Chapter 241
Chapter 241
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 241
>Chapter Title: Ah, That's a Bit...
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I left Shine behind and checked on the trainees' conditions.
There were fourteen in total.
None of them had received proper treatment, and each one was in critical shape. As I examined them, a question arose.
“How are they even alive?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The ones without external wounds, fine. But the ones with limbs severed? No reason to keep them breathing. They've lost all value as Troubleshooters.”
“So that's it.”
Shine explained the situation when he found the kids—they'd been abandoned in a remote warehouse.
He spoke calmly, but I could tell he was furious at the Decullans' actions.
If you're going to kill them, at least do it painlessly as a bare minimum courtesy, he said.
My thoughts differed slightly, though.
Because...
These kids were alive, and that's how they ended up meeting us.
And...
- Trainee No. 27, kill him.
- …...
- He's gonna die anyway. Perfect for gaining some experience.
At least they hadn't been used as tools for the trainees' murder practice.
‘Come to think of it, did that bastard croak this time?’
I ground my teeth briefly, thinking of the instructor who had personally trained me.
Not your average instructor, that one.
Wore a mask the entire time, so no way to know his identity.
“So, how are they doing?”
“Their conditions... hmm.”
I took in all fourteen kids one by one.
I'm no doctor, so I couldn't diagnose precisely, but if the question was whether Light of Healing could save them, the answer was this.
“The ones with severed limbs can be saved. The wounds were left too long, putting them in danger, but heal the external injuries and give them potions, and they'll recover soon enough. The problem is...”
I looked at the two kids without external wounds.
The girl was breathing raggedly—not from injury, but like she had some illness.
And the boy...
‘His mana circuits are tangled.’
Mana reflux left untreated for so long, it was in such bad shape even I couldn't do much.
I relayed this to Shine, and he nodded silently.
“...I see.”
“These two are beyond what my magic can handle. We need a proper doctor...”
I doubted they'd last.
Their life force was fading; time was short.
I stopped there and looked at Shine.
“So, what now?”
“I'm thinking it over.”
“Not easy, huh?”
“Can't be. It's turning them into something inhuman. Humans grasp at straws to survive right now, but they have to bear the full weight of what comes after.”
That was why Shine had never made kin before.
Vampire sounded alluring at first glance, but shedding your humanity wasn't as simple as it sounded.
That thought crossed my mind, and I found myself studying Shine quietly.
I'd never considered it before—what kind of torment had he endured?
‘Death Knight to Vampire.’
His very existence transformed twice over.
Even with a transcendent spirit, identity crisis was inevitable.
Perhaps sensing my gaze...
“This body feels nothing, you wicked thing. No matter how existence changes, I am Shine von Leman.”
“Yeah, sure.”
I didn't argue, just nodded along.
No choice.
It must've taken considerable anguish to declare that.
Anyway.
“We don't have much time left. Decide quick if you're going to. But before that, mind if I say something?”
“Go ahead.”
I shifted my gaze from Shine to the kids.
They were groaning in pain even now, sweat pouring off them. What I had to say next was a bit harsh.
“The ones with severed limbs can be saved. So I don't recommend turning them into kin. That's... a burden they have to carry.”
“Mm.”
Shine nodded slightly in agreement.
But I wasn't done.
“The other two... they're fated ones, as you said. But if you're hesitating, don't do it. Death comes to everyone—no exceptions. To be blunt, are you going to turn every dying wretch you see into kin out of pity? If it's shallow compassion, it'd be better to let them accept their own fate.”
No telling if those two would embrace life as vampires or regret it.
Even if they embraced it, what mattered here was Shine's resolve.
Shine was a Vampire Lord, living eternal life.
Spending that eternity in regret... as his comrade, it wasn't a sight I wanted to witness.
“If you think you'll regret it, don't do it. If you're doing it, do it without regrets.”
That was all I wanted to say.
When I finished, Shine turned from the kids to look at me.
“Unexpected.”
“What?”
“I figured you'd tell me to make them kin, no question.”
“You're not me.”
I never regretted anything.
“I see.”
Shine nodded as if understanding, then looked back at the kids.
“Very well. Thanks to you, my mind's clearer. I'll make those two my first kin. However...”
“However?”
