Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Aftermath
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"Kuaargh... Keuk..."
"Kuaaah..."
Ksias was the progenitor of all vampires in Kushan City.
With his death, the lesser vampires suffered a devastating blow to their psyches.
Their swift, strong, and cunning nature vanished, replaced by drooling, mad beasts staggering about aimlessly.
*Shhhk!*
"Kergk!"
*Craaack!*
"Gak!"
The battle ended all at once.
The creatures who had fought so fiercely suddenly began spinning like carts with a broken wheel, and swords and axes immediately tore them apart.
"What the...?"
"Are they on drugs? Why are they acting like this all of a sudden?"
Among the bewildered warriors, Rivera Pietro was the first to grasp the situation.
"...No way."
His gaze sought out Lansen.
"Holy...!"
His eyes widened.
There, engulfed in white flames, was a familiar silhouette.
"He really... killed Ksias..."
He had hoped for this when he joined the fight, but now that it had actually happened, why couldn't he believe it?
That was how much of an endless monster Ksias had been in his mind.
"Is he really... dead? Ksias...?"
*Blink.*
Rivera quickly swallowed the tears that threatened to fall.
A man had his pride, and he firmly believed he couldn't show tears.
Instead, he strode toward Lansen.
He suppressed the urge to plant a kiss on the man's blood-soaked, dark-blue hair.
***
To think I spent all that time in despair because of a man who would just turn to ash like this...
I was staring blankly at Ksias turning into a pile of ash when a voice calling my name snapped me back to my senses.
"Sir Lansen."
A charming, low-pitched voice.
I turned my head to see Rivera Pietro.
"Ah, Sir Rivera."
After a light nod, Rivera spoke to me, his eyes shining like stars.
"I have something to tell you. According to records I've read, vampires who lose their progenitor lose their minds for a day or two."
"Ah, so that's why it was so easy... Huh? But does that mean they go back to normal after two or three days?"
"Yes. They return to their original state over time. This makes it the perfect opportunity to wipe out Ksias's remaining forces. If you'll permit me, I will exterminate every last one of those bloodsucking mosquitoes in this city before the night is over."
"Permit you? We're the ones who should be asking for your help. Thank you."
We both bowed our heads once.
But even after that, Rivera continued to gaze at me with his sparkling eyes, as if he had more to say.
"...? Is there something else?"
"Ah, yes, there is one thing I must say."
Rivera straightened his posture, then bowed deeply and formally.
"Thank you, truly. Ksias was my... no, he was the enemy of all my comrades. Thanks to you, Sir Lansen, we were able to avenge them."
I felt a little awkward, but instead of demurring, I played along.
"Well, if you're so grateful, you can show it by treating my people well from now on. We'll be working together a lot for the time being. I'll be watching to see just how grateful you really are."
"Haha. I'll be sure to surprise you."
Laughing heartily at my pointed joke, Rivera parted his lips as if to say more, but then turned away.
"There's much more I'd like to say, but first, I'll go crush those mosquitoes. We can talk again after that."
There are certain kinds of people.
People you feel an affinity for, even if you haven't seen them often.
People you can trust, even if you don't know them well.
Rivera was one of them.
That's why I revealed a small part of my true intentions.
"I'll be counting on you. Together... let's make this city a better place to live."
This was me revealing my intention to be involved in the city's governance, not just to end things with killing Ksias.
Rivera's faction would be a great help in stabilizing the city.
As if he understood my meaning, Rivera stopped in his tracks and slowly turned back to me.
A mischievous grin hung on his face.
"Ah... I was going to tell you later, but you just had to jump the gun. I guess I have no choice."
"Pardon?"
"Here, catch."
*Fwip!*
A squarish object flew through the air, fitting perfectly in my hand.
I caught it and saw that it was a valuable object.
Its light green body was made of precious leaf metal, with a mosaic of various colored gem fragments forming the pattern of a deer's antlers.
An ancient object, steeped in history.
'A crest...?'
I hadn't expected this.
No matter how I looked at it, this thing appeared to be a family crest.
And not one in the style of Roverland, this continent, but in the style of Gloryland, the continent where the Vanroah Kingdom was located.
But if this is a family crest, then giving it to me means...
"This is..."
"Yes. It's the crest of the Pietro family. Truth is, our family was also a noble house in Gloryland 300 years ago."
"But, to give me a crest like this..."
Rivera smiled faintly.
This man, in his early thirties, knew how to smile handsomely.
"I, too, was taught the etiquette of a nobleman. Which is to say, I know exactly what this means. What you're thinking is correct."
In Gloryland, giving one's family crest to another had only one meaning.
"Well then. I will see you again after I've finished my work. My lord."
It was a pledge of fealty, an oath between lord and vassal.
After giving a grand bow in accordance with ancient noble etiquette, Rivera walked away from me with the swagger of a Roverland native.
I watched his retreating back and let out a dry laugh.
'He tosses around his family crest like a piece of candy.'
In my kingdom, a pledge of fealty like this would have involved a lavish four-day, three-night ceremony...
Rivera Pietro... what a guy.
He really is interesting.
***
"I knew he'd do something like that."
Sea said dryly.
But her tone suggested she was somewhat acquainted with Rivera.
"You know Rivera well?"
"More or less. Where do you think all my information comes from? Some of it was from him. I helped him out in my own way, too."
I gazed at Sea.
