Chapter 205: The Deathbound Duke’s Daughter (Part four)

TL: eristol

Final chapter of the novel peeps! It was a long journey to get here XD Enjoy~

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It was summer.

It has been eight months since the Mad King disappeared from this world. And two months had passed since contact from my older brother had been cut off. My older brother Eduard, along with his three close friends (one of whom is in a comatose state), went to an island in the southern continent to resolve a curse.

During the first month, I received letters every weekend with updates of their situation. However, after a letter expressing interest in a peculiar pagan festival in a certain fishing village, they stopped sending messages.

The fact that people inflicted with the curse of the Mad King and the Golden Wolf Prince have gone missing. This fact is such a classified information that it could threaten the delicate balance between the nations. Therefore, despite such a serious case like the heir of Aurelia Duchy going missing, public search efforts could not be conducted.

I consulted my father and decided to embark on a search for my brother’s whereabouts in the region where he disappeared. Of course, I was not alone. I had gathered volunteers from my usual group as bodyguards and promised to bring along the two phantom beasts.

So, from aboard a ship anchored off an island in the southwestern part of the Karkinos continent, I looked out over the port town.

Disembarking on the southern continent or its surrounding islands was almost prohibited for me. I could only deceive the authorities to a limited extent. Therefore, we will mainly rely on the Útför Knights for the field investigations.

The Útför Knights have dispatched medical teams to provide humanitarian aids to areas affected by the revival of the Necropolises. A squad-sized unit has been dispatched to this port town, and through Harlan, I had secured their cooperation in searching for my brother.

How to trace my brother’s whereabouts, what actions to take?

The situation I researched beforehand, through books and reports, to put it simply, appears quite dire. The more I think about it, the worse the ideas that come to mind.

“Are you feeling cold?”

With that voice, something was draped over my shoulders. It was a thin silk shawl.

“Klaus-sama.”

“It is about time you returned to the cabin.”

“… Yes. But just a little longer … ”

Perhaps because I had been lost in thought for so long, despite it being summer, my body felt chilled by the wind.

I pulled the shawl closer around me. It had a gentle warmth.

“Don’t worry. Knowing that guy, he probably just got caught up in some mystery hidden in the borderlands and neglected to send any messages.”

“But still …”

“I can totally imagine the expression on his face.”

Klaus gazed calmly at the sky. At times like this, Klaus somehow seemed older than my older brother.

“I cannot deny that possibility either.”

I, too, vaguely suspected that my brother was enjoying the situation to the fullest. Nevertheless, I was still worried.

“But Professor Actorius and Brad are there too, aren’t they?”

“Well, to begin with, those three have similar sensibilities. If you think about it, isn’t it obvious how things would turn out?”

“T-That is true.”

Klaus had a point.

The excitement they had when I first introduced them to Tirnanog. Those three are basically an unhinged group without any leash.

“It might be unlikely, but there is also the possibility of him being kidnapped and suffering terribly, isn’t there?”

“He would be delighted by such an unexpected turn of events. Besides, even if any ordinary people tried to kill those four, they wouldn’t succeed.”

Brad, who still bears the curse of immortality as the Mad King’s vessel. Professor Actorius, who has fully undergone the treatment of the Holy Nail, the proof of the rightful king of Gigantia. Claude had the  curse of immortality derived from the Golden Wolf.

But …

“Only my brother is an ordinary person. He is just a normal human being!”

“Regarding Eduard …”

Klaus said with a smile that seemed to harbor complex emotions beyond my understanding.

“Do you really think there is an ordinary human capable of withstanding the Mad King’s onslaught, Erica? Normally, even their life would be in mortal danger from just the mental interference.”

“Ugh … well, that may be true!”

This is what Klaus, who was once a Demon King in another timeline, says. Considering his memories of fighting in various possibilities, Klaus’ assessment was likely correct.

“I have a feeling that within a week, he will be back with a big smile on his face.”

“That might be true, but it has been two months without any contact?”

Even if we believe and wait, two months of disappearance is tough for family. I looked up at Klaus desperately. Klaus raised an eyebrow, looking troubled.

“If you are worried, then there is no helping it. I will drag him back by the scruff of his neck if I have to.”

“Thank you, Klaus-sama.”

There is no one aside from Klaus who can grab my brother by the scruff of his neck. Both my father and I are so indulgent towards my brother that we tend to give in to his every whim.

“By the way, what are you guys sneaking around for?”

Klaus turned around and called out. Auguste, with Goldberry perched on his shoulder, Harold, Tirnanog in armor, and Palug in her cat form emerged from the shadows.

