No, I’m not.
“He’s a bloody vampire, I just know it.”
Incorrect.
“He has to be.”
He has not.
“From a pile of shit to the next. What’s with my damn luck?”
I saved you from being eaten by a God, the fuck?
“Elio…”
Yes?
“Gods, even his name sounds old.”
That has to be overreaching, no? Your name is Stevin.
“I have to tell Enna.”
No, you don’t really.
Stevin stood alone in the hallway, concern written all over his face.
He checked both sides of the hall, exhaled sharply, then knocked on the door across the hall.
“Yes, Your Gr-, oh, it’s you,” Enna’s smile vanished, seeing the man they were sent to search for look panicked, “What do you want?”
“He is a vampire,” Stevin replied, “We need to leave as soon as possible.”
For reference, I am no vampire.
But why in God’s green earth did I jinx this shit?
I could only sigh in frustration, returning my focus on the events happening in the distant guest wing of the Castle from the comfort of my own Throne.
“Haha, you must be exhausted, Young Lord,” Enna said, her voice not matching her panicked expression as she pulled him into the room and closed the door behind them.
I didn’t want to invade a lady’s privacy. I truly did not.
However, the situation at hand required more unconventional means of information gathering.
“Are you out of your damn mind?” she asked quietly, despite the clear anger in her voice, “Do you want to get us both killed?”
“So you knew?” Stevin questioned, surprised, “You are not dumb after all.”
“Of course I bloody knew. But what else was there to do? He saved us from the damn snake and allowed us to rest. Rest we needed,” she explained, “But I didn’t know this Castle blocks our mana from regenerating.”
“It makes sense, if you think about it,” Stevin pressed a hand to his temple.
Sorry, but that makes zero sense to ME!
Stevin continued, developing his point further, “White hair, red eyes, a mana-sealed Castle hidden behind an invisible barrier, a person never mentioned in any page of damn history, the weird location he lives in, the lack of food he has to offer besides fruit, the fact that he didn’t eat any of the fruit, that power he used when he helped us escape, and don’t even get me started on his questions. Even newborn children know more than he did.”
“And the fact that he flat-out refused to answer any of ours,” Enna sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed.
I’m sorry, but I fail to remember.
Weren’t vampires unable to walk in the sunlight?
I rescued them during the fucking noon, not to mention that the snakebird spewed the sun at us, and look, no ash. Just poor old Elio and his goddamned luck.
“So, what do we do?” Stevin asked, looking at the woman in front of him.
“We respectfully say our goodbyes and leave tomorrow, and you come with me back to your family,” Enna explained, “After that, we each go our separate ways.”
“Poor timing to return to our argument,” Stevin groaned, even more exasperated with his luck, “Please, tomorrow when we leave, we’ll discuss this further. I’m sure I can give you enough gold to last you for the rest of your days. How long do you have anyway? A few years?”
“I am twenty-four, you brat,” she clicked her tongue, “Why speak like I’m some grandma?”
“Not married, no children, no husband,” Stevin counted off on his fingers, “No money saved, friends already eaten. With some quick calculation, you’ve got one foot in the grave already.”
“Oh, fuck you,” Enna cursed, jumping to her feet, “You think you can talk shit just because I’m a priestess? Do you know what they teach us at the High Temples?”
“How to sit comfortably on your knees?” Stevin taunted.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Only to be met with an uppercut straight to the damn jaw, pulling him off the ground, sending him flying against the hard wall.
“How to fight, bitch.”
“Ephe,” I sighed as my vision returned to my body, back in the Throne room, “Can you keep an eye on them and let me know if they start killing each other?”
[Certainly.]
With a groan, I pushed myself to my feet, feeling the Crown vanish as I approached the spikes turned pillar.
“While you’re at it, show me my new stats, Ephe.”
Subject: Elio Welchia
Status: Alive; Frustrated.
Age: 28
Health: Stable
Mental State: Stable
Physical Condition: Decent
Reign Index: 0.10%
Reigncraft: Seed - Level 2
Abilities:
- Law of Continuance
- Veilstep - Level 2
- Denial
- Free Slot: 1
Passive Abilities:
- Law of Truth - Level 2
- Language: Westgod Terminia; Helnuro
- Free Slot: 2
No Reward granted for Following the last Directive.
New Directive: …
The last words that were formed by the living embers made my head ache to the point I left the spikes behind without even looking at them again.
“Do I really have to, Ephe?” I complained, walking up the stairs towards my wing.
[Yes.]
[It is Recommended that the ‘Subject’ follow the Directive.]
