Episode 56: The Flow of Time
The door opened.
It wasn’t fully opened, just enough for an average-sized adult man to pass through.
Before entering, I asked Alukid another question.
Since this guy answers just about everything, I wanted to gather as much information as possible.
“Do you know of a maid with light purple hair?”
Upon hearing my question, Alukid fell into thought for a moment.
Then he answered my query with a look of realization.
“Are you talking about Triche?”
“Yes, Triche. Is she working here for the same reason as you? That… she’s working here.”
“I’m not entirely sure, but it might be for the same reason. She’s probably just here because the pay is high. Triche has been working here for less than a month. I remember her having quite the charisma despite being a newcomer.”
[Wow, this butler is really talkative.]
Chaewon voiced her complaints.
However, since Alukid was so chatty, I could use it to gather more information.
‘Just hang in there a bit longer.’
“Hmm… Then, I want to ask one final question about your master.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
I took a deep breath.
It wasn’t a grand question.
I was half… no, almost certain.
It was just a question for confirmation.
“Illya’s father… is the one referred to as Lord in this place, right?”
Alukid nodded his head.
“Yes, that’s correct. The Lord’s name is Verdium Violet… but the rest is a bit lengthy, so I’ll only answer what you asked.”
Right.
This confirmed it.
‘The boss I have to defeat is currently looking for me.’
“Then, why on earth does Illya’s father want to marry off his young daughter? It doesn’t make sense for an ordinary father to act like that—”
“Ah, wait a moment. It seems you weren’t informed beforehand. First of all, Illya isn’t young. She might have lived about 200 years longer than us. No, since vampires are a nearly immortal species, she might have lived even longer. To me, it seems like she’s just being sent off to get married later than usual.”
[Oh, I see? Ah~ that’s why there’s such a strange smell around here… She’s practically an old woman, isn’t she?]
“But her body… no, her physique doesn’t seem to have grown at all.”
“Ah… about that, Illya grows physically whenever she feeds in the most delightful and satisfying way. It’s not a trait of the lineage; Illya seems to be special. I believe she grows to a physique akin to that of a 25-year-old human. Conversely, if she feeds in the opposite way, she shrinks down to a physique similar to that of a 7-year-old child, which is the rough human limit.”
[Unfortunately, it seems the outside doesn’t smell like a chicken coop… but the insides do…]
Ignoring Chaewon’s increasingly strange mutterings, I continued to listen to Alukid.
“So, she easily surpassed the age of 20, so you don’t have to worry about that. They are nearly immortal, after all.”
‘I wonder if that glow from her body was because she drank my blood.’
[What? So, you’re saying my blood felt good? It’s not some kind of drug… Let me try that precious blood of yours. Bring your neck here.]
“Ah… haha, I suppose so. I’ll be heading inside now.”
I began to move toward the door, avoiding Chaewon.
“Should I wait out here?”
“No, I’ve memorized the path now.”
I turned my back completely on Alukid and stepped into the chamber where Lord… Verdium was.
“By the way, Alukid. I forgot to ask, but Triche is a human, right?”
– Creak.
As soon as I crossed the threshold, the door began to close automatically.
“That’s a given.”
– Bang!
I heard Alukid’s final response just before the door shut.
When the door slammed shut, I looked around the space where I was now standing on two feet.
I was certain I had been to this slightly dark place before.
[This… is definitely the creepy place we visited the first time, right?]
‘That’s right. I entered through the main door before, but now I’ve come in through a side door. I even heard that striking marriage announcement here. But the problem is that I’m the person involved in it.’
[Did we crawl in through a dog hole or something?]
‘Dog hole? How can you always manage to put things so poorly?’
As I walked a bit further, I spotted the main door I was guided to by Alunus before.
Now, the enormous throne came into view.
“Leaving the side door open and not entering, then having a Q&A session with the butler—what kind of etiquette is that?… Ha, whatever. What does a mere creature know?”
As I noticed the thrones lined up closely together, I heard Verdium’s voice.
Verdium looked down at me with a serious expression.
The throne was elevated slightly on steps, so it automatically positioned him to look down on me.
He was sipping wine from a goblet.
Sitting next to Verdium, Illya seemed fidgety.
Once for me, once for Verdium.
Neither of us was managing to look at the other properly.
I stood before the throne where they sat.
“… You are Verdium Violet, right?”
Verdium, who had been gulping his wine without hesitation, paused.
