Vol 3 Chapter 5 (2/2)
“I won’t stand for this As the Lord who governs the island at night, I won’t stand for your interfering with the islander’s lives”
“What?!”
The reat mouth opened up under his feet He fell and the hole closed over him
Relic concentrated, slowly turning part of the earth into fog and transporting the intruder out of the castle And once he had completed the task, he turned to Hilda
Having regained consciousness, Hilda tilted her head and looked at Relic
“Relic? What is this place? I thought I was at the hospital”
There was tooRelic wanted to say as he embraced her
“Hilda I’lad you’re okay!”
“Relic?”
Hilda seeht of the sincere joy in his eyes and wrapped her ar pain in her neck, as though words weren’t necessary to communicate how they felt
Melhilm, meanwhile, had been freed from Val’s restraint He turned to his old friend
“Gerhardt How inning?”
[Ah, I confess that I knew almund, Rudy and Theresia, and even Caldi And of course, you personally infors truly never change,less than a proud declaration before you put your plans into action]
“I don’t re Rudy or Valdred in our conversation” Melhilm pointed out
[Aha! I merely entertained many informants today, Melhilo to the trouble of logging into an online game from an internet cafe in the mainland to receive , do you not agree?]
The viscount went on to reveal why he had been so pressed for time just minutes earlier
[I do believe it’s nearly ti was resolved quickly! Even I cannot say I could stop a head-on battle between Garde and Sigmund]
“Huh?”
“Hey! Those brats’re gone!”
The , the freeloader vampires realized that Rudy and Theresia were nowhere to be found
“Where’d they go?!” “Is Doc safe?!” “shi+t What’s going on here?”
The one who answered their questions was the only enemy left in their midst
“It seems Theresia has taken Rudy and fled”
“No way! Actually, what are you still doing here?” One of the va Melhilm a sharp look
“I still have unfinished business that needs taking care of”
The boy at the end of Melhilaze shrank back for a moment, but soon clenched his fists and looked the older man in the eye
“What will happen to Rudy now?”
“We have no way of knowing He’s survived for the hts outside his aruarantee that he will keep his life, even if I e to hold him back as I did today Either his body or his mind will perish, and that will be the end of him”
“”
Theo said nothing
“Trying to think of a way to save that Eater? You think that will be enough to cleanse you of your sins? And a failure like you, even atte? Preposterous!”
“”
A failure
Having also been on the receiving end of such a comment, Val looked at Doctor’s face with concern
Doctor stood silently, hanging his head with a look of patient endurance
But as though in his stead, Professor intervened with a haphazard swing of her arms
<how could=”” you=”” say=”” that?!=”” if=”” what=”” we=”” all=”” heard=”” just=”” noas=”” true,=”” all=”” of=”” this=”” was yourfault=”” to=”” begin=”” wi-=””>
[Melhilm]
The viscount’s words ritten out inProfessor’s cries They were composed, heavy words full of sentiment towards his old friend
[The act of labeling so a success or a failure can wait until the results have been ree?]
“The results have been o”
[It has long been an unfortunate habit of yours, old friend, to neglect taking into account the time required for a subject’s maturation]
Doctor, who had raised his head at some point, looked on at the viscount’s words with fearful anticipation
“H is it that I’m supposed to wait for these results?”
[As long as it takes, so long as the will lives on Even if the body should rot away, as long as another takes up the will of those who have lost their lives, the dead will once rowth]
The viscount’s words had been drawn in a wall between Melhil as a barrier for the latter And despite the flipped perspective, Doctor felt as though the viscount’s speech was directed at him
“Illogical as always, Gerhardt” Melhilm chuckled bitterly He looked down at Theo, who rerin
“Interesting Just try and save him if you can”
Theo still could not give a response
[In any event, Melhilm, I believe it will be for the best if you left this island for today]
“I suppose you are right But I will not be satisfied now unless I take care of shi+zune and Watt while I still have the opportunity”
[In your letter to hirant Watt complete absolution?]
