Moon's Bloodline - Chapter 68: The Progenitor Awakens
Veronika was busy trying to figure out what exactly was happening. She'd been waiting outside when Nahen opened the door less than five minutes later and told her to come in. When she entered, three of the seven Lords who had been there earlier were gone. The room was now filled with chunks of flesh and blood from some unknown source.
“Um…”
“What.”
“Oh, nothing.”
Veronika could tell instinctively that now wasn't the time to ask. She simply stayed quiet and stuck close to Nahen's side. Nahen glanced at her once, then wiped the blood from his cheek. His gaze shifted to the four Lords still seated at the table—well, seated only because Nahen had made them sit.
He pointed at the Lord who had tried to stop Roselia earlier.
“Guide me to where your Progenitor is.”
“Y-yes…! I'll take you there right away!! To meet the Progenitor, some preparations are needed… May I go and handle them first?”
“Fine.”
Watching the Lords' attitudes flip 180 degrees, Veronika felt a chill run down her spine. She could roughly guess what Nahen had done to cause it.
“Ah, Mister…”
“Mister?”
When Nahen narrowed his eyes, Veronika frantically waved her hands.
“N-no! Then what should I call you?”
“Nahen.”
“N-Nahen, sir!”
“Good.”
“Um… I won't ask for bread anymore.”
Nahen looked at her like he had no idea what she was talking about, and Veronika took a small step back.
“Why are you backing away?”
“Oh, no reason…”
“Afraid I'll kill you?”
“…!”
Nahen sighed. His previously hardened expression softened. Seeing the scene he'd created, he understood how Veronika must have felt.
When he raised his hand, Veronika squeezed her eyes shut. A light pat landed on top of her head. He gently stroked the child's hair and spoke.
“Don't worry. You won't end up like that.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. As long as you remain loyal to Seere, that won't happen.”
“What if I'm not loyal…?”
“Seere would kill you before I could do anything.”
“Eek!”
Veronika immediately shrank back, and Nahen chuckled softly.
“So just stay loyal. Then Seere won't have anything to say either.”
“Okay…”
“More importantly, you've never met the Progenitor either, right?”
“Of course not. She's woken up a few times before, but only the Lords were allowed to see her.”
“I see.”
He'd been about to ask what she looked like, but if Veronika didn't know…
“Hey.”
“Y-yes, are you talking to me?”
“What's your name.”
“Nilbana!”
“Nilbana, one question. What does the Progenitor look like?”
“Y-you mean her appearance?”
“Yes.”
The reason for asking was simple. He wanted to check if she matched the appearance he'd seen in the game. His interventions had changed more than just one or two things, so it was possible the characters' looks or personalities had shifted as well.
In response to Nahen's question, Nilbana began earnestly praising the Progenitor's appearance.
“Platinum hair as radiant as the moon, crimson eyes that reveal pure innocence, skin like white jade, a slender jawline, shoulders shaped like a beautiful curve, and—”
“That's enough. So in the end, she's a platinum-haired woman with red eyes?”
“…Yes.”
Her appearance hadn't changed. It seemed his interventions only affected the story's progression, not the characters' outward forms. That meant her personality was likely unchanged as well.
“By the way, when is she coming?”
“Ah… The coffin where the Progenitor sleeps is usually kept in the Moonlight Lake. It will probably take some time to retrieve it.”
“So she didn't run away.”
“R-run away? That's impossible.”
A short while later, the door opened and the Lord who had left earlier returned.
“All preparations are complete…”
“Let's go right away.”
“…Yes.”
#
Nahen and Veronika followed one of the Vampire Lords, Alberon, down into the underground of the clan's castle. Along the way, they passed the Moonlight Lake that Lord Nilbana had mentioned. Apparently, the coffin that had originally rested at the bottom of the lake had been moved to the underground domain. The reason for storing the coffin beneath the Moonlight Lake was to preserve the Progenitor's body while she slumbered… though Nahen didn't know the exact principle behind it. He simply accepted it as is.
Nahen asked Alberon,
“Do I just feed her the Moon Blood?”
“Yes. If you break the Moon Blood, it will return to its original form… that is, blood. All you need to do is let it flow into the Progenitor's mouth.”
There was no difference from the method he already knew. Nahen nodded and quietly followed Alberon deeper underground.
“This is the Progenitor's domain. Once you enter, you may feel some pressure, but it's not a problem—it's simply the Progenitor's magic leaking out. Please understand.”
“Got it. Does a Lord have to be present to wake the Progenitor?”
“Not necessarily, but if the Progenitor were to mistake you for an enemy… I thought it might be better if I stayed.”
“Right. That would be best.”
After explaining all the precautions, Alberon grasped the door handle.
“I'll open it.”
The firmly closed grand door swung open. The moment the massive door parted, Veronika flinched and her shoulders trembled. A powerful wave of magical pressure from beyond the door had reached them.
There had been a reason Alberon warned them.
“…N-Nahen, sir.”
“Yeah?”
“Do I have to go in?”
“You can see the Progenitor. Don't you want to?”
