Hunt, alright?”

“…”

Irina didn’t answer, but I expected that. There were just too many things for her to process right now, and I couldn’t fault her for thinking about this life-changing decision that I was forcing her to make.

And thus, to blow off some steam…

Let’s kill this fucker that interrupted my sweet time with Irina.