EP.49 You Cannot Be Happy
"Well spoken. I'll take this opportunity to say a word as well. You asked me for teachings. Swept up in the mood, I accepted you as a disciple and have been teaching you."
Cold fire truly existed. Otherwise, the vampire's blood-red eyes couldn't have been so chilling. The vampire, who had stepped closer to my side, rebuked the regressor.
"You show me no respect whatsoever."
"Re-spect?"
"Or reverence, symbol, token, meaning. Whatever it may be."
The pitch-black parasol lightly rested on her shoulder. The vampire gave a small sigh and glanced sideways at the regressor.
"A small gift would have been fine. Even a single word of thanks, just a word saying you were grateful, would have been enough. Yet, Shei, you gave me nothing."
"That's..."
"In contrast."
This time, her gaze turned toward me. I quickly raised my hand and waved, and the vampire smiled faintly. She was humoring my rhythm to show off to the regressor.
A clear difference in temperature. Even if it was an expression put on for show, it was enough to shock the regressor.
"This brat, though insolent, respected me with words. Rude as he is, he gave me what I needed. When I asked, he told me stories; when I wished, he shared his knowledge with me. But what have you done for me?"
She learned Blood Alchemy. That is all.
From the regressor's perspective, the vampire was the harbinger of the apocalypse. When the world faced destruction, the vampire was always cited as the reason.
However, in the previous iteration, after every possible effort, the regressor succeeded in freeing the vampire from her confines and making her an ally. They were comrades who fought shoulder to shoulder and reliable companions at the same time. Since both were castaways in the flowing river of time, they quickly formed a rapport and grew close.
Thus, the regressor came down here to obtain Blood Alchemy and, incidentally, to 'protect' Tirkanjaka. For her sake.
But.
"As for compensation... well, how about a treasure..."
"Treasure? Now that my gold has become useless, do I look like someone who demands treasure?"
At this point in time, the vampire was not the fragment of the apocalypse she knew, but truly existed as the Progenitor Tirkanjaka.
"I, too, was once the head of the world. I adorned my head with all things precious, draped my body in beautiful things, and laid soft things beneath my feet. Though I was a creature of darkness, I obtained everything that sparkled. Except for the sun, that is. Would such as I desire power? Covet wealth? If not that, would I seek petty honor? Just a little bit of heart would have been enough."
In truth, the vampire didn't really hate the regressor that much. It was merely a complaint born of regret.
However, the regressor, who had only built human relationships through regressions, had little experience facing such situations and didn't know what to do.
"T-Tir..."
"Enough. You only intended to take Blood Alchemy from me anyway. Since you've taken what you want, just leave."
At the vampire's cold declaration, the regressor trembled violently and hung her head. The vampire rested the parasol on her shoulder and turned her body around. The pitch-black parasol separated the vampire and the regressor.
As if driving a wedge, the vampire looked at me and spoke kindly.
"Let us go."
"Hold on a moment. Let me just say one thing to Trainee Shei."
"Make it brief."
At my words, the regressor slowly raised her head. Doubt lingered in the regressor's gaze.
'What is she going to say now?'
I gave a light cough, looked at her, and smiled despicably. Standing with my legs apart, I thrust my chin up and laughed cheaply like a third-rate villain.
"Well, that's how it turned out. Keukeuk. Don't worry, Trainee Shei. I will serve your master most devotedly."
'...Are you making fun of me right now?'
To only realize that now, you're seriously lacking in perceptiveness. That's why you get scolded even by someone as easy to handle as the vampire.
Ah, while I'm at it.
I took out a Rank 1 Diamond card from my pocket. On the rhombus-shaped, blood-red emblem, a bizarre light that was hard to describe in words was flashing.
The regressor realized the identity of that color and cried out.
"You, that's...! True Blood!"
"Kyahahaha. Did you only just realize? I just asked for a single drop and she gave it right away. Your master has already given me her heart, her blood, everything! You are done for...!"
"You little brat."
A blood-red fist suddenly grazed the back of my head. As I groaned in pain, the vampire frowned and scolded me.
"You need to keep your mouth shut. How could you render my anger so meaningless?"
"Why? I just wanted to annoy her since I have a lot of pent-up frustration too."
