Vol 3 Chapter 3 (2/2)
The voice of a youngout from the speakers
Thethe people fro and one of the island’s most influential individuals
<let tonight=”” be=”” a=”” night=”” to=”” celebrate!=”” i=”” promise=”” each=”” and=”” every=”” one=”” of=”” you=”” that=”” even=”” this=”” very=”” island=”” is=”” a=”” work=”” of=”” art,=”” on=”” par=”” with=”” the=”” great=”” creations=”” of=”” carnald=”” strassburg=”” himself=””>
The look of outrage he had shown at City Hall earlier was nowhere to be found Watt was noearing the face of the mayor, the man ould lead the Carnale Festival
But he was silently swearing, his character unchanged from that of the usual petty villain
‘shi+t The fuck’s up with this crowd?’
Even for abefore his eyes was one that utterly devalued humanity
<i hereby=”” announce=”” the=”” opening=”” of=”” the=”” greatest=”” art=”” piece=”” in=”” history=”” this=”” year’s=”” carnale=”” festival!=””>
There was a thunderous roar of applause, acco hurrah fro down the castle with the force of their cheers)
Fireworks were launched into the air, sending colorful sparks into the night sky
So nued with another, creating waves of people that surged to and fro, sending the enerous round of applause
Watt looked down upon the faceless masses, made up of people who could not help but lose their individuality ast the multitudes
‘Tch Talk about a literal case of non-individuality’
He knew that the mass of people before himund He also knew that most of the island’s population was headed to the castle at this very moment
It seemund’s actions; medical personnel, law enforcement, and harbor officials had been left where they were, in order to prevent too much of a commotion
Of course, many people had come of their oill The Carnale Festival was an important celebration to the islanders, and it was also a famous international event But even those ished to be here in the first place had been subjugated by now
‘Wonder if the count’s started to figure things out right about now’
If that gun with the viscount, the latter would no of Sigmund’s presence Hoould Gerhardt respond, when all he could advise Watt was to not turn Sigainst himself?
Watt glared at his surroundings as though trying to get a glimpse at his rival’s solution to this problem
Powerful as Sig vampires was still impossible
This hy Watt assumed that the viscount would have his subordinate vaht his eye first was,
‘The hell’
There was a girl in the first roas dressed like a jester, applauding so hard it looked as though her hands ht erode away
Once she realized that Watt met her eyes for a moment, she smiled sheepishly and hurriedly disappeared into the crowds
‘What is that idiot up to?’
With an annoyed sigh, the s
A ers froe The audience’s attention was focused upon them
Several people in the audience, however, clearly stood out froet a better look
He first noticed the group of vampires who had betrayed hi for so a bespectacled girl
“The kid’s probably Val, and fuck I know all their faces”
They were all vampires who had betrayed him Watt quickly lost interest and looked elsewhere to try and spot anyone suspicious
He suddenly noticed a girl She was looking at him
At first, he did not recognize her But once his eyes fell on her hu, he remembered that theythe viscount’s parlor
Of course, he had no idea why she was looking at him now
‘That kid’s a vampire, too But she’s not fro out who I am’
The girl continued to watch Watt for some time, but suddenly looked away and disappeared into the crowds, just as the jester had earlier
The jester, having run off in e for Doctor as she had been doing threehis speech refused to leave her thoughts
“A I couldn’t toss the confetti after all Too bad But just hearing Master Watt’s voice makes me so happy!”
She lightly slapped her face and took a deep breath
“Okay! Off to find Doctor! Now that I heard Master Watt’s voice, I’ to find him for sure!”
Val and Selim came over to her, their eyes downcast
“Nothing We couldn’t find him anywhere”
“Maybe he’s left the castle area”
At the beginning of their search, Val had headed straight for the mountain path at the back of the castle But he did not see Doctor They then came to the conclusion that it would be more efficient to focus on the crowds at the festival rather than wander aih the streets
Ulti coe with an exhausted look
The other va their joints and pouring out complaints at the jester
“It’s no good We won’t be able to find anyone in this crowd”
“And don’t forget he’s a vampire If he’s transfor hiin with”
“And even if we start looking for some bats, we don’t even knohat kind of bats to look for What color? What species?”
“We’re screwed”
Everyone was clearly tired; they had given their all into the search Just e for the vampires, who usually did little but laze around the castle
“What to do?”
The va if there was anything he could do
In the end, he was forced to conclude that legas all he could e
“Selio check out the mountain path one more time Maybe Doctor’ll come back that way and we’ll meet up with him somehow”
“Yes! That’s a great idea, Val” Selietic at her enthusiasm
“Sorry I was supposed to be showing you around the festival”
“Not a all, Val I’et to be outside with everyone else makes me very happy”
Each and every word she said was full of sincere gratitude But that only uilty and envious
The fact that she could feel joy at so company
Though they were both plant-based vampires, Val felt that Selim was much more human in attitude than himself
‘Even though we’re both plants Selim Why?
