Even after Azi had taught him a lesson several times, Finlay continued to get on our nerves. Whenever anyone said anything, he would interrupt with an "Ahem" or a "Now, now." And whenever the Regressor or Azi raised a fist, he would either bolt or invoke the vampire's name and hide behind her.

He was irritating, but he hadn't done anything worth killing him over. Yet giving him a proper beating was awkward with the vampire backing him. The Regressor and I were tormented by this uncomfortable situation, unable to spit him out or swallow him down.

Hardship creates bonds. Thanks to Finlay alone, the Regressor and I—two people who otherwise might never have sought each other out in our entire lives—ended up together.

"Tch. Now there are two things annoying me. At this rate, the stress will kill me. I need to get rid of at least one of them."

"Two? I know one's Finlay, but who's the other?"

"You."

"What kind of outrageous bullshit is that?!"

As I shouted indignantly, the Regressor folded her arms.

"You're alike. Always butting in, doing whatever you want because Tyrkanzyaka protects you. Even the way you act selfishly while staying just barely inside the line is exactly the same."

"I'll put up with most insults, but I can't accept that one. No, I won't."

My mercy might be boundless, but even my patience had its limits. I would consider any comparison between Finlay and me a personal attack. I refuted her points one by one.

"Take a look at yourself! Butting in all the time? That's your hobby, Trainee Shei! Being protected by Trainee Tyrkanzyaka? Who was it who became the Progenitor's disciple?! Doing whatever you want? If someone asked you to point out the most selfish person in this bottomless pit, you'd better find a mirror first!"

"Huh?"

"You're the spitting image! Why not change your name while you're at it? Not Finlay—Finshei! Perfect! Anyone seeing the two of you would think you were married!"

"What the fuck do you mean, married to that thing?!"

Looking more offended than I had ever seen her since coming down to the bottomless pit, the Regressor abruptly remembered her cover story.

"Let me remind you, I'm a man!"

Oh, right. That was her story. I'd forgotten for a moment myself, but fortunately, there was an explanation.

"Yes. A man who likes men."

"Hey! That's—!"

"It's funny, now that I think about it. You're the one who declared you liked men, but you get angry whenever I bring it up. Why? You said it yourself. Are you ashamed of your tastes?"

Confronted with my unimpeachable logic, the Regressor could do nothing but huff and puff speechlessly.

Don't pick fights you can't win. You've never beaten me in an argument, so why do you keep trying?

I picked at my ear as I continued.

"Um, sorry, but please don't fall for me, just in case. You might not mind people saying that about you, Trainee Shei, since it's true, but I absolutely hate that sort of misunderstanding. I'm just an ordinary person with ordinary tastes."

"Don't worry! That wouldn't happen even if the sky fell!"

After snapping back, the Regressor folded her arms again and muttered,

"Anyway, as much as I'd like to get rid of you, doing something about Finlay would be easier. At the very least, we have to stop that thing strutting around."

"Isn't it a little rude to say you want to get rid of someone right in front of them?"

"That's why I said it."

After that obnoxious reply, she muttered inwardly.

'He came down to the bottomless pit to start a war. He's probably among the most radical warmongers. Knowing that a massive war broke out in the future, I can't leave Tyrkanzyaka close to a pro-war vampire. Whether through persuasion or threats, I have to separate them.'

Well, well, Regressor. You said it was because he'd be easier to deal with, but you actually had a surprisingly thoughtful reason.

Meanwhile, my reason for wanting Finlay gone was simply, "I don't like him." Not a flattering comparison.

Hmm. Surely an ordinary, decent person like me couldn't have a worse character than the Regressor. Had spending too long in the bottomless pit corrupted me a little? I'd have to be more careful.

"Still, you do realize, don't you? Finlay may not look it, but he's a Yealing. Below the ruling Elders who inherited the Progenitor's blood, and the elite Ein who serve as their thralls, he's in the very next rank of vampires. Yealings aren't terribly rare, but coming from the Crimson Duke's line earns him recognition even among his own kind."

"He's still small fry. Both you and I could easily deal with someone like him."

You could. I couldn't. I'd need at least a holy-water grenade to deal with him.

When I didn't reply, the Regressor gave me a puzzled look. Then she brushed it aside, apparently taking my silence as agreement so obvious it didn't warrant an answer.

"Besides, he came here wanting a war. Nothing good can come of keeping him close to Tyrkanzyaka—"

She stopped short.

Something had occurred to her midsentence.

'Wait. He refused to let Finlay leave. In fact, he wanted to keep him here. There must be a reason.'

Huh? Of course there was. I didn't actually have any way of getting Finlay out.

'Come to think of it, the Military State has always encouraged wars and gotten involved in them. Right. Imprisoning the Progenitor must be part of its plan too.'

No, I know nothing about that... was what I wanted to say, but something did nag at me.

The golem Captain AB controlled had certainly said that a war must not happen "yet."

