Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 6.1

THE VAMPIRE SERVANT’S ANNIHILATION 

Screams punctuate the night. 

Deep darkness is illuminated by fire and flames. 

In the air, the scent of blood mingles with the unpleasant stench of something burning. 

This is truly hell on earth. 

After Wrath’s explanation, Lady White teleported away somewhere. 

It soon became apparent that she would not be returning right away, so we parted ways. The next day, however, Lady Ariel called us back to the same meeting room. 

When I arrived, Lady Ariel and Lady White were already there. 

“Pardon me. I did not mean to keep you waiting.” 

“Nah, it’s fine, it’s fine. I was just getting the details from White here myself.” 

As I bow my head deeply in apology, Lady Ariel gives me an easygoing wave, and Lady White shows that she is equally unbothered with a small nod. 

Lady White’s responses are difficult to understand, but recently I’ve been able to glean her feelings from them a bit more clearly, although there are still plenty of moments when I cannot comprehend her in the slightest. 

“All right, White, why don’t you tell… Huh? What? You want me to do it? Oh, all right.” 

Lady Ariel starts to prompt Lady White to explain, but the latter leans over and whispers something in the former’s ear. 

Since my hearing is enhanced by my vampirism, I can just barely make out her soft voice. 

“You explain it.” 

It was very quiet but clear nonetheless. 

How unusual. 

Lady White is normally quite taciturn. 

This contributes to her aloofness, but after spending a considerable amount of time with her, I have come to suspect that she is simply not fond of speaking. 

Her silence is not necessarily a choice but a result of being perpetually tongue-tied. 

And yet, she just spoke in a full sentence without any stuttering or hesitation. Not a particularly long sentence, to be sure, but normally Lady White would have stammered even those three words out syllable by syllable, with considerable pauses in between. 

…Could she possibly be under the influence of alcohol? 

For some reason, Lady White becomes very talkative when she is drinking. 

This is not necessarily a bad thing, at least from my perspective: When I was depressed about having become a vampire, Lady White once drunkenly gave me some harsh but encouraging advice. 

That conversation is the very reason I was able to keep moving forward and make up my mind to protect my young mistress. 

…Although recently, she has become so strong that she may no longer need my help. 

“All right, I’ll explain, then.” 

Ah, but now is not the time to get discouraged. 

I must listen closely to Lady Ariel. 

Although I cannot help but notice that the other member of our party who was here yesterday is no longer present. 

“Should Wrath not hear this as well?” 

Wrath is another reincarnation, like my young mistress. 

He, too, has a checkered past. 

Since he has endured a difficult life not unlike the young miss, I privately feel a certain affinity toward him. 

Ever since he enrolled in the army alongside me, we have become rather friendly. 

As I am his elder, he has requested that I not use any title when addressing him, so perhaps he is more like a younger brother than an equal? 

When I was still human, I did have juniors who worked underneath me on my master’s staff, but I was young myself and was always at my master’s side, so I rarely interacted with the other servants, certainly not enough to consider any as close as siblings. 

In that way, this is not such a bad thing. 

Certainly, I do have somewhat mixed feelings when I consider that he once tried to kill the young mistress and me, but I can put that behind us, considering the mitigating circumstances. 

But presently, Wrath is not here. 

“Yeah, Wrath won’t be coming this time. I’m sure he’d be all right in terms of strength, but just to be safe. And more importantly, we can’t have them seeing his face.” 

His face? Is there something wrong with Wrath’s face? 

And then it finally occurs to me. 

“Is this related to reincarnations?” 

“You got it.” 

Evidently, Wrath’s face is the same as it was in his “past life.” 

In other words, reincarnations like the young miss can recognize him simply by seeing his face. For instance, when he encountered this “Missoka” character in the battle against the rebel army, she immediately discerned that he was a reincarnation. 

“Missoka” seems to be the name of their instructor from their old world. 

Since she appeared so recently, perhaps this reincarnation-related discussion has to do with her? 

