Chapter 432: The #1 Female Protagonist and the Ordinary Male Protagonist
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 432: The #1 Female Protagonist and the Ordinary Male Protagonist
The Night Ebb Tide is the grandest event in the Duchy of Mist. When the currents shift and the Leviathans swim upstream, the sea of the Duchy of Mist becomes a drained swamp. For a fortnight, the great ocean, a realm humans dare not trespass, reveals its innermost secrets. During this time, the Duchy’s residents gather at Plenilune Castle to seek their fortunes, and following the scent of their blood, the vampires arrive.
This held true even for the Kindred of Elders who were currently asleep or otherwise absent. A group that had just arrived at Plenilune Castle knelt before the Progenitor and paid their respects.
“The coven of Du Rahan, in place of our sleeping Elder, reveres the Progenitor’s return. We pray you forgive our lord for being unable to attend this audience on such an auspicious day.”
The Duchy of Mist was a vast land with a low capacity to support a large population. And where humans are absent, beasts are bound to take over. On the southwestern highlands of the Duchy, where no human foot treads, spirited wild horses roamed free.
It was safe to say there was no way for an ordinary human to tame a wild horse. A single kick would send them straight to the afterlife. However, for a vampire who neither tires nor takes injury, it was surprisingly easy to mount a horse and force a bit into its mouth. Furthermore, unlike the southern primordial lands, the wild horses here had interbred with escaped domestic horses for hundreds of years, resulting in tamer stock that was easier to domesticate.
For this reason, the horses from the southern part of the Duchy had long been treated as fine steeds and were often sold at high prices to the neighboring kingdom. After all, knights needed horses.
The humans and vampires who handled these spirited horses grew strong. The ruler of that domain was the Black Knight, Du Rahan. He was more famous as the headless knight, though it seemed he was currently asleep somewhere.
“Pay it no mind. I, too, was asleep for a long time before my recent return. How could I possibly reprimand Du Rahan? I will consider your respects as his own.”
“Your grace is immeasurable… However, O Progenitor. Who is the human standing beside you?”
“Ah. You mean this one?”
Tyr shot a glare at me. A strange hostility was directed my way. As I flinched, Tyr muttered in displeasure.
“What else? He is my consort, who does nothing but wander about outside. He is no different from a loafer, so do not pay him too much mind.”
Caught off guard by the public rebuke, I retorted, feeling wronged.
“Hey, Tyr. A loafer? It’s true I’m just idling around now, but I came here as a guest in the first place.”
“Even if you came as a guest, what kind of guest wanders out every day without once showing his face?” Tyr shot back, her expression sulky.
It had been like this for a while now. After I told Tyr the procedure to restore her senses was complete, things were peaceful for a time… but after I started wandering around a few times, Tyr gradually grew more irritable.
The reason was obvious. Tyr was displeased that I wasn't making any time for her. To take it a step further, it might have been a very elementary level of jealousy. She wasn't aware of it herself, so I couldn't be sure.
I had thought that for a girl who had lived for twelve centuries, she was acting a bit girlish, but I never imagined it would be to this extent. Should I be glad she was becoming more human, or troubled that I was the target of it all?
“Then give me a job! If you give me something to do, I’ll take it on and do it properly!”
“Hmph. Never mind.”
“But you just said I don’t do any work! It’s unfair to deny me a chance to redeem myself when I ask for it!”
“It is said that three failures leave no remedy. I have already entrusted you with two tasks, and your performance was lackluster. What trust have I to give you another?”
“Two? When did I ever take on two jobs, and what did I fail at? I finished one successfully, and the other one hasn't even started yet!”
It was true I was trying to slack off as much as possible, but I still met the minimum requirements for my tasks. I worked just enough to get by with a bit of wordplay!
As I protested, Tyr scoffed.
“Success? You mean that half-baked affair?”
“Half-baked? Just this morning, you smelled the flowers, and you were so spirited you even nibbled on a petal like a horse, weren't you? You were enjoying it more than anyone, and you call it half-baked?”
“Wh-why are you bringing that up here? I, the one who received it, say it was half-baked! Besides, that flower tasted awful! It was so bitter I wanted to spit it out!”
“Of course it was! The flower probably didn’t want to be eaten by us either!”
Anyone could see we were arguing, and we were, in fact, arguing. However, the vampires standing before Tyr interpreted the scene a little differently.
So the rumors of the Progenitor taking a consort were true.
She treats her consort so informally. She was always as cold as ice and as distant as the depths of the sea. But now… isn't she almost human?
Don’t misunderstand. We’re really fighting!
I’d gone out of my way to accommodate her, risked danger to grant her wishes, and now her demands were just growing. How long was I supposed to keep giving, huh?
Of course, I was still living a life of leisure, wielding absolute power with Tyr at my back! I was allowed that much, wasn't I?
“Enough. Let us speak of this later.”
“What happens if we talk later? I have to keep standing here like a spare part, and when curious vampires can’t stand it anymore and ask, I get treated like a loafer? What is this, are you trying to tame a shrew?”
