Chapter 422: Elder, Ancilla, Neonate and Human (5)

No matter where you are in the world, if you dig deep enough, you’ll find something ugly lying underneath the surface.

Just look down at the human body for example—peel back a single layer of smooth skin and what awaits is nothing but fishy blood and grotesque flesh.

It’s the same with nations.

There’s always a darkness that exists, hidden just out of sight.

“Ah, that…”

Tyr looked a little awkward, thinking I was criticizing her.

“…It is the Duchy’s method of execution.”

“Like hanging or beheading?”

“Yes. When a human commits an unforgivable crime, they are placed in the compression chamber. Much like a fruit press, a large stone block is rolled over the person, squeezing every drop of blood out of them. Since even a single drop of blood is precious to vampires, we adopted this method.”

To vampires, blood is everything from food, currency, and even power.

They value humans for producing blood, but in other words, that makes humans merely property.

That’s all.

“Putting criminals in a press to execute them… that’s interesting.”

“Hu, do not think of it as cruel. It is just, well…”

“I thought you would also keep them alive and just drained them constantly, but you just kill them? Isn’t that… wasteful?”

“…That is what you were curious about?”

I replied nonchalantly.

“Why? Did you think I was going to blame you for being cruel? Me?”

“Is that not why you asked?”

“You really don’t know me yet. I’m from the Military State, you know? It’s not so different from the Duchy, to be honest.”

“…That is correct. The Military State also imposed brutal forced labor.”

｢Thank goodness. At least my country treats humans better than the Military State. I almost could not bring myself to talk about this in front of Hu.｣

Compared to the Military State, what nation wouldn’t look good?

Remembering the sights from there, Tyr gave a deep sigh of relief.

“There is a similar punishment. Those who steal or harm others are locked away and drained of blood more frequently as punishment.”

“No forced labor?”

“There is no need, is there? We can just turn their blood into familiars and make them do the work instead. If the humans get injured because of the labor, it defeats the whole purpose.”

“So your priorities are the opposite of the Military State. There, ‘labor’ basically means ‘injury.’”

In the Military State, humans were labor power.

They were used for work or had their mana forcibly extracted to produce resources.

But here in the Duchy, humans weren’t labor—they were the resource itself.

In some ways, maybe the vampire-run nation values humans more truly than others.

“I mean, you wouldn’t throw someone into the press just for stealing. You’d probably have to kill someone to earn that fate, right?”

“No. Those who kill others, or cause death, are turned into Twaite.”

“Twaite?”

“They are familiars created by a Neonate. The moment a person kills, they have destroyed a national resource. Not even a lifetime would be enough to repay that loss.”

Murder is a serious crime here too, but it’s treated as such because it deprives the country of a valuable human life.

“So, they stretch that lifetime indefinitely. Turn them into vampires—powerful, but with dulled awareness and intelligence—until they become mindless dolls who follow only commands.”

“That’s harsh.”

“Is it not stranger to show mercy to a murderer?”

Fair enough.

Outside of war, murder is reviled anywhere.

Wait.

In a country where humans are such valuable resources that even murderers are repurposed instead of disposed of…

“Then who gets executed by the compression chamber?”

Who exactly is the target of such a brutal execution?

To the point of being crushed alive to squeeze out their blood?

“Obviously, it is the punishment for those who try to flee this country.”

Tyr answered like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Their blood was filled by this land, their flesh woven by this land’s meat. If they intend to leave, should they not return everything given to them by this nation?”

Telling them to leave behind their blood and flesh basically means telling them to die… and clearly, that was the intent.

Instead of pointing that out, I swallowed hard and asked.

“There are people who tried to escape?”

“There were many, back when we were still inexperienced. We were in the midst of war so we tried to rule by force and oppression, but… we realized that spreading fear only helped the Sanctum. Thus, we changed our policies. Once we treated people better, the number of escapees dropped significantly.”

“So there were escape attempts even with such good treatment.”

“When you try to gather people together, there will always be all sorts of different personalities. Harsh punishments serve as a deterrent, so people would not even consider trying to run.”

Now I understood why stories of how livable the Duchy was never made it out.

The Sanctum’s prophets couldn’t see through the mist, and those who entered never escaped.

The truth of this place is forever sealed in darkness.

And darkness breeds fear.

People feared this unknown land and crafted horrific tales about it.

Even I once believed those outlandish tales.

However, knowing the foundation of the country makes it easier to understand.

A vampire nation where humans are the resource itself.

Because they’re so valuable, there’s no need to change or struggle for more.

Maybe this place really is a paradise.

“Are most of your questions answered?”

“Yes. The cultural backdrop is really interesting and hearing the explanation directly from the one who built this place makes it easy to understand.”

