"You are special."
I don’t lie often. Almost never, actually. What I say is usually the truth. No, not "usually"—always. Have I ever told a lie before?
"Tyr, there are many who have wishes. Everyone carries desires in their heart. But does having a wish mean it can always be granted? Especially when they don’t even know what that wish truly is?"
I can read minds, sure. But that doesn’t mean I truly understand people. If someone wishes to eat something delicious, how am I supposed to grant that wish if I don’t even know what they like?
"Three things are necessary to fulfill a wish: a clear and concrete goal, the ability to reach it, and the determination to see it through. Most people fail at the very first step—they don’t even know what they truly want."
Tyrkanzyaka remained nestled in my arms, quietly listening. Trying to read her mind for the right answer? Pointless. I had to convince her for real.
Her emotions were unstable, unpredictable.
And worse—she had put something of herself into that shadow. Meaning, even I couldn’t fully read her thoughts.
"You were different, Tyr. You had a clear goal. As long as a way existed, you would attempt it. You may have strayed a little, but in the end, you nearly succeeded. You already saved yourself. So, I saved you as well—because, conveniently, I had the means to do so."
Even if someone wished for world peace, they would never achieve it if they didn’t even understand what peace was. Even if they compromised and settled on "a world where humans don’t fight," there would be no practical way to accomplish it. Killing all the people who fight would technically bring peace—but no one who truly wished for peace would ever choose such a method.
"That’s why, even if I wanted to grant someone’s wish, it wouldn’t always be possible. If someone doesn’t even know what they want, I’d be more likely to laugh at them than grant it. But Tyr... you’re already special to me."
Tyrkanzyaka was truly a special person. Even after living for so long, her wish hadn’t eroded. Maybe it was because she was a vampire, but she had held onto her original desire without ever letting it fade.
Back in the Abyss, in that isolated world, I had fully understood her wish. And I had accepted it, carving a heart into hers.
Thinking about it, Tyrkanzyaka was the first person whose wish I had ever fulfilled purely out of sincerity.
I meant every word I had just said.
[So in the end... you won’t say that I am the only one special to you.]
Of course, that wasn’t enough for her.
I couldn’t clearly see her face, but her shadow... her shadow twisted into a bitter smile.
And then, as if struck by a dangerous thought, it spread into something even more unsettling—a smile torn wide in realization.
I sensed the impending threat and quickly spoke.
"Tyr, you are more than special."
[I’m sorry, Hughes. But I am a greedy, ugly woman. ‘More than’ is not enough.]
The shadow rose.
Darkness pooled toward me.
Tyrkanzyaka hadn’t given a command, yet the shadow moved on its own, responding to her unspoken will.
Power was slipping further and further from human hands.
I had to act quickly.
"I’ll be honest. Right now, you are the only one. The only person whose wish I have truly granted."
[But I will not be the only one forever, will I?]
"That’s—! I’m not a prophet, I can’t predict the future!"
Even after I invoked the word prophet, Tyrkanzyaka only tightened her grip.
[My emotions, my senses... Everything you have given me leads me to this conclusion. Even if it is ugly, I must hold on. I must never let go. If I were still dead, still resigned to fate, I would have let you slip away. But now? Now, as one who sings of life, I scream that I must cling to it.]
"Hah! What an honor—to be the obsession of someone so beautiful, adorable, and noble."
[Do not worry. I will make sure you have a place to belong.]
Tyrkanzyaka smiled and wrapped her arms tighter around my neck, pressing her lips against mine once more.
Her body nearly dangled against me, forcing me to hold her weight entirely.
Even as our lips met again and again, my mind raced.
Damn it.
How did things end up like this?
Was I supposed to lie to escape this? Whisper eternal love, promise to stay by her side forever?
I could do that.
But the result would be the same.
Tyrkanzyaka would make it true.
She would turn me into a vampire.
That was the real trap.
Sensing the rising tension, Hilde finally tried to step in, flashing an awkward grin.
"Uh, hey~! It’s great that you two are in love and all~ but, um, maybe not in the middle of the street—Kyaaa?!?"
A black hand snatched her.
There was no warning. No time to react.
Hilde gasped, but Tyrkanzyaka’s strength—her power—was overwhelming.
Even the martial techniques of a Six-Star warrior were completely useless in the face of this.
[Negotiations are over, Hilde.]
"Agh—ugh...! Tyrkan—zyaka!"
[Hughes will stay here with me. The military state and I will remain on good terms. And you... I will allow to leave with your life.]
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"B-but! My father—what about the military—Kyaaaa!!"
A sickening crack.
Her limbs twisted unnaturally within the grip of the shadow.
Even though Hilde was writhing in agony, Tyrkanzyaka remained utterly calm as she warned:
[This is the last mercy I will show to the Sacred Sword Order. Be satisfied with the results you have been given.]
"Guh...!"
By Tyrkanzyaka’s standards, this was an immense concession.
Normally, the Holy Crown ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Church wouldn’t even get a chance to speak before she killed them outright.
At least now, she was bothering to issue warnings first.
...Was this what it meant for her to become more human?
[Hughes. I am sorry. But I will not let go. Even if you come to hate me.]
Well.
This was an uncomfortable situation.
"Now that’s what it means to be human. Finally, you’re starting to act more like one."
[Human? It sounds as though you think I wasn’t one before.]