"When adults are angry, stay quiet. If a subordinate adds this and that, the original meaning fades."
"Huh? What? You want me to treat your age seriously? Should I?"
'Up until now... you weren't serious? Are you saying you can be worse than this?'
Frightened by my words, the vampire quickly shook her head.
"...No, it's not. Whatever you do is your freedom, how can I blame you. Do as you please."
Having instantly subdued the vampire, I smirked with one corner of my mouth and thoroughly mocked the regressor. I can make the vampire back off with a single word. But you can't, can you?
"Saw that? I'll be leaving now. And I'm sorry, but I hope you won't be 'bothered' by the affairs of 'irrelevant' 'strangers' from now on. Stop being so 'clingy'...! Kukik kyakyakyakya!"
'That bastard...! Just you wait! I will definitely strip off that mask and expose every inch of your ugly face!'
Leaving the fiercely burning regressor behind, I walked away with the vampire. Thinking I might stimulate her a bit more, I tried to put my arm around the vampire's shoulder, but when I tried to bring my hand close, the vampire's parasol swelled up, grabbed me tightly, and pushed me away. The touch was polite but powerful, making it impossible to lay a hand on her.
Why is a parasol stronger than me? And why does it move on its own? Am I a body that can't even beat a parasol?
Meanwhile, the vampire walked slowly, deep in thought.
'Shei. A child of outstanding ability, yet lacking something. Unrelated to strength or talent, something that makes up herself is a bit lacking... But what that is. I just can't put my finger on it.'
We decided to call that social skills. The regressor, who would destroy the world and flee to the next iteration if things went wrong, seemed lacking enough to be worried about by the vampire.
Because there's no one left in the world to point it out... Tsk tsk tsk. A blood-sucking vampire worrying about someone's character. How ridiculous.
'How did I ever accept that child as my disciple? The sight of her training hard even when no one is watching is extremely admirable, but that is based on what I have observed as her master. She is not a naturally affectionate child. Originally, I wouldn't have even looked at such a child... Why was it?'
Following her thoughts, the vampire's gaze gradually turned toward me. Her red eyes contained pure white doubt.
'It was this brat back then too. This brat poked me, leading me to take Shei as a disciple. And whenever something happens, it's always this brat who muddies the waters and creates the situation... Could it be?'
Active thinking is good, but settling accounts comes first. They say even Mount Geumgang is best appreciated after a meal, but meal expenses should be settled in advance. I held out my hand toward the vampire.
"So, where are the artworks?"
At my question, the vampire snapped out of her thoughts. She slightly lifted her parasol and gestured.
"...Ah. Right. I promised to give you some sculptures."
Then, the vampire's coffin stopped in front of me and its lid snapped open. From the still swirling darkness, sculptures popped out one by one. The pitch-black air current carefully caught the sculptures and laid them out in front of me.
A totem carved from jade, a figure sculpted from marble yet with even the folds of clothes delicately carved, a statue of a horse with its front legs raised high and a warrior riding on it.
Each and every sculpture held precious value.
"These are the sculptures I possess. I didn't know what you would like, so I just roughly picked some and brought them..."
The vampire spoke carefully, but she also harbored a tiny bit of pride, as if it was a collection she cherished. It wasn't an empty claim that she had picked them; from the materials alone, they consisted of things that looked precious, and each sculpture was expressed delicately and in detail.
Jackpot. Truly, the inside of the vampire's coffin was a treasure box, no, a treasure vault itself!
It's an era where even the tombs of famed emperors are thoroughly plundered by treasure hunters. In the meantime, these sculptures, which had crossed over a thousand years of time along with the vampire, retained astronomical value.
Classical yet undated techniques. And without a single speck of a flaw. It seemed they were influenced by the vampire's aura, maintaining their appearance just as when they were created.
If only their historical value was recognized, it would truly be an El Dorado where one could make a fortune.
"Wow..."
However.
Deliberation is needed here.
When dealing with a mark, you shouldn't quickly fleece the stake they brought. If you do, the mark will wash their hands of it and leave the table, leaving only unpleasant memories along with the money.
The basics of fishing is playing the fish. Scatter the chum, gently reel them in, let them go little by little, and then yank them all at once the moment they bite the bait.