“Fufu. Did you not explain the Military State to me in the Abyss before? I rather enjoyed it. Since we know different things, sharing what we know is meaningful, is it not?”

So vampires treat humans like livestock?

Yeah, and how are the other countries any better?

The Military State sees them as labor, the Mage Federation as untested lottery tickets, and the Empire just calls them weeds that grow wild.

At least vampires appreciate the taste of blood.

That feels almost fair in comparison.

“Never thought I’d get a personal history lesson from you.”

“Even if I have been away for centuries, it is, after all, still my country. Of course I can answer your questions.”

“Right. You said you were catching up on the past three hundred years, didn’t you?”

“I have heard almost everything now. Nothing has changed too drastically. One more day of briefings and I will be caught up with present affairs. Actually, your knowledge helped a lot with new systems like the Blood Coin.”

“My knowledge? Ah, because I explained alchemy and the currency system?”

“Yes. Some of the things you mentioned had already been introduced by Valdamir. When I explained them fluently, he was clearly startled.”

“He was? A vampire?”

“Yes. He sat there for a moment, chin in hand, then cleared away nearly half of the materials he brought. Would he have done that if he were not flustered?”

Wouldn’t that be more of a calculated adjustment after realizing the Progenitor had grown beyond his expectations?

Wait a sec—did Valdamir come in person?

Isn’t he supposed to be busy running the Duchy’s affairs?

Even as the Crimson Duke, he’s serving Tyr personally?

Kavila too…

No matter how I look at it, she’s a loyal subject to the Progenitor…

Actually, isn’t it strange that someone like the Crimson Duke is still playing servant?

I guess I’ll need to meet Valdamir at some point.

I’ve read his thoughts plenty already, but like with Kavila—if he realizes what’s changed in Tyr, his views might shift too.

“This really is an interesting country. I haven’t been to a lot of places, but I’ve never seen anything quite like the Duchy, and the fact that its uniqueness turned out to be a good thing is even more surprising.”

“It is my country, but I do think I have managed it well. Otherwise, how could I dare to invite the King of Humans to reside here?”

“What’s so special about the King of Humans? He’s really just another King of Beasts in disguise, and beasts don’t meddle in other people’s countries.”

“I know that much. You, the King of Humans, do not love all mankind indiscriminately. You are not bound by the false ideals of good and evil that the Sanctum keeps preaching.”

Despite saying all that, Tyr smiled proudly.

“It is just a matter of pride, Hu. I brought you here out of gratitude. If I showed you a disgraceful sight, I would not be able to face you properly.”

Vampires are kind to humans.

For someone who once ruled the Abyss, Tyr barely ever harmed humans directly.

It’s not out of kindness—but because they’re a precious resource to be cherished.

…Still, even I, who can read minds, can’t always tell what counts as kindness.

And maybe I don’t need to.

Maybe it doesn’t matter.

“As thanks for the wonderful sights you’ve shown me… I should do my part, too.”

By day, I spy—no, let’s say I investigate the nation’s ongoings—and by night, I restore Tyr’s senses.

Time to keep my end of the deal.

Without even looking, I pulled out a Spade.

My deck, now as familiar as my own hand, handed me the right one effortlessly.

Tyr looked at my card and asked,

“Whenever you use your power, you always draw from that deck. Is that a treasure that holds your strength?”

“No. It holds meaning.”

“Meaning?”

“Otherwise, how would I know what power I’m using?”

I twirled the Seven of Spade—Lightning Spool—into a circle and lightly scratched it with my fingernail.

Like a massive cocoon, the card unraveled, pouring out strands of lightning by the tens of thousands, even millions, trailing from my fingers.

Tyr, watching with curious eyes, pointed at the lightning threads and asked.

“A fascinating ability. What are those threads?”

“They’re made of lightning.”

“Lightning? Those threads? Don’t tell me… is it the same lightning I saw in the Cloud Village? The power of a Divine?”

“Even if it comes from the same Divine, the power varies depending on who uses it. Even if I gather billions of these threads, they’re weaker than a single cast of the Standard Magic spell Volt. Here, try one.”

I snapped off a single strand and sent it to her.

Tyr tried to catch it, but the moment she touched it, it fizzled into a quiet static and vanished.

The spark was so faint it wouldn’t register to anyone, let alone to someone like Tyr who lacked sensation entirely.

“…Ah. How curious.”

Don’t pretend to relate when you don’t even have sensation.

I’m well aware my power is still lacking.

“But I have other uses for it. These lightning threads will restore your senses.”

“How? I cannot even feel it.”

“The explanation is quite long so let’s just get started. We’ll begin near your head. Tyr, can you stick out your tongue?”

“My tongue?”

Tyr obediently followed my instructions, parting her lips and shyly sticking out her tongue.

Even the clams I saw at the coast today extended farther than that.

