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Vol 2 Chapter 5 (1/2)

Vamp! Narita Ryohgo 174540K 2022-07-20

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The Green Army Marches Silently, and

‘It’ had already infiltrated the island

It crawled into the island’s depths, spreading its hands wide and thin

And at this very ertips

It was as though it was seeking to grasp so

<=>

The front gates of Waldstein Castle

“Mr Mayor! A word, please Are you visiting for the purpose of inspecting the site of the festivities?”

“Yes, that’s correct Waldstein Castle is already our island’s pride and joy, but I’d wanted to personally examine the area to make sure that visitors to our island will not be disappointed”

“Thank you, sir We have quite a few reporters co in from overseas; do you have any words for them?”

“Yes As a resident of Growerth, I hope that thewill inspire you to learn even more about the history and culture of our island And rest assured that ill spare no effort inyour experience a memorable one”

The suit-cladinterview by the reporter flashed a practiced smile at the cameras

The area before the castle gates were packed and lively, and there werethe crowds

The courtyard, usually a place of solemn s Spotlights were being set up one after another to illuh the rehearsal had taken place several days ago, the lights had been taken down te the rest of the courtyard

The castle, where Strassburg had worked as the court painter, was a treasure trove filled with his arden was also one such creation, and it was usually opened to the public

The garden was clearly y rather than tranquility Because the festival organizers knew this well, they were bringing the extravagant lights to illuminate the castle--the center of the festivities

The party was not exclusive to the castle, however The people living in the city were also hard at work preparing for the festival Shops, streets, and harbors were all decorated to match the celebration

The entire island ept up in the excite up to the cliht

But one of the reporters came up to the man in the suit and asked a rather downbeat question

“There’s been reports about a commotion that took place in the harbor just earlier, sir”

“? I’ of the sort But I will confir in our power to make this a safe Carnale Festival, so I’d like to ask each and every person on this island to take care to make public safety a priority” The man in the suit said, and walked into the castle with his secretary in tow

Once he was certain that no one else had followed thelasses frolasses with them

“shi+t What’s this about the harbor? Hey Call the cops and look into it” He said to his secretary as he strode into a corner of the castle

He stepped past a ‘no entry’ sign without so much as a moment of hesitation Suddenly, someone appeared before him

“The viscount has been awaiting your arrival, Mayor”

A reeted hi in that spot fro of time

“The ranted you permission for a brief audience If you could come this way, sir”

“Ha ‘graciously’like that Who do you think you are, putting words in yourbitch”

The rinned

“Please try todhampyr”

“Whoa What a to any other dhampyr, you’d have broken their heart so badly they’d have turned to dust on the spot”

“Not to worry, Mayor I wouldn’t drea this way to any other dha at you coe could be troublemakers like you And so I ask that you please take your own life for the sake of the reputations of all other dhampyr”

The maid uest through the stairs in the back

Watt said nothingthe maid with his secretary in tow

Along the way, he blew his nose on a piece of tissue He considered tossing it in the hallway, but he quickly changed his e bin in the corner of the hall

“My,quite well-behaved today” The maid said, surprised by his actions

“Shaddap I just didn’t feel like littering in the castle where I’ll be givingceremony speech Today’s a pretty damn important day for me as the mayor Otherwise I wouldn’t be here to say hi to the fucking count”

Watt then went on to add, so quietly that not even the maid or his secretary could hear:

“Even I’ve always had a soft spot for this festival”

<=>

Watching Watt disappear into the castle, ‘it’ turned and walked aithout so much as a sound

Like a scout having located his target, it left the front lines in one smooth motion

To be accurate, this place was not yet the front lines--at least, not until this evening

It knew of the future to couess, but a plan

“Where in the world has Nidhogg gone? We ether” It wondered, taking out a cell phone

It called someone on speed dial The sound of the speaker cah they had been waiting for this call

<sigmund?>

“Yes, Co just as planned Ah, froe that you have been injured in some way”

Listening to the overly dramund the Green--nodded emotionlessly

“What would you have me do if I am hindered, Comrade Caldimir?”

“Understood, Comrade Caldimir”

Sig had ever happened

Though the world at large was full of lively energy, Sig snow

The contrast was a stark one to behold, but the people were hts of the festival to ever notice the vampire in their midst

Not one would notice

Not one vampire,

And not even the long-lived viscount of Waldstein Castle

<=>

Underground, Waldstein Castle The laboratory

Just as the mayor arrived at the castle, Val’s physical exa to an end

“There You may undo your illusion now”

The two voices, coisters, prompted Val to slowly shake his consciousness awake

Then, he used the consciousness of his soul to look upon his own body

‘A watermelon’

He saatermelon

It was circular and smooth, with little holes cut in the sides in the shape of a face, like a jack-o-lantern

But these holes were not his real eyes After all, what other explanation was there for his ability to observe them without the aid of a camera or a mirror?

