Chapter 95

I patted her on the back. “I will,” I whispered in response. “I still have so much to do, and I’ll need your help.” “…If you don’t return, you’ll never live it down. Got that?” With that, Tilty slowly pulled away. Tottering on unsteady feet, she required Ilia’s support to keep from falling down. Ilia looked worried too, but she quickly flashed us all an encouraging smile. “We’ll be awaiting your return. Please take care.” “We’ll be off, then.” Ilia stepped back, still helping Tilty. Now that our inspections were over, Lainie and the others mounted their Airbikes and activated them. “Let’s go, Anis.” “Got it, Euphie.” Once I was seated safely behind her, the Airdra took off into the sky. We set out like so many arrows. Looking over my shoulder, I watched as Tilty and Ilia faded into the distance before turning my attention back to the path ahead. And so we cut through the air, heading straight for Allie and the frontier. We arrived at our destination shortly before nightfall, setting down in the garden outside the mansion. The area looked better maintained than when we last visited. It was filled with knights and adventurers, all of whom were surprised at our arrival. “Princess Anisphia?! And Queen Euphyllia, too?!” one adventurer cried out. “Hello, everyone,” I called back to them all. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Sorry about this, but could someone get Allie for us?” “I—I’ll let him know right away!” one of the knights answered, dashing into the mansion. Lainie and the others all looked tired, but that was little wonder after all that flying. I would have liked to let everyone get some rest, but we had to learn more about this situation first. “Master Algard will see you now!” the knight called out as he rushed back. “Please come into the office!” “Thank you. Euphie?” “Yes.” The knight led us inside, where we found Allie and Acryl waiting. “Anis, Euphyllia,” Allie said in greeting. “I wasn’t expecting you to come in person—especially not so soon.” “I decided that your report called for direct intervention,” Euphie answered. “Apologies, Algard, but could we jump straight to the matter at hand?” “Ah. Then you want to check on the vampire we took captive?” “How is she taking her confinement?” “She seemed exhausted. She’s asleep now. I wouldn’t be surprised if she wakes up soon, though.” “Oh, I shall gladly wake her,” Acryl growled grumpily, her hair bristling. I sensed that her hatred for vampires went over and beyond her dislike for me. But when you considered what she had suffered because of them, that reaction was understandable… “I’ll take you to her, then. We’re keeping her underground,” Allie explained, leading us to the mansion’s basement. The corridors were dimly lit, and the air was cool. The long shadows on the dark walls made for an eerie atmosphere. Arriving at her cell, we found the vampire lying alone on a bed. “That’s her…?” “Yeah… Asleep, she looks like a regular person.” “What a bother…” Once again, I was reminded just how much danger vampires posed. Well, if we were going to get any information out of her, we would first have to wake her up. Lucky for us… “…Ugh…,” she groaned, slowly opening her eyes. “Good timing,” Allie remarked under his breath. Still half asleep, the woman leaped to her feet, hitting her back against the wall as her glowing, crimson eyes shot open. Hearing the rattling of chains, I gave her a proper once-over. On closer inspection, I could see that her arms and legs were shackled. Allie unlocked the door to her cell, approaching her at a brisk pace. “Huh?!” she exclaimed. “Wh-where am I…?!” “So you’re awake, vampire? Don’t try to resist.” “You…!” Despite her restraints, the vampire tried to rise to her feet, fixing Allie with a hateful glare. “Do not move,” Acryl warned, grabbing the vampire by the neck. “And do not even think about screaming.” “Ngh…! You—! You’re the Lycant…” The vampire moaned in agony as Acryl increased the pressure—to the point that I was worried she might snap her neck. “Let her go, Acryl,” Allie said. “But—” “Did you hear me? I said let her go.” At that stern rebuke, Acryl released the vampire from her grip. Her neck freed, the vampire let out a weak cough. Then, after catching her breath, she looked up to take in the rest of us. Her eyes widened in shock. “…Tiris?” she murmured into the silent cell. That name belonged to Lainie’s mother. The captive was watching Lainie in mute astonishment. Lainie pursed her lips. “I’m not Tiris,” she said reluctantly. “Tiris was my mother.” “Her daughter…? Where’s Tiris, then…?!” “…My mother is dead.” “…Dead? Tiris…? Hah! Ha-ha-ha!” Stunned by Lainie’s admission, the vampire broke out into uncontrollable laughter. “So she’s dead? The fool. Always so selfish, so free-spirited… It’s not fair.” “Did you know my mother?” Lainie asked. “…Yes, I knew her. I never would have thought of her as a mother, though. Her, having a child?” “Can you tell me about her? About yourself? About vampires?” Lainie asked, approaching the woman. The vampire looked up and let out a deep breath. “…What’s your name?” “Lainie.” “Lainie… I see. Very well. I’m willing to talk to Tiris’s daughter. In exchange, I want you to kill me when you’re done. You can have my magicite if you want. It will help