In Noblesse 'verse, the selling of contracts by corrupt nobles is probably the origin of the selling your soul to the devil myths in medieval Europe, and the connection between damned souls and vampirism.

While Noblesse definitely doesn't follow traditional depictions of vampires, a lot of those traditional depictions/myths/stories end up turning out to exist for actual valid reasons other than because primitive humans were stupid.

Eg, the 'vampire, werewolf, same thing' in medieval Europe – werewolves were working with the Union and traitor nobles.

"He said no?" Takeo asked when M-21 slunk into Tao's security control room.

"He'd never done it before, and he hated it. He wants all the vials destroyed."

"Is that a good idea?" Tao asked, spinning his chair around. "I mean, we were just Awakened, and the lab was destroyed. Doesn't he need before and after blood samples to check how we're doing?"

"What if he's reluctant to draw blood from us, if he thinks we won't trust him with it?" Takeo asked, frowning as he continued to clean his gun. "And having uncontaminated blood samples from the children might help if anything happens to them."

Tao and M-21 winced.

"He made me feel like a little kid, asking for something like that." M-21 wanted to default to resentment, because usually when people were older and wiser than he was and left him feeling confused, like he'd done something wrong or just generally inferior in the Union, it was the Union. Internal terror and trying to not seem weak when everyone knew he was because the weak were put down were the only sane responses.

He didn't want to be used against everyone like this again. Now he felt like he'd done something as wrong as asking Raizel to awaken the (fake) M-24, only unlike the way-too-kind-for-his-own-good Noblesse, Frankenstein would say no. Unless it was Raizel asking.

He'd wanted to not mess up anymore, but he'd messed up again. It helped a bit to know that Frankenstein had felt… something like the way he felt now once, but it almost made it worse, because seeing those two as fallible people like him just made him realize how much he needed to help them.

How must Tao and Takeo feel, when despite trying to get stronger so they wouldn't be a burden, they were beaten up and captured by Union agents and they had to watch Raizel pass out saving lives the Union taught them were worthless?

He had always been so unimaginably strong, Frankenstein had always known what to do, and to see Raizel on the noble version of life support, not even to make him better, just to try to stabilize his condition so he didn't fall apart even without using any more power and Frankenstein out of options because of their own weakness? Raizel couldn't just let them die, and Frankenstein couldn't stop the Noblesse from saving human lives, their lives.

M-21 wasn't the only one to feel like he had to make up for this somehow, had to give them something to make up for what they'd sacrificed because of him. 'We didn't do this for gratitude, or to be remembered,' Raizel had told the children. That meant that thanks and giving them things weren't want they wanted, but then how was he supposed to ever repay this?

Their limitless generosity made him feel so small. What if he lost this, his home, everything, because he screwed up? What if he lost them, because he was too weak and stupid to protect them?

"No one but Frankenstein has ever wanted to protect me before," Raizel said when M-21 tried to get him to run away, before stepping forward to be the one to protect him from the two Union Elders.

He knew that the fact he was trying meant a lot to him, but he didn't want to try and fail to protect them, he wanted to actually protect them, be an asset instead of a burden!

Now Raizel's body or life force or whatever was falling apart, like M-24's, and M-21 didn't want to watch, to hear the person he wanted to protect telling him that it wasn't his fault he was weak and useless, that he should live. Hearing them worry about M-21 when they were dying. He couldn't go through that again.

He had to get stronger, but he couldn't risk draining Raizel's lifeforce, again, to do it.

"Well, the boss is like over a thousand years old," Tao said. "He's good at acting like he isn't, but we're still only twice the age of his students." He probably meant to reassure M-21 that it wasn't him, Boss did that to everyone, but the reminder of how stupid he was compared to the people who had taken him in didn't help. He didn't want to be the chink in their armor.

It wasn't his fault, they would say if he asked. He'd done the best he could.

Like a failed experiment's best was worth anything.

Like he'd ever be worth anything, like he'd ever be able to help them when they needed help. "My memories were wiped, and a lot of the time I do remember was in that lab. I bet he thinks I'm not any older than Regis." M-21 winced, realizing his mistake.

"Who is a hundred and ninety-nine years old," Takeo reminded him, hair swishing as he examined M-21.