And as though answering his questions, Doctor grinned and explained

“Ah From what Professor observes, your soul seems to already believe that your true forhts and sounds you observe are observed from a different viewpoint than that of the watermelon? It is quite unusual for one to be able to observe one’s own body in this way Ah, yes I’m quite envious, myself”

“But well, this isn’t really a body I’m proud of”

As of this moment, Valdred had undone all illusions and returned to his original form His character, however, re boy

When Doctor first asked him to undo his illusion, Valdred had ada Doctor’s directions

Of course, though the fact that the laboratory doors were now locked was also a contributing factor, what really changed Val’s mind was the fact that he had met Selim, a fellow plant-based vampire, and Professor, a creature that was eness

Thankfully, it was this Professor who did h Val had a complex about the fact that he looked so different fro to have the even less hu coffin--examine him instead of Doctor

Of course, a part of him was still quite uncomfortable with this situation

The viscount had left through the vent earlier, saying soht of awas terrifying to behold, leaving Val slightly shaken during the examination

But to his surprise, Professor was quite steady with her hands He was quickly freed fro if this really was all

Before his CT scan and iven a physical examination and a small part of his skin was scraped off for analysis purposes Although he felt no pain, his regeneration speed was slow for a vampire His skin was only completely restored after the tests had ended

After learning that radiation and netism did not do him much harm, he underwent many more tests But Doctor and Professor made sure to never use needles

“We have no idea where your weak pointsto ashes the le needle, now can we? Hoh hoh”

Now that he thought about it, Val realized that he had never really paid attention to his weaknesses in the past

Because he was coht and crucifixes, he only needed to protect hi his illusions and telekinesis to layer a human form over his main body to keep it safe

A weak point

The phrase finally hit Val with all itsa chill down his spine

The thought of his own death had never occurred to hi as he was not protected by his illusions and telekinesis, he could be easily killed by sole person’s misstep

There was no guarantee that he could be restored if he was sh there was a chance that he could heal himself, he did not feel particularly inclined to test that theory To do so would be like co suicide to confirm the existence of an afterlife

‘I’ scared’

He decided to take hu a veil of illusion around himself

Returning to the for boy, Val turned to Doctor and Professor

“Hoh You’ve got quite the sense of fashi+on, young man”

Val smiled aardly at the disappointed Professor Because she was a coffin with no eyes upon which he could project an illusion, she saw everything directly through her soul, just like the viscount

But Val was used to having his for this for it to a hu He felt no discomfort in her ability to see him

But the fact that Doctor had seen hih the security cameras meant that he had seen him in watermelon form all this tier, perhaps--welling up within

‘Wait, isn’t that a breach of privacy, having hidden cameras all over the castle?! I can’t believe nobody’s co about it’

Although he quietly complained to himself, Val took a seat in a nearby chair and waited for Doctor and Professor’s diagnosis

‘Sure, I got the physical exaoing to find out? Aht, zoning out Doctor was exaes, while stroking some invisible beard in an almost comical fashi+on

“Now, about your results, young man You have three options A: Have uaranteed to trauarcoat the results and put yourthe truth Or C: Let me put on an unreadable look as I say, ‘there is a minor possibility’ Please, take your pick”

“Well, I know I don’t have anything to look forward to now”

“Hoh hoh hoh It was a joke, younga chuckle or two this way”

“I also know that you’re one hell of a jerk Actually, I’ve known that for a while now, I think”

Val was over his anger, nowelse He looked at Doctor with his nored him and kept his eyes trained on the pieces of paper that held the test results

“Letus vampires, you are indeed a rare breed”

“A ‘rare breed’?”

“An invaluable individual Only 0001 of vampires share your physical traits”

“Wait You’re talking about watermelon vampires?”

This news did notand roup

But Doctor shook his head, rejecting the idea

“Not at all Watermelon vampires are actually quite co such creatures, andthat there is so particularly remarkable about the Cucurbitaceae family of plants I have even heard tales of a foolhardy researcher who rushed to the birthplace of this family--the Kalahari Desert--and ended up a desiccated husk Of course, ‘co that you are the first of this kind that I have ever encountered”

“So what about me do you consider ‘rare’, anyway?”

“Ah, yes H man, your soul is quite the peculiar one Plant-based vaeneral tendency to rely more on their souls than their bodies for memories, eh ratio of functions that are usually allotted to the physical body have instead been allotted to your soul The fact that you are capable of seeing your own body from a different perspective is one such example Even your vision relies on your soul And do you not usually see your ‘self’ as a being with a human form?”

