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Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

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Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint 

[Translator – Tails and aquamage]

[Proofreader – yukitokata]

Chapter 6 - Only Bad Owners

Humans were mammals that used tools and had the ability to create tools and weapons with the use of the materials they found.

Before I went to get Azzy, I sewed some tattered cloth I had found into a ball. It probably wouldn't have been used in a real game of baseball, but it was plenty to play fetch with a dog. I spun it around in my palm, and Azzy orbited around me as I walked.

Her body moved up and down, eyes on the ball. Keeping her attention, I was able to bring her to an open part of the field.

Additionally…

「While I hide myself under this Veil of Darkness, I'll make sure to find out every dirty plan you have.」

Something weird was following me. Resisting the urge to glance back, I continued to walk to the field.

'That's a pain. Why is she following me around? Doesn't she have anything to do? What did I do this time?'

All I wanted to do was to train the Dog King using a 'carrot' and a 'stick'.

They said that the carrot and stick method was the best way to tame an animal. There was nothing weird about it. However, now that the regressor was stalking me, there was a limit to what I could do.

「The Dog King is one of the few Beast Kings that are friendly towards humanity. If the Dog King goes against humans like last time, our battles will be extremely more difficult. If he tries to do something to her… I'll need to take him down. I don't know how strong he is, but it needs to be done.」

After reading her mind, I shoved the whip I had brought deep into my pocket. Shei probably wouldn't like me using the whip.

The fundamental concept of training involved alternating positive and negative stimulation. A reward was given for listening to orders, and a punishment if they went against it. Putting a feedback against certain actions, I could train her in my favor. 

I was planning to use the ball and meat as the 'carrot', and the whip as the 'stick'. However…

「If he tries to torture her or put her on a leash… I'll give it my everything to kill him.」

I could feel the bloodlust from three meters away.

'No whipping today, I guess. The lack of negative feedback reduces the efficiency of training, but it's better than me losing my head. Let's stick with carrots today.'

After arriving at the field, I raised the ball high and shouted.

"Here!"

"Woof!"

Azzy lowered her body to the ground, taking a stance and ready to catch the ball. Her tail spun round and round like a propeller.

At first, I let the ball roll on the ground. Azzy dashed and drew a smooth curve as she retrieved the ball. Despite having human legs, she had no problem running on all fours.

I feigned excitement at Azzy as she returned.

"Good job! Azzy, hand!"

"Woof!"

"Alright, left hand!"

"Woof?"

'Okay, so this doesn work yet. It's fine. Don't show disappointment. A dog doesn't need to differentiate their left hand from their right.'

I pulled out another piece of meat I had cut off earlier.

"Alright! You can differentiate hands and feet! You're the best Azzy!"

"Woof! I'm the best! Woof, woof!"

"Good dogs need a prize. Have a treat!"

I gripped the piece of meat in my hand and held it out. Azzy shoved her snout into my hand as she tried to dig into the meat. Almost as if she were searching for treasure, she kept sticking out her tongue into the obscured meat between my fingers.

'Almost, almost.'

I kept keeping her on the edge as I shifted my fingers, barely keeping her away from the meat. Just as she was about to get frustrated and force her way in, I opened my palm wide and exposed the meat. Seizing the opportunity, Azzy quickly snatched the morsel away. 

She seemed to have thought of it as another game, so she satisfyingly groaned as she rubbed her chin into my hand.

「I guess… he's just playing with her…」

It was a beautiful sight, as if out of a painting. An interaction between dog and man. A Beast King—a symbol of nature—was communicating with a human.

'What do you make of that, regressor? It's perfectly harmless, right?'

「It's almost like… he's training an ordinary dog…」

'What's wrong with it this time?'

「The Dog King may be a dog, but they look like a regular dog-girl on the outside. Treating someone who looks human like a dog so easily… I better watch out.」

I had never been more frustrated in my life. She had an issue with everything.

'It's normal to treat a dog like a dog. It's strange to treat a dog like a human, and treating a human like a dog is for weird perverts. And if you treat another being as a human, they'll try to take advantage of you. I'm speaking from experience. So the only thing that is right to do in the world is to treat dogs like dogs. I'm doing the right thing here.'

I continued to feed Azzy treats and toss the ball. Shei stayed the entire time.

Repeated routines caused laziness. Azzy was still focused on playing with the ball, rather than the training aspect. I needed to start using the whip soon, but the regressor wasn't leaving.

'Just how long does she plan to watch? If she's done observing, I wish she'd leave. If you treat a dog too well, even the Dog King might become spoiled.'

No. I changed my mind.

Fate needed to be carved by my own hands. I couldn't just wait for her to go away. I could just chase her away.

Not by force, obviously, but I had other ways.

I shook the ball again. Azzy, still completely interested, prepared herself to race out.

"Let's go again!"

"Woof!"

She jumped up and down. I let her retrieve the ball a couple times, and then, I tossed the ball straight towards where Shei was.

「Ugh!!!」

'I can't even see her. I don't know how she's hiding, but even though I know where she is, I can't see her. But as long as I know her general direction…'

"Fetch!"

"Woof woof!

「I-I don't need to dodge. It missed, but…」

'…I can keep her on her toes.'

Weirdos who used stuff like stealth or cloaking abilities were all stalking creeps. The thing that they hated the most was their existence being revealed. 

'You want to relax in that little Veil of yours? Not a chance. Let's give you a taste of what it feels like to be watched.'

"Azzy! Fetch!"

"Woof!'

"Good job. One more time!"

"Woof woof!"

"Wooh!"

"Awooo!"

Each time I threw the ball, Azzy dashed out happily. Shei flinched each time the ball left my hand.

Azzy was completely unpredictable, flopping around everywhere as she ran. On the other hand, Shei had her hands full trying to move out of her way. She was too busy to worry about monitoring me.

As always, messing with people who weren't the brightest was always enjoyable.

"Let's goooooo!"

"Woof!"

The ball flew straight at the regressor this time. She stared at the speeding ball as she thought about her options.

「Shit! If I make any sudden movements, the Veil of Darkness will dissipate!」

Sudden movements would end stealthing abilities. Shei clenched her teeth and did a roll on the ground. The ball swept past her head, and Azzy skipped her way towards it. The regressor let out a sigh of relief as she slowly stood back up.

「Phew, made it… but it's getting dangerous.」

'Alright. My plan was a success. She's slowly backing away.'

「Urk. I'll have to leave for now. If he finds me here, he might stay on alert against me…」

I still couldn't see her, but her thoughts began to fade away. It meant she had traveled a large distance away from me.

'Phew. Now I'll be able to train Azzy in peace.'

「It's fine. As long as I don't get caught, I have plenty of opportunities to spy on him.」

I heard a disturbing thought as the regressor walked away.

'She's going to try to spy on me again? Is that all she's learned from her thirteen deaths?'

I wanted to run up to her and shout that I had seen through her hiding, but I resisted. It was better to hide the extent of my powers for now.

And just like that, the regressor vanished.

She probably had other things to do elsewhere.

