< 74 : The Ancestor of Vampires, Pluto >
-“Don’t misunderstand. I’m just in a strange state because I haven’t been able to preserve my memories through blood magic for a long time.”
After following Eutenia into the cave’s interior, I had to watch the conversation between the two people that was close to a chat for a while.
As I watched the dialogue between Eutenia and Pluto, a bitter smile came out involuntarily.
The character of the ancestor of vampires looked less dignified than I expected.
I had to shake my head while tapping my forehead as I watched Pluto make excuses to Eutenia.
“Is this… the ancestor?”
When I think of the ancestor of vampires, I usually imagine someone like the leader of the vampires.
I expected a noble with dignity who leads bats around.
But Pluto, who I actually met, looked more loose than I thought.
I don’t know if it’s because she was sealed for hundreds of years or because her AI was half-broken, but it was.
In some ways, she was an AI that could be compared to Estasia.
“But at least she looks like a rare character, so she’ll be strong if I make her an apostle.”
Pluto was treated as dangerous in many places according to the settings.
She was so dangerous that they used a holy relic to seal her in order to restrain her actions.
If I could have Pluto under me, she would definitely do more than one part.
Fortunately, it seemed that I didn’t need to invest a lot of time to make Pluto an apostle like Evan.
Pluto, who heard Eutenia’s story, decided to accept her opinion without saying anything.
-“So, have you made a decision?”
-“I have nowhere to go now, and there are no people left, so I guess I have no choice.”
-“That’s a great decision. The great one will welcome you too.”
The fact that Pluto’s screws were loose due to complex problems was a great help in persuading her.
Eutenia continued to persuade Pluto, who had no complete memories.
Pluto, who had nowhere to rely on, decided to entrust herself to the Order.
Pluto was in a hostile position with the characters of the temple anyway.
There was nowhere else for her to go except for the Order, unless it was a deserted place.
In this situation, it seemed like I could proceed with <Apostle Selection> for Pluto right away.
-“Maybe so?”
-“The great one I know loves even those who are lacking with love.”
“…”
As I watched their conversation, I immediately moved my finger to the <Apostle Selection> button at the bottom of the screen.
It was the <Apostle Selection> skill that I used for the first time in a long time since I made Evan an apostle.
Click.
As soon as I pressed the skill icon, a target that could select a target popped up.
I placed the target on top of Pluto and designated her as the target and activated the skill.
-Do you want to select [Pluto Astria] as an apostle?
-You need 800 karma to select an apostle.
-Yes / No
When I chose Pluto, a guide window popped up asking me if I wanted to select her as an apostle.
The karma required to make Pluto an apostle was 800 karma.
It was twice as much as 400 karma that I spent when I made Evan an apostle.
The next apostle of Pluto will consume 1600 karma.
The karma consumption increased to a burdensome level.
I touched the ‘Yes’ button with trembling fingers and moved on to the next screen.
-You have selected [Pluto Astria] as an apostle.
-You consumed 800 karma and created a new artifact for the apostle.
-[Artifact : Death Scythe] has been bound to [Pluto Astria].
-[Third Apostle : Pluto Astria] became your apostle.
-You will share your magic power with the selected apostles by the effect of <Apostle Selection>.
-You can send separate messages to the selected apostles by the effect of <Apostle Selection>.
As soon as I used the skill, Pluto raised her head and looked at the sky.
At the same time, guide messages started popping up at the bottom of the screen one after another.
The first thing that popped up was a message that Pluto was selected as an apostle.
She accepted <Apostle Selection> at once like when I selected Eutenia.
And then what popped up next was a message that I created an artifact for Pluto by consuming karma.
The name of the item bound to Pluto was [Artifact : Death Scythe].
I immediately opened the inventory and checked the appearance of the artifact bound to Pluto.
“This time, the artifact is a scythe?”
[Artifact : Death Scythe] had the shape of a scythe wrapped in black light.
The scythe that glowed black matched Pluto’s appearance well.
Unlike Eutenia and Evan’s artifacts, this time it was an artifact that had the shape of a direct weapon.
The name of the trait that [Artifact : Death Scythe] had was <Proof of Blood>.
