Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Qualifications of True Blood
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The door that Simo couldn't budge no matter how hard he pushed swung open the instant I laid my hand on it. Mana hadn't drained from my body, nor had any magic activated from the door itself. It wasn't magic. Some kind of mystery had unlocked the door.
Beyond the door lay a remarkably narrow corridor. It seemed designed without any thought for others passing through, barely wide enough for one adult man to squeeze by. What made it even stranger—whoever designed it had let it widen and narrow repeatedly in puzzling intervals.
“Shall we go in?”
“We have to.”
How long were we supposed to wait when the owner wasn't coming out? I opened the door and peered down the corridor, but nothing came into view. I took the lead, and Simo followed slowly behind.
The corridor wasn't as long as I'd imagined. After winding through the twists and turns, a vast space suddenly opened up before us.
“This is…”
“Some kind of research facility...”
Bookshelves filled the walls, tables neatly arranged. Beakers displayed atop them gleamed under the light. It stood in stark contrast to the pigsty of a room. How could someone keep this space so immaculate yet leave their own living quarters in such chaos?
-Thud!
I was examining one of the tidy tables when a heavy impact echoed from deeper inside the facility. Simo and I headed toward the sound without a word.
Farther in, past a room draped with white curtains, a library of considerable size revealed itself. There was the house's owner we'd been seeking. Hekar was here too.
“Not this one either... Nor this...”
Rattle-!
The True Blood dracain. The cantankerous old man was riding a massive ladder as it moved. Not your standard ladder. It was mounted on custom wheels running along rails embedded in the wooden floor. Designed to glide swiftly along a fixed path, the huge ladder rattled right past us.
Hekar, who had been zipping here and there on the ladder, suddenly halted. He turned to Simo and me with an incredulous expression.
“How did you two get in here?”
“Well...”
“Ah, I must've forgotten to latch it properly. Anyway, perfect timing. See those books over there? Slot them into the empty spots for me.”
He answered his own question. My response didn't seem to matter much. As I hesitated, Hekar slid off on his wheeled ladder toward a corner.
Rattle-
“What should we do?”
“For now...”
We probably ought to help. I glanced at the books scattered on the floor. They must be the ones Hekar had yanked out while rummaging, only to toss them aside after a quick check.
I picked one up and called out.
“Mr. Hekar! Can I just shove this into any empty spot?”
“Doesn't matter!”
It was simple: just fill the gaps. Simo and I moved through the library, slotting books into the shelves.
“These books are ancient. They all smell like old mold. Can you read what's written on them?”
“I can't make out some parts myself. They use a lot of archaic words that aren't in use anymore... Probably a few hundred years old.”
“What's this one?”
“Looks like some kind of erotic novel.”
“...And this?”
“It's about home cooking. Probably a cookbook...”
The sheer volume of books meant endless variety. Yet none followed any organizational logic—no categorization by type. It was maddening.
-Found it!
Hekar's voice rang out, thick with elation. Simo and I converged on the center of the library. No sooner had we arrived than the rattling sound approached, and Hekar appeared.
“Ah, sorry about that. I knew I had to find this book, but I couldn't for the life of me remember where it was. Anyway, got it now.”
He leaped down from the ladder and plopped onto a nearby stack of books without a care. Some pages crumpled under his weight, but he didn't spare them a glance.
“Sit down, you two. Ask whatever you're curious about.”
I hesitated briefly before carefully perching on a stack nearby. How could I refuse when the owner insisted? Simo, gauging the mood, sat beside me.
“What's that book, anyway? What made you search so long?”
“What else? You said you're gathering info on True Bloods. Naturally, it's related. Specifically... it's the legend of how True Bloods came to be.”
“Can we take a look?”
“You can read it? If you haven't studied ancient script, good luck.”
With that, a weathered tome floated lightly toward me. I wove a thread of Gentle Wind's power to snag it gently. Hekar cracked a peculiar smile.
“Wind cloaking your body. Not a spirit blessing... You're keeping a spell active constantly? Doesn't that tire you out?”
As expected, no ordinary person. He discerned the depths just from spotting that minor invocation of Gentle Wind. Instead of answering, I opened the book and passed it to Simo. Hekar didn't seem to expect a reply anyway.
“Can't read it...”
“See?”
If Simo couldn't, neither could I. I wrapped the book in wind and handed it back to Hekar.
“You said to ask anything.”
“That's right. If I know it—or if it's in this book—I'll tell you.”
I had one burning question. I took a slow breath and spoke.
“From what I know, True Blood isn't strictly about lineage. Even without dracain blood, one can rise to True Blood status.”
“Not wrong. There've been cases of kids from obscure rural families claiming the title. But it's also wrong. All dracain trace back to a single origin. In that sense, we're all True Blood descendants.”
“Could that True Blood power pass to non-dracain races?”
Hekar tilted his head. Then he flipped eagerly through the book in his hands.
“True Blood power comes from the blood itself. Another race inheriting it... That's a bit absurd. Unless you replaced every drop in their body with dracain blood. I'll check anyway, but...”
“What about turning another race into a dracain?”
“Dracain have the hardest time producing offspring with other races. No way that's... possible... possible?”
Hekar, scanning the book, cocked his head again. He stood, shifted his stance, and peered closer.
“Did you find something?”
“Thinking about it, it's not entirely impossible... The legend says True Bloods arose because they accepted a god's blood into their bodies—that's why vampires exist.”
“A god's blood?”
“Ancient tale. Back when this land was one, humanity united, sharing language and script. For some reason, a god grew wrathful. The land split, languages diverged—you know the story?”
I'd heard it before. I nodded, and Hekar continued.
The sundered humanity scattered. Those who adapted became humans. Those who hid underground turned dwarf. Those who merged with forest nature became elves. Those who came to this land and accepted the god's blood became vampires. True Bloods were the few most favored among them.
“So...”
“Accepting another's blood made vampires. Why not the reverse? Of course, no records of it happening. Not in this book either. Still, fascinating. Hey, want to try drinking my blood?”
“No...!”
I shook my head with a grimace. I had no desire to drink from this cranky old codger. Hekar nodded and muttered softly.
“Fair enough... No one's ever thought to feed noble True Blood to another race. Blasphemy, really... But if true True Blood emerges... what happens to the one who gave the blood? Need to approach this carefully...”
He voiced his thoughts freely, others be damned. A true madman. I averted my eyes from his gleaming blood-red gaze and spoke.
“Suppose a True Blood is born that way. What happens?”
“They become True Blood. Nothing special. Name goes on the royal lineage... They can wield blood magic. True Blood traits manifest... Pale skin and...”
Suddenly, Hekar's gaze locked onto me. He furrowed his brow.
“You two.”
A strange tension hung in the air. Simo and I gripped each other's hands tightly. Then Hekar spoke.
“Eaten yet? I'm getting hungry. Lunchtime.”
“Ah, we ate.”
“Nah, you look like you haven't. Let's eat together.”
Hekar stood, tossing the book to the floor. He strode ahead, his black coat flapping.
“What're you waiting for? Hurry up.”
That lunatic...