Just as the vampire had promised, Finlay stopped appearing out of nowhere to throw his weight around.

Sometimes, when I was chopping ingredients, he would still look back and forth between the kitchen knife and my fingers with expectant eyes. Not a chance. If I were stupid enough to cut myself with a mere kitchen knife, I couldn't shuffle cards.

Do you have any idea how dangerous shuffling is? One wrong shuffle can cost you a hand. Compared to that, chopping with a knife, where the worst you can lose is a finger, is a piece of cake.

Sorry, but a human kitchen has nothing on the menu for vampires. Piss off.

Anyway, the bottomless pit regained some measure of peace. The vampire spent more time leaving Finlay on his own, and while the Regressor wasn't satisfied, she was at least no longer so hostile. The great disturbance had subsided, and we were all settling into a strange period of stability.

It was during this period that I sat facing the golem in a corner of the dining hall.

『Confirmed.』

After hearing my report, the voice coming from the golem had softened considerably.

『Many problems remain, but with few measures currently available to us, I expect we will have to observe developments for the time being. Maintain the current situation until further action is taken back home.』

“Understood! Leave it to me!”

『...』

The golem began staring steadily at me without a word. Perhaps because it was a golem doing the staring, I felt incredibly uncomfortable.

“Why are you just sitting there with your mouth at the microphone? What are you going to say this time?”

『... Query. Why are you being particularly cooperative today?』

“Today? I've always been cooperative with you, Captain AB. Have I ever refused anything you asked of me?”

『Those are your duties. You are a laborer at Tantalus and are obligated to follow my lawful orders as its administrator.』

“Exactly. I've followed every one, except when we had minor differences of opinion to work out, haven't I? You ask me to take you somewhere, I take you. You ask me to save you, I save you. An intruder drops in, I deal with him. I've even handled things on my own without orders. Where else would you find such a model laborer?”

『Have you not used each such occasion as leverage to make unreasonable demands of me?』

“Unreasonable demands? Like what?”

『Forcing me to say and do certain things.』

“Certain things? Hmm? I have no idea what you mean.”

The golem went still, but only for a moment. Soon, a flat voice emerged from the speaker.

『Did you not force me into childish behavior, such as calling you ‘big brother’ or asking for ‘piggybacks’?』

“Oh, that? Come on, I was joking. Just joking.”

I tried to brush it off, but the golem's piercing stare forced me to offer more excuses.

“Honestly, what's so difficult about that that you have to call it ‘forcing’ you? Did you lose any money, Captain AB? Were you hurt? All you did was ask for a piggyback ride. Your order just got a little cuter, that's all. In the end, I happily gave you that piggyback ride, so wasn't it a win-win?”

『Negative. I am a Military State communications officer and a captain in the Independent Communications Unit. I am obligated to maintain the dignity appropriate to my position.』

“But you're a golem in the first place, aren't you? If I'd made the actual Captain AB do that in person, I'd be an undeniable pervert. But all I did was have a little wordplay with this tiny golem.”

『Your perversion is already beyond doubt.』

“A pervert? Goodness. Is that any way to talk to your big brother?”

『...』

Oh, was she angry?

I hurried to the next subject before the golem could seriously contemplate retaliation.

“Oh, and the Progenitor said something else. She wants Finlay returned to the surface, since he more or less fell down here by mistake.”

A sigh escaped the golem as it continued staring at me. It had given up arguing out of sheer disbelief.

『That is not possible. Having infiltrated Tantalus, the bottomless pit, with a specific intent, he has violated security law. Were he on the surface, a warrant would have been issued for his arrest. As this is the bottomless pit, however... Thus, the Progenitor's request cannot be granted.』

“I told her something similar and managed to keep her here for now, but she looks ready to fly off if things don't go her way. As you know, powerful vampires can fly freely even in darkness like this, right? What if she goes up to the surface?”

『Escape is likewise impossible.』

The golem's reply was categorical. Finding that explanation far too brief, I protested, waving both arms.

“No, I'm telling you, she's going to fly! She said she'd keep flying until she died of old age! Vampires don't die of old age, so that means forever! No matter how deep the bottomless pit is, wouldn't she escape eventually? And then I'd be shot for failing to manage the place!”

『You need not concern yourself with that. It is impossible to escape this bottomless pit by flying through the air—』

At that point, the golem's voice abruptly stopped. The sound was severed as though by a knife.

Then a much sharper voice came from beyond the golem.

『... As a Military State communications officer, I am issuing you a stern warning.』

What little ease there had been in our conversation was gone. I had spent all that time relaxing the atmosphere, and the golem had let a piece of the truth slip through its loosened guard. Realizing this, it pulled itself together.

It spoke with a rigid manner that left not a single opening.

『I fully understand your position. My cooperative attitude takes into account that you are the only available operative within Tantalus and that, in that capacity, you have developed friendly relations with the trainees. However.』

Its crystal-ball eyes moved. My entire figure was reflected in those round orbs that held the light within them.

