Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

Chapter 408

The Mist Duchy had no formal capital—the center of the Duchy was simply wherever the Progenitor resided. But where Tyrkanzyaka wanted to be was another matter entirely.

She wanted to show me the finest aspects of her domain. Just as one hand cherishes some fingers more than others, Tyr, for all her impartial airs, intended to take me to the most magnificent city the Duchy had to offer.

“Ehh~ But if we go too far from the Martial State, the trip back will be a hassle. Can’t we just stay here?”
“You can stay if you wish.”
“Ouch, that stings. Aren’t ‘we’ companions who have traveled together all this time?”

Hilde clung to me with her usual smile.

Even vampires, it seemed, found it hard to reject someone smiling at them outright. Tyr didn’t push Hilde away harshly—she only regarded her with quiet disapproval.

Hilde… I hold no particular ill will toward her, but I simply don’t want her too close.

If Tyr had to categorize her feelings, she actually liked Hilde. Her characteristic flippancy and sarcastic tone reminded her of me.

But just because you like someone doesn’t mean you want them near.

She knows too much about Hughes. And she keeps trying to learn more. While there are no secrets in the Duchy that absolutely must not be revealed… I would rather not share more about myself or my people. Especially now that Ruskinia is dead.

How nice it would be if everyone could just say what was on their minds. But in this world, I was the only one who lived like that.

Tyrkanzyaka concealed her thoughts and instead asked,

“You had a reason for coming all the way to the Duchy. What is your business here?”

Hilde, vaguely sensing the hidden weight behind the question, responded with a question of her own.

“Why do you ask? Do you want to send ‘me’ away as soon as possible?”
“If not, do you plan to remain a freeloader forever? If I am to keep you around, there must be some benefit to it.”
“Hmmm. It’s a matter of national importance, so wouldn’t discussing it in the streets be a bit… undignified~?”
“I will look forward to it, then. I hope at least half of what you say lives up to the weight of your words. Otherwise, I will have to reconsider your worth.”

With that cold exchange, the conversation ended. Tyr then turned to me with a more pleasant smile.

“Let us go, Hughes. The Twilight Fortress was built to withstand invasions, so it is lacking in many ways. I wish to show you Full Moon Castle instead. There is much in the Duchy that you have yet to see.”
“Hmm. I don’t mind going, but… Tyr, are you sure about this?”
“Sure about what?”

I answered her bluntly.

“I am the King of Humanity, the representative of all humans. Yet vampires see humans as livestock. Are you really going to let me witness humans being treated like cattle?”

Not that I was some kind of human rights activist.

I was the King of Beasts, and beasts either eat or are eaten. Humans, being animals themselves, had no inherent right to not be treated as livestock.

I had only opposed the Martial State because I had sensed the Holy Crown Church’s influence behind its leadership. More precisely, the fact that their Saintess, having glimpsed the future, preemptively stopped crimes before they could happen.

It felt like they were trying to reshape humanity, to forcibly carve humans into something different. That was why I had supported the Regressor who sought to shake the Martial State to its core.

Of course, the reality of the Martial State’s leadership had turned out to be slightly different from what I had expected.

But vampires were still humans, in a way. They ruled with power, and that was natural. After all, in every society, the powerless were treated like livestock.

In fact…

“Heh. You think too little of me and my nation. No matter how fearless I may be, do you think I would so carelessly reveal the Duchy’s flaws to you?”

Tyrkanzyaka chuckled lightly at my crude question.

“Before we go, allow me to show you how this country truly operates.”

The Sea of Calamities churned, its mist rising to blot out the sun and forming thick clouds. These clouds, carried by the wind, drifted over the Duchy like a vast ceiling, halting when they met the towering mountain ranges.

There was only one place where the mist flowed freely, settling in the low hills and escaping beyond.

A land where sunlight never touched, where the scent of the ocean breeze was ever-present. A place where that scent mixed with the stench of blood, making the two indistinguishable.

The Mist Duchy—a land where grief and blood intertwined.

And here…

“Fresh meat! Get your fresh meat! All kinds available!”
“Selling blood pudding! Just one block of this will cover two months of blood tax! Replenish your blood with fresh black pudding!”
“Hey, is there any Eiling blood available? If not, I’ll settle for Twilight.”