Wait, what are so many people doing here?

“No, no, the Útför messenger just arrived, so we were just receiving the package! Right?”

Auguste gestured to the two phantom beasts and Harold.

Goldberry let out a “kyuu!” in agreement.

『Fumu, that is right! Look at this!』

Tirnanog energetically replied, holding up a small wooden box.

That was so typical of Tir.

“Meow?”

Palug averted her gaze, playing dumb.

No use prying there. Now, let’s ask the person here who was easiest to interrogate.

“Hey, Harold, be honest with me. Don’t lie to me.”

“Heh, hehehe … It’s true, you know? We just happened to be in the vicinity. Before we knew it, His Highness and the others followed along! Oh, boss, I will handle the luggage!”

Harold made a clumsy exit from the scene.

“Ah, how unfair, Harold! Well then, we will be waiting inside the ship!”

『Hmm!』

“Meow~!”

Auguste also hastily left with Tirnanog and Palug in tow.

Well, they must have been curious about us.

That’s right. With everything that has happened, Klaus and I ended up getting engaged. But I still don’t really feel it, and there has hardly been any romantic progress.

—Is it really okay for me to be like this?

I have so many doubts that I still can’t decide what to do. I am still haunted by my mistrust of humans from my past life, and my bloodline is cursed by the vampires. Moreover, I have become a person who doesn’t hesitate to use any means necessary to survive. In fact just recently, I was planning to drug Auguste, Chloe, and Beatrice to erase their memories.

… Well, that plan got squashed by Klaus and I got a lecture.

Most of the time, I just end up making Klaus angry or making him cry. No matter if it was back in the underground ruins or up in the sky, it’s always the same.

I wish Klaus could be with someone wonderful and find happiness. It’s a cliché analogy, but I wanted him to marry a healthy-minded young lady and build a stable family.

However …

“You guys are so carefree, huh. Well then, shall we go as well, Erica?”

Klaus smiled, looking very happy.

Among all the Klauses I knew, the current one seems to smile the happiest.

—There is absolutely nothing unfavorable about this situation.

Maybe, just maybe, I can smile happily too.

“Yes, Klaus-sama.”

With that thought in my heart, I took Klaus’ hand.

☆

Returning to the ship, we began our meeting with the search team members.

The team consisted of myself, Klaus, Auguste, Harold, Chloe, Beatrice, and Tirnanog and Palug. In other words, it was the group excluding the adults from the usual evening party members.

By the way, if my brother and the others are found, we plan to continue with our vacation. Harlan, who is busy with a new business, plans to join us later.

“So, this is what we received from the Útför Knights this time.”

Auguste said as he placed a black egg-shaped object that fit in the palm of his hand on the table.

Apparently, it was found in the room of one of the abducted people.

“Hmm, from the looks of it, it seems like my turn. Can I investigate it now? This small hole here seems suspicious, doesn’t it?”

Harold said, turning the egg-shaped object round and round as he inspected it. Although it appeared to have a seamless and smooth surface, he keenly discovered a small hole. When he gently inserted a needle into it, the mysterious sphere split open from side to side, revealing a small mermaid-like figure inside.

“Bingo. Wow, isn’t this a bit creepy? Could it be some kind of deity around here?”

Harold asked, showing each of us the statue with a frightened look in his eyes.

With three pairs of shining eyes on its face and gills reminiscent of an amphibian larvae jutted out, the face of the mermaid-like figure looked quite eerie, like a cursed, multi-eyed Axolotl.

“It is either a sea monster or a phantom beast. This proves that the cult is involved in the kidnapping case.”

Auguste said assertively.

As suspected, things were unfolding as I feared.

“So, that means … ” I began to speak, my gaze flitting over everyone.

“If we summarize the investigation findings we have conducted so far, there is a radical maritime ethnic religious group in this area. They are kidnapping people to use as sacrifices for their religious festival. As part of the main event of the festival, twelve beautiful young men are offered up as sacrifices to a sixth phantom beast under the sea. Therefore, it is safe to say that my brother, Professor Actorius, and Professor Clochydd were kidnapped as sacrifices because their appearances are too eye-catching.”

I shared the dreadful conclusion I had arrived at.

“Especially my brother stands out because of his beauty … ! Oh, how pitiful he must be to be kidnapped just because of his looks.”

“Meoow~” Palug at my feet seemed to say “I completely agree!”

“Eduard clearly knew what was going on still jumped into the middle of the problem … and this is such a complicated case too … no matter how you think about it, he clearly got caught on purpose!”

