Chapter 456: One for All
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 456: One for All
The Elder's rebellion was short, but its impact was immense. Dozens were killed or injured in the brief time Erzsebet had swept through. The only silver lining was that Lyre had managed to turn a list of expected fatalities into a list of the merely wounded. Thanks to her miraculous efforts, which seemed as if God himself had miswritten the book of the dead, the survivors were given a chance to live and tell their tale.
People who had been gushing blood from all over their bodies now lay groaning from anemia, their wounds sealed. Hilde surveyed the scene, muttering to herself.
“As long as they don’t die, she can keep them alive… That’s quite an enviable ability, isn’t it? I’d love to have one for the Military State~. Like a household medicine.”
“What do you think an Elder is?”
“I can’t speak for the other Elders, but with her, it might just be possible! She saves people, you said. In that case, the Military State, where far more people are dying, is a much more suitable place than the Duchy!”
“You say that as if having more deaths is something to be proud of.”
“It is! More deaths mean more people are living! We don’t get worked up over a few dozen casualties!”
Hilde glanced at the injured. They were terrified, having nearly offered their blood to Elder Erzsebet and died. Those who had narrowly escaped death began to chatter about what had just happened.
“It was Madam Erzsebet! An Elder tried to kill us all!”
“What? Why would an Elder do that?”
“Sh-she said she would take our blood and use it as her power…!”
“No way, but she didn’t have to kill us for that…”
Order in the Duchy was that of livestock. The reason the humans here were so peaceful and docile was because of the vampires. As predators, rulers, and protectors of humanity, the vampires managed everything, allowing the humans to live peacefully in their pastoral existence.
Unfortunately, however, humans are not livestock. They would never accept the fact that they are.
‘We were prey from the very beginning.’
‘We barely survived, but if a fight breaks out later, we’ll be consumed as rations.’
‘We can’t rely too much on the vampires. We humans have to stick together.’
They’ve gotten a little more spirited. It’s a good look. Yes, unless you want to be livestock, living that life while being unable to accept it even in death is just pulling the wool over your own eyes.
Hilde’s eyes sparkled like a child who had just seen a new toy.
“Father, I want Lyre Nightingale! Why don’t you try negotiating with Tyrkanzyaka?”
“You need to stop this habit of relying on me for everything. Isn’t it about time you learned to stand on your own two feet?”
“Hmm? Are you really going to play dumb now, you who would have been long dead if not for me?”
“Who asked you to help? Wasn’t helping me your own choice? It’s not like I issued you an IOU. Next time, you should learn to collect payment upfront.”
“Wow! You’re trash!”
That’s life for you. I wonder why someone who’s lived as long as she has is acting this way.
Though she said it to me, the Doctor Sage’s fate wasn’t something that could be decided by a chat here. Hilde, seeming to relax a bit, let out a long yawn.
“Augh~. I’m tired. I just want to get some rest for now~.”
“You have low stamina. I’m not that tired.”
“You were just playing around and eating well in the Progenitor’s room until recently! I couldn’t even sleep properly because of the investigation!”
“Then why did you? It was all going to be resolved like this anyway. You should have taken your time.”
“How was I supposed to know that! I couldn’t rest! I was worried sick you might die if I made one wrong move!”
That’s actually a little touching.
Honestly, I didn’t expect Hilde to help me this much. I thought she was only interested in selling me off at a high price and using me. And in reality, she is very much interested in doing just that.
But deep in Hilde’s heart, there is an expectation for me—or more precisely, for the King of Humans. The fact that I saw through her identity might be one reason for that expectation, but whether I can live up to it is another matter entirely… Well, for now, it’s not a bad thing for me.
“Ehew~. Still, I contributed a fair bit, so my standing must have improved, right? With this incident, the Duchy’s god, Tyrkanzyaka, is in a more desperate position, so future negotiations should be much smoother!”
“I certainly hope so.”
“Is there something else? If you know something, spit it out. I’m not signing up for any more of this crap, you hear?”
“It’s not something I know, but something Lord Sanguine said has been bothering me.”
It’s not a betrayal until you betray them. He didn’t say that as a warning because he believed I would betray Tyr. Valdamir doesn’t talk like that.
It was a declaration that he would take no action even if I were to betray Tyr’s trust.
Seriously. Why is he talking as if I’m going to be the one to betray her? As Hilde said, I helped Tyr, and thanks to that, not only my standing but my very value has increased. I’ve earned the right to be more than a mere consort, to be integrated into this power structure. Why would I give that up?
Just you wait. I’ll put down deep roots in this power vacuum and enjoy it to the fullest. I may say I hate order and all that, but if it’s an order I’m leading, why would I refuse?
Before long, a commotion arose in the distance. A group of people was heading straight for me. When they were close enough to be recognized, a familiar voice called out from among them.
[Hu!]
See? Tyr is coming to find me on her own. Now I, too, will live a life of power and…
…
Huh.
Tyr approached. She was, of course, completely unharmed. Even if she had been, she would have regenerated, but reading her thoughts, it seemed she hadn’t been hurt much at all. Through her own conflict, Tyr had learned to use her power entirely for herself.
Right. She’s finally learned to live as a human, not a god. It’s what I intended, but I have a feeling it might not be such a good thing.
[Hu…! Are you hurt? Are you alright?]
Tyr ran straight to me and threw herself into my arms. Her body, which felt a little warmer than before, fit perfectly against mine. She paid no mind to Valdamir following slowly behind her, nor to the countless human eyes fixed on us. With her eyes holding only me, she caressed my face.
