Ysabelle, Irina and Lilith were bickering like young hens in the morning. Their arguments ranged from digging up past grievances to vying over who would sleep on my bed tonight. These three young women, who were supposed to be as close as sisters, were now angrily throwing slurs at each other like they were sailors who cussed endlessly.

As the person responsible for their internal rift, I had half a mind to dig my head into the sand and pretend this was just a bad nightmare.

Fortunately, my saving grace came just a few minutes later.

“Master Jin, there’s a guest here to see you.” One of the Blackburn House attendants assigned to me walked into my apartment and politely announced the arrival of a new guest.

“Again?” Ysabelle snapped right at the poor butler with a cold gaze. “Didn’t I tell you that Jin wasn’t to be disturbed anymore? Send that person away!”

Ysabelle has always been a respectful and thoughtful young mistress, especially towards the attendants of the Blackburn House. Yet, at that very moment, she was irate beyond belief. Well, that should be expected as she was riled up by Irina and Lilith, and not to mention, the self-proclaimed newlywed wished for her beloved to have a fruitful rest without any interruption.

That personality change shook the attendant for a while. However, being a professional, he recovered instantly and remarked: “T-That, I did relay your intentions to the man, but he said he was a personal friend of Master Jin. If it were true, I wouldn’t dare to make such a bold decision without consulting Master Jin first.”

“A personal friend? Couldn’t he be bluffing?”

Lilith snorted, and rightfully so. I haven’t had many friends since turning into a Vampire. In fact, I barely had any close acquaintances. Most of my time was split between the university, the hospital, and my home. There weren’t many people who could call me a personal friend.

“Let the man finish, Lilith. Tell me, who is this personal friend?”

“He told me to call him Professor Cain, Master Jin. He said you would know him.”

“Professor Cain?! He’s here?!”

I jumped at the mention of the familiar name. Professor Cain was my mentor during my postgraduate days, and as I got one foot into the world of magic research, he became my partner. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he was the next closest person in my life, other than my parents, during my time as a magic researcher.

“Professor Cain? Isn’t he your former lecturer and partner?”

“Oh? You know of him?”

“Jin… What part of observation rights do you not understand? We took turns monitoring you while you were recovering; of course we know all about your acquaintances and friends.”

“Right…”

Lilith was right. Contrary to my beliefs, I didn’t spend all those years unprotected. The four girls had taken turns monitoring my every move and had likely kept a log of everyone I’d met. While that might sound creepy to the outside ear, I couldn’t help but smile at the girls’ obsessive interests.

It did feel great to be loved by such beauties.

“If it’s really Professor Cain, send him in!”

The attendant bowed once and immediately left my room, not willing to stay a second further in case he incurred Ysabelle’s wrath. Though, he didn’t need to be that worried. When Professor Cain was announced to arrive, the three girls stopped bickering and adjusted their clothes appropriately. ???????????????????????????? ????o????

Although the Blackburn House had given me quite a substantial living area, it wasn’t anywhere as big as their own private residences. Therefore, it didn’t take long for the attendant to return with the familiar, old, wizened face I knew and loved.

Dressed in the same old Victorian top hat I’d seen on his head for years, the sixty-something-year-old walked cautiously into my apartment as if he were sizing up the entire area. His footsteps were soft, yet rigid confidence was hidden within those cashmere boots.

The numerous wrinkles on his face creased as he noticed the big man that stood before him. Crossed between confusion and realisation, Professor Cain looked up at me with an inquisitive gaze, contrary to the familial warmth that I was used to.

I guess I’ve really changed quite a bit, huh?

“Professor Cain! You’re here!”

Ignoring his look of confusion, I ran up to the man and gave him a big bear hug. In the past, the Professor was the one hugging me, so I never realised how frail that old body looked. However, now that I had grown over twenty-centimetres in height, I easily towered over the Professor.

“J-Jin? I-Is that really you?”

“Of course! How could you forget your number one protege?”

“T-That voice… Yeah, you sure sound like him, alright…”

Professor Cain hung his jaw open and reached into his bag, pulling out a pair of circular glasses. Haha, even if you put those on, I would still remain the same person, Professor.

“My goodness! It really is you, Jin! Dear lord, I heard you have changed since turning into a Vampire, but this is something else!”

“Haha, didn’t my parents fill you in on the details?”

“Sure, Elna said that you became a Vampire and that you’ve been cured, but this is on a whole other level!”

Perhaps it was the researcher within him waking up, but Professor Cain started to see me like a specimen to be studied rather than his favoured mentee. And truth be told… I couldn’t complain. Why? Because I would have done the exact same thing.

“Alright, you can study me all you want later.” I pulled the nosy man off my chest and placed him at arm’s length. “Why are you here, Professor? I’d thought you retired from the front lines.”

“I did, but I couldn’t pass up on an opportunity to see a Demon Lord up close and personal, can I?”