It was a trait that looked related to Pluto’s race, vampire, just by looking at the name.
“<Proof of Blood>… The performance itself looks pretty good.”
The effect of this trait was three things.
One. A bloodsucking effect that absorbs the blood of enemies hit by the artifact and restores Pluto’s health.
Two. A buff effect that suppresses Pluto’s own bloodlust and amplifies the power of blood magic.
Three. An elastic effect that temporarily increases the length of [Artifact : Death Scythe].
Either way, it was an effect that focused on combat.
It had less versatility than Eutenia’s <Shadow Touch>, but it seemed to have more merit in combat.
“I thought she would be focused on magic, but she looks closer to a hybrid character than I thought.”
Pluto, who wore an artifact, was a continuous dealer with a bloodsucking effect.
She could use both magic and physical attacks alternately, and if she used her unique combat endurance, it seemed possible to fight for a long time.
It was a kind of character that would be useful in many ways if I had one.
I don’t know the exact performance until I check it, but it looked like a pretty good character for now.
I took out [Artifact : Death Scythe] from the inventory and placed it on top of Pluto.
I handed over the artifact to Pluto and tried to have a conversation with her using messages.
“Take this and hunt hard from now on… Huh?”
Puff.
The [Artifact : Death Scythe] that I dropped was stuck on Pluto’s head as it was.
I didn’t take out weapons from the inventory often, so it was an unexpected disaster.
Pluto, who was looking up, looked at the [Artifact : Death Scythe] stuck on her head.
Blink. Blink.
Pluto, who looked at the scythe stuck on her head, reached out to the scythe and raised a speech bubble.
Pluto’s speech bubble overlapped with [Divine Tool: Death Scythe], completely hiding Death Scythe’s appearance.
-“This must be his gift. He gave it to me in a more radical way than I expected.”
-“…Doesn’t it hurt?”
-“It’s nothing to me.”
-“Pluto is amazing.”
-“And I feel a strange power overflowing in my body, as if I’m connected to him.”
Pluto pulled out the scythe that was stuck in her head and started swinging it in her hand.
Blood spurted out from the wound for a moment, but soon the bleeding stopped and new skin grew.
Was it thanks to the regenerative ability of vampires?
It didn’t take long for Pluto’s wound to heal completely.
It was a scene that made me understand why she had to be sealed with a holy relic.
But even though Pluto was fully healed, I wasn’t comfortable with giving her the scythe.
“…See you next time.”
I felt sorry for sticking the scythe on Pluto’s head and talking to her right after.
In the end, I confirmed Pluto’s swinging of the divine tool and turned off the screen of my smartphone by pressing the button.
I thought I had to postpone the conversation with her until next time.
***
Loneliness.
For Pluto Austria, the past hundreds of years were nothing but loneliness.
She was alone in the dark seal.
Vampires’ memories are long but not infinite.
Even if she lived forever, she couldn’t keep everything in her mind.
Hundreds of years of loneliness were enough time to take away most of her memories.
The only thing left for her in the dark was her burning memory.
Every day, her past memories faded away, and when a year passed, several years’ worth of memories disappeared.
As she watched her memories vanish every day, all she could do was remember loneliness.
‘I don’t want to forget.’
As useless memories piled up, so did the memories that vanished.
After hundreds of years of being sealed, she forgot almost everything except herself.
Who am I?
And why am I here?
Only those memories were the force that supported her.
After all the time of loneliness and oblivion passed by.
There was nothing left for Pluto who woke up from the seal.
“I feel like I used to speak more elegantly before.”
Pluto said as she swung the scythe in front of Euteneia.
It was a small memory she found in a broken little fragment.
She used to be a king in the past.
She was at the top of all vampires, a great ancestor and ruler of nobles.
But now she had nothing left, neither country nor people.
All of her relatives disappeared after a long war.
The only thing left in the aftermath of the war was an immortal who couldn’t be granted death.
“Elegant speech?”
“I think I used to speak more like a king.”
“What kind of speech was it?”
“That… I don’t remember.”
Euteneia made a strange expression as he heard Pluto’s words.
Pluto saw him make that expression periodically.
She couldn’t understand what emotion it was, but it didn’t seem like a look of respect for his lord.
