Chapter 420: Elder, Ain, Yeiling, and Human - 3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 420: Elder, Ain, Yeiling, and Human - 3
There was no impact, yet the words landed. As a vampire with a cold heart, Kavila analyzed the situation coolly rather than reacting with shock.
“…My sister suspects me?”
“To be precise, she suspects an ‘Elder.’ How could a single Yeiling possibly kill an Elder alone? Another Elder must have helped, or killed him and framed the Yeiling. For Tyr, their ruler, it’s a possibility that’s hard to ignore.”
“The suspicion itself is valid. But are you telling me my sister actually said that?”
Sharp. A true vampire. It won't be easy to lead her astray.
“No. Tyr has no desire to suspect her Elders, her loyal retainers and cherished companions. But wouldn't it be better to clear up any suspicion? That's why I've taken the initiative to resolve her concerns.”
“Don’t you value your life? You’re overstepping…”
Once Kavila confirmed I was acting on my own, however, she seemed rather pleased.
“I was wondering where she picked up such an interesting blood bag, but you're surprisingly earning your keep as the consort. That's right. My sister finds it difficult to suspect us.”
“That’s my point. I expected a vampire to be detached enough to find the culprit.”
“It's about not being swayed by emotion, which is different from being overly suspicious. More than anything, to my sister, we Elders were her very limbs. One doesn't suspect their own hands and feet. Even if, to the hands and feet, the body is the most precious thing there is…”
After muttering briefly, Kavila replied with a more serious demeanor.
“Fine. You insolent consort. What is it you want to know?”
“About the late Luscynia’s personal enmities.”
“It's as I said before. We Elders are vampires. We are not swayed by emotion. An impulsive murder is an excuse humans invent. No Elder would plot an uncertain, risky, and profitless murder out of a mere grudge.”
Kavila's words were filled with conviction. She genuinely believed it, and as she said, she was not Luscynia's killer.
Well, I already knew that from reading her mind. I came here for clues, after all.
“I think Tyr probably thought the same. But I'm here to consider the worst-case scenario, right? Let's try a different approach.”
“Differently? How so?”
“Alright. Let's assume there is a culprit among the Elders. If so, who would it be?”
If you assume it's true, you start to see things. Change the premise, and the perspective shifts. Then Kavila might offer a new clue. Even if she doesn't know the answer now, a conclusion based on eleven centuries of experience would be a clue in itself.
I waited for her answer for a moment, but Kavila soon shook her head.
“I truly don't know. It's such a foolish act that only Lunken comes to mind, but he's too dim-witted to hide the evidence. No, he wouldn't even think of hiding it. So I really have no idea.”
“I heard the late Luscynia was harsh with humans.”
“Hmph. Yes. That bat-faced bastard must have thought humans just sprout from the ground. He'd treat his own humans so harshly they'd die, then go looking for more. He was always telling me to sell him my humans, to hand them over… Acting like a bat must have made him go blind. I've spent hundreds of years feeding, housing, and caring for them, and he thinks I should just hand them over because he shamelessly asks?”
Kavila spoke like a rancher who had greatly increased her herd, and in truth, it wasn't much different.
Bloodweaver Kavila is gentle with humans. This is partly her personality, and partly the wisdom forged from nearly eleven centuries of experience.
Humans pose no threat. Kavila has no trouble managing them even if their numbers increase slightly. As the one in charge of the coast, she also acquires resources easily. Kavila's kindred deal with blood and bone, and they can feed hundreds just by increasing the number of traps they set by the sea.
Make no mistake. Kavila does not see humans as equals. Her gentleness is the result of cold calculation, a product of her meticulous nature.
…But then, does that make it not gentleness? At that point, couldn't you just call it love?
“Anyway, I understand.”
“You’re not suspecting me?”
“I came to see the least suspicious person first.”
“On what grounds?”
When I saw her fight in Claudia, she seemed the weakest in a one-on-one… I probably shouldn't say that. I fabricated a suitable reason.
“Because you're so devoted to Tyr. I knew Lady Kavila wouldn't do anything to worry her.”
Kavila snorted.
“Hmph. You have a talent for flattery.”
“It's how I landed the position of the Progenitor's consort.”
“There's another reason, I'm sure. In any case, I have nothing more to say about the culprit…”
Hmm. I'd already read her thoughts, but Kavila wasn't the culprit. Still, it wasn't a total waste.
The late Luscynia seemed to have earned a lot of resentment from all over. If this is how another Elder saw him, how must humans have felt?