‘!’
Val caught hi worse, and chided himself silently
‘da with me? This is why I can’t be a plant or a human!’
Perhaps it was illogical for a vampire like him to strive towards huic mattered little to Val
This hy he had yet to realize:
The moment he felt the emotion known as envy, Val was just as human--if not even more so--as Selim
<=>
Somewhere in the city
A luxury car raced along the road towards the castle
There were no other vehicles on the streets Thethe speed limit
“What’s that idiot Watt doing now?” The occupant of the back seats asked the driver
“Oh U cere to hide her fear of the passenger
The woman was the mayor’s personal secretary But she did not even protest at the insult to her ereed with the passenger; it was because she thought it would be in her best interests to not talk back to the Eater she was transporting
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence The voice frohtly less irritated
“I guess I owe you one, though Tch I said I’d never accept help from the asshole Look at me now” The Eater said disdainfully The secretary could do nothing but continue driving, too fearful to agree or disagree
shi+zune Kijis in the dojo’s showers
The regeneration process was faster than she had expected, but she was beginning to think that it would be soain That hen a municipal vehicle arrived at the dojo
And now, she was being driven along by Watt’s secretary
At first, she thought of rejecting his offer But as long as Melhilm’s whereabouts continued to escape her, shi+zune would be at an advantage fighting alongside Watt rather than against him
The silence continued for some time, before shi+zune once more opened her mouth
“To be honest, I thought of torturing you here to figure out where I could find that bastard’s heart”
“Ah!”
The secretary did not even try to hold back her screa’, she plainly continued
“But there’s no way Watt would tell anyone where he’s hiding his heart, and I even if he did, there’s no time anymore Yeah, just let me off here”
“Pardon?”
“You can go ahead and run off if you’d like I’ll take care of the rest myself”
“What do you-”
The ulfed in shadow Though it had already been reflecting the night, even the lights frouished from its surface
shi+zune had probably sensed the presence much earlier She turned round to face the black mass behind her without a hint of fear
There were enough bats there to engulf the entire car
And each and every one of thelared at shi+zune with human eyes
The bats caught up to the car with incredible speed, covering its windshi+eld
The secretary shrieked in terror as everything before her eyes was suddenly filled with the black creatures
“EEEEEEEK!”
The sound of the bats’ gnashi+ng fangs overpowered even the sound of the car’s engine as it continued forward And once even the ere entirely covered, the secretary hit the brakes without a moment’s hesitation
She had probably chosen to stop instead of speeding up to outrun the bats because she was fearful of causing an accident But this was fine by shi+zune As soon as the car came to a complete stop, she slammed the door open
shi+zune had expected the bats to co inside, but thethe car flew into the air all at once
The flock of bats gathered together in the air, circling round and round And soon, they landed at a point about tenthe for
“You’re pretty rough for a guy dressed like an aristocrat”
“Judge by appearances, will you? You’ll find yourself regretting your folly, as I did in the past”
Sarcastic greetings followed their sudden reunion
The secretary sped off on her car as soon as the bats abandoned her Melhillance, however, and instead continued to stare straight into shi+zune’s eyes
“Oh? Did I really co lady?”
“Don’t be so full of yourself You weren’t the one who deceived rin shi+zune narrowed her eyes
“You’re talking one-on-one with a lady, and you bring a third party into the conversation? Really romantic of you Who’s the lucky ass-kicker?”
“Heh You’ll know soon enough”
“?”
shi+zune was struck by Melhilm’s comment, and decided to pry for more information But Melhil of sarcasm
“If you actually survive the night, perhaps!”
Melhilm spread his arms wide, and his body instantly transformed into a black shadow It scattered in all directions, turning into a flock of bats hundreds, or perhaps thousands strong
“So you could actually pull tricks like this, huh? Reht you with a handicap”
Watching the black wall spreading quickly before her eyes, shi+zune said in wonder:
“You know, I ht have broken a sweat if you’d done this back then--that night I devoured you”
Rerinned voraciously at the flock of bats before her
“I doubt I’d have had enough forks and knives for them all”
If the bats had human mouths, perhaps they would have told shi+zune to shut her mouth But the only sounds they made were the squeaks frobeats
It was certainly a sight to behold, but there wasn’t an ounce of fear in shi+zune’s eyes With her reflexes and agility, she could cut down ten thousand bats with the silver knives she carried in her pockets
But shi+zune did not put this hypothetical plan into action
She stopped herself fro unnecessarily and tensed her entire body Her mind, focused to the limit, directed her body to take action
With the black wall loo before her, shi+zune leapt backwards with all of her strength
Less than a second later, a silver glint eh the air with monstrous force
Then ca sust that blew past shi+zune in the wake of the attack
The bats scattered from the center of the silver impact
Standing on the other side of the wall, through the gaping hole left by the scattered bats, was a fa a silver whip in her hand
The girl who had driven shi+zune into a corner eight hours earlier was standing in thethe same smile as before
If her attack had connected, shi+zune would have lost her life But she responded to the assault with surprising nonchalance
“I thought you were being pretty talkative today You aiting for your friend to catch up, huh?”
