Hibernation can actually be seen as a self-preservation mechanism for vampires in low-nutrition states, because they need the nutrition from blood to move and survive.

But as a vampire from the old era, Norton completely lacked this problem - he was a genuine perpetual life form.

Yet he deliberately wanted to create the impression for Abraham that he too would suffer if he went too long without drinking blood, thereby confusing the priest's thinking.

He wanted Abraham to believe that Norton was fundamentally similar to these new-style vampires, so that if Abraham ever developed malicious intentions in the future, he would certainly direct his schemes along the paths Norton had subtly guided him toward.

So cunning!

Norton had always been deeply paranoid by nature, and after being betrayed by the Church - which had hidden a group of Holy Knights to directly assault him - his paranoia had grown even more severe. To this day, he remained unwilling to grant Priest Abraham even the slightest bit of trust.

Priest Abraham picked up the rat that Norton had knocked to the ground, holding it preciously in his arms as if it were a treasure.

If His Excellency wouldn't eat it, he would!

"Squeak squeak squeak..." Coal Ball, who was now about the size of a large dog and being carried by Norton, let out some sharp cries.

It wanted to eat too!

"Wait!" Norton's advancing figure suddenly halted, causing Priest Abraham's expression to instantly tense up.

Throughout their five years of traveling, His Excellency Norton had always been able to detect the scent of danger with his keen sense of smell. Only once, when Abraham had gone hunting without Norton's guidance, had he encountered a strange bird six or seven meters tall with a human face that nearly hunted Abraham as a snack.

So whenever Norton displayed any unusual behavior, Abraham would grow extremely nervous.

This time, however, Norton's face showed no signs of gravity. Instead, an unusual surprise and excitement bloomed in his reddish-brown eyes, even making his increasingly wrinkled skin form an expression of delight.

His withered, wrinkled lips parted slightly, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs.

"Humans... Abraham, I smell the scent of humans! Ah... the fragrance of human bodies intoxicates me, the rich aroma of blood drives me mad... Hahaha..."

Hakino was still acting, performing as if he too had bloodthirsty desires while concealing his perceptual field. Although Abraham knew Norton possessed Aura Pressure, he didn't know it also included radar-like sensing capabilities.

Norton was using his sense of smell and hearing to deceive Abraham.

To emphasize that he too suffered from the bloodthirsty frenzy that new-style vampires found difficult to endure, Norton even burst into mad laughter before frantically charging forward.

Just as expected, Abraham fell for it completely!

"You smelled humans? The Progenitor truly is the Progenitor! Your Five Senses are far more sensitive than mine! But it seems your bloodthirst is also stronger than mine - at least I'm not this crazed."

A weakness remains a weakness - even as the Progenitor, can he not eliminate the racial flaw entirely?

But his physical form still resembles that of old-era vampires. Is he truly like this, or is he acting for my benefit? If he's acting, then the darkness in this Progenitor's heart is truly terrifying.

But if it's real...

The feeling of constantly being subordinate to others is ultimately quite unpleasant!

A sharp light flashed in Abraham's eyes before he violently threw the stinking rat to the ground.

"I won't eat either! Wait for me, Your Excellency..."

---

A gentle breeze arrived, bringing with it threads of cold.

The night grew deeper, making the ancient castle appear even more sinister.

Killing too many people makes one cold-blooded;

having strong persecution complex makes one want to kill!

Three dark shadows silently entered the dilapidated ancient castle under cover of the night.

"Huu..." Light snoring sounds came from a room on the castle's first floor - this was the guards' quarters, housing ten knights of Elizabeth I.

The Steel Armor once used for protection was casually discarded beside the beds. Years without combat had caused these knights to lose their former vigilance, with only two night watchmen stationed at Elizabeth I's door throughout the entire night.

The room was dim, and three dark shadows silently slipped inside.

Norton's tall, slender figure appeared utterly ghostly in the darkness. Simply moving through this room, the unnatural quality of his form was enough to oppress the human heart.

To prevent his Aura Pressure from alerting the sleeping members of the castle, Norton deliberately restrained it, allowing for silent infiltration.

"Huu..." The knight lying in bed snored thunderously, his exposed skin taut with visible muscles and prominent blood vessels that looked incredibly appetizing.

Abraham could no longer restrain himself. He crouched down and used his long tongue to lick the knight's carotid artery, applying saliva with paralytic effects to numb the sensory nerves, before using his two long, sharp front teeth to easily puncture the carotid blood vessel in the neck.

"Gulp, gulp..." Soft swallowing sounds arose in the thunderously snoring room, raising no alarm whatsoever.

Coal Ball acted in exactly the same manner. Now grown to the size of an adult golden retriever, Coal Ball could drain one person's blood in a single meal, yet his feeding movements still retained the silent quality characteristic of bats.

Compared to them, Norton was far more brutal.

Looking at the sleeping knight before him and smelling the fragrant aroma of blood emanating from the man's body, Norton extended his withered hand and firmly grasped the knight's neck.

"Crack!"

With a crisp sound, the knight lying on the bed lost control of his body without making any movement.

Norton's slender arm held the knight's neck as he lifted the man directly from the bed, then opened his mouth full of sharp teeth and bit off the knight's head in one bite.

"Pfft!" Thick blood gushed from the knight's severed neck as Norton opened his mouth wide to completely envelop the torn opening.

Even the blood that sprayed onto his skin was rapidly absorbed autonomously by his flesh, with not a single drop wasted.

The scent of blood permeated the room as the vampires' feast proceeded silently in the quiet night.

This was their indulgence meal after many days without drinking blood - no need to overly concern themselves with whether their prey survived.