263 True Name
As if her earlier wariness was just an illusion, Mist was instructing me with a strict tone, explaining the process with precision and finesse. After about an hour of listening to her lecture, I finally decided that I was ready to challenge healing the kids.
"Alright, first, Marco!"
The kid, who had sneaked out of the manor before, walked forward. His body was divided pretty evenly, with half of it a cat's and half of it a child's. Well, I'm not a furry, so I feel a bit creeped out by the combination.
"Alright..."
I placed my hand gently on top of his head. After doing so, I started the commands to the System, accessing the Admin panel inside my head and doing as instructed by Mist. It took a while, but after a couple of minutes, I finally completed the process.
"[Cleanse!]"
I shouted the command after all the micro-adjustments to the properties. Soon, Marco's body released a bright, golden light. It was as if he were covered in the golden light of the System's Halo as his body gradually morphed.
A few seconds later, the light finally faded.
"... I... This is..."
After I let go of his head, Marco quickly checked his body. The fur on his arms and legs vanished, and his face became completely human. Not a trace of the cat-like parts remained at all.
"It seems like I succeeded on the first try."
I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead as I gawked at the wondrous sight of a kid crying with a big smile on his face.
"M-Me too! Me! I'll go next!"
"No, I'm next! Me, mister, pick me!"
The rest started competing on who to go next; however, Mist quickly admonished them, telling them to play in there first as we moved to a separate room. There, I was told to sit on a chair, so I did as instructed.
"...!"
Mist neared her face to mine, but probably due to her hat having concealment embedded in it, I couldn't clearly see her face. After she observed my complexion, she slowly moved away and sighed.
"Looks like you're still fine. Are you perhaps the top Administrator? Well, that works better, so whatever, I'll be calling the next one now."
After a series of phrases, some of which made me flinch, she exited the door and probably returned to the living room. Ember, Fang, and Igni were standing behind me, each with a faint smile as they looked over me. Fina was the only one brave enough to pat my head openly, saying "Well done!" as if I were a kid who did a good thing.
I guess everyone was on board with the idea that innocent children don't need to suffer like that.
Soon after, Mist entered with another child. Repeating the same process as before, I manipulated their bloodlines and removed the "impurities". It was a concentration-intensive process, as the micro-adjustments changed depending on the state of the child, so the cleansing time varied from a minute to about five minutes.
A while later, Ember and Fina went off to play with the kids after they got bored. Fang and Igni stayed to watch over me, protecting me from any dangers.
Just like that, three hours passed. The last kid was finally healed, running back to the living room happily. On the other hand, I slumped on the sofa, completely wasted. Rather than being physically drained, I was mentally exhausted.
A knock came on the door, and it opened shortly after. The one who entered was none other than Mist, who was sporting a bright smile, unlike the suspicious one she had the day before.
"Thank you, Will. Everyone's grateful for your help."
Her voice was slightly higher pitched than before, as if she were unable to hold back the joy she was feeling inside. I just shrugged my shoulders at her words and replied.
"I did that because it's part of a trade. I did my part; now it's time to fulfill yours."
"Fu fu fu~!"
She chuckled in response to my words. I guess I can't hide the fact that I felt pity for the children and helped them out, basically out of my own volition. It was pretty obvious, anyway, but you can't get that directly out of my mouth!
"Right, before that..."
I recalled a point that I was extremely curious about. It was her knowledge. My knowledge regarding the System Admin Commands was basically all from Fatima. She, who was living in the world tens of thousands of years ago, was definitely an expert when it came to commands.
However, even her knowledge didn't cover the little trick that Mist asked me to perform. Rather than a function of the system, it was more like a loophole, after all. If my guess is correct, I think I can use it to limit the transformation from the Servant Contract too, but I need to try it first before I can be sure.
"You... What's your real identity?"
"..."
Her body stiffened lightly at my sudden question. However, a soft sigh left her lips shortly after.
"Well, I guess I could tell you now. It's related to your prize too, after all."
She coughed lightly before continuing.
"First, let me apologize. The thing about the time-travel device? It was a lie. No such device exists."
"Right... I kind of realized, given the slight hesitation in your movements before."
I sighed, slightly disappointed, but well, I guess I'll just consider this charity. The children have no sin, so helping them after learning of their circumstances would definitely be a given.
"In the first place, the rumor about the time-travel device was something I spread to lure you in."
However, after hearing the continuation of her words, I turned on my vigilance. Fang and Igni were similarly looking at her with reprimand, as if asking about what she meant by her words.
sweet and enticing, but the fangs she revealed sent warning signals to my mind.
11:26
"You want to know my name, right? Let me properly introduce myself then."
Slowly, she removed her large hat, revealing the face that she had hidden behind a veil of darkness from the start. Lustrous, flowing silver hair rained down, reaching up to her lower back. Her eyes, a purple iris with a deep black sclera, were staring at me with interest and amusement. Her smile was sweet and enticing, but the fangs she revealed sent warning signals to my mind.
"You want to know my name, right? Let me properly introduce myself then."
She took two steps back before curtsying using her mist-like cloak, still covering most of her body.
"My real name is Vendetta Le Miuroe, a True Vampire and a proud member of the Miuroe Clan."
"Vampire...?"
I wasn't that unfamiliar with it, and looking at her appearance, I guess her being a vampire is actually convincing. However, far from my reaction, Igni's was a bit exaggerated.
"You mean those legendary monsters?! Aren't they supposed to have been extinct already thousands of years ago?"
Her trembling voice echoed, revealing a valid point of doubt. Right, if Vampires are extinct, how could someone claim to be a vampire? Unless...
As if reading what I was thinking, her thin smile sporting her fangs turned into a toothy grin.
"It's just as you surmised, Will. Although I did lie about the time-travel device, it wasn't a lie that I would reward you with something along the same line."
I turned to her, paying attention to every word coming out of her mouth.
"I have lived for thousands of years, and the reason for that is my element. I can control time."
"...!"
As expected! She was one of the rare Time Element users! This was the second I saw; no, it should be the first since the one back at King Leonard's castle didn't show its appearance.
"Then the prize...!"
"Of course. It's to help you travel back in time."
My aim was probably obvious since I was searching for a "time-travel device". It was a little embarrassing to think that someone else knew what I was planning to do.
"So, you want to save someone?"
But her next words made me flinch. Was it that predictable? Or does she know my aim beforehand? If it's the latter, then this woman's scariness just got elevated to another level.
"... I am. But I guess it'll be hard."
After all, Fatima was locked in the sealed space, separated from the normal time-space continuum, for an unknown duration. Even if I did take her to this timeline, I wonder if she could even stay.
The picture of Fatima's gun surfaced in my mind. It was another wonder how it was able to stay with me despite being a part of the past. I still haven't figured out why it was able to physically remain in the present. If I could decipher that, then maybe I would have a chance to bring Fatima back with me.
"How envious..."
Mist, or rather, Vendetta's whisper, reached my ears, prompting me to turn toward her. Her brows were furrowed lightly as her lips curled in a faint smile again. However, rather than being mysterious, she looked sad.
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