Klaus said, covering his face with his hand in exasperation.

“This flow of event … I bet the same can be said for the Professor too … He might keep saying he doesn’t want to, but he is actually playing along without any objection, right? He is quite fond of those southern phantom beasts and curses, isn’t he? No, does he have a more solid plan in mind? I don’t get him at all … ”

Auguste muttered, looking up at the sky.

“Could it be that my brother will also be sacrificed? Even though he is still unconscious?”

Chloe, who had been silently listening for a long time, murmured in disbelief.

“Yes … that is probably the case, Chloe-chan”

Beatrice replied, feeling sorry for her.

“That is not okay, is it … ? Even though I trusted them and sent them off … ?”

She trusted them and sent them off, and now her teachers and brother were about to become sacrifices for pagans. Chloe probably never even considered such a thing.

I am really sorry.

“It is not your fault, okay? I am sure the professors have some reason for what they are doing. Otherwise, they wouldn’t do something so reckless.”

Beatrice reassured Chloe, patting her back. This was the perfect encouragement for Chloe, who tended to blame herself.

“The festival starts tonight. If we can grab them before the festival starts, things will go faster.”

“The problem is how to do it without drawing attention.”

Auguste and Klaus changed the topic and began discussing rescue plans.

“If we cooperate with Útför and infiltrate the scene, we still need to be able to speak the local language and move without restrictions. How are we going to do that?”

Auguste asked, closing his eyes in thought.

Klaus, Auguste and my movements were restricted. Especially my movements were under strict restriction. Also, it seemed Harold, Chloe and Beatrice were not well-versed in the local language.

“Hmm … I will try to locate the professors with future sight now. Without a magic tower, the accuracy will be significantly reduced, but … ”

Beatrice suggested softly, raising her hand. Even though the accuracy might be low, being able to have her future sight was still a huge help.

“Oh, wait … I just noticed something. Doesn’t this look like a piece of paper under the statue?”

Beatrice reached out and pulled out a scrap of paper that was wedged between the statue and the pedestal.

“Uh, um, ‘don’t do anything unnecessary’… should we just stand by? And ‘only help with cleanup if needed’ … ?”

The Wynt family’s intervention at such a timing was unexpected. Beatrice seemed flustered too.

“It says ‘with love, from Dolores,’ indeed this is my aunt’s handwriting.”

Everyone gathered around exchanged glances. Although we still didn’t know how the Clairvoyant Sage Dolores Wynt was interfering with this world, everyone understood that it was best to follow her advice.

At that moment, a loud noise rang out.

“So, this is clearly Eduard’s doing, huh? Let’s reinforce our defenses as a precaution.”

Taking out his staff, Klaus chanted a short spell and deployed a barrier across the entire ship. It seemed to include defensive support magic as well. Indeed, Klaus’ preparation was thorough. Thanks to Klaus’ barrier, safety was ensured, so we left the cabin and headed out to the deck.

Although it was several kilometers away, a giant phantom beast the size of a small mountain had emerged from the sea.

“Oh, this is around the village we talked about earlier!”

“They didn’t destroy the entire village, did they?”

Auguste pointed to a village in the area near the phantom beast by comparing it with the map. Meanwhile, Klaus cast the spell of Raptor Sight on all of us while we were on the deck.

The village seemed to be preparing for the festival. The villagers had stopped their work and were bowing toward the phantom beast. So far, there seemed to be no human casualties.

Even just the parts of the beast’s body visible above the surface appeared to be over three hundred meters tall. It looked like a huge amphibian larva with a bluish-green luminous glow. What echoed inside my mind was the emotions felt by the beast. If I had been hit by this without Klaus’ barrier, even I would have probably faltered and get dragged in.

—Thank you. My heartfelt gratitude to you.

What reached my brain was a feeling of joy and gratitude. As the sense of joy began to intensify, the phantom beast began to emit a light like the sun.

“Wha … it is changing its form … ? Is it evolving?”

“A transformation like this in a single individual is not called an evolution, it is called a metamorphosis, Chloe-chan!”

A giant, glowing monster with the head of a six-eyed salamander, the upper body of a human, and the lower body of a fish leaped out of the sea. Harold let out a frightened scream from behind the shadow of the mast.

Just when I thought terrifying waves were about to arise, the giant monster deployed a spherical barrier around itself and quietly sank into the sea.

“Wha~ that turned out to be quite a story.”

『Yes, indeed, seems like he fulfilled an ancient promise.』

The two phantom beasts seemed to understand what had happened.

“… What promise are you talking about?”