“Huh? Um yes”

The machines in the laboratory weren’t quite state-of-the-art, but they were of a scale so large that Val doubted that some hospitals could be equipped with such devices And yet, in spite of the presence of such machines, Doctor did not hesitate to use the word ‘soul’ in his diagnosis Although there was nothing strange about such a word coain in this particular setting made the whole situation quite unscientific

But Doctor was right--Val was not looking at hi that surrounded it like a shell

That ‘so as he was in a laboratory like this, Val would have preferred to hear a more scientific explanation

As he lost hihts in the roo powerful rays upon him all at once

“Whoa! That’s too bright! What was that for?!” Val cried, bowing his head without so hts and calmly continued his explanation

“H fro the near-instant shrinking of your pupils Astounding This body of yours, though an ih telekinesis, is intricate enough to recreate even the physical functions of your ocular organs Such a case is thus far unheard of”

“You could’ve at least warned runtled But though the sudden test bothered hi else

“So I have a question You keep talking about ‘souls’ and stuff, but I’hosts?”

“Dear me To think I would have to explain even that” Doctor said, astounded “Perhaps a soul is host, or perhaps not After all, even we vahosts or an afterlife They may or may not exist But in that sense, perhaps you are as close to one can get to beco”

“What does that mean?”

There was nothing pleasant about hearing that he was very close to being a ghost Val was anxious at the new question brought up by his first inquiry, but he patiently waited for Doctor’s explanation

“Hoh hoh Don’t rush me, now Professor, do explain”

Just as soon as Doctor finished, the coffin standing next to him chirped cheerfully

<yes, doctor!=”” let=”” h=”” we=”” haven’t=”” proved=”” its=”” existence=”” quite=”” yet,=”” we=”” vampires=”” call=”” the=”” metamorphosis=”” into=”” ‘monsters’=”” like=”” us=”” an=”” ‘evolution=”” of=”” the=”” soul’=”” but=”” you=”” already=”” know=”” this,=”” right?=””>

“I think I heard so similar from the viscount a while back He drew up an evolutionary chart or so with his body”

“Right”

The second part of Professor’s explanation flew straight over Val’s head But he decided not to ask any questions, because he likely would not understand even if she gave him a more detailed explanation

<so! a=”” ‘soul’=”” is=”” kind=”” of=”” like=”” a=”” ‘heart’=”” born=”” from=”” the=”” consciousness,=”” memories,=”” emotions,=”” and=”” other=”” functions=”” of=”” the=”” brain=”” this=”” ‘heart’=”” becomes=”” a=”” ‘soul’=”” when=”” we=”” treat=”” it=”” as=”” an=”” ahosts=”” existed=”” in=”” this=”” world,=”” we=”” could=”” theorize=”” that=”” they’re=”” wandering=”” pieces=”” of=”” information,=”” who=”” exist=”” even=”” without=”” a=”” body,=”” which=”” is=”” where=”” memories=”” are=”” usually=”” stored=”” but=”” this=”” isn’t=”” only=”” a=”” h=”” synapses=”” let=”” ive=”” you=”” an=”” example=”” rumors=”” are=”” information,=”” and=”” they=”” don’t=”” take=”” on=”” any=”” physical=”” forht?=”” it’s=”” the=”” saamation=”” of=”” a=”” consciousness’s=”” information’--what=”” we=”” vampires=”” call=”” a=”” soul=”” it=”” exists=”” on=”” a=”” different=”” plane=”” than=”” what’s=”” been=”” proven=”” by=”” science!=”” that’s=”” why=”” it’s=”” such=”” a=”” hard=”” topic=”” to=”” define=””>

“So it hasn’t been proven yet, huh?”

The ihts He had never tried to find a scientific justification for the viscount’s existence, however--the h for Val to wave away the curiosity

“And on that note, have you not noticed that your telekinetic powers are also an ability that is derived from your soul?”

“Oh”

Doctor’s comment led Val to think more on his own abilities

His power to create illusions and use telekinesis to reat deal of experiht about it, this power matched no law of physics he knew of

‘Huh So this “power of the soul” thing was closer than I thought’

As he thought on the soul he now considered less valuable, he remembered what the viscount had told him earlier today

‘I guess he was right I never really made the effort to learn more about myself after all’

But now that the exah no diagnosis would not hurt hih he could overcome the troubles that they would pose him, one at a time

And so, he turned to Doctor and Professor and got to the point

“So, uh what in the world am I? What is the real me?”

“Ah, I’d alotten Oh, yes This laboratory was supposed to be the final stop in your search for answers Of course”

<it’s good=”” to=”” be=”” young!=””>

“Sorry but could you not talk like that it’s really annoying” Val co If he were able to think s, such problems would not bother him in the first place

But he could not hold back his emotions He wasn’t yet able to heal his own inferiority complex

This hy Val had tried to find the answers from others Because he had no idea who he really was, he had been trying to learn about his place to be from other people

His consultation with Doctor and Professor was, in sohter soon faded as he continued speaking in a serious voice

“H man, what is the conclusion that you wish upon yourself?”