"Let's not remind them that we don't remember before the Union got us, ok?" Tao said, looking thoughtful. "Although he knows Union SOP."

The DA agents were wiped too; that was how Aris got her hooks into Takeo, the modified human not knowing he hadn't had a sister before. Not one like her, anyway. Hopefully.

"I'm less than Ikhan's age, then," Tao said, leaning back in the chair to look up at the ceiling. "Well, if contracts are off the table, how are we going to get stronger? Does it have to be him, thought? We've got other nobles around." He tilted back down, looking at Takeo. "RK-03."

Normally it took awhile to realize what Tao was getting at and if he was serious. Staring at him, M-21 wished it took longer this time.

Tao kept smiling at them undaunted as they stared at him, so Takeo was the one to have to speak and say, "Weren't you listening when Regis and M-21 told us about this? It's illegal in Lukedonia."

"Yeah, Regis' Grandpa'd be angry at us, but if it's okay for Boss and him… But Boss does what he wants, and who's going to give him a hard time?" Darn.

"He'll feel it," M-21 said. "Regis is a kid; I'm not bothering him like that just to get stronger." The entire point was for the rest of them not to suffer because he was weak!

"Seira thinks of all of us as kids," Tao said, leaning back again in the chair. "It'd be kind of nice if Boss does too."

"It would be one thing to see us as adults and treat us like children, but to feel that we are children and still treat us like adults free to make our own decisions…" Done, Takeo closed his gun and began concealing it in his clothes.

"Boss said that window was the only precious thing he had." Was Tao blushing, just for a moment? "Do you think we're precious to him? Like the kids? And if we're precious to him, then we are to Boss, too. Since Boss wants him to be happy."

"It doesn't matter," Takeo said, shaking his head, hair swishing behind him now that he'd stood up. "They're family." They all remembered Aris, but Takeo lifted his head. "The importance of protecting family is something I decided for myself." A part of who he was the Union hadn't been able to erase.

"I was looking up vampires in case Rael came after us again-" Tao started to say. Seeing their 'what' expressions, he explained that, "I figured we could attack while he went into apoplexy. Of course, I'm going to need to work on my script – it isn't much help to say Edward Cullen was based on him without explaining who Edward Cullen is – but in some of the stuff people have made up? If a vampire drinks your blood and that makes you another vampire, they're now your father."

Takeo looked from Tao to M-21. "After what he did for us, for all of us," because M-21 was Awakened before, "is that really necessary?" He shook his head.

M-21 closed his eyes. Even Tao was silent in agreement. For a moment. "So, if contracts really are out," said the self-appointed Number 01 of the knights Raizel hadn't asked for, "We need to find some other way to get stronger." The Union was going to send more people to investigate the loss of two more Elders, and they couldn't let it get bad enough that Raizel had to wake up and come save them while he was still in critical condition.

"I've considered asking Frankenstein to train me," said Takeo. Right, he'd fought Frankenstein, M-21 remembered, and winced sympathetically. "But I haven't felt strong enough for it to be worth his time."

"Yeah, he's got more combat experience than anyone." Tao said. "Even more than Regis' grandpa, I'm sure of it!" Then he sobered. "I'm going to ask him to enhance me, too." The question hung in the air, unspoken because just assuming that someone would want to volunteer for experiments? What if they felt forced into it? They'd all had enough of that at the Union.

Takeo nodded.

M-21 remembered how desperate he and M-24 were to hide that they'd grown stronger. To escape falling back into the hands of the scientists, so they could spend their last days somewhere other than that lab. Now they were talking about volunteering for experiments, and all he could say was, "Yeah."

Honor wasn't a concept in the Union. Trust? He'd trusted M-24, and Crombel and his agents had spat on that trust.

He was going to put himself into the hands of a scientist because he could trust them. And that was what would let him get the power to destroy the Union and find the names they'd taken from him and the other M-series.

He couldn't fail them. Not his fellow experiments, who were with him in that hell. Not the new comrades who were with him now in this place where… If M-24 really had been here with him, he would have had to wonder if his body had finally given out under him.

But experiments. That weren't Frankenstein wanting his recipes taste-tested.

