EP.77 The Age of Loss
The tightly shut iron door opened heavily. Aji and Shei's heads turned toward it.
Finally, ending his three-day seclusion, he and Tirkanjaka were coming outside.
"Woof! Woof!"
"Hey! Where the hell have you been and what were you doing...!"
It was when the two were striding toward the door.
Faster than them, Tirkanjaka squeezed through the narrow gap of the door and burst out in sheer panic. Looking around frantically, Tirkanjaka spotted Shei and hurried her steps.
"Shei! Shei! It's terrible! He!"
Tirkanjaka had always acted leisurely, sitting elegantly atop her coffin. She, who possessed the dignity befitting the progenitor of vampires and the Queen of Shadows, was now running with a disheveled face.
At Tirkanjaka's unfamiliar demeanor, Shei asked with a puzzled expression.
"Huh? What's going on, Tirkanjaka? The coffin you always ride, and that man...?"
The questions were quickly, and simultaneously, answered. Just then, the iron door opened completely, and the large coffin with him sitting demurely atop it appeared.
The instructor sitting blankly as if his soul had left him, having taken over what was Tirkanjaka's exclusive seat.
She was glad to see that brazen face, but anger also surged anew. Shei shouted at him.
"You showed up at the right time! What kind of ritual did you perform? What did you mean by what you wrote on that note? Come down quickly and..."
"That's not the issue, Shei!"
Tirkanjaka grabbed Shei. It was a hasty movement unthinkable of her usual self.
What on earth could it be? Why was Tirkanjaka so panicked, and why was that man just sitting blankly on the coffin?
Around the time such questions entered Shei's mind.
"He has lost his memories!"
"Whaaat?"
Words that completely blew away her thoughts were heard.
Tirkanjaka explained the whole story to Shei. Since Tirkanjaka herself didn't know much, the explanation ended quickly.
Having heard the result, Shei asked in disbelief.
"Is his heart really beating? That man accomplished it?"
"Yes! It truly beat!"
"No way. Even a mage wouldn't be able to do it, so how on earth could that man who isn't even a mage... Is it really beating again? You're not mistaken?"
It was a reasonable question in some ways, but it was like pouring cold water on Tirkanjaka's feelings, who was simultaneously feeling joy at having her wish fulfilled and worry about it.
Tirkanjaka erased her remaining excitement and glared at Shei.
"Would I lie to you about such an important matter? Or are you saying he deceived me, my blood manipulation art? How is it, must I show you a beating heart for you to believe me?"
"No, I didn't mean that. It's just, if reviving the heart was this easy..."
If it was easy, then why couldn't it be achieved in previous cycles, Shei was about to say but barely stopped herself. She didn't want to reveal the fact of her regression yet.
However, this only made Tirkanjaka feel more displeased.
"Easy? Can you still say such things after seeing that child's state?!"
Shei flinched at Tirkanjaka's outburst. Before Shei could make any excuse, Tirkanjaka pointed at him sitting on the coffin and shouted.
"He hasn't had a single drop of water for three days. He hasn't touched any food. Cutting off all sustenance, without moving even a speck, sitting more quietly than the vampire in the coffin! Finally reviving my heart, and losing his memories as the price! He endured such recklessness, and you say it was easy?"
But for someone who did what no one could do for 1200 years, it was easy though.
She wanted to grumble that, but Tirkanjaka's attitude was too serious. Shei kept her mouth shut and pretended to accept it.
'Still... seeing her get this excited, the heart must really be beating again.'
If her heart was still stopped, Tirkanjaka wouldn't have agreed with Shei's words but would have at least understood. A vampire with cold blood doesn't easily get excited and observes everything from a step back.
The fact that she's this excited is proof that she's regained her emotions.
'This is a good thing. Let's quickly help that man recover his memories and find out the method! Then it'll be much easier to persuade Tirkanjaka from the next cycle onward. Even if he never recovers his memories, I can just make him an ally in the next cycle! Anyway, finding a way to strategize is really a good thing!'
Having finished her calculations from the position of a regressor, Shei readily rejoiced.
"Anyway, congratulations! Now we just need to wake that guy up!"
"Sigh. Shei, you..."
Tirkanjaka, who was about to say something, closed her eyes and calmed her emotions.
When her heart was stopped, such a process wasn't necessary, but now that she had regained it, her emotions didn't flow as she wished.
Reflecting anew on what she had gained, what she had regained, Tirkanjaka felt gratitude toward him once more and spoke.
"Very well. I'm not here to argue with you right now. How about it. Do you have a way to restore his memories?"
"Hmm, in my case, I tend to solve most things with the Tianpanjing, but..."
The ultimate defensive qi technique that engraves specific movements into the body to respond, Tianpanjing.
At a low level of mastery, it merely performs reflexive counterattacks against unexpected approaches, but as mastery deepens, its true value is revealed.
The mind naturally follows the body.
