The Terror of Option

He came with a bewildering series of strikes.

Flying kick. Tail sweep. Straight punch. Knife hand. He attacked with all these and more.

Every blow Zenberu struck was both fast and weighty. All Zaryusu could do against a foe like that was adopt a total defense.

Combination followed combination.

If he did not defend against his foe's destructive strikes, Zaryusu's defeat was assured. Confident in their chief's victory, the surrounding Lizardmen cheered as Zenberu lashed out with blow after blow.

Zenberu's claws occasionally grazed Zaryusu, easily scoring his scale-sheathed body and leaving wounds which wept blood in their wake. Those injuries could not be considered light in any sense.

Zaryusu's body was covered in those wounds. His life hung in the balance, and it would not be strange if he surrendered at any time. The joyful looks on the spectating Lizardmen's faces only proved it as they prepared to celebrate their chief's imminent victory.

However —​ that was not the case for Zenberu.

Every time his strikes were blocked, Zenberu felt victory slipping further and further away from his grasp, and it made him anxious.

Frost Pain was imbued with cold, and it inflicted additional cold damage whenever it wounded a foe. A side effect of that was that it dealt cold damage to anyone who touched the weapon. In other words, just touching the weapon was enough to slowly wear away at Zenberu's body with its cold damage.

His hands were freezing, his legs were numb, and his movements were slowing down.

Dammit, I lost too quickly in the previous fight... so I didn't know it had a power like this too! So it didn't just have that move alone! That's one of the Four Treasures for you!

Zaryusu had adopted a defensive stance because he knew the item had an effect like this. Or rather, he had done so because he knew it was an assured way to deal damage. That was probably why he had not dodged Zenberu's attacks.

He had chosen a steady path to victory.

This lack of openings made him Zenberu's greatest enemy right now.

Zenberu used his trump card on Zaryusu, who was rushing in. If he managed to block that move as well, Zenberu's chances of victory would be slim at best.

He felt like he was charging an impregnable fortress alone.

Ahhh, dammit, can't I beat him —​ But! I've waited too long for this!

His battle with that Lizardman from the past flashed through his mind. He was stronger now than he was then, and he had trained nonstop in order to attain victory. Even when he heard that the person who had defeated him had been killed, he might have felt regret, but he never stopped training.

He had been waiting for this day.

As chief, he could not abandon everything to indulge in battle, so he had been delighted when he heard that the bearer of Frost Pain had come to his village.

He could not let this long-awaited battle end like this.

Zenberu began losing the feeling in his punches and kicks, and his ki could no longer reach his limbs. Still, he kept attacking.

He's strong, stronger than that guy from last time!

Just like he had honed himself ceaselessly, the Lizardman before him must have trained himself without slacking off until now.

While he could have said that he could not narrow the gap between them because of Frost Pain, he had no desire to spout quitter talk like that.

Amazing! He truly is the master of Frost Pain! The mightiest Lizardman ever!

Zenberu did not halt his combination attacks, even as he praised Zaryusu, who was blocking his strikes with Frost Pain

-x-X-x-

Wounds, blood, and more wounds.

Crusch had devoted all her attention to witnessing this intense back-and-forth struggle, and with her outstanding druid skills, she had already seen how the battle would end.

Incredible... he must have predicted all this when the battle started.

Crusch was in awe of Zaryusu's outstanding warrior skills.

The cheers continued from all around.

They were cheering for Zenberu, who was attacking non-stop and seemed to have the upper hand. None of them realised that Zenberu's limbs were gradually growing sluggish.

Zaryusu was very strong. Crusch was certain of that.

Almost all Lizardmen did battle with their bodies and brute strength, but Zaryusu —​ and Zenberu —​ fought with skill, and Frost Pain aided that fighting skill.

Therefore, Frost Pain was a major factor in the development of the present situation —​ of the gulf between them. However, it was not the sole reason for it.

If one gave Frost Pain to an ordinary warrior, could they fight with Zenberu like this?

The answer was no. Zenberu was not some two-bit mook.

The weapon was powerful, but the fact that Zaryusu could exploit it to its full potential because he was a first-rate warrior.

But more outstanding than that was his perceptive and analytical mind.

Zaryusu had evaded the strike when Zenberu had cast down his halberd because he had been on top of the situation and had been closely observing it. He had sensed the presence of his foe's ace in the hole and that the halberd was a mere distraction.

When he went on that journey as a branded traveller, what else had he brought back with him besides the knowledge of fish-rearing and these battle techniques?

