Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

Chapter 414

The capital of the Mist Duchy, home to the newly awakened Progenitor—Castle of the Full Moon.

This ancient fortress of darkness, absent from any map, was far beyond even the Twilight Citadel. If not for the impossibly smooth ride of Tyr’s carriage, pulled by Lalion, the journey would have been grueling.

The unique climate and atmosphere of the Mist Duchy made for an intriguing topic of discussion.

"So, is it meat again for this meal?"
"…Are you tired of it?"
"Not at all. I love it. Humans were originally hunting animals, after all. Mmm, delicious. The Military Nation never had anything like this."
"We did have it! The food just never made it all the way to you, Father!"
"We’ve decided to call that ‘not having it.’"

I bit into another chunk of juicy, well-seasoned meat.

"Oh? It’s even cooked properly. Who made this?"
"I did."

Emerging from the carriage’s storage compartment, Kabilla clapped her hands.

From within, skeletal Drakeborne Soldiers wearing white aprons and triangular chef hats stepped forward, each carrying a plate.

The sight of the fleshless undead serving food was more grotesque than comical.

Kabilla, directing them, spoke with a smug smile.

"Be honored. The great Elder myself has personally gra—"

Wait… if I say ‘graced,’ Sister might get mad. Let’s rephrase it nicely.

"—has personally prepared this meal to revitalize my sister’s cherished concubine."

Then, as if realizing how that sounded, she quickly backtracked.

"Ah! No, Sister! I wasn’t insulting him! I’m just jealous of your favoritism! That’s all! My words just came out a little harshly! Please don’t be mad!"

"If you’re struggling to find a way to say something nice, just speak comfortably. Tyr, I’d prefer that too. Just let her be."

Hearing someone’s words and their actual thoughts at the same time was confusing.

If she kept filtering herself, it was only going to get more awkward.

Kabilla, still glancing nervously at Tyr, unknowingly became my entertainment while I inspected the food on my plate.

The dish was well-prepared—potatoes first boiled, then fried crisp in oil, topped with melted cheese. The meat had been slow-cooked with plenty of spices, so tender that it fell apart with the slightest touch of a fork.

I took a mouthful, chewing slowly.

"This isn’t beginner’s cooking. You’re experienced."
"Experienced? Just because I’m a vampire doesn’t mean I haven’t eaten. I’ve had twice as many meals as you, you know. You fledgling seriously underestimate a thousand years of experience?"
"You’re prickly even when receiving a compliment. I was just surprised that someone who can’t even taste food could cook so well."
"Hmph. I wasn’t doing it for your praise."

Despite her words, Kabilla seemed pleased and started talking more.

"Livestock are picky eaters despite being livestock. Even when I generously offer them meat, all they do is complain that it’s too tough or tasteless! Sometimes they even ask for bread or vegetables! Can you believe that? The best way to shut them up is to make the food look good."
"Well, you can’t really blame them. Eating the same thing every day gets tiring. …But from the way you’re talking, it sounds like you cook for them regularly?"
"What else is there to do? It’s just a hobby. Handling meat is second nature to me anyway."

The fact that she could cook so well despite not tasting the food herself… it was like a blind painter or a deaf musician.

Even though I was getting full, I couldn’t stop eating.

Tyr, watching me devour the food, suddenly spoke.

"Kabilla."
"Yes, Sister?"

"Sister called me! What is it? Did I do something wrong? No, no, it must be fine. She just called my name, right?"

"…Teach me how to cook sometime."

Tyr’s voice was low, almost a whisper.

Kabilla, overwhelmed with emotion, shouted in response.

"Leave it to me! I’ll teach you everything about cooking! From prepping ingredients to knife skills, every little detail—!"
"Shh. Keep your voice down."

It didn’t take long for both Hilde and me to clear our plates.

Sinking into the comfort of my full stomach, I patted my belly and mused aloud.

"Another loss for the Military Nation. That country really has no foundations. No wonder it keeps losing."
"Why are you trying to start a fight again?! The Military Nation strictly controls luxuries! That’s why we don’t have food like this!"
"But the fact that you have this kind of food and still don’t eat it means life is pretty miserable. In the end, people just have to rely on eating soybeans."

A little conflict always made things interesting.

As soon as I made a slight jab at the Military Nation’s food, Hilde’s pride was pricked, and she filled the carriage with her protests.

"The Military Nation has too many people! At the brink of collapse, the only way to sustain the population was Chimera Beans! Do you think we went all the way to the Tree of Blasphemy to steal them for fun?!"
"I wasn’t criticizing, just making a comparison."
"Raising livestock is a luxury! According to the Military Nation’s research, if you cull a single cow and plant Chimera Beans in its grazing land instead, you can feed twenty people. In other words, to raise one cow, you’d have to let twenty humans die! You think people want to rely on beans?!"

As Hilde fumed, I recalled what I knew about the Mist Duchy.

Most of the duchy was grasslands.

Nestled between the sea and the mountains, the land was humid and lacked direct sunlight, allowing only short, resilient grasses to flourish.

