༺ Perfect? Calculation? ༻
After wandering around the wasteland, Shei, Tyrkanzyaka, Callis, and the Undying eventually set up camp in a place not far from the Abyss.
Unlike typical escapees, their camp blazed with bright red fire, as if advertising their presence. It seemed almost as if they were pleading for someone to find them.
While sitting around the campfire, shining light in all directions…
They were engulfed in a deep sorrow.
Tyrkanzyaka stared endlessly at the crackling flames. Whenever a choked sob trickled from her, Shei glanced cautiously, pretending to tend to the campfire. Every time she poked the fire with Chun-aeng, the flames spurted fiercely.
Today, Callis and the Undying sat at a distance from each other, avoiding eye contact as if they were strangers.
In response to this questionable thoughtfulness, Tyrkanzyaka waved her hand dismissively.
“…It is fine.”
Her following words only seemed to make everyone’s hearts sink even further.
“I must have been burdensome. I am Tyrkanzyaka, the Progenitor of all Vampires, as well as a monster who craves blood…. No one could ever accept someone like me.”
As she spoke, Tyrkanzyaka suddenly grimaced and clutched her chest, as if trying to extract a worm gnawing away at her heart.
Yet, the source of the pain was elusive.
The vampire, whose blood had always obeyed her will, writhed in agony due to this metaphysical pain that she was experiencing for the first time.
Tyrkanzyaka continued to grimace as the camp members watched her with quivering pupils, at a loss for what to do.
Tyrkanzyaka exhaled shakily before speaking to Shei.
“Rather than that, let us talk about something else. Is it really true?”
“U-Uh, huh?”
Shei, abruptly singled out, was frightened.
If it was an enemy, she could have at least fought. However, such problems, unsolvable through physical force, were far too harsh for Shei. She gulped, struggling to formulate a response.
Fortunately, Tyrkanzyaka was referring to something else.
“…Regarding how this being called the King of Sins would truly end the world.”
“Ah, yes! Yes, that’s right. I, um….”
Shei, who was about to say she regressed, paused for a moment.
The word ‘regression’ often unsettled those content with the present, fearing their happiness might not exist in Shei’s next regression.
In that moment, Shei would be practically holding their happiness hostage. As such, they had always clung to her.
‘Please choose me again in the future.’
‘Please let me hold onto the same joy.’
For Shei, who had to prevent Apocalypse, it was far too burdensome.
This was why Shei did not recklessly reveal her regression.
Moreover, even if she did, she was often deemed to have experienced the precognition of the Sanctum instead.
｢I think they’ll believe me if I reveal the truth about my regression, but….｣
Shei cautiously examined Tyrkanzyaka.
Altough Tyrkanzyaka was currently pained by the emotions she had regained, it didn’t seem like she wished for a regression. If she knew that these feelings, these palpitations could all disappear….
Right as she was about to speak, Shei swallowed hard and switched her words.
“…Yeah. I saw it in a precognition.”
“You saw it yourself? You, a man?”
“N-No! There is a…prophet I know! That person can’t see broadly, but they know the details really well! It’s not someone affiliated with the Sanctum! It’s someone trustworthy!”
Shei hurriedly changed her story. Tyrkanzyaka eyed her suspiciously, then nodded.
“Is that so.”
Perhaps she stopped suspecting or simply had no time to doubt? While continuously gazing into the distance, Tyrkanzyaka suddenly spoke.
“I will help you.”
“…Huh? Really?”
“It’s not that I fully trust that prophecy. After all, the Sanctum has always manipulated prophecies for their own benefit. However, I can not just sit back and watch if the world might truly end.”
“Uhhhm. I’m thankful…But will it be okay?”
Shei was incredibly cautious; she purposefully did not ask what exactly would be okay. After all, the subject in question was implicit from the atmosphere.
Tyrkanzyaka nodded calmly.
“Hu asked if I could protect him even if the world ended. I answered that I could do so.”
“He even said something like that? When?”
“Before we left the Abyss. If the prophecy you know is true, I must help you, even if it is to just keep my word. As a matter of fact, even if it is false, I should see what happens with my own two eyes, shouldn’t I?”
Although Tyrkanzyaka’s help was much welcomed, his shadow that lurked behind her words made Shei frown.
How could someone be so suspicious? The end of the world? Did he also know that the world would end?
“What in the world is his identity? Is he affiliated with the Sanctum? Ugh, it’s so suspicious. I need to grab onto and question him someday….”
As she murmured, Shei heard Tyrkanzyaka’s sigh.
“Haah.”
The sigh of the Queen of Shadows caused the campfire to flicker ominously. Tyrkanzyaka flipped her shimmering silver hair over her shoulder before chiding Shei.
“You are truly selfish.”
“Huh?”
“You have received so much help from Hu. Yet, you still declare that you find him suspicious, wishing to pry into his identity.”
“…Huh?”
Tyrkanzyaka was angry.
It wasn’t the hostility shown towards an enemy or contempt for a wretched being. To be more precise, it was similar to a chilly gaze sent to an immature child.
“When you first stepped foot into my abode. And after, when you learned Bloodcraft from me. Even when he taught us, claiming it was merely basic education. It was you who reaped the benefits of Hu’s thoughtfulness.”
