Chapter 426: Elder, Ain, Yeiling, and Human - Finale
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 426: Elder, Ain, Yeiling, and Human - Finale
Usually, a murder suspect will deny the charges when their identity is revealed. It’s only natural. Murder has been a taboo in every country and civilization, and it wasn’t exactly encouraged even before civilization existed. Anyone who proudly boasts about killing someone probably has a few screws loose.
In contrast, Valdamir’s response was cold. He neither denied nor affirmed it, simply asking for the reason.
“Your basis?”
“I couldn't find any, no matter how hard I looked. It's just a hunch.”
“Even for the Progenitor's Consort, you cannot accuse someone of a crime based on a hunch.”
“But let's think about it. No matter how talented, how could a mere Yeiling kill an Elder? It's impossible. Let's consider not what we want to see, but what is actually possible.”
An Elder was the killer. To cut through all the questions, there was no other possibility but this one.
But was there an Elder who was interested enough in others to kill a fellow Elder? They all just protected their own territories, leaving the others to their own devices, not caring in the slightest.
Except for one. Lord Sanguine Valdamir, who ruled the entire Duchy. The others probably didn't even know what their fellow Elders were doing. Vampires were too distant from one another to kill out of a grudge.
“In this Duchy, is there any Elder who could kill another Elder without you noticing? Is there any vampire who knows as much about the other Elders’ powers or their retainers as you do? Only you, who keeps track of every vampire in the Duchy, could have killed Luscynia and given his original blood to Lyre.”
“You mean you have no proof that I killed him.”
“The only ones who could bring forth evidence from a ten-year-old murder case would be the killer themselves, or perhaps a Saintess. I've simply written the most plausible scenario.”
And me, the mind reader. Ten years is enough time to bury anything. Valdamir was no fool; he wouldn't have left behind any evidence or witnesses.
It was purely in the realm of suspicion. And in that realm, evidence was no longer necessary. Lord Sanguine admitted it coolly.
“Correct. I killed him.”
“You admit it so readily.”
“Outside this room, I will deny it. You have no evidence, so you cannot prove it.”
“What if Tyr commands you to tell the truth?”
Refuse, and it's disloyalty. Accept, and it's a confession. A loyalty test. Faced with this trap, Valdamir answered without much thought.
“I have not yet received that command.”
Meaning hypotheticals are pointless. I like that.
There was no point in pressing further. This was a truth I could only hear because there was no evidence. This conversation would leave nothing behind. The only gain to be had from it was confirming each other's intentions.
“Aren't you grateful to me? I broke the Blood Shackles for you.”
When I asked if this wasn't what he had wanted, Lord Sanguine answered nonchalantly.
“It was not in a manner I anticipated. I cannot know what variables may arise, so I will reserve judgment. But you, are you not anxious? If the Progenitor has lost her dominion, your position as her Consort will be shaken.”
“I can't help it, being the King of Humans. Besides, isn't that the nature of a consort's position? A title that can easily vanish with someone's change of heart.”
“You’re a realist.”
“Just like you.”
Valdamir and I looked at each other and smiled, as if looking in a mirror. Since Valdamir was a vampire, that smile was a fabrication. But was my smile natural? Not at all. It was just as fabricated as his.
Valdamir asked.
“What do you want?”
“I want all of you to want something. I don't want those desires to vanish simply because you are retainers.”
“I assume that includes me.”
“Yes. You are also human. In a way, you are my people. Now, please, unfold your will. All the Elders of this nation are now free from their shackles.”
He would do so even if I didn't say it. Lord Sanguine had far too much to do. He stared at me intently and asked.
“Only the Elders are free from the Progenitor's influence. The Ain and Yeiling still remain, do they not?”
“Yes. For now.”
When I answered with a smile, Valdamir let out a sound—Hah—that could have been admiration or a sigh.
“For now” meant that it would one day come to pass.
“As I thought…”
Without a hint of pretense, Valdamir spoke with sincerity.
“You are dangerous.”
“But this is what you wanted, isn't it? You need me, don't you?”
Silence is affirmation. Valdamir said nothing.
We had confirmed each other's intentions sufficiently. The conversation that took place here would vanish, just as Luscynia's death had faded into the passage of ten years.
As I stood up to leave, I added one last thing, just in case.
“Leave Countess Erte be. I'm curious to see how she'll act now that the shackles are broken.”
“I will assign her as your personal attendant. Erte, you will follow his orders.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
I asked you to spare her, and you want me to personally oversee her life and death? I hadn't expected him to respond like this.