No, no, it was sparring with him that was going to suck worse, M-21 thought, a hand reaching up to touch his chest, wincing at the memory of those wounds that refused to heal.

There were scarier things in the world than being experimented on? Really?

Losing them, any of them, ever again… yes. That was scarier.

"Come in," Frankenstein said absently, hearing the knock on his door. One of these days he had to get around to training Tao in how to do some of this paperwork, or getting a secretary, but Master was so happy here. What if someone else, who didn't know Master's taste as well, missed some key detail?

They came in to stand in front of his desk, but didn't say anything. The aura was too serene for his visitor to be Regis, so, "Yes, Miss Seira?" Another day he might have said, 'What can I help you with?' but she might perhaps be here with a message from the Lord.

Gejutel was more likely, to both tell Frankenstein that he was severely disappointed in him and to see if Frankenstein was alright, as if being a human still automatically made him a child in need of looking after despite all his centuries, that irritating old noble.

"I was not aware that you were contracted to the Noblesse," Seira said, elegantly composed as usual.

Well, of course she hadn't been. She might be his student, but Master liked his privacy; most nobles did, and unlike the Twelfth Elder Frankenstein had competent mental shielding. Frankenstein didn't lie to the household, and preferred not to hold back information if they asked, but first they had to ask.

Seira was his favorite because she was willing to ask. Well, state her wish to know something.

Nobles did not ask personal questions, or pry. It simply wasn't done, not when they had used psychic abilities long before they started using language, and using psychic powers to pry into someone's innermost thoughts was clearly wrong. Then, when they picked up words from the human populations that clustered around them, they'd treated them as essentially the same thing. The unethical, or 'inelegant' nature of trying to break into someone's mind and force them to bare their private thoughts kept them from asking questions, and the taboo against being noisy caused them to attempt to tactfully ignore the words of anyone who went around being talkative, because realizing that they'd spoken significant amounts would obviously embarrass them later, once they regained their senses. That meant that if they needed information, they either had to resort to their psychic abilities, when not reading private thoughts unnecessarily was the entire point, or attempt to throw out bait and see if anything bit. The fact she remained standing in front of his desk indicated this was a matter of some importance.

Tao was an inquisitive child, but he was still far too scared of scientists to go up to one and admit that he was ignorant on some matter and ask for instruction. Finding out things on his own was what he was designed to do, and he knew what the Union did to failures. Frankenstein could give him materials and self-study projects, try to nudge him into finally beginning to ask questions with 'you didn't ask,' but it was Seira who tasted his cooking and indicated that she wished to learn from him the very day she moved into his home.

The combination of a student willing and eager to learn and how much her personality resembled Master's made him very fond of her as soon as he knew she wasn't a danger to his master. Regis was a brat, but Seira was a very responsible young woman, trying to bear far too much of the weight of the world on her shoulders. Noble or not, she was a child, and children deserved care regardless of species.

He remembered being that age. Both by human standards and noble standards.

This was likely to take awhile. Seira knew that he preferred for her to simply say when she wanted to learn something, the way she'd stated that she wanted combat training and believed he was the only one who could teach her what she needed to learn. It had to be a delicate matter for Seira, with her practiced control over her emotions, to feel enough embarrassment to ignore her teacher's known preference and 'ask' this way instead. That itself would be embarrassing her further, and like Master she defaulted to noble reserve when uncertain or strained. He'd have to be gentle with her instead of pushing, or this would take even longer.

During which this paperwork would be here, making his desk untidy. What if some of it blew off his desk and made a mess on the floor? But, Seira was a precious student.

Frankenstein smiled and stood up. "Why don't I get us some tea."

Even with the tea, Seira's focus remained on him, instead of entirely centered on the experience of drinking the tea.

It made him twist his lips in a smile. Well, she was very young for a noble, but still. This must be something very important to her. He hadn't been given a chance to observe noble children or even the equivalent of younger teenagers like Seira and Rael on Lukedonia, other than Raskreia, otherwise he might have had a better chance of figuring out that Ragar and Urokai were significantly younger than Master despite looking older. After the Union's rumors and the truth about his experiments on nobles, no noble but the eccentric lord was going to allow their children anywhere near him.

