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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Tap, tap.
Arwen tapped the floor with her tail, as if expressing her dissatisfaction about something.
Lorenzo, who glanced at her, spoke with a laid-back manner.
“Cats are certainly mysterious creatures. It has a prickly personality. It will be troublesome in many ways until it gets used to your touch.”
“It was quite tame just a moment ago,” Rudrick remarked.
“Well, maybe it’s just being shy because this old man intruded without any tact,” Lorenzo joked.
Lorenzo’s casual remark had hit the nail on the head.
Both Rudrick and Arwen flinched almost simultaneously, and then Rudrick extended his hand. Arwen, who had been hesitating, let out a small meow and approached with a proud gait.
Although it was an act to avoid raising suspicion from Lorenzo, she couldn’t bring herself to rub her head against Rudrick’s leg like a real cat.
As the progenitor of all vampires and the queen of the bloodsucking race, she couldn’t cross the line by abandoning her last shred of self-respect.
Lorenzo, who had lost interest in Arwen after she transformed back into a cat, spoke with a resolute expression.
“Rudrick, you may find it difficult to understand at this point. However, mages are a different breed. Don’t misunderstand; I’m not belittling you for simply obtaining outstanding talent through luck without any earnest desire.”
“Yes,” Rudrick replied.
“To put it in extreme terms, mages are crazy bastards. The only difference between them and ordinary madmen is that what they desire so desperately is knowledge.”
“And that knowledge… refers to the incomplete magic you just demonstrated, right?”
“Precisely. A passageway to glimpse the world beyond the origin and pursue truth. To be honest, it’s close to a miracle that I’ve completed it to this extent with my limited talent. But I have no intention of giving up until my life ends.”
Lorenzo’s eyes rolled back in a frenzy.
Ironically, Lorenzo himself was the one who best fit the description of a “crazy bastard” he had just mentioned. It was a feeling as if he had peered into the abyss beyond understanding, which ordinary people couldn’t comprehend and didn’t need to know.
As Rudrick stepped back, intimidated by Lorenzo’s expression that even conveyed a sense of madness, Lorenzo grabbed Rudrick’s hand and said:
“But if we judge coldly, the probability of me reaching the origin before I die is infinitely close to zero. That’s why this old man took you and Sylphia as disciples.”
Tap, tap.
Arwen, who had been yawning or wandering around Rudrick, pretending to be disinterested, tapped the floor with her tail again.
Lorenzo added in a low voice, disregarding her reaction.
“If this old man fails, I want you to complete it together with Sylphia.”
“…I understand that the ultimate goal of all mages is that. But─”
“I know. Despite possessing such magical talent, your way of thinking and attitude as a mage are far from it. But let me tell you. Who knows what lies beyond the origin? How was this world created? Why are the basic elements that constitute the world considered basic?”
Faced with a barrage of questions, Rudrick made a somewhat disgruntled expression.
However, recalling the memories of his previous life, it wasn’t incomprehensible. The field of basic science was stagnant in research, and the results were extremely low compared to the investment of funds and manpower. But through persistent research, new discoveries had enriched people’s lives.
Rudrick, who thought it was roughly the same principle, slowly opened his mouth.
“Alright. I’ll give it a try and do some research.”
“If it’s impossible in this old man’s generation, we can continue it through the next generation. Then, someday, we may be able to provide satisfying answers to all those questions.”
Lorenzo, who had released Rudrick’s hand, smiled.
As a gesture of encouragement, Lorenzo patted Rudrick’s shoulder and added as he turned towards the passageway.
“Then, do as you please for today. Whether you want to use more magic here to get a feel for it or come out and choose a topic you’re interested in to research. Her Highness the Princess has also given her orders, so I’ll give you the autonomy to make your own decisions for now.”
As Lorenzo’s figure completely disappeared into the darkness-filled passageway and his footsteps faded away…
Arwen, who had returned to her original form, stared at the passageway with sharp eyes and muttered.
“That old man…”
“Huh? Did you two have a fight in the past or something?”
Rudrick tilted his head at Arwen’s gaze, which was far from pleasant.
“…It’s not particularly that. It just brought back some unpleasant memories,” Arwen replied.
“Unpleasant memories?”
“It’s not the right time yet, so I’ll refrain from speaking. However…”
Arwen, who had been staring at Lorenzo’s back as he disappeared into the darkness, quietly muttered.
“Those who peer into the abyss are bound to be tainted by it someday.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean? You said you regressed. When you say it like that, it sounds kind of creepy.”
“The future is a series of uncertainties. No one knows what ripple effects a single word I carelessly utter might bring. So let’s head back too.”
