episode_0056

Episode.56 The passage of time

The door opened.

It was not completely open, but only wide enough to fit an adult male of average physique.

Before going in, I asked Alukid another question.

Since this guy answered most questions, I wanted to get a little more information.

“Do you know the maid with that light purple hair?”

After hearing what I said, Alukid fell into thought for a moment.

Then he answered my question with an expression that reminded him of something.

“Are you talking about Triche…?”

“Okay, Triche. Is she for the same reason as you? That… working here…”

“I don’t know, but maybe it’s the same reason as mine? You probably work just because the pay is high. Triche has been working here for less than a month. I remember that even though he was a newcomer, his charisma was no joke.”

【Wow, this butler… he talks a lot.】

Chaewon shook off her dissatisfaction.

However, because Allukid talks a lot, you can use it to get more information.

‘Hang in there just a little while.’

“Hmm… Then this is my last question about your master.”

“Yes, please tell me.”

I took a deep breath.

It’s not a big question.

I was half… no, I was almost certain.

I’m just asking for confirmation.

“Illya’s father… is the one called Lord here, right?”

Alukid nodded.

“Yes. you’re right. The Lord’s name is Verdium Violet… This part is a bit long… I’ll answer only the questions you asked.”

okay.

This made it clear.

‘Is the boss I’m supposed to defeat looking for me now?’

“Then, why on earth does Illya’s father want his young daughter to get married? According to human common sense, this is an act that an average father would not understand-”

“Oh, wait a minute. It looks like you didn’t hear the story in advance. First of all, Illya is not young. They may have lived about 200 years longer than us, or even longer than that since vampires are a race that lives almost forever. In my opinion, it just seems like you are sending your in-laws too late.”

【Hmm, is that so? Ah~ I was wondering where the chicken coop smelled like this~ He was such an old man, right?】

“But, the body… no, it looks like the body hasn’t grown at all.”

“Ah… In that part, Illya-sama, your body grows every time you drink the most delicious and pleasant blood. It’s not a trait of the true ancestor, but Illya seems to be special. I understand that humans probably grow to the body size of a 25-year-old. On the other hand, if you do the exact opposite, if you absorb blood, you will be reduced to the body size of a 7-year-old, which is roughly the human standard limit.”

【Unfortunately, the outside is not a chicken coop… but the inside is…】

I left Chaewon, who kept talking strangely to herself, and listened to Allukid, who continued his sentence.

“So. You’ve easily passed the age of 20, so you don’t have to worry. Because they are almost eternal life.”

‘Is the reason why your body glowed earlier because you drank my blood?’

【What, so you’re saying your blood felt good? It’s not some kind of drug… Look, I’ll try sucking some of that handsome guy’s blood too. Bring your neck here.】

“Ah..Haha, I guess so. Now, let’s go inside.”

I started making movements to avoid Chaewon and enter the door.

“Yes, are you waiting outside?”

“No, I’ve memorized the route now.”

I completely turned my back on Allukid and entered the place where Lord Verdium was.

“By the way, Allukid. There’s something I forgot to ask. Trice is human, right?”

– I’m sorry.

As soon as I stepped over the door, it started to close automatically.

“You are saying the obvious.”

– Coo!

As soon as I heard Alukid’s final answer, the door closed.

When the door closed, I looked around the space where I was now standing on my own two feet.

I’ve definitely been to this slightly dark place.

【Is this… surely the same gloomy place we first came to?】

‘that’s right. I used to come in through the front door, but now I come in through the side door. I also heard an unconventional marriage declaration here. But the problem is that the person in question is me.’

【Did you come in through our dog hole?】

‘What a hole… How can you express it so poorly?’

As I walked a little further, I saw the main gate where Aluns had guided me before.

Now the huge throne came into view.

“What kind of courtesy was it to leave the side door open, not come in, and answer questions with the butler?… Ha, that’s it. What would a little thing know?”

As soon as the thrones were next to each other, I heard Verdium’s voice.

Verdium was looking down at me with a solemn expression.

Since the throne has to go up a few stairs, it automatically looks down on me.

He was drinking wine from a wine glass.

Illya was sitting hesitantly next to Verdium, who was drinking wine.

Me once, Verdium once.

I’m not good at handling eye contact in turns like this.

I was standing in front of the throne where they were sitting.

“…Verdium violet, right?”

