Chapitre 100: Chapter 100: Line of Traitors
"My ancestors…I am…descended from a line of traitors…"
Yeah, okay. I heard that the first time. Actually, I doubted Lilith repeated herself. It was more like a dramatic repetition to recount what had just happened because this was the next chapter. As if readers were going to forget because of the daily release schedule.
Talk about writing styles and dramatic devises…
More importantly…
I raised my eyebrow at Lilith's words, speechless at the moment.
The both of us were trapped inside this room somewhere within the altar, where Lilith's quiet voice resounded.
"What do you mean traitors?"
"The lost archives." Lilith bitterly glanced at the chamber from which we had just fled. "Those documents. They chronicle what really happened."
"So what really happened?" I tried to sound as curious as possible.
"Do you remember the box from earlier? It's not just a treasure vault of weapons. It also contains historical records. Documents…authentic documents by people who actually lived through that time. The weapons…they're powerful, but they're no stronger than what we currently have. It's not as if we had technogically regressed backward. They rely on the same spells passed down over generations. And vampires are long-lived. The whole ancient weapons thing was a lie…a lie I made up to convince Emperor Regis Gremory to send a battalion here to investigate the tomb."
"…wait, what?"
"I'm sorry."
Lilith lowered her head, but I wasn't convinced.
"Um, you said you told Emperor Regis that, but why do the heroes know about it? I mean, why do the Evelyn's Chosen and human kingdoms know about that rumor?"
Lilith shrugged. "Good question. I think they developed myths of their own, myths that sprang from rumors. After all, human soldiers, mercenaries and explorers have ventured as far as Haemorage and seen the tombs. Not knowing what mysteries lay within them, they gossiped. These then became rumors that spread throughout the human kingdoms. Over time, these rumors developed into myths. And as you know, there is no smoke without fire. So the so-called Emperor of Humanity must have wanted to confirm it for himself."
I shrugged. I certainly could see that happening. "Sounds like Kobayashi all right."
Lilith nodded. "When I heard intelligence reports of what the humans were up to, I saw a chance. That was why I told his majesty Emperor Regis that there is a possibility of excavating ancient technology and powerful weapons from the tomb. Of course, there's a measure of truth to it…even if we can still reproduce them today, the weapons buried together with King Alucard are still top quality comparable to the best weapons forged today. They will still make quite the difference in our war effort against the human kingdoms."
"And we can't allow such weapons to fall into the hands of human grave robbers, plus we can't just let them desecrate the tomb of your ancestor anyway," I added hastily. "So I don't see any problem there."
"True…but that's not the point."
Lilith's shoulders sagged and she stared at the ground bitterly.
"I first heard about it from the discussion between my mother and uncle…many years ago. Their argument stuck in my mind…they were trying to hide the truth from the people of Haemorage. The truth of our ancestors."
So what the fuck was this truth? Could you, like, get to the point already?
Taking a deep breath, Lilith shuddered and continued.
"I tried to press my mother for details, but she refused to tell me. Neither would my uncle. In fact, both of them make me swear to forget it, and to never mention it again. It was a taboo topic, and I wasn't supposed to know about it."
Then why the hell were her mother and uncle arguing about it inside their castle where they could so easily be overheard? As a matter of fact, why even bring up a taboo topic at all in the first place? That defied common sense.
"So…what exactly is this truth or taboo topic?"
"…my ancestor. He wasn't the noble, revered vampire king that the myths made him out to be. He was a tyrannical dictator who overthrew the previous vampire king, betraying and backstabbing the previous king and usurping his throne."
Honestly, that sounded like almost every bloody king or emperor out there in history. I didn't see a reason why Lilith had to be so hung up on how her ancestor seized the throne for himself. It really wasn't a big deal.
"The previous demon noble to rule Haemorage was King Zagan. He was a noble and well-respected ruler who was popular with the masses. Under his rule, the kingdom of Haemorage flourished, and we turned into a military power that operated autonomously."
…sounded like Haemorage today, if I were to be honest.
"But that all changed when Alucard backstabbed and betrayed him."
"Why so dramatic?" I sighed. Lilith turned to glare at me. I held up my hands in mock surrender. "Sorry. Please carry on."
"Immediately, his reign of terror reduced Haemorage to a shadow of its former self. Thousands were put to the sword for protesting, and he caused countless bloodshed. He was a tyrant…a cruel, ruthless dictator who did not tolerate any resistance to his rule. He murdered vast scores of vampires, all so that he could feast on their blood and consolidate his own power."
