Chapter 442: The Trial That Defies Fate - 5
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 442: The Trial That Defies Fate - 5
For humans, sleep is a reprieve. After seeing, hearing, and feeling a deluge of information, forced to make the best possible judgment at every turn just to survive the day, the human body reaches a point where it must fall into a deathlike slumber. It must shut down all senses, release its weary nerves, end the exhausting day, and be born anew tomorrow.
“Hu. Wake up. The moon is bright.”
“…”
“Oh, dear. To not even whine for ‘just ten more minutes’… you truly don't intend to wake, do you?”
If denied this necessary rest, the body at first moves with a bit of fatigue, but then it gradually breaks down and malfunctions. That was exactly what was happening to me.
“Does a human truly collapse from a few sleepless nights? In my time, I once fought wars day and night without sleep.”
“That’s… because you could withstand it… that you survived until now…”
“To think my consort would be so frail.”
“It’s unfair for a vampire who doesn’t need sleep to say that…! Ugh.”
I admit I’m frail. But I wanted to argue that it was unavoidable in this environment. I was a patient to begin with, and after scurrying all over the Duchy and getting sucked dry to the point of exhaustion, I’d even followed them to the tribunal. If I didn't collapse after all that, I’d be a new species of human, second only to vampires.
And on top of that.
“Who holds a trial in the middle of the night…? It’s time for good children to be asleep.”
“But the night is the time of the vampire.”
“It seems vampires are all bad children, then…”
“Look who’s talking. You’re not such a good child yourself.”
In any case, Tyr, sensing my condition, didn’t press or pester me, instead rising leisurely from her seat.
“Then, what shall be done about Lyre’s verdict? Do you think it would be all right to postpone it for a few days?”
“What? I thought we were doing it today. Can you postpone it?”
“It is only a few days. What of it? A few days pass in the blink of an eye, do they not?”
“If I got a bug in my eye, I feel like I could open it again in a few days.”
Is this the vampire way of thinking? No hesitation in postponing a promise. Then again, for Tyr, who was visiting her country for the first time in three hundred years, I suppose it made sense. She added to it with a grand declaration.
“And I am the Progenitor of this nation. What is there that cannot be done?”
“Of course…”
Living—no, dead—no, resurrected power itself. I gave her a thumbs-up while still lying face down.
“Please do… I think I’ll be fine after a little rest…”
“I see. Rest well. But, Hu…”
Tyr lowered her voice slightly and poked me in the back, as if a little embarrassed.
“…When can we share the next night together? The nights are long, and I find them a little lonely.”
“How long has it been since the last time?!”
“Even then, it passed by in such a flash that I hardly knew what was what. I feel I would understand it better if I could savor it again, slowly.”
“When you put it like that, you make me sound like the King of Rabbits or something! Tyr, three days is not ‘in a flash’! Go ask anyone. They’ll be stunned by my peerless stamina!”
If you weren’t a vampire, you would have died several times over! It was that grueling a battle! Ah, wait. Getting worked up is making my head hurt again. It might be a bit cowardly, but I think I’ll have to use the power of the Divine next time…
“You look unwell. Indeed, I can feel the flow of your blood has weakened. Hmmm. I cannot push you any further.”
Tyr prepared to leave me alone. She wrapped a coat around herself and gathered the darkness scattered about the room, fashioning it back into a parasol. Lightly attired, she looked at me lying in bed with a smile and said.
“I will summon a physician, so you may recuperate. I will tell the others to wait for a moment.”
“I think I’ll be fine with just a little rest… you can go on ahead…”
“I still do not quite understand a 'little' of ordinary time. I will be going.”
The door closed slowly. Because Tyr had gathered all the darkness with her, a faint sunset glow now shone even at the top of Plenilune Castle. Just before the door shut, Tyr gazed at the room, now lightly bathed in red light, and fell into thought.
Such a vast gap appears when our times are different. While bridging this gap will be one of life’s joys, we must one day reach the same place. Whether I live a normal lifespan, or Hu becomes a vampire.
Leaving a slight sense of regret behind her, Tyr tilted her head, still puzzled.
How strange. Before, I thought it would be fine to live a normal lifespan. But now that I have Hu, I wish to enjoy this time forever. Does one’s desires change with one’s circumstances…? When I have ample time, I must discuss this with Hu at length.
Right. I wonder how it will turn out.
It’s not like I’m one to plan my future either. When circumstances change, so do desires. My desire to find all the Divine hasn’t changed, but I’m satisfied with the comfort of my current life.
…That, too, will be a joy. Hehe. To think a time like this would come for me.
