Chapter 669 – Results and Plans?

000

When Illenu suddenly came to his senses, he was standing in a space where everything around him was covered in red blood.

When Illenu frowns at the unpleasant sight of entering a blood vessel or organ, she turns her head to see Cleon, who should be right next to her, but notices that he is nowhere to be found and realizes that this is some kind of dream. It will.

＂Did you fall asleep before washing up…＂

Illenuga was scratching his head at the fact that he fell asleep on his bed, obviously thinking he was going to lie down for a while, but he fell asleep without even washing his body properly.

But as a lucid dream, this may be a valuable experience.

The sight I saw for the first time was something I hadn’t even dreamed of – no, it was actually drawn in my dream, so is it a little different?

Well, except that it’s a grotesque place that has nothing to do with you.

But then I remember something I heard from someone before.

Apparently, in a lucid dream you can change the scenery as you wish.

If you could picture the scenery you want to see in your head and change your dreams at will, wouldn’t that be interesting?

So, as I heard from someone, if you try to change the scenery around you by concentrating your mind with your eyes closed –

I felt the surroundings vibrate along with the sound of coo coo.

What Ilenuga envisioned in his head was not this dark and gloomy space, but a wide open meadow, a blue sky, and receiving warm sunlight floating in a clear space without a single cloud.

Although I thought it was a dream and I might not feel anything like touch, I was curious to see if such a scene had unfolded around me, so when I opened my eyes again-

There, of course, the red spot from before still remained, and something that wasn’t there before was rising and writhing before my eyes.

Was it all nonsense to be able to do lucid dreaming at will?

Ilenu, who feels an instinctive disgust at the writhing, writhing body, like a caterpillar perverting into an insect chrysalis, sighs, thinking that this is a lucid dream, but a nightmare in which she cannot do what she wants.

All I can do is close my eyes and wait for this dream to end quickly.

Otherwise, I can only hope that Cleon, who is outside, will wake me up.

＇Cleon…＇

When I think of that name again and think about it calmly, I remember once again how shameful the actions and words I shared with him were.

His face may have turned a little red, but that doesn’t mean I want to write it all off as something I did while drunk on blood.

Rather, she knew best that it was her true feelings that she had always suppressed.

And, the result – she is now nestled in her own belly.


This alone made her feel that everything she had done up until now was lovely.

The anxious loathing I had for myself as a vampire and not being able to fit in anywhere is covered up by the new life I have conceived.

For the sake of this child, if you don’t become stronger yourself.

And, she feels that she must repay Cleon in some way for giving her this happiness.

At the same time, the most important thing now is the result of going through this difficult path and absorbing Cleon’s blood.

If she could gain more control over her vampire powers, she would be able to break Emma’s curse without risking her own life.

If that happens, she will achieve all the goals she originally set out to achieve when she came to this eastern country.

Then, after that… I think it might not be a bad idea to help Cleon a little more.

Emma, ​​too, she might want to stay with Cleon a little longer once she gets back to normal, so that would be good for her.

And, she should tell her about her pregnancy too.

If possible, she wanted to form her own family with Emma, ​​and that small wish was sprouting within her.

“No, such a life is too much for you.”

However, contrary to her relaxed thoughts, her voice was heard from somewhere denying her.

When Ilenu raises her head to the low male voice.

A moving, scary-looking face appeared among the writhing flesh, with holes where the eyes should be.

It may have been difficult to determine her original identity from that impression.

From the voice heard, and the magic felt.

That is one of the half elements that make up her body – an entity that can be said to be the origin of a vampire.

That was the face and voice of her own father, the vampire Alessios.

“Alessios!? Why… Four years ago, Cleon and I would have destroyed you!”

As soon as she saw that face, Illenu stood up, became alert, and took a fighting stance.

Cold sweat broke out on its own, and her whole body was screaming.

Even though it ended in their own victory, the power he possessed was real, and Illenuga knew best that he could not defeat the guy alone.

Therefore, he was very fortunate that he was able to defeat him there, but of course, Alessios suddenly appeared before his eyes and revealed his will.

When he tried to deny his own way of life, Illenu could not help but become angry.

“I was waiting for you to drink human blood. I am not the kind of person who would be sucked to the point of losing all my strength by a half-blooded vampire like you.”

Even after being sucked by Illenu, he did not disappear, clinging to her soul, waiting for her to one day need the power of a vampire and absorb human blood.

And, finally, by absorbing Cleon’s blood, she awakened the power of a true dhampir and was able to bring out the aspects of a vampire, and within her, Alessios, who had been living like a squirming parasite, revealed his true nature. 〉

“Your future life… Will all be used for my resurrection. Because all the vampire power you have will be mine.”

“─Ugh, don’t crawl!”

Ilenu clenched his fists and rushed at him, thinking that even if he didn’t have a sword, he could somehow do something with his own strength, like Alessios, who was stuck in a chrysalis and only showed his face.