"Sounds like quite the evil guy," I remarked. Lilith's brow twitched, but she continued.
"In his reign of terror, Alucard launched attacks on the human kingdoms, abducting countless innocents to drip them dry of their blood. By doing so, he sowed his own seeds of destruction, for when that generation of Evelyn's Chosen was summoned to Restia, one of their first targets was the king of terror, the cruel tyrant, the bloodthirsty monster…Alucard."
Well, that served him right for rampaging recklessly and killing so many humans. Push someone far enough, and he would become desperate enough to stab you the next day, even at the cost of his future.
"And Evelyn's Chosen won."
"Yes. They all but destroyed Haemorage. The vampire kingdom was on the brink of annihilation after a month of fierce fighting. Even though Alucard destroyed half of the Evelyn's Chosen's number before they finally brought him down for good, they had done enough damage to reduce the vampire population to 10%. We were on the verge of becoming extinct."
"That…doesn't sound good."
"No. But even in the face of death, Alucard's son…my family…still refused to relinquish their hold on power. They slowly built up their base and reconsolidated everyone back under their rule. But this time, with far more subtlety, more finesse. They weren't as openly cruel or ruthless as Alucard, or indulgent in wanton murder and bloodletting, but they continued to control the vampire kingdom behind the scenes."
"….and you learned this how?"
"…after my mother's death, I cracked open her room and found all her archives and records. She lived through those times…and she had to bear such a heavy secret. She needed to learn from her ancestors' mistakes, and she wove a masterful tale of myth and deception to lead our citizens away from the truth and believing that our ancestors were heroes, not monsters. My mother and uncle…they were aware of what would happen if we repeat the route of tyrannical domination that our ancestors had chosen."
"Your mother sounds like a good person."
"…"
Lilith was silent for a while, probably because she didn't believe me, but she also couldn't criticize her beloved mother.
"…I wanted everything to be a lie. I really did. I couldn't believe the notes…the archives that my mother left behind. I wanted them all to be a fiction…to not be reality. All the memoirs and records she sealed away…I wanted them to be false."
"Does it matter? History is history. Whatever we do now won't change the past."
"That's not the point. I…I'm unable to believe myself. The blood of traitors and liars flow in my veins. What if I…what if I repeat their mistakes?"
I sighed heavily. "And…so? What does this have to do with the tomb? You found historical records and archives in this tomb that confirm what your mother had written?"
"…yes."
Lilith sounded resigned, desperate almost, as she slumped against the wall. She was practically in tears.
"I…I knew it was truth, somewhere deep inside me. I can't be the ruler of Haemorage. I can't let anyone of my line be ruler…we're descended from traitors…from tyrants. It's only a matter of time before our true nature takes control and we engulf Haemorage in fear and bloodshed once again. I can't let my kingdom be destroyed by my bloodline…"
"There's nothing wrong with your bloodline."
"No, it's fine already. I appreciate you comforting me, but…"
Lilith's lean figure was trembling slightly as she hugged herself, burying her teary face into her knees.
"I have to atone for Alucard's sins. For my ancestors' atrocities…I have to abidicate the throne and prevent any of my bloodline from succeeding me. Then I need to pay for Alucard's sins, with my life if necessary. If I reveal the truth, and then offer myself up to the masses for execution, then only will I be able to pay off the debt that my ancestors owe Haemorage. I will have to suffer the punishment for the wrongdoings of Alucard and my forefathers."
"Don't be ridiculous." I couldn't help but raise my voice. "You are you. You're not your ancestor. You're not Alucard. You're Lilith Scarlet…you're not anyone else. You shouldn't be held responsible for the actions of your ancestors. Nobody should ever be held accountable for their parents' or ancestors' sins. Children shouldn't be obligated to pay off their parents' debts or atone for their sins."
"Perhaps not…but there is no other way. Can you imagine the people's reaction when the truth eventually gets out? And it will eventally leak out. They will find out sooner or later. When that time comes, they will want revenge. They will want me to pay for my mother's…for my ancestors' lies. They will want me to pay for the blood that my ancestor Alucard had spilled. As the queen, I need to bear that burden…and take the blame. Accept the people's anger and hatred for what my ancestors have done. It might sound irrational, but that's the duty of a queen. If I lie to my subjects, then I do not have the qualifications to rule over them."
