Now that we were done eating, the dishes were my responsibility. This was truly unfair. That creature, the Dog King, stole and ate half of my food, so why was I the one stuck with all the dishes? What kind of world is this? What kind of country?
Ah, right. The Military State was a pseudo-nation that barely deserved the name.
While a full-bellied Azzy sprawled on the floor yawning, I grumbled my way through the cleanup. She didn't even react to my toil.
The only silver lining, I suppose, was that Azzy's bowl was as clean and shiny as new.
'So, this man does eat. It seems he's human, at least.'
A thought drifted in from the hallway outside the cafeteria. The Regressor was pressed flat against the outer wall, peering inside. Reading the influx of her thoughts, I scowled.
Look who's talking about who's not human.
Hey. A human who trains hard enough can project a Qi blade. They can use magic, too. Their bodies can even become incredibly tough.
Some people can carefully observe another's expression, gaze, and breathing, and guess what they're thinking. Not as well as me, of course.
But no matter how hard you try, you can't turn back time. The least human one of all is calling me out.
'…More importantly, why is Azzy following a frivolous man like that? Seeing as he even cooked for her, it looks like she's already opened up to him. Maybe I should also…?'
"Ahem!"
Her thoughts trailing off, the Regressor let out a pointless cough and entered the cafeteria. She met Azzy's eyes and greeted her in a slightly higher tone than usual. Her attitude was the very definition of awkward.
"Oh, hello. Azzy? Did you enjoy your meal?"
"Woof…"
But as they say, the most fortunate creature in the world is a well-fed dog. The languid Azzy showed little reaction, merely wagging her tail. The Regressor, slightly dejected, lowered her raised hand.
'Her reaction is lukewarm. Is it because I'm… dressed as a man? No, that can't be it. She follows him just fine. Tsk, what on earth did he do…?'
A game of fetch, that damn game of fetch!
You saw it too!
Before you start talking about her "following" me, I wish you'd just throw the ball for her once in a while. People who claim to love dogs always seem to want the perks without doing any of the work. If you want to get close, play with her properly and take responsibility to the end.
Sigh. Still, she made her presence known, so I should probably acknowledge her. I turned from the sink and looked at the Regressor.
"Good morning, Trainee Shei. Have you had breakfast?"
After the routine greeting, I happened to notice there was still some bean stew left in the pot. If the Regressor hadn't eaten yet, I'd have to offer her some as a courtesy. Otherwise, it would be like taunting her, 'You haven't eaten? Too bad. I have~.'
Properly cooked, one Compressed Can of beans could feed a family of four for a whole day. But since that pig-like creature had just devoured half of it, there wasn't much left. To think I had to share this precious food.
Still, it was better than getting on her bad side and being wiped out. Feeling as if I were tearing off a piece of my own flesh, I made the offer.
"If you haven't, would you like some of this special Military State canned bean dish I cooked myself?"
"Don't worry about me. I manage to eat just fine on my own."
"Pardon? The cafeteria is right here. What could you possibly be eating? Did you perhaps sneak some rations away?"
"I have my own personal supply of food."
With that short reply, the Regressor cast a look of utter disgust at the bean dish in the pot.
'Canned beans… I wouldn't want to eat that dreadful food unless it was the very beginning of a timeline. Acquiring the Bountiful Table, which serves a full course meal every day, was truly a godsend. It's only for one person, but at least my own meals are guaranteed.'
I'd inadvertently been one-upped while reading her thoughts.
Here I was, fighting with a dog over scraps and living hand-to-mouth, while she was living it up with a treasure that served her a feast every day. Is this a country? Seriously?
I may be a mind reader, but the human heart is a curious thing. Logically, the Regressor, who takes care of her own meals, is far better than the dog who steals my food. But seeing her live so well all by herself just twists my insides. I can't help but hope she loses that Bountiful Table and starves. Is this human selfishness?
The plate I'm washing seems particularly pathetic today. My entire meal was what this little dish could hold. When it was full, I felt like I had the world in my hands, but now both the dish and my heart are empty. Is this what they call relative deprivation?
"Are you almost done with the dishes? Finish up and get ready."
The Regressor hurried me along as I was spacing out.
"Get ready for what?"
"What do you think? We have to go meet Tyrkanzyaka. You need to learn Bloodcraft."
"Why do I have to learn that?"
