The vast forest in the southern region, known as the Great Forest, is called a treasure trove of all life.
It is a place where over millions of species of creatures live and breathe. No one knows precisely how many lives exist in this endless paradise of trees and water, and even hundreds of years from now, it will likely remain the same.
It is that much of a secretive and mysterious place.
However, the reason humanity has yet to conquer the Great Forest is that the forest hides deadly dangers just as much as it holds value.
It is home to most of the poisonous insects and toxins inhabiting the continent. Among the myriad peculiar creatures living there, I couldn’t help but think of the infamous poisonous plant.
The Moon Rose.
This rose, which has a silvery or bluish hue, has deadly poison flowing through its thorns. Nevertheless, when one captures its blossoming beauty under the moonlight, there are whispers of people unwittingly reaching out to touch it.
It truly embodies the saying, “The beautiful hides poison.”
The reason I suddenly thought of this is, well…
Wouldn’t anyone think the same if they saw the woman standing before me?
The poisonous rose growing deep in the Great Forest is not merely a plant. A monster shaped like a woman is born with a lethal beauty.
A vampire’s bloodline.
Among them, a powerful being known as the “direct line” has now appeared before me.
Calling me “son-in-law.”
“Oh my, I didn’t expect to find two people in love already. Being young lovers, it only makes sense. By the way, I only met my husband two days after….”
“Who are you?”
My voice toward the woman was stiff with tension.
I held Seria, whom I was supporting, even tighter. Although I couldn’t see Seria’s expression clearly, her eyes were filled with confusion and doubt.
She didn’t even realize what I had done yet.
I feared that the presence of her mother might negatively affect the mindset of Seria, who had just escaped from her rampage. So, I intentionally asked a trivial question to buy some time.
Asking who she is.
Even though I already knew the answer.
The silver-haired woman, who looked just about my age, held the hem of her skirt elegantly and bowed her head.
It was the perfect etiquette of the northern region, with nothing to fault.
“I apologize for my rudeness on our first meeting, son-in-law. My name is Aira Yuridina… or should I now introduce myself simply as ‘Aira’? As you have heard, I’m Seria’s unfortunate mother.”
“Why did you show up at this point?”
At my question, Seria’s mother smiled faintly.
The smile looked somewhat sad, bitter, and in another way, as if resigned.
The woman shook her head weakly.
“I didn’t wish to meet like this either. However, isn’t it truly unfortunate how fate plays its tricks… to meet at such a bad time, in such a bad relationship.”
Senior Elsi ambled over to my side around that time.
She brushed off the dirt that had made her outfit messy, then began to scowl with an expression full of annoyance and hostility.
“That woman is strong.”
“She certainly looks that way.”
It wasn’t just empty talk; Seria’s mother, who introduced herself as “Aira,” indeed gave off an aura of strength at first glance.
One could tell just from the air of composure that exuded from a strong person. And despite having burned her clothes in a fierce battle with Senior Elsi, she appeared to have not a single scratch on her flawless white skin.
Moreover, the surrounding magic reacted noisily even to her gentle gestures.
Seria was still unable to say much and was only moving her lips. I had to strengthen my grip on her arm just in case she decided to leave me.
Regardless, Seria’s mother continued in a gentle voice.
“Son-in-law, may I ask you one thing?”
No response came from me. Even seeing my unwavering wariness, Seria’s mother didn’t wipe the sorrowful smile from her face.
“Please leave now. This battle was not formed by such simple connections. Haven’t you come to realize that? Good and evil are merely two sides of the same coin. Heavenly deities and evil deities, humans and monsters… the distinctions seem clear-cut, but it’s not so simple when you delve into the intricacies.”
“Does that mean vampires are right?”
“No one is right. Also, no one is wrong.”
Yet, Seria’s mother could not hide the momentary chilling expression on her face.
A sharp edge seemed to flicker briefly between her alluring lips. Before long, her blue eyes glimmered with a cold light, and she wore a haunting smile.
“We merely do what we must from our respective positions. There’s no place for you in this battlefield, son-in-law.”
That wasn’t entirely untrue.
Though I stood here with the fate of humanity on the line, no one had ever burdened me with such a task. It just turned out this way because I had meddled on my own.