All that I had with me was Azzy, who was running back to me with the ball.

"Woof! Woof!"

Getting restless that I wasn't throwing the ball again, she rolled the toy to my feet. She was ushering me to keep throwing. I picked up the ball and directed a stone-cold glare at her.

"You like playing fetch so much?"

"Woof! Woof! I love it! I love it!"

Yeah? Well my shoulder's about to fall off. And you're just having fun, huh?

'Nobody's watching now. All that's left between us is the law of nature. I'm a human, and Azzy is a dog. I am completely her superior. Just as oil rises above water and smoke floats to the sky, this was a natural occurrence. It's called knowing one's place.'

I pulled out the whip from my pocket.

"The fun ends here, mutt."

"...Woof?"

I put the ball in my pocket. Azzy's eyes widened in complete disbelief, shocked that I no longer wanted to play with her.

I made the line clear.

"The fun's over. You don't get any more treats. Go back to your doghouse before I chuck you into the oven."

"Bark! Bark! Bark!"

She began barking, wanting me to keep playing with her. I caught a slight sense of frustration in her words.

'I knew it. Dogs always crawl up, wanting to indulge in pleasure forever. Words can't persuade them, so humans came to use whips.'

I flicked the whip into the air. A small crack erupted where it struck the ground. 

"Here's the thing. Do you actually expect me to play with you all day?"

"Yep!"

"Wow. You act so entitled to it already."

I raised the whip high. Today was the day the Dog King would be properly trained.

"I'll change your way of thinking."

Soon after, I swung the whip towards Azzy's back.

The whip was not made by me. It was a military whip, engineered by the Military State themselves. The State was famous for making bad things, but the whip was one of their best weapons. It was a luxurious item that had steel plates woven into the hard leather and was a weapon that could be used in real battle.

The crack of the whip incited fear, and the steel plates brought forth pain. If used well, it was perfect for inflicting only pain without any serious internal damage.

'Know your place with your new scars, and witness the greatness of humanity…'

"Arf!"

Then, Azzy moved.

Her head turned faster than the tip of the wip. She was so fast that I could only trace her movements as if I were watching a movie with a low frame rate. She looked directly at the approaching whip and chomped down the exact moment it was about to hit her. She tore through the whip with her teeth.

Crunch.

Her canines tore through the whip made from hardened leather and plated steel that could have easily been used as a real weapon in war.

Chewing it like bubble gum, she soon spat it out.

"Grrr. Yucky."

I looked at what was left of the whip.

Whips couldn't be blocked with the body. When flicked, the tip of a whip surpassed the speed of sound, causing that signature crack. It would tear through one's flesh if they tried to catch it.

However, the Dog King perfectly bit down on the tip of the whip headed towards her and bit it off.

If she could break off hardened leather and steel with the turn of her head…

"Grrrrrrrrr."

'Oh. She's a dog, but she's still the Dog King. Hm.'

I put the whip back in my pocket and took the ball out again.

"...Normally, I'd stop playing here. But since it's the first day, we can play a little more."

"Grr…"

"Now, fetch!"

"...Grrr—Woof! Woof!"

Azzy perked up again as she went after the ball.

'Alright. Let's leave that part for later. I'll play with her till she's satisfied.'

I didn't lose here. I simply just enjoyed playing with a dog so much, I wanted to play some more. I'm showing generosity as a human by continuing to play with this dog.

'Ah, great. What a great day.'

—————

Reaper Scans

Translator – Tails and aquamage

Proofreader – yukitokata

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Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

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Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint 

[Translator – Tails and aquamage]

[Proofreader – yukitokata]

Chapter 7 - The Sanguine Letter

Life was a novel. One with a foreword of birth, and a conclusion of death, filling the rest up with time and age as you went. If we thought of it that way, my mind reading could be compared to reading a book. I could simply skim what was currently being written through the character's current thoughts or just flip through the pages from start to finish.

If I wanted to, I could read it completely, from start to finish. However, it would take too long and also pose a risk to me.

Amitengrad, the capital of the State, was a monster that grew through devouring nearby cities. The explosive growth pushed all its original contents out as it grew. 

People, houses, money, and even culture.

All of the things that were pushed out had their own story to tell, and I had met plenty of interesting people while living there.

Yet as they said, there was always something greater than you could ever imagine. Within the great underground prison of Tantalus, there resided prisoners far beyond anything I had experienced.

The Dog King.

The Progenitor of Vampires.

And a regressor.

Beings who could obliterate a city by themselves. And befitting their strength, their books were extremely unique.

Azzy's book was like reading cave-script out loud. I could read it, but I couldn't make sense of it.

It was jumbled. She didn't care about concepts like left or right, or why someone would ever not toss a ball. Those types of worries didn't exist in her book. She never thought about them, as if it were something obvious.

Maybe it was to be expected. Dogs certainly didn't think in the same logical process as humans. As long as I am a human, I would never be able to fully understand Azzy's book.

I might be able to read her mood if I tried, but I could do that by just looking at her expression. 

The vampire's book was thick. Fit for a monster that had lived over 1,200 years. The number of pages that exceeded a normal human's by over a dozen times overwhelmed me. Even skimming it would be an ordeal.

Furthermore, it wasn't only thick, but it was also packed with crazy events. How she became a vampire, the history of discrimination, her time in the battlefield, her regime, her downfall, escape, and sleep… Judging from the names of the chapters, I couldn't even dream of touching the rest of it. The style also changed according to the time period it was recorded in.

An archeologist might have fallen in love with it, but unfortunately, only I could read books of the mind.

And I am no historian.

Lastly, the regressor.

Shei's book didn't fall under any of the aforementioned categories. The regressor's book… was a novel series of fourteen volumes.

Despite having met an end to a story, she continued on. Almost like a bad author dragging on a series, without any sign of it ending soon…

That was what got me confused.

I read it, but I couldn't fully understand it.

She may live her current life, but all her experiences and strengths were from previous lives. Her motives, enemies and dreams were all already brought up in previous volumes. 

And unfortunately for me, all I could read from her mind was the latest volume. The previous volumes hadn't even been written yet in this world. 

Imagine if you picked up the latest volume of a series you have never read. You can't really follow the story fully.

So, although I knew I would die in the future and the world would end, I couldn't see the exact details. I could only predict it from her flashbacks or actions she had done in this life.

In order to find out, I needed to hear it from her own mouth…

Or force her to reminisce about the past.

"Ugh. Either way, I need to get close to the regressor."

Understanding my situation, I sighed.

Not like it changed anything.

In a prison without many things to do, people are naturally drawn to the field outside. I pushed open the steel bar doors and headed into the yard.

A peculiar sight greeted my eyes.

"Tyrkanzyaka! I've come to meet you! Open the door!"

Shei had her arms outstretched, shouting in front of the underground armory.

The underground armory. It was a place meant to store the weapons that could subdue the prisoners in the case of a riot and was made with three stages of security in order to access it.

