Reincarnated With The Van Helsing System
chapter-369-2

Daimon frowned after listening to the Duchess words, what she described isn't a king but… a façade, and of course he wasn't the only one thinking about it, the first one to say something was none other than Thea.

"Humph, so the current head of the White family is a mere puppet, but if that's the case who is the one taking the important decisions?", said the Empress with a disdainful voice, it's not a secret that she hates the White royal family to the core, though that hatred doesn't seem to have spread to Daphne or the Valas Duchess, maybe because unlike the other wives of the king, she didn't get sway away by Triten and draw a clear line between them from the very beginning.

This was a good chance for Daimon to ask something that has been bothering him for some time too, no matter in which age, planet or galaxy one is, the one to rule is always the one with the bigger fist.

Call it intelligence, influence, money or strength, the one who holds the most of it, is the one that rules, that's an iron rule, no one would follow a weakling.

"I think I have an idea, but I want to hear it directly from you, old man, why aren't you the king?", Daimon asked to the Trident Marshal.

Out of all the people Daimon has met in Neptune, no one has been at the same level of Vincent, even Aurora though technically in the same realm, the number of laws she has amassed pales in comparison with the Trident Marshal.

Vincent chuckled in response.

"You are one scary kid you know, let me first state that I'm not interested in ruling, this old man was born a general and will die a general, that being said, it's not like I didn't want to use my status to guide the kingdom to a better state and so I did, but when two forces with the same strength clash, the smallest change can and will do a huge difference".

"Don't underestimate the royals, because they have someone who can pair up with me in normal circumstances and probably kill me shall the necessity to do so arise… that's what bothers me the most regarding that little girl's appearance and how suddenly that Black Beard punk is so interested in the angel fish clan", said Vincent as he pointed at Marlene, before continuing.

"Because the ancestor who acts as the royal's backer is the king from five generations ago, Poseidon White a maximum Stellar ranked and the oldest person alive in the Mermen Sea".

Daimon tapped his finger on the table, what Vincent said it's not as shocking as one would think of, for example back at the Naktis castle, the one who forced Aisha to escape wasn't Victor, but his father, in this world the old powerhouses when they feel their deaths approach, they reduce their activities and fully dedicate to advance, in order to gain a longer lifespan, some accomplish it, while others don't, however during that seclusion, they can come out if an emergency arises, at the cost of shortening the time they have left since they become active once again.

"So, there is an old monster backing the king, but his leftover years are probably too little, if he hasn't directly interfered to stop your influence from spreading", Daimon concluded.

"Basically yes, but it's not like he is the only obstacle, the Minister of Development is on his side, since that cunning bastard was appointed by the White ancestor and that guy can stand up to me, not defeat me in a million of years, but a fight between us would drag for quite some time", said Vincent.

"Not to mention, the higher ranked nobles do know of the existence of the ancestor, so while it is true that they respect and fear me, it's not to the point of being okay with me ruling them, which creates the current situation, in which the king is respected for his backer and doesn't feel the need to do anything, luckily little Annete took the lead and has maintained things relatively stable for some time", he added.

"I see", mumbled Daimon, now he had another guy in his list, unfortunately that old monster wasn't the guy behind the pirates and Skelefiends, because why would someone who already has the Clear Water kingdom in his palm try to start a revolt to take over the power, there is no need when he already has a puppet king.

But since now he knew there are more than one guy hiding in the shadows, that ancestor is probably one of them and there is a high possibility that is also who sent the maid to kill him, as someone with a really high status is needed to infiltrate people in the mansion of the Trident Marshal.

And that would mean that creature worked for or with the White ancestor.

'Tsk, we lack important information to complete the puzzle', thought Daimon as he saw one of the rings that he wore in his left hand.

"You have it right, the treasure of the Blackfin family, I need it and a spacious room", said Daimon to Vincent.

