WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 447: Heaven-Defying Trial - 15

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The vine that had grown by drinking blood climbed upstream through the river of blood. Feeding on blood energy, it spread its branches and leaves, covering the blood-red current.

"Druidism? No, this is from the Tree of Corruption..."

Hilde, once a member of the Holy Sword Corps and the one who had stolen a seed from the Tree of Corruption, immediately recognized my power.

"As expected of Father. You can wield all of the Demon God's powers."

"Not all of them. I can only use the ones I know."

"Well, you are the King of Humanity. Does that mean you can do anything humans can do? Hehe. I think I understand why the Sanctum was so wary of you now."

"I wonder if they really need to be that wary."

Just because you knew something did not mean you could use it well. I was the same. Anyone taught to use the Demon God's power etched into the world could use it, but its effectiveness varied greatly according to individual ability. I simply used it in more convenient, practical ways. Calling it powerful would be a stretch.

"The vines will try to take root in Erjebeut. Let's run while she wrestles with them."

"Wouldn't it be better to finish this here?"

"Ah, well. The Tree of Origin is a bad match for bloodcraft."

Thankfully, I did not need to explain. The vines, which had been spreading as they soaked up blood, suddenly halted and turned their heads toward us like snakes.

[A blood-drinking vine... Curious, but nothing more. If blood energy touches it, it falls under my authority.]

Erjebeut's dominion spread through the vines along the blood. Empowered by blood energy, the vines flicked their tongues like red snakes and began crawling back toward me.

Hilde paled at the sight of dozens of vines rushing toward us.

"What is this? They've become Erjebeut's forces instead!"

"I told you, they're a bad match."

"This is more like pouring oil on a fire! What are we supposed to do now?!"

Dozens of vines rushed us. It would be difficult to cut them all down with a two-handed sword. Hilde gripped the holy sword with both hands and split it in two. The light that flashed for a moment became two slender blades, one in each hand. Hilde swung the twin swords, cutting down vines in droves. The blood inside them splattered like juice.

"Thank you for cleaning up the mess I made. I'd only been humoring you until now, but I think I can really accept you as my daughter."

"Be quiet! I'm jumping over that roof, so follow me!"

Hilde kicked off the ground in a single leap, cut down the vines clinging to the wall, and landed on the roof. Then she held out a hand so I could follow.

"Huh? You got up here by yourself?"

"Ah, yes. I raised the ground a little and used the rebound."

"...If you could do that, you should've used it sooner!"

"It's just a little trick. It can't change the tide of battle."

Dozens of vines chased us as we crossed the broad rooftop in an instant. They were no longer vines, but snakes wearing plant skins. Instead of teeth, they thrust dense roots at us, trying to snatch Hilde and me away.

As I ran from the vines I had created, I grumbled.

"Do you like controlling vines that much? You keep attacking with them. You're making the person who created them look ridiculous."

"Father, you need to feel a lot more ridiculous than this! And you need to feel more sorry for me too!"

"As long as I feel sorry, right?"

"Don't think you can get away with just words! Of course there should be compensation too... Jump!"

We shook off the pursuing vines and leaped down from the roof. Hilde landed lightly with energy arts. I used the little energy arts I had to soften my fall while also using earth arts to make the ground a little softer, then rolled once.

After struggling that much, it felt unfair that my shoulder still ached.

While Hilde cut down the vines following us, I ran ahead. I was slower than Hilde, so it was my duty to put some distance between us while she dealt with something else. It was the best judgment I could make as the one being carried along.

As I strode forward with earth arts mixed into my steps, a red carpet spread out before me.

As if welcoming me.

Ah, wait a moment.

"One born a noble cannot chase after a beast's rear without dignity. It is best to guide prey into falling into a trap of its own accord."

I had wondered why there were so many vines. This was a trick to lure me in.

Vines, vines, and more vines surrounded us. Flowing blood had no choice but to gather and form a current, but vines did not. Erjebeut folded her fan as she stood surrounded by the vines I had cultivated.

"I rather like these vines. They are not beautiful, but they would make fine decorations for a wall. I will make good use of what you leave behind."

"Uh, there's one more gift."

"If it is your head, I will take it soon enough. Be patient."

"No, not that. I slipped a card between the vines."

