Chapter 195
"Alright! This is where we'll be staying for two nights!"
Dick shouted, spreading his arms wide.
The four of them had arrived at the top of the central clock tower building in the bustling district of Langerstine. Simon, Kamibarez, and Maelyn all wore dumbfounded expressions.
"There was a lodging here?"
Right above their heads was the famous glowing face of the clock tower. The empty space inside the building had been remodeled into a lodging facility.
Half the space was set up with beds and furniture as accommodations, and the other half was a large balcony with a table for meals.
The four stepped out onto the balcony.
"Woooow!"
The breathtaking night view of Langerstine unfolded before them.
Kamibarez bounced around, overcome with excitement.
"This is amazing, Dick! I can't believe you found a place like this!"
"Hehe."
Dick folded his arms proudly.
"When I decide to do something, I get it done. Since you guys chipped in by doing a couple hours of part-time work, it's not a bad deal, right?"
"Yeah, it's really nice."
Simon said, admiring the night view. Beside him, Maelyn was busily unpacking oiled paper and glue. They were materials she had bought earlier at a street stall before coming up.
"More importantly, start getting ready! 'A Thousand Lights' starts in 30 minutes!"
"...Do we really have to do that?"
"Of course!"
The must-see tourist event in Langerstine, 'A Thousand Lights', was a nightly ritual at exactly 8 PM where people released lanterns into the sky. Simon had once watched it with Loraine the first time he came to Langerstine.
But Simon seemed rather indifferent, and Dick, after admiring the view for a few minutes, complained about the cold and rolled into bed.
Maelyn shouted.
"Ugh! If you're here, you have to release a lantern, right? If you're not doing this, why even come to Langerstine?"
"She's right!"
The two girls enthusiastically began folding lanterns.
"Maelyn! Aren't you not supposed to glue that part?"
"Ah! I messed up! We have to toss this one!"
But it seemed harder than expected. Simon, unable to watch any longer, came over and sat down, quietly folding paper and assembling the lantern frames.
Kamibarez gasped in admiration and clapped.
"You're amazing! Is there anything Simon can't make?"
He even managed to fix the ones Maelyn had failed. She pouted with embarrassment.
"Seriously. If you knew how to do it, you could've helped from the start."
"Haha, it's not like I knew how. I just remembered the feel of it from when I made one with Loraine last time."
At that, both Maelyn and Kamibarez flinched simultaneously.
"Wh-when? Why were you with her?"
Simon, focused on folding the lantern, answered with a slight frown.
"Before entering Keyzen. She helped me buy my textbooks and supplies. It was my first time outside my hometown, so I didn't know anything and got a lot of help."
"W-were you two... close from before?"
"That was the first time we met."
The two girls exchanged glances with oddly mixed expressions.
"Wooooow—"
Just then, Dick, who had been rolling around on the bed, chimed in obliviously as he popped open a drink.
"Aren't those lanterns something couples release together? Must be nice. If you date the daughter of Neftis, your life's set..."
"Hey."
Maelyn gave him a frosty glare. It was the same look she gave right before hitting someone, and Dick instinctively flinched.
"W-what? Why?"
"You think you're the only one with a mouth? Huh? We've got three mouths here, so go get three more drinks!"
"Ugh. You guys work me to death."
Dick grumbled pitifully as he trudged to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Simon, who always gave his all once he started something, focused entirely on completing the lanterns. And sure enough, he finished all four.
"Ah! Look over there! People are gathering at the observatory!"
Kamibarez pointed to a hill.
Countless tourists and couples were heading to observatories, hills, and rooftops, preparing to release their lanterns.
"We'll be flying ours the highest."
Maelyn said excitedly. Whether it was an observatory or a hill, the tallest place in this city was the clock tower where they stood.
"Alright, I'm lighting them."
They had decided each person would release one lantern.
As the three held up their lanterns, Simon lit them with a candle. Lastly, Simon lit his own and held it gently by the base so he wouldn't burn his fingers.
"It's time!"
From all around the city, radiant scarlet lanterns began rising into the night sky. Since Simon's group was in the highest spot, they waited a bit for the other lanterns to catch up.
"Now!"
