.｡.:✧ Chapter 23 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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True Ancestor.

A being that was no different from the progenitor of all vampires.

Not a lowly vampire born from having their blood sucked, but the king of all vampires who were born as vampires from the very beginning.

Viewing immortality as a mere curse, unlike other vampires who were once human, she could neither understand human emotions nor imitate them.

Arwen Nosferatu.

For her, all the attitudes she displayed when hiding her identity and interacting with humans or dealing with other subordinates were merely learned emotions. She could not truly understand their meaning and essence. She could never understand them forever.

Or so she had firmly believed.

Just being together with him was enough to bring her joy. From the moment she realized that was love, she too understood emotions. She became aware of the five desires and seven emotions of humans.

And…

The person who had taught her the emotions of an ordinary person was right in front of her eyes.

“…Who are you?” Rudrick asked.

“Of course. You wouldn’t know me now. It’s only natural that you don’t remember,” Arwen replied.

Rudrick slowly turned his head in a somewhat robotic and stiff movement.

What immediately entered his sight was a girl whose appearance was fully revealed under the light of the magic orb created by the light magic.

Under the light, her skin was completely pale and white, without a hint of color. Even in the gentle light shining down like a soft lamp, her violet eyes sparkled with a unique luster.

Her neatly tied hair flowed naturally, and the black suit she wore neatly contrasted with her appearance, creating a distinct charm.

A girl, and the progenitor of all vampires, a True Ancestor.

Arwen Nosferatu’s lips slowly curved upward, forming a faint smile.

“It’s understandable that you’re confused. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Arwen Nosferatu…” she said slowly.

And she added in a whisper, “…I have regressed to the past.”

“…Regressed to the past?” Rudrick asked.

“It’s only natural that you find it hard to believe. I fully understand. But right now, I haven’t uttered a single lie,” Arwen replied.

In the cold air, her gentle whisper tickled Rudrick’s ears.

A sweet whisper, like the temptation of a demon.

Seeing Arwen slowly approaching, Rudrick was somewhat confused.

‘She’s revealing it right from the start?’ he thought.

The moment he heard the name Arwen, he had already realized it. In fact, he had sensed it to some extent from the moment he first saw her face.

He had thought that the fifth regressor, who had not shown herself until the end, would eventually make contact with him in some way, but he hadn’t expected her to reveal that she had regressed right from the beginning.

Regardless of the fact that Rudrick already knew about it.

“My regression to the past to meet you is a fact without a shred of falsehood,” Arwen declared.

“…Haha, that’s a funny joke. Regressing to the past, isn’t that like time travel? You’re joking, right?” Rudrick asked.

“Not at all,” Arwen replied firmly, shaking her head.

It was Rudrick’s last chance to salvage the situation.

But Arwen firmly shook her head.

Finding her intense gaze a bit burdensome, Rudrick responded with an awkward smile.

“Regression to the past… Well, I suppose that’s possible. But if what you’re saying is true, why did you regress to meet me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? To meet you again,” Arwen replied.

She was about to say something but hesitated and shook her head.

No matter what, her remaining conscience didn’t allow her to shamelessly claim that they were lovers in the past before the regression.

So she had no choice but to abruptly change the direction of the conversation.

Seeing Arwen’s sincere demeanor, Rudrick, who had been pondering, adopted a serious expression. He plopped down on the ground and looked at Arwen, who was staring at him quizzically.

“First, have a seat. Let’s have a talk,” he suggested.

“A conversation?” Arwen asked.

“Yes, a conversation. You said you just regressed, right? Then let’s have an open and honest discussion,” Rudrick proposed.

“…Alright,” Arwen agreed.

Perhaps caught off guard by Rudrick’s unexpected attitude, Arwen couldn’t hide her perplexed expression as she carefully knelt down. As soon as she did, Rudrick began to speak.

“So, your name is Arwen…” he started.

“Arwen Nosferatu,” she clarified.

“Okay. Then I’ll call you Miss Arwen,” Rudrick said.

“…That feels a bit distant. Just Arwen is fine,” she replied.

“…Well, alright. Arwen.”

Rudrick’s expression was quite serious.

He was also feeling conflicted. How should he console this tactless vampire who had suddenly appeared and dropped a bombshell?

In fact, what they knew was the Rudrick Weiss they had met before their regression. And the current Rudrick could swear on the heavens that although he had been reincarnated, he had never experienced regression. To the point where he wasn’t even sure if he was the same Rudrick they remembered.

So even if she suddenly expressed her affection in such an aggressive manner, there was no reason for him to readily accept it.

“So, Arwen, you definitely said you regressed, right?” Rudrick asked.

“Yes,” Arwen confirmed.

“And you… you’re a vampire, right?”