“Are you having me watched?”
“If you don't like it, kill her.”
Valdamir said it as if he wouldn't mind losing such a loyal and competent subordinate in the slightest.
He got me there. Well, having one attendant was probably better than having someone Burdensomely offer to escort me everywhere every day.
I rose from my seat. As per Valdamir's command, Countess Erte followed me. As I was about to head outside, Valdamir's belated greeting reached me.
“Welcome to the Duchy, King of Humans. Your existence may be a poison… but to make a stopped heart beat again, sometimes poison is necessary.”
Same to you. I'm dangerous, too.
He was like me. We both knew, down to our bones, how dangerous we were to each other. But because our paths were aligned, we tolerated one another, embracing the risk.
I walked out of the alley and onto the dim street. I was a celebrity in the Duchy, but the misty streets hid my appearance well enough. As I walked through the fog, which dampened my clothes slightly if I picked up the pace, I thought.
Tyr's power is exceedingly close to that of a Divine. So much so that the Sanctum had called her a seed of the Divine the moment they encountered her long ago.
That was why the Sanctum had killed Tyr, to uproot the seed. In turn, Tyr became a vampire and wandered the world. Her power, not yet having reached the Axiom, was not scattered across the world but contained within her blood. This was because the Axiom of 'Blood' that Tyr knew was limited only to her own body.
One who is already dead loses their perspective. The boundary between their inner and outer self blurs until they become the phenomenon itself. In this state, Tyr shared her original blood with everyone. That was how the Elders and the vampires were born.
It was a feat that changed history single-handedly, an act nearly befitting a Divine… but she was just one step short. One step short of becoming a Divine, because her power was still confined to her blood.
What if Tyr, while fully alive, had come to understand the bodies of others as well? Not as a limited being like a vampire, but…
“Hu?”
At the main gate of Plenilune Castle. Just as I was about to enter, I ran right into Tyr, who was returning with Kavila. Tyr, who had been opening the gate, was about to approach me happily, but then she remembered last night, blushed slightly, and hesitated. Kavila's gaze was smoldering, as if she was displeased about something.
Did she go have some girl talk with Kavila? It was hard to even call her the Progenitor of vampires anymore. Between the two of them, their combined age was 2,300 years; you could use up an entire calendar from the first year and still not count that high.
“Are you just getting back from an outing? What a coincidence.”
“Ah, uh, umm. I suppose so. Hu, yes. Have you eaten? Are you, are you not tired?”
“Quite tired. I suppose it's because I slept poorly last night and went out two days in a row.”
“Is that so? You must go and rest quickly.”
Perhaps because she had never felt fatigue before, she took my words seriously and came closer. Even after getting her heart back, she was still just as careless. If she met a man with a bad character, she might get used and thrown away.
Huh? Is that me?
“Yes… Yawn. I think I'll rest a little.”
Casually, I draped an arm over Tyr's shoulder. Tyr flinched at the sudden closeness, and sparks flew from Kavila's eyes at the sight.
“Don't you dare touch my sister's body so carelessly! How insolent! Even if you are her Consort, you should ask for permission before you touch her!”
“Kavila. Stop. I have already given Hu permission for this.”
“Tch…!”
A fierce glare was directed at me. I waved my hand boastfully in front of the scowling Kavila. From her perspective, I must look like a true femme fatale… a consort who could topple a nation.
Tyr, having restrained Kavila, gently chided me.
“Hu, you are being mischievous. To touch me so freely when we haven't even set foot inside the castle… Even if I am fond of you, that is a conversation for after we've crossed the threshold.”
“So once we cross the threshold, I can touch you as much as I want?”
“That's not what I meant!”
Tyr quickly denied it, then glanced at me before continuing.
“…W-Well. If it is necessary, I suppose there may be times when you must.”
“I agree. We finished with the mouth yesterday, so shall we work on the face today?”
“Let's go inside, let's go inside! Goodness. How scandalous, in front of everyone…!”
Tyr is a special vampire. It's obvious since she's the Progenitor, but unlike other vampires, Tyr postponed her death using only her own power. The Homunculus' Dilemma only applies to other vampires. If I, who have recovered her heart, can also restore her senses, Tyr will gain life, and her stopped clock will begin to tick again.
If the resurrected Tyr takes one more step forward, based on her twelve centuries of experience… she will become a Divine.
I will go beyond simply finding a Divine.
I will resurrect even a dead one.