You could not fight vampires with human techniques alone. What was the point of practicing sword thrusts all day? It was useless if stabbing a blade into their stomach did not kill them.

Historically, there had been two ways to deal with vampires. Wait for sunlight, or borrow the power of magic.

Three of Clovers. The beginning of humanity, which had given the gifts of light and heat. Flame magic drew in the nearby firewood and prepared to burn.

What I had cultivated were vines that absorbed blood. That was not all, though. They would obviously be controlled if all they did was absorb blood, so I had grafted one more trait from the Tree of Origin.

Plants burned well. As long as they were not full of water, every part of a plant could serve as fuel. Grass that had used up vast amounts of water while growing in a hurry burned better the larger it became.

In other words, Erjebeut was inside a bomb.

I lit the fuse.

"Set. Celsius."

The card responded to my magic and released the power it held.

The flames were as red as blood, but bright. Fire erupted as if exploding and devoured everything around it. Primordial gluttony, a blaze that consumed fuel and turned it to ash, swept through the vines. Tremendous heat slammed into my entire body. If Hilde had not arrived in time to pull me away, I would have gone tumbling far into the distance.

Hilde shielded me and held a hand over her mouth as she grumbled.

"Ugh. If you're going to do something like this, at least give me some warning!"

"You must've had some idea when the vines were taken over."

"I thought you'd poisoned them! I didn't think you were going to burn them!"

Poison would have been nice if it worked. What poison could affect a dead body? No matter how you looked at it, the straightforward approach was best. Fire was also the weapon most commonly used against vampires.

...Well. It would have been nice if that had killed her.

"Wait!"

Hilde swung the holy sword. Light traced an arc through the air, then cut down a blade of blood that came slicing through the smoke toward us. Shattered blood scattered everywhere.

"...Tsk. I was so carried away that I wasted too much time. This will not do."

Crackle, crackle.

After the first explosion, Erjebeut emerged through the smoke amid flames that had died down somewhat.

Her clothes had not endured the blast and had all burned away. Even so, Erjebeut's skin was only lightly stained with soot and reddened by the heat. It remained smooth and flawless.

An explosion of this scale could not disperse Erjebeut's blood energy. Blood was liquid. In a pure contest between water and fire, Erjebeut won overwhelmingly.

Still, she should have been hurt or at least disoriented. How could she be completely fine?

"I had no wish to use my body directly..."

Erjebeut swung her folded fan. Something seemed to burst from the blood-soaked fan, and a storm rose from its tip, blowing the flames and smoke far away.

Her monstrous strength was one thing, but her skill at controlling wind with a fan was impressive too. Erjebeut pointed the fan at Hilde and whispered coldly.

"I have already shown you an ugly sight. I will stop holding back and kill you now."

Countess Erjebeut. Even before she became a vampire, she drank blood and filled bathtubs with it. How had a delicate noblewoman managed that? Power? Political influence?

No. Martial strength.

Even before becoming a vampire, Erjebeut had been an energy arts master with exceptional skill. She had simply never felt the need to use it until now. Her own abilities were formidable as well.

Tsk. It would have been easier if she had kept fighting with vines. Still, we had held on for quite a while.

"Father. Do you have another plan?"

Good timing. I smiled confidently and answered Hilde's question.

"I sent a signal, so reinforcements will come."

"...I'm honestly impressed now. How many moves ahead are you looking?"

"I didn't predict anything in particular. I just scatter bait everywhere. You never know when you might collect it."

Anyone with business here would come at once after seeing an explosion this large. Now we only had to hold out until then...

"Madam Erjebeut."

Were they here? Huh? Wait. Ain? Erjebeut's thralls?

They were not my reinforcements.

"You have come, Katalina. What is the situation?"

"The situation is turning unfavorable. I came upon receiving your summons, but you must return to the castle at once."

"I will settle this shortly and return. Lend me a hand."

"As you command."

Five ain led by Natalia surrounded Hilde and me. We could not even beat one Elder, and now there were five ain. Honestly, even if Hilde and I had been in perfect condition, dealing with three or more ain would have been difficult.

When were my reinforcements coming?

Death was coming to the street an Elder had swept through. Humans bled everywhere, standing at death's door. The survivors were grateful for their good fortune and breathed sighs of sorrow and relief.

Then she arrived alongside death.