…The place was livelier than I had expected.

Walking through the marketplace, I felt no gloom, no oppression.

As if proving that it wasn’t sunlight but prosperity and food that truly brightened people’s hearts, the humans here were cheerful and full of life.

I stood in the middle of the street and murmured in surprise.

“…Why are they living so well?”

“What did you think of us? We stopped mindlessly draining humans of their blood over a thousand years ago. Such methods satisfied neither vampires nor humans.”

Tyr, her face concealed beneath a cloak of shadows, gestured toward the bustling market with pride.

“Draining a well dry just because you’re thirsty is foolish. Our harshness is reserved only for our enemies. We nurture and protect our own.”

There was no exaggeration in her words.

Salted meats, dried fish, milk, blood sausages, cheeses, and oils—everything was geared toward human sustenance.

While there was little wheat or rice, the variety of available ingredients ensured that neither bread nor rice would be missed.

What stood out the most was the seafood—a vast array, from common fish to rare shellfish.

This level of variety was something only the Mist Duchy could provide. After all, few humans were insane enough to fish in the Sea of Calamities.

But the most important takeaway was this:

“The entire economy is centered around humans, isn’t it? None of this food is meant for vampires.”

Tyr smiled.

“Correct. Occasionally, a vampire might take a bite out of curiosity, but that is merely for amusement. We do not taste food.”

“None of them seem to be suffering from anemia either. Why did I always imagine this place as some dreary, gray city?”

“Fufu. You are not entirely wrong. It is a gray city. But if we take too much blood, then there will be less for tomorrow. That is why excessive blood extraction is forbidden.”

Tyrkanzyaka looked deeply satisfied with my reaction.

I, on the other hand, observed the streets with genuine curiosity.

The greatest enemy of humans had always been other humans.

After all, humans possess everything that other humans desire.

But vampires, despite being former humans, were different.

Vampires only required one thing from humans—blood.

Beyond that, they had no need for food, wealth, or even sleep.

Which meant that vampires, of all people, might actually be the ideal aristocrats.

Just like shepherds tending to their flock.

“In the distant past, some nobles claimed that their blood was different from that of commoners.”
“A lie. Whenever we drained them, their blood was just as red as anyone else’s. The only ones with truly different blood were vampires.”
“So that was during your active years, huh? Well, in any case… at least this place is ruled by the right kind of nobility. Vampires won’t waste money on luxuries or food. The most they’d covet is flesh.”

Tyr flinched slightly at my words about coveting bodies, then scolded me.

“Saying ‘covet bodies’ gives the wrong impression. Correct it to ‘blood.’”
“What kind of thoughts are you having? Blood is part of the body, isn’t it?”
“Words must be precise. To avoid misunderstandings.”

There was no way anyone would misunderstand that, though. Unless Tyr herself had something wicked lurking in her mind. Maybe the kind of wickedness that wanted to turn my body into a vampire’s!

“Now that I think about it, the food sold in the market is all highly nutritious. Blood pudding, liver, meat, seafood—everything is beneficial for replenishing vitality.”
“You’ve been oddly persistent with that line of thought. These are simply foods that make it easier to recover lost blood.”
“Same thing. Coincidentally, I’m feeling a little anemic myself, so I could go for some meat.”

Meat had been scarce in the Martial State. Converting grain into livestock and then consuming it was an extreme inefficiency. The most extravagant luxury was the compressed meat from the canning factories.

But in the Mist Duchy, a place where human blood was extracted, they actually encouraged meat consumption to replenish blood. The irony was almost laughable.

Since I was here, maybe I should indulge a little.

I scanned my surroundings until a particular stall caught my eye. A place where large slabs of meat were skewered and roasted, sliced to order upon request.

The sight of the massive chunks of meat immediately reminded me of Azzy.

That beast, left behind in Claudia—would she have been able to resist this? Maybe it was for the best that she stayed behind. If she had been here, she might have single-handedly disrupted the peace of the Duchy.

“Welcome!”

As I approached the stall, the vendor greeted me with a bright, practiced smile.

I gave the place a quick once-over before speaking.

“I’ll take the two best servings you’ve got.”
“Yes, sir! Just a moment!”

