[Vol. 8] Chapter 164: The Name That Was Meant to Disappear
She said clearly.
“I want it. Please give me the power to change my situation. No matter the cost, I will do everything I can to pay it.”
Miss Shadow’s voice wasn’t loud or emotional. In fact, it sounded strangely calm and cold.
But when the mysterious girl heard this answer, she paused for a moment. Then suddenly laughed with delight, as if all the anger and frustration earlier were just an act to push Miss Shadow into making her decision.
“Heh, I knew you wouldn’t give up. You, little one... You look calm and reasonable, but inside you’re burning with a fire deeper than shadows. Interesting~”
As she spoke, the mysterious girl casually pulled out two thin swords. One long and one short from under her oversized cloak. When she let go, the two swords floated in the air, as if held up by some invisible force, and drifted toward Miss Shadow.
Miss Shadow quickly reached out and grabbed them with both hands. Then, still confused, she looked up at the girl.
But the mysterious girl just muttered something strange and hard to understand, like she was talking to herself.
“Amazing... To hold and accept a Primordial Artifact with a mortal body like yours... So you really are the one it chose. Even though I’ve handled things like this before, that person’s ability is still kind of cheating...”
“…?”
Before Miss Shadow could ask anything, the girl began to explain lazily.
“Listen carefully. This is called the [Blade of Shadow]. It’s one of the fruits created directly by the World Tree of Creation. It’s a Primordial Artifact, and its Law is [Shadow]. You probably don’t understand what that means yet, but that’s okay. Just remember these words, remember how to use the [Blade of Shadow], and use its power to become truly strong. Someday, someone will explain the meaning of it all to you.”
“Of course, using a artifact like this always comes with a price. With your weak body and soul, you wouldn’t be able to draw the [Blade of Shadow] for even a second on your own. So think of this as a gift, a welcome present. I’ve poured a bit of energy into the artifact for you. That energy will let you use part of its power for now, just enough to do what you need to do. But after that... it’ll be up to you~”
After rattling off that long explanation, the mysterious girl, still hidden almost completely in her cloak, turned to leave, not caring whether Miss Shadow was confused or not.
The girl, still holding the artifact and a little dazed, quickly called out.
“Wait!”
“What now? I’ve already told you everything I can. The rest is not something ordinary people can understand, and it’s not the time for you to know yet. Curiosity can kill, you know~ Anyway, I’ve done what that person asked me to do. I gave you the item, passed on the message, believe it or not, use it or not, it’s your choice. Just stop bothering me.”
The girl stopped briefly, looked back for a second, and got ready to leave again. Miss Shadow didn’t have time to study the two swords, which gave off a strange and familiar feeling in her hands. She shook her head and quickly spoke.
“You misunderstood. I just wanted… to say thank you.”
“No matter why you appeared in front of me, or whether you have some hidden plan or not… At the very least, right now, I truly thank you for giving me this chance to change everything… Thank you for reaching out your hand when I had no hope left.”
“I know I’m still immature, and I won’t ask too many questions… But there’s just one thing... Can I at least know your name? If it’s something you need to keep secret, I promise not to tell anyone.”
“…My name, huh... ha...”
It seemed like her words touched something in the girl. She stopped again but didn’t turn around. She just looked up at the sky, and she seemed to be smiling. A smile filled with deep emotion and memories. There was also a brief, soft sadness hidden in it.
“There’s nothing to hide anymore. At this point, you can tell anyone you like. Not that anyone still remembers this name anyway…”
“My name is Constantius. I’m not anyone special, just one of many wanderers who learned the truth and tried to fight fate, and was cast out by the world for it.”
“Little one, take good care of her for me, and say hello to her from me too~”
………………………………………………
“…You just said… she called herself Constantius?”
On the balcony of the Holy Grand Hotel, a priestess, someone with a hidden past, raised her eyebrows slightly as she listened to Miss Shadow explain the origin of the [Blade of Shadow].
“Are you sure that’s the name she gave you?”