“Does it involve Missoka, perhaps? Oh, but she has already seen Wrath’s face, so this must be something else.” 

Partway through my question, I realized my own folly: Lady Ariel said Wrath’s face being seen would be an issue, but Missoka has already seen him. 

“Hmm. Well, it’s not entirely unrelated. But I guess this is technically a separate matter. But then again, it’s not totally separate. If anything, it’s actually quite closely connected.” 

After this vague response, I must admit I’m even more confused. 

But Lady Ariel doesn’t seem to be joking around. Rather, it appears that she’s trying to decide how best to explain. 

Unlike Lady White, Lady Ariel prefers to explain important information in great detail. 

If no explanation is needed, she’ll generally just smile and gloss over the subject, which doesn’t appear to be the case this time. 

And when she hesitates like this, it’s generally because the situation is particularly complicated and difficult to parse. 

Fortunately, in cases such as this, if Lady Ariel is given enough time, she usually gets her thoughts in order and elaborates in a way that’s easy to understand. I only need to be patient until she’s ready. 

“Okay, I guess it’d be easiest to start from the beginning.” 

Sure enough, Lady Ariel hesitates for only an instant before launching into her explanation. 

As always, she makes impressive use of the Thought Super-Acceleration skill. 

“First of all, about Ms. Oka. As I think you’ve heard, she’s a reincarnation. She’s also the only one who was originally an adult, not to mention a teacher. So as we witnessed firsthand, she’s been reincarnated as an elf. And her goal is to protect the other reincarnations. It seems that she’s under the mistaken impression that I’ve kidnapped little Sophia—or most likely, Potimas deliberately misled her. This is likely why she risked joining the rebel army. Are you with me so far?” 

“Yes.” 

I’ve already heard most of this information. 

Presumably, she’s pausing here because the next part is new information that I haven’t encountered yet. 

“So she and the rest of the elf squad escaped from that battle. But according to White’s investigation, they’re heading south toward human territory on foot.” 

“They seemed determined to engage in rather reckless actions.” 

“I know, right? But I guess they don’t really have any other way out. Anyway, normally they wouldn’t stand a chance of escaping like that, but unfortunately, there’s a reason we need to get them out alive.” 

Did I mishear? 

Logically, I cannot fathom what that reason might be. 

The elves are our sworn enemies, and we clash with them frequently. 

They took my master’s and mistress’s lives, and they targeted the young miss. 

The remorse and rage I felt toward the elves that night still burns in my chest even now. 

Putting aside my personal grudge for the moment, the elves are undoubtedly an enemy of Lady Ariel as well, so I cannot imagine why she would want to let them live. 

If anything, the existence of the reincarnation Missoka among them is a factor, but surely she could be captured and brought back here. 

It will be far more difficult to let her escape alive. 

“You remember Potimas, right? He shows his face from time to time, but that’s not the real Potimas. It’s just a different person’s body being controlled by him. It’s a special power he has. There isn’t much point in killing any version of Potimas we run into because it’s probably not the real thing.” 

Learning of this man’s secret gives me no small amount of shock. 

I had assumed that he was simply controlling one of those “machines” that had no will of its own. 

My simple mind is incapable of completely understanding the nature of “machines,” but I have at least grasped that they are nonliving things that move nonetheless. 

Machines are not creatures but a kind of tool. 

The bodies that man uses are mechanical tools made to look like a man, which he controls from afar…or so I thought. 

But if those were not manlike machines but in fact men themselves, then…that is beyond repulsive. 

“Treating people as tools… He is truly the lowest of the low.” 

“No kidding.” 

In other words, he watches from a safe distance while manipulating some poor soul as his puppet? 

This man is truly rotten to the core. 

“That being said, it’s not like he can do that to just anyone. There are some strict requirements involved, so there’s no need to worry that someone you know might suddenly get taken over by Potimas without warning—don’t worry.” 

