Chapter 473: The Shepherd Boy and the Liar
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 473: The Shepherd Boy and the Liar
Somewhere, another bark echoed. Immediately after, a gust of wind swept through. A black-furred beastkin, carrying a breath of the biting wind that scours the highlands, landed softly beside Azzy.
Fast.
It wasn't just simple speed. She was as agile as a swift dog. Her movements and changes in direction were so quick they seemed almost frantic, yet she made no sound at all. Her every motion was the very definition of agility.
More than anything, the fact that she was a vampire walking around in broad daylight was out of the ordinary.
The thick fur running from her head to her upper back protected her from the sun. A fluffy, white-striped tail swayed up and down. She wore a loose-fitting raincoat to block the sunlight, but she likely wouldn't suffer much damage even if she took it off. Her double-layered coat of fur would see to that.
Lunken’s Ain, the guardian of the shepherds. A black gale that raced across the highlands. A shadow that ran in broad daylight.
Collie the Shepherd Dog approached Azzy before the fur on her back had even settled.
“Woof?”
“Please stay still… will you! I can't get any work done if you run off the moment I take my eyes off you… you see!”
Collie the Shepherd Dog, a descendant of that brilliant lineage of shepherd dogs famed for their intelligence and agility, shook her head in exasperation. Twigs and dust fell from her black fur.
“If you, the Dog King, act so friendly toward a human, it disrupts the hierarchy… it does.”
“Woof woof! Me, friend!”
“I know… I know that. But this country isn't yours… you see.”
Before her stood the Dog King. The Beast King held a special meaning not only for dogs but for dog beastkin as well. Though she had become a vampire, her canine instincts still drove Collie.
After placating Azzy, Collie turned to me, growling in displeasure.
“Nicol. Who is he?”
Perhaps tense from facing a vampire, the startled boy stammered out a reply.
“L-Lady Collie! Th-this person is from Black Valley Village… He said he saw someone suspicious and came to inform you.”
“In Viltear’s village? Was there a human like you there?”
Collie wrinkled her face, leaned in, and sniffed at me. Her wariness was palpable. Fortunately for me, even as a beastkin, a vampire’s sense of smell wasn't particularly keen. It would be difficult for her to find anything strange by scent alone.
“Y-yes. I don't know if you know me, but my name is Humil, from Black Valley Village. It's an honor to meet you, Lady Collie…”
“Awoo. Enough of that. You’ve never come to herd sheep, have you? It’s strange that a strapping young man like you has never once shown his face.”
“I came once when I was a child… though not as a shepherd’s apprentice, of course…”
However, her beastly instinct to sense something amiss remained even after becoming a vampire. If she had asked me a direct question, I could have read her mind and answered, but this was different.
At that critical moment, my savior was…
“Woof woof! Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!”
…Azzy, who, oblivious to the atmosphere, was spinning in circles between me and Collie. Azzy squeezed between us, sniffing excitedly.
As Azzy ran around, spreading her scent everywhere, Collie let out an exasperated sigh.
“No, Your Majesty! Wait… please! I have work to do… you see!”
“Woof woof. You hurt? Pain?”
“That smell of blood isn't because I'm hurt…!”
A sense of unease without evidence is just a feeling. Lacking a solid basis, it can be swayed by the smallest change. With Azzy, the Dog King, acting so friendly toward me, Collie’s suspicion weakened in turn.
“Awoo. Right. What did Viltear say?”
“That a livestock that jumped the fence has appeared… is what she said.”
The phrase ‘livestock that jumped the fence’ was vampire slang. When a human grew stronger than a vampire, they were said to have ‘jumped over’ something. If they defeated a Yeiling, it was a fence. An Ain, a castle wall. An Elder… they were said to have surpassed their species.
Of course, I hadn't heard this anywhere. I had simply read her mind and picked the most plausible-sounding phrase. Collie’s suspicion vanished, and she lifted her head.
“…Awoo. Come to think of it, I didn't send a messenger to Viltear. She must not know the situation.”
“The situation?”
“An important person has escaped, so security has been tightened. The order was to capture them alive and escort them to the castle. But…”
Collie grumbled, then shot Azzy a disgruntled look.
“Of all the times, the King had to show up then.”
“Woof woof? Me? Me, Azzy!”
“I wasted time chasing you down after you bit one of my Yeiling. I thought you were the important person at the time. Awoo. I should have been more level-headed. It’s the King’s fault. The timing was just so bad. It was confusing.”
