Volume 4 Chapter 57 One Person, Two Roles
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Ryoma returned from the strategy meeting tent at the southern base on Cyclops Island to his personal tent, and the moment Hanami entered, he lowered the fabric over the entrance.
”Hey, what’s this drug? Something that turns you into a monster? Umar researched this?”
He pulled from his pocket the vial of red liquid Mansoor had given him. Mansoor claimed drinking this had restored his physical health and current robust body. Ryoma, who should have been Umar’s confidant, had never heard of such a miraculous drug.
”I knew he was remodeling the harem for some shady research, but was he making this incomprehensible dangerous stuff?”
”…”
Faced with Ryoma’s interrogation, Hanami averted her gaze diagonally downward, as if pondering how to respond. That gesture from his wife only irritated Ryoma further.
He was a retainer who had served the Vahid family since their impoverished days, risking his life countless times for Umar. He’d nearly died more than once or twice. Yet, to such a valued ‘comrade,’ Umar had kept silent about researching a drug that turned people into monsters.
Umar hadn’t trusted Ryoma.
That deeply wounded Ryoma’s pride.
Seeing Umar’s evaluation of him so transparently brought waves of humiliation and alienation.
Further disappointment in Umar’s narrow-mindedness for pushing through such secrecy—that was his limit.
Hanami’s reaction—or rather, as Head Magician, she likely knew about this drug. Yet she hadn’t told him, and that intense frustration swirled in his gut like a coiling dragon.
”Hanami, you knew, didn’t you?”
”…I knew.”
”Why didn’t you tell me?”
”It would violate confidentiality.”
”Is that all? Didn’t Umar tell you not to tell your husband? Well!?”
”…He did say not to tell anyone.”
”Tch!!”
Ryoma walked to the table in the corner with the water pitcher and guzzled a full cup.
”A drug for monster transformation, huh. He must have done a lot of human experiments, right?”
”——”
”Did he use slaves, or vagrants from the streets? Or like Jibril, pulling women into the harem and testing the drug on them once they were used up?”
It was different from slaughtering enemies on military duty.
The military killed to protect the nation.
Or crushed foes to safeguard the people.
But these red water human experiments must have been Umar personally driving innocent people to death just because he didn’t want to die. Even if they were slaves or vagrants, it remained a horrific act.
He felt intense disgust toward his wife for participating in the experiments.
The same kind of discomfort he felt toward Jibril.
”What would you have done?”
”What?”
”If you, my husband, were forced to assist in Umar’s secret experiments, would you have exposed them?”
”——”
Pointed out like that, his eyes wavered.
Ryoma knew Umar’s terror well.
It was obvious what would happen if he leaked it.
Ryoma was fundamentally cautious.
He couldn’t defy Umar or Jibril face-to-face.
”If I told you, it wouldn’t just be your problem—it would engulf the entire Tsai Clan. Linca and Ryu would likely be slaughtered too.”
”But we’re husband and wife. We vowed to face hardships together.”
”Even as husband and wife, there are secrets. In the past, and in the future. You must have them too, right? You don’t tell me every detail of your missions.”
”——”
It was a common issue when courting a Head Magician.
The wife wouldn’t reveal all her secrets to the husband.
Even trying to make her would end with her outsmarting him, as she was wiser and more eloquent.
In the early days of their relationship, that mysterious quality had made Hanami alluring.
But after decades together, it only brought disappointment.
Many of his colleagues’ wives were utterly devoted, body and soul, to their husbands.
Almost codependent.
Yet Ryoma’s wife was smarter and higher-status than other women, so it never turned out that way.
Hanami had a firm sense of self, treating Ryoma like work—skillfully managing their relationship.
Thinking that, it felt like his wife saw him as some pet, which made him even angrier.
(A woman should be more straightforward and obedient. Is there a reason to cling to Hanami alone now that she can’t bear children anymore? …But public image is an issue.)
Realizing his thoughts, he snapped back.
