Nikolai expected so huge revelation or sudden attack when he knocked Valan unconscious, but there was nothing.
"Nikolai, is that you?"
A familiar voice sounded from behind him—it was Ivan, his father. Though he looked a bit roughed up, the other elders and clansn looked far worse. "What happened to you?"
Ivan asked this, but his eyes widened when he looked at Nikolai's chest wound. He knew it was nothing serious, but Ivan couldn't just shrug it off. He rushed over to his son and eagerly checked his chest, the wounds from before he transford taking a little longer to heal because of the cursed silver that had first entered his body through the wine.
"Father... they are linked to the SSS and the developnt of that accursed bullet."
"Damn it! Are you okay? Your body, it doesn't hurt... you can tell , Nikolai..." His father hugged him close, which surprised him.
"Ahem... it seems our little nephew is hurt?"
"Oh my, father and son bonding... how cute."
"Shut up, or I'll tear out your fangs!" Ivan growled at Adela and Karoline Bathory.
"Kyaaa scary wolf!"
"No wonder our sister didn't contact us... such a bad doggy."
Of course, Nikolai himself felt embarrassed, but it felt nostalgic. Since he beca a superhuman, his father beca more stoic and harsh, but with this, he realised that his dad just beca awkward and didn't know how to approach him.
'I am glad...'
Nikolai worried his father was drifting away from him, which caused a knot in his chest to loosen.
"Nikita and the others have left, right, you managed to plan this yourself. I am proud, even if the bastards managed to take my idiot of a father, you have impressed today, son."
Ivan patted Nikolai's back as they walked out the front doors, now open again as the entire hall crumbled down.
'Hmm?'
*Sniff*
Nikolai sniffed the air and noticed several familiar scents, causing his lips to curl into a twisted smile. But he still couldn't believe how amazing his dad and the other elders were.
Alaric Drago, the rank three of their alliance and council. His upper body was wrapped in thick layers of fur, turning his wolf's hair into sothing resilient like dragon scales.
"I think so have remained..."
*Sniff*
Nikolai sniffed again and slled the scents of the won he had just seen off on the boat.
"It seems I still have so business to attend to father, but how will we get back?" Nikolai didn't understand this matter.
"Hahaha! Did you not tell your son about the mission?" Alaric Dragon and another, the fifth seat, a beautiful female nad Seraphina Volkova, a branch of the Volkov family.
"Huh, mission?"
Ivan looked a bit embarrassed, his eyes resembling those of when he said he didn't drink or smoke in the past... despite slling of both.
"Dad?"
"Haa... you see, this wasn't so reckless act—it was the final test."
"Test... test for who?"
The mbers of the council all looked at Nikolai with that annoying smile that elders and adults showed kids when they know sothing happened and find it amusing when the kids co and act proud about it.
"For you... to beco the Moonlight Lord."
Nikolai beca a little dumbfounded.
He knew there would be more tests, but this... not once did he learn anything or get told—that's when he realised why he learned nothing and his grandfather only told him to train and do as he wished. It was a test... no wonder, but what were the criteria, and how did he pass?
Those were the thoughts circling his mind.
So many people died for his test?!
"Don't bla yourself, Nikolai, I faced a similar task in the past. It's why I ran away, because I lost a friend in the test. But this is the nature of the test. It isn't just power, or how you lead, but what choices you take..."
Ivan hugged him once more. "And today, I've beco proud to be your father and am more than happy to call you my son. You protected them well... better than I could do for your mother... so go. It's ti you finish you test."
There were more things that his father had hidden, but it also felt like Ivan and the others knew everything that Nikolai could co up with, which was a little embarrassing.
'I thought my ideas were ahead of them—this was a big wake-up call.'
"Co to the south pier when you're ready to leave." Ivan and the elders didn't even bother to follow him instead heading to the eastern area of the gardens as if they knew sothing and wanted to avoid getting in Nikolai's way.
"I understand."
A little frustrated and angry, but also relieved that everyone survived, at least... it wasn't the destruction of his clan that he believed.
Nikolai turned away and headed towards the scents that lured him...
Risa
Kumiko
and... another.
***
Ivan turned back to look at his son, before the council mbers all wrapped around him and knelt.
"Don't let Nikolai know about my father, and the others... knocking out Nagisa was already enough, if he goes berserk I don't think I can stop him without losing an arm."
