WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

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◈ Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

Chapter 34

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Resistance (Finale)

A long exhale, and I let the tension bleed out of my body.

Mind reading was useful, no question, but it was never comfortable. Every time someone died, I got dragged too deep into their perspective. Life at the moment it ends pours out raw and violent emotion, and every killing blow left me feeling like I'd been swept under a wave.

Made me feel like I'd actually done something, when all I'd done was scramble and stumble and barely kill them one by one just to stay alive.

Still. Mind reading was what had kept me breathing. No room to complain.

Another breath out. My whole body ached. All that frantic sprinting earlier, plus getting grabbed by the collar and hurled into a wall, had left me sore in places I didn't know I had. I was sitting there trying to collect myself when a voice came from behind.

"You've gotten blood on your hands."

The vampire? She'd come at the smell of blood? Honest to goodness, like a ghost.

Well. Actually a ghost. A vampire. A ghost that drinks blood.

Without turning around, I said, "Take it fast. Still warm, freshly killed."

"I'm already taking it, whether you say so or not."

Right. Come to think of it, the blood hadn't even been landing on me, it had been flowing away behind me the whole time. Wasted words. In Tantalus, any blood spilled was the vampire's meal.

Ah, right. Since she was already here.

"While you're at it, could you take care of the bodies?"

"The bodies? I doubt they would enjoy becoming part of me. Wouldn't burial be more appropriate?"

"Not really. Being in the Abyss makes that difficult. The ground is all concrete, so no matter how well you bury someone, all you get is a concrete grave. They won't rot, they won't return to Mother Earth's embrace. They'll be preserved exactly as they are, forever. Better to sleep inside a vampire's coffin than end up like that."

"Without a funeral rite?"

"It's fine. I personally closed their eyes."

"I was not aware you were an undertaker."

"Isn't a funeral just the act of remembering the traces of a life that's passed? By that measure, they had a more than adequate ceremony."

The vampire seemed to understand. A wave of her hand, and the blood gathered and swallowed the bodies whole. A sound followed, somewhere between dissolving and crushing, like thousands upon thousands of waves grinding stone over centuries, compressed into a few seconds.

It didn't take long. The bodies vanished with the tide of blood. As if no one had ever been there at all, the stripped restraint suits were all that remained.

Silence.

I sat there without much reaction, and the vampire, who had been standing still, grew bored. She began drifting toward me through the dark, her footsteps light.

'He recognized me without even looking. Not the situation I'd anticipated, but... well. Someone with sharp energy sense should at least be able to distinguish a presence.'

Energy sense? I supposed mind reading counted for that, so distinguishing presences probably applied too.

'Even so, he hasn't moved at all. Has he gone sentimental over killing someone? Young ones can't help it. Perhaps I'll offer a little comfort.'

Comfort? For what?

I was still chewing on that when the vampire stepped right up in front of me and spoke.

"Blood flows on, and sooner or later it reaches the sea. If nothing else, were these not your enemies? Their strength may not have reached you, but they were warriors the same as you. They staked their lives fairly. There is no need for you to feel melancholy."

"I'm not particularly melancholy."

"You've been hanging your head since earlier. Lift it with pride. That is your dignity as someone who has claimed strength, and your respect toward the warriors you defeated."

"I said I'm fine."

My head was hanging because my neck hurt from being grabbed. And because I was still exhausted from running all over that building. I had a normal, ordinary body. After exertion like that, I needed to rest.

All the while, the vampire looked down at the blood circling her wrist and said, "Judging from this blood, the owner of that body was clearly a distinguished knight in life. To have subdued someone like that without leaving a single wound, and bound them... you are truly worthy of calling yourself the manager of the Abyss."

Without a single wound? She didn't know because none of it had shown on the outside. I'd just been grabbed one-handed and slammed into a wall. Underneath my shirt, I was probably covered in bruises.

How was I supposed to clear up this misunderstanding...

Wait. Did I even have to?

I cleared my throat. "I wasn't being sentimental. I just closed my eyes for a moment to pay tribute to his valor."

"That is precisely what being sentimental means."

"Whatever."

"You haven't thought to face me even while speaking to me. How long do you intend to just sit there?"

"I was just about to get up."

Talking had helped. I felt more like myself. Groaning, I pushed to my feet. Right in front of me stood the vampire, red eyes glowing.

Rather a lot to take in.

The moment our eyes met, the vampire gave a small, superior nod and smiled.

"Well then. Do you recognize me?"

Hm? What was that supposed to mean? Of course I recognized her.

'This will be his first time seeing my true form. I do not show it to just anyone, but since I have ventured out, there is no harm in showing my face.'

What was that thought about? She'd stepped out of her coffin and suddenly there was all this preening. Like she'd completed some kind of rehabilitation.