Verdium’s hand, which had been gulping down wine without hesitation, stopped.

“… Who did you hear it from? I remember never telling you my name?”

“That’s… Ugh!”

As I was thinking for a bit to answer the question, Verdium pushed me away with what appeared to be his blood magic and tied my feet together.

The technique that bound my feet looked like a vine made of blood.

I was tied to the spot and unable to move.

“You’re attacking me while I’m talking… You’re pretty cowardly, right?”

“Ah, Dad! Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

Illya began to stop Verdium.

“Looking at it, it can’t be avoided.”

After finishing his sentence, Verdium immediately threw his empty wine glass at me.

There were droplets of wine left here and there in the wine glass.

‘No… the important thing now is to knock that wine glass down!’

I didn’t hesitate to go to subspace. In other words, he took out the lost king’s sword that he had previously put in his inventory.

Black sword.

Black crossguard.

Black handle.

An impressive double edge in black.

The blade is dark yet shiny.

An unusual sword.

In a split second, all kinds of random thoughts fill my head as I look at my sword.

This is something I’ve been curious about before: the king’s sword, and the soul contained in this sword, is called the ‘queen’.

【What are you doing if you’re not blocking it! Be careful ahead!】

I got out of the swamp inside me and the random thoughts and hurriedly struck down the glass wine glass flying in front of me with the side of my sword.

– Clink!

“The reaction speed is not bad for a human. No matter how strong a human being is, if there is a limitation in the body, such as a wound, that ability will be greatly reduced. As expected, you are not an average person.”

After saying that, the red vine made of blood magic that was binding my legs was released.

“But that weapon. It looks familiar somehow… After all, it’s a sword I know.”

“You know this sword?”

I don’t know much about this sword either.

I was puzzled that he knew about this sword, so I asked Verdium.

“Yes. Cold, yet soft. Wine and black have many similarities. That sword. This is a sword that my father gave me when I was young. So much time has passed that I didn’t recognize it right away.”

“What?!”

If this sword is really what Verdium said.

What if the flow of time has reversed and we have returned to the past?

Wouldn’t it make sense for the sword from his childhood to be in my hand?

In that case, the person who brought this sword inside the gate brought it from this place where the flow of time is constant.

‘Such a coincidence…’

but.

If the sword I’m holding and the sword he used in his childhood are the same ‘sword’.

Isn’t his sword a fully formed sword by now?

The sword I’m holding says ‘grow’.

He held up a wine bottle.

“Stop it!”

“Hmm… Try this too.”

Verdium shook off Illya’s hand and threw the almost empty wine bottle at me.

A wine bottle flying at high speed.

But it’s still a wine bottle.

I easily split the wine bottle in half.

– Pakak!

– Clink!

Afterwards, it hit the ground and broke, scattering glass fragments everywhere.

“You’re a rookie. Think deeply, act quickly.”

Verdium stood up.

“Keep in mind. The sword doesn’t protect you. You protect yourself with a sword.”

– Turf. Trap.

Verdium slowly came down the stairs and was at the same eye level as me.

“Seeing you like that changed my mind.”

“Dad!”

Illya is trying to stop her father.

But Verdium lightly ignores it.

【Oh, what is that?】

Verdium took out an ‘orb’ that looked like a red crystal ball from his hand.

A ‘black sword’ was taken out from the red orb.

“Uh, that sword… no way?!”

A sword like mine.

But the sword I’m holding is somehow worn out.

Verdium. There wasn’t a single shabby corner of the sword he was holding.

“This sword contains the queen’s soul. Have you put it in yet?… I think it’s already there. Well, it’s kind of like polygamy. It’s not to the point where you can’t understand. Because it’s not a living person anyway.”

“Well, it’s just a bunch of junk…”

【Now, what a ghost! That’s harsh! Am I listening to everything?】

“Is that so? Anyway, looking at your youthful appearance keeps reminding me of my childhood.”

I was on edge as the battle seemed to unfold at any moment.

“Anyway, I had something to ask…”

I was planning to talk to Verdium again and get information.

“No, ask questions later. I don’t like how you remind me of my childhood.”

Verdium lowered his posture.

“The sword is not meant to be held like that.”

Soon Verdium came right in front of me in an instant.

When I reacted, my sword was already broken and I was thrown into the wall.

There was only a broken sword in my hand.