Although, in the case of Tantalus where they had no chance against the prisoners, it stored something else. You could call it the strongest weapon of them all. Either way, it was a zone no normal prisoner should access. Execution was justified just for approaching it.

In front of the underground armory, the regressor was performing some peculiar ritual.

'What's she doing?'

I then remembered that I had introduced myself as an instructor.

'Hmm. If I'm an instructor, should I stop a prisoner from trying to get into the armory? I don't want to lose my head.'

The regressor was like a terrorist—no, a mad scientist who performed experiments on the entire world. If things went haywire, she could always just hop on to the next trial. 

However, she would suspect me more if I didn't perform my duties. If she believed me to be something more of a variable than an instructor, she may try to eliminate me. 

'Alright. Let's stop her. She won't actually kill me, right?'

I spoke out with an angry voice.

"Trainee Shei! Did you—"

「Tsk. He's here. But I can't let him stop me. If he does, I'll have to get rid of him somehow…」

"D-Did you have a good night's sleep? Good morning. It was my first time sleeping in a prison, but I slept well."

Barely stopping myself, I started smiling as I approached her.

'I didn't think she'd actually try to kill me. Alright, from now on, I'll let her do whatever she wants.'

"...Tsk"

As I continued to stare at her with a smile on my face, the regressor scrunched up her face and turned away. Fortunately, she had the courtesy to not spit in my face.

'Alright, thanks. Good morning to you too.'

After exchanging greetings by myself, I walked towards the closed-shut armory doors.

"Screaming in the middle of the morning? Just what are you doing?"

"You don't need to know."

"You want to meet the person inside?"

The regressor clicked her tongue in frustration. It seemed that it was her way of saying yes.

"Why do you want to wake up someone sleeping so badly?"

"Don't worry about it."

"I can't ask anything, huh?"

The regressor was so wary of me that she didn't try to take any actions while I was watching. It was quite annoying to deal with. Only the regressor knew the answer to how the world would end or what exactly happened here. So, I needed the regressor to think about the past while she was next to me. 

However, with the current attitude, I doubted I would be able to get much from her even after a year.

'Ugh. What to do…'

I looked back in the direction of the armory.

Tantalus lacked weapons in its underground armory. Unlike other normal prisons, an outbreak was almost always impossible for the prisoners here. However, since the prisoners wouldn't escape, the facility didn't allocate weapons to subdue them. They put in something else instead.

The first vampire, sinful beast, and queen of darkness.

The Progenitor, Tyrkanzyaka.

A palace and a prison for the vampire who refused light and slept deeper underground.

And the regressor was attempting to wake that ancient vampire right now.

For me, a being who feasted on human blood waking up was not in my best interests. Especially if I was the only normal human around.

However, in the process of trying to get close to the regressor, helping out with tasks like this would better our relationship.

What to do…

My hesitation was short-lived.

'I'll help Shei. The vampire won't kill me. Now that everyone else is either dead or gone, I'm a precious source of blood for the vampire. I doubt she would cut open the belly of the golden-egg-laying goose just to quench a moment of thirst. At worst, she'll turn me into some half-dead drone to pump out blood till the end of time.'

…It's not the best future. But it's better than dying.

Having made my decision, I made a proposition to the regressor.

"Why don't you break the doors down?"

"It's under Tyrkanzyaka's control."

Looking in the direction she pointed, a glowing red bloodstain replaced the position where a keyhole should have been. I couldn't read energies or auras, but I could still tell that it was something ominous.

"That blood engraving. As long as that stain glows, the steel doors are akin to one of her familiars. It won't open without her orders."

"I'll let it pass this time, so you can try to break it down if you want. Who knows? Maybe after a week, it'll go down."

"...It's possible, but I don't want to. I'm trying to ask Tyrkanzyaka for help, not to fight."

'Huh? I was just teasing her, but she can actually do it? Normal humans can't slice through steel doors. This one in particular has a strength level of three, strengthened by the State's special alchemy. It wouldn't budge even if it took a cannonball at point-blank range. But she's claiming that she can break it down if she tries? A human can break those doors if they try? At that point, it's just rude to the person who designed it.'

"You have more common sense than I thought."

"Obviously. Killing someone's familiar is even ruder than just breaking into their house."

"Look who's talking, huh? When they tried to slice off my arm out of the blue."

"What?"

"Nothing. I was just mumbling."

Ignoring the regressor's suspicion, I began to think.

'The alchemic strength level of a typical bunker is level three. If I use "that" it might work. Should I try?'

I dug through my pocket to find the item. It was the bell I had used to train Azzy yesterday.

"What's that for?"

"It's a dog bell."

"A dog-what?"

It wasn't too loud, but it would be clear to Azzy's acute senses.

Of course, she would normally have ignored the bell. There were too many sounds in the world to pay so much attention to a single one. 

However, Azzy spent the entire day training with the sound of this bell. That was why I kept ringing it as I played with her yesterday.

I raised the bell above my head and rattled it.

Dingle, dingle.

"Woof? Woof!"

As the clear chimes resonated from the bell, I heard barking from afar. Soon after, Azzy started running down the side of the building to get to me.

She was actually running down the wall of the building. It was several times the speed of gravity. Tracks were left in the concrete walls as she pushed off, indenting the stone. With a loud crash, she bounced off the floor immediately as she touched the ground towards me.

Almost like a rubber ball bouncing on the ground, her change in velocity was that drastic. If she had hit someone, they would undoubtedly die. 

I rushed to rummage through my pocket to find the piece of meat I had prepared. Just before Azzy arrived, I managed to toss it towards the doors of the underground armory. 

The Dog King followed in chase of the meat and slammed directly into the steel doors.

Boom!

A grand vibration echoed throughout the prison. No bell could produce a sound as large as that. Almost as if we were within the body of an instrument, I could feel the air itself vibrating. I also wasn't quite sure about this, but I thought I felt the ground tilt a little.

Shocked, the regressor grabbed me by my collar.

"What… do you think you're doing?!"

"Just wait."

"I told you! I need Tyrkanzyaka's help!"

"Our doggy just happened to run into her doors by accident."

And Azzy, who produced that impact…

"Yum, yum! Woof!"

…Was lost in her own world, happily chewing on the meat.

I took a glance at Azzy and then the doors.

"Hm. It was more than enough to destroy level three steel. The stain's enhancement far exceeded my expectations. It's level four at the very least."

Despite Azzy impacting the doors at max speed, she only left a footprint on it. Maybe if she had somehow gotten mad and punched it with her full paw strength, it would break. Unfortunately, there was no reason for the carefree Dog King to be mad at the steel doors.

Now that I verified it wouldn't work, I didn't need Azzy anymore.

"You heard the bell. Good job. Now head back."

"Awoo!"

After violently shaking her head, she hopped around my side, tail waving.

"Woof! Let's play!"

"But we played yesterday."

"So let's play more!"

'Yesterday and today are two different things to her, huh? It's a very positive way of thinking to not worry about the past.'

"I'm busy today. Go home."

"No! Let's play!"

Azzy pretended to gnaw at my calf, trying to show her frustration.