She was making excuses to me now. One might wonder why a vampire would make excuses to a mere human, but Collie was born a dog beastkin. Becoming a vampire hadn't completely changed her nature.
As a shepherd dog beastkin, Collie possessed a strong sense of duty and loyalty. She was faithful to Lunken and Azzy above her, and to the humans she cared for below. For someone like her, failing a mission was a considerable blow to her pride.
…Of course, I had no reason to listen to all of Collie’s complaints. I feigned ignorance and asked again.
“The King? An important person? Who in the world is this beastkin? Is she a vampire?”
Forced to explain from the beginning, Collie’s face crumpled in annoyance.
“Awoooooo! It’s just a thing! Stop asking so many questions!”
She was the one who started spilling the details. In any case, Collie stopped grumbling and immediately shouted at the shepherd boy.
“Nicol, you go back to the village!”
“Y-yes, ma'am…”
The little shepherd, who had been so cheerful in front of me, was nothing but a meek lamb before the vampire. The boy glanced back at us, looking a little dejected, and headed for the village.
After sending the boy away, Collie plopped down on the ground. Being a dog beastkin, she sat in the exact same way as Azzy.
“So? What's the message you have to deliver?”
“An unidentified fugitive has appeared in Black Valley Village. The chief witnessed them stealing food and went to subdue them, but…”
“She lost, right? I guess they’re an important person for a reason. Anything else?”
“Anything else…?”
“Description, abilities they use. Things I need to know to track them.”
This wasn't an intended meeting, but that's precisely why it was an opportunity.
I felt it earlier, but there was no escaping Collie anyway. A shepherd dog beastkin vampire. Against someone who gets more tired from not running than from running, trying to flee would be like offering myself up as a plaything.
So, my job was to do what I've always done: deceive.
“Late 30s? A man who looked a bit older than me. He was wearing a hooded robe, probably to hide his appearance. After a big fight with Chief Viltear, he quickly fled outside the village. I’ve never seen someone so fast… though not as fast as you, Lady Collie, of course.”
“How did a human beat Viltear?”
“I'm not sure myself. The fight happened inside the chief's cabin. However, the chief said he had the power to dig into the ground. Earth Art, was it?”
Time to fabricate.
I had used Earth Art and Druidism, but mentioning two abilities would make her conscious of my tricks. I'll just flash the Ten of Spades and let her draw the wrong conclusion.
“Digging holes? Awoo. This just got annoying. Now I have to check underground.”
Just as I'd hoped. I had no intention of digging into the ground, but she would now be forced to be wary of my only (not really) ability, Earth Art.
“Anything else?”
“I'm not sure if this will be helpful, but the chief sent this…”
I took out the scrap of torn blanket from my coat. I had known about Collie the Shepherd Dog, so I'd gone back to grab it before leaving.
“This is a blanket from the place he was staying. She said his scent might still be on it.”
Of course, it was Hilde's blanket, not mine.
Collie moved like a lightning strike. In the moment I hesitated, the scrap of blanket was already in her mouth. She sniffed it, catching the faint scent that remained.
“Viltear. Not bad.”
“Ah! Since you're a dog beastkin, Lady Collie, you can find him by scent! I completely forgot!”
“Awoo. I'm not great at it. But I'm not the only one.”
Right? Good. I was worried she might actually go looking for Hilde, or perhaps detect the faint trace of my own scent.
Fiddling with the scrap, Collie suddenly held it out to Azzy.
“King. By any chance, this.”
“Sniff sniff. Woof?”
“Can you find the owner of this scent… please?”
“Woof! Here!”
After sniffing it, Azzy whipped her head around and suddenly started pawing insistently at my feet. My body tensed instantly. As the Dog King, Azzy would have smelled not only my scent but Hilde's as well. She wasn't going to reveal everything, was she?
“Woof woof! Woof woof woof!”
Thank goodness. Azzy wasn't one to explain things with long sentences. Collie, too, spoke as if she hadn't expected much.
“That's the one who brought it… you see. Awoo. Never mind. I was being stupid. She wouldn't help even if she knew.”
Collie shot to her feet and leaped lightly. Sailing gracefully over my head, she looked back at me and Azzy and said,
“I have many hounds by my side. If I let them get the scent, they'll find him in no time. Your scent might confuse them, so go back to the village… no, wait.”
The King seems to like this human, so I should leave her with him for a while. It'll be a pain if she wanders off and attacks my Yeiling again.
