The night is too long and dark, hiding various truths within its veil of silence. It's difficult to reveal everything that happened, but to summarize briefly, I was the creator who remade Tyr's body and its master.
…Up until just a few hours ago.
I've said it time and again, but I am an ordinary human. No matter how much her senses have returned and emotions recovered, Tyr is a vampire. Controlling her blood as she pleases, she doesn't tire even after many nights. In contrast, ordinary human that I am, I doze off sitting up just from pulling an all-nighter. No matter how beautiful a woman is before my eyes, I cannot overcome the desire for sleep and food.
I declared surrender multiple times, but that's only possible when the victor accepts it. Repeatedly exhausted and drained, I lay dead-like on the bed.
"Sigh."
"N-no more, Tyr... I'm done. Leave me behind and go first."
"Did I order you to do something? I merely spoke to you for a moment."
Tyr, who had pouted her lips, soon smiled radiantly and poked me.
"Sigh."
"Yes..."
"Hehe. Just called to see."
"Don't call me when I'm tired..."
"Goodness. To struggle so much from just being together briefly."
Briefly? I couldn't measure the exact time, but at least three days seem to have passed. Of course, I did pass out and rest, but that much was essential maintenance time. Without it, I would have died.
"How leisurely you are..."
"I have confidence in prolonged battles, you see. Hehe. Though I suppose for a human, it was a forced march."
"Tyr, you've become human now too. I even restored your senses, so why no fatigue...?"
Even with fatigue, perhaps it's because the fatigue of body and muscles accounts for a large portion. The Blood Manipulation Art still exists within Tyr's body. For Tyr who controls even a single drop of blood, there would be neither fatigue nor injury.
"Seeing your weak form is amusing, but... will you keep lying there?"
"I'll die. Humans don't only die from having their blood squeezed out. Seriously, find something else to do."
"What other business is there to speak of..."
As Tyr was whining, footsteps echoed from afar. As if making an unspoken agreement, Tyr and I both fell silent.
A clear human presence. Someone was intentionally revealing their presence and approaching the Progenitor's bedchamber. At the unfamiliar presence, Tyr briefly furrowed her brow, but had it been an intruder, they wouldn't have made a sound. And in this castle where countless vampires reside, only Elders could approach without any restriction.
Tyr also recalled that fact and focused her senses beyond the door.
She no longer had the power to detect blood. Instead, Tyr filled the corridor with darkness. The presence showed no disturbance even as the darkness gradually approached. Softly stopping its steps, it bowed toward the darkness filling the corridor.
"Progenitor. It is your humble servant Elzebuit. I have returned after carrying out the task you commanded."
It was Viscountess Elzebuit. The Elder who had welcomed Tyr at the Fortress of Twilight, then departed for Claudia after receiving the order to bring back Lir Nightingale.
Wait a moment. The fact that Elder is here right now means...
"Very well. Continue."
"As you commanded, I have brought Lir Nightingale, so please expose her sins one by one and punish her."
It was the signal that the long-awaited trial of the Duchy would finally take place.
It's finally here. The Duchy's hottest issue. Things are about to get a bit noisy.
'Did the Progenitor truly spend the night with a concubine...? Surely not the carnal desires that even I have forgotten over the distant ages, that young and pure Progenitor?'
...Wait, is this the second time? It seems the Duchy has already become incredibly noisy without my knowing.
Hiding her extremely complicated feelings within, Elzebuit bowed toward the door.
"Then, I shall not disturb you further and take my leave. Please enjoy your time with the concubine."
The Progenitor's head maid, Viscountess Elzebuit, who had taught nobility to a child who had nothing but power. Having served the Progenitor for hundreds of years, she withdrew while harboring confusion in her heart at the changed appearance of the Progenitor.
I knew through mind-reading, but Tyr, who couldn't know a vampire's inner thoughts, spoke nonchalantly.
"...Hah, even Elzebuit says so."
"I'm going to rest now. I'm on strike. If you touch me any more it's abuse, so don't make me do anything."
"You truly need some training. To be so drained after so little time. I shall inform Valdamir later."
"Tch... For a human, I held out really well at this point..."
I'm the King of Humans, but that becomes meaningless when the opponent is a vampire. I lamented as I buried my face in the pillow.
Anyway, there was work to be done. The two Elders who had left on missions returned with the most likely suspect. Tyr announced she would interrogate Lir in a public place, and that fact was conveyed to all vampires in the castle.
They were vampires who had come to the Castle of the Full Moon, coinciding with the night low tide. They couldn't miss such a major event where the Progenitor personally intervened. Having nothing else to do but wait in the first place, they naturally gathered in the Castle of the Full Moon's hall.
Red carpets were laid out like pools of blood. The chandelier hanging from the high ceiling did not cast light for illumination, but emitted only a dim glow to set the atmosphere. Antique paintings and decorations, as if in a museum, were preserved in halted time. As were the vampires of similar age to them.
Their figures standing motionless, leaving only the path for the Progenitor's procession, evoked only a sensation similar to viewing a still life painting. Without anyone instructing them, they lined up like sculptures waiting for the Progenitor.
As if familiar with this spectacle, Tyr proceeded toward the throne without any hesitation. I, Tyr's concubine, also followed behind her. I took my seat right next to the throne, in the place of honor where everyone could see me at a glance.
Some concubine standing above everyone's heads. Even seeing a sight that would turn the heavens upside down, not a single change appeared on the vampires' expressions. Vampires fully controlled their own bodies, and everyone knew there was no need to reveal emotions in a public setting.
However, I read them.
'Concubine.'
'The center of all these changes.'
'I heard there are rumors he's the King of Humans.'
