The Elders' rebellion was brief but left a lasting impact. Even though Erzebeth had only rampaged for a short time, dozens had died or been injured. If there was any silver lining, it was that Lir had turned those fated to die into mere 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 medical supply."
"Do you think of Elders as tools?"
"Maybe not other Elders, but her? She literally saves people. That means 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 mean 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.
"Madame 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 mere cattle.
"We were prey from the very beginning."
"We barely survived this time, 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 gleamed like a child who had just found a new toy.
"Father, I want that one—Lir Nightingale! How about negotiating with Tyrkanzyaka for me?"
"You need to stop relying on me for everything. Isn’t it about time you stood on your own?"
"Huh? If it weren’t for me, you’d have been long dead, and now you’re trying to wash your hands of me?"
"Did I ask for help? That was your decision. What, did you expect me to sign an IOU or something? Next time, be sure to get payment up front."
"Wow! What a scumbag!"
Well, that’s life. He should know better at his age.
Even if Hilde was talking to me, Lir’s future wasn’t something 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."
Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.
"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 time."
"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 me. I thought she just saw me as something 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 something from me—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 me.
"Aaah, but at least I made a solid contribution. This whole mess put the Principality’s new star—Tyrkanzyaka—into an even more difficult position. That means negotiations from here on out will be a breeze!"
"That’d be nice."
"Ugh, what now? If you know something, spill it already. I am not in the mood to keep suffering."
"It’s not that I know anything, just... something the Crimson Duke said is bothering me."
"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 something 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 me. As they got closer, I recognized a familiar voice.
[Hughes!]
See? Tyrkanzyaka came looking for me 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 warmer than before, nestled into mine. Behind her, Vladimir followed at a measured pace, but she paid him no mind. Nor did she care about the many human eyes watching us. Her gaze was fixed solely on me as she gently cupped my face.
"Uh... yeah, I’m fine."
[Thank goodness. If you had died... I would have...]
Her eyes shimmered as if she were on the verge of tears. Then, suddenly, she rose onto her toes «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» and kissed me.
The unexpected attack left me momentarily stunned. But, well, it’s not like this was my first time being kissed. I adjusted easily. Her lips, softer and warmer than before, pressed against mine.
"How shameless~."
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 me 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 me 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 some mastermind behind all this.
...Who did this to her? Who planted this idea in her mind?
"Amusement? 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 detachment 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 me, 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 something would come of it.]
"No, I mean—it was a matter of procedure—"
Before I could finish, she silenced me again, her lips pressing against mine. She treated it like punishment, stealing another drop of my blood from the wound.
She always claimed my blood was tasteless, yet she still took her time savoring it. In that close, intimate moment, she whispered:
[Isn’t this just like before, Hughes? When you struck me with lightning in the Abyss? You whispered hope to me when I had long since given up. You let me taste something sweet again. Why?]
"Because you wanted it."
[Because of that, I remembered my old desires. I took a gamble, the only move left to me.]
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 means to save me.]
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 shameless of me to ask why you didn’t save me 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 me.
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 something created by Tyrkanzyaka’s authority, something 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 elements of humanity. Like Tyrkanzyaka herself, it had blood flowing through its veins. It carried the powers of countless vampires, an embodiment 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 me. This wasn’t magic. This wasn’t pressure.
It was willpower.
Her thoughts, as I read them, formed a force of their own—one that could take physical shape at any moment.
[Am I special to you?]
A life-or-death moment.
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 game completely against me.
No amount of mind-reading would help here.
...Not that I had any reason to lie.
"You are special."