Before she knew it, Crusch had become certain of Zaryusu's victory. Now, she merely watched the profile of his face, her heart pounding in what was no longer anxiety.

"He really is an impressive specimen of a male..."

-x-X-x-

Time seemed to fly past for those watching this exciting battle, but the two participants felt otherwise. The toll on their bodies and spirits caused by their panting was more intense than the passage of time.

Despite being covered in blood, Zaryusu's fighting spirit was still strong. For that, the surrounding Lizardmen congratulated him. After all, nobody else had lasted this long against their chief before.

And then, just as Zenberu seemed on the verge of claiming victory, he dropped out of his fighting stance.

The audience waited with bated breath. Zenberu ought to be declaring his victory anytime soon.

However, the opposite happened.

"I've lost!"

But their chief should have been the winner.

Even so, why had he announced his defeat? Only Crusch had foreseen this. She raced into the fighting ring.

"Are you all right?"

As he heard those words, Zaryusu exhaled and lowered the sword in his hand. In a very tired voice, he replied:

"It's nothing fatal... I should be able to fight in the upcoming battle."

"...Mm. In any case, I'll use healing magic on you."

Crusch's grass costume rustled, and she poked her head out.

Zaryusu felt a comfortable warmth suffusing his wounds, different from the searing heat that had made them. As he luxuriated in the sensation of vitality flowing back into his body, he turned to look at the gigantic Lizardman with whom he had just fought a life-and-death struggle.

Zenberu was surrounded by his tribemates. He was explaining the situation to them, and the strategy Zaryusu was using.

"That'll do it."

Crusch declared that his treatment was complete after casting two spells on him, and Zaryusu looked down on his body.

While the clotted blood still stuck to his skin, the injuries beneath had completely recovered. There was a certain tension over the former wounds when he shifted his body, but at least they did not look like they would open up.

"—​Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Crusch smiled brightly, and the pearly teeth she exposed were very pretty.

"—​You're beautiful."

"What—​!?"

Her tail swished, and splashed against the water.

The two of them gazed silently at each other.

Crusch's silence was because she had no idea why this male would casually mention something like that. She was not used to such compliments, so hearing Zaryusu say things like that was not good for her heart.

Meanwhile, Zaryusu had no idea why Crusch was being quiet. Did I do something wrong? Thoughts like that ran through his mind. The fact was that he had little experience with females, so he had no idea what he should do. Zaryusu was surprisingly tense as well.

Just as the awkwardness between them reached its height, a voice saved them.

"Oi oi, are you trying to make me jealous, you bastard?"

The two of them looked to the source of the voice —​ to Zenberu.

Their simultaneous and identical reactions left Zenberu momentarily speechless.

"Hm! Oi, whitey, how about some healing over here?"

Zenberu seemed quite nonchalant about Crusch's albinism. However, Crusch recalled the Zenberu's branded body and realised why he reacted that way.

"Fine, fine, fine... but shouldn't you let the priests of your tribe heal you?"

"Ahhh, it doesn't matter. Enough talk, it really hurts. Feels like even my bones are frozen. Could you hurry it up a little?"

"Just remember to tell your priests that you were the one who asked me to do it."

"It's fine, I'll say I forced you into it, as a request."

Crusch sighed, and worked her healing magic.

Zaryusu noticed that the hostile glares around him had diminished somewhat, and that there were a few friendly eyes looking upon him.

"All right, it's done."

Crusch had cast more healing spells on Zenberu than on Zaryusu. That implied that his injuries were not external, but internal.

"Ohh, you're better than our priests."

"Thank you. Still, I don't usually heal members of other... never mind. Thank you for your kind words."

"Now then, since we're both healed, why don't we talk about the main topic. Might be a bit of a rush, but you don't mind, right?"

"Oh! Then let's hear it —​ although I wanted to say that..."

Zenberu stopped mid-sentence and then smiled.

"But first, let's drink!"

Zaryusu and Crusch had no idea what those words meant, and their faces were equally confused.

"Troublesome business should be discussed over wine. You know that, right?"

Zaryusu understood the meaning of the life-and-death duel. After all, it proved their respective strength, which was useful in negotiation. It was the Lizardman way of life. Drinking parties, on the other hand, were alien to him, because the Green Claw tribe had no such practice.

People who went drinking right after fighting for their lives seemed terribly sad to him.

"I don't get it..."

