WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 413: There Is Always Only One Truth

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The entire top floor of the Castle of the Full Moon was Tyr's private space. No one could live above the Progenitor's head, so Tyr alone resided at the very top of the castle.

The uppermost floor of the grand, lavish old castle held a dim, tranquil bedroom for the Progenitor. It had rarely been used. Tyr was a vampire and did not sleep, and whenever she seemed likely to enter a long slumber, she would take her favored coffin somewhere far away and sleep underground where no one would find her.

Still, it was well maintained for a room with no signs of use. Faintly translucent red curtains hung around the large canopy bed, and a jewel-studded mirror on one wall reflected the bedroom.

"Th-this isn't it. Forget what you saw. I had no intention of taking you into my bedchamber..."

I hadn't planned on entering, either.

Tyr shut the bedroom door and opened the door to the audience chamber. A long table stood inside, and documents Valdamir had prepared were neatly stacked at the seat of honor reserved for Tyr alone.

Tyr naturally took the seat of honor. I sat directly beside her and waited for her to continue.

"Your deduction was correct. Valdamir reached the same conclusion, and I agree. It could not have been done by anyone but a vampire."

"Well, if we've narrowed it down this far, picking the culprit should be easy. I don't know much about vampires, but Tyr and the Duke of Crimson Blood should be able to narrow down the culprit for certain. So, who's the most likely suspect?"

Tyr leafed through the stacks of papers, found a file, and handed it to me. One name was written on it in ominous red letters.

"Lir Nightingale."

It was only natural that it was the Healer Sage's name.

"She was Luscinia's Yeiling, and she inherited his true blood. Anyone in the world would find her the most suspicious."

Tyr's suspicion was reasonable.

Who but one of Luscinia's thralls could have approached the cruelest Elder? And if she had not killed him, how could she have inherited his true blood? It was like looking down a road that ran straight from beginning to end.

There was just one question left. I tilted my head.

"A Yeiling isn't exactly weak, but... her opponent was an Elder. The master of masters. The gap between them alone is enormous. Could she really have killed him and taken his blood?"

"I too have doubts about the method. Therefore, I will order my Lir to explain it directly. If her account does not fit, she will meet permanent death at my hand."

Tyr agreed with my doubt, but did not place much importance on it. It was the mindset of a sovereign, not a judge. Want to live? Then prove your innocence. If I'm not convinced, I'll kill you instead.

Tyr really was a sovereign, and the method was not especially wrong. A sovereign's role was to govern, not to wander about seeking some vague truth. Presumption of innocence? Was there any country that bothered with that?

But...

I had read it.

Lir Nightingale had not killed Luscinia.

That made me a little curious. Originally, I had planned to wait until the day of the trial. As long as I could read minds, learning the truth of the case would be easy once everyone involved had gathered.

The issue was whether everyone involved would actually gather.

The most likely suspect was Lir. Yet Lir was not the culprit. That meant the real culprit was somewhere else. If they did not attend the trial, the whole truth would be buried.

Tyr, the sovereign, might be fine with that. Still, I was curious.

I had nothing else to do anyway. Should I dig into it a little?

"The most likely culprit is still Lir Nightingale."

"She also left despite knowing I had arrived. Whether intentional or not, it looks as though she fled. Based on my suspicions alone, I wonder whether a trial is even necessary."

"But! It's so perfect that it rubs me the wrong way."

"It rubs you the wrong way?"

If I hadn't read her mind, I would have been happily chewing meat and touring the Fog Duchy without a care. But I had read it, so it couldn't be helped. Since I was touring anyway, why not find a little pastime? Resting with a purpose would be less boring than simply resting.

"Doesn't it feel unpleasant when the answer seems so obvious? I want to find whatever hidden move is behind it."

"Are you saying someone is behind this incident? Are you certain?"

"I'm not certain. I just think that would be more interesting."

"To seek entertainment in the death of an Elder. Be serious. It's only because it's me that I'll let it pass; other vampires would make a fuss if they heard that."

She had even thought about idling away an entire year with me, and now she suddenly wanted me to be serious. It felt unfair, but complaining about it would mean confessing my mind reading, so I held back.

"You said you can't act until a verdict is reached on the late Luscinia's death, right? Let me help. I'll take Lir Nightingale's defense."

"By defense, do you mean you will argue for her innocence?"

"Not exactly. I'll raise questions about the suspicious parts and help reach a more accurate verdict. There are things you can't see when you look at something from only one direction. If I stand on Lir's side, you may be able to make a more objective judgment."

Since I knew the answer by reading minds, it would end up being a defense, though.

