Chapter 431: See a Doctor for Treatment, a Nurse for Care
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 431: See a Doctor for Treatment, a Nurse for Care
When I saw her again after so long, she was wearing an unfamiliar nurse’s uniform. She’d said she was an actress; had she picked up a new hobby of wearing costumes? I looked Hilde up and down and spoke.
“What are you doing here in a nurse’s uniform? Did you get a job?”
“I’m about to quit. They don’t pay, and they work you to the bone. The only thing I like is the uniform. If the clothes were any less pretty, I would’ve run off last night.”
Hilde grumbled in dissatisfaction, then, as if remembering something, a mischievous smile spread across her face. She tapped her nurse’s uniform.
“How do I look, Father? ‘Me’ in a nurse’s uniform?”
“The clothes make the woman.”
“You mean I’m pretty, right? Hehe! What’s gotten into you? Giving me a compliment and all.”
“I was complimenting the clothes.”
It seemed a waste for such an outfit to be worn only by those who care for the sick. No. I should think of it the other way. The uniform was born out of necessity for those who tend to patients, so I should be grateful for their beautiful hearts.
Of course, that didn't apply to the person in front of me. I asked Hilde, “What kind of information are you hoping to get, hiding out here?”
“Shh. Let’s go somewhere with no people. Here, put this on.”
Hilde proceeded to wrap bandages haphazardly around my head and body. In an instant, I looked like a patient. She led me to an empty hospital room, closed the door, and wedged a piece of paper into the crack. Having set her own little trap, Hilde moved further into the corner and began to speak.
“So you ended up here too, Father.”
“Ended up? Sounds like you’ve found something.”
“Don’t play dumb. You knew from the beginning, didn’t you?”
Hilde shot me a reproachful look before crossing her arms and continuing.
“Tyrkanzyaka’s dominion has weakened.”
“Oh. I guess that’s what happens when you’re away for 300 years.”
“There’s that, but it seems Tyrkanzyaka’s pure ‘power of dominion,’ not just her political authority, has also faded. Tyrkanzyaka was the heart and mind of the duchy, and every vampire she created was merely an extension of her limbs. A structure where rebellion was impossible from the start…”
She did say she was once part of the Crusaders, right? That must be why she knows so much about vampires. At the very least, she didn't seem to be fumbling around, unsure of what to investigate.
Hilde shared the most critical piece of information she had discovered.
“The vampires are plotting a rebellion. The retainers of the dead Elders are the most active, but… it’s not just them.”
“I take it you found evidence?”
“One of Luscynia’s coven died at Tyrkanzyaka’s hands. But it seems he left some kind of message as he was dying. After hearing it, the other covens started to move. I don’t know what it was exactly, but…”
“It was probably this: ‘The Progenitor has abandoned the Shackles.’ I was there, so I’m certain.”
“Ugh. Then the worst-case hypothesis has become reality. The Progenitor has lost some kind of influence. The very dominion that makes her the Progenitor. And…”
Hilde casually pushed me against the wall. Thud. As my back hit it, she cornered me, her expression sharp as she pressed me for the truth.
“You did this, didn’t you?”
I quickly played dumb.
“Me? Did what? How?”
“Don’t play innocent. There were reports that the Progenitor’s retainers seemed weaker than historical records suggested. Yuel couldn’t see clearly because of the darkness, so she couldn’t get reliable data, but… if Tyrkanzyaka’s abnormality began before she left the Abyss, then it must have been the work of either you or Shei.”
“Shei did it.”
“If Tyrkanzyaka had followed Shei, I might have believed you. Are you going to make me defy the heavens, Father?”
Even without mind-reading, overwhelming power can force the truth out of anyone.
I had no choice. The more the truth comes to light, the harder it is to lie. I admitted it readily.
“It was a side effect. I never intended for Tyr’s power to weaken. I was simply granting her wish.”
“What did you do?”
“I returned Tyr’s heart. To the way it was when she was alive.”
