༺ Land That Flows Like A River – 3 ༻

Humans had always feared the night. From the darkness that concealed the enemy to sleep, the greatest ally of an attacker; everything that came at night was utterly dangerous.

But that was only the case when the night was not on our side.

Given that the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka was on our side, the night would transform into a moment of peace and tranquility, enveloping us in a curtain of quiet coziness.

[The sun has set.]

If it was darkness all around, Tyr could go without sleep for days at a time. She had regained her heartbeat and some functionality, but the power that moved her body was still Bloodcraft.

However, among the things she had to give up was the strength to withstand the sun.

It couldn’t be helped. At that time, it was too cruel to expect a girl barely surviving underground to have the strength to withstand the sun as well.

As the sun set, Tyr emerged from her coffin. Shining her red eyes, Tyr looked down upon the world.

“You have waited long enough. Now, you may rest your eyes. The darkness is my time, as well as my territory. I will not allow anything into it.”

Tyr declared confidently. At the same time, the darkness layered thickly around. The twinkling twilight beyond the western mountains didn’t reach this place. How could the sun, overseeing all things at noon, not know? If they were eye-to-eye at similar heights, where the sun lowered and the night rose, this darkness wouldn’t be inferior to the weary sunlight.

At any rate, Tyr opened her eyes.

And I proceeded to nag her.

“Tyr. Do you have a moment? Just between us.”

“Indeed, I do. Ask whatever you wish.”

“We need to verify each other’s strengths, so could you explain your weaknesses one by one?”

“…Mm?”

｢Weakness? My weaknesses? Why suddenly…? Aha, you must be anxious. Then, as the eldest, it is only right to show an appearance that would arouse confidence.｣

As she was swept up in a strange sense of duty, Tyr confidently declared and wrapped herself with darkness.

“There is no such thing as a weakness. I am the Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka, once feared by the entire world. What fear could fear itself have?”

“Not necessarily, right? You’ve been blatantly avoiding sunlight, after all.”

Tyr, caught off guard by my questioning, flinched and tried to make excuses.

“That is not a weakness, but a distaste. Originally, I could walk cloaked in darkness, even under the noon sun, and now that I have regained my heart, standing bare is not an issue. It is just that I chose to rest for a while to gather strength for important battles.”

“Isn’t that what a weakness is?”

｢It is true that I am restricted under sunlight, but to call it a weakness is a bit excessive.｣

Huh, it seems like this Progenitor doesn’t know the meaning of weakness. Is she seriously saying that being restricted under sunlight isn’t a weakness?

Unaware of my thoughts, Tyr, puffing up her slender shoulders, boasted confidently.

“I fear nothing about the sun. To a vampire, sunlight is no more than a slightly prickly raindrop. Perhaps a lowly ancilla or neonate may find it unbearable. However, an Elder can withstand the sun, thus I, as the Progenitor, find it no different from an annoying presen….”

“I’m asking to definitively verify our strength. Are you weaker under the sun or not? Answer in the form of Affirmative or Negative.”

A slightly prickly raindrop, huh? But wouldn’t it bore holes in the body if it poured all day? And isn’t it already a problem that it was prickly in the first place?

Tyr hesitated for a moment, then avoided my gaze and spoke.

“…Affirmative, is my answer.”

“Okay, confirmed. You’re weakened under sunlight.”

“But, that was before I regained my heart. Now, I can exert equal strength regardless of the light. The part you should worry about is….”

“That’s only possible because you’re not projecting your power outward. If Bloodcraft could be used externally, legions would walk around at night instead of dirt pawns.”

“…Euhh.”

Tyr couldn’t add anything more after directly receiving that truth bomb. Taking this opportunity, I decided to dig a little deeper under the guise of evaluating strength.

“If we were to fight during the day, how much darkness can you manipulate?”

“How can one possibly measure the amount of darkness? As my darkness is infinite, it will not run dry before the next night arrives.”

Eh? That’s strange. Why is she answering so sincerely?

Tyr definitely believed that to be the truth.

But something was off. If there was no limit, why gather strength for a day? There’s no need to. Even she knows there’s a limit to gathering strength, but she still claims it won’t run dry that confidently?

Ah, wait a minute.