Rather, he was a being who served the god who gave her this scythe.
The apostle who served the heavenly god would not care much about the ancestor of vampires.
“He must have liked you very much.”
“I don’t remember if he was the one I served.”
“…I see.”
“But there’s one thing I think I know.”
Pluto smiled and looked at the scythe in her hand.
The Death Scythe she held was not an ordinary scythe.
A divine tool that connected her to the heavenly god.
That was what this Death Scythe was.
And by receiving this Death Scythe as a gift, Pluto got a glimpse of God’s existence.
The heavenly god reflected in Pluto’s eyes was a very large being.
“He’s so big and strong that he’s out of reach for a vampire like me.”
Incomprehensible.
A being beyond cognition that cannot be understood or accepted.
Euteneia’s master was a being that could not be fully traced even by the eyes of an immortal race.
How long did he live and how much did he know to reach that level?
As an immortal race with the curse of oblivion, no matter how much time passed, they would never get there.
The scythe given to Pluto’s hand was proof that such a being was paying attention to Pluto.
Pluto’s slender fingers slowly traced the black scythe.
“It seems that even if you live as long as Pluto, there are things you give up on.”
“Because no one can reach there, everyone looks up to him.”
“That’s true.”
Pluto cut her finger with the blade as she touched the scythe with her fingertips.
Swoosh.
The blood that flowed from the wound swirled around her.
Blood magic.
It was a special magic that only the bloodline of vampires could use.
Her blood magic, holding the Death Scythe, was enhanced by some kind of magic.
The red blood drops that circled around her reflected in Pluto’s red eyes.
“The great one….”
Pluto Austria.
She lost everything she had.
Wealth. Honor. Power. And family.
Everything she had built up in her lifetime disappeared completely in the flow of time.
Now the only thing left for her was the scythe in her hand and the huge gaze watching over her.
The incomprehensible being was the only pillar that could support her now.
“I hope he doesn’t see me as a strange vampire.”
A new bond she built after losing everything.
What kind of existence would it remain for Pluto in the future?
With a fluttering feeling about the future in her chest, Pluto swung the scythe hard.
< 74 : The Ancestor of Vampires, Pluto >
-“Don’t misunderstand. I’m just in a strange state because I haven’t been able to preserve my memories through blood magic for a long time.”
After following Eutenia into the cave’s interior, I had to watch the conversation between the two people that was close to a chat for a while.
As I watched the dialogue between Eutenia and Pluto, a bitter smile came out involuntarily.
The character of the ancestor of vampires looked less dignified than I expected.
I had to shake my head while tapping my forehead as I watched Pluto make excuses to Eutenia.
“Is this… the ancestor?”
When I think of the ancestor of vampires, I usually imagine someone like the leader of the vampires.
I expected a noble with dignity who leads bats around.
But Pluto, who I actually met, looked more loose than I thought.
I don’t know if it’s because she was sealed for hundreds of years or because her AI was half-broken, but it was.
In some ways, she was an AI that could be compared to Estasia.
“But at least she looks like a rare character, so she’ll be strong if I make her an apostle.”
Pluto was treated as dangerous in many places according to the settings.
She was so dangerous that they used a holy relic to seal her in order to restrain her actions.
If I could have Pluto under me, she would definitely do more than one part.
Fortunately, it seemed that I didn’t need to invest a lot of time to make Pluto an apostle like Evan.
Pluto, who heard Eutenia’s story, decided to accept her opinion without saying anything.
-“So, have you made a decision?”
-“I have nowhere to go now, and there are no people left, so I guess I have no choice.”
-“That’s a great decision. The great one will welcome you too.”
The fact that Pluto’s screws were loose due to complex problems was a great help in persuading her.
Eutenia continued to persuade Pluto, who had no complete memories.
Pluto, who had nowhere to rely on, decided to entrust herself to the Order.
Pluto was in a hostile position with the characters of the temple anyway.
There was nowhere else for her to go except for the Order, unless it was a deserted place.
In this situation, it seemed like I could proceed with <Apostle Selection> for Pluto right away.
-“Maybe so?”
-“The great one I know loves even those who are lacking with love.”
“…”
As I watched their conversation, I immediately moved my finger to the <Apostle Selection> button at the bottom of the screen.