“… Who told you that? I don’t recall giving you my name?”
“Uh… um!”
As I sought to answer his question with a moment’s thought, Verdium forcefully pushed me away with a technique that looked like blood magic, binding my feet.
The technique that bound my feet resembled a vine made of blood.
I was now shackled in place, unable to move.
“Attacking while I’m speaking… Quite cowardly, don’t you think?”
“Ah, Dad! Why are you doing this all of a sudden!”
Illya began to admonish Verdium.
“By the looks of it, you wouldn’t be able to escape this.”
After finishing his sentence, Verdium immediately threw an empty wine goblet at me.
The goblet had remnants of wine clinging here and there.
‘No, wait… The important thing right now is to deflect that goblet!’
I wasted no time drawing forth the lost king’s sword I had stored in my inventory beforehand.
A black blade.
A black crossguard.
A black hilt.
An impressive double-edged blade made entirely of black.
That blade shone ominously yet beautifully.
It was no ordinary sword.
In that fleeting moment, my thoughts were filled with all sorts of distractions as I looked at my sword.
It was something I had been curious about before, the fact that the king’s sword, and the soul contained within it, is referred to as ‘the queen.’
[What are you doing? Be careful ahead!]
I quickly broke free from the swamp of distracting thoughts within myself and swiftly deflected the glass wine goblet flying at me with the side of my sword.
– Clang!
“Not bad for a human in terms of reaction speed. Even if a human is strong, their abilities are greatly diminished if their injured body restricts them. As expected, you are anything but ordinary.”
After saying that, the red vines formed by blood magic loosening their grip on my legs.
“However, that weapon. It seems somewhat familiar… Indeed, it is the sword I know.”
“You know this sword?”
I was puzzled, as I didn’t know much about it either.
That he knew this sword surprised me, and I replied to Verdium.
“Yes. It is cold yet gentle. There are many similarities between wine and swords. That sword. It was given to me by my father when I was young. I didn’t recognize it at first because so much time has passed.”
“What?!”
If what this sword is truly as Verdium said,
Then if time’s flow has reversed and returned to the past,
Having his childhood sword in my hand makes sense, doesn’t it?
If that’s the case, then the person who brought this sword into the Gate took it from a place where time flows steadily.
‘What a coincidence…’
However,
If the sword I’m holding and the one he used in his childhood are the same ‘sword,’
Then his sword is likely… a complete version of it by now.
Because the sword I’m holding is ‘growing.’
He picked up a wine bottle.
“Stop, please!”
“Hmm… Try to catch this too.”
Verdium brushed Illya’s hand aside and threw the nearly empty wine bottle at me.
The wine bottle came flying at high speed.
But after all, it was just a wine bottle.
I effortlessly split the bottle in half.
– Crack!
– Clang!
It shattered upon hitting the ground, scattering glass shards everywhere.
“You’re a rookie. Think deeply, but act swiftly.”
Verdium stood up from his seat.
“Remember this. It is not the sword that protects you. You must wield the sword to protect your own body.”
– Thud. Thud.
Slowly descending the stairs, Verdium was now at eye level with me.
“Seeing you like this, I’ve changed my mind.”
“Dad!”
Illya tried to stop her father.
But Verdium lightly ignored her.
[What’s that?]
Verdium pulled out a ‘orb’ that resembled a red crystal ball from his hand.
From that red orb, he drew out a ‘black sword.’
“That sword… no way?!”
The same sword as mine.
But the sword I held seemed somewhat worn.
Verdium’s sword held none of those shabby characteristics.
“This sword holds the soul of the queen. You haven’t grasped it yet?… From what I can see, it seems you already have. Well, a polygamy of sorts. It’s not something one couldn’t understand. After all, she isn’t a living person.”
“It’s just a mere spirit…”
[Hey, a mere spirit! That’s harsh! I can hear everything!]
“Is that so? Anyway, seeing you in such a rookie-like manner keeps reminding me of my childhood.”
I remained tense, ready for a battle that seemed ready to unfold at any moment.
“By the way, I had something I wanted to ask…”
I intended to talk to Verdium again to gather information.
“No, ask your question afterward. I don’t like being reminded of my childhood by you.”
Verdium lowered his stance.
“That’s not how you hold a sword.”
In an instant, Verdium was right in front of me.
By the time I reacted, my sword was already broken, and I was slammed against the wall.
All I had in my hand was a broken sword.