“A shrew would be a step up. You are worse than that.”
She looks displeased, but she never showed even that much emotion at official functions before. Is it because of that rumored consort? Besides his slick looks, there's not much to him.
A man should have a robust physique and a magnificent beard. I wonder by what means that consort managed to win over the Progenitor…
How dare he talk back to the Progenitor so brazenly. He hasn't learned his lesson. If he acts so arrogantly, trusting only in her favor, he'll meet a terrible end soon enough…
Seriously, just because she keeps calling me consort, do I really look like some thoughtless boy toy? I’m a capable person in my own right! Does the title ‘King of Humans’ look like the title of some third-rate novel to you?!
…Wait a minute. This scene feels like something I’ve seen in a third-rate romance novel.
The male lead, an absolute ruler of a nation. He has a face carved like a statue but only ever shows an ice-cold expression. He’s the #1 ranked fighter, an iron-fisted statesman who rules all through fear.
In contrast, the female lead has a humble background and is average-looking. With nothing to her name, she lives humbly and earnestly under the motif of ‘ordinary,’ but she possesses a special ability to understand others.
Even the male lead, who feared nothing in the world, was no exception. The ordinary female lead understands the special male lead, and at some point, the male lead finds his heart pounding before he even realizes it…
…Just swap the genders, and that’s me, isn’t it? I’d felt the vampires’ gazes on me were strange, and now I knew why—it was the look one gives a foolish human. I was just slow to notice because their expressions were so devoid of emotion!
So the Progenitor is keeping a consort at a time like this. They say a nation falters when attention is focused on a consort. I never thought the Duchy would come to this.
But there is no need to point it out. I do not wish to displease the Progenitor.
This too shall pass. More importantly…
The vampires were not emotional. Even seeing the Progenitor and her consort bickering, they remained silent, hiding their true thoughts deep within their hearts as they brought up another matter.
“Forgive our impertinence, but may we offer our services to the Sanguine Horse Ralion?”
“You all care for Ralion as if he were your own Elder. Very well. Do as you see fit.”
“Your grace is immeasurable, O Progenitor.”
After finishing their greetings, the coven slowly withdrew. It was true that they were particularly fond of Ralion. But besides that…
I do not feel the pressure of my blood being drawn away. Has the Progenitor truly lost her power?
With our Elder asleep, there is nothing we can decide…
If the rumors are true, we must risk offense and awaken Sir Rahan.
No. Perhaps leaving him to sleep and observing the situation is the truest form of loyalty. A rebellion is unlikely to happen so soon, and nothing that would tarnish the honorable Sir Rahan’s name will occur.
So the rumors are already out. The vampires whose Elders haven't awoken are taking a wait-and-see approach. If so, that’s a relief.
Things seemed to be moving fast, but Tyr’s humanization seemed to be moving much faster. For no reason, she told me to stand by her side today, showed off her authority a little, introduced me to the vampires who came to greet her, and even threw in a rebuke now and then as if to tame me.
…Looking at it this way, she really is like the male lead in a novel. Trying to show off her authority.
In that case, what was I supposed to do?
“I never knew there were so many vampires. It’s making me realize anew that you truly are the queen of this country, Tyr. It feels like the whole day will pass just receiving greetings.”
“It seems you did not know until now. Be sure to remember it from now on.”
“Yes. That was the last of them, right? It seems most of the Ain of the absent Elders have come?”
As I counted and spoke, Tyr, sitting on her coffin, slowly lifted her head.
There was no throne in the hall of Plenilune Castle. Instead, Tyr’s black coffin supported her. Upon this seat of power, from which darkness and blood energy endlessly surged, Tyr leaned back and spoke.
“Do you know who the Elders are?”
“Of course, I do. It’s written in the history books.”
The Elders I had met so far were beings who had lived alongside history. They were so famous it would be harder not to know them. Speaking of them, excluding the five I’d met, the one who died, and the one beast…
“The Waning Moon Muri. The Black Knight, Sir Du Rahan. The Watcher Rahu Khan. The Fallen Nun Sister Yegcheria. Old Bakuta the Bloodleech. They all have such famous and cool titles, so they’re very popular.”
“Popular? The Sanctum’s influence must have been significant when the histories were recorded, no?”
“It seems they didn’t know any better. No matter how wickedly they were depicted or how their evil deeds were emphasized, from a student’s perspective, they just looked cool. People are naturally drawn to interesting bad guys rather than boring good guys.”
There’s nothing like gossiping together to lift someone’s spirits. My childish trick worked well on Tyr. She chuckled lightly and murmured.
“That is true. I, too, found myself drawn to a clumsy one.”
“Pardon?”
“…It is nothing.”
Pretending not to hear, I changed the subject.
“So far, only the covens of those Elders have come. The other Elders aren’t coming this time, are they?”
“That is correct. Most of them are likely asleep somewhere.”
“That’s a shame. I wanted to see them at least once.”