The strength drained from Zaryusu's body and his face was one of frank surprise as he muttered his response. However, it was immediately drowned out by a surging wave of regret in his heart, regret for behaving so childishly in front of a chief with whom he had not even allied with yet. In fact, he felt Crusch looking at him with a strange expression in her eyes.

Zaryusu had no experience with love, so he had no idea Crusch had been studying him all this time. He was seeing a new side of his beloved, and he found it both curious and adorable.

"No, I mean, if we drink a lot, our heads won't be clear, which would be troublesome for us."

Zaryusu hurriedly tried to amend his words, but Zenberu brushed it aside with his reply:

"Oi oi oi, you're a traveller, aren't you? Don't they say that if you want to learn something, go to the Dwarves?"

"No, I didn't learn from the Dwarves, but from the people of the forest."

"Really? Then all you need to know is this lesson of the Dwarves: friends who drink together become firm friends. Maybe we won't have much time together, but we ought to discuss things frankly and openly. Shouldn't we, Zaryusu Shasha?"

"I see... yes, I understand, Zenberu Gugu."

"Good! Come on, everyone! Time to drink! Bring it over! Get everything ready!"

-x-X-x-

The pile of logs resting upon the ground stood nearly two meters tall, and the crimson flames upon it burned fiercely, as though they were reaching to the sky. This massive red blaze chased away the dark of the night.

Near the log pile was a large vessel that was over a meter tall and about eighty centimeters wide. A fermented scent wafted out from it.

Several dozen Lizardmen took turns scooping out liquid from the vessel. However, the wine within did not seem to deplete.

This was one of the Four Treasures that was ranked alongside Zaryusu's Frost Pain —​ the Great Wine Cask.

While it could produce an infinite supply of wine, the taste was passable at best, and anyone who knew their wine would turn their noses up at it. However, it was delicious nectar to the Lizardmen.

Therefore, the guests kept coming.

There was a quiet region some distance away from the wine cask. The reason why this place was quiet was simple enough —​ because it was littered with the bodies of many drunken Lizardmen, who lay insensate here.

All the Lizardmen who had gotten so drunk that they had passed out were dumped here.

Having shed her leafy costume, Crusch carefully —​ taking care not to step on the tails of the fallen Lizardmen —​ made her way to this place, paying close attention to the ground. Her footsteps were even, so she looked like she was still sober, but it was hard to say that she was not drunk.

Her tail seemed like it had a life of its own, energetically flexing here and there. Sometimes it curled, sometimes it stood straight and sometimes it drooped. It behaved like an excited child.

The fact was that Crusch felt something like a cool wind coursing through her soul. While part of that was because of the wine, that was not the sole reason. The liberated feeling of her body had also contributed to it.

This was the first time she had shown her albinized body to so many people. However, their leader was a monster in his own right, so while the people around her had been startled at first, she soon blended in with them.

With both hands full of food, a bliss-filled Crusch continued forward.

She reached the place where Zaryusu and Zenberu were sitting on the ground and hoisting a glass to each other.

Said glasses seemed to have been made using coconut shells, and the liquid within was transparent, but it emanated a thick fermented smell.

Crusch laid a pair of raw fish in front of the two of them —​ snacks to go with the drinks. Zenberu smiled and greeted Crusch.

"Yo, plant monster."

"...Could you not call me that?"

She had already shed her costume, so why did he insist on calling her that? It would seem he planned to amuse himself in that way. Once she realised it, Crusch decided to cease her pointless resistance.

"Have you finished your discussions?"

Zaryusu and Zenberu looked at each other, and nodded.

"For the most part."

The two of them wanted to speak in private, so they asked Crusch to leave them be. Since they had said as much, all she could do was leave and bring some food over, but within her heart, she was hoping to be part of their conversation. After all, if they were discussing the upcoming battle, then she was certainly involved in it.

She was hoping to be allowed to skim the essentials, even if she could not listen in on the inconvenient parts—​

"This is a conversation between males."

—​But Zenberu shut her down with those cold words. Crusch expressed her displeasure on her face, but she had no choice but to change the topic.

"So, what do you plan to do? Fight shoulder to shoulder as allies?"

"Wha? Oh, as if you had to ask. Of course we're going to fight. Or rather, even if you didn't come, we'd be fighting anyway."

A sound like sticks scraping against each other came from Zenberu's maw.

"You really are a battle maniac."

"Aw, don't praise me like that, now I'm all embarrassed!"

Zenberu paid no heed to Crusch as she rolled her eyes, but made a request of her.

"Oh right, help me talk some sense into him, plant monster. No matter how I ask him, Zaryusu won't accept the position of our chief."

