Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Chapter 11
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True Ancestor
[Fear]
[It was the first emotion the girl felt upon realizing her own changes.]
[When had it started?]
[When did she stop yearning for the world beyond the shadows?]
[When did she stop craving warm, soft white bread?]
[It felt as if a massive hole had been punched through her soul.]
[The girl had forgotten how to desire.]
[And she discovered a new desire.]
[Blood.]
[The girl had no home, no parents, no guardians. She was ignorant and unlearned.]
[Yet she knew it was strange to find comfort in darkness over light.]
[She knew it was strange to crave red blood over white bread.]
[The girl fled from her new desire.]
[It was not a long escape.]
[Freed from hunger and deprivation, the girl was like a single flower blooming in the darkness.]
[All sorts of vermin swarmed to her, seeking to devour her.]
[The brutish, ugly hands that had once stolen her food and bedding now reached for the girl herself.]
[Pathetic.]
[That was the girl's first impression of the adults' desires, which she had once feared so greatly.]
[The girl realized.]p>
[That the lack of desire was not a curse, but a blessing.]
[That her new craving was proof of the superiority she was born with.]
[She commanded.]
[They obeyed.]
[As naturally as breathing, a master-servant relationship took root among them.]
[From the squalid slums rife with shouts and lust, the girl in pure white walked out proudly.]
[I'm hungry.]
[The scent of blood wafted from behind her.]
[This won't do.]
[A position demands a dignity befitting it, after all.]
[The girl no longer feared her own desires.]
[For now she knew what they meant.]
"I'm special."
"I'm special."
[What dignity befits a being as special as herself?]
[How should she conduct herself to enjoy it?]
[There was a time when she pondered this endlessly.]
[Restraint was the conclusion she reached.]
[She remembered the nobles gnawing at greasy meat with oil-slicked hands, their dull eyes lusting after liquor and women.]
[How utterly grotesque they looked, ruled by their desires.]
[If she indulged in blood and power without restraint, what would set her apart from those beasts?]
[She absolutely refused to appear that way in others' eyes.]
[She was honest with her desires but careful not to be consumed by them.]
"Lady, that might be a bit difficult..."
[She held back from completely stripping away her servants' sense of self.]
"I'm sorry... I don't know why, but I'm just so tired lately..."
[She held back from fully sating her thirst for blood.]
[It was her effort to maintain the dignity of a superior being.]
[So she believed.]
[In truth, it was different.]
[The girl was not the special existence she thought herself to be.]
[She was just a girl.]
[A slum girl who no longer felt deprivation—]
[Who could now indulge in whatever she wanted—]
[Who had never known a home, parents, or friends.]
[Her twisted game of house seemed destined to continue.]
[But the girl did not yet know how powerful desire truly was.]
[And there were no adults around her to guide her onto the right path.]
[Still.]
[A harmonious family lived there.]
[She received all their love.]
[A lovable girl lived there.]
[...She received all the people's love.]
[The crimson sky, sculpted as if by some hand, made any distinction between night and day meaningless.]
[The city was silent and eerie.]
[Upon entering the gates, the first things to catch the eye were the tall spikes rising throughout the city.]
[Drip.] [Drip.] [Drip.] [Drip.]
[Viscous liquid dripped from the things impaled on the spikes, soaking the city and flowing somewhere.]
[The hero followed the liquid down the streets.]
[He arrived at a mansion in the deepest part of the city.]
[Opening the mansion's doors unleashed a tidal wave of dark red liquid.]
[Something submerged in the liquid revealed itself.]
[It was a mountain.]
[A mountain of flesh piled from countless corpses.]
[At its peak lay the girl in pure white, naked.]
[Crimson and white, seemingly incompatible, blended perfectly.]
[The girl in pure white awoke from her slumber.]
[She smiled with utterly innocent—yet ominous—innocence.]
"This can't be... It's impossible... My power... reduced to something like this..."
I know well how intense the emotional swings are for adolescents going through stormy puberty.
After all, that's what I turned into when I grew up. And I went through it twice, no less.
Is there anyone else in the world who's endured puberty twice? In that sense, I could proudly claim the number one spot in the puberty rankings.