“Tyr. Are you perhaps saying that because you’ve never actually seen it run dry, even though there’s a limit?”

“I see how you might think of it that way. After all, even the longest day would not exhaust all my darkness. If I were to protect my entire legion with darkness, perhaps it may not suffice. But if it is just for you, me, and Shei, it is more than enough.”

Stop packaging your words in misleading ways! So there IS a limit to the capacity after all!

“Bad Tyr! What if you run out of darkness at a critical moment and we end up in danger? Do you want to turn me into a vampire that badly? You’re planning to kill me first and then, having no other choice, forcibly turn me into a vampire, aren’t you?!”

“…T-That could not be further from the case.”

｢Unnaturally making you a vampire would only breed resentment. I will protect you with all my might…. If, despite my best efforts, something were to happen to you, then there would be no choice, though.｣

Vampire life insurance seems rather reassuring. It even makes me somewhat happy.

But before that, couldn’t you just not let me die? With that mindset, you might just let a bullet slide by in my moment of crisis.

Anyway, I decided it was time to seriously investigate our strengths.

“For us to be safe, we need to clearly understand each other’s weaknesses and limits. Tell me honestly. How much darkness can you use?”

“How can one measure darkness? But today, I have gathered strength by conserving darkness all day. Even if a fierce battle were to break out, I should be to unleash it until sunset…. Unless the Sanctum uses some peculiar method.”

“What if you use up all your darkness?”

“Even then, my physical body remains and I can simply crush the enemies one by one.”

“I see. Alright, we’ve covered the darkness part now.”

｢…It seems he finds me quite untrustworthy. He must be unsettled due to his prolonged life on the run. I must instill confidence and a sense of trustworthiness to ease his anxiety.｣

No, that’s not it, okay? So, forget about that and just don’t lie. This is a genuine assessment of our strengths, you know? If you actually convince yourself of false info, I might just end up believing it too.

“What about other weaknesses?”

“If I have no need to fear even sunlight, what other weaknesses could there possibly be?”

Eh? Huh? Really? From what I know, vampires have a few more weaknesses, though.

Why is she answering sincerely again? Why does she actually believe that? Sure, you can boast and all, but can you really not think of any weaknesses?”

“No, Tyr. The whole world knows about Tyr’s weaknesses. So what in the world do you mean there are none? How does that even make sense?”

“How strange. How could the entire world know of weaknesses that even I myself am unaware of?”

“The sky knows, the earth knows, I know, and even the elementary school graduate knows. It could be possible that even Azzy knows. She abruptly got smarter these days, after all.”

For a long time, vampires were humanity’s greatest fear.

To simply call them enemies would overlook the complex circumstances involved.

Vampires were once human, yet to survive, they needed fresh human blood. They loathed their bodies for craving blood, but did not want to forsake their perfect physiques. Time could not weaken them and even beasts avoided them. However, their end always came in the form of a human.

Humans were the exact opposite of vampires. They were prey to the latter, yet also beings that could become vampires at any time. Humans despised vampires, but also envied their near-immortality, sometimes even considering the chance to become one as a stroke of luck.

Though they were predator and prey, they had a bizarre relationship where one was dependent on the other from birth till death.

Awe brought forth curiosity. Humans had always strived to learn more about vampires. They chased the truth while harboring fantasies, filling that gap with knowledge.

But in an ironic twist, only the Progenitor herself remained unaware of this.

“Ironic, is it not? I am the origin of all vampires, as well as the god of their species. Yet, you are saying there are weaknesses of vampires I do not know about?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Hoo. This won’t do.”

Since we’re at it, let’s test it out. I turned my head and called for the Regressor.

“Mr. Shei! Come here for a sec!”

“Wait a moment. Let me look after Nabi for a bit.”

At that moment, the Regressor was preoccupied with caring for Nabi.

Rather than me, it was actually Nabi who was tired from the long life on the run. As she was confined in a box, Nabi was extremely agitated and would lash out whenever anyone other than the Regressor approached.

Even now, if not for the Regressor’s friendly demeanor, the food in her hand, and the mana herb made from the World Tree’s leaf, Nabi might have already overturned her food bowl in irritation several times.

After closing the lid of the box, the Regressor shook her head in pity.