"Lilith-san…"
Even as Lilith looked forlorn and sank deep into despair, I determinedly reached out with my hands.
"I'm sorry. For forcing you to go along with my selfishness, for a traitor and liar like myself…"
"That's not true!"
I snapped in a loud voice and grasped Lilith's hands.
"Tomoyuki…kun?"
"I don't care about the throne or the people in your country. Lilith-san is my friend…you're a precious comrade who has fought alongside my battalion, and risked your life combating Evelyn's Chosen! And for now, you're also my love…partner, right? So stop spouting such nonsense. If you want to bear such a burden, I'll bear it with you!"
Then I blinked. Realizing what I had just done, I blushed furiously and turned away, but I was sensitive enough not to let go of her hands. Quietly looking to the side, I continued to hold her hands tightly to express my support.
"..."
After Lilith stared at me blanky for a few moments…
"Fu…fufufu…"
She burst into laughter, unable to repress all the emotions that she had been holding back all this while.
"What's so funny?"
"Tomoyuki-kun. I will give you a piece of advice. You should not believe a woman's complaints so easily."
"Huh?"
Lilith seemed to have regained her composure and was now teasing me. I stared at her, confused, and let go of her hands.
"Wait, are you telling me you were lying?"
"You should stop sympathizing with other people's misfortunes. You have quite the weakness of being kind and helpful to others, so I said that just to test you out. But your reaction exceeded my expecttions. Be careful during the duel."
"…right."
I scowled, but I had a feeling that Lilith wasn't lying. Instead, I shook my head and muttered something.
"Well, true or not…assuming that such a scenario really happened…I think it's pointless for you to sacrifice yourself like a martyr. Delivering yourself to the people for punishment, getting yourself killed, whatever, that doesn't solve the problem. Don't run away from your responsibility as a ruler. You think you'll be let off if you let your masses execute you? It's not so simple."
"…eh?"
Lilith stared at me, but I continued regardless.
"As I said, this is just speculation on a what-if scenario. But rather than putting your head on a platter and offering it to the people, you should be the first queen to transfer the power to the people. Create a republic…a government chosen by the people…voted in by the people. A political system with checks and balances, where the leader is someone selected by the masses, and rules according to the majority. That way, you avoid a situation where a new Alucard or tyrant rises up to take your place after your death. If you die, you merely create a power vacuum that will be quickly filled up by a new dictator. And Haemorage will fall back into that black history that you fear. If you really care about the wellbeing of your people, then don't run away. Repent and atone for those sins by instituting reforms. Talk is cheap, and you're useless to anyone if you're dead. Instead, use your life to do something for the people, to improve their lives and reform the political system altogether."
Astonished, Lilith was speechless as she tried to digest the gigantic chunk of text I had just thrown at her.
"Eh…huh? Is that…a political system from your world?"
"Yeah. It's far from perfect, but it's arguably better than the current monarchy system. We call it democracy. Well, there are a couple of nations that continue to preserve their monarchy even alongside democratic governments, so it's not necessary to eliminate the royalty altogether…but what is important isn't what sins your ancestor did in the past, but what you do in the present and what you plan to do in the future."
"Wise words." Lilith smiled and shook her head. "I think you'll make a great king."
"Nah." I waved my hand flippantly. "I can't handle that sort of massive responsibility. I don't have the political know-how either. I'll get utterly destroyed by my political rivals. Manipulating things behind the scenes isn't my kind of thing."
Lilith smiled and shook her head in disbelief.
"But really…why are you so softhearted? And why are you so…kind to me, no, to us? Even though you're a person summoned from another world…"
"Maybe it's because I'm a person from another world that I have the luxury of growing up in an environment that allowed me to be kind."
"Really?"
Lilith frowned and shook her head.
"I heard from Domon-kun. You…you were bullied and abused by your classmates, were you not? Everyday…even though you fought back, your class picked on you and tormented you daily. Did you not resent them? Did you not hate them?"
"Sure I do. That's why I'm killing them." I grinned and pushed my glasses up. "Haven't you noticed? I've killed six of them already. Seven, if you include the one you helped me take down. I'm taking my revenge on them."
"Yes, indeed, but…"
I shrugged. "But what? The only people who are the targets of my revenge are the people who bullied me. Why should I direct my vengeance and wrath at innocent people? They didn't abuse me. They did nothing to deserve getting killed or maimed."
