Chapter 77: The Age of Loss
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 77: The Age of Loss
The heavy, sealed iron door creaked open. Azzy and Shei turned their heads toward it.
At last, after three days of seclusion, he and Tyrkanzyaka were coming out.
“Woof! Woof!”
“Hey! What the hell have you been doing in there…!”
Just as the two of them were striding toward the door.
Faster than them, Tyrkanzyaka burst out from the narrow opening, looking utterly terrified. Glancing around frantically, Tyrkanzyaka spotted Shei and hurried over.
“Shei! Shei! It’s a disaster! He’s—!”
This was Tyrkanzyaka, who always acted with unhurried grace, elegantly seated atop her coffin. The woman who possessed a dignity befitting the Progenitor of Vampires and the Queen of Shadow was now running with a distraught expression.
Baffled by Tyrkanzyaka’s unfamiliar state, Shei asked with a puzzled look.
“Huh? What’s wrong, Tyrkanzyaka? Where’s the coffin you always ride, and that man…?”
His questions were answered almost immediately. The iron door swung fully open, revealing the large coffin with the instructor sitting demurely on top of it.
The instructor sat there blankly, as if in a daze, occupying what had been Tyrkanzyaka’s exclusive seat.
Seeing that shameless face was both a relief and a fresh source of anger. Shei shouted at him.
“Perfect timing! What kind of ritual did you perform? And what did you mean in that note? Get down here and…”
“That’s not the problem, Shei!”
Tyrkanzyaka grabbed Shei. Her movements were so urgent, so unlike her usual self.
What is going on? Why is Tyrkanzyaka so flustered, and why is that man just sitting blankly on the coffin?
Just as these questions filled Shei’s mind.
“He’s lost his memories!”
“What?”
The words blew away every other thought.
Tyrkanzyaka explained the situation to Shei. Since she didn’t know much herself, the explanation was brief.
After hearing the outcome, Shei asked, half in disbelief.
“Is your heart really beating? That man actually did it?”
“Yes! It’s truly beating!”
“No way. Even a mage couldn’t do that, so how could a non-mage like him… Are you sure it’s beating again? You’re not mistaken?”
It was a reasonable question in some respects, but it was like pouring cold water on Tyrkanzyaka, who was simultaneously feeling the joy of her wish being granted and worry for him.
The faint excitement left in Tyrkanzyaka’s expression vanished as she glared at Shei.
“Do you think I would lie to you about something so important? Or are you suggesting he deceived me, and my Bloodcraft? What, must I show you my beating heart for you to believe me?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just, if reviving a heart was this easy…”
If it was so easy, why couldn’t I achieve it in my previous timelines? Shei stopped herself just short of saying it aloud. She didn’t want to reveal her regression just yet.
But this only soured Tyrkanzyaka’s mood further.
“Easy? You can look at that boy’s condition and still say that?!”
Shei flinched at her outburst. Before she could make an excuse, Tyrkanzyaka pointed at the man on the coffin and cried out.
“For three days, he didn’t drink a single sip of water. He didn’t touch a single bite of food. He abstained completely, sitting more silently than a vampire in a coffin without moving an inch! And at the very end, he revived my heart and lost his memories as the price! He undertook such a reckless task, and you call it easy?”
But for something no one could do for 1200 years, it was pretty easy.
But Tyrkanzyaka was far too serious for her to grumble that thought aloud. Shei kept her mouth shut and pretended to agree.
Still… seeing her this worked up, I guess her heart really is beating again.
If her heart were still stopped, Tyrkanzyaka might not have agreed with Shei, but she would have at least understood. A cold-blooded vampire doesn’t get excited so easily; they observe everything from a distance.
The fact that she was so agitated was proof she had regained her emotions.
This is good. We need to restore his memory quickly and find out how he did it! Then it’ll be much easier to persuade Tyrkanzyaka in the next timeline. Even if he never gets his memory back, I can just make him an ally in the next run! In any case, finding a way to solve this is a huge win!
Having finished her calculations from the perspective of a Regressor, Shei was genuinely pleased.
“Anyway, congratulations! Now we just need to snap that guy out of it!”
“Hmph. Shei, you…”
Tyrkanzyaka, about to say something more, closed her eyes and calmed her emotions.
When her heart was stopped, such a process wasn’t necessary, but now that it was beating again, her emotions didn’t flow as she willed.
Reminded once more of what she had gained, what she had recovered, Tyrkanzyaka felt a renewed sense of gratitude toward him and spoke.
“Enough. I’m not here to argue with you. So? Is there any way to restore his memories?”
“Hmm, in my case, I usually solve most things with the Heavenly Counter Domain, but…”
The Heavenly Counter Domain, an ultimate defensive Qi Art that responds by engraving specific movements into the body.
At lower levels of mastery, it merely executes reflexive counterattacks against unexpected approaches, but its true value emerges as one’s mastery deepens.
The mind is bound to follow the body.
By repeating movements ingrained in the body, one can maintain peace of mind and return the spirit and soul to a stable state. Thanks to the Heavenly Counter Domain, Shei was immune to mental attacks like curses that stopped the heart or spells that stole the soul.
