Chapter 424: Elder, Ain, Yeiling, and Human - 7
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 424: Elder, Ain, Yeiling, and Human - 7
As the Progenitor’s Consort, I was something of a celebrity. Vampires recognized me as a matter of course, and even a third of the humans on the street knew who I was on sight, the word “Consort” on the tips of their tongues. Half of them even approached me to strike up a conversation.
“Excuse me, are you…!”
Being the Progenitor’s Consort wasn’t something I needed to hide, and even if I wanted to, the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka was too immense a figure in the Duchy to make it possible. Instead of concealing my identity, I declared it proudly.
“Yes. The Progenitor’s Consort. That’s me.”
At that, the people surrounding me gasped in admiration.
“Ooh…! I knew it!”
“He has the face of a consort!”
“I don’t trust him, but there’s no way he’d dare to swindle the Progenitor!”
What the hell is a “consort’s face”? And swindle her? Anyone hearing that would think I was some scumbag who’d suck a woman dry and then toss her aside. I don’t give off that much of a bad impression, do I?
“Pardon me, but how old are you?”
“Shh. That’s a secret. I’ve decided not to count my age in Tyr’s presence… Don’t ask why. You’ll be arrested for blasphemy.”
“Where did you first meet the Progenitor?”
“I ventured into the endless, cold darkness of the underground in search of treasure, and we met there by chance. Or perhaps, was it fate? After all, the Progenitor was a treasure to me as well.”
“What’s the secret to the taste of the blood that captivated the Progenitor?”
“That goes beyond privacy and into the realm of state secrets. I’d like to keep that one to myself.”
A crowd gradually formed around me. An unstoppable tide of curiosity washed over me. Rather than avoiding their gazes, I enjoyed them as I walked the streets. The crowd grew larger, and even those who had been indifferent began to peek over, their interest piqued by the throng. In an instant, a procession large enough to fill the street had formed.
The humans living in the Duchy of Mist, where little ever changed, were thirsty for interesting news, and the consort brought in by the Progenitor was a particularly juicy topic to chew on. It was, after all, a romance between the Progenitor, who was higher than the sky, and a mere human.
“What do you find most ado—”
“Enough.”
Tap. Tap. Amidst the noisy street, the sound of footsteps was unusually clear. The humans who had swarmed like clouds flinched and turned toward the source of the voice. Then, they hastily bowed their heads and lowered their eyes.
“C-Countess Erte!”
An Ain. A Kindred of an Elder, a noble vampire who inherited their power and authority.
Their age and strength varied wildly depending on when they were turned into a Kindred. But one thing was certain: they possessed a power that most humans could not hope to stand against.
“You foolish cattle. Do not obstruct the path of the Progenitor’s Consort.”
Moreover… the Ain had been through a great culling. Through survival of the fittest, only the strongest individuals remained. Countess Erte was one such case.
Blood flowed across the ground, slithering up the humans’ ankles. A red spiderweb was drawn upon their skin. A moment later, the humans surrounding me were pulled away in unison, as if yanked by strings.
It was an application of Kavila’s Blood Silk, used to seize countless humans and move them in a single breath. While not overwhelmingly powerful, its delicacy was a masterwork, a technique that had reached the pinnacle of Bloodcraft.
The humans, accustomed to such forceful relocation, let out only small cries. Still, it was just as unpleasant for them, and dissatisfied murmurs lingered in the air.
Regardless, Countess Erte, a loyal servant of Valdamir and the great Ain who managed Plenilune Castle, parted the crowd and approached me. The woman, dressed in a classic suit and hat, bowed her head.
“Consort. Why do you walk the streets without an escort?”
“Wait, is my official title ‘Consort’? Why do you call me that?”
“I call you Consort because you are the Progenitor’s Consort.”
“Then what does that make you, bowing your head to a consort?”
“An Ain is an Elder’s Kindred. Compared to you, the Progenitor’s Consort, my rank is lower.”
To Countess Erte, that was simple common sense. In truth, even ten of me couldn’t defeat this one Ain, but for the sole reason that I was Tyr’s consort, she treated me with respect.
“Where are you headed? I, Erte von Blood, faithful servant of His Highness Valdamir, shall escort you.”
“I was planning on heading to Plenilune Castle eventually… but I came out to look around the streets for a bit.”
“I shall escort you. Please, Consort, enjoy your outing as you see fit.”
Tch. I was hoping to look around on my own, but these vampires just won’t leave me be. First Lunken, and now an Ain? The Yeiling will probably be the same. Looks like I won’t be able to walk around freely in this land.
“Do I really need an escort?”
“The presence of an escort does not necessarily mean you are in danger. It is a sign of the respect vampires offer the Progenitor, and it also serves to display your authority.”
“It doesn’t mean I’m not in danger, either, right?”
“…I will guide you.”
Two Yeiling appeared from somewhere and began to direct the people. The humans who had gathered, as if used to this, moved according to their instructions. The street quickly became quiet again, and I began my boring tour under the watchful eye of Countess Erte.
