Vol 3 Chapter 3 (1/2)

Evil Incarnate Puts on a Smile, and

Waldstein Castle

Ishi+bashi+ said h the halls of the castle

He told them that Melhilm had come to this island with a pair of Eaters and a vampire as particularly difficult to deal with, with his sights set on Relic

‘Mr Melhiled to survive somehow’

Melhil

It was not a name Valdred was particularly happy to remember

Melhilm was the first vampire to have appeared before Valdred after his realization that he had been produced as a result of a series of experiments He was also Valdred’s creator

Having been born from a mixture of multiple characters and memories, Valdred could not accept the concept of ‘parents’ on a personal level, in spite of his knowledge of the idea Because he did not even have a stable sense of self, he was also repulsed by the word ‘creator’ In fact, even to this day Val was not certain of the sensation of having been ‘born’

‘And besides’

As he continued to walk in silence, he re his short life as ‘Valdred Ivanhoe’

“A failure”

Two sih he had only just been born, even then he knew the purpose for which he had been created Melhilm’s comment essentially spelled an end for his reason to exist

“But not to worry I do not destroy va failed experiments”

And so, Val was sent to Melhile for an identity to call his own, he had received freedom

At this point, Val had no intention of resenting Melhil hied at the back of his hts over and over again

“I suppose the saying ‘once burned, twice shy’ holds rain of truth”

‘I wonder if so happened to Melhilm before I was born’

In the end, Val was led to believe that he would never learn the truth behind Melhilm’s self-deprecation And even nohen he knew that Melhilm was alive, he continued to think he would never know In fact, if Val were to go to Melhil called a failure would be the least of his worries--he ht be branded a traitor and killed on the spot

As he iined the moment of his own murder, Val remembered what Doctor and Professor had told him earlier

“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”

Even if Melhilm were to destroy his main body--the watermelon--Val’s consciousness would persist unharmed

In other words, he was closer to immortality than other vampires

‘What in the world ah ‘I can’t live on without a vessel Even if it’s a watermelon’

“Uht?”

“Huh?”

Val snapped out of his reverie Seli at him worriedly

“Is there so you, Val?”

“U about sohed in relief and smiled It was such a sincere expression of joy that Val was beginning to feel embarrassed

‘Selim said before that she took on human form because of admiration and her dreams’

Res to ask of her later, Valdred turned over the tords in his mind

‘I think I think I admire humans But that’s not how the watermelon me feels It’s the huo back to human form’

Refusing to break hihed loudly

‘Drea one’

As Val continued to contehts about himself, they reached their destination

“Um I think you’ll find the viscount here” He said to Ishi+bashi+

“Thank you”

The door to the roorandeur of the castle Val stood directly before it as he looked up at the Asian man He took hold of the doorknob and shook it

Nothing happened Val wondered if there was no one inside, but they soon heard a set of footsteps approaching The door opened halfway, and a maid poked her head outside

“Oh! Val and Selis the two of you here?”

The maid looked relieved to see the children, who stood huddled together, but the moment she took notice of the Asian rew cautious

“And you, sir?”

“Oh, this is”

“My naanization hich Viscount Waldstein was once affiliated”

Ishi+bashi+ introduced hiave him a deep bow

“I understand, sir I take this to mean that you are a companion of Miss Dorothy Nifas?” The lanced into the roo at him

“Yes I suppose this means that the viscount is aware of the current situation”

The maid took a step back in stead of an answer

Ishi+bashi+ bowed at her once more, and walked into the middle of the room Dorothy was already there, but the viscount was not Instead, a bespectacled lanced at him curiously, perhaps because he was also Asian

As Ishi+bashi+ looked around in search of the pool of blood, one of the maids said plainly:

“Our apologies, sir The Master is currently occupied with other business We believe he will be back shortly; please feel free to take a seat”

Ishi+bashi+ headed for a sofa in the corner of the room But he suddenly stopped and turned towards Val, who stood stock-still at the entrance

“I’rinned Val shook his head in horror

“I-I told you, we’re not on a date!”