“Not for the kids. For the revival of the vampire clan. That's how I'll frame it.”
It might sound selfish...
But better than easing guilt under the pretext of helping them— this meant owning the consequences of his actions fully.
And so, that day.
In some nameless mountain valley, the first vampire kin were born.
For the boy, Shine named him ‘Astaroth’—to leave no room for regrets, taken from my name.
For the girl, wishing her eternal happiness, he drew from ancient tongue: ‘Lerazie.’
But... why?
‘...Astaroth?’
I could already see the kid's future.
Somehow, it felt like a name doomed to suffer endless torment and abuse from Shine.
* * *
With the turning complete, Shine told the now-awakened kids he had something to inform them of and left.
The kids followed him, bewildered.
I stayed behind to treat the injured ones. When I finished and stepped outside, the camp was abuzz.
“Lortel, Magic Tower... Spirit Master?”
“Really? We can go where we want? But where's the Magic Tower...”
“What if we get caught again and end up the same?”
I passed the murmuring kids and settled into a rocky crevice overlooking the valley.
‘Already started?’
While I'd been treating the wounded, it seemed they'd been briefed on their futures.
But perhaps due to the Decullan nightmare...
The kids struggled to decide.
I watched quietly, enhancing my hearing to eavesdrop—most seemed to favor Lortel.
‘They know they were captured by Decullan, so Lortel feels safest.’
Good choice, in my book.
Next was Mysel senior.
Word of learning spirit arts if fated drew a few.
Then, the Magic Tower?
“Magic...”
“No, not that anymore.”
Seemed like a deep aversion to magic itself.
I could feel a bit indignant, but part of me thought it was for the best.
Not about the costs...
I worried they'd cling to hatred, dreaming of Decullan revenge.
Spending their lives honing magic for vengeance, never tasting glory, luxury, or pleasure.
‘Well, they could still dream of revenge under Lortel or Mysel senior...’
I believed.
Lortel and Mysel senior could temper those revenge-driven kids properly.
But why not me?
Because I myself couldn't let go of revenge.
As I watched the kids, something caught my eye.
“...?”
At first, I thought it was a bear.
The sheer bulk...
But no, it was a person, scaling the valley wall with massive strides.
‘...Lucifer? Coming to me?’
But that gaze...
So intense, like staring down a blood-sworn enemy.
He climbed the sheer cliff without slipping once, reaching me in no time.
I shifted aside to make room, and he bowed his head curtly before sitting beside me.
“Huff, huff.”
“...”
I watched him catch his breath.
‘This guy's all talk.’
As a kid, he'd bragged about being decent-looking, but nah—just less scruffy, fewer scars.
Makes sense I'd recognize him at a glance.
Lost in old memories, Lucifer spoke up right then.
“You the Tower Master? Heard you are.”
“Yeah?”
“Hmm...”
Lucifer scanned me top to bottom and muttered.
“They said you were Black-White Slums trash... Didn't eat enough, huh. Guess food's the real tragedy.”
“What the hell, you little shit?”
“Ah, sorry. The height. Magic can't fix that either?”
“...”
Right, this was him originally.
Recalling Lucifer's personality I'd forgotten, I clamped my mouth shut.
One reply, and it'd be endless questions. Sure enough, with no reaction from me, he dropped it soon.
“But why'd you come? Busy. Get to the point and scram.”
“Ah, nothing big. Just curious. Figured a slum rat turned Tower Master like you could answer.”
“...?”
Lucifer cleared his throat, scratched his cheek, then asked.
But why...
When he finished, I felt flung back to a distant past—my previous life.
“Uh... between not eating or not wearing decent clothes. Which do you think is saddest? Doesn't have to be those two—give me your answer, Tower Master.”
...Exactly like that day.
Barely surviving a dogshit mission.
We sat atop a high cliff, overlooking below.
And I asked.
What was the saddest thing.
Only difference...
‘You haven't figured it out yet, huh.’
So.
I resolved.
To pass on the answer that past-life me had given.
“Curious?”
“Very.”
“Then follow me. I'll show you the answer.”
The fading sunset struck me as beautiful.
The crisp winter wind felt refreshing, the bare branches oddly comforting...
“Ah, that's a bit.”
“...What?”
“I wanna learn spirit arts.”
“...”
What to do with this guy?