I was left wondering where I was supposed to grab.

“Have you seriously never stuck your tongue out before? Is this really the best you can do?”

“Ehh, i’ ish is ‘ay i ‘an do…”

｢Why would I ever need to? What am I lacking that I would resort to something so childish?｣

Fair point. When you’re the ruler of a nation, there’s no need to annoy people with childish taunts.

If someone bothers you, you just point and tell them to die.

Before regaining her heart, Tyrkanzyaka didn’t even need to speak—just the intention alone could kill a vampire.

“We’ll go deeper later. For now, let me give you just a taste. Try to focus on the tip of your tongue.”

Human speech is noise made by vibrating the throat and shaping it with the tongue.

Unable to speak with her tongue out, Tyr gave a small nod.

Clutching the Lightning Spool, I pinched her soft tongue gently between my thumb and forefinger.

“It no longer functions, but the pathways should still remain. Your body’s been preserved exactly as it was at death. If I reawaken those paths with lightning… like this…”

Once you understand something, you can truly see it.

The knowledge of the Divine is a tool to understand the world.

And since humans are a part of the world, by accepting the Divine’s knowledge, I can understand humans anew.

And with that understanding, I act.

The lightning thread slithered into Tyr’s tongue.

Using my Mind Reading, I peered into her sense of perception.

Trapped in the cold darkness, she had long discarded all senses—save for a dim sight born of shadow and the faintest hearing.

To exist, she had sacrificed everything else.

To her, the rest of the senses were pitch-black voids.

But it wasn’t as though she never had them.

They were simply lost.

And though I once lacked the means or knowledge to recover them, that was before I attained the Divine.

Good.

It’s working.

At this rate, even Tyr—

“Auh, eh eh?”

｢Must you hold onto my tongue like that?｣

…Not the best reaction huh…

Being stuck like this—tongue out and clamped—is apparently bothering her.

Words are shaped by the tongue and vocal cords.

Maybe if she’d trained to project her voice with Qi, she could speak, but now?

She’s left unable to do anything but sit there with her tongue pinched.

How could she feel uncomfortable over this?

Aren’t vampires supposed to have more patience?

But there’s something else too.

｢After all this time, finally alone with Hu… and this is what we are doing? We are not even speaking to each other, and he is just holding my tongue? I know it is necessary, but… alone together, and this is what we are doing… how could I not feel dissatisfied?｣

Tyr’s discomfort brewed like a storm.

My Lightning Spool, unable to find its way, faded and scattered within her body.

If this keeps up, I’ll just end up playing with her tongue and accomplishing nothing.

I quickly spoke.

“Wait—please focus.”

“…Auh, ehuh.”

｢Focus? On what, exactly? My tongue? Or this ridiculous situation?｣

Restoring Tyr’s senses isn’t something I can do alone.

The lightning may influence movement, but changing her body requires her own response.

This isn’t just reading a book—it’s rewriting it.

If the original author doesn’t help, I’m just whispering my own hopes into her ear.

Tch.

Should’ve started by getting her in sync. That was clumsy of me.

“You’re not saying anything, but you seem kind of unhappy.”

“Auh ah is ih uhh uh ay ah ah ih?”

｢How could I not be? I’m only tolerating this because you said it would restore my senses.｣

Unfortunately, since reviving her heart, Tyr’s body has become more distinct and defined.

Had she still been truly dead, I could’ve shaped her freely, as I did before.

But not now.

To change, Tyr herself must move.

Strange.

It worked back in the Twilight Citadel, when we shared food.

So what’s different now…?

Oh well.

I let go of her tongue.

The soft sensation faded from my fingertips, and a brief flicker of irritation crossed Tyr’s face before vanishing.

“This isn’t working. Tyr, we’ll have to try a different approach.”

“If there is another method, why did you not use it from the start?”

“Because it might make you uncomfortable. I went with the gentlest option first.”

“You think grabbing a lady’s tongue with your fingers is gentle? Ha… I shudder to imagine what your harsh methods must be.”

“It’s hard to explain. Want to try it?”

She might regret this.

Not me—but Tyr.

Ignoring my warning, she lifted her chin defiantly.

“Do it.”

“Okay. No take-backs.”

Let me show you a little magic.

I pulled out the Seven of Spades again and drew a fistful of lightning.

This time, I placed it in my mouth.

The static crackled loud and sharp.

Seeing this, Tyr gave a soft snort.

“Eating lightning… it does not seem very gentle.”

Then I grabbed the back of her head.

Tyr blinked in surprise.

Before she could react, I pulled her forward while leaning in myself.

It was forceful—so much so that even Tyrkanzyaka, the Progenitor, failed to resist.

In the blink of an eye, her widened eyes met mine as she took in the lightning from my mouth.

And the heart of the vampire… thundered like mad.