Lady Ariel’s words of reassurance only remind me how weak my powers of imagination truly are. 

Logically thinking, if he was able to assume control over other people’s minds without any constraints, that nightmare scenario would indeed be possible. It hadn’t even occurred to me. 

What if the young miss was taken over by Potimas…? 

No, she would not allow herself to be controlled so easily. 

But if I myself was to be taken over and this body of mine caused harm to befall the young miss…? 

If such a thing was to happen, death itself would not be enough to atone. 

The thought only reminds me how wicked that man’s power is and how revolting. 

Fortunately, though, Lady Ariel assures me that such a thing is not possible. 

Even so, I had never even conceived of such a horrifying power. 

“The clincher in this situation is that Ms. Oka actually meets those requirements.” 

Ah, now I see. 

So that’s the connection. 

I was wondering what this man’s atrocious ability had to do with our conversation thus far. 

“Once Potimas has taken over someone’s body, that person might as well be dead. The skills he can use are connected to the soul of the body’s original owner, so the soul won’t be destroyed. But once Potimas takes over, the original person’s own consciousness will never return. They’ll spend the rest of their lives as Potimas’s vessel.” 

What a wretched fate. 

“So if we were to take Missoka into our care…” 

“Yes, I have no doubt Potimas would use her.” 

An appropriate turn of phrase for a man who treats other people as tools. 

I see. That more or less explains why we cannot simply slaughter the elves… But one thing still concerns me. 

“But is this not simply delaying the inevitable?” 

Even if we let her escape now, the only way to fully solve the problem would be to dispose of that man once and for all. And if Potimas can take control of Missoka at any time, he may well be doing so at this very moment. 

I do not think that postponing the issue is a wise strategy. 

“Yeah, that’s true. But, well, if we do this, it’ll probably send the message that Ms. Oka has value as a hostage, so Potimas won’t be so quick to lay a hand on her. At least, that’s the hope.” 

Lady Ariel wears a dissatisfied expression as she responds to my concern; it would appear that, like me, she feels it is unwise to let the elves escape. 

Which means that this decision must have been made by the other person here: Lady White. 

“But apparently, White owes her life to Ms. Oka. She wants to do whatever she can to help her.” 

As I turn my gaze to Lady White, Lady Ariel clarifies. 

So this is the person she owes her life to? 

In that case, Lady White must have had a deep connection with this Missoka in their “past lives.” 

Perhaps it is something akin to what I shared with my master and mistress. 

In that case, I can understand why Lady White would wish to save her. 

If the young miss was in a similar position, I would undoubtedly do the same. 

“If that is the case, then I have no objection to allowing the elves to escape.” 

“Thank you.” 

For a moment, the unexpected voice makes me freeze with shock. 

Was that…Lady White? 

Of course it was. If it was not Lady Ariel, then it must have been Lady White. 

But for Lady White to voice her thanks is a truly unexpected occurrence. 

Even Lady Ariel is looking at her in surprise. 

Lady White, perhaps in an effort to hide her embarrassment, grabs Lady Ariel’s face and forcibly turns her head back toward me. 

“Um, ow?!” 

I hear a dull, rather unpleasant sound from the vicinity of Lady Ariel’s neck. 

“Wait, huh? That hurt? But my Suffering Nullification… What?” 

Lady Ariel holds her neck, looking perplexed. 

Does this mean she felt pain just now? 

Lady White must have somehow inflicted pain on Lady Ariel despite her Suffering Nullification skill. 

“Um… Okay, then! Anyway, that’s about it for Ms. Oka. Apparently, White’s already got things under control, so they’ll be safe until they reach the border of the human realm.” 

Lady Ariel rubs her neck as she continues. 

From the sound of things, there must be another matter at hand aside from Missoka. 

“The problem is the border and what the humans will do once the party of elves crosses it. White and I are going to take care of the latter. There’ll be some negotiations involved, but we’ll figure it out one way or another. As for you, Merazophis, I was hoping you could take care of things at the border itself.” 

