Chapter 408: The Shepherd Takes the Best Care of the Flock
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 408: The Shepherd Takes the Best Care of the Flock
They say the Duchy of Mist has no official capital, for wherever the Progenitor resides is its center. However, where the Progenitor wants to be is another matter entirely.
Tyr wanted to show me the finest parts of her Duchy. Just as one has a favorite finger on their hand, she, while feigning impartiality, insisted on heading to the most magnificent city.
“Aww, if we get too far from the Military State, it'll be a pain to go back. Can't we just stay here?”
“Then you can stay here.”
“How could you say something so hurtful? 'We' are companions who have traveled together all this time!”
Hilde clung to her with a smile. The saying that you can't spit on a smiling face held true even for vampires, so Tyr could only stare at Hilde, unable to roughly push her away.
‘Hilde… I bear her no ill will, but I find myself reluctant to get too close.’
If she had to categorize her feelings, Tyr was rather fond of Hilde. Hilde's characteristic insincerity and cynical tone resembled my own. But in this world, you can't get close to everyone you like.
‘She knows too much about Hu, and seeks to know more. While the Duchy has no secrets that must never be revealed… I am reluctant to tell her more about myself and my nation. Especially now that Luscynia is dead.’
How wonderful it would be if a world came where everyone spoke their minds honestly. But as a mind reader, I am the only one living in that world. Tyr concealed these thoughts and spoke.
“You must have a reason for coming all the way to the Duchy. What is your business?”
Hilde, who had vaguely sensed the underlying sentiment, asked back.
“My business? Why do you ask? Are you eager to send ‘me’ away?”
“Are you planning to live here as a freeloader forever, then? I should at least hear your purpose to make it worthwhile to have you around.”
“Hmm. It's a matter of grave national importance. Discussing it on the street is a bit... beneath its dignity, don't you think~?”
“I will hold you to that, so be prepared. I hope the substance of your business is at least half as grand as your words. If not, I will have to reconsider your value.”
The cold conversation, with its hidden intentions, came to an end. Tyr immediately turned to me with a gentle smile.
“Let us go, Hu. The Twilight Citadel was built to repel invasions, so it is lacking in many ways. I wish to show you Plenilune Castle. There is still much in the Duchy that I have yet to show you.”
“Hm. I don't mind going, but... Tyr, are you sure about this?”
“Sure about what? What do you mean?”
I answered Tyr’s question quite pointedly.
“I am the King of Humans. A representative of all humankind. But vampires consider humans to be livestock, don't they? I don't think you'd want to brazenly show me scenes of humans being treated as such.”
Of course, I'm no human rights activist. I am the Beast King, and beasts, by nature, either eat or are eaten. If other beasts can be treated as livestock, there's no law saying humans, who are beasts all the same, cannot be.
The only reason I antagonized and overturned the Military State was because I sensed the Sanctum's intervention in the actions of its High Command.
To be precise, it seemed as though the people of the Military State were being controlled by a Saintess who could read the future, even before they committed any crimes. It felt like they were trying to tailor the beast known as 'human' to their own liking, to turn them into something else. That's why I lent my power to the Regressor who wanted to shake the State to its core. Though the reality of the High Command was a little different from what I'd imagined.
But vampires, in the end, are still human, and controlling others through strength is natural. Besides, the powerless are treated like livestock everywhere in the world.
In fact….
“Huhu. You underestimate me and this country. Even if I have nothing to fear, do you think I would show you my nation's shame?”
Tyr answered my impertinent question with a light laugh.
“Before we go, I will show you. I will show you what this country is truly like.”
Sea fog rises from the Sea of the Leviathan, obscuring the sun and forming clouds. The clouds, riding the wind, drift over the Duchy like a great roof until they meet a high mountain range and stagnate. In the midst of it all, they converge on a single area of low hills and flow out.
A place where sunlight cannot reach, dark throughout the four seasons. A place where the salty sea breeze always blows, its briny scent mingling with the smell of blood until they are indistinguishable.
The Duchy of Mist, where sorrow and fresh blood flow.
There…
“Here, get it while it's cheap! Cheap! We handle all kinds of meat!”
“Selling blood pudding! One block of this will cover two months of your blood tax! Eat pudding and replenish your blood!”