The Regressor shrugged at my irritated retort.
"Because Tyrkanzyaka decided so?"
"Dammit. Age is a privilege, I swear."
I roughly tossed the plate I was washing aside, wiped my hands, and prepared to leave. The Regressor looked puzzled by my disgruntled attitude.
"It's a chance to gain the power of a vampire without becoming one. It's not a bad deal for you, is it?"
"What good is that? It'll take forever to learn. And what do I get for all that effort? The ability to control blood. What even is that? At best, it's just a cheap imitation of a real vampire."
It was a technique the Progenitor vampire had perfected long after she had already become immortal. What's more, it uses one's own blood. One wrong move and my life is over. It's a skill for people with time or lives to spare.
Like the Regressor, for example.
My goal has always been to survive, not to get stronger. And getting stronger doesn't guarantee a better life.
And besides.
"I don't particularly want to get stronger."
A piece of my true feelings slipped out. I regretted it the moment I said it, but the Regressor, with her sharp senses, had already heard it.
'…That doesn't sound like a lie. He really doesn't seem to place any value on getting stronger. But a soldier of the meritocratic Military State thinks like that?'
I wondered if I'd said too much, but what's said is said. I tried my best not to show anything as I walked past her. The Regressor watched me head calmly for the door, lost in thought.
'I said I didn't know his true identity, but I really know nothing about this man… For all the power he has, his attitude is so detached and casual, and he seems to subtly reject authoritarianism… He doesn't treat Azzy like a human, yet he's kind to her. Kind enough for the picky Azzy to follow him…'
After a brief assessment, the Regressor came to her own conclusion.
'Perhaps he's a soldier who was demoted for resisting an order from the Military State's High Command? At least an officer. There's no other explanation. Not for the power he possesses, or the way he acts around Azzy and Tyrkanzyaka!'
Sometimes—though I haven't been here long enough to say "sometimes"—a thought I've had before resurfaced.
It's a relief that woman is a Regressor.
'I've left the Military State alone since I destroyed it once in the eighth timeline, but maybe I can use him as a key to delve deeper!'
No, I take it back. How is it a relief that she can destroy a country so easily?
More importantly, the Military State was destroyed? If I found out how, could I do something similar? I'd love to wreak some havoc on this country myself.
Just as I was trying to focus on the Regressor's thoughts…
'Ughhh…'
I flinched.
I spun around and stared into the back of the room. The Regressor looked at me, puzzled by my sudden movement, but I couldn't tear my eyes away.
That voice in my head just now. It wasn't the Regressor's, nor was it Azzy's. It was a faint consciousness, its identity impossible to discern, as if it were about to fade away at any moment.
Was I imagining it? No, that can't be. It definitely meant there was someone, something alive, back there.
"What are you doing? Why'd you stop?"
"No, it's just… I thought someone was here."
"Where?"
The faint thought-stream was cut off. Did they die? Fall asleep? Tsk, it's bothering me, but if the mind-reading link is gone, I have no way of finding them.
First, the vampire business. I dropped my interest and headed out to the yard with the Regressor.
*
Tantalus is dark. Even the light of the distant sun, upon facing the solemn wrath of Mother Earth, seems to scratch its head sheepishly before setting. The Abyss, a bottomless pit, has no bottom and therefore no height. Even sunlight, which squeezes through the tiniest cracks, finds the infinite space an insurmountable barrier.
Thus, Tantalus had to be self-sufficient in its light. Amazingly, humans had reached a point where they could create light with mana. The grace of God could be replaced by the works of man.
Even if the quality was infinitely inferior.
The yard of Tantalus has a line. The L-shaped prison building and the yard that fits perfectly within its borders. Up to that point, the searchlights don't follow people. Wide-spreading daytime lights illuminate the interior evenly, scattering the fruits of humanity's efforts to overcome the night.
But beyond that, on the slightly more remote ground where I first fell—if you step on the part that's been cut off beyond the angular square designated by the Military State, the searchlights begin to track you fiercely.
Tantalus has neither the manpower to chase escapees nor anywhere for them to escape to. Yet, the Military State stubbornly polices them, as if to emphasize that they are prisoners who must not leave this place.
"Where is Tyrkanzyaka… ah."
There, on the ground where the searchlights should have been, lay Tyrkanzyaka.