Hanami had, in her own way, devoted herself to him all this time.
Regardless of what she thought behind the scenes, she had affirmed nearly everything Ryoma said and did.
Forgetting that and considering abandoning his wife was the lowest mindset.
(This isn’t good. The flood of information has me confused. I need to calm down once more…)
”My husband, this drug is a failure. Drinking one vial won’t turn you into a monster.”
While Ryoma agonized alone, Hanami seemed to have resolved to break confidentiality and began speaking bit by bit.
”This red water is vampire cells harvested from a monster called Burgkain by Umar. Drinking it alone won’t make you a vampire.”
”Is that so?”
”Yes. …General Umar’s research into immortality began when he learned that advanced-rank bloodsucking kinds like kyonshee or Remi Cain could freely control corpses they drained. Corpses, despite being lifeless, don’t rot and even take in nutrients to repair flesh. So, if he infused himself with advanced-rank bloodsucking kind blood to become an undead soldier, he might achieve eternal life.”
Hanami continued.
”However, blood from kyonshee or Remi Cain had no effect. Thus, General Umar discovered vampire ruins in an undiscovered oasis, captured the guardian monster Burgkain, and had subjects ingest its blood. Then, the subjects, not yet corpses, began moving as Burgkain’s puppets.”
Kyonshee and Remi Cain merely infected corpses with a kind of contagion magic to control them, but Burgkain could mutate targets into beings called ‘Blood Servants’—Hanami added this supplementary explanation.
”Blood Servants aren’t vampires, but they gain robust bodies and long lifespans to serve as vampire emergency rations. However, they aren’t immortal, nor strictly ageless.”
”So, drinking this red water makes you a ‘Blood Servant’ of Burgkain, the cell’s owner?”
”If Burgkain is alive and manipulates the cells to mutate the drinker’s body into a Blood Servant, yes. But you’re absolutely obedient to the master until the blood is fully metabolized, and even higher vampires can exert compulsion.”
”General Mansoor revived from illness by becoming a Blood Servant, then.”
Hanami didn’t respond immediately to Ryoma’s murmur, pausing before shaking her head.
”I don’t know. —But during repeated human experiments, some subjects were afflicted with diseases… Not all, but a further minority underwent a transformation into something more powerful than Blood Servants, into monsters. Those transformed shared traits: the tachyonian cell count in their injected blood was under two hundred power, and they had lived in Shakerdoust’s northwestern region until just before.”
”Vampires can’t produce magic power themselves…”
”Yes, I think one condition for ‘complete mutation’ is an extremely low tachyonian cell count.”
”What’s with the Shakerdoust northwest condition? Some special bloodline required?”
”No, this is unconfirmed, but perhaps something they ate recently or fever from mosquitoes that normally suck grass sap biting them. Shakerdoust’s northwest borders the still-mysterious Dacia wilderness. Some unknown entity causing high fevers might lurk there. —To continue the research, General Umar approached Lord Abbas. Since General Mansoor didn’t think well of Sir Umar, he ingratiated himself with Lord Abbas to investigate local flora and insects.”
”I see, and around then, that ‘failure’ clashed with Sir Abbas. No wonder Umar was furious.”
”I don’t think that was the main reason for the exile… Anyway, Sir Umar continued the research underground, but there were no major breakthroughs, and Burgkain’s blood was running low. Around the same time, the incident with Ms. Sarah disheartened Umar, and he ultimately handed everything to the trusted Sir Jibril, focusing himself on governance.”
Ryoma nodded once.
”I get the gist of events. So how did General Mansoor revive?”
”I don’t know. That’s the truth.”
”I’m not doubting you.”
Hanami fell silent for a moment before saying this.
”General Mansoor may have been taking this red water long-term. While bitten by mystery fever-inducing bugs or ingesting northwest-exclusive plants. However, if he succeeded in vampirization, it’s unclear why the wound from ‘Kian’ hasn’t fully healed.”