“What? Someone else’s heart, and the Vampire Progenitor’s at that? How? The dilemma… Is that also a power of the King of Humans?”
“Probably.”
“If that’s the case, it means the Vampire Progenitor has been resurrected.”
Hilde tried to picture the situation for a moment, then her expression turned troubled. No matter how she had once managed the darkness of the Military State, it was difficult to grasp the entire picture in a foreign land where she knew no one.
“Even ‘I’ can’t predict what will happen now~. I have no idea how this situation will unfold. But one thing is certain. A massive storm of blood is about to break, and ‘we’ have two choices. One is to run for it. And the other is…”
Hilde let out a weary sigh.
“To fight on the Progenitor’s side. We somehow warn her of the rebellion, gather her allies, and fight to defeat the rebels. The former is safe but yields nothing; the latter is dangerous but could win us a great deal in the duchy.”
“This is straight-up court intrigue.”
“And you, Father, are playing the role of the beautiful consort who created this rift~. I suppose ‘I’ would be the maid who toils away in the background, supporting the arrogant consort~.”
“What kind of maid wanders off, leaving her master behind?”
“It’s a maid’s duty to act on behalf of a lady who cannot easily move herself. Anyway, Father. Are you going to run, or are you going to stay?”
“I can’t just run away from something I caused.”
Even if I leave, I have to see it through to the end. I’m the one who sowed these seeds, after all. I spoke with firm resolve, but Hilde seemed to interpret it slightly differently and nodded.
“That’s right. We have to win here to gain everything. If we run, both the rebels and the Progenitor will be displeased with ‘us,’ regardless of who wins.”
“I’ll leave it to you, Hilde. I’m counting on you.”
“You need to work too, Father! This is for your beloved Tyrkanzyaka, for the duchy that will become yours, and for ‘me’ and yourself! If the Progenitor is defeated, the rebels will execute the consort who threw the nation into chaos and her maid first thing!”
“Alright. So I just need to warn Tyr and have her nip the rebellion in the bud, right? A fitting task for her consort.”
“Seducing women is your specialty, after all. I’ll leave the pillow talk to you~.”
Hey now. Someone might get the wrong idea.
“What do you mean, pillow talk? Stop trying to make me out to be some kind of womanizer. I’m not. If I were, it wouldn’t be so damn unfair.”
“Oh? You’re not? For someone who isn’t, you sure do keep only female vampires around~.”
“Lord Sanguine assigned them to me against my will. Besides, vampires don’t have a sense of touch, so what you’re imagining never happened.”
Though now that I was personally engraving sensations onto them, things were a little different. Unaware of the circumstances on the top floor of Plenilune Castle, Hilde looked at me with pity.
“Is that so~? What a shame. Tyrkanzyaka may be infamous as a vampire, but she’s also famous for her beauty. As her consort, you don’t get to enjoy any of the perks… Ah!”
Suddenly, Hilde covered her face with a wooden mask she carried. A moment later, when she removed it, ‘Tyr’ was there, wearing a mischievous smile. With an expression the real Tyr would never show, Hilde approached, tapped me on the chest, and whispered.
“Just say the word if you ever want it, okay? ‘I’ can perfectly mimic Tyrkanzyaka’s body and face while being very much alive. Instead of the beautiful but stone-like Progenitor, I can serve you, Father, and relieve your built-up frustrations~.”
Why was she so intent on pinning this image on me? Just as I was about to refute Hilde’s insinuation, I stopped and reconsidered.
…On second thought, this might not be so bad for me.
“Thank you for the offer. I’ll be sure to make good use of it later.”
“…What?”
“Unfortunately, I’ll have to take you up on the nurse’s services later. I just stepped out for a moment myself.”
I pointed to the piece of paper Hilde had wedged in the door. Imbued with Qi, the paper was trembling, sensing minute vibrations. Someone was approaching.
