Fortunately, the dagger was a holy sword created by Hilde, and rather than leaving it inside my stomach, it had naturally disappeared when the time limit ran out. The culprit behind the missing dagger case was none other than time itself! Well, it's not like it was a small razor; if a dagger had been left in my belly, someone would have noticed. Good, very good.
...A fragment of the anesthetic ampoule was embedded in my skin, but let's ignore that. Surely it couldn't be inside my body? Even if it were, I don't have the guts to cut myself open again to take it out, so I'll just have to live as if it doesn't exist.
"How is your body, Father?"
"It hurts more than before... but strangely, I feel refreshed."
I suppose that means that quack isn't entirely incompetent. For someone with such a sloppy finishing touch, that is.
Regardless, it's true that it's become easier to move. Feeling like I wouldn't be able to sleep, I decided to do the pastime I had planned earlier.
As luck would have it, a table unfortunately caught my eye. I placed the Eight of Spades on the table, then rolled my fist and slammed it down like a stamp. With that, the table was transmuted into a deck of cards equal to its thickness. The cards, suddenly no longer a table, scattered and fell to the floor.
At that moment, I tilted the next card at an angle.
Seven of Spades, Lightning Skein. Unsheathing the lightning by drawing out the Lightning Thief's Demon God.
From the lightning skein, threads of lightning stretched out. The scattered lightning reached out in all directions like the countless networks flowing through my body, snatching up the cards. As I grabbed and pulled the lightning skein, the scattering cards all flew into my hand at once.
Hilde watched the cards moving on their own and asked.
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"Have you learned a new trick~? Is that the power of the Demon God?"
"Well, I suppose so. It's not anything incredibly amazing, though."
I answered nonchalantly as I shuffled the cards.
The Golden Mirror created a moving fortress with alchemy, and the Lightning Thief even shot lightning at will. However, all I can do is make a few cards or move them with meager strength. Why does everything degrade when it comes into my hands?
Well, this much is enough for playing around, at least.
"Father, why do you collect the Demon Gods? What are you planning to do after gathering them all?"
"I'm not collecting them for any specific purpose. It's just instinctive."
"Instinct?"
"Yes."
The Holy Emperor's Court hid knowledge from humanity that might have made them dangerous. They called knowledge that transcended eras 'Demon Gods' and hid the relics of seers in the cracks of the world, causing the knowledge to be forgotten.
However, to hide something, one must know what it is. The very fact that the Holy Emperor's Court hid the Demon Gods means it had already become humanity's possession. Because even if they saw the future, they couldn't know it if they didn't understand it. And if they did understand it, since they were human, it would become humanity's possession anyway.
Still, seriously. Is there any point in hiding it only from my eyes? It's all leaking out anyway. Just like in the Allied Nations, and in Claudia. Even if they don't fully understand alchemy or lightning, someone will use them.
In the end, it's meant to be found, yep.
And when all the Demon Gods are found, if the stagnated King of Humanity from before year zero catches up with mankind. Only then can I end this wretched business and become the King of Beasts....
"Father?"
"Yes?"
"What are you doing right now?"
I had been shuffling the cards absentmindedly, and suddenly looked up at Hilde's question.
Dozens of cards were moving through the air. As I made a circular sweep in the air, the cards glided smoothly through the empty space as if my hands had extended. When I snapped my fingers and swayed them left and right, the cards crossed in a zigzag, shuffling one by one.
A human has two hands. Five fingers on each hand. Because of these structural limitations, there were only so many ways I could shuffle a deck. However, the power I gained this time was a bit strange; it allowed me to control objects connected by threads of lightning as if they were my own body.
Come to think of it, it's not that strange, is it? My body moves by threads of lightning anyway. If so, it's ordinary, I suppose.
"I'm just shuffling cards ordinarily."
"To the point where even 'my' eyes can barely see?"
"If I shuffled them so everyone could see, would that really be shuffling?"
It's true it's become more complex than before, but the shuffling method is similar. I folded my fluttering fingers and brought my hands together. The pile of cards formed a loop and was sucked into my hand. Tapping the deck a few times to gather it, I gauged its thickness.
That makes 52 cards, the numbers match. Even if I can't restore the contents, it bothers me if the number isn't right.
"Is that your ordinary, Father?"
"Dexterity is an ordinary power humans possess, isn't it? This much is possible. From my perspective, transforming by moving the body with Qi Gong is much stranger."
"What if you had the Cold Qi Art, Father? Then could you transform like 'me'?"
There's no reason to tell her the truth. But there was no particular reason to lie either, so I answered honestly according to my feelings.
"Well, I've never tried it, so I don't know. But if I were to gain sufficient ability, I could probably do it like Hilde, right?"
"What 'I' can do, you can do too, Father. Because you are the King of Humanity."
Hilde murmured as if possessed by something.
"I understand now. 'My' acting was nothing. 'I' am the fake. The King of Humanity was the one who could truly become anything. Because he is the King of Humanity. Because he is also the king of beggars, prime ministers, and emperors."