"Yeah, honestly I don't know what it is, having lived and seen a lot, my senses can't inspect it, so good luck with it", answered the Trident Marshal as he handed Daimon a hand-sized black metal box.

Daimon nodded and he was ought to leave with Vincent directly guiding him, as the guards were now "dispatched" patrol and to not have them in the mansion, to avoid anything like yesterday to happen, what was guarding the mansion right now were arrays, tamed magic beasts and of course Vincent and the others, who decided to not leave all at the same time.

But Aurora who clearly had something to say, stopped Daimon from leaving.

"Wait, kid, we have something to discuss… in private, you don't mind right old Trident?", said the old woman.

Vincent shook his head, there were very few things he and Aurora kept from each other, and all of them were strictly personal, so he didn't mind it.

"The rest of us can wait outside, if that what's Daimon wants as well", he said, to Aurora's surprise, Daimon shrugged.

"Sure, it's better to clear things up at once, but Aisha will stay, take it or leave it".

Aurora sighed, but she still nodded.

"Fine, in that case Jasmin will stay as well".

The others understood and left the dining room, Daimon originally wanted the sisters to stay as well, but if his supposition was right then Aurora wouldn't have accepted that, Aisha was fine because she was presented as his family, while the sisters are his friends.

Jasmin who was sitting next to her grandmother gave Daimon an apologetic gaze, which made Daimon chuckle.

"Don't look at me like that, senior Aurora was going to find out about your eyes sooner or later, because she is the same", he said.

Aurora whose eyes were closed a moment ago, opened them to reveal she also had those halos Jasmin manifested after Daimon renovated the oath, but hers weren't white like Jasmin's but grey.

"So, you indeed noticed it, tell me do you know what is the innate ability of my Light Palace's lineage?" asked Aurora.

Daimon shook his head, to which the old woman narrowed her eyes until she was able to confirm Daimon was being completely honest with his answer.

As of that moment the slightly tense atmosphere vanished and everything returned to normal, as the old woman turned to see her granddaughter, before saying.

"I see, if that's the case, then you just noticed it because you possess the Black Armored Shark lineage, the truth is that our ability doesn't exist for our sake, but for the sake of our companions… we have the power to prevent the death of someone we cherish, be it lover, friend or family, but just once without any consequence and a second time at the cost of our lives".

"That's how the ancestor of the Light Palace died, she gave up her life to save her partner, when she felt his life being threatened, unfortunately since she lost all what she had for it, she was unable to keep looking for the hero and died in battle after her strength left her".

Aurora's words were like a bomb for Jasmin.

"T-Then, your halos are different because you already used your ability?", she asked, to which Aurora nodded.

"To be more accurate, the first time isn't under our control, if the case presents then it will activate, when your grandfather fell in coma, he should have actually died but was saved thanks to this as well".

Jasmin let out a sigh of relief, but then Daimon interrupted them.

"So that's what you were afraid about, the fact that due to Adam, Jasmin might have given up on her life for him?".

Aurora nodded in response.

"Yes, for some reason I wasn't able to notice there was something weird going on with that brat, he probably knew the whole truth, though I have no idea of why, so I needed to confirm myself whether you were the same or not".

Daimon's eyes glowed, at their level Aurora and Vincent know that contracts aren't 100% effective, though a way to break the one created through an emblem supposedly doesn't exist in Neptune, Daimon isn't a native, the magic from another galaxy is bound to be different, so Aurora wanted to hear it directly from him.

"Still, to think you already awakened, I who was considered the most talented since the ancestor, only managed to do it after a couple of hundreds of years, I wonder how did you stimulate your lineage, you lucky girl", said Aurora as she proudly looked at Jasmin.

Which made Daimon inwardly bitterly smile, it was him, the one who caused her to awake, though she didn't seem to have gotten that ability, or he would have known.

'Maybe it's something that will appear when the level of trust she has rises more, Daimon resisted the urge to check the log to see how the title changed.