Then, of course, he kept company with the Noblesse, when 'be good or the Noblesse will be forced to send you into eternal sleep' was what the clan leaders used to teach their heirs.

Frankenstein's housekeeping and combat student was no more cautious around Master than she was with himself, even with Regis to protect. Since the two of them were so much alike, she worried Master less than the others did. It made Frankenstein smile to see them drinking tea together, Seira expressing her admiration for Master's calm and elegance by visibly imitating it. Master was always so touched that someone would find a pariah like him a model to emulate.

As for Regis, the child orphaned at a mere hundred viewed Rai's elegance and Frankenstein's fealty to his master as role models to emulate. After Gejutel, of course, but finding that Frankenstein drank blood and used, well, ex-human minds as his pawns would have upset him. Frankenstein couldn't have Regis thinking that Frankenstein's actions reflected on the Noblesse. Or thinking too deeply on what the Noblesse's duty really was, outside of these unusual circumstances where things were as simple and clean as executing Union Elders and agents.

Not when Master adored children as much as a proper noble, and for him to have human children who wished to play with him and noble children who didn't see him as the bogeyman? Frankenstein would not let him wake up to find Regis avoiding him. Not out of cowardice, but so Gejutel didn't have to suffer losing his grandson so soon after his son.

"Sir Gejutel made contracts in the past, before the nobles were commanded to cease their interference in human affairs," she said, trying to focus her gaze on her tea while maintaining a reserved expression. "He has never spoken of the details."

That old man – "Sir Gejutel," he said with more respect than usual, because the Landegre clan leader had raised Seira since she was little more than a century old, "is acting properly." As always. "Contracts are personal matters. If they were his own personal matter I'm sure he would tell you, but he can't speak of someone else's personal matter without obtaining their permission." And those humans were long-dead. Gejutel wouldn't have made any contracts since the Previous Lord… the Previous Previous Lord, these days, created Lukedonia and nobles had trouble remembering details from that long ago. Even important details, like their own names. "Until we encountered the bonded of Roctis Kravei, I thought it likely that there hadn't been another contract in centuries." Since himself.

The Union, at least whichever elders were aware of his existence after the Union tried to erase him from their history and slander his good name, must have heard of his contract with Raizel from the traitor nobles. He'd hoped that their hatred for him would make contracts unpopular. He hadn't expected that when he made contact with the Union again, even their researchers would be completely unaware of what used to be basic concepts. The historical foundation of human enhancement. And the original Union's power, for that matter.

"Ah," Seira said, lowering her teacup, attempting to hide her embarrassment at having come so close to prying. She knew he wanted her to ask questions, but her respect and fondness for him meant she really didn't want to insult him by prying.

He smiled reassuringly, letting her know there was no need to beat a hasty retreat, he was just teasing her a little. He was probably still a little too fond of toying with nobles, even the ones who truly did have nothing to do with the mutant outbreak. Seira wasn't even born back then. "My Master has given me leave to tell all of you whatever you need to know. I can tell you what a true contract is like, from the human's perspective."

Her relief was palpable for someone with long practice reading Master's moods. "I am always grateful for your instruction."

He smiled. "I'm always happy to help my students."

The KSA was firmly under his thumb and knew better than to come anywhere near his students, but Shinwoo had come to the attention of Crombel's agents too many times. Crombel might be dealt with, but Yuri's reports were beyond Frankenstein's reach. Finally killing him would keep him from sending more, but the First Elder would be a problem.

The Union's records only contained their slander, but someone must remember what he was really like.

That before he met Master, his students were the fastest way to his heart.

They would be aware that Shinwoo was a martial arts genius, but have Yuri's confirmation that this meant nothing. The Union's belief that their enhancements made them superior was the reason so many of them hadn't been able to resist letting Shinwoo fight them for the sake of their egos. For all his talent and training, he simply didn't have the enhanced strength and speed necessary for it to be a fair fight.

Shinwoo didn't.

The Bonded of Seira Loyard could be able to fight not on the level of an ordinary contractor, but a pureblood noble like Regis.

The Twelfth Elder had never drawn on Roctis' soul weapon, which was merely one of the things that made Frankenstein certain that the bond had been tampered with somehow. Then again, seeing a mere human call on her family's soul weapon for power, even if he wouldn't be able to wield it? Ignes would have pitched a fit.