Especially since Tyr is beautiful, powerful, and above all, devoted to me. It’s not easy to win over an absolute ruler who grants my every request and accepts my every desire. Being a consort is a good job.
That’s right. It’s good. Good enough for an ordinary human to consider it the final stop in life.
If that final stop stays put, that is.
As I lay with my head buried in the bed that still held Tyr’s faint scent, drifting in and out of sleep, the door was suddenly thrown open. Lyre Nightingale, carrying a small doctor’s bag, strode in without a care for the fact that this was the Progenitor’s room.
“I was told there was a patient. Where is the patient?”
“Urgghh.”
“…? This time, you’re not even close to being a patient. Aside from a slight depletion of energy, you are perfectly fine.”
Having diagnosed my condition in an instant, Lyre fiddled with an ampoule instead of her doctor’s bag and asked.
“Would you like some blood for nutritional supplement?”
“I’m not a vampire…”
“It has been refined so that humans can consume it. It has the effect of tricking the body into thinking its blood volume has momentarily increased. It’s a specific remedy for an immediate energy boost.”
“I just need a little rest, so please leave me be…”
“A good choice. When it comes to restoring energy, time is an even better remedy.”
Lyre nodded, then pulled up a chair and sat down where she could see me.
“…But what about the trial?”
“The Progenitor has entrusted me with her consort’s health. I was informed that I do not need to attend the trial for the time being. Of course, they are discussing my fate even in my absence.”
“What do you think will happen?”
“I do not know. The Progenitor does not seem to have any intention of punishing me, but who knows. Who knows if I, too, will one day be attacked and killed like my father.”
“The fact that you’re talking about some unknown ‘one day’ means you’re probably not going to die right away… That’s a relief. In that case, I’ll rest for a bit.”
It seemed she realized she had survived as well. How fortunate. Then I guess I can sleep in peace.
I buried my face in the bed and dozed off for a moment.
“I’m up!”
When I came to, my head was much clearer. Feeling better, I shot up from the bed and saw Lyre sitting in the exact same posture as before. I asked her.
“You are awake.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“About three hours.”
Three hours. To Tyr, it might be a fleeting moment that passes in the blink of an eye. But for a human, it’s enough time to salvage a shattered constitution. My body had been worn down by various things, but my health itself was fine, so I recovered quickly.
I did some light stretching to check my condition.
“Nngh. I feel refreshed. I even feel a little healthier.”
“The consort was healthy to begin with. You were the healthiest patient I’ve ever seen brought in with a penetrating wound to the abdomen.”
“I’ve never been prone to minor illnesses, but I wasn’t this robust before. Have I reached my physical peak?”
It wasn’t my peak, actually. It was probably because of all the skilled Bloodcrafters nearby. With hundreds of vampires around, their influence must have had a slight effect on my body.
I checked my cards one more time, then slid the remaining ones into my pocket and asked.
“The Duchy seems rather quiet, even though an Elder died. I thought it would be complete chaos when the news broke.”
“The Duchy is a nation that exists under the power of the Progenitor.”
“But Tyr has lost her power now, right? Shouldn’t things get a little noisy?”
Lyre answered my question matter-of-factly.
“The Progenitor’s power has not gone anywhere. Her dominion is merely circulating and remaining within her body. She has escaped the shackles in a way different from what my father intended—a method of turning inward and feeding on herself. The Progenitor has reached a new state on her own.”
“On her own? Couldn’t someone have helped her? Like your father.”
“My father never helped anyone. But regardless, it is impossible to help the Progenitor.”
“Why are you so certain?”
“Who could possibly wield Bloodcraft equal to or greater than the Progenitor’s, and how could they help her to objectively perceive and control her own blood? It would only be possible if there were two Progenitors.”
In other words, if someone had helped, it could only have been the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka herself. But since that was impossible, Lyre concluded that Tyr must have achieved enlightenment on her own.
…What is this? Is this the insight of the woman who would later be called the Doctor Sage? She can roughly read the flow of blood without even having to cut a body open. Is it not Bloodcraft, but simply a keen eye?
No, wait a minute. If she’s this good… perhaps it might have been possible for a Divine of Blood to be born even without Tyr.
But how did she do it?
“Wait a moment. Miss Lyre Nightingale. You seem to have an exceptional ability to diagnose others.”
“One only needs to know as much as is necessary for a diagnosis.”
“No, more than that. Miss Lyre Nightingale. You escaped from the Blood Shackles, didn’t you?”
“That is what happened. Though it has become rather meaningless, as the Progenitor has also cast off the shackles.”
“Tyr is one thing, since Bloodcraft and the Blood Shackles are her own power. But how did you escape the shackles?”