However, the cocoon, which looked simply like a giant piece of meat, was actually just the process of creating Alessios’ new body.

Therefore, its shape can be changed to some extent according to Alessios’ will – the fleshy stem protruding from inside the cocoon forms a sharp blade.

It is swung like a whip and flies straight towards Illenu.

＂Ugh!?＂

Thinking that this was not just a dream and that it was dangerous to take damage, Ilenuga stopped his body and raised his arms in response to such an unexpected attack.

In order to endure the intense pain that would soon follow, he closed his eyes tightly and closed his eyes.

Whoosh!

If you think that a sharp sound cutting through the air passes through your ears-

The next moment, the pain he had been waiting for did not come, no matter how much time passed, and when he moved his hand slightly, the place was still functioning properly.

And when she slowly opened her eyes, there was a woman wearing a black dress and shining silver hair in front of her.

Although her height is similar to mine, her aura is cold, almost like ice.

She held a shiny silver rapier in her hand and blocked the attack being swung at Ilenu.

“Oh, you idiot…! “You!”

When Ilesios spoke in a shocked voice, she tried to return the whip she had swung to her own body –

The ax made of red blood, swung in the air, cut him down from the top of his head, splitting him in half.

Before she had time to scream, it split into left and right sides, and her face and cocoon fell to the ground together, disappearing and being absorbed into the ground like melted pudding.

At that extremely meaningless ending, Illenu blinked her eyes and remained silent, then tried to open her mouth to ask the woman who suddenly appeared in front of her about her identity.

But-

“Our blood, connected through Cleon, is what brought me here, free from the concept of space and time.”

Then, she slowly turned her body and looked back at Irene – no, at her past self.

And Illenu sees another Illenu – her future self.

To be exact – two people who are now completely separated in a timeline that will never intersect. There are two Ilenu.

＂You, me…?＂

“Okay. Losing a precious person – having your body controlled by an enemy – having your precious people caught up in your own karma. You failed.”

She was given the great title of the Goddess of Death, but she was a one-day Illenu who had collapsed to the point where even that could only be heard as sarcasm.

That’s who she is, she introduced herself.

“But you won’t be me. Because I didn’t turn my eyes away from the happiness I had been running away from because I was scared.”

＂…＂

It is true that Ilenu, who became the goddess of death, continued to consume blood during her relationship with Cleon, but there were no children between the two.

It was a time when Cleon and Ilenud were whipping themselves for distant ideals rather than being satisfied with the happiness that was close to her.

Illenu at the time when she set out on a youthful and energetic goal that seemed almost impossible: to find her precious person and to destroy the vampires.

That’s why, instead of choosing to see the fruition of her love with Cleon, she chose to continue taking that power.

Chasing your ideal is not a bad thing.

However, in order to achieve each other’s ideals, the two people were like a train without brakes, running with their eyes closed on the most important part of each other.

The goddess of death knew that the result would lead to destruction for everyone.

Both of them may have had no choice but to think that they were too young.

However, now Cleon has the leisure of an adult, and Irene has a person called Emma who is like her family.

In other words, it is now possible to build a relationship that trusts each other while walking independently, without being codependent.

And the result is – as you know, a new life inside Illenu.

“You can do it. A true form of family drawn with Cleon and Emma.”

The parasites that get in the way have just been eliminated.

With this, was he able to repay the Cleon of this world for being saved, even if belatedly?

As she says that, as she returns her sword to its scabbard, Alessios disappears from within Illenu, and his mental space begins to collapse.

Ilenu realizes there that this dream was not hers but Alessios’s.

And at the same time, the goddess of death before her eyes also disappears.

To be precise, it would be better to say that it goes back to where it came from.

Illenu was able to recognize what kind of person she was the moment she suddenly appeared and made eye contact with her, so she spoke to her.

“Of course. I have regretted making mistakes at important moments several times until now, but I will not let this choice be called a regret. Because I will prove it by not being you.”

When Illenu utters her oath with a firm resolve, the Goddess of Death disappears.

The last thing that remained was a wide-open meadow, the sun shining overhead and a wide, cloudless sky.

As I was looking at the ideal scenery I had imagined, I suddenly turned my head when I felt a sign of presence behind me.

＂Ilenu.＂

If you think you hear a voice calling-

＂Ilenu, wake up.＂

＂Ugh…?＂

When Illenu opened her eyes with a strange voice as she felt her body shaking, as if continuing from the dream she had just seen, Cleon was holding her shoulder and calling her name with his face pressed against her.

＂Cleon…?＂

＂Thank goodness, you woke up. It was clear that I would catch a cold if I fell asleep like that. Let’s take a shower and sleep after returning to the accommodation.”