Conversely, that meant a war had to happen "someday." The vampire lounging around in the bottomless pit was part of the Military State's war plans too.

What are you plotting, Military State? Can you even handle it? Judging by the Regressor's thoughts, an enormous war apparently breaks out in the future.

Having thought that far, I promptly lost interest. Oh, whatever. Anyone who wasn't an idiot knew the Military State was preparing for war. How important could that be? It was like saying it would snow this winter.

There was something more important right now.

"... I'm going to separate Finlay from Tyrkanzyaka. You'd better not interfere."

'I have to stop the war. If only to keep those bastards from running wild amid the fighting. If this man gets in my way, then...'

Namely, this Regressor, radiating murderous intent at me.

Now, what to do? Hmm.

All right. Let's go with this.

"Interfere? I'd help, if anything. Why would I get in your way, Trainee Shei?"

"When you get down to it, Finlay stayed in the bottomless pit because you persuaded him. After doing that, you're saying you'll cooperate with me now? That makes no sense."

Without even waiting for my answer, the Regressor fixed me with a look that suggested she might cut me down at any moment.

"You're planning to interfere, aren't you?"

Not a bad deduction, but wrong.

As I've said repeatedly, I merely didn't want anyone discovering that I was a lowly forced laborer.

But I couldn't tell her that, so I waved a hand with a sunny smile.

"Ahaha. So that's how you took it. How innocent."

"What?"

Still glaring at me, the Regressor snorted as if daring me to offer an excuse.

"Look at it another way. Now, I said those things to keep Finlay here. I told him to stay here, close to Trainee Tyrkanzyaka."

"I know. I was there."

"And you're taking what I said at face value? I didn't realize you trusted me so completely."

Her eyes widened. Their sharp hostility faded, replaced by doubt.

'... He had another motive? But what else would he gain from keeping Finlay with Tyrkanzyaka?'

"Don't take my words at face value. Just consider the result of my actions. Then you'll see that we have absolutely no reason to be enemies."

Rather than spell it out, I scattered bait. Like breadcrumbs sprinkled along a trail, I waited for her to pick up each clue and follow the path.

'Wait. Maybe I've been looking at this wrong. What if his goal wasn't to keep Finlay and Tyrkanzyaka together... but simply to keep Finlay here?'

That way, even though she had only followed the clues I supplied, she wouldn't doubt an answer she had "worked" to obtain.

Because effort deserved a commensurate reward. A puzzle painstakingly assembled had to be beautiful, and an answer reached through strenuous thought had to be perfect.

That was human psychology. The Regressor was no exception.

'Did he imprison Finlay to keep information about this place from leaking? If Finlay returned to the surface and spread the word, factions seeking to use Tyrkanzyaka might make their move!'

The Regressor reached her own conclusion and thrilled at it. She seemed to be trying to hide it, but a satisfied smile crept onto her lips.

How would she react if she knew the truth? That I simply couldn't get him out. Now I was curious.

Well, anyway.

"Not everyone in the Military State wants war. We could be comrades."

For now, I had succeeded in easing her suspicions. Though still dubious, she had relaxed enough to ask my opinion.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Persuasion, for starters."

"Persuasion? That's all?"

'Not kidnapping, threats, or turning them against each other?'

I changed my mind. No matter how I looked at it, I was a better person than her.

"... I don't know what on earth you're imagining, but we ought to start with the most conventional approach."

"Fine. Leave the persuading to me."

"Pardon?"

"I know how to persuade people too. Besides, I'm her disciple now. It'll be much easier for me to bring it up."

Hmm. That didn't inspire much confidence, but since she was so determined, perhaps I'd watch for now.

I muttered anxiously.

"... Just in case, don't cut his arm off, all right? Even a vampire would find that upsetting."

"Do you think I'm some kind of psychopath?!"

"How did you know?"

* * *

Having decided to persuade Tyrkanzyaka, the Regressor took a deep breath, then strode up to the vampire alone. I hid behind a nearby corner and watched.

"Tyrkanzyaka. A moment. I have something to tell you."

The Regressor trying persuasion. Now that was a rare sight. She struck me as someone who usually overcame obstacles with force or money rather than words, which hardly inspired confidence. Still, this was a Regressor who had been through everything. It wouldn't be strange if she had talents I didn't know about. Let's see how eloquent she was.

"Stop seeing Finlay!"

...?

What was this? Why phrase it like that? Was she a daughter who hated her new stepfather? Was she begging her mother not to remarry?

"...? How sudden. Why?"

A question born of sheer bewilderment. A perfectly natural reaction. The Regressor's response, on the other hand...

"Anyway! He asked you to start a war, didn't he?! War is bad! It's dangerous!"

Hey. Regressor. Try using your vocabulary. Are you a foreigner? Or did you usually go through life barely talking to anyone?

No, she talked to me perfectly well. This wouldn't do. Forget listening to her words; I'd read her thoughts ahead of time.