“What?”

He had come to this laboratory to find the answer to that very question And now the question was being addressed to himself

But Val wasn’t particularly upset about this After all, he had never really tried to answer the question himself

“What do you mean?”

“You want to find the ‘real you’--no You want a ‘self’ that has been tainted by no one But young man, ill you do? If there was indeed a way to take hold of a new self--a self unaffected by any other--would you choose to take it?”

“If it helpsthe words ht

Doctor shook his head, troubled

“To be perfectly honest, young man, there is a method by which a soul like yours may be cleansed and your memories erased”

“Th-then”

“But, you see To forget the past is to kill your past self, and the self alone From the perspective of an outsider, you are still alive And your new selfunder the shadow of your former self”

Although Doctor had been speaking in a half-joking tone all this tirown serious and coe, but this was no ti

In spite of his apparent youth, Doctor’s expression was the picture of gravity Val felt like he was being crushed under the weight of his gaze

“Would you willingly et the chance to live on as an untainted, singular individual, affected only by the environment of your new life But to do so is also to kill completely your current self Hu them after their deaths But if you choose to erase your memories, the you who stands here will disappear without a trace Your heart and memories will not reach the afterlife, as your body remains alive”

Val could not find the words to retort Although he did want to change the self he hated so much, if even the self that despised hi not be the same as oblivion?

“Then”

Knowing that he was running out of options, Val nervously spoke up

“Then What am I supposed to do? I I can’t just stop here! I can’t just wait and see what happens!”

“There, there Young people these days! Not an ounce of patience to be had Young otten to the most important part The part where I answer that question about your identity”

“Huh?” Val gasped, his eyes opening wide

<yes! let=”” =”” about=”” souls,=”” you=”” see?=”” for=”” exa=”” becomes=”” a=”” vampire,=”” their=”” ‘self’=”” affects=”” their=”” physical=”” forms=”” via=”” the=”” soul!=”” it’s=”” the=”” ultimate=”” form=”” of=”” evolution=”” for=”” information=”” to=”” affect=”” the=”” physical=”” real=”” on=”” on=”” this!=”” i’=”” that=”” lets=”” va=”” into=”” bats=”” and=”” fog,=”” or=”” allow=”” vah=”” the=”” air!=””> The coffin exclai her body side-to-side

Val tilted his head, still not understanding any of the explanation But Doctor chimed in to add to Professor’s lecture

“In other words, as a result of our examination, we found that your watermelon body has no physical function whatsoever To be blunt, if you choose to believe, you would be completely unharmed even if someone should smash that watermelon”

“What?”

‘Wait, what? So my real body is the watermelon, but it’s not?’

“Uht I knowunhealthy if I don’t get any sunlight, and-”

<that’s only=”” because=”” your=”” soul=”” thinks=”” so!=”” it’s=”” convinced=”” you=”” that=”” you=”” need=”” sunlight=”” to=”” survive=”” it’s=”” like=”” self-induced=”” hypnotism!=”” your=”” watermelon=”” form=”” heals=”” itself=”” because=”” you believe that=”” it’s=”” your=”” real=”” body,=”” so=”” your=”” soul=”” unconsciously=”” alters=”” your=”” fore=”” of=”” the=”” watermelon=””>

“Wait, wait I lost you”

‘In other words, what I thought wasthis is actually me? What?’

“H you with all this information In any case, that waterical core of sorts for you It will be in your best interests, youngit aside too suddenly may cause your psyche to collapse”

Val spent the next few hts But he eventually turned to Doctor, exhausted, and feebly asked:

“Doctor? So if I’m not a watermelon, then then what in the world am I?”

“Who can say?”

“Wha?!”

Doctor’s ansas too straightforward for Val’s liking The latter’s illusionary face paled

“All we can tell you for certain is that you do indeed exist before us And as for the rest, to borrow a younger man’s words ‘That’s none of my business’”

“But even athered fro a waterht that it was the real me, at least Oh, , but I guess uh I guess I really didn’t enjoy being a watermelon after all Uh Huh? Wait, I’m sorry I’m so confused”

As Val rambled on in self-analysis in spite of his downcast h-ested an answer

“Regarding yourman, I frankly can’t offer you any solution but the one IBut if it’s that body of yours that bothers you, then that is a different story altogether Hoh hoh hoh After all, if you truly put your mind to it, you could even metamorphose that watermelon into a human form”

“Metamorphose?”

“In the case of plant-based vampires such as yourselves, they obviously do not start out in anything rese them who compel themselves to evolve into hu such a change to co e to one’s physical foreneration, consciously or not”

‘From plants to humans?’

Val had, over the past several years, failed to alter his water really possible?

But just as he began to ask, he re example he had encountered on the way to the lab

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