It's fine now that Ksias is dead, but... she collaborated with the leader of a rebel faction? Something that dangerous...
Sea avoided my gaze slightly and said, as if making an excuse.
"Sometimes, you have to face things head-on instead of avoiding them. To survive..."
*Sigh...*
A sigh escaped me.
Seeing the kids like this always makes me reflect. I realize how neglectful I've been.
*Pat.*
I placed a hand on Sea's head once, then walked past her.
"From now on, don't carry such dangerous burdens alone. Talk to me. I've got my head on straight now."
"...Okay."
A faint hint of a smile seeped into Sea's deadpan voice.
But she quickly wiped away that trace of a smile and fell in step beside me, speaking in a business-like tone.
"Anyway, this worked out well. We'll leave the remnants to Rivera. Let's find proof of the Count's evil deeds. The more we tarnish his reputation, the more the citizens will support us."
"Right. To govern the city, we need the support of the people."
"Yep. That's how we'll collect taxes properly."
Ah, taxes.
That's not what I meant... but she's right.
She was a sharp kid, anyway.
Sea quickly took command.
She swiftly formed an investigation team, calling not only on our family but also on the trusted and friendly business owners and citizens.
They began to search for evidence of the Count's misdeeds, combing through the half-destroyed lord's castle, the prison, the courthouse, and the warehouses.
Meanwhile, Sea and I went off on our own.
"I'm going to the chapel. I don't know what kind of threats might be there, so you need to come with me."
"The chapel... Right, they supposedly made live sacrifices there. It wouldn't be surprising if some monster popped out."
"Yeah."
"But... shouldn't you stay back then? It's dangerous."
"I need to see it with my own eyes. And there won't be a problem as long as you protect me."
"Well... that's true."
She spoke so matter-of-factly, it was hard to argue.
The path to the chapel was quite eerie.
A winding, maze-like path with high walls on either side stretched from the lord's castle.
The walls blocked the sun, making it shady and cool, but beyond that, a chill ran down my spine every time we rounded a corner, as if something was about to jump out.
'Are there actually ghosts here...?'
Goosebumps were rising on my arms, a Sword Master's arms, so this couldn't be dismissed as just a feeling.
An unknown, ominous energy filled the air.
I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword, ready to draw it at any moment, and moved forward.
But then,
*Tug...*
I felt a sudden pull on my clothes and turned to see Sea, her face unusually pale, clutching the hem of my shirt.
Her face was expressionless, but her trembling eyes showed she was scared.
'Ah, that's right. Sea was always particularly afraid of ghosts and things like that, wasn't she?'
She'd always acted so composed as she grew up that I'd forgotten.
When she was five, she couldn't even sleep alone at night.
Even on the ship as we fled the Vanroah Kingdom across the vast sea,
and even when we arrived in Kushan City and lived in hiding in the Ilneon Dungeon,
when everyone else was fast asleep from exhaustion or simple adjustment, Sea would wake up alone and crawl in beside me.
How could I have forgotten that?
There were so many nights I fell asleep with a whining Daisy in one arm and a shivering Sea in the other...
'Heh. Acting all tough, but she's still scared of spooky things, huh?'
But I must have stared at her for too long, feeling a warmth spread through me.
"Ah...!"
Realizing she was holding my shirt, Sea snatched her hand away and feigned indifference, striding past me.
"...Don't get the wrong idea."
Right, right. I won't.
"...Seriously. Don't get the wrong idea."
Uh-huh. Sure.
I followed behind her, snickering.
*Fwooooooosh—*
A gust of wind from around the corner made a bizarre noise.
In that moment, Sea's shoulders, walking ahead of me, froze solid.
*Shuffle.*
*Shuffle.*
She slowly shuffled back to my side and grabbed my shirt again.
Damn... the corners of my mouth keep twitching up.
"Hold on tight and don't let go."
I said with a grin, and Sea shot me a glare.
"...Don't treat me like a child."
"Of course, of course. Our Sea is all grown up. Twenty years old this year, isn't she?"
The hand clutching my shirt trembled.
But she didn't let go.
And so, we continued down the winding path and arrived at the chapel.
As if the ominous and eerie feelings from before had all been a delusion... the chapel was completely empty, with nothing of note to be found.
"There's nothing here."
"...Yeah. Other than it being unusually cold and unsettling. There's nothing."
We looked around slowly and thoroughly, but there was really nothing.
The chapel was just filled with large, cold, and unpleasant stone statues.
The only peculiar thing was the faint smell of blood coming from the large altar in the center.
I had hoped we could at least figure out what religion Ksias followed...
But all the visible symbols were bizarre things I had never seen or heard of before.
"But, what's that?"
Just as I was thinking we should head back, Sea asked.
"Hm?"
"On your chest."
"My chest?"
Huh?
Why is this...?
The subspace necklace hanging on my chest was emitting a light green glow.
'Why is it glowing? ...Could it be?'
A thought suddenly occurred to me, and I reached into the subspace and pulled out a book.
*Shing—*
Its metallic cover made a cool, crisp sound.
"A book?"
Sea showed her curiosity.
I narrowed my eyes.
My guess was correct.
"Yeah. The Book of Fate."
The Book of Fate, the very one that had sent me ten thousand years into the past just a few days ago, was once again glowing light green.
Its light had been seeping out of the subspace necklace.
But... why now?
It wouldn't budge when I actually tried to activate it...?