I clicked my tongue, my breath steady even after the countless steps I took to get to my wing, “Of course it is. How are our guests?”
[Alive.]
“Good enough.”
With questions for Ephe and nothing better to do, I returned to my room only to be disappointed when Ephe, as always, gave me no answer to whatever I needed to know.
I was caught between a voice in my head that only spoke when her newfound sass allowed her to.
And two people I’d risked my life to save, who now thought I was some hermit vampire they had to escape from.
“Oh, my dear Julia, what did I get myself into this time?”
Frustrated to no end, I stripped off the over-the-top clothes and collapsed into bed.
“Your Grace,” said Stevin, a casual smile on his face as he descended the stairs, watching me eat a fruit early in the morning of the next day.
A fruit I specifically started eating when I noticed he was coming.
How about your vampirism now, you lip-busted, nose-broken fucker.
“Heard some commotion last night,” I pointed out, curious to see what he would say, “Did one of you fall?”
“Y-yes, Your Grace,” the boy stuttered, “I toss and turn in my sleep quite a lot, thus falling off the bed part and the wounds you see. Forgive me if I disturbed your rest.”
[Lie.]
“Quite the long fall,” I noted, even without Ephe’s help. “Sounded like you were falling for quite a while.”
“As I said,” he muttered, sweat already gathering, “I toss and turn a lot in my sleep.”
Did the bastard not realize that if I were a vampire, the sight of blood would have made me attack him right about now?
These people… I swear.
Just then, steps from above echoed through the hallway he came from, revealing a purple-eyed Enna.
When Stevin caught sight of her bruised face, he nearly choked, then quickly plastered on a wide, fake smile as he watched her descend the stairs.
“My good friend, Enna,” he exclaimed, “How happy I am to see you.”
[Lie.]
“Young Lord,” she smiled before hissing at the pain, “I wish you a good morning.”
[Lie.]
I coughed, almost spitting out some pieces of fruit as they threatened to enter my pathway.
‘Ephe, why do they act like they didn’t just beat each other last night?’ I questioned in my head.
[The ‘Guests’ stopped Fighting soon after.]
[No Further events Followed.]
‘They stopped talking altogether? Are they that prideful?’
[Yes.]
“Your Grace?” Enna asked, looking at me worried.
But after drinking some water, I recovered completely. “Forgive me, but what happened with your eye? Don’t tell me you fell off your bed, too?”
“Ah, haha,” she laughed, her eyes darting to Stevin, panic flashing for a moment. “Funny story, actually. I did fall off the bed.”
“Oh, did you?” I asked, feigning surprise. “Poor things, both of you, coincidentally, just tumbling out of beds like it’s a normal Tuesday. Forgive me, I will be adding guardrails to your beds later so that you can rest easily at night."
“Uh, about that, Your Grace,” Stevin said sheepishly, “I think it is high time we take our leave and free you of our presence.”
“Y-yes, indeed,” Enna smiled, agreeing to his words, “We have our lives outside of these Forests, so it would be rude if we took more of your time.”
“Oh,” I muttered, feigning sadness.
Despite my loneliness and despite finding the pair amusing, I was perfectly content to see them go now that they offered me the information I needed.
If only things could ever be that easy.
“We are forever in your debt, Your Grace,” Stevin said, approaching the Throne with his back straight. “If you ever require our assistance, we will gladly aid you.”
“Indeed,” Enna added, stepping up beside him. “Just say the word.”
I smiled gently, nodding to the two, “So be it. Let me prepare my stuff, then.”
“S-stuff?” Stevin blinked, “There is no need to offer us more of your hospitality, Your Grace. We will manage food on our own.”
“What are you talking about?” I frowned. “I saved you two. And since you’ve both, coincidentally, of course, decided you’re heading the same way, it’s only right that I escort you through the Great Velvet Forests myself. If the stories you told me yesterday are true, there are... many dangerous things out there.”
That pause was for dramatic effect as much as it was for my cowardly, frightened ass.
I didn’t want to do this type of shit anymore. Not after that godlike being, especially.
But that ‘New Directive’ from yesterday had other plans.
New Directive: Escort your Guests back to the Ashtara Kingdom.
I distinctly remember asking Ephe not to let me do anything dangerous again.
Look how that turned out.
Two trips outside, and I almost died just as many times.
Now I’m supposed to cross the whole damned Great Velvet Forests?
What could possibly go wrong?
I fear that not even God could know that answer.
And now, with a fake, comforting smile on my lips as I watched the color drain from their faces, neither of them brave enough to refuse my self-invitation, I could only pray that Julia was protecting me.
“Time for an Adventure!” I said, hating every word leaving my lips.
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