Meeting her again after a long time, she was wearing an unfamiliar nurse's uniform. I thought she was an actress, has she now taken up a hobby of wearing costumes? I looked Hilde up and down and said.
"What are you doing here in a nurse's uniform? Did you get a job?"
"I'm going to quit soon. They don't pay me, but they make me do all the work. The only thing I like is the uniform. If the clothes were any less pretty, I would have run away last night."
Hilde grumbled with dissatisfaction, then seeming to remember something, she flashed a mischievous smile and patted her nurse's uniform.
"How is it, Father? 'Me' wearing a nurse's uniform?"
"Clothes make the person."
"You mean I'm pretty? Hehe! What's the occasion? You're actually complimenting me?"
"I was complimenting the clothes."
Isn't it a waste for only those who care for patients to wear such clothes? No, I should think the opposite. Since these clothes were born out of necessity for those who care for patients, let us be grateful for their beautiful hearts.
Of course, that doesn't apply to the person before me. I asked Hilde.
"What information are you hiding here to obtain?"
"Shh. First, let's go somewhere without people. First, put this on."
Saying so, Hilde roughly wrapped bandages around my head and body. Having instantly turned me into a patient, Hilde led me to an empty hospital room, closed the door, and wedged a piece of paper in the doorframe. Having created her own kind of trap, Hilde moved further into the corner and spoke.
"So you've finally come here too, Father."
"Finally? It seems you've found something out."
"You're pretending not to know. You knew from the beginning, didn't you?"
Hilde, who rebuked me with her eyes, crossed her arms and continued.
"Tirkanjaka's dominance has weakened."
"Oh. Is it because she was away for 300 years?"
"That's part of it, but it seems Tirkanjaka's pure 'dominance' beyond just power has also weakened. Tirkanjaka is the heart and head of the duchy, and the vampires she created were all merely her limbs. Rebellion and such was supposed to be impossible from the start..."
She said she once served in the Holy Sword Order, right? Perhaps that's why she knows so much about vampires. At the very least, she doesn't seem to be wandering without knowing what to investigate.
Hilde conveyed the most crucial information she had discovered.
"The vampires are plotting a rebellion. The deceased Elder's subordinates are the most active, but... it's not just them."
"You must have found evidence?"
"A blood kin of Ruskinia was killed by Tirkanjaka's hand. But it seems he left some message as he was dying. After hearing that, the other blood kin started to move. I don't know exactly what it was, but..."
"It's probably this: 'The Progenitor has also cast off her fetters.' I was there, so I'm certain."
"Ugh. Then the worst hypothesis has become reality. The Progenitor has lost some kind of influence. The dominance that makes her the Progenitor. And..."
Hilde naturally pushed me against the wall. Thud, as my back hit the wall, Hilde, who had cornered me, pressed me with a sharp expression.
"You did this, didn't you, Father?"
I quickly played dumb.
"Me? What? How?"
"Don't play dumb. There was a report that the Progenitor's subordinates seemed weaker compared to what's recorded in history. Yuel couldn't see well because of the darkness, so she couldn't obtain reliable data, but... if Tirkanjaka's anomaly started before she came out of the Abyss, then it must have been done by either Shey or you, Father."
"Shey did it."
"If Tirkanjaka had followed Shey, I would have believed that. Could you not make me go against the natural order, Father?"
Even without mind-reading, overwhelming power can force the truth out.
It can't be helped. The more the truth is revealed, the harder it becomes to lie. I admitted it obediently.
"It was a side effect. Tir's power weakening wasn't my intention. I merely granted Tir's wish."
"What did you do?"
"I returned Tir's heart. Back to when she was alive."
"What? Someone else's, and the heart of the vampire Progenitor at that? How? The dilemma... Is that also a power the King of Humans possesses?"
"Probably."
"Then that means the vampire Progenitor has been resurrected."
Hilde, who tried to picture the situation even for a moment, made a troubled expression. Even for someone who had overseen the darkness of the military nation, it was difficult to grasp the big picture in a foreign land where she knew no one.
"I can't predict at all what will happen next~. How this situation will unfold. But one thing is certain. A massive bloodstorm will soon strike, and 'we' have two choices. One is to flee immediately. And the other is..."
Hilde sighed as if troubled.
"Fighting on the Progenitor's side. Somehow warning about the rebellion in advance, gathering Tirkanjaka's allies, and then fighting and defeating the rebel forces. The former is safe but yields nothing, while the latter is dangerous but can gain much for the duchy."
"It's completely like a palace intrigue."
"You play the role of the devastatingly beautiful favored concubine who created that rift~. And 'I' would be something like a maid who laboriously assists that arrogant concubine from behind~."
"A maid doesn't go wandering around leaving her master behind."
"It's a maid's role to work on behalf of a young lady who has difficulty moving. Anyway, Father. Are you going to flee, or are you going to stay?"
"I can't flee from something I caused."
Even if I leave, I should watch until the end. It's all seeds I sowed. I said that with firm resolve, but Hilde understood it slightly differently and nodded.
"That's right. Only by winning here can we gain everything. If we flee, whether the rebels win or the Progenitor wins, they'll be dissatisfied with 'us'."
"Hilde, please work hard. I'll be counting on you."
"You work too, Father! For the Tirkanjaka you love, the military nation that will become yours, and for 'me' and yourself! If the Progenitor is defeated, the rebels will first execute the concubine who troubled the nation and her maid!"
"Got it. So I just need to warn Tir and have her cut off the rebellion at its roots, right? That's fitting work for a concubine."