It would be interesting if I could read the thoughts of such ancient Elders. Perhaps their skills could even be of help to Tyr. I let the words slip out with a hint of disappointment, and upon hearing them, Tyr nodded and rose from her seat.
“Katalina. I shall summon the Elders. Awaken all of them and bring them before me.”
What? A summons for the Elders? As I doubted my ears, the handmaiden calmly received Tyr’s command.
“By when shall it be done?”
“Immediately upon hearing my command. Swiftly.”
“As you command, O Progenitor.”
“Wait, wait, wait!”
As I hastily interjected, Tyr’s eyes turned to me. I stopped her just before things could escalate irreversibly.
“Hold on, Tyr! What are you doing right now?”
“What is the matter? I was about to summon all the Elders to the castle as you requested.”
“The Elders who are sleeping soundly? Why all of a sudden?”
“Did you not say you wished to see them?”
Tyr answered as if waking and summoning all the sleeping Elders was nothing at all.
“I simply left them be because there was no reason to call them. Now that a reason has arisen, there is no need to refrain.”
“And that reason is, by any chance…”
To a vampire, their Kindred are like their own limbs. Even now that Tyr had regained her heart, that perception hadn't changed. An ordinary human like me might think of the Elders as incredible beings, but to the Progenitor Tyr, they were limbs she could command at any time.
“Did you not say you wished to see them?”
Beings she could summon at the mere request of her consort.
Wow. Summoning everyone at a single word from her consort? If that happened, the country might survive, but I’d be ruined. There would be an uproar about me trying to manipulate the thirteen Elders who govern the nation for my own whims! I adamantly refused Tyr’s proposal.
“I appreciate the thought, but it’s okay! It’s unpleasant to be woken up when you’re sleeping, right? Let’s just let the sleeping ones be!”
“Waking them will make little difference. For a vampire, eternal sleep is merely a way to pass the long years. Ah, and with the important matter concerning Luscynia, there will be work for them to do once summoned.”
“No, it’s fine. The castle is crowded enough. Let’s just tell them later.”
“The castle has enough space to house all the vampires and still have room to spare.”
“Let’s not! This is the home we share, Tyr. I don't want it to be noisy, do you? We have our privacy!”
The home we share. Tyr reacted to those words. Until now, her Kindred were her limbs. Just as one wouldn't ask their own hands and feet to respect their privacy, Tyr hadn't paid them much mind… but after losing her dominion and beginning to feel the sensations of the outside world, the thought of the Elders staying here made her feel a slight sense of aversion.
“H-hmmm. Perhaps you are right. Indeed, with the Night Ebb Tide approaching, having the Elders here as well would be a great burden.”
“Exactly!”
“I understand your meaning, so I shall cancel the order… Wait.”
Tyr, who was about to call the handmaiden to amend her command, tilted her head and asked.
“However, do we have any particular privacy to protect? What is it that you do?”
“Then we can just make some privacy, can’t we?”
As if it were a difficult thing to do.
“How?”
“There’s no one else to meet, right?”
“That is true, but.”
“Good. The more time, the better.”
It wasn't a difficult task, nor was it something I shouldn't do. The only reason I hadn't done it was because I had held Tyr's wishes in high regard. I had wanted her to experience her senses and change on her own, so I had watched from a step back.
Given the years she had lived, I thought I’d watch a little longer… but this should be enough.
I approached Tyr’s side. Already accustomed to me, she showed no particular reaction even as I came very close. She simply watched me, waiting to see what I would do.
Tyr had a stubborn side; in matters like this, she wanted to be led. In that case, I would grant her wish. Even if it was a little drastic.
I placed one hand behind Tyr’s back and the other under her legs, and lifted her straight up. Tyr, who had been watching my actions without resistance, suddenly found herself cradled in my arms. Like a princess.
Even the mightiest vampire would be flustered. For Tyr, who had regained her heart, it was even more so. She clasped her hands together and her eyes widened. Her red irises trembled.
“Eh? Hu?”
She’s lighter than I thought. I guess even an ordinary human can lift the weight of a single girl. Holding Tyr in my arms, I spoke.
“Miss Katalina, we’re done with the schedule, right? Please tell everyone not to look for us for a while.”
Inwardly, she was covering her mouth in shock, but her opponent was a vampire. The handmaiden named Katalina showed no outward sign of her bewilderment and horror as she bowed her head.
“I shall do so.”
“Thank you. And please cancel the summons for the Elders. It’s fine now.”
With only those words, I headed out of the hall. A conflict bloomed in the handmaiden’s mind—how to explain this scene, and to whom she could report it—but that was none of my concern.
“Hu, this is… um.”
“Well then, let’s go, Tyr.”
It seemed Tyr wasn't satisfied with having only half her senses restored.
The human body is like that. The whole body is interconnected, so no matter how well I did, she was feeling an instinctive lack. The reason Tyr kept whining was because her emotions were returning… that was part of it, but there was a high probability she was feeling a discomfort she herself couldn't recognize.
I looked down at Tyr, who was holding her hands tightly in my arms, looking awkward, and said,
“To make some privacy.”