This appears to be the main reason I was called here, so I try to focus. 

“As you know, the border region between the demon and human lands is a super-dangerous place. Both races are always watching for signs of enemy invaders. With a few exceptions, like the Mystic Mountains where we came through, it’s safe to assume that there are eyes just about everywhere. So if a group of elves tries to pass through one of those places…well, you can probably guess what would happen. Oh, by the way, the strength of the remaining elves is average at best.” 

“I assume they would be annihilated, or at least suffer serious losses.” 

“Bingo.” 

It might be a different story if they were using machines, but since Lady Ariel says that they have only average strength, I believe that is not the case. 

“See, there are really two kinds of elves. There are the ones we know all too well, the ones who use machines left and right like Potimas. But the other sort isn’t aware about the existence of machines—they genuinely believe in the ‘world peace’ farce that the other elves play into. The group that Ms. Oka is traveling with consists of the latter.” 

“Well, that’s…” 

Doesn’t that mean the latter kind of elves are being used by the former, oblivious to the truth? 

If that is true, I cannot help but feel sorry for them, elves though they may be. 

“Yeah, I know. I call them the half-wit elves.” 

This admittedly cruel name only makes me pity them even more. 

“But that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, these guys definitely can’t get across the border safely by themselves. So White was searching around the border for some kind of solution, and what do you know? She just happened to stumble on some other reincarnations.” 

At this point, I finally understand how everything is connected. 

Certainly, this is related to reincarnations but a separate incident from Missoka’s current plight, while at the same time not being entirely unrelated. 

It also explains why Lady Ariel had such difficulty explaining the situation. 

“Then you wish for me to go and fetch these reincarnations?” 

“Nope. Not at all.” 

Lady Ariel waves a hand to dismiss my assumption. 

“No, what we want you to do is go to their village—oh, there’s two of them, by the way. So first, go to this human village on the border and kill everyone, ’kay?” 

“Um…what?” 

I think it’s quite understandable that I found Lady Ariel’s words so completely incomprehensible that I responded in an admittedly foolish way. 

And so I find myself on my way to the border, astride a mount called a fenesist. 

It is one of the earth wyrms that once pulled our cart when I was traveling to the demon territory with Lady Ariel and company. 

At the time, it was a lesser wyrm called a fenerush, but it has since evolved into a fenesist. 

While its constitution is unchanged, its base stats all went up, and it’s even learned Earth Magic to help support me, its rider. Although, of course, its stats are still far lower than mine, so I would be better off dismounting to fight alone. 

Still, I look forward to seeing how it will grow in the future. 

Monsters usually have few skills but have high stats to compensate. 

If it continues to level up and evolve, its stats may even surpass my own one day. 

The giant creature galloping alongside my mount and me is the other evolved fenerush. 

This one became a fenegrad, an evolution that favors pure strength over the ability to support a rider, unlike the fenesist. 

The fenegrad’s primary weapon is its size. 

It is just as strong as it appears, and since it has gone from walking on four legs to two, it has freed up its arms to use as weapons. 

Additionally, it is far faster than its sluggish appearance would suggest. 

The fenegrad cannot use Earth Magic like a fenesist, but it has the advantage in pure physical strength. 

Both of them are irreplaceable comrades who have aided us throughout our journey. 

The speed of these earth wyrms made it easy to catch up with the group of elves, and now we are already close to the border. 

Once I arrive, all that remains is to do as I have been instructed. 

I think back to Lady Ariel’s words. 

“I’d like to take the reincarnations into our custody, but we can’t do that. The problem is mostly the location. Humans who live in the borderlands form tight-knit communities with their friends and family. They won’t hand over a couple of their kids if we just ask. In fact, they might cut you down for even suggesting it. The people who live there make the rules. It’s extreme to the point where any outsiders are pretty much seen as enemies. Trying to negotiate with them won’t make a difference, I’m afraid. Probably best to assume that there’s no peaceful way we can retrieve the reincarnations at all. That’s likely why Potimas hasn’t laid a hand on them, either.” 

