Chapter 444: Trial That Defies Fate (7)

“It’s cowardly— We were the same body. We were both dead. Even if our hearts were cold, even if we felt nothing— Because we were one with the Progenitor, we weren’t lonely anymore— And now, leaving only us behind… It’s cowardly.”

Muri’s voice cried out like a sob, and a faint harmony followed.

The Phantom Dancer, Muri of the Waning Moon—the Elder who adorned the desolate Duchy with art, singing, and dancing.

Though she had lost all feeling after becoming a vampire, a subtle stir in Tyrkanzyaka when she heard the music echoing in Muri’s chest compelled her to continue.

“Progenitor— Why did you cast us aside? You left and you slept, but when we finally saw you again— You tossed us aside like worn-out shoes.”

But now that the shackles were broken, nothing stirred in Muri’s heart.

No thrill, no emotion, no confusion, no betrayal.

The feelings Tyrkanzyaka should have felt were all gone.

For an artist, inspiration is everything.

Now that Tyrkanzyaka no longer listened or responded, Muri had no audience.

And art without an audience is nothing.

With the Progenitor off chasing a man, Muri was left with nothing at all.

“I did not cast you aside! Were you not the ones who came to me of your own accord?!”

Tyrkanzyaka shouted, but to those now free of the shackles, her voice was nothing more than meaningless noise.

Rahu Khan spoke up.

“Clan Chief. The shackles were a promise. I… I became a vampire to protect the flesh my mother gave me, but the Clan Chief broke that promise.”

“Even if I have regained my heart, your immortality has not vanished. No, It has grown even stronger! You would not die even if I commanded it! What is the problem?!”

Back when she was still immature, many of Tyrkanzyaka’s Elders died despite their immortality.

While their forces were weak compared to their enemies, many deaths came from their inability to control their own powers.

Thus, the Progenitor had only accepted those strong enough to wield power without losing control.

“…Different. Now, we, we’re not like Mama anymore.”

Bloodleech Old Bakuta.

A devourer from the deep swamp whose age and origins were unknown.

He became an Elder to rid himself of hunger, and now, he gently rubbed his empty belly and bit down on something in sorrow.

“We said we’d all become the same. That we wouldn’t be lonely anymore, but… how could you change alone?”

“Changed? What has changed, Bakuta? You are still an Elder. You cannot possibly feel hunger!”

“…But Mama, I’m hungry. Something’s missing. I’m not full.”

With hollow eyes, Bakuta scanned the room.

When even fellow vampires shrank from his gaze, it was clear he saw them as prey.

His power to consume others and make their blood his own was unique.

Anyone devoured by Bakuta—even vampires—couldn’t regenerate.

Such consumption made him a pariah by nature.

The only reason he was allowed among the Elders was because Tyrkanzyaka’s absolute Bloodcraft kept him suppressed.

Under the control of the Progenitor, Bakuta only devoured beasts.

So it had been—until now.

Watching the ravenous Bakuta, Rahu Khan spoke, as if realizing something.

“It’s not hunger. It’s desire.”

“…Desire?”

“The Clan Chief took it. Took our desire. That’s why we were peaceful, but now, that desire has returned.”

“Mmm~ Maybe that’s it. I want to move. I want to dance. I want to tear my body apart. I want to drink. I want to be held— Maybe the Progenitor… also wanted to be held by a man~?”

“That is beside the point!”

Freed from the shackles, the Elders hurled questions.

Tyrkanzyaka answered each one.

No hammer was struck, no official announcement made, but the trial of rebellion against the Progenitor had already begun.

Ancilla, Neonate—vampires no longer bound to follow the Progenitor—moved toward their own chosen lords.

The Progenitor, who once stood above all, now stood completely alone.

The throne became a tribunal.

The Progenitor, without a single retainer, stood alone and exposed, subjected to the questioning of the vampires.

I saw it coming, and now it’s finally happened.

These damn vampire brats really are a piece of work.

The Progenitor loses her power for a moment and they’re already staging a rebellion.

I’ve always thought they had no blood or tears, but apparently, they’ve got no shame either.

First things first, we need to escape.

If the Elders have rebelled and start storming in, Plenilune Castle will become a battlefield.

“Let’s get out of the castle first! No matter where we go, we need to have our feet on the ground!”

I grabbed the curtains draped around the bed and tore them down.

The bed itself was a historic relic from long ago. Even a scrap of curtain was probably a priceless treasure—but it wasn’t more precious than my life.

I quickly tied a handle to the edge of the curtain.

“Father, what are you planning to do?”

“I’m going to use this as a parachute! Hilde, don’t try to ride with me. It’s only built for one!”

“…‘I’ can fall from here just fine.”

Right, Hilde’s one of the Six Star Generals.

For someone trained in breakfalling, a drop like this is just lazy vertical travel.

Vampires are the same too… Wait, am I the only one scared of heights?

Then what’s the point in my fear of heights?!

“You’re oddly serious today.”

“I’ll save the jokes for after we’re out. Jump first. They’ll be here soon.”

“You really draw the line between work and play…. Huh? Why are you grabbing my collar…?”

Hilde grabbed onto the bedframe with one hand and gave it a hard shove.

– Rumble.

The massive bed slid across the room and slammed into the opposite wall.

Normally, you’d expect the bed to be wrecked, but this grand antique of a bed didn’t stop even after the impact.

– Crash.

It smashed through the wall and floated in the open air.

Sadly, it had no wings.

That treasured heirloom that rested in the Progenitor’s room for centuries would soon be nothing but rubble.

You did a lot for me, bed.

I was rough with you, but you made it comfortable.

I’ll mourn you properly.

“Go first. ‘I’ will be right behind you.”