“Uh…”
Wasn’t she just blinded by love?
The Regressor barely held back such a remark, choosing instead to stay quiet and listen attentively to Tyrkanzyaka’s words.
｢Why am I the one being scolded?｣
While such a question passed through Shei’s mind, Tyrkanzyaka unleashed all her pent-up emotions.
“He provoked me at the opportune moments, kept conversations going so they did not turn stagnant, behaved ridiculously, and often agitated me. But ultimately, it all benefited you. He eased your precarious anxiety, brought liveliness to this Abyss, and stirred us all, both inside and out. Hu’s labor was neither insignificant nor small, so why do you only view him with suspicion?”
Sometimes, from an outsider’s perspective, the same events and actions could be seen quite differently.
After undergoing 13 regressions and now on her 14th, Shei, busy observing the miniscule changes to the world, found it burdensome to view reality through other’s eyes.
However, Tyrkanzyaka’s lecture made Shei consider a different viewpoint for a brief moment.
“He helped me?”
“Even now, he is. If Hu received such a pledge from me while truly being aware of the King of Sins, isn’t that ultimately for your sake once again?”
“I…guess?”
Shei began to revisit the past through a different lens, recalling each and every action he had taken.
Ultimately, Jizan ended up in Shei’s hands, thanks to him throwing it in the air after delaying the Earth Sage.
At the last moment, Jizan’s trajectory seemed to twist, as if choosing her. Could that also be his doing?
And there was more even before that. When Lieutenant General Ebon invaded, he attacked the colonel and aided her. Later, while treating Callis, she learned that he had also prevented the lieutenant general from making Azzy go berserk.
She hadn’t paid much attention to this fact since he had always been kind to Azzy, but…That, too, was assistance.
And during the Finlay incident, he led the charge to rescue Tyrkanzyaka and even revived the Progenitor’s heart. Thanks to that, the Progenitor was now displaying her humane side, more than ever before. Though, it did become the reason for Tyrkanzyaka’s obsession over him….
Nevertheless, wasn’t this far better than her marching into battle, splattering blood apathetically?
“Huh?”
As Shei murmured in a dumbstrucked manner, Tyrkanzyaka merely snorted at her moment of realization.
“How absurd. You’ve received so much help, yet claim he didn’t help anyone? You, who were drenched in his thoughtful consideration while still thirsting the most for assistance, dare to doubt him? Do you really need to be like this? Can’t you just accept Hu, who has helped you time and time again?”
Each and every one of his actions gained meaning, little by little.
Was it true?
Did he truly provoke Tyrkanzyaka with trivial comments in an attempt to provide Shei assistance?
Did he really drag her away from training to teach her lessons that she had lacked in the past?
Did he playfully control the atmosphere between Shei and Tyrkanzyaka in order to bring them closer?
“…Assistance?”
“If it weren’t for Hu, would you be exchanging words like this with me? Or would you be able to sit peacefully with others as you are now? What about the Taoist from the Order of Gaia? What do you think would have happened?”
What if he didn’t exist? How would Shei have lived in the Abyss?
In truth, living, of itself, wouldn’t have been a problem. Shei was used to solitude. After all, she had done closed-door training several times, so she probably would have lived without much incident.
However, lighting this campfire and sitting together like now would never have happened. There wouldn’t have been any need to pay attention to others.
After finishing her work, she would’ve left immediately. After all, there wouldn’t have been any lingering attachments.
“I…guess…he did? Is…that, so? He…helped me? Why?”
“It was probably just his nature. There is no need to look any further than the King of Dogs, myself, and even you. Didn’t he help everyone as long as they did not blatantly show impure intentions?”
“Yeah….”
No matter how much she recalled his suspicious aspects, in the end, when looking back, he had only helped Shei. When brushing aside the rind of doubt, all that remained was a sweet fruit.
｢He…helped. Yeah. He really did.｣
Shei acknowledged it honestly and, at the same time, felt a bit of happiness.
Something gently tapped her heart.
As if sending a vibration to the other side when touching one strand of a complex spiderweb, she knew she was still connected. Thus, it was a sense of relief that she would continue to hold on.
She had met many good people. She had received much help as well. Though there were conflicts, many cooperated in the face of a common goal.
Those she could call friends had faded away with each regression, but since she had a few comrades, Shei could continue to advance. In fact, a sense of duty and indebtedness was further added, making it her driving force.
However, what remained unexpressed was that this was neither an overt push forward, nor a taut pull of favor.
Rather, it was a sense of…comfort that seemed to release the tension. It was almost…freeing.
“I…I-I see.”
After faltering for a moment, Shei regained her composure with Heavenly Counter Domain.
When she avoided eye contact out of shame, Tyrkanzyaka snorted and turned away. For a while, only the crackling of the fire filled the camp.
Eventually, Shei broke the silence.
“Tyrkanzyaka. Sorry, but when your heart was revived…”
“…Again?”
“No, no! I’m not doubting him! I just wanted to hear what exactly happened!”
Shei waved her hands towards Tyrkanzyaka, whose brows were beginning to furrow.