Thanks to that, I could somewhat guess the cause of Fienne's emotional rollercoaster right now.
"Fienne. Don't be too sad."
I locked eyes with Fienne, who had collapsed to the ground and was mumbling in bewilderment.
"There are plenty of other guys in this world besides me."
It was the classic pain of heartbreak.
"What nonsense is this now...!!!"
Unable to hold back her surging emotions, Fienne buried her face and began sobbing.
The so-called flood of feelings.
My comforting words had seeped into the depths of her soul, opening the tightly shut door of the pubescent girl's heart.
I gently stroked Fienne's back.
"That's right. Cry it out. Cry endlessly. That's how everyone grows up."
"My... my power, all because of a guy like this...!!!"
...Huh.
Time to stop teasing.
The baby bird that had followed me around clingily.
The emotionally unstable lady pulling her antics.
Which was the real Fienne?
Probably the latter.
To demand an explanation, I poked Fienne's back.
"Stay away from the lady!"
That was when Gallant's shout rang out.
"...!"
My body shrank like a criminal caught at the scene of the crime.
And it had to be that way—Gallant was Fienne's escort.
What if Fienne switched back to baby bird mode and painted me as the bad guy?
It wouldn't end with just a glare or a menacing fist-clench.
I was pondering how to defuse the situation when—
"...Wait."
Gallant's reaction seemed off somehow.
"Isn't that Lord Rishir of the Bendel Family? What brings you here...?"
It was as if all memory of traveling with us here had vanished.
And he was prioritizing me over Fienne sprawled on the ground.
A flash of insight.
Fienne's odd behavior.
Gallant's odd behavior.
There had to be some connection between the two.
Acting on that judgment, I stepped forward.
"I was just about to help this lady, as she seemed unwell."
"...Is that so?"
Gallant looked highly suspicious.
That confirmed it for me.
Gallant didn't recognize Fienne right now.
Definite.
Otherwise, he'd have drawn his sword on me and gone berserk by now.
The issue now was how Fienne would play it—
"He's right."
An unexpected turn.
Fienne backed my story and even asked for support.
We stood up and had a brief chat with Gallant.
He sensed something off in our vibe and looked unconvinced, but eventually accepted it and left.
The situation was resolved, for now.
But my doubts only grew larger.
What the hell was going on here?
The harmless baby bird Fienne suddenly turns into a weird woman.
Gallant, the Fienne fanatic, suddenly acts like he doesn't know her.
"Th-this!"
"?"
Fienne's trembling voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"I helped you, right?!"
"Helped?"
"Y-yeah! I could have put you in a tough spot, but instead I helped you, didn't I!?"
It was out of left field, but I got what she meant.
"Strictly speaking, yeah."
"!!!"
At my acknowledgment, color returned to Fienne's restless face.
"Then—"
"But that's like a mugger patting himself on the back for robbing you instead of killing you. You should be grateful, right?"
"N-no...! I mean... what I meant was...!"
After floundering for a moment, Fienne suddenly pressed her body against mine.
"R-Rishir, you don't actually hate it, do you?"
"Huh?"
"I know. How pretty I am. How much guys like me. I know my servants gasp every time they bathe me. They say they've never seen such flawless skin. 'Must be nice to be the lady,' they say."
Fienne's slender hand caressed me.
It was just like before.
An overtly clinging touch.
So sticky, it was hard to believe it was really Fienne's hand.
But this touch now was—
Clumsy. Awkward. Hesitant.
This was unmistakably Fienne's touch.
The kind an innocent, clueless girl would make when desperately trying to seduce a man.
The sensuality I'd felt from Fienne, and the confidence behind it, seemed completely gone.
"If Rishir wants... you can do whatever you want with me..."
"No—"
"Consider it an honor!!!"
Her eyes shaking as she gauged my reaction, Fienne cut me off as if afraid of my answer.
"S-so many guys wanted to do this...!"
Then she caressed my face with her sensual(?) touch.
"But I never allowed anyone. Got it? How special I am. How special this moment is."
"..."
It was like a child pretending to be an adult, forcing a seduction.
In a different way from the sticky atmosphere earlier, this was deeply uncomfortable.