From what I hear, the people who live in the borderlands are akin to bandits. 

Apparently, that’s not an inaccurate descriptor, but they apply themselves to their trade with the pride that they are protecting their land from demon invaders in the process. 

Demons and humans look very similar, so they essentially kill anyone they haven’t seen before to be certain. 

They’ve been doing this for generations, which has naturally cultivated a culture that highly values family, scorns outsiders, and is generally reclusive. 

They trust their family to be on their side and kill outsiders because they could well be demons. 

This seems an outlandish brand of logic to me, but such a lifestyle is tolerated in the borderlands. 

“Which leads me to the main points. I want you to massacre the reincarnations’ clan for two reasons. One, it’ll mean that the elves can get through safely. And two, it’ll draw the reincarnations away from that place. Like I said, the border tribes have a strong sense of family. And they don’t like to let their family leave. For most people born on the border, that means living their whole lives there. But that would mean that those two reincarnations would die as soon as war broke out.” 

Lady Ariel is going to start a war with the humans. That is an immutable fact. 

And when she does, the demon army will naturally have to cross the border. 

And naturally, they’ll clash with the humans who live there. 

The likely outcome, I imagine, goes without saying. 

“Since there’s no way for us to peacefully take the reincarnations into custody, we’ll crush their colony and leave only those two alive, so they can run away and live freely. If we took them in by force, they obviously wouldn’t be thrilled, y’know? So rather than setting ourselves up for trouble unnecessarily, it seems better to set ’em free and let them do whatever they want. I know this seems drastic, but it’s the only way to clear a path for the elves while also letting the reincarnations run away instead of involving them in our eventual war. It’s killing two birds with one stone…although I guess that’s kind of an unfortunate turn of phrase in this case.” 

Lady Ariel smiled self-derisively. 

To me, she appeared to be lamenting that this violent choice was the only way forward. 

I’m sure Lady Ariel would have preferred to avoid resorting to this, too. 

But in these circumstances, we’re left with no other option. 

“On top of that, if Ms. Oka was to run into these two reincarnations, it’d just complicate things even further. It’s better to take matters into our own hands and lead those two out of her path.” 

Unfortunately, I’ve drawn the short straw for this particular task. 

It would be cruel to give Wrath a task that would cause his fellow reincarnations to resent him. 

This duty required someone to leave immediately and have the strength to wipe out an entire tribe of borderlands humans. 

An entire army would have never made it to the border before the elves. 

Since I can travel alone, I am well suited for this role. 

And my inside knowledge of the circumstances is a factor, too. 

The only question is whether I am strong enough to massacre this entire clan. 

“You always sell yourself short, Merazophis. Maybe you’re not aware of it, since you’re surrounded by freaks like us, but to an ordinary human, you’re freakishly strong, y’know?” 

Those were Lady Ariel’s words. 

Is that…true? 

To be honest, it doesn’t feel that way to me. 

Since enrolling in the army and training with other individuals, I have indeed come to the realization that I am stronger than I thought. 

But still, I wouldn’t have claimed myself to be as powerful as my fellows. 

I simply do not have the talent. 

Certainly, I have spared no effort in my attempts to become strong enough to protect the young miss. 

My training with Lady White on our journey was certainly eccentric, but I have continued it in the hopes of getting stronger. 

And I have undertaken additional training of my own, as well. 

Yet, the gap in strength between the young miss and me has only continued to grow. 

I do not think that I have trained any less than my young mistress. 

Perhaps it is just that children and adults grow at different rates, but even more so, I feel that the young miss was born with a natural talent that I simply lack. 

The young miss is special. She is a reincarnation, a Progenitor vampire, and the daughter of my esteemed master and mistress. 

In comparison, I have always been naught but a humble servant. 

I was aware that I lacked natural talent long before I became a vampire. 