Sigh.

'Does she think I'm the pet here, trying to boss me around? This is all the regressor's fault. I needed to fix her manners yesterday, but the regressor prevented me from using the whip.'

I glared at Shei.

"Wh-What are you looking at me for?"

"Ugh. Don't worry about it."

I was the only one who looked out for the dog. Only I actually played with her.

However, unlike dogs, humans actually worried and improved by learning from the past. I had already prepared for a situation like this. I couldn't let myself be some pitching machine like yesterday.

"Now, Azzy, sniff my hand."

"Woof!"

Azzy rubbed her nose on my outstretched hand. Making sure she could remember my scent, I made sure she got the smell of my entire hand. After enough time had passed, I pointed at the prison.

"Azzy, I'm sorry! I left the ball over there."

"Woof?"

"You remember the smell, right? Go find the ball for me. Then I'll play with you."

"Woof, woof!"

Without a hint of doubt, Azzy burst off the floor back towards the prison. I grinned as she went further and further away.

'Heh. I thoroughly washed the ball and hid it deep inside some concrete rubble. It'll take ages even for the Dog King.'

I bought time. I turned back towards the regressor.

"There's a limit to brute force, I guess. Now, let's look for different ways."

'Huh, she's giving me that weird look again. As if she has a problem with me treating Azzy like a dog.'

The regressor glanced at Azzy running far away before turning back to me with a confused face. 

"...When did you get so close to Azzy?"

"We're not that close. It's only been a day."

"No way. She barely acknowledges me even though I've seen her for a week…"

'That's because you keep trying to treat her like a human. Asking a dog "How's the weather today?" means nothing to them. You need to train them like me.'

Back to the point.

Now, I needed to figure out how to get into the bunker.

"Anyways, the doors won't break to a dog missile. And if you don't want to knock it down… we'll need to make her open it."

"I've tried everything. I've screamed and knocked, but she hasn't responded."

"Don't worry. I know what to do."

"You do?"

The regressor raised her brows in suspicion. Putting her aside, I thought about when I had first arrived at Tantalus. At that moment, the vampire had woken up from her slumber for a short moment. I could faintly make out her thoughts.

Why did she wake up then? To give the new inmate a warm welcome? 

There was only one answer.

"We need to offer her blood."

Back then, when Azzy bit my ankle and pulled me, I bled from skidding on the hard floor. Just as water flowed downward and ripe apples fell off the tree, Tyrkanzyaka absorbed the blood on the concrete.

And what, she complained about the taste? What a fussy eater, especially considering she had taken it from me.

Regardless of whether she woke up because it tasted bad, she did react to blood.

"We need to offer blood to wake the vampire."

As I proudly announced that, Shei scoffed as she thrust her finger at me.

"You think I haven't thought about that? I already tried."

Her fingers were still light and delicate, not yet having swung the sword much in this life. I could see the thin wound already beginning to close up.

"I slit my finger and offered my blood, but she didn't wake up. The blood was just swept inside."

"Huh?"

"Hah, you acted like you were smart, but I guess you don't have anything else, do you?"

The regressor crossed her arms as she teased me. She seemed to be happy that I had messed up.

'Why is she happy that a plan to get inside failed? If the blood was absorbed past the doors, Tyrkanzyaka can undoubtedly "sense" blood. But a little drop won't wake her up. To vampires, absorbing blood is done unconsciously, just as breathing was.'

Well, only one way left.

"Let's write in blood."

"What?"

When it came to the Dog King, the sound of the bell used to merely mean 'a noise produced by metal clashing against metal'. However, after ringing the bell each time as we played fetch and giving her treats, she began to associate the ringing with positive emotions. 

Quite a poetic expression.

In reality, it was plain training.

The same logic could be applied to the vampire. She would absorb blood normally, but she would undoubtedly notice if the blood formed a word.

"It's clear that Trainee Tyrkanzyaka can sense blood. However, typical blood lacks meaning, so she just absorbs it without noticing. If we write words in blood, we'll be able to at least see if she wants to meet us or not."

"...Tsk."

「I-It makes sense… He's not so dumb after all.」

'I wish you'd give compliments out loud instead of just clicking your tongue at me.'

"Alright, I'll try it."

Shei clutched the air behind her head. It was only then that she began to imagine her weapon floating behind her head.

'I was wondering where she kept it, but she just levitated it in the air using her energy.'

It was such an unconscious action that I didn't even notice with my mind reading. I thought she was unarmed, but she had her weapon beside her the entire time. 

'She did that unconsciously? Although Chun-aeng is a weightless sword, it still requires precise control. That's not a level achievable by talent. It's an instinct gained by carrying a single sword for over a hundred years. Just how many cycles had she experienced holding the Aerial Blossom? I'll need to watch out from now on. Her empty hands aren't as they seem.'

As I had that thought—

Slit.

The sword traced a horizontal arc. It included the edge of the regressor's finger in the trajectory. With extreme control, she barely grazed the surface of her finger. 

A barely visible cut formed on her slender white finger, and red began to bubble out of it. Soon after, blood began to rush out like an open tap; to the point where I worried for her health. 

It was a painful sight to watch, but I was completely calm.

It was because the regressor didn't even feel any pain from the wound. I was overwhelmed by the strange calmness.

"What should I write?"

As if she were holding a brush, she raised her finger and asked. I could see the droplets flowing from her finger.

"Write down what I say. G, R…"

"G, R…"

The regressor carefully made sure to not let the loose droplets interfere with her writing.

"A, N…"

"G, R, A, N…"

"N, Y."

"G, R, A, N, N, Y—"

When the regressor realized what she had written, she whipped her head back up.

"'Granny'?"

"Yes. 'Granny, it's time to wake up.' Write that."

"Hold on, what are you trying to pull here?"

"What do you mean? I'm just trying to wake the elderly grandma."

It appeared the regressor was not very informed about Tyrkanzyaka. Maybe she didn't have a chance to meet her in her previous lives. I tried my best to explain it to her.

"Tyrkanzyaka is a trainee who is over 1,200 years old. Especially back during her time, how you treated the elderly was a very important value to have. We should treat her with the necessary respect."

"No! What kind of woman would enjoy being treated like a hag?!"

'What are you talking about? A woman who's lived 1,200 years isn't just a hag. They're an ancient relic. They've lived longer than most countries. You really think someone like that would dwell on things like that?'

At that moment—

[How bold of you two…]

A dark, deep voice rumbled as the steel doors opened with a clean echo of metal. Darkness waved past the doors.

The searchlights that lit up Tantalus made up most of the light here. Since it was focused light, places not lit up by it were rather dark. 

However, the darkness in the armory was different from just a simple absence of light.

A pitch black that sucked in light. Nevertheless, I could see a shade of blood red glistening within. It was dark, yet red as blood at the same time. An irony incomprehensible by common sense.

Yet the monster that resided within went far past precognitions.

Days, months, years, centuries…

Legends and history. The harvester of all the deaths that faded from history. The condensed culmination of the history of blood coiled beyond the darkness.