To defend against mental attacks and prevent sudden death while unconscious, Shei made it her first priority to master the Heavenly Counter Domain in every timeline.
“…But he probably doesn’t have a method like that. And even if he did, I wouldn’t know it.”
Tyrkanzyaka’s expression crumbled in despair. Her expressions have become so varied for a vampire, Shei realized, just as her thoughts turned to the note she’d received three days ago.
Maybe that cryptic message…?
While Shei rummaged through her Pocket, Tyrkanzyaka muttered with a desolate look.
“Then, he’ll remain without his memories… Heavens, to save me…”
“Hold on, Tyrkanzyaka. Wait a second.”
“Truly, I have no words. To fulfill my own obsession, I have stolen his future…”
“Take a look at this.”
“It can’t be helped… Since I’ve taken his life from him, I must compensate for it… I will keep him by my side and care for him for the rest of my life…”
Stopping Tyrkanzyaka as her words grew heavier, Shei pulled out the note and fluttered it.
“Wait! Hold on! That guy left me a note!”
Tyrkanzyaka’s eyes fixed on the note. Shei unfolded it in front of her and pointed.
“Here, there’s not much written on the note itself. Just to look after Azzy and not to come near the underground armory. But here, in the impressions, there’s another message!”
“Impressions? I cannot see them.”
“Ah, right. Then I’ll read it to you.”
Do not go to the cafeteria.
Do not touch me carelessly even if I’m acting strange afterward.
If supplies happen to arrive, use them on me.
After clearly reading the words with her Fathomsight, Shei folded the note again and said smugly.
“See? He predicted he might end up in a weird state. It says, ‘even if I’m acting strange afterward.’ He must have entrusted this to me for this very moment.”
“…Why go to such lengths.”
“It says not to go to the cafeteria, but telling someone not to go somewhere is the same as telling them they absolutely have to go. There’s probably something in the cafeteria…”
As Shei pointed to the note and explained, she looked up and noticed Tyrkanzyaka pouting, her cheeks puffed out in displeasure.
Shei felt something was off about her reaction.
She should be happy we found a clue, so why does she look so displeased?
“Why on earth did he give that note to you?”
Huh? Shei let out a dumbfounded sound without realizing it. Something about this situation was getting weird.
Meanwhile, Tyrkanzyaka shot Shei a sideways glance and vented her frustration.
“He could have just given it to me. Why complicate things by passing it through you? I would have been the first person he saw when he opened his eyes. If I had known the contents of the note beforehand, I wouldn’t have worried so much.”
“Uh, huh?”
Wait a minute. What is with that attitude?
Shei was so taken aback she was momentarily speechless. Tyrkanzyaka let out a deflated sigh, then her face lit up as if she’d realized something, and she clapped her fist into her palm.
“Ah. Now I understand. The person who must not go to the cafeteria is clearly you, Shei. He gave the note only to you to prevent you from going. Otherwise, there would be no reason to entrust it to you of all people.”
“Uh, huh, huh?”
“Besides, you were the only one left outside anyway, so he probably just gave it to you for convenience’s sake, right? Good. I will take him to the cafeteria. I’m sure we’ll find something there.”
Tyrkanzyaka looked ready to dash off immediately. Shei, still stunned, hastily called out.
“Wait, Tyrkanzyaka. I’ll go too! You’ll probably have a hard time finding…”
“Are you planning to disobey the note’s instructions? You will wait here. If I need help, I will call for you.”
Seriously? Why is she following the note so strictly? The guy who wrote it isn’t even in his right mind; it wouldn’t matter if we bent the rules a little!
But Tyrkanzyaka’s attitude was firm, showing a powerful resolve to leave Shei behind no matter what. Shei felt unfairly wronged.
If I’d known this would happen, I would have gone to check it out myself. I can’t believe I followed the instructions on that stupid note!
Shei cursed herself for being so ridiculously obedient three days ago. She resolved that in any future timelines, she would not blindly follow this man’s orders.
“Woof woof! Woof woof!”
Just then, Azzy’s happy barks reached them. It was a sound full of satisfaction, one she hadn’t heard in days. Shei instinctively looked over.
Azzy was playing with him.
With unfocused eyes, he followed Azzy and threw a ball. It arced weakly before falling. When Azzy happily retrieved it, he would pat the dog, his expression still blank.
Then, Azzy, excited, leaned against him, and the impact sent him stumbling weakly to the ground.
Azzy yelped in surprise.
“Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof!”
Tyrkanzyaka, horrified, rushed over.
“Dog—Dog King. Please leave him be for a moment!”
“Woof woof woof! What do I do? What do I do?”
“I said leave him alone!”
It was chaos. Azzy barked in alarm, and Tyrkanzyaka didn’t know what to do. The two of them just circled the fallen man.
Watching the scene, Shei muttered.
“Looks like he really did lose his memory… I had my doubts, but I guess it’s not a prank.”
As she said it, Shei suddenly felt a pang of guilt for having been suspicious even in this situation.