Chapter 468: There's More Than One Father
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 468: There's More Than One Father
Villages are built in livable places. People gather and form communities where water flows nearby, where there is grass to feed livestock, or where the land is flat and good for farming.
True to its name, Black Valley Village was situated next to a valley. Of course, more important than the valley was the water flowing through it, and more important than the water itself were the blessings it provided, which contributed more to the village's founding—things like lush grass and clean well water. But since the valley was the most prominent feature, people accepted the name Black Valley Village.
Despite the name, the valley wasn't a place worth seeking out. The water-slicked rocks were weapons in themselves, and thirsty mountain beasts visited daily. Unless you were a housewife with a pile of laundry or a butcher finished with his work, there was no reason to go near it.
“Come on, Father!”
And it was into this gap that Hilde and I made our surprise visit.
Mountain water is cold. Even more so in the early morning before the sun has risen. The moment I dipped my hands into the icy water, a chill ran through my entire body.
Suddenly regaining my composure, I slowly stood up and said.
“…Is this okay? Shouldn't we heat the water and then let it cool?”
“How will you start a fire? What will you hold the water in? And even if you heat it, how long are you planning to wait?”
“Well, with Standard Magic, we could figure something out.”
I trailed off, shaking my head. Using mana here was a foolish choice.
Hilde could use magic, too. If she could use Holy Power through her acting, why wouldn't she be able to use Standard Magic, which could simply be learned? However, for a Six Generals-level being like Hilde, it was more beneficial to just get in the water and warm it with her own body heat than to pay the cost of a black magic-based spell. Overwhelming power tends to ignore efficiency.
“Standard… magic?”
“Never mind. Sigh. I guess we have to wash…”
Hygiene and cleanliness were directly linked to survival. Muttering gloomily, I touched my Bio-receptor for the first time in a while.
The Clothing Packet. A masterpiece of the Military State. The invention that Yuel, who gathered all the world's finest things for the State, coveted most. I had worn regular clothes a few times in the Duchy, but when it came time to flee, my hand naturally went to the Clothing Packet. All packets made by the Military State were military-grade, making them durable and practical.
When I deactivated the Clothing Packet, the fibers made of alchemic thread rewound into a spool. The threads, which had been clustered along the bones of my arms and legs, coiled once more and gathered on my left arm. The packet popped out from the terminal on my wrist, the Instant Alchemy complete. The long journey had been too much even for a State-made packet; it was worn and dirty.
“Ugh, it’s cold…”
Clad only in my shirt and underwear, I made a great resolve and jumped into the water. I regretted it before my ankles were even submerged. I screamed at the skin-flaying cold and scrubbed my body and the packet as best I could.
It was freezing, but I couldn't get out now. It was a sunk cost. Getting out would only make me colder, so since I was already in, I had to get my money's worth. I rubbed my slick skin, scrubbing away the grime.
While I thrashed about like a drenched puppy, Hilde took off her clothes, folded them neatly, and placed them on a rock.
So that’s why she was dawdling. It takes time to undress and fold clothes. The Clothing Packet is great in that respect… Wait a minute.
“Hilde.”
“Yes?”
“Where did you ditch your Clothing Packet? Why are you taking off your clothes and folding them?”
“What? ‘I’m’ not from the Military State… I don’t have a Bio-receptor like you, Father.”
She wasn't from the Military State, that was true. But she had one, didn't she? A special one made for transformation!
I was about to say something, but seeing Hilde's ‘performance,’ I gave up. Right, what does it matter how she takes off her clothes?
“A-And… it’s embarrassing, so please don’t stare…”
“This is getting more and more ridiculous.”
You’re still wearing underwear. I suppose it’s understandable since Hilde is a woman, but after acting so brazenly throughout our journey, this sudden change in attitude was just absurd.
No. In the first place! This is an act! How am I supposed to keep up when you suddenly start playing the part of a graceful lady? I said I’d watch from the audience, not that I’d play your counterpart!
“Uuuh…”
Hilde, covering herself as if embarrassed, finally jumped into the water. Shivering from the cold, she crouched down, hiding her body beneath the surface.
…Without using any Qi Art, trembling from the pure, unadulterated cold.
“So that’s what it takes to truly act.”
It was one thing for me, since I couldn't use Qi Art, but she had completely erased the naturally flowing Qi in her body from her consciousness. As long as she was acting, she probably wouldn't use her Qi Art unless absolutely necessary.
Sigh, whatever. She’ll use it on her own when we run into vampires. If she wants to be cold, that’s her business.