Before mentioning strength, it was a matter of mythology.

Mentioned in fairy tales and taking up an entire page of a history book, the woman who became a legend.

The Progenitor, Tyrkanzyaka. 

Goosebumps appeared throughout my body. The monster inside the armory had survived over a thousand years on human blood alone. The darkness that had waged war against the Sanctum alone.

As I was questioning my decision to wake her from her slumber…

[Come on in.]

As the sturdy steel doors swung wide open, the shining mark of blood gazed down upon me and the regressor.

—————

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Translator – Tails and aquamage

Proofreader – yukitokata

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Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

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Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint 

[Translator – Tails and aquamage]

[Proofreader – yukitokata]

Chapter 8 - A Monster Lives in the Basement

'I'm fucked.'

I came to the conclusion after deep deliberation.

'I'm pretty sure I'm utterly fucked.'

The moment I took a step into the armory, I could feel my regret rushing in. The mouth of a whale would feel safer than this. At least whales didn't feast on human blood.

A land where a vampire had resided for several decades. The moment I took a step in, my blood was no longer my own. I could feel my blood shifting to a single side in my veins. The liquid that should be carrying my vitality kept attempting to derail.

This wasn't something I could solve with reading minds. If the vampire wished for my death, the moment she had that thought… I'd dry up in an instant.

'Is the regressor okay? Her sharp senses must make her feel even more pressure than I do.'

「It's an amazing amount of power. Just as strong as last time… But this is before 'that event'. Will she become more aggressive? Or more passive? Will she lend a hand before 'that' is resolved?」

'What is "that event"? What is "that"? Could you please stop just thinking about the things only you know and maybe have a flashback or something?'

「Let's not worry about it. I haven't recovered the strength to fight against Tyrkazanka. If I die, I die.」

'Alright. It's been proven that it's not good to get involved with the regressor. She may have plenty of lives left, but I'm on my last stock. "If I die, I die"? If you follow someone who thinks like that, even ten lives wouldn't be enough.'

I turned around and headed for the door.

"Alright, I believe you were the one who wanted to take care of business, so I'll take my leave no—"

Slam!

The steel doors slammed shut in front of my eyes. The red sigil flickered, as if mocking my attempt to leave.

Seeing my expression, the regressor chuckled.

"Sure. If you can, that is."

My way out was gone. Darkness, black enough to obscure me from my own body, engulfed me. I sighed as I followed the regressor.

"What? I thought you were leaving."

"On second thought, I'll need to observe in order to verify why you needed to come to the armory. Let's go together, shall we?"

"Whatever."

Since we were here together, our fates were the same. The regressor nodded. I clasped the wall, trying to navigate my way through the dark. It was strangely slippery, and it required immense concentration to take even a single step.

'Shit, there'll be stairs soon. Will I end up tumbling all the way down if I slip? It'd be more suspicious than a simple mistake if an instructor of the State tripped on the stairs. What's Shei doing anyway?'

「Seven Colored Eyes, activate. Azure Eyes.」

The regressor stabbed her eye with her finger. A glistening tear gathered in her eye and began to burn a blue light. Even in the ravenous darkness, the blue flame illuminated every nook and cranny.

「Azure Eyes, the fifth of the Seven Colored Eyes, perceives depth. It can even see through the dark gathered by a vampire.」

'She's really got everything. It feels really unfair compared to someone like me, who can only read minds.'

The Azure Eyes could see the world as lines and surfaces. It couldn't sense fast-moving objects or faded and round parts, but it could track the general layout even in the darkness. The regressor shone her blue gaze everywhere. A stark ceiling and wall obscured her view. The only path was downwards. In her vision, a zig-zagged line headed downwards faintly appeared. It was the staircase.

Without any hesitation, the regressor stepped onto the stairs. After taking a couple steps, she glanced back at me.

「Now, let's see if you can navigate the darkness.」

Thanks for looking at me.

I wasn't aware of it until now, but I had already arrived right in front of the stairs. The step was half broken, and I would surely have tripped if I had taken another step.

'Phew, that's a relief.'

I made sure not to step on the broken step. I heard a familiar tongue click in front of me.

「He even saw through the excessively thick darkness created by a vampire? I can't see the limit to his skills. To think someone who looks so daft would be able to do so much…」

This was why people needed to experience being a lowlife. She spent so much time with people like saints and swordmasters that she couldn't judge regular people properly. 

Regardless, the regressor and I headed down side by side.

「Why's he walking so close? It's annoying.」

She was uncomfortable with our distance, but I kept sticking close. I was borrowing her sight right now, so I needed to be close to her to see my own feet—feeling as if I was being carried

After we arrived at the bunker, she looked around using her Azure Eyes.

Within the bunker was a long hallway and a large room to the side. In the case of an emergency, you were meant to hide in that small room and wait for help. In this case, someone was already there.

The regressor glared at the misty shadows that watched us from the room. A horse tall enough to reach the ceiling was staring at us.

「Is it her familiar? I thought she had lost most of them during the war… but Sanguine Horse Ralion seems fine.」

'Just what is she using the armory for? Why is a horse that large taking up the whole bunker? More so, why does a familiar get a better room than me? Where are my human rights?'

After tossing the sanguine horse a glance, the regressor began walking again. I quickly followed. 

At the end of the long hallway, a peculiar door stood out. 

The State, who prioritized function over form, did not ever integrate art into their doors or walls. A door was for sealing off an area, and walls were to divide the area. Any more was considered a luxury. Maybe you could hang a picture on the door, but something as inefficient as engraving art into the wall itself was considered a sin.

However, it appeared that even the State wished to gain the favor of the god known as the Progenitor of Vampires.

Cast from steel, a picture worthy of a biblical excerpt was engraved on the door. The walls had angels blowing horns painted onto them. With the horns pointed at the door, they felt as if they were ready to punish whoever opened the door.

Sculptures and paintings you would typically see at a church. Although the underground armory was dark, I could make out the door and walls clearly.

Because in this darkness, the holy works of art were slathered with glowing red blood.

Facing them, I slowly turned my head back to the regressor.

"...Hey, Trainee Shei."

"What is it?"

"Should we head back?"

"Are you scared or something?"

"Yes."

The regressor pondered my honest answer.

'This is way too scary, you know. I'd have preferred not being able to see it at all. If the Sanctum had been notified of this, they would have immediately dispatched their inquisitors at the blasphemy. But if they heard who did it, they would immediately cancel their orders. The inquisitors would end up as mere blood offerings.'

That was what the ancestor to all vampires signified. Regardless of how strong you were, the ancestor deserved to be feared.

The regressor stared at me.

"You're more easily scared than I would have expected."

"That's why I'm still alive till now. Fear of danger is essential to survival."

"Is it?"

「Maybe that's why I died thirteen times.」

'Oh, that's right. You don't need to worry about dying.'

The realization made me salty.

"You call her a granny despite fearing her?"

"Is she not one?"

"Ugh. I won't even bother."