“Not without the condition that should have been fulfilled I have not yet reclaiested to his old friend, “Gerhardt Have you really no intention of cooperating with me? You know full well that Watt is after Relic’s powers because he considers you an obstacle”
It was an honest offer, but it was as though Melhilm already knew Gerhardt’s answer
And the viscount did not betray his expectations
[Watt does indeed see me as his enemy, but he is also a man who, as mayor, loves his city deeply I could never face the people of this island if I were to murder him on account of my personal fears And as for Miss shi+zune, she poses no particular threat to the people as of the moment, so I have no reason to treat her with hostility]
“Then I’ll just have to take that duty uponthe hatred swirling through his eyes Just like Rudy, he was also a guest who had brought animosity to Growerth
“Not to worry, Gerhardt I amund or Caldimir I do not--no I will not allow innocent humans to becoood of the Organization”
Re the subjugated people as huhtly
He turned around, not waiting for the viscount to respond
But at thatinto the depths of the cavern
His shadow had taken on a strange tint
But before that, he was struck by the fact that he cast such a striking shadow in the cavern, where light was co from all directions He instantly connected the dots and hurried to transform himself into a flock of bats
A second later, a dark blue hand e reaching out to the third dirabbed Melhilm’s shoulder
“The I-Shadow!”
His shoulder in the grip of an inhu arm, Melhilm looked down at the shadow underneath
But the attacker betrayed Melhil from the shadow underneath but froht in a second arm
“Checkmate, Melhilm”
When he turned around, he found hi down a sharp-eyed japanese man
Melhilm looked around in shock, but other than Gerhardt, everyone looked just as surprised as he was The man must have risen out of one of the other shadows cast in the cavern
“So you are here to take me back, Ishi+bashi+?”
“My originalhavoc, but if you choose to act upon your personal grudge, I will take you back by force for the sake of the Organization” Ishi+bashi+ saidto give up and looking for a chance to transform and escape
Noticing this, Ishi+bashi+ sighed
“If you so much as try to transform into a flock of bats in order to flee, I will cut you down”
At so it in a right hand
The hand that was holding Melhilht hand, but the ht
Then where was the left hand?
As soan to ponder the question, the shadows cast not only under Melhil, and in corners the luo
And froe of a right hand holding a bamboo sword
The two-dimensional shadow of the baht hand that was grasping Melhilm’s shoulder
The solid shadow cut off light, creating yetba like rats
But in spite of the veritable ar to assist him, Ishi+bashi+ remained cold as ice
“This may be only a bamboo blade But a shadow needs no sharpness”
Melhilo silhouettes, smiled in defeat as he finally relaxed
“To think you’d accompanied Dorothy to Growerth How in the world did Caldimir present this mission to the officers?”
“What were you expecting frohed, also relaxing slightly and dis from the shadows The remainder were testament to just hoary he was of Melhilm
“My word If I’d taken you on thisValdred would have taken no effort whatsoever”
“I usually turn down such requests” Ishi+bashi+ said, not a hint of reverence in his tone He only showed such deference to the viscount
Melhilm was unaffected by Ishi+bashi+’s disrespectful tone He sighed and bid farewell to Gerhardt
“I suppose it’s tiain one day in our unending lives”
[I believe that tiine, Melhilm]
“?”
Melhilm dwelled for awhat heto his old friend with a different topic of discussion
“Come to think of it, where is Dorothy? I believe she should have arrived so”
[Ah, yes She has gone on to do business of her own I’d have been quite content to spend so of my love to her, but it wouldn’t do to keep her occupied]
There was so rather lonely about the viscount’s font, but it was also firm with trust for his fiancee
[After all, in soht’s events]
<=>
Neuberg City Hall The Mayor’s Office
The any surface He sighed loudly
Having deter involved in the chaos, he had returned to his office
“How’d things so? Everything get covered up all right?”