Hilde noticed it too and prepared to leave. She covered her face with the mask again, reverting to her own features. Then, lowering the mask just enough to cover her mouth, she said, “I’m telling you this just in case, but please don’t do anything to get on the Progenitor’s bad side, okay? If things go wrong, you could win the gamble but still lose everything.”
“Get on her bad side? Like what?”
“Like hitting on other women, just like a moment ago. I’m keeping this a secret because it’s ‘me.’ If Tyrkanzyaka has truly regained her heart as the rumors say, then actions that provoke jealousy will put you in danger, too.”
“You started it, and now you’re demanding I stay chaste.”
“It’s the fate of a consort. Well then, ‘I’ will be going.”
Leaving me with that strange warning, Hilde slipped over the windowsill and vanished. Her stealth was flawless, like a snake slithering over a wall, without a sound. Just after she left the room, the door opened, and the piece of paper that had been wedged in the crack fluttered to the floor. Countess Erte looked puzzled by the suddenly falling paper before spotting me inside and approaching.
“The matter is concluded. I apologize for the trouble. The Ain who have lost their Elder tend to become radical, like colts without a bridle.”
“As long as he’s dead, it’s fine. I don’t care.”
“…I am relieved to hear you say so, my lord consort, but the death of an Ain is a matter of great concern in the duchy. Might I suggest you return to Plenilune Castle first? You should inform the Progenitor of this and see to her well-being. You will be safe as long as you remain in the castle. In the meantime, I will report to Lord Sanguine and handle the aftermath of the traitor Lutric.”
That was along the same lines as what Hilde had said. Stay under Tyr’s protection and prepare. Hmm, it was certainly a reasonable suggestion, but…
“Wait a moment. If I tell Tyr what happened just now, she’ll assign guards to me, won’t she?”
“Of course.”
“And I won’t be able to go out so easily anymore. I’ll have guards with me every time I leave.”
“That is so, but it would only be for a short while.”
“I’m sick and tired of the vampire definition of ‘a short while.’ How long is that, exactly? A month? A year?”
“They would have to be with you at least until the Night Ebb Tide recedes.”
“What? That’s too long!”
Countess Erte blinked at my complaint. As she stood there, lost for words, I made a suggestion befitting a childish consort.
“Let’s… keep this a secret from Tyr, shall we? Let’s just say I was never attacked here.”
“Why would you do that? There is no reason to hide this from the Progenitor. The consort’s safety is what Her Majesty values most, and she will take appropriate measures upon learning of this.”
“But I can’t just stay locked up in that castle, can I? And even if I do go out, being dragged around by a bunch of guards would be just as suffocating and frustrating as being imprisoned. In that case, isn’t it better to hide this? Tyr has enough on her plate without having to worry about something so trivial!”
Wow. I sounded just like a naive young noble lady. Countess Erte seemed to feel the same way and gave me a second look. A much less favorable one.
“Please reconsider. That is…”
“You should reconsider, Countess Erte. I am Tyr’s consort. Who knows her moods better? I do. So when it comes to Tyr, shouldn’t things be done my way? Besides, didn’t Lord Sanguine assign you to me to assist me?”
Bringing up Lord Sanguine’s orders left Countess Erte with no choice but to comply. She spoke as if she had reached a state of resignation.
“…Very well. However, you must take me with you whenever you go out.”
‘I thought his actions, though sudden, were driven by conviction, but now it seems he simply lacks a sense of danger. This is troubling. Unlike vampires, humans die so easily. How am I to protect him? If there are two or more Ain, even I would have trouble…’
She was a vampire who had seen her fair share of battles. She knew that humans didn't always make the wisest choices. Countess Erte was beginning to dismiss me as a childish brat.
“This place is interesting. Shall we look around the hospital a little more before we go?”
“There was just a battle here… No. As you wish.”
‘They say a nation falls into chaos when a consort gains power. I never thought I’d see it come true in our duchy.’
The loyal retainer’s worries deepened along with the duchy’s encroaching darkness.