The very ability to call on Master's true power that made his bond with Frankenstein potentially deadly to the Noblesse would allow the Death Scythe to Awaken both Seira and Shinwoo. A clan leader's soul weapon could only Awaken the soul of that clan leader, but it could do that because it was bonded to their soul. So if a third person was bonded to the soul weapon through the clan leader, it should be possible for a complete soul weapon to Awaken them as well.

If Frankenstein's theories were correct.

Which, of course, they were. They had better be, when harnessing the principles behind soul weapons was his best chance of extending his master's lifespan.

Regis confronted him in his office shortly after the end of the last period.

Of course he did: the Landegre were always ones to attack matters head-on. A refreshing quality in a noble, when it came to conversation instead of combat. Seira had come during physical education class – a sacrifice for her to miss Shinwoo in action. The nobles had standing permission to play hooky from that class whenever they wished. He'd managed to press that on them by pointing out to Seira that Regis was still underage, and it would be a pity if there was a mishap with his strength on a day he was feeling distracted. However, to avoid Regis feeling singled out and ashamed, of course he would have to extend the same precaution to her. And as a responsible adult, the Loyard clan leader would set a good example by refraining from participation in PE under any circumstances in which she would wish Regis to do the same.

Seira was pushing herself far too hard to become an adult. At least she was still willing to admit that she needed to test and refine her control, although he wished she hadn't tested it on his good cookware.

After he'd finally let her graduate from the practice set he bought her – only the highest quality materials, of course, but it was in need of aging.

He hadn't been much older than Seira when he first visited Lukedonia, but the difference between them? Even if both of them were painfully aware that people died, and determined to prevent it.

The little Landegre prince wasn't looking at Frankenstein with the contempt he'd given Rael. Regis' expression still made him chuckle. "Well, I can see the resemblance to Gejutel."

"How could you use the power he entrusted you with so inelegantly?" Regis asked him, looking affronted, disgusted… trying not to look betrayed. "There's nothing worse than forcing people to do things against their own wills!"

Regis really didn't have any idea, did he? That forcing people to do things they wouldn't ordinarily do, and certainly didn't wish to do, was much of the Noblesse's duty. Things like telling him all their most inelegant thoughts, fears and plans. Coming to visit the Noblesse when they were contemplating things that would very likely end in Raizel forcing them into eternal sleep.

Raizel would never execute someone merely for having an idea, or else Frankenstein would have died within minutes of their contract. It was the choices people made that defined them. But when thought could lead to action, he'd been forced to monitor those clan leaders very closely, as they told themselves that they were monitoring him.

Obviously Frankenstein wasn't going to tell Regis how… inelegant the Noblesse's duty ordinarily was. "For someone to be forced to act against their own will is a violation of their self, soul, integrity. What do you call what the Union did to M-21, Tao and Takeo, by stripping them of their memories, of their knowledge of who they are, and forcing them to serve their violators? Of course, I'm not going to teach you that evil is any less evil if they did it first. A necessary evil is still an evil. However, all my options were worse. Leave Master's sleeping body undefended while I tried to hunt down Crombel? Unthinkable. And if I found myself in difficulties, it would wake him when he desperately needs to hibernate until the latest wound inflicted on his lifeforce…" Not 'stops bleeding.' Raizel did not have the resources to heal, not anymore. Frankenstein needed to focus on designing and constructing a seal capable of holding in his lifeforce. "I do not have time to waste tracking down an Elder of the Union and getting into fights when I must focus on Master."

The Landegre heir was raised to value loyalty. He understood that Frankenstein couldn't abandon the Noblesse, even while Frankestein was equally duty-bound to keep his own work from being used to abuse the weak – and damn that canny old fool Gejutel, for leaving two young, impressionable clan leaders and future clan leaders in his grasp. He must be counting on the fact that Frankenstein would have to mentor them, make sure they understood their responsibilities and how many would suffer if they did not live up to their principles, both for Master's sake and humanity's.

It was already clear Gejutel had drawn on what he learned from watching Frankenstein while instructing Regis.