“Hey. Any Yeiling looking for blood? If not, even a Twaite will do.”
It was far more vibrant than I had imagined.
Walking through the market street, I felt no dark or gloomy atmosphere. As if to prove that what illuminates people's hearts is not sunlight but a life of comfort and food, the hearts of the people here were bright and healthy.
Standing in the middle of the street, I muttered in amazement.
“Why are they so well-off?”
“What do you take us for? We stopped unilaterally exploiting them for blood a thousand years ago. That method could satisfy neither vampire nor human.”
Tyr, who had fashioned a hood from shadows, spoke as if showing off the vibrant street to me.
“Draining all the blood just because you're thirsty is the same as draining a well dry. Our cruelty is reserved only for our enemies. We fatten and care for our allies.”
There was no exaggeration in Tyr’s explanation. The market was filled with things to fatten up humans: cured meats, dried fish, milk and blood pudding, cheese and oils. Wheat and rice, which require the sun's blessing, were scarce, but the variety of other ingredients meant I didn't miss bread or rice.
The seafood was particularly eye-catching. The selection was diverse, from fish I had occasionally seen to various shellfish. Such a variety of seafood was hard to come by anywhere but the Duchy of Mist. After all, there weren't many madmen who would go fishing in the sea where the Leviathan dwelled.
But there was another, more important feature. The Duchy of Mist is a nation where vampires are the nobility. And vampires cannot eat food. In other words, all the food in this market was…
“It's all food for humans, isn't it? Since vampires have no need for it.”
The entire economy of this market was for humans. Tyr replied with a smile.
“Huhu. Correct. A bored vampire might take a bite now and then, but it's nothing more than a simple amusement. Vampires can't taste, after all.”
“No one looks like they're wasting away from anemia. Why did I always picture this place as a dreary, gray city?”
“Kukuk. You're not entirely wrong. It is certainly gray. But if you draw too much blood, you'll have none left to drink tomorrow. So, we forbid drawing blood excessively.”
Tyr was greatly pleased with my reaction. Regardless, I too observed the street with a sense of wonder.
A human's most dangerous enemy is another human. This is because humans inevitably possess what other humans need.
But vampires, though they are also human, are slightly different. They demand the most essential thing from humans—'blood'—but they couldn't care less about anything else. A vampire, having no appetite, lust, or need for sleep, purely demands blood and can concede everything else.
Moreover, since even that blood is a resource that can only be provided if the source is alive and healthy, vampires might just be the most ideal nobles. Like shepherds tending their flock.
“A long time ago, I heard there were those who acted all high and mighty, claiming to be kings or nobles, insisting their blood was a different color from that of commoners.”
“Lies. When we caught them and drained their blood, it was all the same red. The only ones whose blood was truly different were the vampires.”
“So that was from back when you were in your prime, Tyr. Anyway, it makes sense, being ruled by truly different nobles. Would a vampire demand money and food for the sake of luxury? At most, they'd covet the body.”
At my words about coveting the body, Tyr flinched for a moment before scolding me.
“Saying 'covet the body' has a strange connotation. Please correct it to 'blood.'”
“What on earth were you imagining? Blood is part of the body, isn't it?”
“You should speak precisely. So as not to cause confusion.”
No matter how I thought about it, there was nothing to be confused about. Maybe the only one confused was Tyr, with that devil in her head. The devil that wanted to turn my body into a vampire!
“Come to think of it, all the food sold in the market is healthy stuff that helps with vitality and stamina. Blood pudding, liver, meat, seafood, and so on.”
“You've been strangely leading the conversation. This is just food to help them replenish their blood easily.”
“It's all the same, isn't it? Speaking of which, maybe because I'm a little short on blood myself, I'm craving some meat.”
Meat was hard to find in the Military State. Turning grain into the flesh of an animal for food was an extremely inefficient act. The fact that compressed meat from a canning factory was the greatest luxury one could afford said it all.
Yet here in the Duchy, where they drained human blood, they encouraged meat consumption to replenish it. How ironic.
In any case, since I was in the Duchy, I might as well indulge a little. As I looked around, one shop caught my eye. It was a place that roasted a large piece of meat on a skewer, cutting it to order.