"You acted like you weren’t. You treated yourself like a force of nature, not a person. This is much better."
For a moment, the grip of her shadow loosened.
She had fully braced herself to be hated, but my reaction must have caught her off guard.
"Tyr, I think you’re misunderstanding something. I never said I hated being here. I never said I hated being with you. I don’t run just because things get complicated."
Tyrkanzyaka had completely misread the situation.
She thought that if she didn’t lock me down, I would leave. That I would hate her for trying to keep me.
That’s why she had already accepted the idea of being hated.
But she had it all wrong.
Who said I always hated being bound?
"In this world, how much ever really goes the way we want? If you're trapped in the Abyss, you live in the Abyss. If you're stuck in the military state, you live in the military state. Tyr, I think you overestimate the King of Beasts. Most of the time, they just live."
["Just live? From what I’ve seen, the King of Beasts is bound by her own beast."]
"Only when she has the energy to struggle. Why do you think Azzy was in the Abyss? Because with a dog's brain, she couldn't leave the Abyss. And why was I scraping by under the military state’s rule? Because I had nowhere else to go, no foundation, no ability to escape. You assume beasts act on instinct alone, but that’s wrong. Even their ‘wild nature’ only applies when they have the means to exercise it. Most of the time, they just adapt to their circumstances. And by ‘adapt,’ I really mean they submit."
I shrugged and placed my hand lightly on Tyrkanzyaka’s shoulder.
"I, especially, am like that. I lost my power. My abilities are ordinary—worse than most people’s. So I always have to rely on something else. On my own, I can't accomplish anything."
["Then..."]
"But, Tyr. If you truly love me, you’ll have to be prepared."
If she was going to bind me, I had to make sure I gained something from it too.
It was underhanded, sure. But I was about to hold her emotions hostage.
"You can confine me all you want. But you’ll have to make sure my time in the Principality isn’t wasted. Wouldn’t that make for a much more satisfying honeymoon?"
She was going to trap me regardless. So if I was going to be shackled, I might as well make it worthwhile.
I’d flaunt my chains.
["A honeymoon, you say..."]
She seemed to like the sound of that. Smiling warmly, she whispered:
["As long as you do not leave me, I will give you anything."]
Well.
Putting aside how much trouble this put me in... this was quite the offer.
Power, wealth, a kingdom—and an immortal, stunningly beautiful older woman obsessing over me?
This was the kind of thing most people dreamed of.
Would it really be that different from my usual life? Being pushed around by people was nothing new.
"Alright, alright. We’ve got an audience. Let’s take this inside, shall we?"
["Do the eyes of others trouble you so much?"]
"It’s not about trouble, but they matter. We live in a world with other people, after all."
["There is no need for that."]
Tyrkanzyaka’s thoughts drifted.
["In the Abyss, Hughes never reacted to the wishes of other humans. Even as the King of Humans, he could not heed the wishes of those he had not met. As long as I limit his contact with others... he will never change."]
...Huh.
She was spiraling in a strange direction.
Was she really considering isolating me from all human contact?
Well, given my current state, that would be an effective move.
["Come, Hughes. Let us return to the castle."]
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"Wait a second. We, uh, had a bit of an accident in my room. There’s a massive hole in the wall."
["The bricks of the Full Moon Castle are soaked in blood. They can be restored in an instant."]
"The bed’s broken too. No matter what, I need a bed. I am the progenitor’s consort, after all—I can’t just sleep on the hard floor, can I?"
Sure, vampires might be fine sleeping in coffins.
But humans only did that when they were dead.
No matter how confined I was, I had no intention of becoming a corpse.
Yet Tyrkanzyaka narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
["Do you dislike returning to the castle that much?"]
"What? That’s not what I meant!"
Touchy, huh?
I’d have to avoid doing anything suspicious until her doubts settled.
"I don’t care where I stay, as long as I’m with you, Tyr. Just... book a hotel or something."
["Fufu, now that is something I like to hear."]
Wait.
What?
Before I could question it, the shadows rose.
The darkness materialized without a sound—like a ghost’s shadow slipping into the world unnoticed.
And the moment it was noticed, the entire street reacted.
Screams rang out—brief but sharp.
Before I knew it, the blackness swallowed my vision.
Tyrkanzyaka’s shadow had grabbed me like a marble.
A dizzying, weightless sensation overtook me.
As if I had truly become a marble, I tumbled within the void.
After a few stomach-churning twists and turns, the shadows gently set me down.
Where...?
I blinked.
No longer the street.
The room was eerily silent. No traces of life.
I was indoors now.
Just moments ago, I had been in the middle of a busy street.
Now, I was somewhere completely empty.
My surroundings felt off.
"Where... is this?"
["A villa. A good place to spend a few days."]
"A few days? Aren’t you busy?"
["A few days pass in the blink of an eye."]
That damn vampire sense of time.
This was right after a rebellion!
Shouldn’t she be dealing with the aftermath?!
["Vladimir can handle it."]
"Relying on your subordinates too much isn’t a good look for a leader."
["It is your fault. Had you not continued to push me away, I would not have left it all to him."]
Tyrkanzyaka gave me an unstable smile, perching on the edge of the bed.
She watched me.
Closely.
As if she had no intention of letting me out of her sight.
Damn it.
How the hell did things turn out like this?