you to increase your power, so it’s a good exchange.” “…Why do you want to die so badly? What are you afraid of?” Lainie asked quietly. The vampire woman curled up in an effort to control her trembling, breathing heavily. “Tiris was right. We should have seen it sooner.” “Seen what? What are you talking about?” Lainie probed. The vampire woman didn’t respond immediately. After several long inhalations to regulate her breathing, she continued. “Let me introduce myself first. My name is Ruella. I grew up with Tiris.” “Then you’re a childhood friend of hers?” “She was a real oddball, I’ll tell you that. A vampire from birth, yet she turned her back on the clan’s appointed mission.” “Your appointed mission…? What is that?” I asked. “It’s twofold. The first part is to uncover the truth of magic. The second is to exact revenge on the Kingdom of Palettia, which exiled our ancestors. Only the elders really obsess over the revenge part, though. I was never interested in any of that.” “…How long have your elder vampires been alive?” “Two or three hundred years, I guess? There are fewer and fewer of them now.” “What about you, Ruella?” “Me? Just over a hundred.” I had expected a number like that, but it still came as a shock to hear her say it so casually. Vampires truly were monsters capable of transcending human limits. “Wait, but if you’re over a hundred, then my mother…” “She would be about the same age. Give or take ten or twenty years.” “That’s a pretty big margin of error…” For a vampire, capable of living for centuries, a couple of decades might not seem like much, but it was still strange to me. Especially with how casually she treated it. “We young vampires were only interested in uncovering the nature of magic. None of us were interested in revenge. All we wanted was to spend our days in the pursuit of truth.” “But you’re saying that other vampires want revenge, yes? That would have put you at odds with them, right?” “The matriarch decides the will of the clan, not the individual.” “You’re led by a matriarch? You don’t mean the ruler of the Kingdom of Cambus, do you?” “The Kingdom of Cambus?” Ruella repeated, her shoulders shaking slightly as she broke out into a fit of laughter. “Yes, you could say that,” she finally answered. “Then again, not really.” “…What do you mean?” “The Kingdom of Cambus is just a ruse we vampires conjured up so your people wouldn’t discover us. It isn’t a real country.” “…That explains why Acryl said she had never heard of it.” “Demi-humans only care about their own kind. We took advantage of their disparate groups to make it look like we had a country.” “…All so the Kingdom of Palettia would remain unaware of your existence? But how did your vampire clan hold it all together?” “We made them obey,” Ruella explained. “The matriarch decides all our policies. And to be matriarch, all you need is strength. If a stronger person turns up, they will become the next leader. For us, magic is everything. It’s only natural to follow whoever is strongest in it.” “How was my mother a traitor…?” Lainie asked. “A traitor? Did she say that?” “We encountered another vampire before coming here. She called Lainie’s mother a traitor,” I explained. “What? You’ve met another vampire?” Allie stared at me in surprise. “Near Filwach,” I said with a nod. “Filwach? I suppose it isn’t all that far from the frontier, but if they’ve encroached that far…” “We can talk about that later,” I interrupted. “Let’s discuss everything in order. Tell us, what made Lainie’s mother a traitor?” “…Tiris left, against the wishes of the elders. Some called her a traitor for it, but it wasn’t because of anything she did. No, it was more like she gave up on the clan.” “She gave up on you… Why?” “Because she was an eccentric. We just wanted to uncover the true nature of magic, and if possible, to exact revenge on the Kingdom of Palettia. Tiris was the only exception. She wasn’t interested in learning the truth.” Ruella stared off into the distance as she recounted all this, mulling over distant memories. “She had outstanding talent, and could have probably even become matriarch herself if she wanted. But she wasn’t interested in any of that. No, she was more inclined to visit the demi-human tribes and engage with them. That’s why the more extreme members of the clan despised her.” “For a group of vampires who place the pursuit of truth above all else, she certainly must have seemed like a strange one,” Allie murmured with interest. Ruella let out a loud snort. “That’s probably why she stormed off. Tiris wasn’t like other vampires. But what a surprise, hearing that she’s passed away, and had a child, too. Her head was in the clouds right up to the very end. I always thought of her as a fool, but now I envy her…,” she murmured sadly. From the way she spoke, it was clear Ruella and Tiris had been close. Still, as sweet as this was, we didn’t come here to talk about their personal history. “You said Tiris interacted with other groups outside of your vampire clan? That means other vampires must have as well, right? So why are you oppressing all these demi-humans, using them as slaves?” “…There was a change in our approach.” “What do you mean?” “Right… It all changed once that fiend was born.” “Fiend…?” “It all went south