"No, but I thought your outlook on the world would be a bit more…bleak."
"Why?" I snorted. "I'm not some emo edgelord who goes around proclaiming that I hate the world and everybody who lives in it. I'm not some idiotic edgelord who thinks humanity should die or the world should be destroyed. Only childish, emotionally handicapped morons adopt that sort of idiotic attitude. My worldview is simple enough. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If you hit me, I hit you back. If you try to kill me, I kill you. If you did absolutely nothing to me, then why the hell would I bother you? Do unto others what you want others to do unto you. That isn't to say I help others so that they will help me in return, but I would very much prefer to be helped than to be ignored or abused. If that's the case, then I should treat people how I would like to be treated, but of course I don't expect anything in return."
Leaning back, I finished off my longwinded rant with a relaxed smile. Yeah, I was a cringeworthy hypocrite, but I hadn't gone over the edge into emo edgelord who childishly ranted about how they wanted all of humanity to die and hated the whole world for absolutely no good reason.
"…you really are a good person, huh?"
"No, I'm a hypocrite who doesn't hesitate to kill people for trying to murder me. And I help people because that makes me feel better, and not because I'm some saint who genuinely helps for the sake of kindness."
I shook my head and admitted those things bitterly. Lilith smiled briefly and glanced down, mumbling under her breath.
"If you had ended up becoming a prince in Morten, would you also have saved me?"
"…well, technically, I am a noble with my own domain. Whether that makes me a prince or king, I have no idea, since I don't have any subjects to rule over. But I do have a territory of sorts, even if it's just for show."
"That's not what I meant…never mind."
Lilith returned to her usual smile. Before I could formulate a retort…
"Major! Your highness! Hey! Are you under here?!"
From upstairs, Elia's voice echoed, followed by heavy gunfire.
"Captain Kratz?!"
Before I could shout anything else, the ceiling above us turned red-hot from superheated temperatures. The next moment, it literally disintegrated, leaving a gigantic, molten hole that both dripped liquid rubble and gave off fumes.
"Oh, they are here! Finally found you, sir!"
Elia jumped down from the hole, followed by Benjamin and the heavy infantry from the vampire heavy infantry company. Marko was bellowing something in the background before Gio popped his head from above and waved.
"Sir! Seems like you're in one piece! And your highness too! Glad to see you're safe!"
"Yeah." I glanced at the molten hole. Evidently they had blown through the metal with heavy plasma weaponry. "Be careful. The edges are hot."
"Thank you for coming to our rescue."
Lilith bowed her head slightly.
"No problem!" Gio grinned and patted one of his subordinates. "Corporal Hound here has a good nose. He cast a tracking spell and was able to locate the two of you in no time at all."
"I'm glad you're both safe, sir! Your highness!"
Corporal Henry Hound saluted. I returned the salute.
"Well done, Corporal. Well done."
"Thank you, sir!"
"We have a few teams excavating the ancient documents and ancient weapons, but I think it's a better idea to escort the both of you to the outer chambers."
"Yeah," I agreed with Elia's assessment. "Take her highness and bring her to a medic. She seems to be sick."
"Understood, sir!"
I sighed in relief as I watched my men go to work, and finally our mission came to an end.
*
By the time our armored convoy returned to the military base camp, it was already evening. We packed up, unloaded everything, returned our arms and then I dismissed everyone for a much-needed rest. We had accomplished so much, and my men had given me a lot of reasons to be proud of them.
Marko was sure to force me to the medical office, but it seemed that I had completely regenerated, so there was nothing to worry about. Once that was done, I was finally able to return to my room.
Or so I thought, but the doctor stopped me before I could leave the infirmary.
"Sir, you're heading to the grounds later tonight, right?"
"Huh?"
"The duel," Doctor Dorden reminded me with a smile. The aging doctor had gray hair and lots of wrinkles, and he was ancient, even for a vampire.
"Oh, right. Don't worry, I didn't forget about that."
I still remembered that I had an appointment with Bradley Kreuger. I was so going to kick his ass.
"In my professional medical opinion, you shouldn't be fighting in your current condition. Your wounds and physical injuries might have healed fully, but you're suffering from fatigue. You honestly need to rest."
"I'll rest after this." I pushed my glasses and grinned gleefully. "I'm so looking forward to this duel. I can't let my men down after that bugger insulted them. Uh, sorry. I mean Lord Kreuger."