By repeating movements ingrained in the body, one can maintain mental tranquility and return the spirit and soul to a stable state. Thanks to the Tianpanjing, Shei was freed from curses that stop the heart or soul-stealing and other mental attacks.
To defend against mental-type attacks and prevent sudden death in unconscious states, Shei mastered the Tianpanjing to its peak every cycle first.
"...but probably there's no such method for him. Even if there were, I wouldn't know about it."
Tirkanjaka's expression crumbled into despair. Shei, newly realizing that a vampire's facial expressions had become quite diverse, suddenly thought of the note she received three days ago.
Could it be, those incomprehensible words?
While Shei was rummaging through her pocket, Tirkanjaka muttered with a hollow face.
"Then, continuing to lose his memories... Good heavens, to save me..."
"Wait. Tirkanjaka. Hold on."
"Truly, I have no words. I stole his future to fulfill my delusion..."
"Look at this."
"It can't be helped... As much as I took his entire life, I must compensate for it... I shall stay by his side for my whole life and care for him..."
Stopping Tirkanjaka whose story was getting heavier and heavier, Shei took out the note and waved it about.
"Wait! Hold on! That guy left a note for me!"
Tirkanjaka's eyes turned to the note. Shei unfolded the note in front of her eyes and pointed with her finger.
"Here, there's not much written on the note. Just things about taking care of Aji and not coming close to the underground armory. But here, in the indent, different words are written!"
"Indent? I can't see it with my eyes."
"Ah, I suppose not. Then I'll read it for you."
Do not go to the dining hall.
Even if my state becomes strange after it ends, do not recklessly touch me.
If supplies happen to arrive, use them on me.
Shei, who read the letters clearly with eyes that see depth, folded the note again and said proudly.
"That guy anticipated that he might become strange. Look. It says, even if his state becomes strange after it ends. Probably he left this with me for this occasion."
"...Why specifically to you."
"It says not to go to the dining hall here, but telling someone not to go somewhere is practically the same as saying to definitely go there. There must be something at the dining hall..."
When Shei, who was pointing at the note and explaining, suddenly looked up, Tirkanjaka was puffing out her cheeks with a sulky face.
Shei felt something incongruous from Tirkanjaka's attitude.
If they found a clue, she should be happy, so why the dissatisfied look?
"Why did he have to give that note specifically to you?"
Huh. Shei let out a stupid sound without realizing. Something was going strangely.
Meanwhile, Tirkanjaka glared at Shei and poured out her complaints.
"He could have just given it to me. Why did he make things complicated by handing it through you once. If I saw it as soon as I opened my eyes, I would have known the content of the note beforehand and wouldn't have worried like this."
"Uhh?"
Wait. What on earth was that attitude?
Shei was so flustered she momentarily lost her words. Meanwhile, Tirkanjaka made a deflating sound, then struck her palm with a rolled fist as if she realized something.
"Ah. I finally understand. The person who must not go to the dining hall is surely you, Shei. He gave that note only to you to prevent you from going to the dining hall. Otherwise there's no reason to specifically entrust it to you."
"Uh uh uh?"
"Besides, no matter what, you're the only one left outside, so wasn't it killing two birds with one stone? Fine. I'll take him to the dining hall. Something will come of it if we go."
Tirkanjaka looked ready to run off immediately. Shei, who had been standing blankly, hastily spoke up.
"Wait, Tirkanjaka. I'll go too! You'll probably have a hard time finding..."
"Are you going to disobey the contents of the note? Wait here. If I need help, I'll call you from my side."
'No, why are you so intent on following what the note says? He wrote it anyway, so it doesn't matter if you break it a little!'
But Tirkanjaka's attitude was stubborn, showing a strong will to leave Shei behind no matter what. Shei felt unjustly wronged.
'If I knew this would happen, I should have gone first. I followed the instructions on the note for nothing!'
Shei strongly reproached herself from three days ago, who had been overly exemplary. She resolved that in the next cycle, if there ever was one, she wouldn't blindly follow whatever this man told her to do.
"Woof woof! Woof woof!"
Then the sound of Aji barking joyfully reached them. A sound full of satisfaction, heard for the first time in days. Shei reflexively looked in that direction.
Aji was playing with him.
He was throwing a ball, following Aji with unfocused eyes. The ball went up weakly and fell. When Aji happily picked it up and brought it back, he still maintained a blank expression and patted Aji.
Then when Aji excitedly leaned its body against him, the impact made him stagger weakly and fall to the ground.
Aji barked in surprise.
"Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof!"
Tirkanjaka rushed over in sheer panic.
"King of dogs. Let go of him for a moment!"
"Woof woof woof! What do we do? What do we do?"
"I said let go!"
It was chaos. Aji barking in surprise, and Tirkanjaka who didn't know what to do. The two were circling around the fallen him.
Shei looked at that sight and muttered.
"It seems losing his memories is real... I had my doubts, but it doesn't look like a joke."
Saying that, Shei suddenly reflected that she was doubting him even in this situation, and felt she was being a bit too much.