It was the <Apostle Selection> skill that I used for the first time in a long time since I made Evan an apostle.
Click.
As soon as I pressed the skill icon, a target that could select a target popped up.
I placed the target on top of Pluto and designated her as the target and activated the skill.
-Do you want to select [Pluto Astria] as an apostle?
-You need 800 karma to select an apostle.
-Yes / No
When I chose Pluto, a guide window popped up asking me if I wanted to select her as an apostle.
The karma required to make Pluto an apostle was 800 karma.
It was twice as much as 400 karma that I spent when I made Evan an apostle.
The next apostle of Pluto will consume 1600 karma.
The karma consumption increased to a burdensome level.
I touched the ‘Yes’ button with trembling fingers and moved on to the next screen.
-You have selected [Pluto Astria] as an apostle.
-You consumed 800 karma and created a new artifact for the apostle.
-[Artifact : Death Scythe] has been bound to [Pluto Astria].
-[Third Apostle : Pluto Astria] became your apostle.
-You will share your magic power with the selected apostles by the effect of <Apostle Selection>.
-You can send separate messages to the selected apostles by the effect of <Apostle Selection>.
As soon as I used the skill, Pluto raised her head and looked at the sky.
At the same time, guide messages started popping up at the bottom of the screen one after another.
The first thing that popped up was a message that Pluto was selected as an apostle.
She accepted <Apostle Selection> at once like when I selected Eutenia.
And then what popped up next was a message that I created an artifact for Pluto by consuming karma.
The name of the item bound to Pluto was [Artifact : Death Scythe].
I immediately opened the inventory and checked the appearance of the artifact bound to Pluto.
“This time, the artifact is a scythe?”
[Artifact : Death Scythe] had the shape of a scythe wrapped in black light.
The scythe that glowed black matched Pluto’s appearance well.
Unlike Eutenia and Evan’s artifacts, this time it was an artifact that had the shape of a direct weapon.
The name of the trait that [Artifact : Death Scythe] had was <Proof of Blood>.
It was a trait that looked related to Pluto’s race, vampire, just by looking at the name.
“<Proof of Blood>… The performance itself looks pretty good.”
The effect of this trait was three things.
One. A bloodsucking effect that absorbs the blood of enemies hit by the artifact and restores Pluto’s health.
Two. A buff effect that suppresses Pluto’s own bloodlust and amplifies the power of blood magic.
Three. An elastic effect that temporarily increases the length of [Artifact : Death Scythe].
Either way, it was an effect that focused on combat.
It had less versatility than Eutenia’s <Shadow Touch>, but it seemed to have more merit in combat.
“I thought she would be focused on magic, but she looks closer to a hybrid character than I thought.”
Pluto, who wore an artifact, was a continuous dealer with a bloodsucking effect.
She could use both magic and physical attacks alternately, and if she used her unique combat endurance, it seemed possible to fight for a long time.
It was a kind of character that would be useful in many ways if I had one.
I don’t know the exact performance until I check it, but it looked like a pretty good character for now.
I took out [Artifact : Death Scythe] from the inventory and placed it on top of Pluto.
I handed over the artifact to Pluto and tried to have a conversation with her using messages.
“Take this and hunt hard from now on… Huh?”
Puff.
The [Artifact : Death Scythe] that I dropped was stuck on Pluto’s head as it was.
I didn’t take out weapons from the inventory often, so it was an unexpected disaster.
Pluto, who was looking up, looked at the [Artifact : Death Scythe] stuck on her head.
Blink. Blink.
Pluto, who looked at the scythe stuck on her head, reached out to the scythe and raised a speech bubble.
Pluto’s speech bubble overlapped with [Divine Tool: Death Scythe], completely hiding Death Scythe’s appearance.
-“This must be his gift. He gave it to me in a more radical way than I expected.”
-“…Doesn’t it hurt?”
-“It’s nothing to me.”
-“Pluto is amazing.”
-“And I feel a strange power overflowing in my body, as if I’m connected to him.”
Pluto pulled out the scythe that was stuck in her head and started swinging it in her hand.
Blood spurted out from the wound for a moment, but soon the bleeding stopped and new skin grew.