Dorden laughed. "I share your opinion, actually."
"Oh, really? Thanks."
"Yeah. The nobles tend to piss me off. House Kreuger, especially. They enjoy looking down on us commoners."
"Don't worry. After I'm done with him, he'll be looking up to you instead. Especially since he will be needing your medical expertise to fix him up."
"I'll do my best. Well…speaking of which, here's something to help you."
I blinked, baffled, when Dorden handed me a cup of brown liquid.
"Uh…what…?"
"It's medicine. You still have some time before the duel, so take this medicine and rest for now."
"Oh, okay. Thanks."
I took the cup of medicine and downed it in one go.
"Ugh…"
That was a bad idea. Now I felt bloated as hell. And for some reason, incredibly sleepy as well.
"All right…I'll take a nap. Remember to wake me up in time for the duel, Doc."
"I will."
With that, I toppled over and fell asleep. And while I was deep in dreamland…
"…are you all right with this, your highness?"
"Yes, thank you."
Immediately after I collapsed, Lilith stepped into the doctor's office. She stared at my sleeping form and heaved a sigh of relief before returning to her cool expression.
"This will allow us to rest easy for now."
"Are you sure? If you ask the Major, I'm sure he'll fight alongside you."
"He certainly will. But…"
In response to Dorden's question, Lilith nodded and glanced at me hesitantly.
By the time I woke up after taking a medicine with such a strong tranquilization effect, the duel would be long over. That was why Lillith asked Dorden to prepare a strong sedative.
"I cannot afford to get the Major involved in my situation any more than this. He has already helped me a lot."
"If you say so, your highness. Admittedly, it would be impossible for Major Tanaka to fight tonight."
The old doctor nodded in agreement as he glanced at me, his aged eyes narrowing in concern. Sighing, he took off his glasses.
"He suffered quite the injury and fatigue during the mission to defend the tomb. Even though his wounds have healed completely, his mana levels have yet to restore themselves fully. I'm not sure he can take on two powerful opponents in a duel in such a subpar condition."
"That's right."
Speaking in a firm tone that indicated that she understood, Lilith turned on her heels to face the exit.
"And defeating a noble from one of the four great noble houses might mark him as a target for later vengeance. These nobles love to hold grudges, don't they?"
"Not only that, Tomoyuki-kun isn't politically shrewd enough to handle them. Even if he can crush them with brute strength, he'll be outmaneuvered politically."
Lilith comprehended the implications of me winning the duel. I would draw too much attention to myself. Already, there were disgruntled demon nobles who were growing increasingly anxious over my meteoric rise. Precisely because I had Regis's favor, they were viewing me with suspicion and wondering if I was going to snatch their positions and statuses away from them.
These doubts had been firmly seeded ever since I defeated Count Raum. Furthermore, I had even been awarded a territory of my own.
And now I was somehow barging my way into potentially marrying into the royal family of the vampire kingdom Haemorage. This was an unprecedented pace of progress, especially for an outsider like myself.
Therefore, Lilith, after much consideration, had made her decision.
She would bring an end to her fate without relying on me.
"Well then, I'll leave him to you. If he does wake up, tell him that the duel was called off. And my request will be over by tomorrow."
"Huh? Request?"
"Just tell him that. The Major will understand."
Lilith bowed her head slightly, and then left the room. Dorden watched her go and then glanced at my sleeping form with a sigh.
"As expected, you still know nothing about the Major…"
Muttering in resignation, Dorden got up and was about to tend to other patients when someone else knocked on the door.
"Come in."
"Doc! Is the Major still here?!"
"Yeah. He's asleep, though."
"…eh?"
Elia was stunned when she caught sight of me on the bed. Yeah, I wondered how I knew all this when I was asleep. Call it protagonist power or first person protatonist privilege. If you want to be realistic, just assume I heard all this after I woke up, and included it in my first person narration when I ended up writing this thing.
"Do you have business with the Major, Captain?"
"Actually…yes."
Elia looked pale as she conjured a blue-tinted holographic screen that displayed an email from Emperor Regis himself.
"It appears that his majesty Emperor Regis had expressed some interest in the matter regarding the duel between Lord Bradley Kreuger and Major Tanaka. He did a little investigation of his own, and this is what he found…"
Gulping in an effort to swallow her panic, Elia glanced at me again, but I made no sign that I was going to wake up.
"We need to inform the Major of this as quickly as possible."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone