Ch.113A Brief Vacation (3)

The nighttime sea has a serene charm.

The deep silence contrasting with the sound of waves flowing from beyond the invisible horizon under the moonlight often makes one contemplative when standing alone.

It makes you feel somewhat emotional, I suppose.

Though I haven’t come here often, now that I’m here again, it doesn’t feel so bad.

“Wow…”

Irina, who was beside me, looked around with an expression of wonder as she took in the nighttime sea.

“There were so many people here just this morning, but now there’s no one.”

“Of course. No one comes out to swim at night.”

[Surely that’s not true, right?]

[No way lol. Who would abandon ship when things are going so well? lol]

[Midir won’t leave us I’m certain of it I believe in Midir and you should believe in me who believes in Midir]

“What a commotion…”

As expected of wise mages.

Looking at my MagicPad, rumors were circulating that I was about to retire.

Actually, it wasn’t just a rumor but the truth… After this vacation ends, I was planning to step down from my position as Blood Tower Master after completing the handover to Irina.

Of course, since Irina is still young, I wasn’t planning to entrust her with everything.

Even without me, the elders will take care of the paperwork anyway.

Until now, I’ve been handling everything myself, but it was originally their job. Since they’ve even rejuvenated thanks to my abilities, they should do some work.

If they don’t, I won’t let them off easy.

Anyway, after completing the handover to Irina, I plan to retire and watch over her as she leads the Blood Tower.

To put it simply… I’m working hard for my successor.

‘I’m suffering so much…’

If she ruins the Blood Tower that I’ve worked so hard to build, I won’t let her off easy, even if it’s Irina.

Especially since she’s learned so much under me.

“Irina.”

“Did you call me?”

“Did you enjoy today?”

At my question, Irina stared at me blankly before breaking into a smile.

“Yes, I had a lot of fun.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Well, judging from how she was playing earlier, I think she definitely enjoyed herself.

I’ve never seen Irina so excited before.

“As you know, we didn’t come all the way out here just for a walk. I have something to talk to you about.”

“Irina already knows what you want to say.”

At Irina’s words, my eyes widened.

I hadn’t directly brought it up, so I was surprised she knew.

“You’re planning to retire soon, aren’t you?”

“Not completely retire. From now on, I think you should lead the Blood Tower, not me.”

I’ll continue to help from behind the scenes.

But while I’ve been directly leading the Blood Tower until now, after I retire, I’ll only be able to help indirectly.

After all, I’ll be stepping down from the position of Blood Tower Master.

“I won’t make you a puppet. I’ll only help when you ask for it.”

From now on, blood mages, including Irina, will have to directly lead the future.

My direct involvement was exceptional to begin with.

I am not a blood mage.

I’m just a vampire who handles Blood Claw Art.

Of course, unlike ordinary vampires, I carry the grand title of Transcendent, but strictly speaking, Blood Magic and Blood Claw Art are different techniques.

However, the reason I’ve been able to avoid detection until now is that Blood Magic ultimately derived from Blood Claw Art.

There’s a limit to what I can directly teach to mages who handle Blood Magic.

“At this rate, it won’t be long before people discover that what I use is not Blood Magic but Blood Claw Art.”

“Yeah…”

“Right now, you’re not quite ready to take the position of Blood Tower Master… but I’ll help you from the side.”

It’s time to stop appearing in official positions.

If it’s discovered that the Tower Master isn’t even a mage, the Blood Tower’s reputation will plummet.

Not getting caught only works for so long, and it’s getting risky now.

Of course, the Blood Tower is in good enough condition that I could continue as Tower Master a bit longer if I reduced my external activities…

‘But I don’t really want to go that far.’

Most people would want to maintain this position as long as possible, but I’m different.

I don’t have much attachment to this position, and I just need enough money to live comfortably.

Being revered by others is already enough for me.

Above all, I don’t think that should be the goal, especially when it’s not even a specific objective.

“How is that different from you being the Blood Tower Master?”

“Let’s call it joint work. There will be two Blood Tower Masters.”

It’s necessary for the handover.

I plan to let Irina handle all the external activities.

Once I bring in a trustworthy secretary, she’ll manage well on her own, and I can rest comfortably behind the scenes.

Thinking about it again, it really is a perfect plan.

“Hehehe…”

“You’re being weird…”

“You’ll understand my feelings someday.”

I’m already this exhausted after just one year.

I genuinely wonder how Seria managed to work as a Tower Master for a thousand years.

A thousand years…?

‘Even one year feels so long, but a thousand years…’

I can’t imagine it.

I shook my head.

It might be unimaginable to me, but perhaps Seria was actually well-suited for it.

‘Judging by how she gets pushed around by those old folks, that doesn’t seem entirely true…’

Just recently, she was struggling to control the conflict between the younger and older generations. It’s clear that being the Green Tower Master is an extreme job, not just any Magic Tower.

I wouldn’t do it even if offered billions…

I’m not the type to seek out hardship.

Anyway, being human after all, I increasingly want to rest.

“Hmm… I don’t really understand.”

Irina said that as if she didn’t get it, but I just shrugged in response.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you whenever you find it difficult.”

“Hmm…”

Irina’s expression showed she wasn’t very convinced.

‘Is the timing not good…?’

I briefly wondered if I was rushing things, but then shook my head.

For me to step down as Blood Tower Master and rest, Irina’s role in leading the Blood Tower after me was extremely important.

She needs to learn from me what it means to be a Tower Master before I retire, as she’ll be taking over.

I thought the best way to do that was to make her co-Tower Master and properly hand over everything…

But it seems like I might be rushing things… and I felt a bit sorry for not considering Irina’s thoughts.

After all, it’s about ascending to the highest position in this tower, and even if she’s the most talented Blood Mage, she might not want to become the Tower Master.

Even though she was being groomed as the next Blood Tower Master.

“Do you not want to become the Blood Tower Master?”

At my question, Irina remained silent, gazing at the dark sea.

Is she deep in thought?

I waited for Irina to finish her contemplation.

After what seemed like a long time…

Irina’s tightly closed lips finally opened.

“It’s not that I don’t want to be the Blood Tower Master… I know it too. Right now, without you, I’m the only one who can lead the Blood Tower.”

“Hmm.”

So she did know.

Among the young talents, there’s no one like Irina.

That was the problem.

“Do you… want to quit being the Blood Tower Master?”

At Irina’s question, I shook my head.

“Of course, I do have such feelings to some extent… but the biggest reason is that me staying in this position for a long time won’t benefit the Blood Mages at all.”

“Why? I… want you to continue as the Blood Tower Master.”

“That’s…”

Should I really tell her?

I sighed inwardly.

I think it’s okay to tell Irina, of all people.

But it’s still uncomfortable to say.

I fumbled with the words that rose from my throat, unable to speak them aloud.

‘I should… tell her…’

For the future.

For persuasion.

After maintaining silence for a moment, I finally spoke.

“The reason is simple.”

Looking at Irina, I showed her my fangs.

“As you know, I am a vampire. And…”

I said quietly.

“I am Count Vladimir.”

Mentioning the name of one who disappeared a thousand years ago.

I revealed the truth I had been hiding to the girl.