Miss Shadow gave a small nod. “Lady Violet, that day was a turning point in my life. I remember everything that happened very clearly, every detail and every moment. Later, I even tried to investigate and search for that name. After many twists and turns, I finally learned what it meant, and I was just as shocked. But I believe… I wasn’t mistaken.”
“Constantius… Just like that girl said, in this age, there are very few people who still remember that name. But in many old records and historical documents from the past, it was very well-known. ‘The True Ancestor’, ‘The Vampire God’, ‘The First Blood Source’. These were all titles that once belonged to her... or rather, to Her. She was the first ancestor of the vampire race. A true god who disappeared long ago, even before the age of myth.”
“I can’t say for certain whether the mysterious girl I met that night really was the True Ancestor of the vampire race. But later, based on what I remembered, I drew a picture of the cloak she was wearing and did some research. It really was the traditional clothing style of the vampire race, and in their culture, only the highest-ranking vampires have the right to wear it. Her hair color and other features matched too.”
“I didn’t see the wings that the vampire race usually has. But if she really is the Vampire God, then changing her appearance should be easy for her.”
Miss Shadow paused slightly, then continued.
“This is only my personal guess, but… maybe the Vampire Ancestor didn’t die. Maybe she chose to hide herself for some reason. If the mysterious girl from that night really was the Vampire Ancestor, then based on some of the things she said during her introduction, it seems like she’s not acting alone. She may have joined some group and is carrying out a secret plan.”
“Giving me the [Blade of Shadow] might also be part of that plan. But as for the full story… I don’t know yet.”
The priestess gently tapped her pale fingers on the railing behind her, making soft, rhythmic sounds as she fell into thought.
“And after that? How did you end up joining the Shadow Guard?”
Miss Shadow replied, “What happened next was simple. The girl who called herself Constantius had already poured a very powerful and pure energy into the [Blade of Shadow]. Just like she said, I was able to use the weapon temporarily without burden. The strength I could use then was even greater than what I can use now.”
“After feeling how powerful the [Blade of Shadow] were, I immediately turned back. The poachers had already packed up and started traveling overnight, hoping to escape the Human United Kingdom before anyone could find them. But I refused to let them go. I chased them down, and finally caught up with them near the border at dawn. A fierce battle broke out.”
“The power of the artifact was terrifying. All 43 members of their group were killed by the [Blade of Shadow]. The battle created such a commotion that it attracted a special patrol unit stationed near the border, the Shadow Guard.”
“Because of that, the captured girls were saved. And because of how I fought, the special unit noticed something strange about me and brought me to the capital to meet Her Majesty the Queen. After going through many things, I chose to become a Shadow Guard.”
The short-haired girl with grayish-blue hair lowered her head and looked at the two thin swords, one long, one short, in her hands. The usual coldness she used to protect herself seemed to quietly fade away at that moment, replaced by a nostalgic look on her face.
“Back then, I had nowhere to go. Other than these two artifacts, I had nothing. Her Majesty took me in. Even though she was the ruler of a kingdom, she still came to visit me several times, even with her busy schedule. At the time, she didn’t know the true nature of the [Blade of Shadow]. But no matter who I was, or who the other girls in the palace were, she treated us all equally…”
Miss Shadow didn’t continue. But from her tone and expression, Violet could guess what had happened.
Lilya really was a kind ruler who cared for her people. It wasn’t an act. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone so far as to put herself in danger to abolish the cruel and outdated laws of the past and transform the Human United Kingdom.
That was her greatest weakness…
Even someone like Miss Shadow had come to admire her, wasn't that proof enough?
There didn’t seem to be anything suspicious about that part of the story. The real mystery still lay in that night, the night when Miss Shadow received the [Blade of Shadow].
After thinking for a moment, the priestess changed the direction of the conversation.
“Shadow… that mysterious girl said something before she left, right? Something like ‘Take good care of her, and say hello for me’, how did you interpret that?”
Miss Shadow frowned slightly and shook her head.
“I don’t know. At first, I thought she was talking about Her Majesty the Queen. After everything that happened, it would’ve made sense for the royal family to get involved. But… Her Majesty, as great and wise as she is, is still just a human being. How could someone like the Vampire God go out of her way to send greetings to a human queen?”