There was a weary, despondent look on Zaryusu's face. Judging by the fatigue there, Crusch could tell that he had repeated his answer many times in her absence.

"He can't accept that position. After all, you're from different tribes, and he's a—​"

Crusch was about to say "he's a traveller," but then she considered that Zenberu was also a traveller, and decided to change the topic.

"So why did you become a traveller, anyway?"

"What? Oh, after I lost to Frost Pain's previous owner, I was devastated, and wanted to become stronger. That being the case, why not leave this place and go somewhere else? That was why I became a traveller."

Beside him, Zaryusu rounded his shoulders in powerlessness. It was then that Crusch recalled what Zaryusu had told him about his own travels.

In the past, when he had left on his journey, the only thing keeping him going was his determination, resolve, and his sense of duty towards his tribe. Zenberu —​ as a fellow traveller —​ ought to have felt the same way... but right now, he could not sense any of that from him.

Crusch placed a gentle hand on Zaryusu's shoulder, as if to say, He's him, and you're you.

At this moment, anyone observing them would probably conclude that they were lovers. As she realised this, Crusch's tail curled up, while Zaryusu's tail swished back and forth.

The two of them gazed at each other, and smiled shyly.

Zenberu pretended that he had seen none of that and continued:

"I thought there must be someone pretty strong inside that mountain, given how big it was. So during my travels, I met the Dwarves and learned a lot of things from them. Got that halberd from them too. I didn't want it at first, but since they asked me to keep it as a memento of our meeting, I had to hang on to it."

"...So that happened. That's nice."

Crusch's answer seemed a little slapdash, or rather, somewhat cold.

"Oh, thanks."

—​Sarcasm did not work on him either.

Now that the good mood in the air had been ruined, Crusch picked up her wine and downed it in one gulp. She felt it burn as it went down her throat, and the heat seemed to radiate from her stomach throughout her entire body. Zaryusu polished off his wine in one go as well.

Just then, a quiet question made its way through the air. It seemed completely different from the voice just now, and for a moment it made them wonder who had asked it.

"Say, do you think we can win?"

Zaryusu quietly replied:

"...I have no idea."

"Mm, same here. After all, there's no such thing as a battle where victory is assured. If someone actually dared brag about how he'd win despite not knowing his enemy's strength, I'd beat the crap out of him to shut him up."

Crusch had no response to Zenberu as he chuckled.

"Still... our foe's gotten a little careless. The changes here ought to affect our chances of victory."

In place of Zaryusu, Crusch looked at Zenberu with a puzzled look on her face.

"Could you recall what that monster said?"

"Sorry, I was sleeping then."

"...Surely you must have heard of it from someone else?"

"Hmph, I couldn't be bothered to remember something like that, so I forgot it. In any case, the important thing is that if they come looking for a fight, then we're going to give them one."

There's no hope for this guy —​ Crusch decided to abandon her attempts at explanation with that. Zaryusu grinned wryly, and answered.

"...He told us to struggle with all our might."

A dangerous expression came over Zenberu's face, and his features twisted savagely.

"Well, that just pisses me off. To think they're sneering at us from the beginning."

Zenberu roared with frightful anger.

The cry carried with it his wrath and displeasure.

"That's right, they're turning their noses up at us. The fact they're so arrogant... probably suggests they're powerful enough to break our resistance easily. But we're going to crush their self-assurance. We're going to gather the five tribes and show them our full power. I want to beat back their assault and show them that we're a force to be reckoned with."

"Hmph, well put. I can understand that. I like it."

Just as the two males were eagerly discussing their battle plans, Crusch rained on their parade.

"I doubt there's much merit to wounding their pride. All we need to do is prove our worth to them, right? Perhaps if they know that, they won't exterminate us."

"Oi oi oi, are you telling me to bow to annoying people like that?"

"Zaryusu... I know fleeing is dangerous, but I think it's better to live on, even in bondage," Crusch quietly said.

The other two did not deny her or tease her for her slave mentality.

It was not that they wanted to be ruled, but being slaves had more of a future than being corpses. As long as there was a future, there was infinite possibility.

For instance, they could teach the method of fish farming to everyone, and that might allow them to abandon their homes and flee elsewhere.

Any leader who abandoned that possibility and ordered everyone to die was not worthy of his position.

"Now, listen closely, you all."

As they heard Zaryusu's calm voice, the three of them pricked up their ears, and they heard the sounds of mirth coming from the party.