The regressor marched forward and placed her palm on the door. Although she didn't push it open, the door easily swung open, as if it were the maw of a beast waiting for its prey.

"Oh bloody Mother Earth."

It was inevitable. If we had already been eaten, the mouth probably wasn't too different from going down the throat. Before the door closed, I followed the regressor into the final room.

A torch, somewhat outdated compared to the modern lights and bulbs, hung on the walls. It was carved from stone and had a strange shape, like an inverted birdcage. With the intricacy that went into chiseling each detail, I could almost expect a phoenix to rise out of the flames.

Blood-red flames thirsted for the sky and roared upwards. However, the rise did not last long. This was the lowest place in the world; an underground floor in the abyss. It was too harsh of a place to fly to the skies. The corpse of light dissipated as it touched the ceiling.

Ironically, light had its meaning in being able to fade. The fragmented embers birthed red shadows, lighting up the walls.

Thanks to that, I was able to see the room.

The room was not just red because of the flames. Blood. Several thousand litres of it coated the room. It was slathered on the ceiling, the walls, the ground. As if the room was a living, beating heart, too much blood gurgled and squirmed within.

However, despite all the blood, I couldn't smell any of it. The smell of blood fell under her control as well. Unless she allowed me to, I wouldn't even be permitted to smell the blood.

[For what reason have you come to meet me?]

A black wooden coffin was in the middle of the room. A treasure crafted with precious juniper and coated in lacquer, adorned with a winged red cross engraved into it.

A voice echoed from within it.

My blood raced. The blood that should be serving me to preserve my life was ready to run out to greet its master.

Overwhelming power. Faced with it, the regressor…

"Tyrkanzyaka, I've come to bargain."

…She firmly stood her ground and asked.

"Teach me bloodcraft."

'Bursting in out of nowhere and asking to be taught…'

The vampire may have been fazed, but she didn't show it. She had gotten used to it. After all, there had been thousands of people who approached her in search of something.

The ability to control blood. After hearing the name for the first time in a long while, Tyrkanzyaka quietly replied.

[Do you wish to be my servant?]

If you became a vampire, allowing the blood of the Progenitor to flow in your veins, you would naturally come to control blood. There had been numerous ones who felt greed for her blood over time. Feeling a bit of boredom, the vampire asked the regressor if she was just another one of those people.

However, the regressor had no intention of being a vampire. Instead, she wanted something deeper—more original.

"No, I don't want to gain it that way. Teach me what you learned before you became a vampire."

For a split second, emotion quaked. Deep confusion emanated from the coffin. All the blood drew close, waiting to pounce.

Still, she was a vampire that had lived for over a thousand years. It took much more to make her blood boil. The vampire calmed herself before replying.

[How did you find out about that?]

The regressor faced her with a thought that only a regressor could have.

「You told me yourself in a previous life.」

With a faint smile, the regressor momentarily basked in her memories.

Before Tyrkanzyaka became a vampire, when she was still a normal girl, it was said that she could already control blood. Helping out her father, who was a local doctor, many people preserved their lives thanks to the young girl. As a human, all she could do was stop blood from flowing, but it was plenty to buy people's smiles.

The vampire from the previous life told Shei the story and advised the regressor to learn from her… before dying a lonely death.

The flashback ended. I put my palm to my head, feeling as if I had just been launched from the depths of the sea.

'So this is a flashback. It was extremely short and fragmented, but I gained something from it.'

Not only did I read her mind, but I found out some information about the 'calamity'. A calamity would come, and it would be strong enough to kill a monster like Tyrkanzyaka.

[I'll ask again. How did you find out about that?]

"If you teach me, I might let you know."

[...How boisterous.]

A short pause. Deep thoughts. Thousands of emotions and grievances passed by. All of a sudden, her focus shifted to me.

[What do you think?]

'What, me? I made sure to stay quiet. Why's she looking at me?

I stuttered out a reply.

"Do as you please, elder."

[...'Elder'?]

'Huh? Her blood just quivered. Did she get mad?'

I rushed to solve the situation.

"Since our positions come before age here, I'll refer to you as a trainee. However, since your age is, uh, well… impressive, and the State doesn't wish to enact harsh restrictions on the elderly… I believe the same. As long as you don't think about leaving the facility, you can do as you please. If you want to keep resting here, that's fine as well."

Sfft.

Something dark scratched my cheek as it flew by. A tiny slit opened up. Clutching its freedom, blood pushed its way out of the wound, floating and fluttering to the vampire like a butterfly.

I couldn't even see it. I didn't think to dodge as there was no intention to kill, but nothing would have changed even if I tried.

Feeling my hairs stand up, I took a breath and stopped talking.

I heard a voice with a clearly angered tone from the coffin.

[...I'm old, so I should just stay inside?]

"No, not particularly. If you just did as you had been doing all this time."

[Silence.]

The black lid opened. Just like its exterior, the coffin's interior was also filled with black. Parting the darkness, a white and delicate hand emerged. My blood, that was fluttering across the room, perched on the back of her hand. It sucked in the red droplets, like rain on scorched land.

I felt a slight sense of disgust from the vampire. 

[...As expected, even your blood is tasteless. It's completely the opposite of my preferences. You really have no redeeming qualities…]

However, because of it, the coffin stood up. With wavering darkness, it pushed itself up and faced me and the regressor.

[I usually only prey on the blood of virgin maidens. Bloods of boys like you two… I use as materials.]

The inside of the coffin remained dark. With only a pale hand reaching out, a new ball of blood flew in. It was the regressor's blood that was used to open the door.

Quenching her hand with the blood, she continued speaking.

[But your blood is alright. It's a first… for a man. To think I would voluntarily drink a man's blood…]

'Because the regressor is female…'

Even with such a terrible attempt at crossdressing, the vampire was clueless about the regressor's gender. Shei clenched her fists, rejoicing that her disguise was perfect.

The vampire went on.

[Fine. I will teach it to you.]

"Thanks."

[...Having a guest after so long has tired me. Take your leave now.]

After saying that, the vampire closed the lid to her coffin. Having gotten what she wanted, the regressor desperately withheld the desire to hop up and down in joy.

「It worked! I didn't think it'd go so smoothly!」

Suppressing her joy, the regressor carefully asked again.

"When are we starting? It'd be nice if we could start soon. 

[Then… let's start when the next moon begins to wane.]

That meant in about a month. Obviously, the regressor refused to wait that long.

"What? That's too late. Let's start tomorrow."

[What causes this haste? It makes little difference whether we start now or the next month…]

"There's a huge difference!" 

[Have some patience. The cycle of the moon is the goddess of the night opening and closing her eyes. It takes that long in order to observe things carefully.]

'They're quarreling again. I need to step up to diffuse the situation.'

"Trainee Shei!"

I blocked the regressor, ready to give a sermon.

"A month may be long to you, but it's only a second for Trainee Tyrkanzyaka, who has lived for over 1,200 years. Please consider who you're speaking to! Time may seem fair, but it's more subjective than any quality of the world. Tyrkanzyaka is—"

"...Shouldn't you be worried about considering the other person?"