“Fine, do as you please. I’ll turn my back while I wash.”
Any longer and I felt like I’d catch a cold. Turning around, I washed the dirt away in the flowing stream. As I steadfastly continued to wash, Hilde finally, stealthily, stood up and began to wash herself. For a while, only the sound of splashing water could be heard.
Once I was more or less clean, I finished by scraping all the grime off my Clothing Packet. Ready to get out, I turned to look at Hilde.
“I’m all done. How much longer for you, Hilde…?”
“Kyaa, ah!”
Hilde covered herself and plopped back down into the water. Her pale, bare skin was visible through the splashing droplets. Still in her underwear, of course.
What. Why, for God’s sake. While I was lost in confusion, Hilde spoke shyly, her face flushed.
“Y-You promised you wouldn’t look…!”
“Oh, for crying out loud. Do you really have to make such a fuss over something so trivial when we’re on the run?”
“Trivial? Father, you may be used to this, chasing after women every day, but ‘I’ am not!”
“Neither am I! What kind of slander is that?!”
When have I ever chased after that many women? I’ve never even been in a proper relationship at my age!
…Well, I did maintain slightly favorable relations with a few women and receive their support, but still!
“Why are you taking so long to wash?”
“D-Don’t ask things like that directly! A woman needs her time! How can you have so much experience with women and not know that?”
“No, I know, but…”
It would be over in a flash if you just used your Qi Art… I stopped myself. Setting aside the fact that Hilde was currently acting, there was no need to rush through something as simple as washing as if my life depended on it. Even Historia would disappear into the dorm to wash and not come out for a long time.
Normally, she could transform, apply makeup, and change outfits in under a minute, so I wondered why she was being so particular now. But then again, washing is different.
“Sigh. Fine. Take your time. I’ll wash your clothes for you.”
“Ah, ‘my’ clothes, ‘I’ can…”
‘No. It’s too cold to waste any more time. Perhaps I should rely on Father a little.’
Hilde, who had been about to reach out, flinched back and nodded.
“Yes. Then… I’ll be in your care.”
She’s really lost it.
The acting I had seen from Hilde until now had been a series of meticulously calculated movements. She would consider how her opponent might react, what the most natural demeanor would be. She studied and copied others to create a role, then acted accordingly.
But now, Hilde had erased everything else. She had taken all that she had built, locked it away in a corner of her mind, and become someone else. Right now, she wasn't even aware that she was acting. It was so convincing that even I, a mind reader—no, because I was a mind reader—was getting confused.
“At this rate, I wonder if she’ll forget how to use Qi Art… No, that probably won’t happen.”
It should be fine, right? Not using Qi Art for now wouldn't cause any problems. With that thought, I started scrubbing someone else’s clothes in the water. The one good thing was that the situation was so absurd I had momentarily forgotten the cold.
Ah, thinking about it made me cold again. I shivered, forcing myself to finish the laundry…
*
“Fine, my ass!”
Washing up and returning to the burrow with a bucket of water was fine. But afterward, Hilde, wrapped in a blanket, was shivering uncontrollably, her lips blue. Anyone could see she was groaning from hypothermia.
Hilde trembled pitifully and mumbled.
“I-I’m… sorry. For being… s-stubborn.”
“Right! So stop being stubborn and use your Qi Art! You can shake off a chill like this, can’t you?!”
“If only ‘I’ had a little more… talent for Qi Art…”
“You have more than enough! You have talent. You have so much talent it’s already fully blossomed!”
“Please… don’t… a-abandon… ‘me’…”
“Who’s abandoning whom? Please, just abandon me and stop wandering off into your own weird world! I still need you!”
‘He speaks so warmly… It just makes me want to be spoiled…’
No, don’t give me that blissful look while you’re freezing! That’s not what I meant! We haven’t even escaped yet, what are you going to do if your acting ruins your health?!
“We can’t light a fire in a burrow. Ha, this is a problem.”
Would she be okay if I just left her? Hilde was a master of Qi Art. If her life were in danger, her Qi would automatically protect her body… That would be nice, but…
Even I couldn't be sure.
If I sensed even a hint of a thought to test me, a speck of a desire to play with me, I would have snorted and left her be. But right now, I had no idea! This woman, mad for her craft, seemed like she wouldn’t use her Qi Art until she was on the verge of death!
“I have no choice. We decided to rest here for a few days, so I’ll play along for now. But don’t think I’ll indulge you forever.”
“Thank… you.”