When Cleon speaks like that, Illenu remembers the words of her future self that she saw and heard in his dream, thanks to Cleon’s kind words, and looks at him.

Then, Cleon looks a little troubled at Illenu, who just looks at him in silence.

＂… What’s wrong?＂

Did I make a mistake?

Then, Ilenu smiled slightly, shook his head, and placed her hand on his cheek.

“Hmm, I think Cleon would have been kind in any world.”

＂What is that…＂

Cleon shook his head as if he didn’t understand the meaning of Ilenu’s words, but his cheeks blushed as if he was a little embarrassed if he thought it was a compliment.

Ilenu, who was looking at Cleon like that, slowly got up.

“Cleon is right. I have to wash up and go back. Otherwise, there will be a lot of people who will worry when they wake up in the morning and see Cleon not there.”

Since I was already naked, there was no need to take off my clothes. The heat had already disappeared from the room, so I felt a little cold and shivered.

And, as she walked towards the small bathroom attached to her room, holding back the pain in her back with unsteady steps, she suddenly stopped and spoke to Cleon.

＂… Do you want to go in together?＂

＂It’s too narrow… I wonder if I can somehow squeeze in?”

In the end, when the two left the inn, the light of the sun was already slowly rising from beyond the dawn horizon.

It was a time when the color of the sky was slowly changing from navy blue to blue.

001

The next morning.

Cleon went out to her park, where he had first met her, as her dragon knight-Diora had told him, and sat down on her bench, waiting for her.

He is yawning and rubbing his eyes.

When she came out in the morning, she recalled that Kuon had worried about the dark shadows under her eyes.

Last night, she and Irene seemed unaware that she had gone out.

If he had noticed, it wouldn’t have been strange if he showed a slightly awkward attitude.

＇Anyway, there are quite a few people in the morning.’

What holiday was today? Even though we were thinking the same thing, we had no idea what Diora’s plan was.

I reflect once again on the favor she showed Amelia and whether it was right to believe and act only on her words.

But- those eyes she saw when she was looking at Amelia never seemed to contain any lies.

So, her feelings for Amelia are true.

Then – what about her wanting to cooperate with me?

‘… Maybe I was a little tricked.’

Although Cleon thought so, he had no idea what kind of event would happen here, so he just waited for time.

And – just before the promised time.

Cleon, who thought that the people were making a loud noise and the sound of military boots walking in sync with his feet, reflexively turned his head towards that place.

Then, there she was, wearing a sparkling dress with even more gorgeous blonde hair than the Merca I had seen before, tied up in an aristocratic drill.

A woman holding a luxurious magic wand in her hand was seen walking inside the park, escorted by soldiers wearing kingdom-style armor.

＂… Is it real…＂

As soon as Cleon saw her, she immediately broke into a cold sweat and her face became stiff.

First, it was clear to anyone that she was from the kingdom, and from her characteristic appearance, she was a key figure in the delegation that came this time-

It was revealed that she was the one who had been ordered by the palace to find Princess Amelia and herself.

And, although Cleon had thought that Diora would appear, it could be said that his prediction was not so wrong.

To be exact – not as Diora, but as Drake, the Dragon Knight.

Amazingly, the sight of her standing next to the drill head and walking with a dignified posture without saying a word could not be compared to yesterday’s lolicon.

‘Are you really deceived?’

When those doubts spring up in her head, her drill blonde hair walks with dignity-

Climb up onto the stage placed in the park for the performance.

Cleon almost laughed a little because it looked like a student receiving a diploma or award and going up to the front of the class, but her situation itself was not something she could laugh about.

Should she go back now – or does she need to trust Diora a little more?

While I was thinking about that, the head of the drill that went up on the platform, and the staff it was holding – Boom! And let’s take a picture on the podium.

Her wand glows, casting a blue illusion above her head.

Then, what appeared there was a vision that seemed to be a gigantic replica of herself.

It must have been done so that people from far away could see themselves.

The people gathered at her park, as if they had been notified of this fact yesterday, were waiting for her and clapped and welcomed her.

She opened her mouth for the first time with a confident smile on her face.

“Nice to meet you~! Citizens of the Eastern Countries!”

When the sonorous voice was amplified by magic and resounded loudly, the citizens of the eastern country standing around had no choice but to slightly cover their ears.

＂I am the court wizard of the kingdom. Selena Regent! This is Selena Regent~! I’m asking you to be kind~!”

Oh hohoho~! Seeing her smiling and raising her voice, Cleon felt like his head was slowly hurting.

However, perhaps the other party was not noticing him at the moment, so he did not turn his gaze toward Cleon.

＇If that is an investigator sent by the kingdom who should be avoided in the Eastern countries… Then his skills must be certain. ＇

Maybe – by observing her here and now, I may be able to avoid conflict with her in the future.

＂The cheers and applause are small! I hope you will praise and welcome me more~!”

… Competent, you did it right?