Actually, I wasn't sure if she was lying down. All I could see was a crimson cross, glowing ominously even in the darkness.
The light-hating vampire was in a place the lamps couldn't reach. Normally, the searchlights should have pursued her for being outside the designated area, but as if intimidated by the ominous, burning red aura, they averted their gaze, pretending not to see.
"…We have to go over there, don't we?"
"Of course."
"Ugh. I hate it over there, it's too bright…"
"Why, you want me to cut the light for you?"
I didn't even want to ask how that was possible. I reluctantly started walking toward the coffin waiting for us in the distance.
I walked and walked. The moment I stepped into the searchlights' territory, I braced myself for the light that would surely chase and burn my back, and squeezed my eyes shut.
But the light never came. The searchlights pretended not to see me either, shining on some random spot instead. Huh? What's this?
[I have veiled their eyes.]
A dark voice sounded. There was no need to ask whose it was. The vampire lying silently in her coffin, the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka, spoke calmly, using the darkness as her medium.
[I detest brightness, and that light is particularly grating. Its sharpness is worse than the sun's. I assume it is the same for you.]
I quickly nodded my head.
"But of course. Please, do as you see fit. We can see perfectly well with just a little light, anyway. In times like these, it's our duty to accommodate you."
[…]
'How strangely irritating… It feels as if he's treating me like an old woman with failing eyesight.'
Hearing the vampire's thoughts, I felt my heart sink.
What is her problem? Does she have a victim complex or something? She's right that I think of her as an old woman and that her eyes are probably dim, but I haven't shown it yet!
The vampire glared at me with terrifying intensity before slowly speaking.
[Regardless, this lesson will be exceedingly harsh. To command blood, you must first shed blood. You will face danger along the way.]
The vampire in the coffin spoke in a grim voice. Droplets of red blood trickled from a small gap, as if showing us the fate that would soon befall us.
[Will you still do it? Will you overcome this hardship?]
It was an offer straight out of a fairy tale told by mischievous adults, or a legend from a dark forest. A test given by the Progenitor vampire to an unsuspecting human.
Though it was enough to inspire fear, the Regressor nodded without a shred of it.
"I am prepared. I am ready."
To a human who had died and been reborn thirteen times, even the terror of the Progenitor was just another wall to overcome. The Regressor's expression didn't change, even as she saw the surging aura and writhing pool of blood. The vampire was pleased with her attitude.
'A boy with considerable spirit. Hmm. He will be satisfying to teach. But only just.'
Now, the vampire's attention turned to me.
[And you?]
Umm. I'd rather not.
I couldn't see the vampire's expression inside the coffin. The darkness she had drawn in was so thick that even from just five paces away, the coffin was a blurry shape.
With no expression or face visible, a normal person wouldn't dare guess what the vampire was thinking.
But I could read her thoughts.
'A disciple, by rights, should obey their master's command. They should not dare to refuse any order.'
The vampire was filled with the intent to mess with me.
'That is the nature of a master-disciple relationship. I shall instill in you, insolent brat, a sense of respect. Since you treated me like an old woman, I shall discipline you in an old woman's way.'
Her way of thinking was so archaic. A master-disciple relationship? What era was she from?
To think she offered to teach me just so she could legally torment me. Should I call her petty, or should I call her mature for not just randomly throwing her power around?
I had no intention of learning in the first place, but reading her thoughts solidified my decision. I promptly shook my head.
"I have no intention of learning, ma'am."
[…What?]
The vampire was deeply shocked. It seemed she never imagined I would refuse her offer, and her voice trembled.
[You will not… learn? Even when I, myself, offer to teach you?]
"Ah. Yes."
[In all my life, I have taught but a few. This is a chance to form a master-disciple bond with me, and you would refuse it?]
She seemed to be in genuine disbelief, asking for confirmation again and again. No, really. I don't need it. I scratched my head and replied.
"Um, that whole master-disciple thing was abolished back in the kingdom era, not just in the Military State. Because its drawbacks were too severe."
[Why is that?]
"Why? Because there were too many frauds. It was a huge problem. People would be treated with the utmost respect under the guise of a master-disciple relationship, only to be worked like slaves for years and then condescendingly taught some useless martial art or magic. Half the court cases were lawsuits between masters and apprentices, and the state got sick of hearing them. So they eventually banned it. It's a relic you'd only find in a thousand-year-old country like the Mien Empire, so please stop bringing it up."