“It’s tough. Perhaps because she’s the King of Cats, it seems she doesn’t welcome the idea of traveling far…. It would be better for her if she stayed in a peaceful and quiet place.”

“Let’s decide where to abandon her later and focus on the immediate task at hand. Just between us humans.”

“The way you speak is so… Alright. What is the immediate task?”

The Regressor was the main force of this party anyway.

Her ability to react and respond was unmatched by anyone; she was basically akin to a universal first-aid medicine. It would be better to conduct the strength assessment with the Regressor.

“Mr. Shei. Do you perhaps know the weaknesses of vampires?”

“Of course, I know. Isn’t it sunlight?”

“What about besides that?”

“Salt and spices. For example, things like garlic.”

Tyr slightly furrowed her brows and denied it.

“Nonsense. I do not fear such things.”

｢It is true that I avoid the sun. The Sanctum has fully exploited this weakness against me before, causing me great trouble. However, I do not fear salt and spices. After all, I have never encountered them before in the first place.｣

I have never encountered them before, was where I realized what Tyr’s problem was.

Ah, so the folk remedies were never passed on to Tyr. Was it because she was always leading the troops?

I left the explanation to the Regressor. O ye of little faith. Be enlightened as you listen to vampire countermeasures that even the elementary school graduate knows.

“Huh? But I heard vampires, being creatures that move with blood, dislike spices that dissolve in blood. So unexpectedly, while a minute amount of lethal poison doesn’t do much, showering them with an abundance of salt can actually be quite troublesome.”

“Ridiculous. Vampires are beings that dominate blood. How could they dislike salt, which is not even a poison that coagulates blood?”

While we’re on the subject, why don’t you try eating this, huh? I took out some cooking salt I had on hand, sprinkled a bit on the back of my hand, and extended it towards Tyr. She cocked her head and responded.

“Could it be that…that is salt?”

“Yes. Why don’t you try it once? If it’s not a weakness, it should be fine, right?”

Tye hesitated to taste the white salt directly. I pushed my arm forward a bit more as if to dare her to taste it.

｢Wouldn’t I end up kissing the back of his hand? How bold…. Though the roles here seem to have reversed.｣

No, wait. It wasn’t because she disliked the salt, huh.

After hesitating for a bit, she seemed to have made her decision, thus licking the back of my hand tentatively. A small tongue touched the white salt and then withdrew.

Immediately after, Tyr grimaced at the unpleasant sensation.

“It tastes…terrible.”

“Tyr can’t taste anything, right? You only perceive the taste of blood.”

“That is right. It is unpleasant. It does not suit my blood.”

“Then that’s a weakness.”

“No. It is different. This is purely a matter of taste and preference…”

“Hoit.”

“Kya-”

Tyr, unwilling to acknowledge it to the end, jerked her head back as if she had seen a bug when I pushed the salt closer. After letting out a cute scream that was uncharacteristic for the Progenitor, she froze in place.

Hooo. Look at that. I knew it from the moment you made that tearful face, saying my blood tastes bad. What a picky eater.

“Tyr. Knowledge about vampires has spread far and wide. In fact, it isn’t just through word of mouth but through novels and paintings as well. You cannot be careless. The three things the people of the world fear most are getting attacked by a tiger, smallpox, and vampires. It’s shared knowledge among everyone. Even Mr. Shei knows, right”

“Hold on. I sensed a bit of malice when you said that even I know.”

However, Tyr slowly nodded in agreement to my words before stopping dead when the Regressor turned her head.

Ignoring the intently glaring Regressor, she coughed slightly and then turned her gaze back to me.

“I see. Fine. Let us say I do have an aversion to something like salt. What does it matter? Who could possibly feed me salt?”

“You can’t be careless about that. Don’t lower your guard. The State is a kind of nation that uses every means at their disposal without hesitation.”

If a weakness existed, there was no reason not to exploit it. After all, it was logical and, without doing so, they could not easily defeat such a formidable opponent.

I wiped the playfulness off my face and spoke with utmost seriousness.

“Today’s attack was a reconnaissance. They were probably trying to deplete Tyr’s strength. Fortunately, we managed to repel them with Shei’s power alone, but a full-on attack and reconnaissance are completely different. We need to make a plan before they return. After all, it’ll be too late once they’re here.”