Was it thanks to the regenerative ability of vampires?
It didn’t take long for Pluto’s wound to heal completely.
It was a scene that made me understand why she had to be sealed with a holy relic.
But even though Pluto was fully healed, I wasn’t comfortable with giving her the scythe.
“…See you next time.”
I felt sorry for sticking the scythe on Pluto’s head and talking to her right after.
In the end, I confirmed Pluto’s swinging of the divine tool and turned off the screen of my smartphone by pressing the button.
I thought I had to postpone the conversation with her until next time.
***
Loneliness.
For Pluto Austria, the past hundreds of years were nothing but loneliness.
She was alone in the dark seal.
Vampires’ memories are long but not infinite.
Even if she lived forever, she couldn’t keep everything in her mind.
Hundreds of years of loneliness were enough time to take away most of her memories.
The only thing left for her in the dark was her burning memory.
Every day, her past memories faded away, and when a year passed, several years’ worth of memories disappeared.
As she watched her memories vanish every day, all she could do was remember loneliness.
‘I don’t want to forget.’
As useless memories piled up, so did the memories that vanished.
After hundreds of years of being sealed, she forgot almost everything except herself.
Who am I?
And why am I here?
Only those memories were the force that supported her.
After all the time of loneliness and oblivion passed by.
There was nothing left for Pluto who woke up from the seal.
“I feel like I used to speak more elegantly before.”
Pluto said as she swung the scythe in front of Euteneia.
It was a small memory she found in a broken little fragment.
She used to be a king in the past.
She was at the top of all vampires, a great ancestor and ruler of nobles.
But now she had nothing left, neither country nor people.
All of her relatives disappeared after a long war.
The only thing left in the aftermath of the war was an immortal who couldn’t be granted death.
“Elegant speech?”
“I think I used to speak more like a king.”
“What kind of speech was it?”
“That… I don’t remember.”
Euteneia made a strange expression as he heard Pluto’s words.
Pluto saw him make that expression periodically.
She couldn’t understand what emotion it was, but it didn’t seem like a look of respect for his lord.
Rather, he was a being who served the god who gave her this scythe.
The apostle who served the heavenly god would not care much about the ancestor of vampires.
“He must have liked you very much.”
“I don’t remember if he was the one I served.”
“…I see.”
“But there’s one thing I think I know.”
Pluto smiled and looked at the scythe in her hand.
The Death Scythe she held was not an ordinary scythe.
A divine tool that connected her to the heavenly god.
That was what this Death Scythe was.
And by receiving this Death Scythe as a gift, Pluto got a glimpse of God’s existence.
The heavenly god reflected in Pluto’s eyes was a very large being.
“He’s so big and strong that he’s out of reach for a vampire like me.”
Incomprehensible.
A being beyond cognition that cannot be understood or accepted.
Euteneia’s master was a being that could not be fully traced even by the eyes of an immortal race.
How long did he live and how much did he know to reach that level?
As an immortal race with the curse of oblivion, no matter how much time passed, they would never get there.
The scythe given to Pluto’s hand was proof that such a being was paying attention to Pluto.
Pluto’s slender fingers slowly traced the black scythe.
“It seems that even if you live as long as Pluto, there are things you give up on.”
“Because no one can reach there, everyone looks up to him.”
“That’s true.”
Pluto cut her finger with the blade as she touched the scythe with her fingertips.
Swoosh.
The blood that flowed from the wound swirled around her.
Blood magic.
It was a special magic that only the bloodline of vampires could use.
Her blood magic, holding the Death Scythe, was enhanced by some kind of magic.
The red blood drops that circled around her reflected in Pluto’s red eyes.
“The great one….”
Pluto Austria.
She lost everything she had.
Wealth. Honor. Power. And family.
Everything she had built up in her lifetime disappeared completely in the flow of time.
Now the only thing left for her was the scythe in her hand and the huge gaze watching over her.
The incomprehensible being was the only pillar that could support her now.
“I hope he doesn’t see me as a strange vampire.”
A new bond she built after losing everything.
What kind of existence would it remain for Pluto in the future?
With a fluttering feeling about the future in her chest, Pluto swung the scythe hard.