There was a reason no one questioned Lyre Nightingale's motive. Luscynia himself was the motive.
Hmm. So who could it be… I mused, scratching my chin. Just then, Kavila stood up and asked.
“Humans get hungry at all hours, don't they? Shall I get you something to eat?”
“Yes, please.”
I couldn't say no to that.
Kavila prepared freshly caught seafood. A teddy bear she controlled stood on a cutting board, descaling a fish with a sharp bone knife and slicing it into sashimi. Meanwhile, Dragonfang Puppets in aprons placed a large crab into a pot to steam.
The cooking was simple and swift. In minutes, a full course of fresh seafood was served. Kavila dismissed the Dragonfang Puppets and said:
“Eat. I prepared food that would alter the taste of blood as little as possible, so you can eat as much as you like.”
“To think you'd be so concerned for my health… Thank you. I'll accept your kindness and get healthy.”
“As I've said time and again, it's not for you, it's for my sister!”
The sashimi, drizzled with fruit juice, had a wonderfully luxurious taste. Fresh fish can be eaten raw, but only if you can get it. The firm flesh stimulated my tongue with a savory flavor distinct from meat.
The steamed crab that came out was, in a word, violently delicious. The warm meat melted on my tongue, creating an explosion of flavor.
This is the life. Have I been living next to a chef like this all this time without my senses? I've decided. Today, I'm saving Tyr's sense of taste.
Kavila watched me eat for a while before asking, as if in passing:
“Did something happen to my sister?”
She's been curious this whole time, but it took her this long to ask. I decided to play dumb for a moment.
“What do you mean?”
“I can't feel my sister's dominion. From the moment I first met you, the trembling I should have felt… was gone. It's not that she's intentionally holding it back. I can tell… Do you know anything?”
Hmm. What to do? Should I feign ignorance? Ask her how a normal human like me would know about vampire physiology?
‘There's no way she'd make him her consort for no reason. There must be something. There has to be. I need to know what happened to my sister… how she's changed.’
But that would only postpone the suspicion. I should just tell her. I've already revealed that I'm the King of Humans, so what's one more thing?
Shoveling food into my mouth, I spoke as nonchalantly as possible.
“It's nothing much. She got her heart back.”
“Her heart…?”
“Yes. After a tremendously grand adventure, Tyr remembered her own long-forgotten heartbeat. Not only that, she succeeded in making it beat again.”
For a dead heart to beat again was an unprecedented event, so it took Kavila a moment to process. To help her understand, I explained in more detail.
“Life is what separates the self from the world and maintains that difference. Death, in contrast, is becoming one with the world. Once her heart came back to life, Tyr's power, her Bloodcraft, followed her heart and began to distinguish between the world and herself. Her dominion has weakened a bit because of it, but Tyr herself hasn't changed much, so don't worry.”
“…You helped her do that. That's why you're the consort…”
Vampires are surprisingly perceptive. Is it because of their experience, or because they never let emotions cloud their judgment? Hard to say right now. I had no choice but to nod.
“Yes, well. It's not a big deal.”
“…That's good.”
“Tell Tyr. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear it.”
That was that, and food was food. Having cleaned my plate, I stood up, satisfied.
“Thank you for the meal. I'll be going now. I'll be as careful as possible looking into the culprit, so please don't worry too much.”
Just as I was about to stand and leave, Kavila moved the teddy bear. The bear's mouth opened and closed, and a voice emerged as if ventriloquized.
As if to insist that it wasn't Kavila speaking.
“Be careful of Valdamir.”
“Valdamir? The Lord Sanguine? You suspect him?”
“It's not a matter of whether he's suspicious or not.”
A vampire is a vampire, no matter what anyone says. Monsters with unbeating hearts and cold blood, who drink the blood of humans.
Possessing cold reason, their emotional fluctuations are extremely minimal. You could call them dispassionate. They don't hope for the best outcome, nor do they reject the worst.
“I can't be certain who the culprit is. But, if. If Valdamir is harboring other ambitions.”
Just as I came to Kavila first because she seemed the least dangerous…
Kavila thinks with the same logic and is wary.
It wouldn't matter if any of the others betrayed them. They aren't a threat.
But one of them is. The strongest Elder, and the undisputed ruler of this land. The Lord Sanguine, Valdamir.
If he decides to cast off the shackles that once bound him…
“…Now that my sister has cast off her own shackles. Even she could be in danger.”