"After we're ruled, we might not be able to laugh and rejoice like this."

"The operative word being might, right?"

"Really? I don't think so. I don't think anyone who would take pleasure in watching us die would be so compassionate. After all, if there was any mercy in their hearts, they would not plan to exterminate us in such a playful manner."

Crusch nodded.

But even so—​

"Still, what I want to say is... please don't die."

"—​I won't. Not before I hear your answer."

"—​!"

Crusch and Zaryusu exchanged passionate looks under the night sky.

And then, they made their vow.

—​Paying no attention to Zenberu, the bored outsider.

-x-X-x-

Intermission

They were probably discussing something else in the meeting room behind him.

However, his duties in that room were over. That was why he had left.

That said, he still had work to do. Back then, he was merely giving a report, but now he had to fulfill his responsibilities as the First Seat of the Black Scripture — in other words, as its leader. This included resurrecting his dead comrades, picking temporary replacements for their positions, as well as training, conducting experiments, and so on.

After all, the Six Scriptures were a secret organization, so they led double lives, going undercover within the Theocracy.

Speaking of his personal life, he had to get married — and to multiple partners. Currently, there were only three awakened God-kin within the Slaine Theocracy, and so the higher-ups had hinted that he had to do his patriotic duty and reproduce.

All these demands on him piled up, and left him with hardly any free time.

"Still, I was hoping I could relax for today."

After being liberated from the meeting of the Cardinals — a gathering of the highest appointment holders in the Slaine Theocracy — he worked his shoulders, and then his attention was drawn by a clack-clack-clack sound.

He knew who had made that sound before he saw it. There were very few in the Slaine Theocracy who were permitted to enter this place, and when he thought about the people who were not present within the meeting room, the answer leapt out at him.

As he had expected, there was a girl leaning against a wall.

She had a unique hairstyle, with the left side being a different color from the right. One was a scintillating silver, while the other was an all-consuming black. The color of her eyes was similarly mismatched.

Beside her was a war scythe that resembled a cross-shaped spear, leaning against the wall.

Although she looked youthful, barely fifteen, her age did not correspond to her appearance at all. Ever since he had become the captain of the Black Scripture — its First Seat — the girl's looks had not changed at all.

He turned his eyes to the ears under her hair — and then checked himself.

This was because he knew that the girl hated people looking at her ears.

The girl's seductive lips formed into a curve, as though she were reading his mind.

She was a cross-blooded child born of nigh-impossible odds, the Black Scripture's Extra Seat, known as "Certain Death." She was a guardian, responsible for defending the sanctum sanctorum of the Slaine Theocracy, the place where the relics of five gods were kept.

The sound he had heard came from the toy in her hands. In the Slaine Theocracy, it was called a "Rubik's Cube," and it had apparently been handed down from the Six Great Gods. The girl's voice blended with the clack-clack-clack of its motions.

"One face is simple enough, but getting two faces right is hard."

It was not difficult for him, but he had no idea if he should tell her that. In the end, he chose to smile bitterly by way of response. The girl did not seem to care about his answer and nonchalantly continued:

"What happened? Even the Cardinals showed up."

"You were given a copy of the report, right?"

"Didn't read it," the girl replied without any hesitation. "Besides, asking someone who knows is faster. Did Thousand Mile Astrologer make a mistake? You were sent out to deal with the Catastrophe Dragon Lord... did something happen?"

Throughout all of this, the two of them had never met the other's gaze. The girl's attention was focused on the toy in her hand.

"...We engaged a mysterious undead creature that resembled a Vampire. There were two dead and one severely wounded, so we fell back."

"Who died?"

There was no trace of sorrow for her fallen comrades in her voice. She seemed to be asking about something completely unrelated to her. Still, he did not mind. It was simply her way.

"Cedran, who was protecting Kaire-sama, and Beaumarchais, who tried to capture the unmoving Vampire."

"Great Wall and Divine Chains, huh. The Miko Princess of Earth died in a strange explosion recently, and now the Black Scripture has lost two of its finest... when it rains, it pours, I guess. Who was wounded?"

"Kaire-sama. There seemed to be some sort of curse in effect preventing curative spells from healing her, so we fell back."

"And what of the Vampire?"

"We left it there. The Vampire entered an attack posture every time we tried to capture it or come close. We decided that it would be wiser to leave it alone."

"But that doesn't solve anything, does it?"

"...They decided to leave things as they were during the meeting just now,."

That was the decision they had reached in the meeting room earlier.

