Vol 2 Chapter 3 (2/2)
‘Right’
Val, finally back to a state where he could think, turned his thoughts to the handso coffin for the moment
‘He ed since then’
Vaed to the peak of their adulthood, somewhere between their twenties to their forties, at which point their aging halted al on the bloodline,old
However, va turned were different Theirprocesses froze at the s like muscle mass or fat deposits could still occur, any for of perer occur
There were, of course, some exceptions But this particular vampire known by the nickname of ‘Doctor’ was undoubtedly one of the latter A vae, never allowed to mature from that point onwards
“Youngsters these days No respect for the elderly”
“Ugh”
The vampires, overwhelmed by Doctor’s show of authority, paled and went silent
And so the Doctor revealed his true age to his audience
“As of this year, I ae, you rapscallions!”
There was silence
The va at one another incredulously But soon, their shock gave way to outraged complaints
“Twenty-seven Which er than me, you little bastard!”
“shi+t! Don’t scare us like that!”
“What kind of a twenty-so acts like an old man, anyway?!”
“You’re taking ‘precocious’ way too far!”
“What are you, a wannabe tweenager?!”
“A tweeniebopper?!”
As the va everywhere, Doctor chuckled like an enlightened man and turned to Selim
“Show these youngsters out, would you, Selim?”
“Oh! Yes!”
Seliized to the vah the door
Unwillingly following after her, the vampires floated behind like helium balloons in the hands of a child Valdred watched the cartoonish scene unfold before him, but the moment the door closed shut, he remembered that he was also a player in this story, not an audience member
He had forgotten about his purpose for coo off on different tangents made hi else
But once he regained his calm, he would probably be able to take a more objective view of his own situation
But stopping his thought processes fro any further in that direction was thepresence of the coffin-robot, which stood right in the middle of his field of vision
“Um Viscount Waldstein? What in the world”
[Ah, ies for the delayed nature of this introduction This here is Professor Professor, this is Valdred He seeht it best to bring him to the two of you for consultation]
‘Wait, what? No Viscount Waldstein, please don’t introduceht
<oh, i=”” see!=”” i thought it=”” was=”” strange=”” that=”” you=”” came=”” to=”” see=”” us=”” not=”” etting=”” referred=”” here=””>
‘But I didn’t even-’
“H man”
‘damn it!’
Sensing so despair at Doctor’s comment, the boy decided to let the situation unfold before his eyes But before that, there was one thing he wished to confirm
“Uht?”
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‘Uh What do I do now?’
<but you=”” know,=”” you=”” know?=”” if=”” you=”” really=”” insist,=”” i=”” don’t=”” =”” up=”” for=”” you!=””>
The joints on top of the caterpillar tracks spun back and forth The entire coffin pivoted around it Val desperately wanted to ignore this outlandish ie, but he found himself even more curious than before about the contents of this coffin
“If it doesn’t make you uncomfortable, then please let me see”
Val hesitantly stepped closer to the coffin He pulled off the lab coat from its arm and opened the lid
It flipped open with surprisingly little resistance Val looked inside
“”
He slowly closed the lid
Inside the coffin was a set of hu completely still The moment Val had opened the lid, the caterpillar tracks and the robotic ar They remained stationary, just like the bones inside But as soon as he closed the lid again, the coffin’s unusual voice returned to the roo had happened
ep! i’m=”” so=”” embarrassed=””>
“Um”
<no! please=”” don’t=”” say=”” a=”” word!=”” a=”” lady’s=”” secret=”” isn’t=”” so=”” you=”” should=”” show=”” to=”” the=”” world=”” at=”” large!=””>
“Right”
‘Let’s not think about it’
Val set aside his curiosity about the coffin for a moment and turned to Doctor
“Um Doctor? What kind of a relationshi+p do you have with Professor?” He asked, trying to change the topic at hand
Doctor glanced up at the ceiling with a bittersweet look
“Have you ever heard of Fermat’s Last Theorem?”