after that thing came into the world! It should never have been allowed to become matriarch! We should have killed it when we had the chance…!” If Ruella’s hands had been unbound, she might have clutched her head in despair. She was quivering all over, and sweat was beading on her forehead. I couldn’t even be sure if she was still listening to us. What could possibly send her into such a panic? “What is this fiend, Ruella? Are you saying this new matriarch is directing your people’s actions?” “That’s right… She was a monster from the moment she came into the world, always aiming for the very top. And she was so talented! Everyone was blinded by her skill and ability! They set her up on a pedestal, without ever realizing just how insane she is!” “Calm down, Ruella,” I urged. “How am I supposed to calm down when that, that thing—! It doesn’t matter! You’re all going to die! It will devour you all, and keep killing you over and over and over and over again!” “Ruella!” “I’m telling you, it’s after me! It’ll chase me to the ends of the earth if it has to! My only escape is death!” she cried out at the top of her lungs, breathing heavily. “Please, I’m begging you! Kill me now, while you still can…!” Thrown into a frenzy, Ruella hung her head and began to sob. I doubted we would learn any more from her for the time being. At the very least, we had discovered that the reason for her abject terror was this new matriarch. My thoughts took me back to the vampire we had encountered near Filwach who’d taken so many lives, using and abusing them as her servants. At the end, it sounded like she called out a name… “Lilana…” No sooner did I utter the word under my breath than Ruella’s head shot up. “How do you know that name?!” “So I was right. That’s the name of your new leader, this fiend you keep talking about, isn’t it?” The way the vampire had cried out, I assumed she must have been calling for someone. It looked like I had hit the nail on the head. Ruella shuddered even more violently, and I could hear her teeth clattering. The only possible explanation was that she must have witnessed sights even more atrocious than what we had encountered in Filwach. When you thought about it that way, her reaction was understandable. Especially when you considered what their leader wanted to accomplish. “Euphie, everyone. Listen to me. I’ve been thinking about the vampires’ goals, and based on what we’ve heard so far—” Just as I was about to voice my conclusions, a voice sounded from outside the room. “M-Master Algard! T-trouble!” “…What is it?” It was a knight, rushing down the stairs into the basement. His expression was panicked, his breath ragged. “M-monsters! We don’t know what they are! And they have us surrounded!” Let’s turn now to a certain mysterious creature—a story of a dream-obsessed monster and its pursuit of a magic called eternity… What I sought was the miracle of magic. Such was my life’s mission—a dream I needed to fulfill at all costs. Yes, I hunted the power to forge miracles—magic. From my earliest memories, I already knew what I most desired. Knowledge passed down through the generations guided me along my path. Everyone had high expectations for me. They all desired it of me. They blessed my journey. To acquire eternity, the ultimate truth, and the end of the earth itself. Forever believing that this temporary eternity could become truly immortal. We lived our lives chasing after it. Because we were born to an eternity worth keeping. And so I had to live my life righteously. The wishes within me weren’t my own—they were the dreams and tenets of my predecessors and brethren. I couldn’t bear to lose anyone. Not a soul. Because magic was a precious gift, capable of bringing happiness and joy. I chased a world where nothing was lost, a world of eternity and perfection. And it was magic that would make such a place possible. So I had to save them, all those imperfect souls whose lives lacked eternity. To be eternal, one must possess beauty. And so I sought it out. To be eternal, one must possess strength. And so I sought it out. To be eternal, one must possess wisdom. And so I sought it out. I convinced myself that people would rejoice at their salvation. But it wasn’t enough. I needed more, more, more. No matter how much I had, I wasn’t fulfilled. I couldn’t allow myself to be ugly, because everyone would hate me. I would keep only the beautiful parts. Leaving only what I needed, and divvying up the rest—converting ugliness into something else. It would be a waste just to throw it all away. So, my dear, won’t you love these little ones for me? One day, we will succeed in our great quest, and the world will be filled with happiness. When that happens, we’ll be one again. Until then, don’t grow old. Don’t leave anyone behind. There can be no disappearing, no missing out. Yes, forever. We’ll be together for all of time, all right? And you’ll make me even more beautiful, even stronger, even wiser, okay? I’ll remember everything. So wait, just a little while longer. I’ll save the world, I promise—for you. I’ll conquer the sky, singing with each and every step along the way. Reaching out my hand, the moon itself will want to become mine. Ah, what a beautiful moon today! We’re going to have a wonderful night!