“Heh Anyway, thank you”

Ishi+bashi+ waved and flashed a reliable grin at Val and Selie of the sofa

Valdred had been expecting to hearas the viscount ay, he had no reason to be here

Though Relic was not a stranger to Val, they were not so close that Val would go to any lengths for his sake He had no business, he felt, taking part in this particular conversation

Trying to fight off the unpleasant feeling in his gut, Val turned to Selim

“Heh heh heh Sorry about the weird ”

“Not at all I I’m I’m very happy”

“Huh?”

Val did not expect such an answer from Selim

But not even looking at his coently and repeated herself

“I I’m so happy”

‘Huh Huh?! Wait We just met today! Uh Is this what it ht?! Did she fall in love at first sight With me?! Wh-what am I supposed to do?! How am I supposed to respond?!’

Val flailed bashfully, red as a tomato But Selim’s explanation turned his embarrassment into curiosity

“I’m sure she would have loved to hold hands with a boy, just like this”

‘“She”?’

The conversation took a sudden turn for the unexpected Who was this third party, Val wondered

“Who’s-”

“HEEEEY! I found more of Doctor’s friends!”

Val was cut off, however, by an excited shriek He saw the jester running over form the end of the corridor, followed by the vampires that they had met inside the caverns

“Hey Val? Val? Is the viscount inside?”

“Not right now I think he’s got a bunch of ih”

“What?!” The jester squawked But she took a moment to compose herself and turned to Val

“Hey Val? Seli in on your date, but please help us find Doctor!”

“Doctor? I just saw hiht, but the jester’s eyes narrowed as she began to press him

“Really?! Where?! Where?! Where’d you see him, Val? Please tell us!”

Val backed into the ithout even thinking, intimidated by the jester’s excitement

‘What’s going on?’

The jester had yet to explain a thing, but the flow of the conversation was nurturing an o in the pit of Val’s stomach

Melhilm’s arrival on Growerth

The viscount’s guests froanization

His sighting of Doctor outside the castle

The first two points seeh Val did not know the specifics, perhaps Doctor really had just left the castle to go on a walk

But strangely enough, Val felt as though these seele thread An indescribable sense of fear began to well up in his heart

Though it was yet unbeknownst to hi made a reality

The chilly air surrounding the island loo underneath

Valdred Ivanhoe, standing at the eye of the storm, had yet to understand

The storive way to rain

The water would break down all in its path, both tragic and comedic

As though washi+ng away the future with the currents of the past

<=>

The southern woods of Growerth

There were two paths leading to and from Waldstein Castle

One was the paved road leading up to the parking lot halfway up the mountain

The other was a steep footpath carved into the mountainside

The footpath was rarely used by anyone, so the only people who traversed it tended to be those who disliked crowds or those who did not wish to be noticed Va, for exa those who used this path

The foliage was dense, liaps in the trees along the way, through which the nificent and almost-otherworldly Waldstein Castle could be seen

But into this fantastic scene stepped in a being from another world entirely

A gigantic suit of arns froht out of a storybook But the ar the path, one powerful stride after another

“There’s No one here”

The suit of ar around

Even an overgrown route like this was bound to have one or two people traversing it Perhaps norht of the biggest festival on the island It would be natural for so this path to avoid the hustle and bustle of the main road

Although Rudy initially considered heading to the castle through the uncultivated woods, he stepped onto the path once he realized that he sensed no one walking along it

‘Is this all Sigmund’s work?’

Perhaps Sigated the locals and cleared this particular path so Rudy could access the castle with ease

But there was no use speculating now Rudy continued on his way, fanning the flae

‘That’s right There’s only one thing I have to think about: Theo’

The htmare from his past came to life in his mind

The stench of blood

The heat of the fla at his face

His father’s head rolling on the floor

His mother’s body, her neck twisted in an unnatural direction

His friend’s corpse, turned to charcoal

He was disgusted by everything before hihts shi+fted to the vaht a friend, he could not even e

But at this point, even his own past was nothingdespair to the va from him--Theodosius M Waldstein

From the day he first met Theo, Rudy had been trapped He had been trapped in a fantasy where vampires truly existed It was an inescapable hell