'Before I regressed, you joined the war battered and broken. It became a bloodbath that benefited no one. Only one thing waited at its end: the destruction of everything. I'm trying to prevent that future, and to do that, it's better if you stay far away from war.'

Her thoughts were reasonably normal, so why did she speak like that? What on earth was wrong with this Regressor?

Ah. I was beginning to understand.

Trying not to reveal her regression had left holes in the argument she wanted to make. Forcing those gaps together had turned it into that utterly childish speech.

I was starting to feel sorry for her. What was I going to do with her?

"I thought you, at least, would understand. Finlay is a thrall far below me. He cannot so much as defy my will."

"I know! But!"

"And I do not reverse a decision once made. Those whose shoulders bear great burdens must lend weight even to their words. I shall not change my mind for the time being. I understand what you wish to say, so let that be enough."

The Regressor merely nodded a few times, turned, and returned to the corner where I was hiding. Then she awkwardly reported,

"That's what she said."

"Well, I'm sorry for asking the impossible. In future, please avoid persuasion and solve things with force or money whenever possible."

'Huh? That feels insulting. Is he being sarcastic?'

The fact that you even have to wonder tells me how disastrous your communication skills are. I pity the world this Regressor has to save.

With a sigh, I stepped forward.

"Wait here. I'm a master of psychological warfare, a magician who toys with people's hearts, and the secret lover who meets Trainee Tyrkanzyaka in secluded places. A mere disciple can't compare to me. I'll go take care of it."

"Fine. You take care of—what? Secret lover?"

"Heave-ho. I'll be right back."

Before the Regressor could say anything else, I darted out from behind the corner and promptly raised a hand as I approached the vampire.

"Trainee Tyrkanzyaka. What a coincidence."

"... What on earth are you two plotting?"

"Haha. Plotting? Not at all. Oh, would you like a massage? My finger's in good shape today."

Even with that offer, the vampire remained suspicious.

"Are your intentions not painfully obvious? You usually make your reluctance abundantly clear, so why would you approach me of your own accord with your finger held upright? Besides, how could we, with Shei watching us from over there?"

Suspicious for once? What a surprise. This from the person who had eagerly cut herself open to expose her heart after seeing me administer electric shocks? Had she developed a sense of danger?

"So, you don't want one?"

"... I did not say that. A little later. That is, when no one is watching."

I take that back. Maybe because she was already dead, this corpse had no sense of danger whatsoever.

Anyway.

"I've come to warn you on Trainee Shei's behalf, Trainee Tyrkanzyaka."

"You too?"

"You may be tired of hearing it, but this is advice that'll do you good. There's something shady about that vampire Finlay. You should be careful."

I was serious, but the vampire took it lightly.

"It seems I have made you all dislike Finlay too much. Very well. I shall exercise restraint from now on."

"Restraint?"

"I mean he shall not trouble you under the pretext of attending me. He obeys my commands, so a word should suffice."

Thinking that the Regressor and I had approached her because "Finlay was a nuisance," the vampire had promised to put a stop to it.

Huh?

That sounded pretty good.

Honestly, it was tempting. All I wanted was for Finlay to stop annoying me.

I nodded at once.

"All right. If you'd do that for us."

"Ah, wait. What time should I come by?"

"Since when have you checked the time before visiting? Come whenever you feel like it."

"Very well."

Whew. Now that was a win-win. I returned with a delighted look on my face.

Leaning against the wall, the Regressor looked up at me coldly.

"What the hell was that?"

"Pardon? A triumph of the human spirit."

"Triumph, my ass. You didn't solve anything! You just arranged another secret rendezvous with Tyrkanzyaka!"

"I didn't arrange a time. She said she'd come whenever she wanted."

"I! Do not! Want to know that!"

"You're the one who asked."

"Tch, anyway! If you've agreed to cooperate, then do it properly!"

She shoved me out again. Reluctantly, I found myself driven back in front of the vampire. Our eyes met awkwardly.

The vampire sighed.

"I cannot fathom why you dislike him so. What is so strange about it? I have formed bonds with you as well. What reason is there not to keep Finlay, my thrall, at my side?"

"Well, perhaps it's the difference in how long we've known you? Finlay hasn't even been here a week, and he's already throwing his weight around because he has you backing him, Trainee Tyrkanzyaka. It's uncomfortable."

"What difference does that make? It has not even been a month since I met you."

To the vampire, a month and a week were both no more than the blink of an eye. There would be little difference between us and Finlay.

With no rebuttal to offer, I nodded.

"Now that I think about it, you're right. Compared to your lifetime, Trainee Tyrkanzyaka, a month or a week is no different from a firefly shining for a single night. Even humans with ordinary lifespans call a month short, so for a twelve-century-old girl, well..."

"...? A twelve-century-old... girl?"

"Oops. I'll be going now!"

The Regressor was still waiting over there. But that wasn't the only corner around. I sprinted toward the one in the opposite direction.