I fell into thought as I watched Hilde, still wrapped in the blanket, shivering. To raise her body temperature, we needed fire, but we couldn't risk smoke in a small burrow like this. Thinking I could at least warm some water, I took out the Seven of Spades, the Lightning Spool, and submerged it in the water bucket.
But it would take some time for the water to warm up.
“Hilde.”
“Yes…?”
“Take off your clothes.”
Before Hilde could react, I quickly added.
“They’re wet. Your body temperature will never return to normal if you keep them on.”
I was wearing my Clothing Packet, and I had washed it while it was still a packet. As expected of the Military State’s greatest invention, it was a little damp, but the inside was almost completely dry. Hilde, on the other hand, had properly taken off her clothes to wash them, and they were now saturated with cold river water. At this point, she was practically wearing an outfit made of river water.
This was a more urgent problem than starting a fire.
“B-But…”
“You’re the one who was being stubborn. If you don’t like it, use your Qi Art.”
I was being completely serious, but to Hilde, who was ‘unable to use Qi Art,’ my words sounded like a cold taunt. She trembled and fidgeted.
“Yes… It’s ‘my’ fault…”
“If you know it’s your fault, then use your Qi…”
“Here…”
After rustling around under the blanket for a long time, Hilde extended a hand, holding out her wet clothes. I snatched them and hung them on a makeshift branch hanger. Then, I abruptly lifted her blanket.
“Huh?”
“If you won’t use your Qi Art, this is the only way. You’re holding your own body hostage for the sake of a concept.”
We have to warm you up with body heat. There’s no other way.
I slipped under Hilde’s blanket and deactivated my Clothing Packet. Now equally naked, I pulled the shivering Hilde into an embrace. Our ice-cold bodies pressed against each other.
Infuriatingly, Hilde was so flustered by the sudden contact that she stammered.
“F-Father…”
“Look how cold you are. Your dedication to this act is truly something else!”
It was true. This woman wasn't using a single bit of Qi Art right now.
Normally, someone trained to this level would unconsciously control their body even without actively using Qi Art. Those who had mastered Gam Qi Art, in particular, could completely ignore subtle tremors or flinches from pain. As long as they were using their Qi, they could always fight in optimal condition.
Which made it all the more incredible that Hilde was forcibly ignoring her Qi. It was another level of mastery of Gam Qi Art. A completely useless one, but still!
Hilde couldn't meet my gaze and hesitated. But feeling the warmth from within, she slowly unwrapped her arms from around herself and placed them on my back. Soon, Hilde was pressing her torso fully against me, holding me tight. Flint is cold, but it sparks when struck. As our cold bodies lay together, a small warmth began to bloom. Hilde murmured.
“It’s… warm.”
“That’s because you’re colder than necessary. You need to regulate it a bit; there’s no need to be this cold.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just… I’m still not used to you, Father…”
“No. I wasn’t talking about your attitude, I was talking about your body.”
Did her acting install a filter in her brain? She was interpreting my words and actions through the lens of her character. Despite my cold demeanor, Hilde paid it no mind and rested her head against me.
“Being held in your arms like this… it reminds me of the old days.”
“The old days? This is the first time I’ve ever held you.”
I don’t know what concept you’ve come up with, but that’s on you. I won’t forcibly rip off your mask, but don’t expect me to play along.
At my cold reply, Hilde flinched and shrank back.
“I’m sorry. I confused you with my previous ‘father’… Ah!”
For a moment, Hilde’s expression wavered drastically. Regardless, I replied with a look of displeasure.
“You confused me?”
“I’m sorry…! I was wrong!”
“You certainly were. I’m not your father in the first place, so don’t get confused. Are you trying to ruin a man’s future?”
“No, that’s not what I meant! Please, please don’t abandon me!”
“There’s nothing to abandon since I never picked you up in the first place. Why would I be angry?”
It was like she’d regressed to a child… or maybe that was it? Hilde’s current act seemed to have erased everything but the facts she remembered. The memories were clearly in her Spiritual World, but they weren't being used. She had perfectly separated the role from herself.
Hilde’s performance was beginning in the distant past, from a time before she was an Camarilla or a member of the Crusaders.
“So let me ask you. What number father am I?”
“Is it… okay to say?”
“I’m not the type to ask a question with a predetermined answer in mind, so just tell me.”
Hilde hesitated, then answered with a look of firm resolve.
“…Excluding the father I can’t remember, you’re the tenth.”
“And what kind of men were those fathers?”
I asked to find a common thread among Hilde’s ‘fathers,’ but the answer that came from her lips was quite unexpected.
“They were patrons of the Camarilla who had long-term arrangements with my mother…”