Fat dripped from the stacked layers of roasted meat, sizzling as it hit the flames. The vendor carved thick slices with a heavy knife, plating them alongside sautéed vegetables and sauce before handing them to me.

I had no idea how the Mist Duchy functioned as a nation, but at the very least, its cuisine could stand up against any place in the world.

As I licked my lips in anticipation, I reached into my pocket—
—And then I remembered something I had completely forgotten.

Oh.

I didn’t have any money.

Where was it? Back in my room? No, I hadn’t even taken any money out in my room.

All my funds were still in Claudia.

After spending so much time among people like Rust, Golden Mirror, and other relic-wielding lunatics, I had practically stopped caring about money altogether.

“…Sir?”

The vendor eyed my bulging pockets expectantly, waiting for me to pull out some payment.

But the only thing in my pocket wasn’t money.

“Boss.”
“Yes?”
“All I’ve got on me right now are cards. Do you accept card payments?”
“Cards? What kind of cards?”

Cards.

The things I had created earlier using the power of a devil.

I pulled out nearly ten cards from my pocket and spread them out before the vendor.

Every single one bore the symbol of Spades.

The vendor narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing them.

“These cards,” I began, “are beyond the comprehension of ordinary humans. They are cards imbued with divine magic, crafted by none other than the God of Magic himself.”

I had only spoken the truth, packaging it neatly for the vendor’s consumption.

Unfortunately, my opponent was a seasoned merchant who had been running this stall for nearly a decade—he was not so easily fooled.

His eyes bulged as he barked,

“Are you messing with me?”
“Come on now, take a look. If these weren’t created by a god, how could I have so many?”

I reached into my pocket and kept pulling out more cards.

Far more than my pocket should have been able to hold.

Of course, I was just palming the cards I had already taken out, pretending to produce them anew.

To an uninformed observer, however, it looked as though my pocket was endlessly generating an infinite supply of cards.

“See? They just keep coming out.”

For a moment, the vendor looked genuinely intrigued.

But only for a moment.

He quickly shut down any notion of intrigue and replied firmly,

“Nice trick. But we only accept money.”
“Are you blind? These cards never run out! You could sell them to a scrap dealer for a decent price!”
“Then take them to a scrap dealer and trade them for actual money! Get lost!”

I had been kicked out, with the scent of roasted meat still lingering in my nose.

Tch. Jaded adults, all of them. Not a single shred of childlike wonder left in them.

Defeated in my attempt at a free meal, I trudged back toward Tyrkanzyaka and spoke.

“Tyr. That guy over there had the audacity to disrespect your honored guest. Go punish him.”
“Fufu. You jest.”
“…I’m serious.”

I was completely serious.

I had expected her to throw her weight around a little, but she took it as a joke.

Come on, I was standing right next to the Progenitor, and I still got snubbed?

Power exists to be exercised! If I was backed by the strongest, wasn’t I entitled to abuse my position a little?!

“If you wish, I could seize everything in this market… but that is not what you desire, is it? For now, let us continue observing the streets as they are.”

‘Walking through this market together… it feels like we’re just casually out for a stroll. It is quite enjoyable.’

Tyr’s true thoughts filtered into my mind.

Enjoyable, my ass.

The fact that she was thinking like that made this anything but ordinary!

Ordinary people lie awake at night, stressed about money!

“Ordinary people have money. If you don’t have any, then even the ‘ordinary’ sights you want me to see might as well be nothing more than paintings of food.”
“Money is no concern. Who do you think I am? I am the Master of this land, the origin of all vampires. Do you truly believe that I, in my own domain, would ever lack funds?”
“…Honestly, Tyr? I do think you’d run into that issue. Haven’t you already?”

I had hit the nail on the head.

After fumbling through her attire, Tyr let out a small sigh.

She was hardly the kind of ruler to bother carrying common currency like an ordinary citizen.

‘How disgraceful…! Hughes is hungry, yet I cannot even provide him a meal! There is no other choice. If it has come to this, then… I must reveal my identity, no matter what!’

Now that’s what I’m talking about.

This was why people attached themselves to power.

As I sharpened my blade of revenge against the vendor who had dared to slight the Progenitor’s guest, something unexpected happened.