'Hm? What about it? I'm giving her as much respect as I can. Why else would I treat her with so much emphasis towards her age?'

While we were arguing, a slow voice came from the coffin.

[...So my slow behavior… is because I'm too old?]

"I mean, I didn't mean anything negative. I was just teaching this brat the difference in wisdom that comes from age."

[Alright. Then let's start tomorrow.]

Keeping her eyes on me, the vampire pointed to me and said one more thing.

[Both of you.]

"What?"

'Wait, why me too?'

As I was about to retort—

[Now, leave.]

The world fell far away. That was the only way to describe it. The regressor and I were moved backwards. No, not us. The walls, the ground, the door, the corridor, the ceiling, the room, the stairwell—everything in our surroundings moved forward. The world slipped right past us, as if we were watching the river flow downstream. A dark liquid retraced the steps that we took.

Suddenly, we were at the entrance of the armory. Without having taken a step. And with a resounding 'Boom', the now-closed steel door brought us back to reality.

"Holy shit."

I felt as if I had just escaped the jaws of a tiger.

Quite literally, the armory… was like the vampire's body. She had just spat us out.

The regressor, who seemed as if she was used to it, patted off her clothes.

"Heh. You look out of it. Scared?"

"...Not really."

'I merely just discovered that an insanely strong monster was actually an irrationally strong monster.'

On my answer, the regressor smirked.

"Let me give you some advice. Don't mention Tyrkanzyaka's age in front of her. That's how you treat a lady properly."

The regressor continued to boast and headed off. I stared at her in disbelief at her attitude.

'I didn't act that way because I don't know what women dislike.'

Well, whatever. I didn't feel the need to reply.

Brushing off my clothes, I stretched my body.

'Ugh. My back is aching from how stressed I was. Let's go and sleep early tonight. I'll check the kitchen for any leftover cans of food…'

As I was about to head off as well—

"Woof."

I heard a noise that I shouldn't have heard. I slowly turned my head.

There sat a dog who had chased my scent and dug through mountains of rubble for the sole purpose of playing fetch—Azzy.

That's… impossible, right?

"Woof!"

The ball rolled to my foot. Azzy wagged her tail as she tapped the ball with her nose.

The meaning was clear.

'Toss the ball, human.'

"Hey, Azzy…"

I attempted an immense act of diplomacy. Dog and man, asking for a compromise surpassing species.

"I-I'm a little tired today. So how about we… uh…"

"Woof! Woof!"

"...Push it… back a little…?"

"Woof! Promise!"

Smack, smack.

Azzy waved her forearms, showing her frustration. The winds it generated shook my clothes. As her arms got closer, it seemed to be a threat, trying to get me to throw the ball.

'Just when did she even learn the word "promise"? Who taught a dog something as useless as a promise? Even if she breaks a promise, I can't get anything from her. But if I don't uphold my side… she can get whatever she wants from me.'

"Grrrr…"

Like this. Looking up towards the unobservable sky, I sighed.

"Sorry, shoulder. I'll try to finish in 250 throws today."

I gripped the ball.

I never thought I'd hate to see a dog smile.

—————

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Translator – Tails and aquamage

Proofreader – yukitokata

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Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint

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Omniscient First-Person's Viewpoint 

[Translator – Tails and aquamage]

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Chapter 9 - It's Harder to Unteach Things than to Teach Them

No light made it down to the depths of the abyss.

The deepest land, cursed by Mother Earth herself.

In the land of only darkness, the only thing that alerted one of the arrival of morning was the rattling sound of the alarm. Instead of the warm morning rays, earsplitting ringing would force one up.

The deep blue sky, with clouds floating around like ships in the sea with warm sunshine and a refreshing breeze, were all a given on the surface.

On the other hand, all the abyss had was an angular building—that isn't quite a square—surrounded by concrete rubble and adorned with artificial lights; a poor attempt at replicating the sun.

Creations of nature offered warmth and satisfaction, while artificial creations scratched at one's mood. Man-made objects were the waste products of a man's body. They kept the best things within and expelled what was deemed disgusting. Maybe that was why man despised artificial sceneries despite needing to live amongst other men.

"…Fuck. Is there no way to turn down the volume on that alarm?"

Massaging my sore shoulder, I got up from the bed. My body, having been extorted by the Dog King for two days, screamed in refusal. But if I let that dreadful sound continue, it would surely sap away any strength I had left. That type of noise actively damaged the body.

All alarm clocks designed by the Military State were meant to be attached to walls. It ensured that one needed to get up from bed to turn it off.

How befitting of a country that had no tolerance for laziness.

I made my way over to grab a chair, using it to reach the gears of the alarm clock to input the correct combination.

One counterclockwise turn, four clockwise turns, and two counterclockwise turns.

With a chirp akin to that of a cricket, the alarm's ringing became faint. I didn't exactly want to go back to sleep after that ordeal, so I began brushing my hair and pacing my room.

The alarm works, alright. These bastards.

The room was small, but it had everything I needed. To put it nicely, it was efficiently designed. In reality, it meant they shoved too much into too small of a space. I could reach the closet with my left hand and touch the sink on the other side with my right. The tap water could be used for drinking or washing, but the allotted amount per day was insufficient for both.

Nevertheless, the room next door was empty. There would be water in the other rooms too. Planning to use the other rooms to shower, I gulped the water down.

A tiny room smaller than an arm span. Being designed for workers and  prisoners, Tantalus was cramped and had limited space. The sturdy concrete walls only made it worse.

Fortunately, the mass prison break meant there were plenty of rooms to go around.

"Let's bust down the wall and connect two rooms."

What were the conditions for a nice place to live?

It wasn't much.

A place with sufficient resources and not many people.

The reason large houses were expensive was because those neighborhoods had a lower population density.

Surprisingly, Tantalus… currently fulfilled all the conditions to constitute a great place to live in.

"Hahaha!"

'I'll knock down those nasty walls and live like a king with five connected rooms. Five times the normal amount of water. With that, I could take a bath every day. Actually, I could just go to the water tank itself and take a dip there. It's a lifestyle befitting an emperor!'

With an evil smirk, I left the room. Slamming my lockless door shut, I was in the middle of planning my happy life.

"Woof-woof!"

Then, a familiar shadow appeared at the far end of the corridor.

…Why is that thing here?

Azzy zoomed through the corridor and began circling around me, sniffing to verify my identity. I felt as if she was ready to hunt her prey. In fear, I shook my head as hard as I could.

"A-Azzy! No, I can't. Please. At this rate—"

"Woof! I'm hungry!"

Hearing those words, I let out a sigh of relief.

"What? This is the food storage?"

In order to survive, one needed to eat. One needed to consume food and digest it in their stomach, breaking the food down into calories necessary to live. It was a law of nature so obvious that it didn't need to be explained.

And the State, who was extremely resourceful in their methods, was willing to manipulate such a basic right to life.

Tantalus, the mental education facility, was not a place meant to keep people alive. It was meant to kill.