I expected as much, but it seems I can’t even pretend to be ordinary while I’m Tyr’s consort. With no people and nothing to do, I grew bored and glanced at Countess Erte, who was following half a step behind me… and realized something.
Countess Erte? I feel like I’ve heard that name before. Where was it?
Ah.
“Ah, come to think of it, there was a Yeiling named Finlay who ended up in Tantalus.”
Countess Erte, who had been walking ahead, faltered.
Was she surprised to suddenly hear her subordinate’s name? No. Vampires didn’t possess that kind of sentimentality. It was because the moment I mentioned Finlay’s name, she had already reached an ominous conclusion.
Finlay, who was searching for the Progenitor, visited Tantalus. He is not there now. Somewhere on the journey between Tantalus and the Duchy of Mist, an unforeseen accident had befallen Finlay.
And that accident could only have occurred with the Progenitor’s silent approval, or by her will.
Because under the Progenitor’s authority, vampires are immortal.
“I dare not fathom what rudeness my inadequate Yeiling might have committed.”
“Finlay wanted to start a war. That’s why he wished for the Progenitor to return to the Duchy as soon as possible. But then… he crossed a line.”
“Aah. That moronic bastard finally did it…”
Countess Erte was mortified. It wasn’t because she feared the blame would fall on her if his crimes were investigated. She was purely enraged that a Yeiling, who was as good as her own limb, had committed such an offense.
“I humbly ask, may I know what transgression he committed?”
“While Tyr was experimenting with her own heart, it seems she entrusted Finlay with making it beat for her. And while Tyr was asleep, having briefly entrusted him with her body…”
“St-stop…!”
His actions were more audacious than she could have imagined. It was a crime worthy of having his entire line wiped out. Transcending mere disloyalty into outright treason, Countess Erte clutched her chest in agony.
“…That sin. I will report it myself, seek an audience, and take my own life.”
“Is there really a need to mention it? Tyr has it buried in the back of her mind right now. Wouldn’t bringing it up just upset her?”
“In that case, I shall inform His Highness Valdamir and ask him to take my life!”
“Why are you so extreme? Sir Valdamir could just pretend nothing happened as long as his Kindred’s Kindred keeps her mouth shut. Wouldn’t that be better for both Tyr and Sir Valdamir?”
It was a suggestion to hide the truth despite knowing it. Utterly disloyal, but it would yield the best outcome. Countess Erte, who had been so deeply humiliated, was momentarily tempted by my words.
Into that opening, I asked something I’d been curious about.
“By the way, I have a question. Are there cases where a Kindred makes a decision on their own, without their liege’s command?”
“…There are cases where they misinterpret an order and run rampant.”
Countess Erte said this defensively, then quickly added.
“However, as you said. Finlay’s will is as good as my own. He received my blood, he followed my blood’s command, and he empathized with my blood.”
It was difficult to say that Yeiling were different from Ain. A Yeiling who has received an Ain’s blood feels anger when the Ain is angry and sadness when they are sad. The blood flowing through the Yeiling’s body and its power move their emotions. As this process repeats, the Kindred’s thoughts, and even their personality, come to resemble their liege’s.
In the first place, emotions are, after all, just bodily reactions.
There was a reason Kindred were often described in the extreme as ‘a part of the body’.
“You said Finlay desired war. Which means?”
“The struggle against the Sky God is the Duchy’s destiny.”
“And so?”
“…However, the Duchy has been too peaceful of late. Power that is abundant but unused is meaningless. In contrast, the Sanctum is weakened by a series of misfortunes. Their ambitious attempt to convert the savage lands failed, and they are being ignored by both the Empire and the Mage Federation while trying to mediate their conflict. If we are to act, now is the time.”
It was a good time for war, true. But that wasn’t a reason to start one. Let’s see, shall I read her thoughts?
‘Power that cannot be used is meaningless. Now that the Elders are dead, before the Duchy of Mist falls further behind… we must use this power.’
Anxious, are we? How strange.
Anyone would feel anxious when being pursued. But for a vampire, it was a peculiar thought. For a vampire who has lived a thousand years, death is a distant tale, so they are bound to be relaxed and carefree in all matters.
Countess Erte was an Ain. A vampire for whom death was a distant concept. The reason she had such thoughts… I spoke as if to confirm.
“You said it’s not common for a Kindred to make a decision on their own without their liege’s command, right?”
“That is correct.”
“That would apply to you as well, wouldn’t it? Not as a liege, but as a Kindred.”
It was after my insinuation.
Countess Erte straightened her posture as if she had received a revelation. Her eyes, filled with awe, stared into the empty air. She glanced at me, then walked past me.
“Follow me.”
I followed silently behind Countess Erte.
Plenilune Castle and its surrounding streets. The capital of the Duchy, perpetually shrouded in darkness, had an unusual number of shadowed places, even for a capital. Countess Erte knew these alleys like the back of her hand, and among them were places meant only for vampires. As if entranced, she parted a curtain of darkness and stepped through, revealing a simple but practically furnished office.
And there…
“You’ve been running around quite a bit, Consort. Almost as much as I have.”
Lord Sanguine Valdamir, despite his busy schedule, had been waiting for me.