”Perhaps the enemy’s weapon was a divine sword or similar? The Western Church possesses such armaments, right?”
”That could be. If General Mansoor and General Gensou are correct, ‘Kian’s’ mist transformation and charm techniques suggest he may have achieved complete mutation into a vampire.”
”Capturing ‘Kian’ and interrogating him might reveal secrets General Mansoor is hiding.”
”Yes… But General Mansoor isn’t the type to stab us in the back. For now, we should avoid paranoia, set aside thoughts of him, and focus on the immediate mission.”
Even so, telling him not to be wary of a weirdo who suddenly hands out suspicious drugs was unreasonable.
Ryoma nodded superficially for now and pushed the vial onto Hanami.
”I won’t use it. We’ll take down ‘Kian’ without it. Let’s devise countermeasures for the enemy’s regeneration and mist form.”
”——”
”Hanami?”
”Ah, no, it’s nothing. Yes, let’s.”
Hanami, who had been staring down at the vial of red water, lifted her face.
The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes that makeup could no longer hide, the sinewy flesh at her neck, caught his eye.
Whether it was the intuition of a long-married couple or something, a bad premonition stirred, and Ryoma said.
”You’re not thinking that using this drug might let you conceive again, are you?”
”Perish the thought.”
Hanami said this hastily, then formed a sorrowful smile at her lips.
”But… we must do something about children. How about searching for a new concubine in Crete this time?”
”That would end the legitimate bloodline of the Tsai Clan.”
Ryoma turned his face away and gave a short reply to his wife’s seemingly transparent suggestion.
* * *
As Kian continued fondling Guria’s buttocks during the parade, causing his c**k to harden, she finally seemed to return from her dreamy state under the midday sun, whispering without breaking her smile, “Um, could you please save that for the bedroom?”
They were currently in a carriage proceeding down the main street from the castle to the port, and despite the sudden announcement, crowds of onlookers lined both sides of the road.
Elite members of the Order of the Lightning Knights, mounted on Azrael-produced pill bug monsters, ran alongside the carriage front, back, left, and right. The murmurs of the residents, the neighs of horses, the clatter of hooves, and such drowned out their voices completely from outside.
”You’re my wife, right? Then shut up and let me touch.”
”Nn…”
”See, your mouth says that, but your body’s honest, moo~. Ushishishishishishi.”
Even he thought it while acting, but it was the lowest, most vulgar bull imaginable.
Guria seemed to be searching for words to avoid provoking such scum unnecessarily.
”Understood. Then touch as much as you like. But in exchange, will you listen to one thing?”
”Moo~?”
”Please don’t insult the people important to me.”
Guria said this in a chillingly cold voice he’d never heard, all while waving to the citizens with a smile.
”Stop calling my elder brother shitty glasses or Circe a shitty old hag from now on. They’re all precious family. It makes me sad when you insult them like that.”
”What’s wrong with calling shitty glasses shitty glasses? Same for shitty old hag. Hey, Guria Selda. You’re my wife, right? Then don’t talk back. I’ll f**k you right here.”
He whispered in her ear.
It was the lowest words imaginable, the kind that could cool eternal love, but the moment his breath hit her ear, Guria shuddered, her shoulders twitching, and her cheeks flushed. Her exhales grew heated, haa, haa.
”See~? Your body’s honest, mo. I think your mother said something like that a few times too, but she quickly submitted to my c**k and became a toilet bitch, mo. You’ll be the same soon, moo. U~shishishishishishishi.”
”…”
Anger and humiliation settled on Guria’s face.
But even more, her body was aroused, and she rubbed her thighs together out of sight under the seat.
Whether she found her state pathetic, or despaired at her changed body, tears welled in her brown eyes. Still, she sniffled deeply, roughly wiped her eyes, and somehow maintained her smile.
”Between shitty glasses and me, who’s more important?”
”Ah… you…”
”Between shitty old hag and me?”
”…You…”
”That’s right. Serve me like that for life. Until I tire of your p**sy, I’ll use you without im**egnating, moo.”