At Maelyn's cue, the four released their lanterns at the same time. The four that rose from the clock tower were the first to reach the sky, soon joined by a flood of other glowing fragments of light, painting the night city in a beautiful glow.
Watching their lanterns float upward, the four made simple wishes.
'Even after the second semester ends, may all four of us survive and still be wearing Keyzen uniforms.'
Simon made his wish and opened his eyes. He stared at the radiant fireworks of lanterns lighting up the night sky like the Milky Way.
"It's so beautiful."
Maelyn said, her voice trembling.
"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life."
Kamibarez, also seeing the Thousand Lights for the first time, spoke with tearful awe. Dick grinned and nudged Simon's elbow.
"So, how do you feel?"
Simon replied dryly.
"Your 200 silver is exploding in the sky."
"Pffft!"
Dick burst out laughing, holding his stomach. Maelyn gave Simon an unimpressed glare, while Kamibarez covered her mouth with a soft smile.
"Well, yeah! 200 silver for a sheet of paper is steep!"
"Tsk tsk, you guys have no romance. That's a disease."
After watching the lanterns for a while, the four sat down at the wide terrace table and pulled out some wine. Simon took out the lunchbox that Anna had lovingly packed.
Inside the small container was a neatly packed, delicious-looking meal, and a heartfelt note from Anna. Everyone looked genuinely touched. Needless to say, the food was excellent.
"Simon! Please thank your mother for us!"
"I'll bow in her direction."
Drinking wine with their lunchboxes, the three chatted away.
They had a lot to talk about after two months apart. Everyone eagerly shared stories of their adventures, laughing and talking over one another.
"But every time we talk about summer break, Simon goes all quiet."
Dick remarked.
"...Uh, well. I just did lord stuff."
"Jeez, you wasted your precious break just working."
Simon smiled, thinking about how they'd flip out if they knew he had gone to the Holy Federation.
And so the night grew late.
* * *
"Mmmnya, umnya."
Simon picked up the sleeping Kamibarez from the floor and carried her into the bedroom.
Maelyn had collapsed on the bed still wearing her school uniform. At some point, she had kicked off the blanket again.
Simon gently laid Kamibarez beside her and pulled the blanket over them. Watching the two of them sleep soundly, he quietly closed the door and stepped out.
"Uuugh. I drank too much..."
Dick, who had insisted he was fine, staggered and fell flat on the floor. Simon chuckled.
"You only had three glasses."
"Three's practically... a heavyweight's... huuuhh... mmrrph."
Simon dragged the slurring Dick over to a single bed and laid him down. Stretching his arms, he walked back out to the terrace.
The cool night breeze sobered him up. Simon leaned his elbows on the terrace railing.
Now, there were no more lanterns, no more glowing storefronts, only the pitch-black darkness of Langerstine.
"Do you have something to say, Lord?"
At those words, a black doll swooped down and landed on the terrace.
With both feet planted on the terrace, the pitch-black figure crouched down on his knees and stared at Simon.
"How long have you known?"
"Since the theater."
The Vampire Lord, Dietrich, grinned.
"I've delayed too long. I must now leave Langerstine."
"Yes. I'll take care of Kami…"
"Kamibarez is defective."
At those words, Simon's expression hardened.
"In a vampire society where only strength and power are virtues, where survival of the fittest is law, she is a child who cannot possibly survive. Not in strength, nor in heart."
"Is there a parent who calls their own child defective?"
"Impertinent brat."
He bared his fangs in a grin, the sharp canines radiating a chilling aura.
"I am the Vampire Lord. Even if she is my child, as the leader of my clan, I cannot show personal affection."
"Still, it seemed like you cared for Kami a lot."
"It's my sin."
His gaze turned toward the darkness-veiled Langerstine.
"People always think they're special, pioneers in their own time, but history merely repeats. Everything flows as it must."
His voice grew calm and steady.
"Defeated by a fleeting, primal impulse, I fell in love with a human woman, and she bore my child. For a human body, bearing a vampire's child is an unbearable trial."
A vampire child kills its human mother. They knew this and still lay together.