"Yes, leader."
Alaric Drago was a very astute and straightforward man, thus, he accepted the ergency instantly and appointed Ivan at the head. So others complained, but once the reality hit them, all the Moonlight Alliance focused on was survival and striking back first.
"Stop being so stiff, We'll rescue my dad, Dimitri and Vladimir as soon as possible, so you two protect my son." He scolded Adela and Karoline, who were assigned by the alliance to protect the won around Nikolai and the ones who reported his actions.
"Yes~ brother-in-law!"
"At your command, big-bad-wolf."
Despite their jovial words, these two won were like vicious honey badgers the mont it ca to family, and most of the elders who tried to attack Nikolai were torn into pieces and drained dry by the two sisters. They were a pair of well-known assassins in the vampire community, but they asked to hide it from their cute nephew for as long as possible.
"We will ensure his safety since he is a Báthory!"
"Our lovely little Nikolai."
The two won vanished with a gust of wind, and the werewolves could finally breathe a sigh of relief with them gone.
"No... what's the plan, do we strike now or regroup on land?" Seraphina Volkova asked with a wide grin. In her hand was a thick mace with sharp ridges. "I wouldn't mind going wild again."
"Oooh! Let join you, Sera!" Alaric chuckled, flexing his muscles.
Ivan couldn't help but feel that ti flew too fast; it only felt like a few days ago when he faced his trial with these two idiots at his side... The only reason he holds no grudge is that they didn't have a clue either!
"Haa... why have you guys not matured in thirty years?"
"Co on, captain, how could they behave normally... their brains are all muscle." A handso male with Short, windswept blond hair and green eyes chuckled, a sense of mischief radiating from his annoying grin.
"Kazan... you are the worst of them!" Ivan growled.
Kazan Orlov was a talented wolf, and his wind manipulation surpassed any generation head of his family for the past five hundred years.
"But captain... your son was quite amazing. I saw you worried when they pulled the cursed silver out and then he just shot himself and you almost cried!"
BANG!
"Shut up Kazan. Let's focus on contacting our naval forces."
***
"Haa... damn using that form for so long made so tired..." Nikola complained as he gasped slightly, finally reaching the pier to find Risa and Kumiko facing off against another woman.
"Don't think you've won!" Risa growled, but her hair was a ss, and she wasn't able to stand properly with all the damage she suffered
"The only thing I can see is how weak you are when compared to him."
Lunaria's face remained cold and indifferent as a freezing mist wrapped around her body, covering most of her body, leaving only her arms and legs visible as she beca like a fairy.
"Heh... you're just a freak... able to use both ice and fire, what did those Nosferatu maniacs do you to!"
Nikolai watched the scene before him; even the composed Kumiko looked angry, her nine tails all fluffed up, but her state was no better than Risa, and then there was Lunaria.
"A freak, well that's quite accurate." Lunaria didn't seem mad. Instead, she shrugged and started to chuckle. Her eyes flicked to the side for a mont before returning to the two won panting in front of her. "Let's stop here... you cannot defeat , nor stop eting him again."
Kumiko and Risa stood there, their bodies tense, trying to stop Lunaria, but even though they knew they couldn't win, both stood up and took a fighting pose once again.
"We'll see!"
"Watch us."
"Why are you both so adamant, just flee with your tails between your legs."
Nikolai's eyes narrowed.
'Strange, why is she going so easy on them... I can tell, Lunaria could kill them in a few strikes even now she's holding back.'
"Because we love him!"
"We won't let them turn him into sothing like you!"
Lunaria looked at the two won; in reality, her eyes never once looked at them with disgust or mockery, and she couldn't help but find their words cute, breaking into a serious laugh.
"Pahahaha! You two don't understand what it is we want and who we want... Haha... I'll tell you... What is the difference between you and ?
The Artificial Hybrid Project."
Lunaria chuckled and shook her head in amusent, now ignoring both Risa and Kumiko completely as she turned towards the night sky.
"If you can endure that hell..."
A whisper like a moth's fluttering wings, but Nikolai heard it.
"Lunaria!"
Suddenly, Nikolai ca out from the bushes and called out to her.
With a confused but serious expression, he knew now there was too much he didn't know...
The test wasn't over; he was sure of it.
"Answer ! What is the artificial hybrid project!?"
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