It was judged better to leave it alone and gather their forces than to charge in rashly and take severe casualties. Besides, no other country ought to be able to defeat that undead creature. In fact, if someone like that did show up, that would make them a powerful being that bore watching, which meant that they ought to shore up their national defenses first. In the end, everyone had agreed on that course of action. They had decided to leave behind only those essential intelligence personnel and have everyone else retreat.

He agreed with their judgement.

After all, the only people who could defeat that Vampire were probably God-kin or Dragon Lords. Therefore, they would leave sentries in place and if they found anyone who could defeat that Vampire, they would be on their guard against them.

"Really now. So that monster wasn't a Vampire, then?"

He concurred. That was why he had called it a mysterious undead being

"Could it be a Dragon Lord? The Vampire Dragon Lord or the Elder Coffin Dragon Lord?"

The curve of her lips widened, a clear smile. That is, if the look on her face, like a splash of blood, counted as a smile.

"...Aren't those two Dragons already dead?"

He felt a little awkward as he asked that, but she immediately replied:

"They're both undead Dragon Lords, so we don't know if they were really destroyed."

The girl finally raised her head to look straight at him. Her mismatched eyes seemed to sparkle with what seemed like curiosity, delight, and battle-lust.

"Who do you think is stronger, between myself and that Vampire?"

He had expected that question, and met it with a prepared answer.

"You, of course."

"Really..."

The girl looked back at her toy, as though she had lost interest in the topic.

Within his heart, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"What a shame. I was thinking I might be able to taste defeat."

As he heard her mutter to herself, he wondered, Who would win, if they fought?

He had exchanged blows with both the girl and the Vampire, and he felt that the Vampire was superior. However, that Vampire would not be able to defeat "Certain Death."

That was because of the difference in their panoplies.

The Vampire looked to be completely unequipped, which was a weakness in powerful monsters. They placed great pride in their strength, which meant that they did not make use of potent magic items.

In contrast, she was kitted out in the relics of the Six Gods, so he could conclude that she was more powerful.

However, what if both sides were outfitted in items of similar power?

Impossible.

He immediately rejected the question which arose in his mind. After all, it was impossible to find gear which rivalled her panoply, which had been handed down from the gods.

But what if it was possible?

If that happened... the mightiest, never-defeated Extra Seat of the Slaine Theocracy might be vanquished. In other words, that moment would be the end of all hope, when the defenders of mankind were finally laid low.

No, why was he assuming that she would be fighting by herself?

While he could not compare to her, he was still an awakened God-kin who also possessed many magic items. That Vampire might be powerful, but it was alone, and if he could make use of his panoply, they should be able to deal with it.

There was no way there could be more than one such powerful undead being.

As he sank into thought, he heard the sound of giggling. Then, he frowned and looked towards its source.

"Let's talk about something else. When are you getting married?"

That was one of the topics that had come up during the meeting just now. In short, it was asking when he would find a suitable girlfriend. To put it nicely, they were talking about a marriage partner, but more crudely, she would be a baby-making machine.

"I haven't found anyone yet."

"Hmm, because you're still young, huh?"

When the Black Scripture moved out, their members wore magic masks to hide their identities.

According to the laws laid down by the gods, the age of majority in the Slaine Theocracy was twenty, but after removing his mask, his true age was much lower than that figure.

"Granted, after you're married, your partner will be sequestered in a secret location within the Theocracy... but she'll still be able to raise your child."

"I know that. I am a member of the Scriptures, you know."

"Oh yeah. Ah, still, you should probably tell your wife-to-be that you're going to take other wives. The law says it's fine, but they've all been brought up to dislike having multiple spouses."

The Slaine Theocracy permitted the practice of polygamy as long as the nation sanctioned it. This was a practice which had been grandfathered from a time when bloodlines had to be kept pure due to a lack of powerful entities. However, under normal circumstances, the standard practice was one man to one woman, and there were only a few cases where national sanction had been granted. Even when it was granted, one man could only have two wives.

"Thank you for your kind reminder, but as for you... don't you want to get married?"

He asked that question because she might have looked young, but her appearance did not match her actual age.

"Hmm, well, I could marry a man who could defeat me. I don't mind if he looks ugly or has a bad personality... or even if he wasn't human at all. After all, he's the man who beat me. How strong would our children be?"

The girl was all smiles as she placed her hand on her lower belly. He was quite confident that answer meant that she would never marry.

However, would things change if someone appeared who could defeat that Vampire?

A wave of unease swept through his heart.

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Character Data

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