Arwen, who had transformed back into a silver-furred cat to avoid the gazes of others, tapped the floor with her tail again.
“Seeing that a single lizard has already made its move, it seems the situation is not something to be optimistic about.”
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Various things seemed to have happened, but somehow, the eventful day had ended safely.
Judging by Arwen’s prickly reaction upon hearing Sylphia’s name, I was worried about what would happen when they met in person, but fortunately, Sylphia had also left the research lab at the time, so the worrisome incident didn’t occur.
If a True Ancestor and a dragon were to clash and fight, at the very least, half of the Imperial Palace would be destroyed.
Of course, apart from that…
“…Ugh.”
It was fascinating to see Arwen speak human language as a cat every time I saw her, but from the moment she entered the room, she had been in that state.
The groaning sound coming from under the bed.
The moment she entered the room, she stiffened, then swiftly hid under the bed and made groaning sounds as if she were in pain.
How was I supposed to know the reason when she cut off both ends and was doing that on her own?
‘Is she lacking blood?’ I wondered.
As I plopped down on the bed and heard the sound growing louder, a hypothesis came to mind. Even if she was a True Ancestor, it wasn’t as if she could completely abstain from drinking blood.
Wasn’t it a strong possibility?
Quite some time had passed since the others became aware of their regression. At least a week had gone by, but Arwen had only now revealed herself.
If that was the case, it meant she had taken a week to arrive straight at the imperial capital, which could also imply that she hadn’t drunk blood for over a week.
The idea started to take shape in my mind, becoming more and more plausible.
Well, in situations like this in animations, the character would usually say something like, “Oh well, it can’t be helped,” and nonchalantly extend their arm, pretending to know it all.
I immediately put it into action.
As I sat on the bed and lowered my head to look underneath, my gaze met the shining violet eyes in the darkness.
“Arwen,” I called out.
“Wh-wh-why are you calling me?” she stammered.
“I told you not to speak.”
“I don’t understand what you mean by that all of a sudden. Telling me not to speak…”
“Can you come out for a moment?”
“…?”
The moment our eyes met, Arwen flinched, but then she carefully walked out from under the bed. Her silver fur, which still shimmered under the light, was spotless without a single speck of dust.
This was also fascinating. Was it magic?
With a trivial thought, I picked up Arwen as she walked out. She struggled like a freshly caught fish, but as soon as I placed her on my lap, she became docile.
In fact, just by looking at her appearance, it was hard to believe that she was not just a vampire, but a True Ancestor. She wasn’t just similar to a cat; she was a cat.
Even if someone were to say she was a stuffed cat, it wouldn’t seem out of place, considering how well-behaved she had become.
As I stroked Arwen’s fur, who had become so still that she could be mistaken for a taxidermy, I asked:
“Arwen, can you drink blood in your cat form?”
“…What’s with the sudden question?”
“If you’re lacking blood, just say so. I thought you might be in pain because you were groaning under the bed for no reason.”
“That’s not it…”
“I know how to use healing magic, so it’s not a problem.”
It was the same in this world that it was polite and virtuous to decline a few times when someone offered something. Especially for upper classes like nobility.
In fact, it would be awkward to blatantly ask for blood while living off someone else’s generosity, and it wasn’t as if she could attack passersby in the Imperial Palace, which was the heart of the empire, to suck their blood.
Well, what could I do? I had to be understanding with a broad mind.
I concentrated mana on the tip of my index finger, not to emit it but to trap it within my finger and then detonate it.
With a stinging sensation like being pricked by a needle, a drop of blood oozed from the tip of my finger.
As soon as Arwen smelled the blood, she flinched again.
According to what I had read in books, the urge to drink blood for vampires was similar to the basic desires of humans. It was like the principle of eating meals and sleeping at the right times.
Even if she was a True Ancestor, she couldn’t be free from instincts. Arwen’s gaze was fixed on my finger as if she was staring intently.
“Here,” I said, extending my finger.
“…I won’t decline,” she replied.
As soon as I offered my finger, Arwen licked the tip of it while still in her transformed state.
Somehow, this created a solemn atmosphere. I silently let her drink my blood, feeling a ticklish sensation from the tip of my finger.
After a long while, Arwen quietly murmured.
“At first, I thought you were spouting nonsense when you told me to transform into a cat as a pet.”
“Hm?”
“…But now that I think about it, it doesn’t seem so bad.”
At least, that’s what she thought.
Arwen, who had added that remark, shook her head.
Thanks to that, I was able to witness the rare sight of a cat shaking its head like a human.
…And I couldn’t tell if she meant she liked it or disliked it.
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Nicee
Definitely she likes it 😃