The Elders' rebellion was brief but left a lasting impact. Even though Erzebeth had only rampaged for a short ti, dozens had died or been injured. If there was any silver lining, it was that Lir had turned those fated to die into re casualties. It was as if the gods had made a clerical error in their records—thanks to her miraculous intervention, survivors had the chance to tell their tale.
People who had been bleeding profusely now groaned from anemia as their wounds had been sealed shut. Hilde swiftly surveyed the area, muttering to herself.
"As long as they don’t die, they’re still alive… What an enviable ability! The military state should get one of these for itself~ Like a standard-issue dical supply."
"Do you think of Elders as tools?"
"Maybe not other Elders, but her? She literally saves people. That ans she’d be far more suited for a country where more people die—like ours, not this Principality!"
"You’re proud of having more deaths?"
"Of course! More deaths an more lives at stake! We don’t fuss over a few dozen casualties!"
Hilde glanced over at the wounded. They were those who had barely escaped death after being drained by Elder Erzebeth. Fear was still evident on their faces as they chattered about what had just happened.
"Mada Erzebeth—she tried to kill us all!"
"What? Why would an Elder do that?"
"She—she wanted to harvest our blood to fuel her power…!"
"But still, killing us all for that…?"
The order of the Principality was that of livestock. Humans here lived peacefully and obediently under the rule of vampires. Their predators, their sovereigns, their protectors—all in one. With vampires managing everything, humans led quiet, stable lives.
But unfortunately, humans were not livestock. No matter how much they adapted to the system, they would never truly accept themselves as re cattle.
"We were prey from the very beginning."
"We barely survived this ti, but if another conflict breaks out, we’ll just be used as food."
"We can’t rely on vampires too much. We humans have to band together."
A bit more fire in their spirits now—good. If they truly wished to be livestock, that was one thing, but to live as cattle while refusing to acknowledge it? That was just willful ignorance.
Hilde’s eyes glead like a child who had just found a new toy.
"Father, I want that one—Lir Nightingale! How about negotiating with Tyrkanzyaka for ?"
"You need to stop relying on for everything. Isn’t it about ti you stood on your own?"
"Huh? If it weren’t for , you’d have been long dead, and now you’re trying to wash your hands of ?"
"Did I ask for help? That was your decision. What, did you expect to sign an IOU or sothing? Next ti, be sure to get paynt up front."
"Wow! What a scumbag!"
Well, that’s life. He should know better at his age.
Even if Hilde was talking to , Lir’s future wasn’t sothing that could be decided here and now. Seeming to relax a little, Hilde stretched and yawned.
"Aaaah~ I’m exhausted. I just wanna take a break."
"You’re weak. I don’t feel all that tired."
"That’s because you were lounging around in the progenitor’s chamber while I was working my ass off investigating everything!"
"Why bother? It all worked out in the end. You could’ve taken your ti."
"How was I supposed to know that?! I was freaking out, worried you might end up dead!"
Huh. That’s actually touching.
I honestly hadn’t expected Hilde to go this far for . I thought she just saw as sothing to sell off at the highest price, a tool to be exploited. Which, to be fair, she probably still does.
But deep down, she also expects sothing from —or rather, from the King of Humans. Maybe part of it is because I figured out her true nature. Whether I can live up to that expectation is another matter, but for now, this situation isn’t bad for .
"Aaah, but at least I made a solid contribution. This whole ss put the Principality’s new star—Tyrkanzyaka—into an even more difficult position. That ans negotiations from here on out will be a breeze!"
"That’d be nice."
"Ugh, what now? If you know sothing, spill it already. I am not in the mood to keep suffering."
"It’s not that I know anything, just… sothing the Crimson Duke said is bothering ."
"A betrayal isn’t a betrayal until it happens."
That wasn’t a warning, assuming I would betray Tyrkanzyaka. Vladimir wasn’t the kind to say sothing so obvious.
No, he was declaring that even if I betrayed her, he wouldn’t interfere.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Hah. Why is everyone acting like I’m bound to betray her? Hilde’s right—I helped Tyrkanzyaka. Thanks to that, my status and value have skyrocketed. I’m no longer just a favored consort; I now have the right to integrate into this power structure. Why would I throw that away?
No, instead of resisting this power vacuum, I might as well sink my roots deep into it and enjoy the ride. I may claim to hate order, but if it’s my order, why refuse?
Not long after, a commotion broke out nearby. A group of people was making their way toward . As they got closer, I recognized a familiar voice.
[Hughes!]
See? Tyrkanzyaka ca looking for herself. Now, I can finally start living a life of power and—
…
Wait.
Tyrkanzyaka was approaching. Naturally, she was completely unscathed. Even if she had been injured, she would’ve healed in an instant. Reading her thoughts, I could tell she hadn’t even been hurt to begin with. She had wrestled with herself, but she had finally learned to use her power for herself.
She had finally learned to live as a person, rather than as a god.
Which, while intentional on my part, wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
[Hughes…! Are you hurt? Are you alright?]
Without hesitation, Tyrkanzyaka rushed into my arms. Her body, slightly warr than before, nestled into mine. Behind her, Vladimir followed at a asured pace, but she paid him no mind. Nor did she care about the many human eyes watching us. Her gaze was fixed solely on as she gently cupped my face.
