Dracula dismissed the patrol officer with a smile and prepared to find a place to have a drink.
He had to admit, this Josh Kahn had a great eye for locations. Neuschwanstein Castle and the surrounding mountain town were truly beautiful—far more beautiful than his own cursed fortress.
It was a sha, though. In his centuries-long slumber, he had missed the construction of the castle. Otherwise, he would surely have claid it for himself.
But now...
As Dracula watched his surroundings suddenly change, he scratched his head in mild frustration.
"Long ti no see, Sorcerer Supre," he sighed before turning around with a smile to greet the bald woman in monk-like robes standing behind him.
At that mont, the scenery around him changed even more, the whole world flipped like a mirror.
This was the Mirror Dinsion—one of the signature abilities of the Kamar-Taj sorcerers.
And in this world, only one sorcerer was capable of pulling Dracula, the progenitor of his kind, into the Mirror Dinsion without him even noticing.
The Ancient One.
"Have you forgotten our agreent, Vlad?" The Ancient One asked calmly.
"Of course not, Sorcerer Supre," Dracula replied, still smiling. "I have always honored our agreent. I even punished young Nosferatu and made him sleep for a hundred years, didn't I?"
"But I doubt that's why you're here, Vlad," she said.
"You need a reason?" Dracula feigned innocence and spread his hands. "Sorcerer Supre, must I have a reason to be here? Have I hard anyone?"
Back in the 16th century, a great war had broken out between vampires and humans.
While vampires had abilities far beyond ordinary humans, humanity had its own defenders—including the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj.
In the end, the war resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, with no clear victor.
To prevent further unnecessary bloodshed, an agreent was reached between Dracula and the then newly appointed Sorcerer Supre, the Ancient One.
It was a highly complex treaty that ensured the coexistence of vampires and humans.
Though it contained many restrictions, it did not limit Dracula's freedom.
"There's no need for these little word gas, Vlad. You and I both know exactly why you are here," the Ancient One said, unimpressed by his attempt at misdirection.
If Dracula was unwilling to cooperate, she was more than willing to break their old agreent and force him into a new one.
Five centuries ago, she had only recently beco the Sorcerer Supre and had yet to reach her full potential. Back then, Dracula was still a being to be wary of.
But now?
That was a different story.
"All right, all right," Dracula relented with a helpless smile. "No need to be so tense, Sorcerer Supre. I'm just here to et this Josh Kahn, attend his wedding, and deliver a gift. After all, he's a friend of my descendant in Arica. You rember him, don't you? Although, knowing that boy, he probably wouldn't even recognize .
The "descendant" he was referring to was Hugh Jones.
But as Dracula himself admitted, despite the fact that Hugh's bloodline originated with him, the young vampire—who had gained power through forbidden ans and gradually taken control of the Arican vampire clans—was unlikely to recognize Dracula as his progenitor.
The "forbidden ans" he spoke of involved lower-ranked vampires consuming higher-ranked vampires to gain greater strength.
From the mont Hugh devoured Ellen Nosferatu's blood to regain his sanity years ago, to the many other vampires he had consud to consolidate his hold over the Arican clans with Josh's help, no one really knew how many he had absorbed to climb to the top.
Today, although he had only been a vampire for a few years, Hugh Jones' strength was already approaching that of Nosferatu, an old and experienced vampire who had lived for nearly two centuries.
Had he been a mber of a traditional European vampire clan, such actions would have earned him the punishnt of death by sunlight.
However, Dracula himself wasn't particularly concerned about Hugh's thods. After all, he had once used the sa approach to beco the progenitor of all vampires on Earth.
Moreover, for certain unique reasons, no matter how many high-ranking vampires Hugh devoured, he could never pose a real threat to Dracula.
So while the European vampire elders were deeply dissatisfied with the situation in Arica, Dracula simply turned a blind eye.
If they were so bothered, they could go to Arica and clean up the ss themselves.
Why?
Because Dracula didn't want to deal with the woman standing in front of him.
Arica was one of Kamar-Taj's strongholds. If a few low-level vampires went there to make a living, the Ancient One might not care.
But if Dracula himself set foot there, she would undoubtedly co looking for him—just like she had now.
And unless absolutely necessary, Dracula had no desire to deal with the Ancient One.
The truth was, he couldn't defeat her anymore.
For centuries, this woman had neither aged nor weakened—in fact, she had only grown stronger.
The treaty he had once signed so casually, thinking it was just a ans to prevent unnecessary losses among his kind, had now beco his shield.
Who could he even complain to about this injustice?
That was precisely why he had waited for Josh to co to Europe instead of going to Arica himself—even though he could have reached Arica in re monts.
What Dracula hadn't expected, however, was that even in Europe, the slightest interest in approaching Josh was enough to draw the Ancient One's imdiate attention.
It seed Josh Kahn had secrets that Dracula was unaware of.
Otherwise, the Ancient One would not be so cautious.
Dracula pondered the thought.
"Oh? Is that so? So you're just here as a wedding guest? In that case, I suppose you wouldn't mind a companion, would you?" The Ancient One suddenly suggested, catching Dracula completely off guard. "I, too, am interested in witnessing this grand wedding. Why don't we go together?"
"…Uh, that won't be necessary, will it?" Dracula suddenly felt a cold sweat forming—an odd sensation, considering vampires weren't supposed to sweat.
"It seems that you have other ideas. No matter. Then let us part here. But if you change your mind, you can call for . I'll stay in town until the wedding," the Ancient One said with a bright smile after studying Dracula for a mont.
Before Dracula could react, his surroundings shifted in an instant—he was back in the real world.
The scenery was just as beautiful, but his mood was far from pleasant.
Even though no battle had taken place, the Ancient One's ssage had been crystal clear—don't try anything funny, I'm watching you.
How annoying...
With a sigh, Dracula dissolved into a mist of black smoke and vanished.
Of course, he hadn't actually left.
He truly did have business with Josh.
If all went well, it wouldn't be long before he would be free from the oppressive watch of the Ancient One.
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