'Let us see if he can still treat me like an old woman after seeing me like this.'

Excuse me?

Frowning, I looked at the vampire's face again. Small, pale as snow, and those red eyes. The black dress she wore looked like something out of a museum exhibit, and her large coffin followed a half-step behind her like a faithful attendant.

On her shoulder rested a black parasol, something like shadow gathered into solid form, and strange as it was, standing beneath it made the vampire's face perfectly visible even in the pitch-dark. As if the parasol was absorbing all the surrounding darkness into itself.

Impressive appearance, certainly. But why show her true form specifically? Did she think I'd fall over in shock just from seeing her face?

Oh. Wait. Obviously.

Unbelievable. Fine. I'd play along.

I stared at the vampire's face and startled back with an exaggerated flinch.

"Oh? A woman? Wh, who is that? Don't tell me... Tyrkanzyaka-trainee?"

"That's right. Who else would it be?"

A faint smile played at the corner of the vampire's mouth. Pleased with herself, she gave the parasol a half-turn and said, "What a strange creature you are. You were calling my name just moments ago, and now you pretend not to know me."

"No, it's just, your appearance changed so suddenly, I was just... thrown off. When did you step out of the... the wheelchair, I mean, the coffin?"

"Just now. I had to reveal my true form for the first time in quite a while to deal with an unwelcome intruder. Originally I intended to return inside immediately after finishing the matter, but the strong scent of blood from outside drew me out."

Over the next few exchanges, I deliberately avoided meeting the vampire's eyes. A glance upward here and there, head dropping back down the moment our gazes almost connected.

Watching me, the vampire narrowed her eyes.

'He looks exactly like a boy who has never so much as held a girl's hand. Tsk. A man who claims to have trained, and his composure crumbles this easily just from seeing a face. How flimsy.'

She was criticizing me in her thoughts, but she was clearly enjoying it. A pleased hum, and she stepped closer.

"And yet, you are on your feet now, but still cannot look me in the eye. Why is that?"

"W, well."

"What's come over you? You're usually all mouth, chattering away without a care. This isn't like you."

'He must have trained from a young age and lacks experience with women. I wonder if my teasing is being too hard on an innocent boy, but...'

In very high spirits, the vampire came right up to my face and leaned in, peering into my eyes. Silver hair falling in a shimmer, pupils red as blood, filling my vision.

"Besides, this is our first time meeting face to face, and you keep looking away. It's a little hurtful. Come now, say something."

'This is entirely your fault. If you had not been teasing me all this time, I would not have stooped to something this childish for revenge.'

To the vampire wallowing in private satisfaction, I answered in a small, shrinking voice.

"I... I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

'You think a simple apology covers all your past rudeness? Not a chance. I'll make you squirm for every bit of teasing you've put me through.'

Oh, is that right.

No more playing nice. I let my expression go flat and replied coolly.

"What do you think. For not being able to flatter you more."

"Hm?"

"Whether you're inside the coffin or out, you think the same things and say the same things. What's the difference? You're exactly the same as always."

Besides, why was she still leaning in like that. I frowned and leaned right back at her. The moment our faces were nearly touching, the vampire recoiled with a startled sound.

I picked at my ear with a bored look. "There was a battle just now, and what exactly were you doing? If you have any self-awareness about showing your face for the first time, the first thing to do is verify who you're dealing with. Sneaking up from behind and then asking if I recognize you, what was I supposed to do with that?"

"Wh, that's."

"What were you expecting? For me to gasp and admire you, then recite a poem praising your beauty? Or maybe look at Tyrkanzyaka-trainee with new eyes and apologize for how casual I've been all this time? Is that what you were hoping for?"

'W, well, it wasn't quite like that... I just got a little playful...'

It was exactly like that.

Over a thousand years and many stories had come and gone, but vampires being beautiful was a legend told time and again. It wasn't for nothing that people speculated vampires possessed powers of fascination. The church gritted its teeth and pushed only the monstrous qualities, but that was its own agenda.

All that had probably inflated her self-regard a fair bit. Some age-appropriate behavior was the least I could ask for.

Good grief.

"Please stop being so embarrassing."

"Em, embarrassing?!"

"Wanting to be told you look young is a general trait among older people, so I understand the impulse, but there's a time and place for everything. There was a fierce battle less than ten minutes ago. Please carry yourself accordingly."

At least she still had some shame left. In the grip of mortification, the vampire clutched her parasol with both hands. So hard that what little color remained in her knuckles drained away entirely.

One more push and she might actually explode, so I let it go.

When dealing with an immature adult, the most important thing was an accepting attitude. Unlike a child, she considered herself above me. People who assumed superiority from the start didn't run when embarrassed, they snapped, which made them difficult to handle.

