"So you're telling me, the Belmont family's down to just you now?"
Dracula sat on a broken bench amidst the wreckage of the restaurant, peering lazily at the boy sitting across from him. "The once-mighty Belmonts… not even a single branch line survived?"
Allen scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, uh… after the main family fell into decline, most of the branch families changed their surnames..."
Dracula gave a knowing nod. "Yeah… sounds about right for you humans."
Once upon a time, the Belmont family had been famed for hunting vampires—a lineage built around one sacred mission: destroy Dracula.
When Dracula had ruled the dark side of the world with overwhelming might, humanity needed a protector. And the Belmonts, aiming for the Vampire King's head, rose to prominence and reverence.
But then… Dracula had grown bored of the game.
He challenged Heaven and Hell themselves.
A cataclysmic clash ensued, one that people believed ended in mutual destruction. God and Satan both fell. With no divine or infernal patrons, both the Brotherhood of Light and the Church of Satan crumbled. And in the power vacuum, humanity thrived—pushing the now-leaderless dark creatures into the corners of the world.
And so, with no more monsters to fear… the Belmonts became obsolete.
"Ungrateful bastards," Allen growled, slapping his thigh.
"Be content, kid," Dracula murmured, eyes half-lidded. "The saying goes: when the cunning hare dies, the hounds are boiled. For humans, that's just the natural order of things. Your family didn't end up as someone's stew meat. That's already pretty lucky."
He gave a hollow chuckle. "Unlike me, a walking embodiment of bad luck."
Allen opened his mouth to respond—but outside the restaurant, a commotion broke out.
"Officer! It's here! The monster was in this restaurant!"
Shouts echoed from the street, accompanied by firelight and darting shadows.
"Ah… looks like law enforcement has arrived," Dracula sighed. "Time to relocate."
He casually reached out and grabbed Allen's shoulder. In the blink of an eye, both their bodies dissolved into mist and vanished.
---
Beside the Rhine River, Dracula and Allen reappeared on a quiet, empty street.
"There. This spot'll do nicely," Dracula said, satisfied.
"Uncle—er, I mean, sir…" Allen looked at him with eyes full of wonder. "That was magic just now, right? Could you teach me how to do that?"
"I have no obligation to teach you anything," Dracula replied coolly. "Besides, even if I did, that particular spell isn't something you could learn. Instead of watching me, you'd be better off digging up your family's archives. Learn those properly, and the kind of small-fry vampire you saw today? You could beat a hundred of them."
"But… our family doesn't have any archives left," Allen muttered, embarrassed. "During our decline, we sold most of the books and artifacts. All I've got left is a basic recipe for holy water. That bottle I used today—that's all I had."
"Damn, you humans really know how to squander a legacy," Dracula muttered. "I swear I can hear Alucard's coffin lid rattling in fury."
He gave Allen a thoughtful look, then asked with rare seriousness,
"Tell me, brat of the Belmont clan—are you truly determined to become a vampire hunter?
This path means you'll forever be hated by the creatures of darkness. It means living your life under the threat of their fangs. So think carefully—is this really what you want?"
Allen lowered his head and fell into deep thought.
Dracula said nothing, patiently waiting for the boy's answer.
Half an hour passed.
Then, Allen raised his head with a wistful smile.
"Yes. I want to be a vampire hunter."
"Oh?" Dracula raised an eyebrow. "Mind telling me why?"
Allen chuckled. "Well, I thought about it... ever since my mom died, I haven't really had anything tying me down. No girlfriend or anything."
He looked up with clear eyes. "I'm on my own now. Which means I can do whatever I want.
And I think being a vampire hunter, walking through the darkness… it's just cool as hell. Even if I die doing it, I won't have any regrets."
"Hand me your whip."
Dracula reached out and took the weapon from Allen. He muttered a sacred incantation under his breath, and the whip began to glow with a golden holy light.
Then, Dracula pulled a book from his personal subspace and handed both items to Allen.
"This whip is now enchanted. No creature of darkness left in this world should be able to withstand its power. And this book contains all the exorcism spells and combat techniques passed down by the Belmonts.
Guard them well. Learn them properly."
Allen accepted the whip and book with reverence. After a pause, he asked somewhat hesitantly,
"I know you probably don't want to say, but… may I have the honor of knowing your name?"
Dracula thought for a moment.
"You can call me… Gabriel."
With that, he turned, his body dissolving into mist and drifting off into the damp air by the Rhine.
"Farewell, boy of the Belmont clan. May we never meet again…"
Allen bowed deeply toward the direction where Dracula vanished, clutching the whip and tome to his chest.
[Why didn't you just give him the Vampire Killer?] the system asked.
"Oh, please," Dracula replied. "That weapon originally belonged to me anyway. And something of that caliber? Even if I gave it to the kid, he wouldn't be able to protect it.
'A man without strength shouldn't carry treasure', you know?"
[You sure care a lot for the old Belmont bloodline.]
"Hmph. I've long since let go of all that," Dracula said. "Mary's body has probably turned to dust by now."
He paused.
"I gave the boy those things because the true mission of the Belmont clan was never to destroy me, but to fight against whatever threatens humanity from the dark."
There was a hint of nostalgia in his voice.
"And that boy's eyes… they reminded me a lot of Alucard back then."
[Heh. Raising another man's kid really does soften the heart, huh?]
"Shut up."
Dracula reformed into his humanoid shape and gently landed at the gates of Castlevania.
He looked down at the unconscious silver-haired vampire girl lying on the ground and muttered,
"Well now… good job, delivery system. You even offer door-to-door service these days?"
The system went quiet for a second, then answered:
[Sorry, but I'm not taking the blame for this one.]