I asked Tirnanog and Palug.

『As you can see, it is grown. It seems growth for that kind of phantom beast is triggered by intense mental interference, it must have been waiting for something like that for a long time.』

Tirnanog explained.

“I see. So, it wasn’t about the flesh and blood of human sacrifices?”

“Hmm~ I wonder, perhaps it served both purposes? Well, ordinary mental interference abilities wouldn’t normally reach that far. It probably needed a power that could transform emotions into songs or waves. I guess Brad used his powers to pry it open by force.”

Palug further explained.

So, a phantom beast who grew through mental interference from human sacrifices with special abilities as they drowned in the sea … The tradition must have been lost somewhere along the line since they kept offering sacrifices without special abilities for a long time.

“Wow, so they somehow managed it thanks to Professor’s extraordinary mental interference ability?”

“Yes, well, you could have done it too.”

Palug replied, perching on top of Auguste’s head.

These two had only recently returned to their previous relationship. Although they seemed reserved at first glance, they still had a good sibling-like bond. However, for some reason, Palug had stopped taking on her human form and remained in the form of a cat. It seemed to be some sort of decision on her part.

“So, does that mean our brothers are safe now?”

Chloe, who seemed to have climbed up the mast of the ship without me noticing, abruptly descended from above.

She was still terrifyingly strong.

“At least they seem to have avoided becoming human sacrifices.”

“As expected of the professors!”

“Uh, right … ”

I replied to Chloe with a vague response. It still felt awkward that Claude, who was still under the influence of a severe curse, had been put in danger.

But, as they say, all is well that ends well.

In the coastal village in question, the festival had begun in full swing. The young men who no longer needed to be sacrificed had their ropes untied and fled in all directions. Inspired by the joy of the phantom beast, the people danced, sang, and drank, enjoying the festival that hadn’t been held for twelve years.

It was a land with a bloody past, but tonight, as their gods manifested, let’s hope their hearts would find some solace.

☆

The next morning.

Having received words from an Útför messenger that my brother’s group had arrived at the port town, as their immediate family members, Chloe and I, along with our chaperone Klaus, went to pick them up.

My older brother’s group, who had come via the land route from the village in question, were unloading heavy luggage from the carriage.

“Oniisama!”

“Erica!! I never expected to meet you in a place like this!”

My brother noticed me and smiled warmly. Abandoning the large, heavy leather bag he was about to take from the coachman, my brother ran over, hugged me tightly.

“What is going on all of a sudden?”

“I came to pick everyone up. We promised to spend the summer vacation together, didn’t we?”

“Ahaha, sorry about that.”

“It has been two months since anyone heard from you, Oniisama.”

“Oh, right, now that I think about it, I forgot to contact you … I am really sorry, Erica.”

My brother released me from his embrace and looked me in the eyes as he apologized. Being this close to his gaze, I couldn’t blame him any further.

“If you say so, there is no helping it. Honestly, Oniisama …”

“Yes, I need to be more careful … Oh, Klaus-kun, your brows seem to be furrowed too deeply?”

My brother called out to Klaus over my shoulder.

“Eduard, for the sake of your beloved sister, please exercise a little restraint.”

“Absolutely!”

“Same goes for you two over there, acting like it is none of your business.”

Klaus added, sending a stern glare to the two people unloading luggage behind my brother.

“W-Well, he is right about that, Brad.”

“Indeed, Elric … Let’s exercise some restraint.”

Without meeting Klaus’ gaze, the two men nodded silently to each other.

It seemed that they were aware that they had gone too far this time.

“Now, now, Klaus-sama, there is no need to be so harsh. Come on, summer is just around the corner.”

“If you say so, I will let it go. Be grateful to your sister, Eduard.”

“Haha, yes, you are right, Klaus-kun. Oh, right … ”

My older brother released me and turned around to open one of the bags he had brought.

“We were not just fooling around either. We had some great results as well.”

He pulled out a thick book.

… Perhaps it was someone’s diary.

“We came across some very ancient vampires … they have been coexisting with humans for a long time without hunting them and had legends of vampires who turned to humans in the past. We were able to obtain records about that as well.”

My brother casually explained about how to lift the vampire’s curse. One of the crucial conditions for a vampire to be able to return to human was to not consume human blood orally. In other words, Brad would be okay.

“There was indeed a key to unraveling the curse in this land. It is hope for us.”

My older brother winked.

“We also seized the results of human experiments on vampires conducted by alchemists from the Festival Faction. Those are in this bag.”

Professor Actorius arrived with a large bag.