“What are you—ARGHHHHH!”

Hilde hurled me straight out through the hole in the wall.

I soared through the air like the very bed I had just mourned.

“AAAAAAAA! I’m not even done yet!”

As I plummeted, I caught a glimpse of two of Erzsebet’s Ancilla bursting through the door, but it didn’t matter anymore.

My life was the thing I had to worry about first.

I waited for some speed.

Wind needs to catch before you can spread wide.

After a mental count of five, I flung out both hands and opened my curtain parachute.

Luckily, being antique didn’t make it frail.

The tough and thick fabric held my weight.

Meanwhile, the air of the Duchy was heavy.

Thick with damp sea winds and some unknown darkness, it clung to my body like water.

I descended quickly, the dim and hazy sea stretching out far behind me—

“…Still a bit fast, though.”

Even with all the Qi Arts I knew, this impact is gonna hurt.

What should I do?

While I panicked, I noticed the bed had already crashed below, its frame shattered and only the soft mattress remaining.

Oh.

“Sorry, buddy. You really came through for me in the end.”

I landed on the mattress and stood up, brushing dust off my clothes.

Thanks to the tear-resistant curtains, the wall Hilde shattered, and the mattress lay out like a safety net, I was completely fine.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I looked up to find Hilde, still in her nurse’s uniform, standing with an unimpressed expression.

“Whoa! You scared me! How did you land first?!”

Was that not a breakfall and just falling faster instead?

As I flailed, Hilde spun on her heel and walked ahead.

“Follow me.”

“You’ve been cold since earlier. What’s bothering you?”

“The situation is urgent. No time for chatter. Let’s move.”

Hilde led me through the most secluded alleys of the Plenilune Castle as if it were her own front yard.

In her brisk professionalism, I saw a glimpse of the old Camarilla.

She’s really upset.

Not at the situation—but at me, clearly.

“…Are you jealous, by chance?”

“I wish it were jealousy, Father.”

She answered without even glancing at me.

“Rumors are spreading like wildfire that you spent several nights with the Progenitor. First among the vampires, now even the humans know. There are no more secrets in this castle about you and the Progenitor.”

“That’s… a little embarrassing, but also kind of flattering.”

“Flattering. Hah.”

Letting out a sigh, Hilde turned to face me with a glare sharp enough to cut.

“‘I’ did my best, and what did you do? Rolled around in bed with the Progenitor? Left your marks on her body?”

“It was a good time.”

“If you wanted to deepen your bond with the Progenitor, you should have handled your responsibilities first.”

Still in her nurse uniform, Hilde looked more decisive than ever with every word.

“You knew there were factions openly rebelling against the Progenitor, yet instead of addressing that, you took her to bed? You enjoyed yourself during this ‘golden time’, huh? I always thought, even if you were a beast, at least you would know how to handle your own crisis, but when I couldn’t take it anymore and went to check on you—you were just lying there.”

“Maybe I got a bit lazy, but Tyr asked me first—”

“If you were going to whisper sweet nothings, you should’ve told her to take care of things first. Father, you’re hopeless.”

There’s something strange about being called “Father” while being looked at like trash.

I could only smile sheepishly, and Hilde stared at me like I was a bug.

“The slumbering Elders have awakened. Whether they’re hostile or friendly, we don’t know because this is the first time the Progenitor has ever lost her authority. No one can predict how the vampires without that control might act. Not even the Saintess.”

“If not even the Saintess knows, how could I possibly—?”

“But you, who were attacked by an Ancilla already, should’ve been more careful.”

Her eyes cut through me like blades.

Though she now calls me ‘Father,’ Hilde was once the Camarilla, the head of Public Safety in the Military State.

That side of her poked through, and I got a little scared.

“B-But there are Elders still loyal to Tyr, right? Historically, most of them owe her deeply. Especially Ms. Kavila, the Bloodweaver, she’s completely devoted to the Progenitor.”

“…Do you know what information ‘I’ uncovered?”

I already knew from reading her thoughts, but I asked anyway out of politeness.

“What is it?”

“Ancillae, like Elders, are equals. Just being slightly superior doesn’t let one rule over the others. To rally them and move them, an Elder is needed. Not necessarily their own.”

“Meaning… there’s an Elder rallying Luscynia’s Ancillae?”

“And based on what ‘I’ discovered, that Elder is—”

At the exact moment the Progenitor’s authority was plummeting, Kavila clapped her hands with a sour face.

A massive presence shattered the wall and entered.

Several vampires quickly backed away, attempting to defend with Bloodcraft.

But the enormous presence ignored their efforts, widening the hole with a giant claw.

“You said you’d show us! Now you dare to mock the grace that sis has shown to us?! After she shared her blood with you lot, you dare to mock sis?!”

The exoskeleton of a Leviathan.

Specifically, the shell of one killed mid-molt.

When its corpse washed ashore long ago, Kavila retrieved it and turned it into a puppet.

Making a puppet out of a marine creature had proven difficult, but Kavila’s perseverance eventually paid off.

Its lobster claw rampaged through the hall, shrugging off most attacks with its hardened shell.

As the throne descended into chaos, Kavila cloaked herself in blood and approached Tyrkanzyaka.

“Sis, look. Look at those filthy creatures. Just because you got your heart back, they think they deserve your Primordial Essence. If we do nothing, they’ll take your throne! Your blood, your life.”

Kavila smiled like a withered flower petal.

She looked like the Progenitor’s savior as she strode forward, basking in the role.

“Then, there’s no other choice, sis.”

And then came her personal, all-too-human desire—

“I’ll stop your heart for a moment. So you can be my sister again.”

To kill Tyr and bring back the Progenitor she knew and loved.