Certainly, I could carry out tasks as well as any other man, but when it came to going above and beyond, I always fell short. 

Ever since I was young, I have ambitiously studied many different fields and subjects. 

My hard work did expand the breadth of my abilities, but I could never hold a candle to a specialist in any of those fields. 

I fell short of the maids when it came to any housework, could barely assist my master in matters of politics, and failed to fend off even a single bandit with my strength as a so-called bodyguard. 

I could do many different tasks, but no matter how much I tried, I could never pass a certain threshold. 

That is how I have always been. 

Even now that I am a vampire, with vastly improved stats, my nature ultimately has not changed. 

Perhaps that is why, even when Lady Ariel tells me that I am capable, I have trouble believing her. 

“We will reach our destination tomorrow. Let us rest here for tonight.” 

I stop the fenesist and fenegrad and prepare our camp. 

“Tomorrow is sure to be a difficult battle. I’ll be counting on you.” 

I pat the two earth wyrms on the head and give them feed. 

Lady White has given me a special bag that can store large amounts of items in a parallel space, so I am able to travel without unwieldy baggage. 

It is a magical item made from Lady White’s thread. 

She handed it to me quite casually, but Lady Ariel sucked in her cheeks when she saw it, so I can only assume that it is worth more than I could possibly imagine. 

As always, Lady White is beyond comprehension. 

Perhaps she feels obliged to me for helping to look after her when she lost her powers, but she has done far too much for me. 

I wish to be of use to her as well, not least so I can strive to repay this impossible debt, but there are few instances in which one such as Lady White would need help from the likes of me. 

Since this is one of those rare opportunities, I must complete this task to the best of my ability. 

But still, I fear I am not strong enough. 

Not by a long shot. 

No matter how much effort I put in, they continue to leave me behind. 

“Perhaps one day you two will surpass me as well.” 

I murmur to the fenesist and fenegrad. 

The earth wyrms look back at me with confusion, then at each other. 

The action brings a smile to my face. 

Even if they do surpass me one day, I am sure these clever creatures will continue to serve me, unworthy master though I am. 

I cannot predict the future. All I can do is live and fight in the present moment to the best of my ability. 

That is the only path forward for one as talentless as I. 

No amount of effort can make up for natural talent, but I must continue to try or I lose my right to stand on this stage at all. 

The young miss may already have no use for my feeble strength. 

But I must at least ensure that I never hold her back. 

“Lady Ariel believes I can do this. I must live up to her expectations.” 

Strengthening my resolve, I focus all my nerve on the battle to come. 

“Alarm! We’re under attack!” 

“There’s only one of ’em? We’ll teach ’im to look down on us!” 

“What the hell?! What is that guy?!” 

“Dammit, he’s too fast! I can’t keep up!” 

“Hey, this has gotta be a joke, right? How can a person split in two like that? C’mon! I must be dreaming, yeah? This is just a nightmare, right?” 

“Idiot! Pull yourself together!” 

“No! I don’t wanna die!” 

“Get the women and children outta here! We don’t stand a chance!” 

“Father! Father! This can’t be happening!” 

“Keep moving or he’ll come after you!” 

“Shit! You monster! You damn monster!” 

“Aaaaargh!” 

“Wait, stop! Please! You can kill me—just don’t hurt her!” 

“Run for it! Run! Please let us go!” 

“Ha. That thing’s not human or even a demon. It’s some thing that’s shaped like a person.” 

“You fiend! Agh—!” 

“…God help us.” 

The massacre of the reincarnations’ clan is complete. 

Part of me is relieved that it went more easily than I expected, though I also have complicated feelings about the fact that relief is my strongest emotion when all is said and done. 

Since I vowed to protect my young mistress, I have come to terms with the fact that I am a vampire. I attacked people to drink their blood night after night without hesitation. 

I thought I still had a heart despite everything that’s happened, but right now I feel calm, even after all this bloodshed. 