The human eyes in each bat’s eye sockets seeht of thousands of such eyes, shi+zune refused to back down
Seeing the smile on her face, the Eater--Theresia Riefenstahl--looked questioningly at the woman she had nearly killed earlier that day
“Your name was shi+zune, wasn’t it? You look quite happy for someone who’s about to die”
shi+zune grinned at the provocation, flashi+ng her fangs in response
“I’m just excited, you know? It’s just about dinnertime”
The Eater-turned varedients laid out before her
“And what do you know? Here I’ve got a delicious vaht up tofeast”
<=>
Waldstein Castle Parlor
As the castle was engulfed in the singers’ roup of monsters--the creatures who truly ruled the castle--were in a discussion about the current situation
“Yes And?”
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In the crowded parlor occupied by maids, olves, and even a sentient pool of blood, the Asian guest--Aiji Ishi+bashi+--was receiving a report from his brother via phone
Bridgestone, the younger of the twins, had come across several mund’s main body, known as the Trunk, was still nowhere to be found
<there’s no=”” point=”” torturing=”” the=”” branches=”” or=”” taking=”” hostages=”” sigenerate=”” the=”” a=”” sweat=””>
“damn it Is Caldimir the only one who knohat the Trunk looks like?”
<laetitia probably=”” knows,=”” too=”” but=”” her=”” phone’s=”” been=”” busy=”” for=”” a=”” while,=”” and=”” now=”” she’s=”” out=”” of=”” the=”” service=”” area=””>
“Understood For now, you should go around and try to find Melhilm I’ll try and find a way to stop Rudy and Theresia”
With that, Ishi+bashi+ hung up on his brother and walked over to the viscount in the middle of the room
Once Ishi+bashi+ was next to the sofa, the viscount (who had returned to the parlor at some point) wrote in the air in a sombre font:
[It sees may become quite troublesome from here on out]
Apparently, the viscount had exchanged greetings with Ishi+bashi+ before the latter’s phone call He dove straight into the topic at hand
[Ah, to think that Sigmund would come to Growerth! Speak of the devil and he will appear, they say--‘說曹操, 曹操到’(1)]
Writing out his thoughts in a considerate combination of Chinese characters and Gerh crossing his arms
[Sig eleven Branches will be of no use if you cannot find the one at the center of them all]
Siganization even when Gerhardt was still a part of the group, and was a fanatical follower of Caldih airborne infection, but this was not all
Sigmund’s identity was that of a vampire composed of twelve different bodies
Though the bodies were separate, they shared a singular h airborne blood And as such, they were capable of acting in many different places at once The main body, known as the Trunk, controlled the others--known as Branches
One ruler, eleven generals, and the infinite soldiers they created This hy Sigmund was known by the anization’s most powerful weapons
[Hm If only we knehere we could find the Trunk, Dorothy and I could go to convince Sigmund in person]
Snow incarnate nodded firhtly
“It would be best if words were enough to convince Sigmund But he would place Caldimir’s orders above his own life”
Ishi+bashi+ did not stop there He worriedly glanced at his old friend and respected mentor, the bloody viscount
“And There are people here who should worry you mund”
[Those connected to Theodosius Of course I was prepared for their co, but to think it would be at a time like this]
“So he’s here? Theto soften the truth But the viscount put his efforts into doing what Ishi+bashi+ did not bother with
[Perhaps he is indeed here, in a sense Theodosius does exist, but the mass murderer you speak of is no more Not in this castle, nor anywhere in this world Only the sins left in his wake remain as a reminder of his existence]
Mage and the other familiars were confused by his state enough to understand what he meant
“That sin is the anization has no qual as he does not cause us any more trouble” He said But Ishi+bashi+ then shook his head and continued:
“But Rudy and Theresia will not agree with our decision”
[I also understand]
The viscount’s reply was reht,
[And yet I cannot let pass the fact that hbor and subject Mihail were so grievously injured]
Was it anger or sadness filling his words? Or was it an iht of responsibility he held as the lord of Waldstein Castle? No one could read his expression, and a heavy silence fell over the parlor
It seee finally made to spur the conversation forward and turned to his fellow Asian with a forced smile
“B-but there are three officers of the Organization present! I can’t speak for this Theodosius character, but couldn’t you, perhaps do somund?”