Human experiments on vampires … From what I heard, the subjects were vampires who were peacefully coexisting with humans … As expected, the actions of the alchemists from the Festival Faction were cruel.

“As for the Golden Wolf Prince, we obtained information from a certain sorcerer in this region.”

Brad arrived with a scroll in his hand.

“Sorcerers in the south are said to have many secret techniques passed down through generations … Could it be … ”

“No, we didn’t kill or rob him. We received it properly through legal means, so rest assured.”

When Klaus asked cautiously, Brad replied, shaking his head.

“We saved a sorcerer who was about to be killed in a family dispute. We hit it off and got along really well. He is currently under the protection of Útför and I will continue to keep close contact with him,” my brother added.

Compassion goes a long way, indeed. If you help someone, it might come back to help you instead.

As expected of my older brother and his companions, they managed to gather such valuable information despite being kidnapped. I see. He must have been too busy with all this to keep in touch.

“ … I don’t know if it will work out, but I had this guy try some special curse-breaking techniques. We are waiting for the results.”

Saying this, Brad pointed to the bag my older brother had discarded. At that moment, there was a loud bang, and the large bag opened by itself. All eyes turned toward it. From the leather bag, a young man stood up.

With ashen blond hair and a muscular physique, he was—

“Niisan.”

“… Claude.”

Chloe and Brad muttered softly.

“… Damn! What the hell … What did you all do to me … Damn, my head is all messed up, I don’t understand anything.”

Claude, who had just awakened, held his head with one hand and cursed away. Then, his eyes fell on Chloe.

“You …”

Tears overflowed from Claude’s eyes. Wiping away the tears with a puzzled expression, Claude blinked two or three times and then tried to take a step forward. But he collapsed as if crumbling.

“Niisan!”

Chloe rushed over to Claude, who had lost consciousness, and embraced him.

“It is still a long way from full recovery, but I see a glimmer of hope.”

Actorius gently approached Chloe.

“Thank you, teachers … ”

“We will need a little more time with your brother, but we will do our best.”

Chloe nodded silently at Actorius’ words. The two of them carefully stuffed the unconscious Claude back into the large bag.

“Well then, it is about time you revealed yourself, don’t you think?”

My brother addressed the coachman. Staggering to his feet on the ground, the coachman peeled his face off.

“Oops, you caught me. It has been a while, everyone.”

It was Harlan Slayson who appeared. He bowed politely to Chloe, me, Klaus, and my brother.

“Since you so conveniently picked us up, you see. I have also heard rumors that Lord Harlan has been making big business deals around here. Maybe I will try my hand at finance here as well.”

“Did you notice that too? Well, I only stopped by while I was on some errands.”

My brother smiled with one eye closed, and Harlan returned his usual inscrutable smile. It might be my imagination, but Harlan’s eyes seemed a bit red. Pointing it out would be rude, though. After all, he was the one who had been fervently wishing for Claude’s revival.

With this, the vacation party was complete.

“Well then, everyone, are you ready? It is time for our promised vacation.”

When I called out, everyone present—excluding Claude who was in the bag—exchanged glances and laughed.

When I looked back, everyone who stayed behind on the ship was also waving at us. On top of Auguste’s head and shoulders, Palug and Goldberry were waving too. Tirnanog was hopping up and down, and Harold was smiling nervously.

Beatrice had a smile looking as if she was on the verge of tears. She must have been moved by the reunion of the siblings.

“Alright! Shall we go?”

Chloe effortlessly lifted the giant bag containing her brother on her back and sprinted towards the ship at an incredible speed.

“Oh, you shouldn’t handle it so roughly, Chloe-kun!”

“… It is what his sister is doing. I am sure that guy won’t dare to complain.”

Saying so, Actorius and Brad hurriedly followed after Chloe, carrying their heavy luggage.

“Well then, shall we go as well, Erica?”

“Come on, let’s go, Erica.”

My brother and Klaus reached out to me.

“Yes.”

I took my brother’s and Klaus’ arms and headed towards everyone.

Eight months had passed since we stopped the Mad King and destroyed the Necropolises. I finally felt a deep sense of relief from the bottom of my heart.

However, the curse of the Mad King still remains, and vampires still exist. There are many uncertainties. Even so, it was more than enough for me for now.

And thus, the story of my seven deaths came to a close.

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Eristol: IT’S FINALLY OVER!! After who knows how many years, this story if finally complete! Thank you everyone for having so much patience to follow it till now. I am glad I could see it to completion at any rate. Some side stories might come out in the future and I will update those eventually. But for now, thank you for being with us!