"Just because I am their king doesn't mean I've ever tried to become them."
"There's no need to become them. Being able to is what's important."
Wouldn't it be more important to ask if I even have the will to do it first?
I didn't know what she was expecting, though I actually did but pretended not to, Hilde asked softly.
"Father, perhaps..."
"Hugh?"
That was when it happened. Tyr opened the door and appeared without a sound or a trace. She briefly looked with displeasure at Hilde, who was inside with me.
"I gave you a separate room, yet you come to see the injured Hugh and bother him."
"What's wrong with that~? We've traveled together for a long time anyway~. Besides, Father would be lonely, so I was just keeping him company!"
"Mind the time and place. Now that you are in the Duchy, you too must follow the Duchy's laws."
At Tyr's words, Hilde twirled her hair and feigned a half-hearted apology.
"Yees, yees~. But, I'm curious about one thing~. Is it okay in the Duchy to just burst through the door without even knocking~? This is a room where a guest is staying, you know?"
It was clearly a remark aimed at Tyr. Tyr felt a little stung inwardly, but having prepared a line in advance, she answered confidently.
"I sensed an unfamiliar presence inside, so even if it was for Hugh's safety, it was an unavoidable measure."
"Come on, who would attack the Ancestor's guest in the Mist Duchy? Could... it be! Does the attack Tyrkanjaka speaks of have a slightly different meaning?"
"The Holy Sword Squad might come looking, might they not? Just as it happened in Cloud Village."
This was also clearly a remark sniping at Hilde. Due to the consecutive events in Claudia, Tyr instinctively felt that Hilde was part of the Holy Sword Squad. However, since Hilde's actions were far removed from the Holy Sword Squad, she was letting it slide, but she was in a state of holding much more wariness than before.
"You, who saved Hugh and called Valdimir to Cloud Village, couldn't possibly be the Holy Sword Squad.... But who knows? A Holy Sword Squad hiding their identity and acting might be hiding in this Mist Duchy as well."
The Ancestor Tyrkanjaka hates the Holy Emperor's Court. The same goes for the Holy Sword Squad. Vampires spare no effort in denying their past, annihilating their present, and erasing their future. Even a former Holy Sword Squad member would have no way to escape that wrath.
At the very least, it wasn't confirmed that Hilde was part of the Holy Sword Squad, and since I existed, she was just observing.
"If you are an outsider human who is not a vampire, you will have nothing to say even if you are suspected, so be careful."
Having said that, that was all. Tyr implicitly warned Hilde. Hilde, noticing Tyr's own consideration and wariness, let out a sigh.
"Jeez~. I can't even give you a proper filial piety tour~."
"Do not worry. Once Hugh's body is fully healed, I will guide him myself."
Having finished her business, Tyr now spoke to me.
"More importantly, Hugh, did someone not visit just a moment ago?"
"Yes. One person, a physician sent by the Duke of Red Blood, came and left."
"Already?"
Tyr asked urgently.
"Did nothing else happen?"
"They left after treating me without saying a word. I'm not sure if it was a treatment or an exhibition of my internal organs, but I do feel lighter for now."
"Is that so..."
'If Valdimir sent them, it means he judged it wasn't dangerous... but that's a bit different from what I heard.'
Huh? Reading Tyr's thoughts, her perception is slightly off.
The vampire named Lir that I had read about was not a dangerous being at all. So much so that I didn't even feel a sense of crisis when she sliced my belly open with a knife.
But Tyr was being wary.
"What is it? Was she an assassin aiming for an accidental death by putting a blade in my stomach? If so, I would have been completely defenseless."
"No. Hugh, if she treated you, then she has fulfilled her duty. I shall have to look for that child elsewhere."
"Then it's already too late. She said she was heading toward Claudia."
"To Cloud Village?"
"Yes. She said there seemed to be someone there to treat."
I figured it might be a bit late now. Lir lacks experience, but since she's the same as an Elder, if she sets her mind to it, she can probably move in an instant.
Tyr muttered as if troubled.
"Hmm. What an unfortunate coincidence."
"What's wrong?"
"It is a secret of the Duchy, but... Hugh, I suppose I can tell you."
No, you don't have to tell me if it doesn't matter. I only asked out of politeness, but Tyr gladly took it as interest and explained gently.
"Ruskinia's death was top secret. It was known only to the Elders of the same rank and Ruskinia's direct vassals. I am the only one who can govern matters concerning the Elders. Therefore, I too, according to that duty, must uncover how Ruskinia died and take revenge."
"Playing the Ancestor doesn't seem easy either."
"It is the duty of the one who stands above. Thank you for understanding."
Smiling softly, Tyr then covered her mouth and spoke quietly.
"...However, according to the one who came after hearing my words."
Wondering what on earth she was talking about to be hesitating like this, and contemplating whether to just read her mind a step ahead, Tyr delivered an astonishing piece of information.
"The culprit who killed the promoted Elder Ruskinia is none other than her. She is called... Lir Nightingale."