“Look after the King. As long as she's with you, no harm will come to a human.”
“What? Where?”
“Anywhere!”
Collie answered curtly and took her leave. I blinked, and she was already a gust of wind, racing into the distance toward the shepherd's outpost on the misty highlands.
Things had worked out better than expected. Meeting Collie was Azzy's fault, in a way, but thanks to her, my explanation was easy, and I'd gained the freedom to move as I pleased.
Most importantly, I had acquired a reliable bodyguard.
“Hey. Azzy.”
“Woof?”
“How did you get here?”
“Woof!”
Azzy tapped my feet with her paws. So she followed me. It made sense; Azzy would remember my scent. And more importantly, our ‘promise’ still stood.
“What about Shei-ssi? Weren't you with her?”
“Woof? Her? Woof?”
Azzy tilted her head, not a hint of confusion in her eyes. She looked as if she had no idea why the Regressor was being mentioned here.
How on earth are you managing her? You said she could become a disaster in the future. Shouldn't you be keeping a better eye on her, then? You're a terrible dog owner!
Well, thanks to that, things turned out well for me. I stroked Azzy's head and said,
“Anyway, it's good to see you.”
Azzy's ears perked up. Feeling my touch between her thick ears, she grinned brightly and replied,
“Woof! Good to see you too!”
Dogs really are man's best friend. Just having her here was so reassuring.
A shepherd dog beastkin vampire? Hah. Azzy is the Dog King. She's on a different level. I'm her companion who's been to prison and traveled with her. We're friends bound by a species-wide ‘promise.’ She's nothing like some mere beastkin who serves an Elder as her lord.
I couldn't do it while Collie was watching, but now I could. I whispered with a villainous smile,
“Azzy. You know that one from before? The black-furred dog beastkin.”
“Woof? Her?”
“Yeah. Next time you see her… just bite her hard.”
If she were human, she wouldn't be able to bite and would just flail her paws. But this was the Duchy, a nation of vampires. Azzy could bite and snap necks without any restrictions. Once Azzy cleared the path, I could just stroll on through.
Heh heh. I was chuckling to myself when Azzy tilted her head and barked once.
“Woof! No!”
“What? Why?”
“Her, friend! No bite!”
“What do you mean, friend? She's a vampire! Didn't you smell the blood?”
“Friend, hurt! Woof! Protect!”
Protect what? She's a vampire! She'll revive just fine even if you bite her! If you're going to protect someone, protect fragile little me!
“Hey! Why are you always only half-helpful? Can't you just help me completely for once? You're such a screw-loose!”
“You!”
“Me? I didn't have the strength until now! I couldn't help it! But I've gotten a bit stronger this time, so I have some leeway. I'll keep my promise! I will, so just help me this one time!”
“The nerve!”
“What about my nerve? Have you even seen my power? I'm serious!”
It doesn't look like Azzy will attack Collie. Well, whatever. I planned for this.
As fast and agile as Collie the Shepherd Dog is, it will take her a considerable amount of time to search every nook and cranny of these vast mountains. While she's away, I'll cross the mountains with Azzy. Minor problems like Yeiling or wolves will be taken care of by Azzy.
Azzy's weakness is that she can't attack humans… but that doesn't matter, right? The humans in this country are livestock. They won't be able to stop me.
Heh heh. This is going to be easy. I started walking, a triumphant smile on my face.
*
“Hey, Nicol! Long time no see.”
“Huh? Uncle Brad! It's been a while!”
“It has. You're starting to look like a real shepherd! You'll be ready for marriage soon!”
“You can say that after you introduce me to a nice, pretty girl from the valley village! Anyway, what brings you all the way out here?”
“I'm here on Chief Viltear's orders. A fugitive headed this way. I'm here to tell Lady Collie about him.”
“What? Again?”
“Again? You mean there's another fugitive here? Goodness, is it the season for it? Why are there so many?”
“No, I meant the messenger. The village already sent one, didn't they?”
“Sent one? Who?”
“Humil. The tall, slick-looking guy.”
“What are you talking about? Humil? There's no one with that name in the village. Besides, why would they send someone else when they have me, who used to be a shepherd in your village? No one has visited here as often as I have.”
“What? That's strange. He definitely said the chief sent him… If that was a lie, then who on earth was he?”
A man the village hadn't sent, a liar who had the gall to deceive a vampire. An unidentified man.
The answer was obvious. The shepherd boy quickly realized the truth and whipped his head around.
“It's the fugitive!”