What could I do. The younger, weaker one had to be patient.

"Well. Even so, trainee is fine, I suppose. Viewed through an uninformed, objective lens, you're pretty, after all. But please keep the embarrassing behavior in check. Time and place."

'Wh, what is this? It is clearly unpleasant... but nothing he said is wrong. If I get angry it will seem petty, but staying quiet feels like being dismissed...'

"Nothing left to do here, so I'm going to go check the supply crates. The blood supply came in too, so shall we?"

"Ah. Yes. Let's."

I walked away without looking back. The vampire, flushed and flustered, gripped her parasol with both hands and followed.

The spot where the supply crates had landed still had a body left out. The vampire absorbed that one too. Truly a human drainage system... Ah, better not say that out loud. She might actually take offense.

The small consideration of knowing what not to say. Rather sweet of me.

Right. Time to check the supplies. I whistled and opened the supply crate.

Inside were dozens upon dozens of compressed bean tins.

"Oh."

That was strange. Even if the military state had a thing for canned goods, they understood nutrition. Not a single loaf of bread? No rice at all?

Puzzled, I looked further into the back of the storage area and found the wreckage. The gnawed-down remains of what had once been bread, as if rats had gotten to it and bolted.

The cheese packaging was torn open. The milk cartons were completely empty.

Oh.

Right.

Five members of the Resistance had hidden inside those supply crates.

What they'd been eating was obvious. They couldn't crack open compressed tins from inside a crate, not when those required soaking and cooking, so they'd taken the easy route. Bread and milk.

Ha. So. What that meant was, all that was left was tins.

"YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARDS!"

Furious, I kicked the supply crate with everything I had. Freshly reminded of just how durable military state supply crates were. Damn it, my foot was killing me.

Howling, I spun around to face the vampire.

"Tyrkanzyaka-trainee, pull those bodies back out right now! I'm going to show them what posthumous desecration really looks like today!"

"What now?"

The vampire asked in her usual flat tone. She'd clearly seen the bread scraps, but since none of it was her food, she showed no reaction. I jabbed a finger at the inside of the crate and yelled.

"The bread is gone! Those intruders ate every last piece! What are we supposed to eat now?"

"Are those round tins not also food? There seems to be quite a lot of them. If the bread is gone."

"Telling me to eat tinned food is a revolution trigger. Do not let those words leave your mouth again. Unlike you, a vampire who lives on age and people's blood, humans need proper food!"

"Wh, what?! I only live on age?!"

Ah. In my frustration the honest thoughts slipped out. The vampire's centuries of well-aged hysteria was on the verge of erupting.

Someone walked out from the prison entrance. The regressor. A thin trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth, she'd taken a hit somewhere, but her expression was one of quiet satisfaction.

Then again, satisfaction made sense given who she'd been up against. In her other hand, she was dragging a body out by the collar, headless. The large frame in full military gear trailed along limp, blood still seeping from the stump.

'Even with my energy sealed, I can still cut through military armor... a sign I've grown, however slightly.'

Why could she cut through steel without energy. Completely beyond me.

Seeing the regressor, the vampire brightened.

"Shei, do you happen to know who I."

"That's Tyrkanzyaka, isn't it? Out of the coffin. Here, there's blood, drink up."

The regressor handed the body straight to the vampire. Identified in an instant, the vampire accepted it with a faint look of disappointment and absorbed the body in a tide of blood.

'Do young people these days carry portraits of me? They are never surprised. Back when I used to tease visitors to my estate, it did not matter their age or gender, the moment I showed myself they couldn't bring themselves to meet my eyes... What is it with men these days, all of them like stone idols.'

Look at her poking at her own face with her hands, checking for wrinkles. Pathetic. A body that died and was preserved back then couldn't grow wrinkles.

More than that, she'd been drinking blood this whole time and still hadn't noticed Shei's male disguise. Truly a vampire without a single thing going right.

The vampire finished absorbing the body in waves of blood and studied the regressor carefully, then spoke.

"It seems you've made progress. I can sense that the blood inside your body is fully under your command now."

"Real combat is still the best teacher."

Shei smiled and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

Even with the vampire right there, the regressor's blood didn't fly toward her. It clung to her skin, shimmering faintly, and stayed.

Blood that had left the body, and she hadn't let it be taken. Proof, at minimum, that the regressor had enough control over her own blood.

Satisfied, Shei looked around.

"The others?"

"This one seems to have handled them all. When I arrived, only bodies remained."

"Hmph."

'Tch. Half-expected him to just drop dead, but he does have some ability. His character is unreliable, but at least his skill I can trust.'

Don't trust it. Please. Just handle things yourself.

No energy left to even say it. I stood there blankly, staring at the mountain of tins.

Nothing for it.

Azzy. You're eating all of that.

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