“Huh? N-no”
“That is precisely the relationshi+p between Professor and myself”
“That’s not an answer! That wasn’t even subtle!” Val cried without even thinking Doctor turned to hientle look
“Ah, to be young again Young man, you will understand one day Once you’ve become an adult”
“I don’t want to hear that froether or what? I just want a ‘yes’ or ‘no’”
“Young man, are you aware that you sound much like a japanese businessin by defining ‘yes’ by analyzing the three letters that compose it ‘Y’ is-”
“I’m sorry Never mind”
‘These people Are Weird They’re the weirdest acquaintances of the viscount I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying soin with?’
[Ah, what ht be the matter, Valdred? I see that your soul is currently in a very stable state]
“Hoh hoh I see your blood has cooled somewhat”
<just like=”” a=”” young=”” !=””>
“I’ back upstairs”
With three sets of expressions focused on his face, Val turned to leave through the door
‘That’s right I’ll talk to that girl--Selim--on the way back That’ll be a lot ht, and took hold of the doorknob But the voice that reached him at that very moment put a complete stop to his newly-made plans
“Since time imme turned into vampires That is probably the reason for your current existence”
“!”
His feet stopped in their tracks
The hand holding the doorknob would not h it was only a combination of illusion and telekinesis, Val had accusto as a human would This hy his perceived movements betrayed the state of his psyche
“Did the viscount tell you about me?”
Badly shaken by Doctor’s coht to hi loud enough for the entire room to hear
But Doctor continued quietly, pushi+ng Val further into a corner
“Not at all I was told by no one, but I did keep tabs on you This is the first time I’ve seen you in the form of a boy, but the security ca more or less than what you are without the assistance of your illusions”
“!”
Val reflexively turned towards Doctor, wearing a look of sadness, anxiety, and anger
“Professor and I are alatching, you see, from this laboratory We observe the many different vampires who live in this castle”
Doctor, quite happy to have seen Valdred change his expression this way, took a seat at a computer chair
“As I told you at the very outset, I had ‘forgotten’ you Or to be nize you After all, this is ”
Val could not find a way to answer Doctor put on a very gentle look and picked up a pen from beside him
“Now, then Shall we begin with a physical examination?”
<=>
So Harbor
“If there’s such a thing as injustice in this world, it’s that you’re so aly beautiful, Ferret”
The boy’s declaration left the girl in the black dress sighing loudly
“From my perspective, the only remarkable injustice in this world is the fact that I had to encounter someone like you”
“C’mon, that doesn’t apply to relationshi+ps Fate is so you ood ti for the future How many kids do you think we should have?”
“Sometimes I wish that your brain would function like a television--if only you could behave properly after receiving a sufficiently powerful strike”
A young couple was standing by the freight entrance at the ferry harbor, whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears
Or to be , receiving no appropriate response in turn
“A television, huh? I think we should get a really big one for our living room Oh! Also, don’t worry about our inco to write children’s books and live with you on a house on the hilltop And you’re going to be my inspiration for those books, Ferret I want the children of the world to know the truth! And this is the reality: Ferret, you’re the only truth in my life”
“Did you call me out in the middle of the day just so you could subject me to your harassment?”
They were both just past their mid-teens, but the way they carried theht and energetic like a child, but the girl was frigid and looked rather like the sheltered daughter of an aristocrat
“No way! I mean, I think it’s important for me to express my love for you, but if that’s all I wanted, I’d just dive into your coffin!”
“In which case s would tear into your carotid artery”
The vampire--Ferret von Waldstein--half-joked at her childhood friend’s flirting
She was looking rather cold to have been h to deter Mihail
“Haha I’d be more than happy if you could drink all of my blood”
“Of course not I would toss you away on the spot”
“What? That’s so cruel of you! But anyway, I love you so much, Ferret!”
As their conversation slowly began to lose coherence, Ferret raised her voice without even thinking But Mihail did not seem at all hurt by her attitude
“So the reason I called you out there today is because of the Carnale Festival Y’know The opening cereo see it with et a chance to go But I’ to miss it this year!”