"Through that, I lost the woman I loved more than anything. And I brought Kami into this world not as a complete vampire, but a defective one. That was the first time I experienced failure. All of it, my sin."
His eyes shimmered with deep regret.
"Then let me ask you the opposite. Everything about meeting and loving Kami's mother…"
Simon spoke with a cold expression.
"Can you really define that as a failure?"
"..."
The Vampire Lord fell silent.
"No."
"Then that's all I need to hear."
Simon smiled faintly.
"Not everything can go exactly according to plan, or follow the natural order perfectly. What you call a fleeting impulse… I think it was something inevitable that led you to meet Kami."
"Khahahahaha!"
Dietrich roared with laughter.
Startled, Simon looked behind him, but thankfully no one had woken up from the loud laughter.
"A brat who's not lived even a quarter of a quarter of my life is lecturing me!"
Still, there's something refreshing about simplicity. Dietrich swept his cloak around himself.
"Take care of my daughter."
"Yes, you can count on me."
With those final words, Dietrich's body scattered into countless bats and vanished.
Simon's cheerful smile dropped into a sigh of relief.
'Man, that intensity… I was really tense.'
Simon turned back and re-entered the lodging.
* * *
The next morning.
Only one day remained before the start of the semester. At the very least, Simon had expected today to be full of pleasant events.
But everything began when Maelyn looked into Dick's summer homework.
"You lunatic!! You didn't even do half your summer homework!!"
At her outburst, Dick started sweating bullets and stammered.
"I-I was planning to do it together with you guys."
"Not 'planning to do it together', you should be asking for help! That's it! Everyone, pull out your homework!"
Just like that, Simon and Kamibarez, who had been peacefully sleeping, got dragged into an impromptu homework inspection.
Kamibarez was in better shape than Dick, but had a few gaps here and there from focusing on personal training. Simon, though relatively diligent, had several incorrect answers in non-Summonology subjects due to his lower written grades.
"…Wow. Seriously. Wow."
The leader of Team 7 pressed her forehead, then covered her entire face with her palm. The remaining three stood in front of Maelyn, sweating nervously.
"…You guys just flushed all my feelings from last night down the drain. What 'A Thousand Lights', what wine under the night sky."
She gave the three of them a cold stare.
"At this rate, we'll all be crawling into Keyzen with the lowest scores and a handicap. Especially you, Dick! You're practically entering eternal summer break! Don't you know Professor Jane's personality? You think you can slack off for two months and still be sharp?"
Dick tried to defuse the tension with a forced smile, clasping his palms together.
"Now, now, let's not get too worked up. Let's calm down first. And if I'm going to get scolded, at least let's be clear on the reasons…"
"Reasons? You want reasons?"
She picked up Dick's Haematology assignment.
"The question was: 'Discuss the caster's handicap when casting the Blood Magic Cataphorete.' And Dick's answer…"
She spoke through gritted teeth.
"When you lose blood, you feel dizzy. You call that a proper answer, you lunatic!!"
"B-but it's Blood Magic in the Haematology series! I'm not wrong, am I…"
Immediately, Maelyn hurled the stack of assignments at him, and Dick got smacked in the face and fell over backward.
"Unbelievable! I actually thought I could rely on you guys for the second semester!"
Group assignments continue in the second semester.
If any of the group members performed poorly and had to leave Keyzen, or couldn't focus due to handicaps, the remaining members would inevitably suffer.
Kamibarez clasped her hands together and gave a cute smile, trying to lighten the mood.
"...M-Maelyn?"
"Quiet, Kami. You're not getting off easy this time either."
Realizing that wouldn't work, Kamibarez straightened up with a nervous expression. Simon laughed awkwardly and said,
"I'm a bit better, right?"
"You're all the same, you morons! You're not setting a foot outside this place until it's all finished!"
Team leader Maelyn threw the pile of disastrous homework onto the table and shouted.
"Start over! Now!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The three immediately grabbed their quill pens and began working on their assignments. Amid the flurry, Dick raised his thumb optimistically.
"This proves the age-old truth: summer homework is meant to be done last-minute."
"Should I throw you off the clock tower and prove the truth of gravity instead?"
Dick's head instantly snapped back down toward his homework.