“That might sound a bit presumptuous, but… if that girl really was Constantius, then Her Majesty actually wouldn’t be qualified to—”
“No. The real Constantius, the True Ancestor of the vampire race, is already dead.”
“...What?”
Miss Shadow was slightly stunned.
The secret about a god’s death, especially something involving Lucine and her mother, was something even the intelligence network of the Shadow Guard couldn’t possibly uncover. As expected, when Miss Shadow looked at her with a slightly surprised expression, Violet hesitated for a moment.
But she also couldn’t carelessly reveal the secret of the “Godslayer Spear”, which involved a certain vampire princess. So, she only shook her head lightly and said.
“According to the sources I have access to, the death of Constantius isn’t just a rumor. In fact, there are many ways to confirm that she no longer exists in this world. For example, you and I have mentioned her true name openly many times just now. To a god, that kind of direct mention is a form of causal contact. If Constantius were truly alive, she would definitely sense it and react in some way. But as you can see… nothing happened.”
“...A god’s true name?”
It was the first time Miss Shadow had heard such a divine concept. She frowned slightly, finding it a bit hard to understand.
But she had no reason to doubt Violet’s words. So she followed Violet’s logic and tried to think from the opposite perspective.
“If, based on your information, Constantius really is dead, then the woman who gave me the [Blade of Shadow] that night wasn’t the Vampire God. That makes the situation much more open. But… if that’s the case, why would she dress like that and claim to be Constantius? I only asked her name on impulse, I don’t think she could’ve known I would do that in advance.”
“Lady Violet… I know this might sound like a bold guess, but the mysterious woman gave me the strong impression that... she has a very clear and strong personality. I don’t think someone like her would lie.”
“I’m not saying the person you met couldn’t possibly be Constantius...”
The priestess waved her hand, neither agreeing nor denying.
“Besides, even if a god really did die, traces of their existence can still cross time and fate. They could appear in the past or in the future, it's complicated stuff.”
“Anyway, it’s useless to guess blindly. Let’s talk about something more practical while we still have time.”
The priestess turned her gaze to the swords in Miss Shadow’s hands.
Among the six chosen heroes of the gods, Miss Shadow was the only one who already had her own personal artifact. After observing and testing it many times in secret, Violet had basically confirmed.
This was a true Primordial Artifact. Not just some leftover divine fragment or a copy like the [Book of Truth] or the three holy artifacts of the Holy Empire.
A Primordial Artifact is a fully independent item. It represents a complete and powerful law of the world. Its true power is strong enough to go head-to-head with gods. But the cost and requirements to use it are also extremely high. In fact, it’s likely even more demanding than the [Book of Truth], which is already a broken artifact.
Violet didn’t know where the woman, who might’ve been Constantius, the True Ancestor of the vampire race who supposedly died at Lucine’s hands, had gotten such a powerful artifact…
Nor why she gave it to Miss Shadow. But clearly, this wasn’t some random coincidence or casual whim.
As Miss Shadow had said. It was likely just the tip of a huge plan.
And most importantly, no one can force or fake being chosen by a Primordial Artifact. The [Blade of Shadow] had chosen Miss Shadow, and she alone could wield them.
Otherwise, even if someone had ten times her strength, they still wouldn’t be able to use its power, not even a little. And the proof was about to appear…
Under Miss Shadow’s worried gaze, Violet reached out toward the long and short thin swords, touching the scabbards.
Zzzzap!
A strange shock, like a surge of static, suddenly crackled. The two swords immediately fused together into a single, mid-length dark blade. From it, a dense, inky black shadow rose up, darker than the night itself, and lunged straight toward the white-robed priestess!
Miss Shadow didn’t move.
She already knew that a normal person who touched both swords at once would cause a reaction like this. But she also trusted that someone like Violet, with her experience and power, would never make such a reckless move without a plan.
After all, even though it’s powerful, a Primordial Artifact is still just a weapon, not a god. Without a chosen wielder, it wouldn’t be able to harm Violet.