Luscynia had ordered Lyre to kill him.
Following that order, Lyre had tried to kill Luscynia.
But she failed, and Valdamir killed Luscynia instead. The reason, from what I’d read, was that Luscynia, freed from the shackles, was plotting a rebellion against the Progenitor.
I thought Luscynia’s actions had cleared up quite a few questions, but the biggest one I had still remained.
How did Lyre escape the shackles?
“…That is top secret. I cannot reveal it without the Progenitor’s permission.”
“Tyr has already escaped the shackles. Now that the Elders are at the top of the hierarchy, it doesn’t really matter if you tell me, does it? Besides, I’m her consort.”
“I… suppose so.”
The Progenitor had already escaped the shackles. Moreover, her method was somewhat similar to the one Luscynia had discovered. Deciding there was no need to hide it from Tyr and me, Lyre opened her mouth.
“It is a circulation of dominion. Whatever the result, one must be able to exert dominion over oneself through Bloodcraft. It would be ideal if one could make the dominion circulate internally as the Progenitor did, but… for a vampire who gained immortality through the external power of original blood, it is nigh impossible to achieve alone. That is why my father created a loop of circulation using me as a medium. The dominion…”
No, I know that part, more or less. I’m a mind reader, so I read your and Valdamir’s thoughts and figured out the general truth.
I want the final piece.
The thoughts of Luscynia, who is dead and can no longer be read.
“Then what about you?”
“…Pardon?”
“You escaped the shackles too, didn’t you? What was your medium?”
There was only one thing I was curious about.
What did Luscynia, who had escaped the shackles for a brief moment, feel?
He’s dead, so I can’t know? I don’t need to. I just need to look at his actions. The mind is nothing more than the force that gives rise to action.
“Why did Luscynia free you from the shackles?”
What Luscynia’s actions accomplished—that’s what’s important.
Just as Lyre realized what I was pointing at and flinched, it happened.
I felt a thought from outside. Something was approaching without a single, subtle sign of its presence.
I knew that vampires were surprisingly quiet and their presence faint. That was why they usually made a point of revealing their presence and making their approach known. It was a matter of showing respect to the Progenitor or her consort.
But now… it held clear hostility.
Tch. Just as I thought. The world was never going to leave me alone. This is going to be tough.
I shoved my hand deep into my pocket and fiddled with my cards.
-----
“…I have heard everyone’s opinions.”
Just as Tyrkanzyaka had thought, a few days was not a long time for a vampire. These were beings who had accepted a trial held ten years after an Elder’s murder as a matter of course. They did not grow impatient or anxious over a delay of a few days.
“Then, let us decide Lyre’s fate after she has demonstrated her abilities. That concludes today’s discussion. I assume there are no objections.”
“O Progenitor. I have a statement to make on behalf of another.”
…The ‘Elder murder case’ was.
Creak. The door opened and an Elder strode in. Blood Monk Dogo. A warrior monk who had left in search of truth, only to be promised eternal suffering and become a vampire. The very man who was supposed to be recuperating from his injuries appeared, ‘not long after,’ without a single wound and perfectly fine.
Approaching the spot conveniently vacated by the absent Valdamir, Dogo pressed his palms together respectfully before the Progenitor and looked around at the assembly.
“There is a matter that must be judged before Lyre’s. A matter many times more grave and urgent.”
“And what is that?”
More important than a mere Yeiling casting off the shackles and killing an eccentric Elder, was the fact that the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka had destroyed the Blood Shackles herself.
“Tyrkanzyaka. Our Progenitor, who bears the name of calamity. Our Lord of Lords, who shall be our beginning and our end.”
“…?”
“The reason we were bound by the Blood Shackles and promised suffering was because those shackles were powerful and absolute.”
The vampires exchanged glances. A few closed their eyes, feigning ignorance. Collusion, conspiracy, acquiescence, observation. Countless political stances were exchanged behind pale, expressionless faces.
Vampires are cold. Because their blood moves placidly.
Vampires are rational. Because they are without emotion.
Vampires are mechanical. Because they are not fickle.
Vampires are blind. Because they cannot defy their Lord of Lords.
“However, I can feel nothing from you now. Not surprise, not fear, not joy, not pain. Not even power.”
“How irreverent. Do you know what you are saying?”
—All those traits exist only because an oppressive Lord of Lords exists.
“I, the humble monk Dogo, hereby request a trial on your qualifications.”
A mere retainer, to the Lord of Lords.
The dead, to the living.
A believer… putting their god on the stand to be judged.
The Trial That Defies Fate had begun.