“Haha, that sure sounds like you.”

Perhaps I’d learnt all my research quirks from this curious old bugger. Even if it meant diving face-first into the depths of hell, Professor Cain would gladly do so with a smile if it meant furthering his research.

“Here, have a seat.” I brought Professor Cain to the dressing table and offered him the swivel chair. “Are you thirsty? We don’t have any water or tea here, but I could ask the attendants to get you some.”

As a Vampire, I had gained a particular taste for the blood of my beloved women. Therefore, I didn’t need a single drop of water placed within my chambers. However, I couldn’t just offer Professor Cain any of Ysabelle, Lilith or Irina’s blood, now can I?

“Ah, no. It’s fine. I’m only here for a while.”

The Professor looked over my shoulders and noticed three beautiful girls staring at him. Blinking twice, he shot me a questioning look, to which I could only smile.

“Let me introduce you, Professor. This one here is Irina, my beloved sister and the one responsible for turning me into a Vampire.” I pointed to the white-haired girl who was inching closer to my side.

“Hi,” Irina waved at the man with a mixture of nonchalance and curiosity.

“This one here is my bloodmate, Lilith. She’s also an academic, so I think you’ll get along nicely.” I followed it up with the blonde lady who had already found a seat next to me on the bed.

“Greetings, Professor. I’ve read all of your papers, and I must say… You have some riveting thoughts.”

Lilith smiled politely with a tinge of respect hidden within. During my stay at the Moonreaver Dimension, I mentioned the Professor’s research once or twice when discussing papers. So, it wasn’t strange that she read everything he’d published.

“And finally, this is Ysabelle. She’s… Well, my betrothed, I guess?”

“!!!”

“!!!”

My explosive statement turned the heads of all the girls. Irina and Lilith had their eyes widened with a running chill permeating their pores. Meanwhile, Ysabelle’s face instantly flushed red and looked like she was on the verge of jumping to the moon.

Ah… I may have chosen my words poorly. But what else could I do?

Irina was my sister, and Lilith was my bloodmate. Those two were undeniable facts.

But for Ysabelle, there hasn’t been an established connection yet. Yes, I could call her my girlfriend, but that was far from enough. We needed a more intimate bond, just like the one I shared with Irina and Lilith. And since the Blackburn House was willing to support our relationship… Well, I guess calling her my fiancée would be accurate.

“Jin… What on earth are you talking about?”

“Brother… Since when did the two of you get engaged?”

The two jealous girls growled with a low pitch like a lion waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting antelope. Unfazed, I smiled back at their cold voices and brought them into my arms, one on each side.

“Aren’t we all due to be married? Eventually, all of you will be mine, so what’s the difference?”

“J-Jin… Y-You…”

“Also, I’ve been swamped with meetings for the past three days. I’m sure that you miss drinking my blood, right? How about you two wash up, and we’ll spend the night together? All four of us.”

“B-Brother?! T-That!”

“Don’t worry, you know my libido. I can handle all three of you at once. At the end of the night, I’ll leave you all smiling and satisfied.”

At this point, even Professor Cain blushed at my words. The three girls, who had taken the most damage, turned around and didn’t dare to meet my eyes, let alone feel the piercing gaze of the old man before us. In a fit of embarrassment, they fled the scene.

Though… I have a good feeling that they will return tonight.

“Jin… You sure have changed.”

“Have I? I think I’ve always been this way.”

I smiled in response to Professor Cain’s statement. And I wasn’t jesting; I truly felt like my current self was no different from my former one. The only difference was I could behave with much more confidence, given my elevated status and power.

Rather than the repressed youngster who needed his parents’ help for everything, I was far more suited to being the dominant Vampire who stood heads and shoulders above everyone else.

And the reason for that was because…

“Those girls… They seem like lovely people.”

“Naturally, they’re the loves of my life. I wouldn’t be anywhere without them.”

“Haha, and you say you haven’t changed! There’s no way the Jin of the past would delve deeper into love!”

“Perhaps…”

In the past, all I had was my research. I spent almost every waking hour of my life trying to better myself and make a name for myself. Now, however, my love for the girls far surpassed anything I’d felt for my research or studies.

“Alright, Professor… Now that the girls are gone let’s get to the main issue.”

“… That part of you hasn’t changed. You’re still as sharp as ever.”

“Of course! There’s no way you came here just to catch up on life.”

As much as I would welcome that mindless conversation, I knew Professor Cain a little too well. If he wished for a simple conversation, a phone call or email would do. He didn’t need to dive straight into the Blackburn Estate alone, surrounding himself with Vampires that could rip his flesh if he said something wrong.

There was another reason for Professor Cain’s presence here…

“You’re right… Okay, let’s not beat around the bush anymore.”

Adjusting his hat, the wizened man frowned ever so slightly as he looked me in the eyes.

“Jin… I’m here to warn you.”