“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
[Thank goodness. If you had died… I….]
Muttering with eyes brimming with emotion, as if she might burst into tears at any moment, Tyr suddenly stood on her tiptoes and kissed me. The sudden attack left me dumbfounded, but a kiss was hardly a new experience, and I accepted it familiarly. Her lips, a little softer and somehow warmer than before, covered mine.
“How shameless~.”
Hilde, watching from the side, made a carefree comment, completely oblivious. Truly, utterly oblivious.
The long kiss ended. Tyr wrapped her arms around my neck and, with a gentle smile, breathed out.
[Hu….]
Beyond Tyr, who was looking at me, a long shadow flickered. It was strange. In the Duchy, where the sunlight was dim due to the fog, such a distinct shadow shouldn’t have formed. What was that…?
As I pondered this, Tyr grabbed my face with both hands as if to demand my full attention and asked.
[Are you satisfied now?]
“What? Satisfied with what?”
[The Elder’s rebellion you orchestrated. Was this event entertaining enough to satisfy the King of Humans?]
As if I had masterminded the entire affair, Tyr stroked my face and asked.
Who did this? Who made Tyr like this?
“Entertainment? I was also… saddened that such a tragedy occurred.”
[Shh.]
Just as I was about to say more, Tyr moved in again and gently bit my lip. I felt a sharp sting; it must have torn the skin slightly. As the metallic scent of blood bloomed, Tyr licked my blood with her tongue and smiled pitifully.
[Hu, I am looking only at you. I am thinking only of you. I know that you watch with satisfaction the sparks that fly when humans clash.]
“Ah, it’s not exactly like that.”
[And I also know… that you give a push to those who hesitate. And that you don’t discriminate between humans.]
Tyr is a vampire who has lived for a thousand years. What she learned over that eternity was how to observe the world and let it flow past her. If she had felt all the pain and loneliness of that time, she would never have been able to remain sane. The natural emotional detachment of a vampire had helped, though it wasn’t something she had wanted.
And so now, with all of Tyr’s emotions and senses fully awakened…
[That’s why you gave everyone a push, didn’t you? To Luscynia’s Ain, to Erzsebet. And… to Finlay, too.]
She doesn’t let a single trivial thing pass her by. She meticulously examines every little suspicion. And if it’s related to me, she delves even deeper.
[The trial was just another catalyst. You knew the answer, but you didn’t reveal it, believing that something would happen because of it.]
“No, the, the procedure…”
The moment I tried to say a word, her lips sealed mine again. As if punishing me for the lie, she drew a little blood from the small wound.
Tasting it bit by bit, even as she called my blood unappetizing, Tyr whispered close to me.
[It’s just like that time, isn’t it, Hu? When you used lightning on me in the Abyss. Why did you whisper hope to me when I had given up, and let me taste its sweetness?]
“It seemed like what you wanted.”
[Thanks to you, I remembered an old desire and threw myself into a gamble. At that time, it was the only move I could make.]
Commanding the retainers she ruled. It was a fairly effective method. If Finlay, a mere Yeiling, hadn’t been so damn weak, it might have succeeded just like with Luscynia. I thought the attempt itself was good.
[…Even though you already had the means to save me.]
That was true. There was no rule saying I had to save her, but it was a fact that I had the means.
As if she had read my thoughts, Tyr said.
[Salvation is not an obligation, so I did not question you. It would be shameless of me to ask why you didn’t save me sooner. But there is one thing… for this alone, I want to hear your answer.]
“What is it?”
[Who was it for?]
Over the top of Tyr’s head, I could see the shadow that had formed on the sunless ground. I didn’t understand why Tyr’s shadow was on the ground when she was in my arms. It was as if it were alive… Well, the shadow resembled Tyr, so it wasn’t that strange…
Just then, my eyes met the shadow’s. Red pupils in the pitch-black darkness looked at me, then curved into a crescent moon smile.
A chill ran down my spine. Cold sweat trickled down my back. I hadn’t been able to read the shadow’s movement. It was surely created by Tyr’s power and should have been moving according to her will.
Tyr.
What in the world did you ‘make’?
[Finlay? Erzsebet? The other Elders?]
Is it something like Ralion? But Ralion was created using the pack mule buried next to her as a base. This thing… it’s practically human.
It was infused with human components. Blood flowed within it, just like in Tyr. Not only that, it was a being that embodied all the powers of the vampires, a personification of vampirism itself.
But that thing, while created by Tyr… she hadn’t given it any command just now. The shadow had moved on its own!
[Or, did it not matter which human it was?]
Tyr simply asked, doing nothing. But an intense aura, strong enough to steal my breath, coiled around me. This wasn’t a show of force or mana. It was pure will. A power I felt indirectly by reading Tyr’s mind.
But… this feeling could take physical form at any moment.
[Am I a special person to you?]
This was the challenge of a lifetime. I had to answer carefully.
Tyr knew. She knew she couldn’t read all my inner thoughts. She wasn’t asking because she believed what came out of my mouth would be the truth.
She was asking so she could believe it was the truth, or so she could make it the truth.
I wonder who taught her that. It’s certainly a tricky way to deal with someone trying to deceive you. It’s a method of questioning that doesn’t care whether the other person is a mind reader or not.
Well, it’s not like I was planning to deceive her anyway.
“You’re special.”