The vampire snorted as if she were dumbfounded. In a voice laced with a subtle anger, she threatened me.
[This is Bloodcraft. The very power that made me an immortal being. You dare treat it as some trivial skill?]
"No, no. When did I say Bloodcraft was an old technique? I said the master-disciple relationship is an outdated custom. And…"
I hate to say this, but I have no choice. I can't let myself be tied to a lifelong leash just to stay on her good side.
If the leash were made of brilliant gold, I might consider closing my eyes and accepting it. But if it's a worn-out rope that's over a thousand years old, wearing it is a loss.
I decided to be honest.
"Bloodcraft isn't exactly a fraud, but… it is a bit of an old technique, isn't it?"
Rumble.
The shaking of Tantalus was probably not just my imagination. Blood was beginning to boil—a manifestation of the vampire's displeasure. Within the surging darkness, the vampire was expressing her discontent.
I wanted to drop to my knees right now. I wanted to beg, Please… accept me as your disciple! I wanted to escape this pressure.
But the future that would paint was one of training until the brink of death. A life similar to a slave's, tending to the vampire's needs with no time for anything else.
Living like that wouldn't be too different from my current situation, honestly. The problem was being 'tested' while receiving her teachings.
If, at the end of the Progenitor's lessons, I hit my limit and showed my true colors… the bubble of my inflated reputation would pop. The image I'd built on pure bluff would be consumed.
The fact that I was just an ordinary, unremarkable person would be exposed.
It was the truth, but a truth that must never be revealed. My death, which I saw in the Regressor's future—to prevent that, I had to maintain at least a minimal amount of influence.
Even if I had to risk my life for it.
[Oh-ho.]
The vampire was, for better or worse, a person of the old ways. Old people hate being treated as such, but if you actually treat them like a real friend, they'll get angry and call you rude.
I trust that no one is foolish enough to actually act casually just because an elder tells them to.
The only saving grace was that she was as dignified as she was old, so even when slightly angered, she didn't draw her sword like some people.
I quickly added, "A being like you, Trainee Tyrkanzyaka, who has built up her power for a thousand years to achieve her status, can make it useful. But honestly, if we're just talking about the technique itself, it's already a thousand years old, isn't it?"
[Hoh… You brat, to the very end…]
"No, I'm not blaming you or anything. It's just that the power itself has aspects that don't fit the current era."
[Are you saying Bloodcraft is useless?]
CRUNCH. Something bit into the space next to me. Wondering what it was, I slowly turned my head.
A crimson horse was glaring at me, chewing its cud. I wasn't sure what it was chewing. But I knew exactly what it wanted to chew, because the Sanguine Horse's eyes were boring into me. Ptui. The horse spat, and the concrete floor melted.
Ah, just as I suspected. I can't read a familiar's thoughts…
[Stay your hand, Ralion.]
Hee-hee-hee-hinnngh—.
The ground shook with its snort. Like a seal dipped in red ink, the crimson hoofprint was clearly stamped onto the concrete floor.
Hmm. This is getting intense. Did I make the wrong choice?
[Fine. In that case, you will just watch. You will not be able to take it back later, even if you regret it.]
If I say I don't want to watch either, will she actually kill me? Okay. I'll just nod for now.
Seeing my resolute stance, the peeved vampire withdrew her gaze from me and turned to the Regressor. The large coffin slid across the ground, stopping right beside her.
[Boy. What is your name?]
"It's Shei."
[Right. Shei. Will you follow my teachings? The process may be painful, and it may be dangerous. But the end will surely be glorious. I will teach you with all my heart, so will you study under me without doubting my will?]
The Regressor didn't even hesitate. Thinking she could just regress if she died, she simply shrugged and said.
"Of course. I swear it. But."
The Regressor added a few more words.
"I've learned many things from many places, so I won't be able to follow in your footsteps completely."
[That matters not. Just promise me one thing.]
"If it's something I can do. What is it?"
Blood coalesced in the air. Swelling like a red balloon, the blood formed the shape of a finger and pointed at me.
[That you will defeat that insolent brat!]
The Regressor accepted the question with a grin.
"That's what I was hoping for."
Huh? Me? Why me all of a sudden?
Suddenly the common enemy, all I could do was blink as I watched the two women form their alliance.