Even though it was just a drop, the reason the vampire, who even gifted True Blood, gave me artworks she cherished was because she had a sense of debt toward me. I had told the vampire interesting stories and was giving her heart massages. In contrast, the crown she gave last time was fake gold, and she was harboring an inferiority complex that the knowledge and possessions she had were far behind the times.
Telling the truth and quickly accepting them is one way.
But for a greater profit, letting go slightly here is what a true gambler does.
I clouded my expression and let go of the sculpture from my hand.
"These are idols of heresy..."
"What? Heresy?"
"Like local faiths... Druidism, Totemism, Beast King worship, and so on. Remnants of that era. All of these are treated as idols of heresy, so they are often destroyed the moment they are seen."
As I spoke as if regretful, the vampire's mood soured.
"What? Who, who on earth arbitrarily treats relics of the past as heresy?"
"Where else would decide on heresy? The Holy Imperial Court."
"Messengers of the Celestial Gods... It's those bastards! They're of no help!"
It's not a wrong statement. However, I just mixed in a little exaggeration.
Not everyone in the world is a follower of the Celestial Gods, so there's no reason they can't be sold. Especially since the Military Nation is the only country that taxes temples. With my mind-reading, getting the right price is a piece of cake.
But.
What if I pretend it's difficult and refuse this treasure?
"Just in case I ask, you don't have any paintings or divine statues that feel like Bible illustrations, do you?"
The vampire fidgeted with her fingers and answered.
"...If it's dyed with my blood, I still have some left."
"Oh my. The moment that is revealed to the world, a kill-on-sight order will be issued."
I showed a troubled expression. A sign that the compensation she brought was unsatisfactory to me. Then, the vampire, having lost her ability to pay—or at least believing so—felt sorry toward me.
"Again, I couldn't be of much help."
"What are you saying? I'm grateful for the thought alone."
Pretending to decline while hiding my regret, pretending I want to receive them but the compensation the other party paid is inadequate. Dragging my words out little by little, I added burden to the vampire's mind.
'In the end, nothing I have was of help.'
Listening to the faint sense of guilt transmitted from deep within the vampire's mind, I smiled inwardly.
"I said it's fine. Don't be discouraged. I didn't do this expecting a reward in the first place. Well, I'll keep giving you electric massages!"
Even with my comfort, the shadow cast over the vampire's mind did not fade.
"I feel sorry, that's all. I've never thought of placing meaning on wealth, but looking back, time is truly fleeting. Even if I remain the same, everything I possess fades with time."
"You already gave me True Blood. I've received enough, so don't worry about it."
"But."
"Come on. I said it's fine."
Alright. I've given enough burden, so now it's time to loosen it up a bit.
I laughed refreshingly and raised my index finger.
"Now. No more depressing talk. I'll give you a massage. Please open your chest. If you grab it with both hands and spread it open, I'll put my finger deep inside and spray my mana generously."
A blatant joke that even a fool could understand. The vampire, who had been thoroughly depressed from feeling sorry toward me, suddenly scowled as if she had never been otherwise.
"Can't you watch your words? It feels like you're committing lewd acts, which makes me uncomfortable."
"Then should I describe it seriously? Alright, let's see. The ribs and fascia are firmly wrapping the heart... I need to flip the lungs over but the angle isn't working out, so please move it just a b—, urgh. Wait. My stomach. Uwek."
"...Ha, I definitely can't win against you with words. Fine. Do as you please."
The atmosphere was sufficiently lightened. The vampire, letting out a hollow laugh, quickly opened her chest.
Not long after, her face flushed red, the vampire pulled her chest together and moved away from me. Along with a request to do it again next time.
After the vampire left, I let out a long sigh. The finger that had shot out the lightning was trembling faintly.
...A heart massage that easily buys the vampire's favor... It's all good except. It's harmful to my mental health. It feels like a squishy sensation is still lingering on my finger.
No matter how much I can read people's minds, I didn't want to look inside natural science.
I cooked meat today, but every time I saw the red flesh, my stomach churned and I couldn't bring myself to eat it, so I gave it to Aji. Aji let out a happy cry without knowing why.