Ch.44Meeting Place (Interlude)

“…”

Seria fell silent at my answer that Vladimir was alive.

It must have been an answer she never expected.

If he was alive and well, why hadn’t he come looking for her yet?

A thousand years is absolutely not a short time.

Even elves, who are said to live for an infinite time by human standards, consider a thousand years to be an extremely long period.

If that’s true for elves, how much more so for vampires?

I don’t know everything about their race, but at least I know that such a timespan is not brief.

From the beginning, if he was alive, one can’t help but wonder why he hasn’t shown himself until now.

But…

“Is… is it really true…?”

Seria asked me with an expression that finally showed hope in response to my answer.

It was clear that beyond the implausibility of what I was saying, she desperately wanted to meet him again.

‘I didn’t realize it was this serious…’

She wasn’t the type to express affection so directly in the past.

Rather than being so earnest, she used to be prickly and impatient with me—definitely not someone who would show such pure affection like this.

‘Has her personality changed after not meeting for such a long time?’

It’s so burdensome that I feel pathetic for being unable to tell the truth and instead being evasive to a former colleague showing such pure affection.

If she had treated me more like a colleague on the surface as she did before, it might have been easier to explain, but now I’m at a loss about where to begin.

“To be precise, he should be alive.”

I added an explanation.

At least he should be alive. At my ambiguous answer, Seria narrowed her eyes.

“If that man is alive, do you perhaps know where he is?”

“Sorry, I can’t tell you that. I don’t really know either.”

Honestly, I’m still conflicted.

Should I tell her that I am Count Vladimir, or is it right to hide it for now?

My heart was warning me that if I didn’t speak now, there would be no turning back, but I couldn’t bring myself to open my mouth.

No matter how much I agonized and tried to make up my mind… I didn’t have the courage to reject that heavy love.

If it had been someone else, someone I didn’t know, I could have rejected them without a second thought, but Seria was different.

She was the first friend I made in this world and my colleague.

“… Are you perhaps looking for Vladi too?”

I shook my head.

“…”

Seria wore a contemplative expression for a moment.

She seemed to be wondering whether my answer about Count Vladimir actually being alive was true or not.

After struggling with her thoughts for a while, Seria eventually opened one eye and asked once more if Count Vladimir was really alive, staking everything on the answer.

Since it was too late to say otherwise, I answered that I could promise with everything I had.

She said that if I went that far, she had no choice but to believe me. Her expression showed both relief and joy, while at the same time sadness at still not being able to meet him—conflicting emotions were evident.

“Still, it’s somewhat better to hear that someone I thought was dead is actually alive… Disappearing suddenly without a word and then no news…”

I did disappear without a word.

If I had at least said I was going to sleep for a while because I was too sad about not being able to return home, she wouldn’t have changed so much… but then again…

‘Who would ever say they’re just going to sleep for a day or two?’

I had no intention whatsoever of sleeping for a thousand years.

People don’t go around telling others about their sleeping habits.

It’s not strange to inform people you’re living with, but who would go to a friend’s house just to say they’re going to sleep now when they’re already at their own home?

Even a crazy person wouldn’t do that.

Above all, who in their right mind would waste a thousand long years sleeping?

Unless you’re a dragon with so much time to spare that you have to sleep to pass it, no one would waste such precious time.

“I’m sorry I can’t tell you where he is.”

“No, it’s okay. Both you and Vladi must have your reasons for not wanting to talk about it. I can understand that much.”

I felt relieved inside as I watched Seria respond so coolly.

I was worried she might get angry upon hearing that he was actually alive, but fortunately it wasn’t that bad…

“Of course… when I meet him, I’ll have to capture him and lock him up so he can’t go anywhere again.”

“…?”

“Oh, sorry. My true feelings slipped out. But if I don’t do something like that, I feel like he’ll suddenly disappear again at some point.”

No, that won’t happen…

My disappearance for a thousand years wasn’t intentional—it was truly an accident.

How could I have known that while I was briefly sleeping, I would suddenly awaken as a Transcendent and a thousand years would pass?

If I had known that would happen, I would have at least mentioned that I might need to sleep for a thousand years.

I wanted to explain this and ask for leniency, but since I wasn’t actually Count Vladimir himself—or rather, since I couldn’t reveal that I was—it would seem strange if I brought this up…

I couldn’t say anything and just laughed with a “hoho,” telling her to hang in there.

‘I absolutely must not be discovered…’

Fortunately, Seria seems to believe what I’m saying.

After all, I demonstrated Blood Claw Art that rivaled or even surpassed Count Vladimir’s, so just based on that power and skill level, she couldn’t help but be convinced I was his disciple.

And why wouldn’t she believe a disciple saying such things?

That’s why she’s relieved on one hand but angry at me on the other.

‘Am I screwed…?’

Cold sweat runs down my back.

I’m seriously considering whether I should reveal that I am Count Vladimir right now—it might be better to have been discovered while hiding far away.

If it comes out that I was openly deceiving her right to her face…

‘Then I’m really in trouble…’

I would have to bear all of that terrible anger.

‘Is there no way…?’

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find a proper answer to how I could naturally reveal my identity without making Seria angry.

How could there be such a convenient method?

“I’ll make him spill everything about what happened. Aren’t you curious too? As his disciple, you must have suffered a lot because your master disappeared.”

“W-well… that’s true…”

I answered awkwardly with a smile at Seria’s question.

“Really? Then shall we form an alliance? Let’s find Vladi together.”

Looking up at Seria, who was smiling brightly and extending her hand with this proposal, I thought to myself.

This moment is the greatest crisis of my life.

‘…’

There’s no solution.

The best I can do right now is either reveal my identity immediately or try to hide it with some plausible reason until I’m eventually discovered.

If there was a convincing reason, Seria wouldn’t be able to stay completely angry.

The problem is, where would I find such a reason?

‘I don’t know.’

I don’t have the confidence to reveal my identity right now.

If it were someone else, I might be able to say it boldly, but I didn’t have the guts to reveal myself in front of a woman who said she would lock me up as soon as she saw me and was grinding her teeth about making me spill everything that had happened.

I don’t care if it’s shameful.

Anyone in my situation would find it impossible to open their mouth.

‘Save me…’

While outwardly calmly sipping my tea, I thought:

Please, someone save me…

* * *

“Haah… I wonder if I’ve ever felt this peaceful in the last thousand years.”

“I’m glad to hear that… ha, hahaha…”

“Why are you talking so awkwardly? I saw on the forum that you use an extremely confident and classical speech style.”

“…”

It’s because of you, woman.

“Well, I should get going now. I came to talk about the top administrator issue, so I can’t stay long anyway.”

“Umm, mmm…”

I wish she hadn’t come.

If we had just been friends, I would have revealed it without hesitation, but how did it end up like this…

“Haah…”

Watching Seria leave in the distance, I let out a deep sigh of frustration.

After worrying about what to do next, I shook my head.

‘Let’s just prepare for the Greatest Magic Tower Tournament…’

Thinking about this too much gives me a headache.

Having already deceived her, there’s no going back.

I’ll leave the problem of how to reveal it naturally and with minimal pain to my future self, and for now, let’s focus on preparing for the Greatest Magic Tower Tournament.

That’s the only way to put this uneasy feeling behind me.