It was a home for those that the State couldn't kill themselves or would require too many resources to execute. As if dumping leftovers into the compost bin, Tantalus was the place where the State tossed everyone they couldn't handle.

And the easiest way to whittle down people in an isolated environment was a method akin to those used by military strategists during war.

"Shit. We're almost out of canned food too…"

There was still some food left. Obviously, some prisoners like Tyrkanzyaka didn't require sustenance, and just letting the immortal ones survive was not what the State wanted.

"Even so, a prison this big has a food storage unit that's only a square meter big? It's actually disgusting how openly they're willing to do things like this."

They made sure that it was impossible to 'preserve' food. It was meant to cause fear and obedience among the prisoners, who would need to wait day to day for supplies to be sent down. So that they would fight amongst each other to claim more resources.

"They probably only provided the bare minimum to survive. They'd need to kill each other for more."

However, as I said earlier, Tantalus was a place with little people and sufficient resources.

While the storage was puny for a facility of this size, there were currently only four residents in Tantalus.

The vampire wouldn't need to eat, and I could feed the dog our scraps. I only needed to worry about the regressor and myself.

There was plenty of food for two. Especially since this was the abyss—which was free of things like bugs or fungus to ruin the food—where we didn't need to worry about anything going bad.

"Tsk. Sorry, Azzy. You're going to have to eat less."

"Wowow?! Arf! Arf!"

Don't bark. I mean, people come before dogs.

Three cans of meat. Twenty-three cans of beans. Some starch and flour… It'd be boring meals, but enough to live off of. They'd also probably send some supplies. Considering that, I could eat plenty.

"I need to meet the vampire today, so I should eat a filling meal."

On the first day, I just ate whatever. But since I needed to stay here for a while, I needed to formulate a diet.

'Let's get something cooking.'

I opened a can of dehydrated beans and spooned it out into a pot.

"Azzy, do you like beans?"

"Woof! Beans, good!"

"Is there anything you don't like?"

When I turned the tap on, water gushed out. The kitchen only had one flame, but the sink still worked fine. I put the dry beans in water and let them soak. The dried beans sucked up the water in seconds.

In the manufacturing process, the beans had already been cooked with vegetables. Just boiling it would've made decent baked beans, but I wanted something more.

I made dough from the flour, stretched it out, and covered it with a plate before leaving it so I could continue working on the beans.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Azzy skittered around the pot, excited at the expanding beans. It was an amount I didn't expect to come out from such a small can. The change in volume was as big as having planted and harvested an entire can's worth of bean seeds.

"Woof! It grew! More tasty things!"

"Yes, yes, the food grows."

The State sucked at many things, but they were amazing at making rations. They put a few days' worth of beans into this tiny can. It was because they were always focused on war.

Condiments were items of vanity. Prisons obviously lacked them. We had some salt and some dried cabbage. The State had even considered removing vegetables from prisons at one point due to their large volume compared to their meager calories.

I washed the cabbage and put it down. Azzy grimaced as she saw the greens.

"I hate plants!"

"I wasn't even going to give you any. Don't worry."

'Alright, let's start cooking.'

After seasoning the beans with salt, I put the cabbage into the pot as well. Meanwhile, I put the dough from earlier into the stovetop oven. While the stew boiled, I started adding some starch. The vegetables and water slowly turned into something more edible.

Now all that was left was to wait.

As I watched the stew boil, I kept hearing restless twitching near me. Azzy, who lacked several times more patience than me, was chasing her wagging tail around. She was kicking up all kinds of dust and fur. I frowned as I chastised her.

"Hey, hey. You're getting fur everywhere. Go do that outside."

"Hungry! Hungry!"

"Even if you're hungry, we're going to end up having to eat your fur at this rate."

She had a human form, so only her head and tail had hair.

So where was all this fur even shedding from?

Azzy paused for a second, but then she began messing around again out of boredom. She was ready to smash her mouth into the pot, unable to withstand the delicious smell.

"Wait!"

"Food food food food food food!"

Ugh. She's eyeing me with a strange look now.

If I waited any longer, I was going to be the one eaten. I quickly grabbed a spatula, and began stirring the stew.

Mashed beans and pieces of veggies gathered in the middle of the swirling pot. It was the scraps created in the production of the canned beans. I gathered all the scraps and dished it out to Azzy in the empty can.

Then, I took out the bell from my pocket and rang it.

Ding, ding.

"Woof! Woof!"

Azzy seemed to understand what the bell meant now. Her eyes sparkled as she tensed up in anticipation.

I could see her lips glistening from her saliva. I put the can of scraps on the ground in front of her.

"Here. Eat."

She immediately bent down and ate it. I looked at her with a soft smile as she ate.

I love dogs. They can eat whatever waste humans don't want to eat.

Feeling better, I continued to finish cooking while humming a tune.

The soup had gained a slightly sweet taste. The starch stuck to my tongue, giving me a sense of satisfaction even before I swallowed.

Now, it was time to eat.

I wiped the dusty table and rested the pot on it. I also brought out the almost-bread from the oven. It was just canned beans and some flour, but it made a nice meal.

Maybe I should get into the mood.

I sat up straight at the table, closed my eyes, and gave a prayer to Mother Earth.

'Thank you for my daily sustenance, and I pray that you look out for me even in this barren land. Now, let's dig in.'

"Woof."

When I opened my eyes again, I saw a dog sitting up straight at the table.

The fuck.

"Hey, Azzy! Get down! What are you doing on the table?"

"Woof! Food!"

She demanded more food, waving her arm. Didn't I give her food already? I took a glance at the floor and saw that she had eaten it all. This selfish dog was eyeing my food after having already eaten hers.

Sigh.

Bad habits go far. Now she thinks she's above humans.

I sternly told her off.

"Get down while I'm saying it nicely. This is a table where people eat."

"Woof."

Slam!

When her paw slammed the solid table, everything flew about three centimeters in the air. I could see the cooked beans enjoying their time in the air.

Thunk, thunk.

The falling pot and cutlery made a peculiar tune as they fell back onto the table. It was like an orchestra, except only with percussion. Behind it, a dog was licking her lips, staring straight at me.

With a trembling hand, I picked up the can on the ground. She had licked it so clean that it looked almost new. Using it as a dish, I poured some of the soup into the—

"Beans."

…Using it as a dish, I poured a plentiful serving of beans and soup into the can. After shaking the bell again, I pushed the can in front of her. Azzy immediately pushed her face into the can and started gobbling down.

"Woof! Tasty! Beans are good!"

"Hmph. This is the last time. Don't expect more next time."

Dogs are terrible animals. They eat what people eat, freeloading off of humans like the idiotic parasitic furballs they are.

She thinks she's superior to humans? I'll show her. She may be the Dog King, but that means she's just a dog. One day, sometime, somewhere, when I finally train you, I'll make sure you don't step out of place again. I'll demonstrate why humans are at the top of the pyramid.

...Man, these beans taste meh.

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Reaper Scans

Translator – Tails and aquamage

Proofreader – yukitokata

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