He and Theresia had walked through this abyss together

But now, their hope for escape ithin arm’s reach, or so it seemed

‘Theresia, huh’

What was on herrevenge? Or was this now the only path she could envision for herself? Or perhaps she had another reason altogether

Although Rudy had wondered on occasion, he never thought deeply about it He did not, after all, care what drove Theresia to walk alongside hieance, he was happy

The thought of using his lone surviving friend like a tool sickened hi in his heart threatened to once htmares

The ies from that day came to life once more

Each and every word that Theodosius uttered with his sister in his ar accuracy

“It’s been a while”

It was a nauseating voice The palpable childlikeness of that tone made it all the worse

When Rudy opened his eyes, the va before hied smile

‘If If only I could kill this nightmare Then I’d finally find rest’

“Heh heh You’re still such a sleepyhead, Rudy”

‘What?’

The nightmare’s words were different frole second

Unable to recognize the situation unfolding before hirow colder by the second It was as though his entire body would freeze down to the very last cell

His mind refused to accept the scene But his body and his instincts understood everything with frightening clarity, trying very hard to not let his heart take notice

His throat felt dry

It felt as though all the water in his body had evaporated in an instant

But there was cold sweat running down his back

An oan to understand the truth

His instincts desperately held back his sense of reasoning, as though he were attee

Several seconds passed since the beginning of this struggle Slowly, the boy standing before him smiled at his old friend

The pathas perfunctorily lined with streetlights The boy’s sculpted shtly illuminated underneath, was more ominous than it had ever been in Rudy’s memories

“So I wonder what my dear old friend wants to do with me?”

A new line A new term of address A new smile

A new series of ihtmares

It was then that he was finally forced to realize the truth

The nightmare before him was real

“Anyway It’s been so long, Rudy How are you?”

Theodosius M Waldstein

Rudy’s nemesis--the one who had stolen away his fa point and finish line of his life as an Eater

The silver-haired, silver-eyed vampire with the body of a child The vampire who had been his friend for many happy days, which ended with his betrayal

Beheaded his father,

Pierced his mother’s chest,

Snapped his dear friend’s neck,

And stole his beloved sister away

He was the htmare incarnate

Theodosius

Theodosius M Waldstein

His closest friend, one he had called ‘Theo’

A nonhuman friend he could trust more than even his family

The words confir his identity endlessly repeated themselves in his head

Again,

And again

But he could not speak He could not step forward, clench his fists, or fire stakes from inside his armor to instantly kill his nemesis

“Ah Aaah”

He desperately forced his lungs to breathe, but his vocal cords refused to budge He could not even control his tongue

Even his scream, stifled by his own mouth, was carried off by a soft breeze that swept past the hill

The trees shaking in the wind began toman in the armor

But the es were not fury at the va he held dear

“What’s wrong, Rudy Wenders?”

The sound of rustling leaves echoed inside the armor

“You’re stronger now, aren’t you?”

Rudy’s eyes no longer registered the light fro went dark

But it was not the darkness of night

“That arns He h to use it freely now That’s really a”

The darkness swelled fro every corner of Rudy’s world with blackness

And in the shadows, all he could see was Theo and his smile

But this was not strange to Rudy

After all, the va there was darkness itself

“But still Even with all that power”

There was a ures on the pathway But the va man’s mind, went on to say:

“I wonder Why are you so scared?”

Rudy felt his body grow nu peeled away piece by piece

It was a strange, off-kilter sensation, as though he were looking down upon hih he did not exist in reality

‘No’

So to escape

The vaht before his eyes But for so that this was all a hallucination His senses were rattled to the point of madness

‘No No No’

The e with bloodlust all this time burst forth from the darkness

It was pure, unadulterated fear

Excited shouts and the sound of fireworks echoed in the distance

It all sounded like so from another world to Rudy, but the truth of theplace only several hundred meters from where he stood--at the top of the mountain path

Emotions from every part of the spectrum filled the island

And at that very moment, the curtains rose on this year’s Carnale Festival

<=>

The

“Did you find her?”