Somewhere beyond them, somewhere I couldn't see, the eyes watching me must have turned cold.

『Should you make another attempt to extract information from me, or should any signs of such an attempt be observed, I will seek other means of ‘replacing’ you.』

This was why I wasn't particularly fond of the Military State. Its people, its ideology, its system—everything was so rigid. It made surviving a real struggle.

There was no place in such a harsh world for a magician chasing romance.

I answered with a smile. The golem stared at me for a while longer, then cut the connection without warning or consultation.

The light vanished from its crystal eyes, and its iron body slumped down.

* * *

Finlay stopped asking me for blood. As commanded by the most exalted Progenitor, he completely stopped interfering with my life or abruptly butting in.

He did stop, but...

'Cut yourself. Cut your finger. Bleed.'

I had overlooked the fact that I was a mind reader.

Whenever I cooked, especially when I was doing something with a kitchen knife, Finlay would hide nearby and watch, showering me with curses.

Whatever the circumstances, hearing thoughts like that over and over was enough to drive me mad. At this point, it was practically an actual curse.

Seriously, why did that damned pest keep lusting after my blood?

'I must present blood to the Progenitor! For a thrall to voice an opinion to a blood lord, especially one so vastly superior in rank, fresh blood must be brought. The thrall presents the blood, and the blood lord accepts it and hears the story within. That is our tradition, so surely the Progenitor will accept it too!!'

Judging by his thoughts, Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka had apparently misjudged things a little herself.

Before a blood lord, a thrall was infinitely insignificant. Having brought the thrall into existence as a vampire, able to control them through blood manipulation and end their life with a flick of a finger, a blood lord was something like a god and a parent combined.

'The Progenitor pities us. She wishes to protect us. Now that I know her intentions, I can persuade her if I keep petitioning her again and again.'

However.

The world was full of children who showed no respect even for their own parents, and there were absurdly many humans who scorned the gods.

And their feelings came in every conceivable variety. Ten thousand people had ten thousand ways of honoring their parents, and even the god of a single religion was worshipped in different ways.

'That's it! I'll tell her about the Elder who perished. If she learns that one of her closest thralls has been destroyed, the Progenitor may change her mind in her grief.'

Finlay had deliberated.

When he first prostrated himself before the Progenitor, who was like a god to vampires, he had certainly deliberated, however briefly.

Should he turn the situation to his advantage, even if it meant deceiving the Progenitor, or should he tell the truth regardless of the outcome?

Back then, fear of the Progenitor's unfamiliar power had made him tell the truth. But...

'Although he... wasn't hunted down by the Holy See. Even the Progenitor won't know that much. If she blames me later, I will gladly accept my punishment. Having her waste her time here with these worthless nobodies is an enormous loss for us nobles of the night.'

The unknown is fear itself. Thus, we are always humble before what we cannot know.

When darkness comes, we must either go out to greet it respectfully with a torch or lamp, or cower in our rooms.

Conversely, knowledge is peace of mind, and at the same time, arrogance.

Contrary to her fearsome reputation, Progenitor Tyrkanzyaka was quite benevolent. Having received her protection several times now, Finlay no longer feared her as much as he once had.

That must have changed his judgment.

“Hah. Which means I'll have to change how I respond, too.”

I felt this from time to time: the ability to read minds occasionally had its drawbacks. Like now, when I had heard something I didn't particularly want to know.

I wasn't a prophet. I didn't know what would happen in the future.

But whenever someone's thoughts flowed into my head, whenever mind reading laid bare a resolve far too grand for such a paltry plan, I couldn't help being overcome by a strange feeling.

Pity? A sense of their insignificance?

They were so ridiculous that I wanted to make their plans come true, yet also wanted to ruin them like a mischievous child. That strange emotion would slowly well up inside me.

Come to think of it, people whose thoughts were at least a little difficult to read seemed more interesting.

The golem, or the Regressor, or failing that, the vampire—even Azi, at the very least. There was a certain pleasure in digging things out of them.

In a way, perhaps that too was the hypocrisy of someone who already had more than enough.

Just then, I finished cooking. As a final touch, I sliced a hard carrot into long strips to garnish the dish, then took a bell from my pocket and shook it.

DING-A-LING, DING-A-LING.

“Woof! Woof, woof!”

Azi's barking rang out, and Finlay, who had been hiding around the corner, fled in a panic. Ignoring Finlay entirely, Azi burst into the dining hall, and I set down the dish as I watched her approach. She sat in a chair, buried her head in the dish, and began by chewing and swallowing the carrots.

Wiping my hands on a cloth, I called out.

“Finlay!”

Finlay had been creeping back and flinched at the sound of my voice.

I aimed my stare straight at him beyond the corner and said,

“Tell Trainee Tyrkanzyaka there's a class this afternoon.”