The First Memory (4)
It felt like drifting through an endless sea without any awareness.
Like alcohol dissolved in alcohol.
Like water mixed with water.
As if my self had faded, becoming nothing more than a breeze that swims through the world.
It seemed that the only thing existing in this white space was the reason for life.
One day, the self I had lost a little at a time began to return.
I started thinking.
I stood up and even walked.
And at some point, I could see the world outside the space.
A life in a familiar room that felt narrow yet comforting.
Familiar corridors and a stark office.
Most of the people I met had unfamiliar faces, but I could never forget the woman with ash-blonde hair and red eyes.
[Lucia…?]
The moment I spoke her name, a sharp sensation pierced my head.
My pupils dilated.
My thoughts expanded.
The discerning power that had been no different from an infant’s suddenly grew rapidly.
Nectar.
Vampires.
Ambrosia Research Institute.
Assistant.
Yoon Seowoo.
The memories that had been forgotten or scattered were sucked into my mind like a sponge.
Yuria, my savior and mentor.
And Lucia Earl Grey, who had trapped me here.
Soon, I realized that this place was another version of my own mind.
The more I relied on the power to become a vampire in the outside world, the more the slumbering part of me woke up.
The emotions that had been frozen that day rose through my skin.
The sensation of shivering in anger and sobbing in sorrow.
[…Everything came back to me.]
The clock that had stopped three years ago began to turn again.
* * *
“…As expected.”
Seowoo’s hypothesis had been correct.
I hadn’t caught every tiny detail, but even considering that, it was difficult to draw such a conclusion.
[As expected, you figured it out.]
“Even so, there are still many things I don’t know.”
Why the boy was in a child’s appearance.
Why his memories were sealed.
[Sorry, but I can’t answer that either.]
“Are you still trying to hide it?”
[No. Since the moment you noticed me, that has lost its meaning.]
The boy shook his head.
[However, as I said before, my body is restricted. All I can tell you is about Yuria. Beyond that, you’ll know once the door opens.]
“Beyond that…?”
The boy pointed at the firmly closed door.
[Every time you turn into a vampire, I can wake up a little more.]
The boy’s fist clenched tightly.
His eyes glistened with emotion, as if reliving a distant memory.
With his eyes closed, he felt the tragedy of the past.
The sensation of Yuria’s breath leaving her body on his lap was still vivid.
[As I said before, there is only one thing you must do now.]
“Kill Gunter?”
[Yes.]
“…That’s something I can’t agree to.”
Seowoo’s refusal, sharp as a blade, had cut through the boy’s will.
[…Why?]
“It’s inefficient. And it doesn’t make sense in the first place. Do you even know our current situation?”
[Of course.]
“Would someone who knows it make such a judgment?”
[Then let me ask the opposite. If you saw a vampire who killed Jung Suyeon, would you stand by silently?]
“…That’s…”
[I’m the same. To me, Yuria is like Jung Suyeon to you. If you see your enemy and do nothing, that’s not right.]
Seowoo found it hard to speak after hearing the boy’s words.
He knew it was the golden rule of reciprocity.
He understood it with his head, not his heart.
Still, could he sacrifice the present for the past?
“But there’s also the little Yuria I met today. She’s not someone you knew, right?”
[…She is the one I knew.]
“Then…”
[That’s why!]
Crash!
The boy kicked the ground.
[I can never forgive him…!]
His eyes, now blood-red, glared at Seowoo.
[Not only did he kill a person once…! He used the body that was no different from a corpse as an experimental subject and ruined it…!]
Seowoo felt his skin split under the boy’s ferocious killing intent.
Was the power he possessed really that immense?
A primitive fear crept up, making his heart shrink.
[They’re the same as people who have killed twice!]
Look at those burning red eyes.
They were sharp enough to tear apart a single person casually.
“…Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that your words are correct. Then how do I find him? How do I kill him? And how do I handle the aftermath?”
That incident in Kamil was a matter of security, but it was no different from a nightmare.
The opponent was at least a mid-ranking vampire.
[If you’re not confident, hand your body over to me. I’ll handle everything.]
“…Don’t say nonsense. Even when you took the lead at the ball for a moment, I was terrified enough.”
[Heh, then do as you like. I’ll do as I like too.]
“…”
The boy, who had laughed after hearing Seowoo’s words, suddenly hardened his expression.
After hearing a declaration of war, his head was in turmoil.
They were supposed to be allies, yet their goals were different. There was no choice.
“Haa… I understand. I lost. I’ll do as you say.”
[Don’t. You don’t even realize that this is just a way to pass the situation.]
“No, I’m serious. I thought making you an enemy would be more inefficient.”
[Tch, you talk big, but words are cheap. They become actions after they’re said.]