Until Frankenstein encountered Rael, Regis was the rudest little brat of a noble he'd ever seen. Urokai at least had to be provoked, and others hid their contempt for the human or seeing an enhanced human as a carnival freak (World's Strongest Mere Human) reaching above their station under a veneer of noble civility. By noble standards, Regis was atrociously arrogant with nothing to back it up…

…And enraging those who were stronger than him was Frankenstein's strategy. It gave the weak an advantage against the strong. And against traitor clan leaders like the one who killed Regis' father, Gejutel's grandson was terribly, nightmarishly weak. Regis knew he was weak, and that was much of why he went on the offensive. Or why Gejutel hadn't scolded that inelegance out of him. Insults were being talkative, as well.

Regis looked like he wanted to object, insist that Frankenstein should have found another way.

But he already knew that being an adult… that being Regis' father didn't make someone perfect or invincible. Didn't mean they couldn't be pushed to the wall and find themselves out of options.

Regis wanted to think that of course Frankenstein hadn't really had to do it. That there must have been another way. But there hadn't been. Not unless he was willing to let innocents suffer at the hands of the Union. Just like Master had no alternative but to awaken Tao and Takeo.

"You are correct, Regis. It was disgusting. I should not have done it. I should have taken better precautions so I did not have to profane my bond to Master like that. It is because I failed to have the back-up lab ready that two of Master's loyal knights almost died, and Master was forced to summon forth so much power for their sake."

Regis swallowed, gathered himself to ask the unpleasant question. "…How much power?"

"More than it took to execute the Elders. Only the Lord and the Noblesse have sufficient power to perform Awakenings. Even Clan Leaders can't bring forth the full potential of anyone but themselves, and only by summoning their soul weapons."

"…You must save him," the little noble told him, and if it weren't for the fact those red eyes were wide and pleading, Frankenstein would have informed him that he didn't have to do anything some noble told him to do.

Yes, Master, but his allegiance to Master was a reason to not give obedience to any other noble. Or anyone, for that matter. He couldn't cheapen it, now could he?

"I am doing everything he will permit me to do," Frankenstein promised the child. "Now that Master has allowed me to resume research, and I've had the chance to… at least try to observe the mechanics of what his power does to him," obviously he couldn't let Raizel waste his power by asking him to perform a technique in laboratory conditions. "My chances are… better."

"You did not stop him from saving Tao and Takeo. Even though they did not choose to live at his expense."

"No. I did not stop him. If I stood in his way, he would have ordered me to stand aside. He would have gone through me, if need be. If he was someone who could stand by and watch humans die in front of him without doing whatever it took to save them, no matter the cost to himself, I would not have pledged myself to him. He has my blood, Regis. He could do to me what I did to the false M-24 and Dr. Crombel."

"He wouldn't!" Regis declared, shocked that anyone, but especially Frankenstein, would insult such a noble being like that.

"Exactly," Frankenstein agreed. "But there have been many nobles who would. I saw the bodies, was forced to mercy kill the mutants they left behind. Cadis Etrama di Raizel is a paragon among nobles: that is why you are here, to demand an explanation for why I disgraced myself when that would reflect poorly on him. You must consider the power you and the other nobles hold, Regis. You must consider how many humans will have their souls violated if you turn a blind eye to others' abuse of that power. The revulsion you felt when you heard that I drank someone's blood and made use of them, turned them against their master? Remember it, Regis. Remember it well."

And after they get home episode 264 events happen, and on to Training From Hell in how to survive fights above your weight class from the reigning champ when it comes to starting out an ordinary human and ending up in fights with clan leaders, if contracts are not available as a power-up.

When the others ask Frankenstein for training, he keeps giving reasons he shouldn't train the other four, and finally ends with 'I can't risk killing you when Master saved your lives,' which should be a flat out no, not happening. Then Seira goes 'I would like to learn,' and he's 'Oh well, if you want to learn this Seira…' Yeah. Everyone in that house knows who Frankenstein's favorite is (after Rai). Know the 'how dare you let them get away when they did this to my kids' scene? Frankenstein had a scene like that about Seira seasons earlier.

The fact she's basically what would happen if he and Rai had a kid likely helps, but he has a soft spot for students (see Tesamu) and Seira gets stuff done (including telling people things!), so he is a proud step-papa.