A nurse's uniform with a single apron tied over it. A triangular hood. Pale skin and red eyes. Those who belatedly recognized the Elder, Lir Nightingale, screamed and stepped back.

"Vampire..."

"Eek! Run!"

"An Elder is going to kill us all!"

"We have to fight..."

Even amid the chaos and fear, Lir silently counted.

Thirty-two were at death's door. Eighty-three were dying from anemia. Including various minor injuries, there were nearly two hundred.

And Lir alone was enough for this.

Lir removed her hood and pulled out her hairpin. Hair as black as ebony, which had been carefully tucked beneath the hood, flowed down. Lir used the blade in her hairpin to cut off a handful of hair.

The drifting hair suddenly writhed like tiny worms. Lir used bloodcraft with exquisite precision to control it. Her jet-black hair caught the scent of blood and moved toward the humans' wounds.

"Aah! Get away from me, monster!"

The terrified humans tried to kick it away, but the fine strands avoided every attempt at resistance and burrowed into their wounds. Just as the frightened humans screamed.

Stab, stab, stab, stab.

The hair moved back and forth across their wounds in zigzags. Then it tied knots on its own and stopped.

As if stitching the wounds shut.

Erjebeut's dominion was meant to collect blood. Lir's dominion was meant to return spilled blood. She forcibly grasped and controlled the weakened blood flow of those dying. Blood trying to leave their bodies was pushed back in, and their sluggish circulation accelerated in place of their fading heartbeats.

Erjebeut had taken the blood away, though, so there was not enough left. Lir used the blood she had saved to deal with the immediate danger, then called out to the crowd.

"Under an Elder's authority, I will collect an emergency blood tax. Please understand."

"W-what... Aah!"

Her hair pierced the healthier humans and drew their blood. The strands, swollen with blood like mosquitoes, hurried toward those who needed it.

It was not much, but some of the taxpayers whose blood had been taken looked displeased. Lir was saving people, though. The taxpayers had neither the cause nor the power to object, so they swallowed their words.

External injuries were easy to treat. Replenish the blood and close the wounds. It was not as simple as it sounded, but Lir's power had been honed for precisely that purpose.

The treatment proceeded in an instant. Once it was mostly complete, a huge, powerfully built man approached her.

"Miss Lir. Erjebeut attacked us indiscriminately. She didn't even give a reason. She was only obsessed with collecting blood."

The humans of the Duchy, who had lived as livestock for centuries, felt no urge to resist vampires. Refugees from other regions often brought the common sense of the outside world with them, though. And outside the Duchy, people were usually hostile toward vampires.

"The Progenitor's concubine and a holy knight are fighting her. I'll help too, so lend us your strength. With an Elder, we can win."

If he had once been a knight of a fallen kingdom, he might be willing to fight a vampire. The huge man made that offer to Lir.

No matter the difference in power, an Elder was still an Elder. If their bloodcraft canceled each other out, Erjebeut would only have her slender body left. If Lir joined the fight, they had a good chance.

But.

"I'm not interested."

Lir rejected him flatly and stood. As though she had no interest in either the people she had treated or the Elder, she turned away and moved off to find another patient by following the scent of blood.

The huge man stood dumbfounded for a moment, then shouted after her.

"Don't you work to save humans? Stopping Erjebeut is the quickest and surest way!"

"I'm not interested in how they live. I don't care how many people Erjebeut uses as food, or how many become food."

Lir paused for a moment.

Her stopped heart showed no emotion even when she saw people dying. No pity, sorrow, or anger. Lir could no longer feel them.

Lir's parents had given her life, then taken everything else away.

An Elder's daughter. A created child. She was wielded like a tool and became a vampire before she could grow into an adult. Then her Elder father ordered her to rebel. From that day onward, Lir's life had existed for rebellion.

She had never decided a single thing for herself. To Lir, emotions and will were no different from a story about coloring pictures told to a blind person.

Vampires had emotions too. But how could a person who had never learned or felt them throughout their life understand them? How could she learn something she had never experienced?

So after Lir became an Elder, when she gained freedom for the first time, she decided what she would do.

Treat humans.

The reason was simple. It was something Lir was good at, and no one would interfere with her.

Like now.

"The treatment is complete. Goodbye."

There were no more patients. That meant Lir had no reason to remain here.

Lir turned her eyes away from those who would not die and set out to find another patient.

Footnotes:

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