“……”

In response to Rudrick’s second question, which could be somewhat sensitive, Arwen quietly nodded her head in affirmation.

For a mage of Rudrick’s caliber, discerning one’s race wouldn’t be a difficult task unless it was a special case where they had intentionally polymorphed themselves.

“Now, Arwen, give me three pieces of evidence that you have regressed,” Rudrick requested pointedly.

“That’s easy,” Arwen replied with a faint smile and a confident expression.

“First, you sometimes use strange words that only you understand the meaning of. Second, I know that you enjoy lying in bed and doing nothing on your days off.”

“…Oh,” Rudrick exclaimed.

“And lastly, I know that you have a kind heart, willing to share your blood with a vampire who was disguising themselves as a human and living among people,” Arwen stated.

Upon hearing her answer, Rudrick inwardly realized something.

‘…Ah, that must be why the flag was triggered,’ he thought.

Based on Arwen’s response, it wasn’t difficult to connect the dots.

If there was someone who would offer their blood to not just an ordinary vampire, but an Elder Vampire, a True Ancestor, whose mere presence made one’s legs tremble, that person would be considered crazy.

And perhaps the Arwen in front of him had a preference for such crazy individuals, he thought, and it surprisingly aligned with the chain of events.

Rudrick wasn’t particularly dense, so he could easily infer the truth.

Now, with that settled, only the truly important final question remained.

“Okay, I understand. Hmm, so you are indeed a regressor,” Rudrick acknowledged.

“Why would I, of all people, have any reason to deceive you?” Arwen replied.

“Then here’s the real important question… I get that you have regressed, Arwen. But why did you come looking for me?”

“…That’s…” Arwen’s words suddenly came to a halt.

In fact, even Arwen herself wasn’t quite sure. From the moment she realized she had regressed to the past, and from the moment her body, beyond her control, shed tears, the only thought she had was that she had to meet Rudrick again.

The moment of reunion had been emotional, but she hadn’t come with a clear plan of what to do afterward.

Watching Arwen ponder for a long time, as if at a loss for words, Rudrick reprimanded her as if he had expected it.

“So you just thoughtlessly came to find me after regressing to the past? Without even preparing a Plan B?”

“…The thought of meeting you was too overwhelming,” Arwen admitted.

“Geez, the others at least came up with good excuses.”

“…?”

“There are stories like that,” Rudrick muttered in a voice that sounded like he had committed a great sin, causing Arwen to tilt her head in confusion. Rudrick clapped his hands as if he had found a brilliant solution.

“So, Arwen, think carefully. This is the Imperial Palace, right?” he asked.

“The Imperial Palace of the human empire, I’m well aware of that,” she replied.

“But can a vampire casually wander around the Imperial Palace or not?”

“…In most cases, it would be difficult,” Arwen admitted.

“So, I had a great idea,” Rudrick announced.

At his remark, as if he had come up with a truly brilliant idea, Arwen began to feel a strange sense of unease.

Yes, she vaguely remembered that Rudrick occasionally had this kind of eccentric side to him.

Just as Arwen was starting to feel the creeping unease, Rudrick grinned and spoke.

“Then transform into a cat. You can do that, right?”

“……”

Arwen was visibly taken aback, at a loss for words. Just as she was about to ask again to confirm if she had heard him correctly, Rudrick continued nonchalantly.

“A dog is fine too. If you sneak into the Imperial Palace in that form, you’ll obviously stand out, so if you transform into an animal, I can pretend it’s my pet. Wouldn’t that work?”

“…Did I hear that right? I’m pretty sure I heard something strange about turning into a cat,” Arwen said.

“Or do you want to continue hiding in that form? If you get caught, there will be an uproar about hunting a vampire. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Imperial Palace gets turned upside down,” Rudrick pointed out.

“…No matter what, a cat is a bit… No, to begin with, if I turn into a cat, doesn’t that mean I’ll be staying in your room?”

“We’re pretending it’s my pet, so where else would you stay? Should I leave you in the garden?”

It didn’t make sense.

Arwen wanted to scream that, but what was even more frustrating was that she couldn’t logically refute it.

In the past, after three years had passed, she had found a way to enter the Imperial Palace without arousing suspicion from others, but the current her couldn’t be in the Imperial Palace unless she constantly concealed herself with invisibility magic.

‘What kind of man says such things so casually…’ she thought.

To begin with, the idea of staying in the same room, even if she transformed into an animal and pretended to be a pet, was embarrassing.

After a long moment, with her skin that had been completely pale now flushed red, Arwen finally managed to open her mouth.

“…Isn’t that basically living together?”

Her voice was so small that it couldn’t be heard unless one concentrated.

After barely uttering those words, Arwen covered her reddened face with her hands.

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