"Seducing women is your specialty, after all. I'll leave the pillow talk to you~."
Good grief. Words that could be misunderstood if anyone hears.
"What pillow talk? You keep trying to make me out to be a man obsessed with women, but I'm not? It would be unfair if that were actually true."
"What? You weren't? For someone who's not, you only keep female vampires around~?"
"The Red Blood Duke assigned them as he pleased. In the first place, vampires don't have sensation, so what you imagine didn't happen."
Though lately, since I've inscribed sensation directly, it's different. Hilde, who had no way of knowing the circumstances of the top floor of the Castle of the Full Moon, looked at me with eyes of pity.
"Is that so~. That must be disappointing. Tirkanjaka is notorious as a vampire, but she's also famous for her beauty. Even though you're her favored one, you can't enjoy any of that benefits... Ah!"
Suddenly, Hilde covered her face with a wooden board she had in her embrace. A moment later, when she lowered the board, 'Tir' was wearing a mischievous smile there. Approaching with an expression the real Tir would never show, Hilde tapped my chest and whispered.
"If you want, just say so anytime? 'I' can imitate both Tirkanjaka's body and face while perfectly alive. Instead of the beautiful but heartless Progenitor, I'll serve you, Father, who's full of complaints~."
Why does she keep trying to frame me like this? Just as I was about to refute Hilde's false accusation, I stopped and reconsidered for a moment.
...Thinking about it carefully, maybe it wouldn't be bad for me?
"Thanks for the offer. I'll make good use of it later."
"...What?"
"Unfortunately, I'll receive the nurse's service later. I just stepped out for a moment too."
I pointed at the paper Hilde had wedged in the doorframe. The paper infused with ki was trembling, sensing minute vibrations. Someone was approaching this way.
Hilde also noticed that and prepared to leave. After covering her face with the wooden board again and returning to Hilde's face, she slightly lowered the board, covering her mouth, and spoke.
"Just in case, please don't do anything that goes too much against the Progenitor's wishes? If things go wrong, you could win the gamble but still be ruined."
"Going against her wishes? Like what?"
"Flirting with other women like just now. I'm keeping it a secret because it's 'me'. If Tirkanjaka has truly regained her heart as the rumors say, actions that provoke jealousy will put you in danger too, Father."
"She does it first herself, but demands fidelity from me."
"Call it the fate of a favored concubine. Then 'I' will take my leave."
Leaving behind a strange warning, Hilde disappeared over the windowsill. It was a stealth technique as soundless as a snake slithering over a wall. Right after Hilde left the room, the door opened and the piece of paper wedged in the gap fluttered down. Count Erte looked puzzled at the suddenly falling paper, then found me inside and approached.
"The matter is finished. I apologize for the concern. The Ain who lost their Elder tend to become extreme like runaway colts."
"Dead is dead. I don't care."
"...If the favored one says so, that's a relief, but in the duchy, the death of an Ain is a matter that requires much attention. How about returning to the Castle of the Full Moon first? Inform the Progenitor of this fact and look after your safety. You'll be safe while staying at the Castle of the Full Moon. In the meantime, I'll report to the Red Blood Duke and finish dealing with the traitor Rutrik."
It's similar in tone to what Hilde said. To receive Tir's protection and prepare. Hmm, it's certainly a reasonable proposal, but.
"Wait. If you tell Tir what just happened, I'll be assigned a guard force, right?"
"Of course."
"And I won't be able to go out as easily as this. There will be guards attached every time I go out."
"That may be so, but it would only be temporary."
"I'm sick and tired of vampire-style 'temporary.' Exactly how long is 'temporary'? A month? A year?"
"At least until the Night Tide recedes."
"What? That's too long!"
At my protest, Count Erte blinked. Toward the speechless Count Erte, I made the kind of proposal a thoughtless favored concubine would make.
"Let's keep it a secret from Tir. The fact that I was attacked here never happened."
"Why? There's no reason to hide this from the Progenitor. Your safety is what the Progenitor values most, and if she knows this, she will take appropriate measures."
"But I can't stay cooped up in that castle during that time, can I? Even if I go out, having guards tagging along everywhere would be as suffocating and stifling as being confined in the castle. Given that, isn't it better to hide this? Tir has a lot to do too, so she wouldn't have to worry about trivial matters!"
Wow. I just sounded completely like a thoughtless noble lady. Count Erte seemed to feel similarly and looked at me again. In a worse sense.
"Please think again. That's..."
"You're the one who should think again, Count Erte. I'm Tir's favored concubine. Who would know Tir's feelings better? Me. So when it comes to Tir, shouldn't things go my way? Besides, the Red Blood Duke assigned you to attend to me, didn't he?"
When I even brought up the Red Blood Duke's order, Count Erte had no choice but to comply with my will. Count Erte spoke as if he had achieved enlightenment.
"...Understood. However, when you go out, please make sure to bring me along."
'I thought he acted suddenly but moved with conviction, but looking at him now, was it just a lack of crisis awareness? This is difficult. Unlike vampires, humans die so easily, so how should I protect him? If there are two or more Ain, it would be hard for me to handle...'
She's also a vampire who's been through many trials. She knows that humans don't always make wise choices. Count Erte began to dismiss me as a thoughtless child.
"It's fascinating, shall we look around the hospital a bit more before going?"
"A battle just took place here... No. As you wish."
'They say when a favored concubine gains power, the nation falls into chaos. I didn't expect that to come true in the duchy of all places.'
The loyal retainer's anguish only deepened along with the duchy's darkness.