“Yes, sir The hu turned into flocks of bats see ceremony was merely canceled Most of the confusion, it seems, stems from the fact that people found themselves in different places than they remembered, and at a much later time”
“So they don’t remund”
The hu cut off Or perhaps they felt as though they were justtheir way out of a moment of hallucination
But the confusion fro The incident on the thoroughfare with the cars probably wouldn’t be resolved so easily
“The people oke up in the middle of the road If nobody’s hurt, we can just pass it off as one of those mass hallucinations Call in a few counselors and hts, and the touriset a revenue boost”
It was the kind of statement that most people would reserve for a joke, but this man was capable--inthis plan into action The secretary kneas serious from the cold look in his eye
The secretary busied herself with thoughts of as to come But then,
“Looks like you got lucky, Watt”
shi+zune appeared behind him without a sound, just as she had several days earlier
“What about?”
“Those people on the thoroughfare If that charhtered them all And then you’d have a bit of trouble on your hands for the next election”
“All I’d have to do then is accuse you of the whole Goddae records and frame you for terrorism, if you prefer”
As they continued to ainst one another, someone knocked on the door
Watt was not scheduled to have any guests
The secretary looked at the door curiously The mayor brusquely addressed the person outside
“C’mon in”
The heavy office door sloung open
And froed
“Yo We ain”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you My name is Dorothy Nifas”
Aa pristine white dress
“Um Sir, who are?”
The secretary turned to Watt in confusion at the sight of the odd couple
And for sorin
“I called ‘eh it’sthe snow lady in person”
“Pardon?”
Hoould he call someone he had never met before, the secretary wondered, but her confusion was only worsened by Watt’s next statement:
“And you seriously gonna keep playing du break”
“Pardon?”
But before the secretary could say any ainst the wall behind her
Her spine creaked The back of her head was under immense pressure
The secretary, grasping at consciousness, vaguely heard so from Watt’s mouth
“You know exactly who these people are Don’tcha? fuck that Caldi this shi+t for so long”
“!”
‘This man He knoho I am’
“Who Who told you about me?!”
“Take a guess Anyway, good work ‘til today” Watt said, ignoring the woers But he decided to pay her back for today’s hu the truth
“Gerhardt was no good, but turns out I was the perfect s a little interesting tonight if I had her intel”
Sigmund trembled in fury at the revelation of Laetitia’s betrayal
‘Th-that vixen! After all Comrade Caldimir has done for her!’
“Thank you Please, leave the rest to mund’s head
The water in Sigan to freeze
Watt felt a terrifying chill in the air next to himund’s mouth, his arm would have been frozen solid
The secretary’s head was covered with frost The an to lose their function
The frost spread all over her body, and the chill froze the vampire where she stood
“Coies”
Several seconds after her voice faded, Sigmund Kiparis’s Trunk was covered in ice The water in her body had frozen solid, preventing her fro
“You ht have been a little more adorable if you were more like your fellow plant vampires Val and Seli that Val had now becomund
Then, she turned to Watt for infor to the most important part of her mission
“By any chance, does this island have a refrigerated transport service?”
<=>
Several minutes passed
Dorothy rolled up Sig that decorated the floor and left City Hall alongside shi+zune The latter quietly voiced her doubts, but Watt decided to ignore her
‘So things’re finally gonna settle down ‘Bout ti to take a seat at his desk once unman was still in the office
“What do you want?”
“Dunno how, but you knew about Sig from Miss Dorothy over the phone, and he contactedaway now, but here’s the thing” The gun Watt’s question, “Mr Gerhardt thinks you hta known ‘bout Rudy and Theresia, too What do you have to say ‘bout that? Where’d that info come from?”
“Who they hell’re they?”
“I’ll just chill here ‘til you decide to remember”
The gunmund, but to keep Watt under watch It was aabout as happening today, he would not be able to drink the blood of Rudy or Theresia To prevent hi the blood of an Eater who had recently drunk Relic’s blood
In other words, Bridgestone was under orders from the viscount to keep an eye out on Watt
The estone’s purpose, made a face and did not even try to hide it
“shi+t” He sithout even thinking
If shi+zune, the jester, or the viscount were here to hear, they would have noticed so different about the way he swore this time A different emotion contained in his tone
And though no one had yet realized, the co to an end
-----
</how>