“I think I might know a bit about what his power is.”
“What is it?”
“Relics.”
Shei picked up Jizan that was placed carefully next to her. It was a blunt club, void of any decorations, handles, or patterns.
“A relic of an existence as powerful as this would usually have a test. Depending on how the test is settled, the strength unleashed from it would differ.”
Then, Shei planted Jizan on the ground before flicking it up with her wrist. When she did so, an astonishing sight unfolded.
The ground where Jizan had made contact surged up like rapidly growing bamboo shoots.
“But the relic he gave had no test. All its powers were already unleashed. Originally, only the power of the ‘club’ was unlocked, but now…albeit weakly, I can use Earth Art with this sword as a medium.”
“Intriguing… However, what does this have to do with my heart?”
“Homunculus’ Dilemma. There is only one way to bypass it. The only one who can change the person in question is oneself.”
Although there was no guarantee that one wouldn’t destroy oneself, it was at least natural.
Unlike the Homunculus’ Dilemma, Tyrkanzyaka’s heart was remarkably stable despite not needing much adjustment.
“I think he turned your memories when you were still alive into a relic by utilizing the fact that you were already dead.”
Shei made a sharp deduction.
“Judging from the state of Jizan and your heart, he must have the ability to draw out the power of relics. Otherwise, it can’t be explained.”
“Relics….”
Tyrkanzyaka placed her hand over her chest, feeling the beating of her heart.
The card he had embedded in her heart. Was it really a relic forged from her memories while she was alive?
“That is a reasonable deduction. After all, Hu did lose himself following the procedure….”
Tyrkanzyaka murmured quietly with her hand over her heart. Meanwhile, Shei fiddled with Jizan and replied.
“…Things would certainly be easier if we had his strength.”
However, the world was vast. How could they find someone who had left without a trace?
Shei muttered.
“I don’t know where he came from or where he intends to go. Come to think of it, I really knew nothing about him….”
“…How could you possibly know when Hu didn’t reveal it? No one could know.”
“Huh? Teacher said he would return to where he originally came from, though!”
Only the crackling of the campfire clamorously resounded in the surroundings. Rasch’s bombshell seemed to have practically snatched away all other noises.
Shei and Tyrkanzyaka asked half a beat late.
“What?”
“…What did you say?”
Rasch answered calmly to their shock.
“I had a heart-to-heart talk with him while drinking together. But I do not know whether it’s the truth or a lie! At any rate, he did say it!”
“No, forget that. What exactly did he say?”
“He said he’s already a criminal, so there’s no reason not to go back!”
Shei tilted her head.
“…Where he originally came from? Where is that?”
As it happened to be, the person who could answer that was in their midst as well. After loudly clearing her throat, Callis reported articulately.
“He was arrested in Amitengrad District 13-3 for fraudulent gambling. As he was apprehended on the spot, he was detained without being able to take anything with him. As such, if he had any hidden assets, it’s likely he went to retrieve them.”
“Fraudulent gambling? Was he really imprisoned for that?”
“If the documents related to him that I saw are true, then yes. He was. Though, since I came as an Inspector, I didn’t have the clearance to access documents of a higher security level….”
In other words, documents with a higher security level might contain different information.
This was quite a sweet temptation for Shei.
They knew his background and his whereabouts were revealed.
Only one problem remained.
Should they enter the heart of the Military State to find someone who had purposefully left them?
“Awooooooo.”
At that moment, Azzy, who had been gazing blankly at the sky, let out a long, soft howl. As the silent Beast King finally opened her mouth, everyone stopped talking and looked at Azzy.
While still looking up at the sky, Azzy spoke.
“I, need to go.”
“Where to?”
“Country of humans. Country that promised with me.”
Azzy continued to gaze up at the heavens, her big eyes filled with favor reflecting starlight. She appeared to be lost in appreciation of the stars that adorned the night sky.
｢How am I supposed to treat her like a dog when she’s like this?｣
As Shei grumbled inwardly to a certain man in her mind, Azzy opened her mouth to speak once again.
“I kept my promise. Now, it is their turn to keep their promise.”
“Who is ‘they’?”
“Country of humans. Has a lot of humans. I, have to go there.”
“Where is that?”
As Shei asked, she realized her mistake. Would Azzy know the city names given by humans? Shei worried about how to interpret Azzy’s ‘dog-like’ expressions that were obscure and ambiguous.
“Amitengrad.”
Luckily, that worry was unfounded. Azzy, more determined than ever, gazed at the flowing stars.
“Said it was the most important city in the country. I, will find my promise there.”
Tyrkanzyaka and Shei looked at each other.
They knew where he was headed.
They knew how much they needed him.
And now, they had a reason to go.
“I will not be unsightly by chasing after someone who has left me. However, if our paths happen to be the same, it can’t be helped.”
Tyrkanzyaka watched the blazing campfire, nodding her head.
“Alright. This time, I’ll have to turn the Military State upside down. While I’m at it, if I can uncover the secrets about that guy, well, that would be nice too.”
Shei also answered, rotating her arms.
Thus, the light within the eyes of the two women continued to shine, far beyond the glow of the campfire.
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