Seeing the huge chunk of meat reminded me of Azzy. I wondered if that beast I'd left behind in Claudia could have resisted the sight of this. It was probably for the best that she stayed there, rather than single-handedly disrupting the public order of the Duchy.
“Welcome!”
As I lamented and approached the shop, the owner greeted me with a bright, customer-ready smile. I glanced around the shop and said.
“I'll have two servings of your most popular item.”
“Yes, sir! Just a moment!”
Fat melted and dripped from the meat, which was formed into a giant mass of layered cuts. The owner sliced the golden-brown meat with a thick knife, placed it on a plate, added some stir-fried vegetables and sauce, and handed it to me.
I didn't know what kind of country the Duchy of Mist was, but at the very least, its food culture seemed second to none. I started to drool and rummaged through my pockets. And then I remembered something I had briefly forgotten.
Ah.
I didn't bring any money.
Where was it? Back in the guest room? No, I hadn't even taken out any money in the room. All my money was back in Claudia. After hanging around people like the Witherarch and the Golden Lord, I'd stopped placing much value on money.
“Sir?”
The owner's gaze fell on my bulging pockets, as if urging me to take out my money quickly. But what was in my pockets right now wasn't money.
“Shopkeeper.”
“Yes?”
“As it happens, all I have are these cards. Would you happen to accept cards for payment?”
“Cards? What cards?”
They were cards, indeed. The items I had created just a little while ago with the power of the Divine.
I pulled out nearly ten cards from my pocket and fanned them out in front of the owner. Seeing the cards, all bearing the spade symbol, the owner narrowed his eyes, wondering what they were.
“If you're asking about these cards, they were made by an Arcane that humans can scarcely comprehend. They are masterpieces created by the Divine of Magic himself.”
I tried to sell him on it, packaging my pitch with nothing but the truth, but he was a seasoned merchant who had run his shop for nearly ten years and wasn't easily fooled. The owner's eyes flashed as he spoke.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Don't be like that. Look. If they weren't made by the Divine, how could there be so many?”
I continuously pulled cards from my pocket. Far too many cards to fit in a pocket of that size came streaming out. In reality, I was just hiding the cards I'd already pulled out in my hand and pretending to take them out again, but to an unknowing observer, it would look like cards were pouring out of my pocket.
“See? The cards come out endlessly, right?”
The owner was momentarily intrigued, but only for a moment. The veteran merchant didn't let go of his suspicion.
“That's a fun trick. But we only take money.”
“Can't you see? I'm telling you, the cards keep coming! You could get a pretty penny for these at a scrap dealer.”
“Then go to a scrap dealer and exchange them! Get lost!”
With the meat right in front of me, I was shoved away. Tsk, what a jaded adult. The childlike wonder is all dead.
Having failed to dine and dash, I trudged back to Tyr and said.
“Tyr. That man dared to point a finger at me, your guest. Punish him.”
“Huhu. You jest.”
“No, I'm serious.”
I was being completely serious, but she took it as a joke. I really was asking her to abuse her power. I had the Progenitor backing me, so why should I be treated so poorly? They say the position makes the man. If I'm in a high position, I should be able to throw my weight around a little!
“If I wished, I could take everything on this street, but that is not what you want, is it? We are traveling incognito right now, so let us continue to observe these ordinary sights.”
‘Walking the market street together like this, it feels like a normal outing. It's rather enjoyable.’
Normal? What's normal about this? The moment you think that, it's already special! Normal people can't sleep at night because they're worried about money!
“Even normal people have money. Without it, the 'ordinary sights' you want to see are nothing but a pie in the sky.”
“Money worries? Who do you think I am? I am the master of this land, the beginning of all vampires. Do you truly think I would be troubled by a lack of money in my own domain?”
“Somehow, I feel like you would be. Haven't you already experienced it a few times?”
My prediction was spot on. Tyr sighed softly as she fumbled through her clothes. She was, after all, no commoner who would consciously carry the currency used by ordinary folk.
'My dignity is in tatters…! Hu is hungry, and I can't even satisfy his hunger! It can't be helped. At this rate, I'll have to reveal my identity!'
This was it. This was why you stick close to the powerful. I was just starting to sharpen my blade of vengeance against the owner who dared to cast out the Progenitor's guest.