It sounded like a proposal Tyr would find interesting, but unexpectedly, she did not seem very interested. With her fingers interlaced on the table, she grumbled at me like someone feeling slighted.

"Is there any reason to waste effort on something so obvious? Valdamir and I will handle matters concerning the Elder, so you needn't concern yourself with it. More importantly, don't you have something else to do?"

"Something else? Finding the Demon God? I can't do that right away."

The Demon God was apparently not the answer Tyr had expected. Her expression grew even more dissatisfied, and a complaint slipped from her pouting lips.

"You said you would restore the sensations in my body. I didn't want to rush you, but you seem to have no interest in that matter at all... It disappoints me."

"Oh, that."

I scratched my head.

I had promised, and I intended to do it. But there was one thing I needed to confirm first.

"I can do it whenever, Tyr. But are you sure it's all right to restore your senses?"

I had already restored Tyr's heart after hearing her wish.

She had formed herself around that heart. By drawing a distinction between the outside and the inside, Tyr had clearly separated her vague self from the world. Because of that, her bloodcraft and authority of domination had weakened... but in return, that power now existed within Tyr's body.

The ripples from restoring her heart were already spreading across the entire duchy. Tyr had not noticed.

And now I would restore her senses as well?

"Restoring your heart changed you, Tyr. Restoring your senses carries even greater meaning. Senses are the power to recognize and accept changes in the outside world. If all of them are restored... you'll keep changing from now on. To the point that you wouldn't believe you were the same Tyr you are now. Is that all right?"

"It is what I wanted."

I had expected her to think about it for at least a moment, but Tyr answered readily.

"Until now, I vaguely wished to restore my heart. I do not know why. Though I have never experienced an ordinary life, part of me always wished for a heart that beat as it pleased."

Tyr placed a hand over her chest and felt the pulse. She could freely regenerate her body with wondrous bloodcraft, but the heart into which I had embedded a card would not obey her commands.

A living being could not stop its own heart. It could not stop breathing and die by its own will. That was a primal instinct. That was why a person needed a blade, poison, or rope to take their own life.

By restoring her heart, I had made Tyr unable to abandon her body. If she dismantled it again, her heart would stop. Power had gathered to protect the small spark within her, and through it, she had come to distinguish the outside from the inside.

"I think I understand now. There had to be a 'me' first. Only when there is a 'me' can I feel what is different. Only then can I desperately love something different from myself. I can be moved by it and develop feelings toward it. I had always been searching for something that would change me."

As Tyr calmly felt her heartbeat, she reached that hand toward me. Smiling in a way unbefitting a vampire, she played with my hand.

"I'm no longer afraid of changing. More than anything... Hyu, you're the one doing it. I've already entrusted my body to you once. If you're the one doing it, then as much as you wish."

A wish was change. Anyone with a wish wanted something to change.

Fulfilling that wish would probably cause a few problems, but there was no need to say so. It was Tyr's wish and Tyr's resolve. I had no intention of listing every possible issue just to buy myself insurance.

If problems arose, then that was how it would be. Tyr would handle them somehow. She was the Progenitor, after all.

"Then I'll do both."

I reached my conclusion just as readily.

"I'll investigate during the day and restore Tyr's senses at night. Looks like I'll be busy."

"Will you be all right? Will it not be difficult?"

"Do I look like someone who works myself to the bone? Don't worry. Compared to the forced marches I've already been through, this is nothing."

There went my peaceful tour. Still, I had to do at least this much to gain some influence in the duchy. Maybe I had been trying to loaf around too much. In this world, your presence grew in proportion to the work you did.

Living busily was the privilege of those with limited time. I hadn't particularly wanted it, but perhaps I would exercise that privilege for once.

"Besides, I'm curious how a mere Yeiling subdued an Elder. Knowing the method might help me understand vampires a little better. It could be useful when I restore Tyr's senses."

"If that is your wish, how can I stop you? I will inform my Valdamir, so do as you please."

'It's a shame we'll have less time together... but since he's working for me, I have no grounds to stop him.'

There were debts of the heart too. Give something, and something came back right away. I gathered only the documents that looked important from the table and rose from my seat.

"I'll come by tonight, so wash and wait for me."

"All right, I will wash and... Wh-what?"

"I have to engrave the lightning skein into your body stitch by stitch, like a tattoo. I'll see you this evening."

It was a necessary step, so I was telling her beforehand. It was delicate work, and it would be better if there were as few foreign substances as possible.

...It did sound a little strange, but I had warned her.

Until I left the room with the documents, Tyr sat perfectly still, like someone whose heart had stopped. Her hands were held defensively over her chest.

Footnotes:

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