“Ugh…”
The desire to see her Progenitor at least once clashed with the urge to escape this oppressive feeling inside Veronika's heart. As she hesitated, Nahen turned to Alberon first.
“Alberon. When exactly does this pressure start?”
“…Pardon?”
“You said it. Does it happen when you get close?”
“Right now… you don't feel anything?”
Nahen tilted his head. Contrary to what Alberon had said, he felt nothing at all. After checking Veronika's expression beside him, he confirmed his reaction wasn't normal.
‘This is the problem with an Archdemon's body…’
Nahen avoided answering Alberon's question.
“Let's go in for now.”
“Ah, yes…”
Following Alberon, Nahen stepped into the domain and spotted a large coffin resting quietly inside. While coffins were usually black or brown, the Progenitor's coffin was an unusual pure white.
‘It means she's only sleeping, not dead.’
Alberon carefully reached out and opened the pristine white coffin. When Nahen and Veronika saw the Progenitor lying peacefully inside with her eyes closed, they both expressed their admiration honestly.
‘Nilbana… I see why that guy was making such a fuss.’
Platinum hair like jewels, skin as white as snow, distinct features, and a figure whose beauty stood out even while lying down—it was enough to make even Nahen, who had seen many beautiful women, let out a gasp of admiration.
‘She looks like a work of art.’
Rather than seeing a living person, it felt like looking at a finely crafted sculpture. The lack of color in her complexion only enhanced that impression. It reminded him of the feeling he'd had when he first met Seere, stirring a faint sense of nostalgia.
While Nahen was lost in thought, Veronika spoke up.
“She's so beautiful…”
It was a sentiment he could agree with. Nahen nodded, then nearly choked when he heard what came next.
“No wonder I'm so pretty too.”
“What are you suddenly saying…”
“Eh, am I not pretty? Strange old men used to tell me I was pretty all the time.”
What kind of life had this child lived? Nahen felt both exasperated and a pang of pity. What had those strangers been planning when they said such things? It was fortunate she was a vampire and hadn't been harmed…
‘…There are irredeemable scum everywhere.’
Nahen let out a small sigh and pushed the stray thoughts aside. There was work to do first. He followed Alberon's instructions. Crack! When he crushed the Moon Blood with his bare hand, the fragments spread and miraculously began transforming into liquid. He brought his hand, now dripping blood, close to the Progenitor's lips, and the blood fell drop by drop onto her pale mouth.
The blood flowing from Nahen's hand stopped dripping. Then, a change occurred. Color returned to her previously pale lips and cheeks, and her body, which had seemed like a corpse because it wasn't breathing, began to rise and fall slowly. She had started breathing.
‘Fascinating.’
It was just like those cryogenic human projects you only see in movies. Nahen watched the process with interest, like someone witnessing something mystical.
When her breathing became clear, her closed eyelids twitched. As the Progenitor slowly opened her eyes, Nahen and Veronika expressed their admiration once more.
“Whoa…”
‘With her eyes open and color returned, she feels more like a goddess than a work of art.’
She was that beautiful. At this level, she could rival Seere. That was how impressive she was.
The awakened Progenitor blinked a couple of times, then looked at Nahen, Veronika, and Alberon in turn.
“Alberon.”
“Yes, great Progenitor.”
“Guests?”
“Yes.”
The Progenitor opened her half-closed eyes fully and looked at Nahen. Then she spoke to Alberon in a slightly stiff voice.
“Alberon, you really… surprise me every time.”
“Pardon?”
“To think you'd bring someone like this.”
The Progenitor rose from the coffin and stepped out of it as if gliding. Though she moved on her own, her movements were so natural that everyone could only stare blankly.
“Hm?”
She naturally stood before Nahen, then knelt on one knee and bowed her head in greeting.
“This one greets the great one.”
Alberon was shocked by the Progenitor's actions, and Veronika's mouth fell open. It was only natural—someone they had believed to be the greatest of all was kneeling before Nahen. Even Nahen himself…
“…Huh???”
…was extremely flustered.
#
Clatter! The teacup and saucer slipped from Seere's hand and shattered as she balanced on one foot. She had been taking lessons to train her posture before learning to dance. When Seere, who had been doing fine just moments ago, suddenly dropped the cup, Rea spoke with mild reproach.
“Your Majesty, your concentration slipped. Why did that happen all of a sudden?”
“…Rea.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The teacher…”
For a moment, Rea was slightly startled. Seere's blue eyes, which had been staring out the window after dropping the cup, were shining fiercely.
“…It seems he's meeting a woman.”
Rea was momentarily flustered. How on earth had she sensed that? Rea felt a slight chill, but if Nahen was meeting a woman in the human realm, there was only one possibility.
“…Isn't that Eri? Since he went to the human realm, he'll naturally receive reports from her.”
“Ah?”
The terrifying look in Seere's eyes that had seemed ready to devour someone instantly returned to normal. Her expression also shifted back to a pure, youthful one as Seere smiled in relief.
“Oh, right. That human was there. What, I was worried for nothing?”
“Your Majesty… how exactly did you sense something like that?”
“Hm?”
At Rea's question, Seere smiled brightly.
“It's a secret~♪”