The conversation ended there.
Guria’s lower abdomen was melting into a gooey mess, and she seemed to be trying to distance herself mentally before exposing any ugliness in various senses. He mercilessly fingered her, making her climax at least three times during the parade.
When climaxing from the fingering, Guria covered her mouth, bent her waist out of sight under the seat, and trembled. At first, she cried from sadness, but by the end, perhaps deciding it was easier to accept the pleasure than resist, she surrendered to the sexual bliss from the fingering and willingly reached orgasm.
By the parade’s end, she stared at his crotch with bloodshot eyes—but time-wise, the reward galleon had arrived, and Circe or someone would likely visit the Kian Merchant Guild for fact-checking, so he couldn’t prolong his absence further.
* * *
As planned, Kian received crates full of food from Circe and returned to Minotaur Island from the center of the summoning circle.
He had the food transported en masse by Chinchin and stored in the warehouse at the base Leprobus had built.
”Defending Grass Island’s southern coastline, huh.”
Leprobus muttered while taking items from the crates one by one, freezing them, and returning them to their places.
”They seem short-handed, but you okay? Defending the coastline as Asterios while attending lectures as Kian and handling merchant guild chores sounds tough.”
”I’ll have Asterios staying at the Kian Merchant Guild’s trading house.”
Kian said, watching the giant youth’s back.
”Right after this, I’ll head back to handle the piled-up guild work, then transform into Asterios at night to set up barriers. Ms. Leanan Sidhe might send a familiar midway, and Ms. Aliona could return. I plan to recall Rou and Isthbaran once in ten days, so I think it’ll work out.”
Note that today was January sixth.
Heading back to the Grass Island trading house now would make it evening.
So effectively juggling dual roles would last about four days.
He hadn’t told Leprobus, but Kian had a capable mage as his right hand, so it would probably be fine.
’You’re planning to dump the barrier stuff on me.’
(Is it impossible?)
’No. But my barriers require gem catalysts. Blue Thunder Stones can substitute, so mine and bring some out.’
(Got it.)
”The island base is basically shaped up. If you need hands, say so without hesitation, Kian.”
”You’re staying here to explain ‘I’m from the Kian Merchant Guild’ if Balinars and crew come. Can’t move you.”
”I know. But once explanations are done, I can move. The story’s as we discussed, right?”
”Yeah, we drifted here on December thirtieth, encountered the white minotaur, but got permission to stay in exchange for island cleaning.”
”Understood. Same for forces besides Crete? And crush all Azrael if they come.”
”Yeah. Handle appropriately like that.”
After replying to Leprobus, Kian returned to the sandy beach and loaded the pile of Blue Thunder Stones Leprobus had gathered during land clearing onto the Wyvern Golem.
Once maximally loaded, he hurriedly left Minotaur Island.
The heavy load slowed the speed, but he managed to land at the merchant guild’s private beach just after evening.
By then, a large sailing ship was moored beyond the breakwater.
Honestly, he had no use for the ship right now.
At most, using the hammock for a change of pace when he wanted to switch up his sleeping spot.
But maintenance costs added up.
He urgently needed to increase manpower, but in Crete’s current state, hiring anyone seemed difficult. Buying slaves wasn’t an easy choice either, as Kian had no intention of treating people as disposable.
(If Linca were here, she could use tanuki for cleaning.)
Thinking that, he ascended the dimly lit stairs of the trading house.
Then he realized, lately he’d been thinking about Linca more often.
Drowning in one woman was unbecoming of Kian, who fundamentally didn’t trust others deeply. He kept people from stepping inside, fearing betrayal—but lately, that was changing bit by bit.
Linca, especially, had betrayed Jibril to come to him, so she should be untrustworthy.
Yet—after experiencing her personality, and now calmly reflecting from a distance, he found himself desiring that troublesome, cute wife anew.
The unforgettable s** with her played a part too.