Is this a sign that I’ve grown accustomed to such horrors? That my resolve is simply this strong? Or is it that I have become a monstrous vampire down to my very soul? 

I do not think there is any way to know the answer. 

Certainly, I was always willing to commit any atrocity necessary to protect the young miss. 

But in truth, I thought I would feel more conflicted once I was finally put to the proof. 

…This is not good. 

If my resolve is firm, then that is ideal, of course. 

But I cannot allow my heart to harden completely. 

I accepted my fate as a vampire in order to continue serving the young miss, but I must not allow myself to turn into a monster on the inside as well. 

I would no longer be able to face my master and mistress. 

Vampires have no choice but to live differently than humans do. 

But I must also endeavor to lead the young miss down a path that would not break her parents’ hearts. If she attempts to go astray, I have a duty to correct her. 

But how can I admonish the young miss for such things unless I, too, walk a proper path? 

…Perhaps it is too late. 

I may already be too far removed from humanity in body and soul. 

But even if that is the case, I must find a way to live honorably. 

My hands are already stained with blood. 

Would my master and mistress weep to see me as I am now? 

I vowed to live as a vampire. 

To live alongside my mistress, even if I must go drenched in blood. 

I decided to abandon my humanity but not my principles. 

It is no easy task to stay on a path that offers no right answers. 

Even so, I must at least continue to walk with my head held high and set an example for the young miss. 

“W-wehhh!” 

And so I must show no hesitation. 

Before me are two children: a young boy protecting a young girl. 

Surely, he knows that he stands no chance against me, and yet he attempts to shield her behind his small back—an act I cannot help admiring. 

“…Mere children.” 

I attempt to keep my voice as cold as possible. 

That alone is enough to make the girl turn so pale that she looks ready to faint, and the boy’s body trembles. 

Two women lie in a heap before them. 

Most likely, the children’s mothers. 

They tried to protect their children to the very end. 

“Hmph. I’ve lost interest.” 

Glancing at them, I act as though the sight of the mothers’ sacrifice has convinced me to stay my hand. 

Even though in reality, I’ve already slain many other parents alongside their children. 

But I must let these two escape alive, for they are the reincarnations. 

Without another word, I turn away from the children, beckon to the fenesist and fenegrad, and move to leave this place. 

“Wait!” 

But then something unexpected happens. 

The boy calls out to stop me. 

“Who are you?!” 

For a moment, I don’t understand what he’s asking. 

But then I realize he wishes to know my name. 

“Merazophis.” 

Out of respect for the boy’s bravery in demanding to know his enemy’s identity, I look over my shoulder and give him my real name, hiding nothing. 

Then I walk away from them for good. 

Lady Ariel said that she wanted to let these children live freely. 

But for them, there will surely be no freedom. 

Only a life ruled by revenge. 

If there is any other path, it will be one in which they support each other. 

I was able to prioritize something other than revenge only because I had the young miss. 

So I hope that these two will find a similar way forward. 

But judging by the boy’s look, I doubt that will be the case. 

Most likely, that boy will come to stand before me someday. 

And when that happens, I shall face him as his enemy. 

But I have no intention of deliberately losing. 

For I have my own reason to live, my own cause. 

For that, I am even willing to stoop to the same depths as the man who is my most hated enemy. 

If this boy wishes to choose the path of revenge with me as his target, he had best tread carefully. 

I am not strong like that man Potimas. 

But I am confident that my unwavering conviction far surpasses his. 

Even if this revenge is justified, I will not accept a villain’s fate. 

If you wish to kill me, then you must surpass me in strength. 

I will oppose you with everything I have. 

Even if you are a reincarnation with the same powers as my young mistress, I will not lose so easily. 

Master. 

Mistress. 

Perhaps I am already living in a manner that you would frown upon. 

Even so, I must continue to live—as a vampire, as myself, no matter how bloodied my hands become. 

And I will do this all while protecting the young miss and repaying my great debt of gratitude to Lady Ariel and Lady White.