"Ah, another thing, do a contract with me kid" said Aurora waking Daimon out of his daze, as she showed Daimon her emblem.

"A contract?", asked Daimon with a confuse voice, they were already in one that made them allies.

"Yes, I heard you accepted to be the bodyguard of little Mellie, if something happens to me, I want to make sure you'll lend this girl a hand, take her with you to another galaxy where she won't be limited to live in a cage, also I want you to help her punch that damn Adam brat on the face, if it's you, you can do it right?", said Aurora with a knowing gaze, which made Daimon confirm his theory that though they didn't know about the existence of systems, the notes they had probably made Aurora and Vincent to realize there were "specially talented" people, like the ones from their history.

Of course, Aurora wasn't threatening Daimon, she offered a pretty good payment.

"In exchange I'll tell you where to find it… the legacy of the only person who had the Black Armored Shark lineage prior to you, it's of no use for anyone but you probably".

Daimon's pupils narrowed like needles, maybe Adam doesn't have the ability to devour and incorporate lineages like him, since it's a trait of his Apex Predator constitution, but he can still be awarded with such things just like how Evangeline helped him fix his body back then.

So based on that, the Black Armored Shark lineage was supposed to go to him, one way or another, maybe he was supposed to get the black box in which the main ingredient for the liqueur from which he got it, resides, since the son of the Blackfin Duke travelled with the caravan in which Mellie was too.

'So, the idea was for Adam to save both Mellie and that guy, getting him the chance to meet the queen and be in the good books of the Blackfin Duke, giving him access to this ingredient, and one of the two hidden gems, then through Jasmine he would have gotten the legacy… as always it's creepy to think how this was prepared for that guy', thought Daimon.

Honestly there was no need to sign a contract, it's not like he is obligated to respect any contract anyway, but Jasmin has become friends with the sisters and Aisha, just like Mellie and Daphne, so it's like he was going to just sit and see them die if he can't prevent it, in any case they were quite related to his mission in Neptune.

"I accept", said Daimon as he placed his hand on Aurora's Elemental Emblem, successfully finishing the contract.

"That's all I wanted to say, little Jas, I will go to my room to rest, have fun with your friends, I'll bring you the map at night, it's sealed so you'll have to unlock it yourself as no one else can", said Aurora as she disappeared from the room.

A notification immediately rang in Daimon's ears.

[The level of trust of the daughter of the Northern Sky has been updated]

[Level of trust currently attained 30% à 50%]

To Daimon's surprise there was no extra announcement this time, which made him think that probably the next will happen when it reaches 60%.

Anyway, he dismissed the notification and then stood up, since the Trident Marshal was waiting for them, Jasmin approached him with a smile.

"Can I tag along as well, I'm pretty sure one of your experiments has something to do with the Black Armored lineage, and yours and mine resonate right?", she said.

Daimon nodded, he was distracted by her smile, not because she looked pretty while doing so, which was the case, however it was because that's the smile she put when he told her, to not let Adam take anything away from her.

'So she is happy because of the hit Adam on the face, part of the contract, not that I blame her though', thought Daimon.

"Well, I don't mind maybe you can help to inspect that thing, but there is one experiment which none of you will see, Aisha included, because I don't know what will happen, okay?".

"Mm", Jasmine nodded and then they left the dining room, the other girls as well as the Trident Marshal were outside waiting for them.

"Let's go", said Daimon and then Vincent guided them to a large empty room, which was used for the guards to train.

"It's reinforced and soundproof, so take your time, I have a meeting with the king and the higher echelon of the kingdom, so I'll be back at night, little Annete and Aurora will go as well, little Thea will stay with you in case something happens", said Vincent as he left.

"This Empress didn't allow you to call me in such a familiar way", exclaimed Thea, but Vincent was gone at this point, so she just softly snorted and sat down on a couch.

Daimon took out the black box from his inventory and then opened it.

"Let's begin".