Crete women were the best, and Natra or Esther were top-tier, but Linca’s creative perversion, inexhaustible stamina, and sensual body service play had somewhat seared his brain.
’Indeed, you and Linca are compatible in many ways. From food preferences to hobbies.’
(I’m not as whimsical as her.)
’I wonder, you’re quite whimsical yourself.’
Talia said this somewhat enviously, joking, ‘Maybe you were lovers in a past life.’
He didn’t respond and entered the study to process the documents piled in the postbox.
While he swiftly handled papers nearing deadlines after a week’s neglect, Talia manipulated golems to clean the merchant guild interior. Once done, she used beetles to clean and such on the ship moored beyond the breakwater.
While Linca was one thing, Talia had become an indispensable partner to Kian.
* * *
Finishing all the paperwork deep into the night, he then transformed into Asterios and began the task of setting up thunder-attribute detection barriers along the southern coastline.
Talia handled constructing the spell formula, but Kian performed the physical labor: stacking sandbags to form the magical power condensation nuclei for the barrier, burying gold coins and silver coins deep in the ground (they didn’t need to be currency, but gold and silver were required; Kian only had coins containing them on hand, and like the Blue Thunder Stone, they apparently served as the barrier’s core), and wedging pottery shards between the sandbags.
It wasn’t just an electricity-based detection barrier; she was also building one using the land’s magic to repel curses and poisons. The training session with the Order of the Lightning Knights was scheduled for the ninth, but honestly, if they could finish constructing the barrier up to the sandy beach area around the Order’s base by then, that would be good enough—that was the pace of progress.
Naturally, a strange white bull diligently stacking sandbags alone would become the talk of nearby residents. By midday on the eighth, Circe, who had apparently explained to the locals that “that’s my familiar,” rushed to the worksite in a panic.
The site was about two hundred meters from the Order of the Lightning Knights’ base.
Circe had brought along Guria Selda, meant to be Asterios’s suppressor.
”Boy, how on earth did you get out of the island!?”
”I told you. The ocean current’s gone. The Kian Merchant Guild folks are coming and going too. I got a ride here on an Azrael golem called Kian.”
”My husband, you need to properly respond to the summons, or it’ll be trouble.”
Guria, looking far more energetic than one would expect from someone sacrificed to Asterios, furrowed her brows.
”Everyone was in an uproar. Thinking the coordinates shifted, we searched the urban areas… Then we heard a weird bull was silently building something like a breakwater on ‘Grass Island,’ so we hurried over, and sure enough, it was you.”
”I’m just doing what I was told, moo. This is an ancient barrier with various effects like detection, curse repulsion, poison nullification, and more, mo. I’m reluctantly sweating it out for you lot’s sake. Be grateful, moo.”
”Who taught you how to make this barrier?”
”Dunno. It just popped into my head.”
”That’s ridiculous…”
Circe’s eyes widened as she examined the intricately built spell formula.
”…Amazing. It’s bound in a formula I’ve never seen or heard of. Ancient magic? But for that, the method of circulating magical power drawn from spiritual veins and the defenses are tailored to the latest magic. A strangely ancient yet very modern formula…”
”That impressive?”
Circe nodded at Guria’s question.
”The one who constructed it was likely a genius. It should be difficult for you to even imitate, boy… Wait, the chains!?”
”I can work without ’em, moo. It’s my duty, moo.”
’Though I’m the one doing it. Well, I wanted to test the modern magic I learned with Aliona anyway, so it’s fine.’
”My husband, I want to meet Lord Kian. Is he at the merchant guild?”
”Moo? Already planning to cheat, moo?”
”If satisfying your desires with my body is enough for you, then why care about cheating? You’re a strange person.”
Guria’s words carried thorns uncharacteristic of her usually kind nature.
Kian (Asterios) had no intention of dropping the “shitty glasses” or “shitty old hag” nicknames, and treated Guria as nothing more than an onahole, trampling her humanity, so this response was inevitable.