“…Enough. Let’s stop talking.”
Seowoo, who had been about to retort, gave up.
No matter how different he looked now, confronting the boy was unbearable.
Perhaps because of the vampiric species’ ferocity.
Or maybe because his past self had simply been unreasonable.
He didn’t know.
[Now go. It’s about time for you to wake up.]
“Wait, not yet…!”
To Seowoo’s half-hearted reply, the boy waved him away.
Seowoo was pushed by an invisible force and felt the sensation of falling as he woke from sleep.
“Uwaaah…!”
Seowoo woke up, flailing his arms in the air.
It seemed he would never get used to this, no matter how many times he experienced it.
* * *
Today was the mid-evaluation day for the project to take care of the Numbers.
Since the supervising professor was Acid, the evaluation was held in her office.
“Eleven is fine, but Twelve is the problem.”
Acid’s solemn voice weighed on Seowoo’s heart.
“Her intelligence is average, but her physical abilities are at the bottom. And looking at her… her mental state is quite weak too.”
“Then what should I do…?”
“You’ll be heartbroken, but if we assume the worst, it’s only natural to dispose of her. Still, don’t worry too much. There’s still time.”
“…I’ll remember that.”
One body, yet so many things to do.
When called, I had to rush to Lucia.
I had to take care of Lize and Yuria, and now I even had to identify Gunter.
Was that all?
Although it had been postponed, I didn’t know when Suyeon might report another escape route.
“This mid-evaluation is a bit difficult to judge as good or bad.”
“I’m sorry. I only started taking care of Twelve yesterday.”
“It’s fine. It’s okay. After all, you show results. I don’t really want to scold you.”
Acid patted Seowoo’s arm as if encouraging him.
Actually, this was more burdensome.
If I didn’t meet expectations, the double the blame would be unbearable.
“Well, then, let’s wrap up the project talk. Is today’s work over?”
“Yes.”
She clapped her hands once, refreshing the atmosphere.
“But I heard something, and do you want to hear it?”
“Yes, of course.”
What could there be?
But.
“You went to the ball with Lucia, right?”
“Yes…?”
Acid smiled outwardly.
I couldn’t read what was inside.
But my intuition, honed by years of living with her, screamed danger.
“~How much of a rumor has spread? Even my ears, which are always stuck in the lab, have heard it.”
“T-that’s… I’m sorry…”
“I’m really upset when you do this~? Some things that look suspicious are overlooked~ and even Balor is lent when asking for help~.”
Acid’s atmosphere changed.
[…Do you think I’m that foolish?]
[…I have nothing to say.]
“There’s a limit to how much you can like someone.”
Even attaching the name Blemish wasn’t enough, yet you attach the name Earl Grey?
I wanted to overlook it, but it was too much.
“Lucia has already declared you as a member of her family!”
Acid, burning with anger, no longer cared about managing her expression.
Seowoo knelt on one knee and bowed his head for a long time.
This matter was not something that would pass easily.
Otherwise, he might really die.
There is no free kindness.
No matter what, that was reality and truth.
The heart he had given out of possessive obsession had been ruined by others.
“Stand up.”
“…Yes.”
“This is your mistake. Don’t resent me. I can’t kill you, but I must know that you’re hiding something.”
“Wait…!”
Acid struck Seowoo’s neck at a speed that prevented him from reacting.
He couldn’t even scream his last words and collapsed helplessly.
She bit one of her fingers.
Shallow flowing blood.
“Shadow.”
The shadow, moving like a living tentacle, dug into Seowoo’s arteries according to Acid’s will.
The shadow, carrying a certain amount of blood, soon left his body and spread widely like a blackboard.
[…Show me your blood components.]
It was not a simple medical analysis but a detailed analysis with magical interpretation.
Now I would know what he had been hiding even while lying.
Letters written like scribbles on the shadow.
Soon, the magic ended with a period and disappeared, reaching one conclusion.
“Haa… So this is what happened?”
Somehow, even with procreative vampirism, he didn’t become a kin.
He had been a kin of Lucia’s for much longer.
A feeling of betrayal came over him for having deceived himself.
He had wanted to simply cut Seowoo’s throat, but since Acid’s blood was already flowing, he might have to break the political principle.
Those in high positions must have corresponding responsibilities.
There are times when one cannot act according to one’s personality.
Acid lowered her trembling hand and let out a deep sigh.
“Haa…”
Whether family or not, I was annoyed.
It was the moment she tried to withdraw magic and rest in her depressed mood.
[…What is this?]
Without distinguishing between period and comma, she had already reached a conclusion, but there was more content.
“Eh…?”
Acid’s mouth opened slightly.
“Why is this possible…?”
Of course. A trace of Blemish’s blood had mixed into Seowoo’s body as well.