“”
Ferret’s hoe for the Carnale Festival Each year, perfors couests would dance to the songs in the ballroo’s paintings It was in this castle that Ferret the vampire resided
Although she was a vampire in naht, running water, or crucifixes However, she had no special powers that va into a flock of bats or dissolving into fog
Ferret’s older twin brother, Relic, was the complete opposite He was possessed of countless abilities befitting a vampire, but he also possessed as many weaknesses as the vampires in movies and novels
Yet despite the twins’ curious nature, Mihail had treated them no differently than he would treat anyone else However, this did not h they were the same as humans--he respected their nature as va but honest kindness He was so care
‘If only that care would be directed in a better way’ Ferret thought to herself Although she almost treated Mihail as she would a stalker, Mihail ell aware of this and did not care In sohtless in this attitude But his reckless flirting continued today nonetheless
“Ferret, did you know? If two people look at Strassburg’s paintings while listening to his ht of the Carnale Festival, they’ll be blessed for all eternity!”
“Ohin the company of Honored Brother”
“Wait, what? No, wait! This only works for the two of us, Ferret!”
“And why ht that be the case?”
“Because I made it up just now!”
Before she had even realized, Mihail had taken a hold of Ferret’s hand She tightened her grip in retaliation
“Ouch! Ugh Heh Heh heh For you, Ferret, I can create legends And I can even sacrifice a hand or two for your sake!” Mihail said with a triu down his back Ferret sighed softly in surrender
“My goodness Even I cannot help but bow to your stubbornness, Mihail”
“Haha, don’t be shy, Ferret I’m the one who can’t help but look away because you’re so beautiful And, uh if you forgiveto hurt--”
“Of course If this foolishly tragic legend of yours will elevate your intelligence even minutely, then I shall allow you to accompany me to the perfor away Mihail grinned like a child on Christh the cold sweat on his brow frorip did not disappear
“Sweet! Ouch, ouch F-F-Ferret? Uh, the tips of ot it! You’re holding ether, right? Don’t worry! I’ll accept all of that and ouch ouch ouch”
This was just Ferret being too shy and aard to s clear, Mihail convinced hirow numb
<=>
“So where are we supposed to get this thing to?”
“Waldstein Castle We contacted a local transport coet it to their depot”
As Mihail lost hio in the harbor stood before a particularly large piece of freight that had been standing there all st themselves
“Huh That’s not part of our contract, is it?”
“What can we do? I mean, they’re pretty close by and all, but no way they’d send in a truck to pick up one piece of private cargo How’s that one girl supposed to lug this thing up to the castle by herself, right?”
The cargo was a large wooden crate about two e transport cart with a forklift The men looked up a the crate, which they had just barely been able to push with their co to finish their job
“Seriously How heavy is this thing? What the hell is inside?”
“I hear it’s a suit of ar to display at the festival”
“A suit of armor?”
“Yeah One of Strassburg’s designs, so it’s crazy expensive So ould they just send in one girl to transport it? And where the hell’d she go, anyway?”
Thethe cart towards the harbor exit But they spotted a familiar face about fifty meters ahead
“shi+t! It’s Miss Ferret!”
“damn it Does she remember us from before?!”
Just over a year ago, these twoRelic, and were almost murdered by Ferret At the time, Relic was there to save them But today, he was nowhere to be seen
“We’ll be fine I hope It’s been over a year now, right?”
“Right”
Theto cal down their backs
They slowly trudged forward, drawing closer and closer to Ferret with the cart rolling ahead of them
For a split second, Ferret turned towards the Her eyes moved towards the men, even as she continued to speak to the boy beside her
The tork to leap out of their throats, but Ferret quickly turned back towards Mihail, having lost interest
The workhtly away from Ferret as they continued towards the exit
At that very
So
“Huh?” “What?”
A powerful i where they stood
Before they knew it, the scene before their eyes changed
First, there hite
A white stake that had shot out of the side of the crate, looking for all the world like a great white bullet
Then, there was black
The scene of the stake piercing the chest of Ferret von Waldstein
The white stake provided the perfect contrast to the black of her dress
Then there was red
It began to seep fro at the white stake
The screa skies over the harbor
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