The surprising part was that even the usually innocent Guria clearly showed displeasure toward scum.
Kian tried mimicking Leprobus with a “gehgehge” laugh but failed.
”Ushishi. You get it well, mo. You’re my breeding bag, moo. But someone using the p**sy I’m currently using feels like territory invasion—unpleasant, mo.”
”——”
Anger.
And sadness mixed with humiliation.
While Circe marveled at the barrier, Guria’s opinion of Asterios plummeted further. This seemed about right for an Asterios Chance. Pushing too far and causing an explosion would be troublesome.
So Kian summoned a beetle and ordered it to guard the Blue Thunder Stone, then turned his back on the two.
”Kian’s at the merchant guild, moo. Probably crying and jerking off right now over his beloved princess getting cuckolded, moo.”
”Nakishiko?”
”Come on. I’ll take you to Kian.”
T/N: “Nakishiko” (泣し子) isn’t a standard name — it’s a mocking nickname. It plays on naku (泣く, “to cry”) and ko (子, “child/girl”), roughly meaning “Crybaby Girl.”
With that, Kian turned into lightning and dashed along the coastline with a vroooom!
To not keep the two who had teleported straight to the merchant guild waiting, he accelerated further, drawing massive attention from nearby residents.
”Mama, a cow’s running!”
”Shh, don’t look! What if it comes this way!”
”It’s fine to look, moo~! My name’s Asterios, moo~!”
Scattering statements no one would believe, he arrived at the merchant guild.
Kian told Guria and Circe to “wait a bit” and entered the barrier around Priscilla’s villa. Inside the entrance, he released the transformation and reverted to Kian form.
’Hurry and put on pants! Move it, pig!’
”Don’t rush me.”
He donned his usual shirt, black bottoms, and sandals in a casual outfit.
Kian ruffled his black hair, yawning widely as if just woken up, and stood before the iron gate.
”Ah… hello, Ms. Circe. …And Guria. Good afternoon.”
He sent an awkward smile toward Guria.
Guria, clad in the Order of the Lightning Knights’ miniskirt armor, swiftly averted her eyes from Kian.
Notes:
• Mansoor – Crimson-eyed elder monk and Azrael’s Divine General from the Shakerdoust domain near Dacia. Wielding mist form, blood-drinking, rapid healing. He ties to allies like Ryoma and Hanami Tsai. First appearing in Vol. 4 Ch. 25. Quick tag: vampiric red-eyed grandpa-general who mist-forms and drinks blood, obsessed with rescuing his captured son unlike other human monks.
• Mag – The wolfwoman under Yelmar—the one who was caught by Kian’s group earlier.
• Linca – Jibril’s favorite girl. High-ranking warrior monk woman from Shin, with strong abilities like ignoring attacks and poisons.
• Ryu – Linca’s little brother.
• tachyonian – a cell that generates magic power, allowing humans to enhance their bodies and perform magic to manipulate the external world. (tachyon: particle that always travels faster than light.)
• Abbas – The heir of the Shakerdoust family, a prominent clan within the Twelve Divine Generals.
• Gensou – Eccentric young Eastern monk-general in Azrael’s army, playful yet ambitious. Wields sun-like magic, swordsmanship, and assassination tactics. Linked to three masked wives—Seishi, Oushoukun, and Yougyokukan (Head Magician). Ally of Mansoor and Oji, serves under Jibril, proposes Operation Assassination. First appears Vol. 4 Ch. 45. Reminder: playful Eastern general with masked harem wives, always late but magically explosive, contrasting serious monks with his bathrobe vibe and schemes.
• Leprobus – Rou’s comrade who sacrificed his chance to escape during a pirate raid by pushing Rou off in a small boat. He returned to the deck, sword in hand, to protect the others. Distinguished by his giant blood and burning red hair, marking him as more than human. He is released by Kian on Cyclops Island jail.【v4c23】.
• Isthbaran – The High Warlord of the ‘Storm Herd.’
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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