The rolling hills stretched from the mountain ridges down to the coastline, making them ideal for raising cattle and sheep.

Even after vampires had taken over the land, this ecosystem had not changed.

Flocks of sheep roamed the vast plains, tended by healthy, sturdy shepherds.

And the vampires of the Mist Duchy fed upon those very shepherds.

Here, vampires were not just rulers.

They were the shepherds of human livestock.

"Progenitor."

Vladimir knocked on the carriage door.

Until now, he had been driving so seamlessly that I had nearly forgotten he was even there. But now that he had approached, it meant our journey was coming to an end.

“We have arrived at the Castle of the Full Moon.”
“Well done.”

I opened the window and looked outside.

A land shrouded in dark mist.

Even within the haze that blurred everything beyond a few hundred meters, a deeper, heavier darkness loomed above me like a towering giant.

The capital of the Mist Duchy.

The ancient fortress hidden from all maps—the Castle of the Full Moon.

Keeruk, keeruk.

The cries of gulls circled overhead.

A low hum of voices, the murmuring of countless people, spread across the city. Individually, their voices were faint, but together, they formed a deep resonance, trembling even through the mist.

All of them, brimming with both reverence and unease, awaited the return of their Progenitor—just as the inhabitants of the Twilight Citadel had before them.

I was once again reminded of the weight of Tyrkanzyaka’s existence in this land.

She was the beginning of all vampires.

Even the Elders, the most powerful of her kind—beings who drank human blood and ruled with terrifying might—bowed before her as if she were a god.

And yet…

I had made her heart beat again.

And if I restored her senses as well, then I…

No. No need to overcomplicate things.

I simply prepared to disembark and spoke casually.

“So this is your castle, Tyr? It’s a massive city. I doubt I’ll get bored while I’m here.”
“Stay as long as you need. The trial will take some time, so you may as well think of it as a chance to rest.”
“Huh? Weren’t we supposed to be investigating Mr. Ruskinia’s death?”
“I will summon those involved and hold a trial. However… until the prime suspect arrives, there is little evidence to examine.”

That made sense.

If Elder Ruskinia had been killed, the one who inherited his True Blood—the Doctor of the Future—would naturally be the primary suspect.

Damn, I should’ve read her thoughts more carefully when I met her.

Her unique hemocraft was so fascinating that I had focused too much on it, rather than fully reading her mind.

Right now, the only thing I knew for certain about this case…

Was that the Doctor of the Future hadn’t killed Ruskinia.

“…And for now, Vladimir will have completed a thorough investigation. We shall review his report together. No matter how skilled you may be, uncovering the truth in an unfamiliar vampire’s domain would be difficult.”

Tyr spoke as if it was obvious that Vladimir would have already done the work.

And sure enough, as if he had been waiting for the cue, the Crimson Duke stepped forward.

“I have prepared a full report.”
“Good. Send it to Hughes; we will go over it together.”

Tyr may have been the god of the vampires…

But gods existed only in temples and the minds of their worshippers.

In reality, it was those outside the temples who governed and enforced order.

And among the Elders managing the duchy, Vladimir clearly bore the heaviest burden.

God and King.

That ominous thought lingered, and I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling it gave me.

“Come, Hughes. Take my hand and follow me.”

Tyr extended her hand.

“If you are to become the King of the Military Nation, you should make your presence known in advance.”
“…What if I don’t become its king?”
“Then all the more reason for you to stay by my side. After all, you are my—”

…Concubine?

The thought flashed through her mind, but she hesitated.

…No, that wouldn’t be quite right. It feels… improper. Besides, I have no intention of taking Hughes’ blood, so he isn’t a concubine in the first place.

“…My honored guest. That is how others shall know and treat you.”

I’d prefer if that treatment stayed respectful.

Normally, I’d refuse anything that put me in the public eye.

But this time, I decided to follow Tyr’s lead.

Stepping out of the carriage first, I turned and extended my hand toward her.

Tyr, placing her hand in mine, looked at me with mild curiosity.

“You are showing courtesy? That is unlike you. What brought this on?”
“I always tell you—it’s not that I can’t, I just choose not to. But sometimes, there’s a time and place for a bit of formality.

And this is one of those times—when your dignity must be upheld.”

If you must reveal your cards, do so in the most spectacular way possible.

The fewer people who know your full hand, the better? Nonsense.

The ones most interested in my cards were the ones most eager to strip them away.

So instead, I made sure all eyes were on me.

Escorting Tyr, I stepped down from the carriage, then gently placed a guiding hand on her shoulder.

It was an intimate gesture, but rather than push me away, Tyr allowed it, looking only slightly flustered.

The reaction was immediate.

As Tyr appeared before them, the same scene played out as it had in the Twilight Citadel—only amplified.

Both vampires and humans gasped in shock, their collective voices merging into a single exclamation of disbelief.

“The Progenitor… has taken a concubine!?”

Technically, not wrong…

But did they really have to phrase it like that?

Couldn’t they call me something else?