'All the Beast Kings I've met until now shunned vampires. The King of Humans too?'
'No, the King of Humans is a being with only baseless rumors. It's too early to conclude.'
'Perhaps... it's not that the Progenitor changed and he became a concubine, but that he changed the Progenitor and became a concubine.'
When has such a variety of intentions and thoughts ever swirled in a vampire's castle? I assure you, today would be the most. Including both the past and the future.
From sitting on the throne to looking down before her, all of Tyr's actions were exceedingly slow. Until now it seemed like she was just slow-moving, but once she sat on the throne, all those actions felt like the composure of an absolute being. Amidst silence and stillness, and within the darkness, Tyr slowly looked down at the vampire kneeling on one knee before her.
"Lir Nightingale. Is that you?"
Lir Nightingale, kneeling demurely, looked similar to when she had left the Duchy. A nurse's uniform as the base with an apron over it. Whether she had used them in Claudia, the ampoules attached to the garter belt were all empty, and the bag containing surgical tools had gotten a bit dirty.
Lir Nightingale offered a greeting with as much respect as necessary.
"Hello, Progenitor. We meet for the first time. I am Lir Nightingale."
It was an extremely human greeting. If the Progenitor went out to a village and approached a child, she would probably receive this kind of greeting.
At the very least, she respects Tyr. Though her tone and etiquette differ from other vampires.
'Since I left the Duchy immediately upon returning, I thought she would shun or fear me...'
Seeing Lir for the first time, Tyr tilted her head at the more docile reaction than expected. Anyway, if the opponent was compliant, that was fine. Tyr asked Elzebuit.
"Well done, Elzebuit. But where is Dogo?"
Elzebuit bowed deeply at the expected question and answered.
"There was some friction in the Cloud Village, so he is resting to recover his body."
"Resting? Dogo?"
"That is correct. Even I would not have believed it had I not seen the power of the boy who wields the Sword of Heaven and Earth.... That single strike was truly earth-shattering."
"So it was Shea. I sent you two in case of that, but I thought even Shea wouldn't do something as foolish as picking a fight against the two of you..."
Saying that makes the regressor out to be what? The regressor isn't exactly smart, but picking a fight isn't necessarily because of foolishness.
Tyr shook her head and spoke.
"Right. Shea might have used some strange technique. What happened to Shea?"
"He was injured from Dogo's counterattack. Compared to Dogo, his wounds were light, but he is not a vampire. I considered ending his life right there, but it seemed unnecessary, so I restrained myself. Had he interfered with the mission, I would have executed him immediately, but Lir Nightingale also obediently followed the Progenitor's command."
"That is enough. Convey my appreciation for Dogo's efforts as well."
"Understood."
Even Elders get injured. Their thresholds are too high, but when an immensely powerful energy tears through their body, time is needed to restore the damaged internals.
...However, the best way for such an Elder to recover is to be by the Progenitor's side. The fact that he insists on resting means Dogo has also realized Tyr's change. I'm not sure if it's out of consideration for Tyr or aversion to her.
Given Dogo, who doesn't even mingle with women, it might be the latter. Anyway, Tyr brushed it off casually and rose from her seat. The gazes of the vampires all converged. Even though one might be intimidated by such cold stares, Tyr received their reverence naturally and spoke.
"To those who have gathered here today to welcome my return and the night low tide. I will use this occasion to speak of a grave matter."
Having opened with the preamble, Tyr slowly surveyed the assembly and continued.
"Everyone, you have taken good care of the nation in my absence... However, one thing. Even as vampires, an incident has occurred that we cannot simply overlook. Some may know, some may not. But after today, everyone in the Duchy will know."
Tyr muttered heavily.
"Ruskinia has been annihilated."
Were there more vampires who knew than those who didn't, or were the vampires gathered here today particularly sensitive to news? At the very least, it was clear that the majority of vampires present knew. The vampires showed little reaction to Ruskinia's death notice.
"And a vampire has inherited that True Blood. This was done without permission from me, the original master of the True Blood. Today, I will judge the rights and wrongs. I will send the True Blood to where it rightfully belongs."
Whether to kill Lir or let her live, and if they kill her, who would become the next Elder. That was what this occasion would address. Since someone here might become the master of the True Blood, it was a trial the vampires absolutely had to watch....
Wait. But why is everyone looking at me? If you're going to look, look at those two!
'The master of the True Blood has already been decided.'
'If they give the True Blood to Ain or Yale, the hierarchy and blood relations would be ruined.'
'The Progenitor too... surely wants to bestow it upon the concubine.'
You guys. Is that the best you could come up with using vampire rationality? That this trial itself is a play with its conclusion already decided?! Really, this is why cold-blooded vampires...!
'Whether there is guilt or not hasn't been decided yet. But since they're taking back the True Blood anyway... if they're going to, give it to Hue...'
How did they know?
Just because they can't feel emotions doesn't mean they can't understand. Vampires were once human too, have lived struggling alongside humans, and have observed them for a sufficiently long time.
This doesn't seem like a trial for the Mercy Nurse? The Nurse herself is on the back burner and all interest is focused on Tyr or me. On top of that, killing Lir and me taking her blood felt like a foregone conclusion.
But we'll see how it actually turns out.
"Lir Nightingale."
"Yes, Progenitor."
"I will ask directly. Did you cause the death of Ruskinia?"
I, with my mind-reading, know better than anyone that the culprit is not Lir. In what way will the truth be revealed?
Receiving a solemn question from the Progenitor, Lir closed her eyes, composed her mind, and then spoke.
"That is correct, Progenitor. I killed him."
...Huh?