Chapter 417: The Troubles in the West
Ivan sat across from Nikolai, holding a burning pipe in his hand, which contained herbs used to calm the nerves and improve soul power regeneration.
Nikolai leaned back as the fruity scent filled his nose. “Is maintaining that hard?”
“A little, but to speak with your mother it’s worth it.”
Nikolai planned to take it back to help manage his mother’s current state. But… He couldn’t help but hold back seeing his father’s pure smile. “I see, if it becos too much let know.”
“Elizabeth is my wife, don’t worry. I won’t let your mother down again. Now… we should talk about the Silver Clan or at least the Brittanic Silver Clan in the west.”
The subject initially confused Nikolai, but he soon learned about Kumiko’s past, including her youth and her ti before she ca to the S-Kingdom, thanks to his father. “So the Sulley kid you helped is in a dangerous situation?”
“He’s been captured by the oversea’s Silver Clan and is likely going to be thrown into the underground arena fights.”
“Is he strong?”
“No… he’s weak, the werewolf blood in him isn’t enough to transform more than his hand.”
Ivan took a drag of his pipe before holding and blowing a large circle in the sky. He looked at his son with a bitter expression. Nikolai watched his father and understood that there was sothing difficult he needed to say.
‘I’ve only seen Dad like this a few tis…’
“Dad, tell .”
Nikolai didn’t mind helping his father—Sulley was his wife’s family, and it might be a little too late for him to take action now.
‘I should have paid more attention.’
“It’s difficult to ask when things are like this. You are the Patriarch now, so even as your father what can I ask you to do for ?” Ivan let out a weak chuckle, sucking on his pipe.
“Dad… even if you asked to hold the sky for you. I would do it until I collapsed.”
Ivan’s eyes snapped open as he coughed from the smoke.
“Y-You fool! What kind of silly ideas are in your head, Niko?”
“I just wanted you to forget the clan, right now its just and you Dad.”
“…when did you grow up? I thought you’d remain a kid forever…” Ivan spoke in a grainy voice, his silver eyes glazed over. “Is this what growing old is like?”
“Shut it dad, you’ll live another four hundred years!”
“Hahaha!”
Nikolai breathed a sigh of relief—he managed to remove the strange feeling between them. He flicked his chin and spoke. “Dad, tell what you need to do.”
If it were soone else, I wouldn’t bother, but for my dad?
How many tis did he go to the moon and back?
It was ti to pay back my debts.
“I will help you no matter what you need.”
He looked up at his son, Ivan’s eyes narrowed with a deep smile. “My son, how proud you make , this old man needs a favour… I do not wish to leave your Aunt’s side.”
The truth ca to Nikolai with that.
He wanted Nikolai to head west and save Sulley, be it by destroying the gang or entering the arena, but there was sothing that worried Nikolai.
“What about the Nosferatu… what about my wives?”
Ivan’s smile quivered.
Ah, I see…
“I can handle the Nosferatu in your absence and protect your wives,” Ivan said with another drag of the pipe, while he looked at the clock in a daze. “As for Nikita’s birth… You have a month a worst, two months at best.”
“Do you want to save him?”
“I want you to enter the arena, build a na… so that nobody doubts your power.”
“Isn’t this a little late?”
Nikolai thought that the focus should remain on the Nosferatu, but his father dropped his pipe in a small ashtray, then cracked his knuckles.
“Son. Your views are currently too narrow, although you’ve experienced a lot more than most in the past year, what have you done for yourself since you awoke as a hybrid?”
“Eh?”
Hadn’t he done a lot of things?
Nikolai looked at his father, confused about to speak.
“Your won don’t count! That might be sothing you enjoy or take pride in, but I am talking about YOU, my son, Nikolai Volkov, what have you done for yourself over this past year?”
Ivan leaned forward, his figure taking up Nikolai’s sight, and his sharp silver eyes staring into Nikolai’s mind.
“I…”
“Son, I didn’t raise a selfish man, but neither did I raise a slave. It’s great you love your won and provide for them, but now… don’t you think it’s ti you woke up and looked at the mirror? When is the last ti you got the chance to breathe with everything going on?”
“What if…”
“Nikolai, what if the sun falls tomorrow? Nothing. We can do nothing.”
Ivan grasped Nikolai’s shoulder with his hands.
“If you beco powerful, they cannot touch you,” Ivan said, but then sighed and shook his head. “It’s not just because I want Sulley saved… At the mont, you are the Patriarch of the Volkov clan and are leading the Moonlight Alliance. But without any sort of fa, who will believe in that strength? The world is far more complex than you think. Without power, we can do nothing again those who would destroy everything we love.”
Nikolai took a breath—he tried to think of tis when he had done sothing for himself, not involving a woman or his wives…
There’s not one mont, not one at all?
Not once?
No… it was impossible.
But the only thing that ca to mind involved won…
“I’m sorry I couldn’t teach you this myself…”
Ivan sat back and scratched his head. “I am not telling you to leave forever, but for this mission, go alone, and take a mont to breathe, think about what you want, what makes you happy.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a thin, white business card. “Go see them; they will take care of you while you are there. It might even be fun, son.”
Nikolai took the card and scanned it.
“Red Dawn…?” His eyebrows rose as he read the words.
“Their na is a front; it ans nothing. They manage an auction house for the rich… and an arena for the poor.”
“I see…”
Nikolai flipped the card and pulled out his phone, only to notice dozens of ssages and missed calls… all from a single number.
“Hmm?”
The mont Nikolai opened the ssage, his brows furrowed. “Ryan?”
He didn’t expect Ryan to contact him, especially not after their last eting ended. He had helped him with the ghouls, but after that, Ryan’s contact went dead, and Bryan complained about the sa thing. So why now?
“Ah…”
The request was sothing he rembered.
‘Can you help protect my sister…’
“What’s the matter?” Ivan asked with a curious tone.
“I promised to help Ryan in the past, but suddenly he contacted desperately as if he needed that favour now.” Nikolai looked at his father with a wry smile. “Isn’t this ironic?”
“…Yeah, too much.”
Ivan couldn’t help but see firsthand that when he tried to send his son on a self-searching journey, the world seed to have other ideas.
“You could always turn him down, didn’t his father try to kill you?”
“True but his dad is dead now…” At least that’s what Nikolai believed after their last eting.
*Click*
The door opened, followed by hurried footfalls.
Kumiko appeared in her beautiful kimono, panting for breath as she leaned on the wall. She looked tired with beads of sweat dripping from her brow, which was unlike her usual elegance.
“My darling, you have a problem…”
“Eh? What’s wrong, Kumi?” Nikolai couldn’t help but imdiately ask in concern.
“It’s that human… Ryan? He has turned up at the mansion with a young woman.”
“The head mansion?”
Kumiko nodded. Her face turned into a scowl. “That guy, why is he suddenly there? I don’t like him, Darling.”
Why does everything happen at once… Nikolai sighed and looked at his father, “Well about what you asked… it seems that I’ll have to take an extra guest or two.”
He planned to take Ryan and his sister to save Sulley.
There wasn’t much of a difference to Nikolai, especially since they would be in another country, which would lower the danger to his friend.
“Friends huh.”
“You are a good man.”
Nikolai glanced at his father and saw that Ivan’s silver eyes were filled with kindness as he looked at him.
“You need a good friend, even if he’s human, doesn’t that kid already know the truth? He might have betrayed you, or made a mistake once or twice, but everyone can ss up.”
Ivan scratched his face. “I am not one to talk… after what I’ve done to my wife and Sister. But, this is a chance for you to spread your wings.”
Spread my wings…
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