"So please..."
Fienne squeezed her eyes shut.
Pursed her lips.
Wait. Pucker up.
Fienne? That's not it.
You're tensing your lips too much.
'This is maddening.'
That wasn't a kiss or even a lip-lock.
It was a peck.
Feeling 100% guilt, I pushed Fienne away.
Fienne's face perfectly mirrored her shock.
"Why...?"
"Fienne. Grow a bit more, then let's date when you're older?"
"What are you talking about!!! Rishir, you're eighteen! I'm older than you!!!"
"Really? Then should we say you're my big sis from now on?"
"You're not listening to me!?"
As I bickered with Fienne, a familiar voice called out.
"Rishir~ Didn't you say you were heading home to rest?"
My teacher stood outside the alley, holding a basket of bread.
"Ah, Teacher. Nice to see you. I didn't expect to meet you again today—it's like greeting a refreshing morning twice."
"What do I do~ Duran~ I was planning to scold Rishir sternly, but that urge has completely vanished~?"
That's some rotten teaching method. Maybe I should snap that pointer of yours.
"By the way—"
Teacher's gaze shifted to Fienne.
"My disciple? Who's that lady?"
"Ah, let me introduce her. Remember I mentioned I might be getting engaged? This is Fienne, my fiancée."
"Oh my."
Her expression hardened as she sized Fienne up and down.
"Have I interrupted your intimate moment?"
"Ah, well—"
Perfect timing.
I consulted Teacher about what had just happened.
The innocent lady and her escort.
And the bastard.
About the events those three had gone through.
"I think I have an idea what happened~"
"As expected of Teacher. You know everything."
"Of course~ Anything else you're curious about~? Teacher knows all~?"
"Then, could you divine my future?"
"Let me see. Oh my. What's with that girl? She looks like a dark elf-human half-breed?"
Rishir. Use this chance to give her a stern talking-to. If you don't want to see me die of embarrassment.
I flinched.
Fienne's body trembled.
"Wh-what... was that voice just now..."
"Ah, Fienne. No need to be startled. It's just a talking book."
Fienne's eyes fixed on Duran at Teacher's waist.
"A grimoire... that speaks so fluently...?"
"A wondrous life born only because of my teacher."
Wondrous life, huh. Damn. Rishir, you're getting sentimental.
"...!"
Fienne expressed awe with her whole body.
Her legs gave out, and she sank to the ground.
From what I hear, your fiancée seems to be a True Ancestor.
True Ancestor. I'd heard that somewhere before.
Vampire?
Yeah. That's right. I think genuine vampires were called that.
True Ancestors have the power to enchant people. Probably that True Ancestor girl used her魅惑 power to cause this commotion.
Fienne is a True Ancestor?
I was briefly stunned but accepted it quickly.
It explained everything, just as Duran said.
"Is it true, Fienne?"
"N-no, it's not...?"
"Miss Fienne~ Do you know~? A True Ancestor's blood glows red when they deceive~?"
"Is that so, Teacher? What color is it normally?"
It's a metaphor for how the Church, upon discovering a True Ancestor, drags them into heresy trials without reason and doesn't stop until they're dead. By the way, if it came to that, Pamon might outdo even the Church fanatics.
"Y-y-yes...! You're right!!!"
Faced with the grim tales from Teacher and Duran, Fienne paled and confessed.
"That escort Gallant acting like that—it's probably because the girl's power was normalized by your Unique Color."
"Normalized...?"
Fienne eyed it anxiously, pondering the meaning.
I set her aside and asked Teacher another question.
"So, Teacher. Is Fienne's—enchantment power gone now?"
"Given how that Gallant reacted—yeah, that's the way to see it."
Teacher seemed somewhat excited as she spoke.
"Seriously, what a ridiculous Unique Color. Normalizing a True Ancestor's power."
"Teacher, it's not normalization, it's restoration..."
"But this can't be explained as mere restoration, can it?"
"..."
"Huh? Hold on?"
Teacher grabbed my wrist.
"..."
Her refined face rarely lost its usual vibrancy, now showing bewilderment.
"My disciple? Did you take some miracle elixir in the meantime?"