“No Not a trace”

An anxious teenager was looking to a group of slightly oldertheir heads

This particular street--the biggest on the island--would norovernment offices, hotels, and recreational facilities, it was the hub of the island’s tourism industry

The sideas nearly deserted, likely becausecere in search of Hilda, who had presu from the hospital

As Relic’s distress continued, a large figure leapt fro and landed on its feet without a sound

It was a young man who had fully taken the form of a olf He approached Relic and the others without a care, not receiving any strange looks thanks to the fact that one of the Carnale Festival’s attractions was a costuh the parade was scheduled for a later date, oers were already in costumes from day one

Of course, ju from the rooftop was rather excessive, even for a olf But Relic was so anxious that he did not point this out

“Hilda’s scent cuts off around here I think she ” The olf said, sniffing the air The worry in Relic’s eyes only grew thicker, pro another olf to jump in

“Maybe it’a backwards; she just got off the car here and went to the hospital”

It was an unlikely possibility, but at this point, Relic would take any hope the situation could offer

“Then Maybe we just missed each other at the hospital”

“Yeah Then one of the others at the hospital’ll contact us irlfriend’s face, Relic She practically a celebrity! So let’s just wait for ‘em, okay?”

The olves laughed as confidently as they could, trying to keep Relic’s spirits up Relic joined in on their laughter for a h he did not actually have the need to breathe, Relic liked to esture in order to calin out of ad Mihail take this action before greeting Ferret

Relic exhaled and relint rose to his eyes as he went over the present situation

‘Does this have so to do with the Eater that attacked Ferret and Mihail?’

It was too exact a ti to Ferret, who had been one of his first targets, the Eater in the gigantic suit of armor was apparently after a vampire called Theodosius

Theodosius Waldstein Relic re the name from his father

The Waldstein family was spilt into two bloodlines--a line of vampires and a line of humans The Human line, however, was severed completely several years after Relic and Ferret were born

The last member of the human branch was an orphaned boy named Theodosius But he had been bitten by a vampire and lost his humanity

Relic did not hear anything about what happened to the boy afterwards But he was quite certain that his father knew

‘I don’t knohat Theodosius ht have done Maybe he murdered that Eater’s loved ones’

Fro show of fury the Eater directed at Ferret--a vampire he had only just met--Relic supposed that the man must despise the entire Waldstein family, or perhaps all of vampirekind

‘But I can’t let hi Mihail in the hospital I I won’t forgive hi Ferret cry’

He clenched his fists, quietly but passionately honing the outrage he had suppressed earlier in the hospital

‘And If he’s even dragged Hilda into this!’

The air around Relic changed; countless shadows began casting themselves from the pavement and the walls

The shadows then took on the foran to fly in a circle around Relic, slowly closing in on him And once the circle narrowed, the bats were absorbed into Relic’s body

The olves, awestruck by the sight, took a step back without thinking

When they transfor,but their own bodies and the clothing they wore Even those ere a cut above the rest could affect little round beneath them

Relic, however, had produced bats even from places that he was not in physical contact with The olves knehat this meant; and as they beheld the shadow cast in Relic’s normally warm eyes, they shuddered in silent fear

“We’ll go ahead and report to the viscount”

“Thank you I’ll search for her frolared at the night sky

The shadows underneath him shook, and a second later, a flock of bats were launched into the air like water out of a geyser The sound of their wingbeats filled the air, and the great mass of shadow disappeared into the sky with a powerful noise

There was nothing left where Relic had been standing earlier The olves looked on with both worry and expectation at their not-quite master, and quickly left for Waldstein Castle to report to the viscount

They entle breeze in the wake of their departure

Relic was flying through the air in the for over his hometown

The festival lights glinted off the ornaments made specifically for the celebrations The entertainhtly than usual

But there was so off about the scene

With a sense of discomfort about the city he called home, the bats quickly dispersed

The thousands of bats circled the sky over the island several tiin of his suspicions

But this only led to the worsening of his fears

‘The island It’s too quiet’

<=>

Waldstein Castle, inner courtyard

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