"Uh… yeah, I’m fine."
[Thank goodness. If you had died… I would have…]
Her eyes shimred as if she were on the verge of tears. Then, suddenly, she rose onto her toes and kissed .
The unexpected attack left montarily stunned. But, well, it’s not like this was my first ti being kissed. I adjusted easily. Her lips, softer and warr than before, pressed against mine.
"How shaless~."
Hilde, watching from the sidelines, quipped without a care.
She really doesn’t get it. Not at all.
The long kiss finally ended. Tyrkanzyaka, still holding close with her arms wrapped around my neck, let out a soft breath, her lips curling into a warm smile.
[Hughes…]
Beyond her, a long shadow flickered, stretching across the ground. A curious sight—shadows this distinct shouldn't exist in the Principality, where the sun was constantly shrouded by mist.
What was that?
Just as the thought crossed my mind, Tyrkanzyaka cupped my face between her hands, gently urging to focus on her.
[Are you satisfied now?]
"Huh? Satisfied with what?"
[With this rebellion of the Elders that you orchestrated. Was this spectacle enough to amuse the King of Humans?]
She stroked my face as if I were so mastermind behind all this.
…Who did this to her? Who planted this idea in her mind?
"Amusent? This tragedy unfolded, and I—"
[Shh.]
Before I could protest, she leaned in and bit my lower lip. A sharp sting followed—enough to draw blood. The scent of iron filled the air as Tyrkanzyaka licked my wound, her delicate smile carrying an almost fragile sadness.
[Hughes, I see only you. I think only of you. And I know that you watch the sparks that fly when humans collide with deep satisfaction.]
"That’s not exactly—"
[I also know you give people the push they need. That you don’t discriminate, whether they be human or not.]
Tyrkanzyaka had lived for a thousand years. In that eternity, she had learned how to observe the world and let it pass her by. If she had fully felt the pain and loneliness of such an existence, she wouldn’t have remained sane. The vampire’s natural emotional detachnt had likely helped—not that she had ever desired such numbness.
But now, she had regained all of her emotions, all of her senses.
[You pushed them forward, didn’t you? Ain of Ruskinia, Erzebeth… and even Finlay.]
Nothing escaped her notice. She picked apart even the smallest suspicions. And if they involved , she scrutinized them even deeper.
[The trial was just another push, wasn’t it? You knew the answer but chose not to reveal it, trusting that sothing would co of it.]
"No, I an—it was a matter of procedure—"
Before I could finish, she silenced again, her lips pressing against mine. She treated it like punishnt, stealing another drop of my blood from the wound.
She always claid my blood was tasteless, yet she still took her ti savoring it. In that close, intimate mont, she whispered:
[Isn’t this just like before, Hughes? When you struck with lightning in the Abyss? You whispered hope to when I had long since given up. You let taste sothing sweet again. Why?]
"Because you wanted it."
[Because of that, I rembered my old desires. I took a gamble, the only move left to .]
Commanding her own thralls was an effective strategy. If Finlay had been even slightly more competent, he might have succeeded like Ruskinia had. It had been a good attempt.
[…Even though you already had the ans to save .]
I did. That much was true.
She read my thoughts before I could respond.
[Salvation is not an obligation, so I won’t hold it against you. It would be shaless of to ask why you didn’t save sooner. But there’s one thing I do want to hear from you.]
"What is it?"
[Who was it for?]
Beyond her, in the land untouched by sunlight, her shadow stretched unnaturally against the ground. She was still in my arms—so why was her shadow clinging to the earth as if it had a will of its own? It was almost alive.
It wasn’t strange that the shadow resembled her.
But then it looked at .
Two crimson eyes glowed within the darkness, curving into a crescent-shaped smile.
A chill ran down my spine.
Cold sweat dripped down my back.
I couldn’t read its thoughts.
That shadow—it had to be sothing created by Tyrkanzyaka’s authority, sothing moving according to her will. And yet…
What had she created?
[Finlay? Erzebeth? Another Elder?]
Was it like Lalion? No, Lalion had been based on the Gymnos buried beside her. But this… this was practically human.
She had woven together the elents of humanity. Like Tyrkanzyaka herself, it had blood flowing through its veins. It carried the powers of countless vampires, an embodint of their very existence.
But the most disturbing part?
Tyrkanzyaka had not given it any orders.
That thing—that shadow—had moved on its own.
[Or did it not matter who it was? Any human would have sufficed?]
She simply asked.
Yet the sheer weight of her presence crushed the very air around . This wasn’t magic. This wasn’t pressure.
It was willpower.
Her thoughts, as I read them, ford a force of their own—one that could take physical shape at any mont.
[Am I special to you?]
A life-or-death mont.
I had to answer carefully.
Tyrkanzyaka knew she couldn’t read all of my thoughts. She wasn’t asking because she trusted my words.
She was asking because she had already decided to believe them.
Or perhaps… she intended to make them true.
Where had she even learned to do this? She had turned the ga completely against .
No amount of mind-reading would help here.
…Not that I had any reason to lie.
"You are special."
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