Moreover, I did not know the circumstances between the great witch and the vampire well at all.
Thus, while her suggestion to leave was somewhat welcome on one hand,
unfortunately, I still had one more question that I needed to ask.
“…What about Seria?”
At my short retort, Seria’s mother sealed her lips tightly.
Seria’s bewildered voice echoed in my ears.
“Se-senpai….”
“What will happen to Seria? Can I take her with me?”
It was a voice filled with resolute will.
Seria’s mother also seemed to realize how seriously I was considering this question. That’s why she was taking her time responding, unlike her earlier flow of replies.
However, the silence did not last long.
After a brief hesitation, Seria’s mother delivered a sigh-filled answer.
“Son-in-law, Seria is my daughter…”
“I know.”
“In other words, it means that Seria is not human.”
Seria’s breath halted once again.
The soft weight of Seria leaning against me felt heavier. Yet still, I remained silently glaring at Seria’s mother.
“In the past, she might have been able to deceive us. Pretending to be human, unaware of her own fate… She must have faced many unfortunate situations as a result. But it’s no longer the case.”
“Why is that?”
“Because fate has come.”
A declaration.
It was a heavy tone that allowed for no small tremor. Then, Seria’s mother slowly stretched out her hand.
“It’s time to return to our rightful place. Me, and my sister, and my older sister… and Seria too. My daughter, come here.”
Seria’s body stiffened in shock.
Now that she had just regained her senses, her gaze wandered around restlessly, lost as if searching for a place to go. Her eyes, filled with confusion and hesitation, seemed to be asking me a question.
Where should I go?
I was not the only one who noticed Seria’s struggle.
The silver-haired woman continued to speak in a calm voice.
“Still don’t understand? You’re not meant to be there… Now, look around you. And what of the power writhing inside you?”
The flickers in her blue pupils grew more intense.
Seria’s body was not just stiff; it seemed to be shrinking away. With her shadowed eyes directed towards the ground and her increasingly labored breaths,
it was an ominous sign.
“I-I…”
“Not allowed.”
It was then that I stepped in.
At the sound of my voice standing in for the hesitating Seria, the tremors from her body came to a halt. Seria’s mother, too, was taken aback.
The blue eyes fixed on me silently.
They resembled Seria’s but were deeper and fiercer. Like a sea concealing a storm.
“I cannot leave Seria in such a state. You want me to let her live the life of a rampaging monster?”
“It’s merely the process of adaptation.”
“And what happens after the adaptation?”
Seria’s mother let out a strange sound and subtly turned her gaze away.
A life adapted to the power that rampaged.
It wouldn’t likely be the same as before. Vampires were monsters born as a result of a contract with an evil deity, and their mindset could not possibly be the same as a human’s.
Weren’t the vampire’s retinue I met at the academy like that?
Without hesitation, they sacrificed someone, showed indifference to others’ pain, and ultimately chose the life of a monster after sacrificing those dear to them.
Without a doubt, Seria had never committed such sins.
So I needed to assert in a more resolute tone.
“As a senior, I cannot allow Seria to be like that.”
“Last chance.”
With a snap of her fingers, Seria’s mother said so.
The glaring sunlight shattered into particles of white light. As the beams of light danced down, wrapping around the silver-haired woman, she became even more alluring than she already was.
But I knew.
That action was not merely for beauty.
Supporting that was the stony warning from Senior Elsi that echoed in my ears.
“…Be careful.”
Cold sweat began to bead on my palms.
There wasn’t much time left now.
However, the woman did not seem to care about my anxious feelings.
She simply extended her pristine white hand and gave me a lovely smile.
It was an ultimatum.
“Leave Seria behind and go now, son-in-law. Wouldn’t it be better to be alive and intact?”
“You’re quite confident.”
“Heh, foolishly… don’t think that what you’ve witnessed is our full strength. More than anything, you, aren’t you in a less than perfect condition? Please make a wise decision… So, what is your answer?”
An answer.
I decided to give a very straightforward expression of my will.
Clang!
The hand axe flew like a flash and struck the back of the woman’s hand, sending it soaring through the air.