“If we ignore the well-being of the islanders, yes”
The coldness in Ishi+bashi+’s answer led the viscount to hurriedly join the conversation
[Your ignoring their well-being would be ladly bow overnor of Growerth--I ask that the people of the island not be harmed]
Though surprised by Gerhardt’s show of responsibility, Ishi+bashi+ accepted his plea instantly
“That’s precisely e’re here today, sir Although I’m someorried about my brother” He smiled in an attempt to calnoring their safety, ould have brought along Black or Gold fro”
[Of course Indeed, you are correct]
Once Ishi+bashi+ naanization, the viscount seeh in relief as he remembered his old friends
[I still speak to Garde over the internet almost every day I suspect that this friend of rows stronger in the presence of the dead]
<=>
A port town in northern Germany
The port town from which the ferry to Growerth departed was ho shi+ps, each vessel clearly lived-in and filled with a sense of daily life
Daily life, naturally, was intertwined ork And sometimes conversations like this could be heard on the docks:
“What’re we going to do with all this leftover fish, Dad?”
“How a haul for once, but everyone’s off at the festival! The market’s deserted!”
An irritated father-son pair was standing face-to-face on the pier The sun had already set on them
Fros, they were fishermen; and the vessel beside the
But at this point, the fish market had already closed And the men did not seem to be particularly inclined to preserve the fish for later
“damn it! If only we had some connections with a canned food factory”
“Sure, it’s a big haul; but all we caught were small fry Anye have toto waste all this fish”
They looked up at the container on their shi+p, powerless to do a thing Inside was their catch; a veritable mountain of fish that they could not even take to iven way to a dank, cla the air around them
Perhaps they should just duan to think
But at that er approached thees
“How much for those fish? How much?”
As the fisherer was a man or a woman, the mummy in black plainly made their business clear
“Could you sell theht now?”
The fisherure in black quickly reached into their bandages and dread of bills, tossing it at the men
“Is this enough to buy all the fish? Is this enough?”
“Huh? Wha? This is too sudden Uh It’s too mu-”
“Sold!”
The father hesitated at the clearly overpriced bid, but the son instantly validated the transaction
“H-hey”
“Stay quiet, Dad! Fro to Growerth Maybe there’s going to be a fish party there”
“But this is too much!”
“We’re not ripping him off, Dad! He’s the one who made the offer first!”
As the fisherrinned at the massive quantity of fish they now possessed
“I orried! I was! The last ferry was gone The last ferry to Growerth Thanks a lot! Thanks!” They said, excitedly hopping on the spot
The fishermen nervously put on forced smiles, but a moment later, their faces--and the rest of their bodies--froze
The figure in black leapt up with unthinkable power and landed on the container atop the shi+p with ease They then picked up a se-covered lips
“Huh?”
How had this person leapt so high into the air?
What were they planning to do with these stale fish that were still alive?
And how did they plan to transport all these fish alone?
These questions they had were erased in an instant
A scene so bizarre that everything else seemed natural soon unfolded before their eyes
With their free hand, the black figure pulled back the bandages around their lips, exposing a pair of glinting incisors
The incisors were so long, in fact, that the younger fisherman frowned
‘Are those Fangs?’
Was it a part of their costuure’s incredible jump But perhaps this was because they had never once come into contact with inhuman individuals like this character
As father and son looked on in confusion, the s into the fish’s belly
But this unusual act was little but the bell that signaled the raising of the curtains The beginning of an incredible scene the father and son would never forget
The ure, the prone fish began flailing as though it had just left the water It left the figure’s bandaged hand and fell into the container
The figure in black looked down at the fish, and with their es, spoke
This time, their repetitive manner of speech was nowhere to be found There was an authoritative force and power in their voice--like a proud e was forbidden
“Propagate”
Thefish leapt up
Then, there was afins
Splish splash smack slap
Another moment of silence
Smack smack splash thud slap splash
Silence and noise carew shorter and shorter as oneone massive uproar
Slap Splash Thud Thud Smack
Splash Smack Smack Slap Thud Splash Slap Thud
Thud Slosh Splat Smack Thud Splosh Squelch Slosh
Thud Splash Slosh Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud thud thud thud thud thud splash slosh slosh splash smack slosh smack slap splish slosh ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
It was the sound of waves
Though there was nothing but fish inside the container, the fish themselves became a little sea,
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