Chapter 21 : So the morning doesn’t find you

The vampire fortress reconstruction continued for nearly a month.

Moving the buildings was as simple as putting them in my inventory, but I also had to prepare the ground and properly plan the city. Furthermore, the auction for residency rights, granting access to the fortress and the opportunity to become a vampire, also continued for several days.

The resulting variety show was quite well-received online, and…

…Finally, the last day of the long reconstruction project arrived.

[“Hello, friends! Today is finally the day we finish the reconstruction! You’ve all been waiting, right? The residency right holders and those hoping to move into the fortress are all gathered here today, so please look forward to it. Then, let’s start the renovation variety show, ‘Help Me! Holmes!’”]

The video magic activated.

Like before, the broadcast started inside Kinnikos’s castle. Showing the city immediately wouldn’t be bad, but introducing it slowly, step by step, would have more impact.

Today’s guests were the fortress residents.

Aspiring ‘eternal youth’ candidates waiting to become vampires.

“So, you’re all finally becoming vampires today. How do you feel?”

I approached the members of the Marcohoff Trading Company’s idol group—Lunar Night—who seemed the most nervous, and asked them.

Vanilla, Lunar Night’s leader, stepped forward with a stiff expression.

“I-I’m so happy to think that we can sing for you all forever!”
“Aren’t you a little too nervous?”

“S-Sorry.”
“No, no. Just relax. You won’t be able to see the sun anymore. Aren’t you sad about that?”

“Well—honestly, I’m a little anxious… but even if we are in a dark valley, with the support of our fans, we’ll feel as safe as we do under the sun. Even when we were under the sun…”

Vanilla’s breathing became ragged, and her words trailed off as if she was choking from nervousness.

It was a kind of broadcasting accident, but I waited patiently.

Soon, after catching her breath, Vanilla spoke again with a calmer expression,

“Even when we were under the sun… we felt as scared and anxious as if we were trapped in a deep pit. When I was singing and begging on the streets of Gratz… no one listened to my song. Back then, it was as if I was trapped in darkness all day long. A deep darkness… where I didn’t know which way to go. So, our fans are our light. Even if the world is eternally night, as long as our voices can reach those beyond the darkness… Yes. We’re not afraid. Truly. Thank you.”
“Thank you for the wonderful speech. Your fans will love it.”

“Yes…”
“Then, shall we begin exploring the newly built city?”

The castle gates opened, and sunlight poured in.

Since the veil of darkness hadn’t been installed yet, the outside was dazzling with white sunlight.

And so…

The finale of the renovation variety show began.

[“The basic structure of this city is a direct replica of the ancient ‘City of the Pharaoh.’ Endless parties will be held in the central plaza with the golden fountain. It’s large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of vampires, and it’s also designed to function as a concert hall, so Lunar Night’s performances will be held here.”]

The central plaza, which would be the vampires’ ‘party venue.’

The plaza, paved with white limestone and gold, was like a giant, well-sculpted work of art. On one side of the plaza was a massive fountain, its water spouts made of gold, sparkling as they reflected the sunlight.

Once the veil of darkness was in place, magical lights in the plaza would illuminate the fountain instead of the sun.

And in the center of the plaza was a pyramid-shaped altar, built higher than its surroundings, which would be used as a stage. A party wouldn’t be complete without music.

The plaza’s lighting had crystal radial decorations, making it even more beautiful, and it was enchanted so that the color of the lights could be adjusted at any time through the Network Magic Tool.

[“The city is divided into four main areas, centered around the plaza. First, let’s look at the residential areas.”]

In the northeast and southwest, residential areas were created where residents could always look down at the party venue. The ‘Pharaoh’s Palace’ and the ‘Demon Monarch’s Castle’ were embedded in each residential area like landmarks. Both buildings would be used by Kinnikos, the progenitor. Heating and cooling magic was applied to each, so she could use the Pharaoh’s Palace in the summer and the Demon Monarch’s Castle in the winter.

The other buildings in the residential areas were built slightly lower than the two landmarks, and nobles and servants resided there according to their status.

The initial residents with ‘residency rights’ would all be of noble rank, as they would be turned into vampires directly by Kinnikos, the progenitor.

[“The other two areas are the leisure area, with various amenities, and the commercial area, with entertainment and commercial facilities.”]

The leisure area included facilities such as public baths, saunas, art museums, and libraries.

Vampires were a race that enjoyed all-night parties, but they were also a race that spent hundreds of years sleeping and being lazy. These were quiet spaces where they could rest their bodies.

The commercial area was equipped with various entertainment facilities: casinos, arenas, red-light districts, bars, magical gyro drops, and more. A Marcohoff Trading Company branch would be established here, and I planned to accept all future applications from other companies wanting to open branches.

[“The site is large enough to allow for expansion up to five times its current size, so there’s no need to worry about running out of space.”]

In particular, the commercial area would be mainly for visitors who were not vampires.

This reflected the opinion of the head of the Marcohoff Trading Company, who believed that the vampire fortress also needed a continuous source of income. In the shadows, beyond the reach of God’s eyes, one could indulge in all pleasures and temptations, leaving everything behind.

[“Then, that concludes the introduction… Now, I’ll install the veil of darkness.”]

With the introduction of the vampire fortress complete…

…I finally activated the magic to bring eternal night to the fortress.

“It’s been a while since I used Grand Magic instead of Network Magic…”

Since it was a special occasion, I decided to activate the magic with a chant, instead of omitting it.

Mana from all over the world gathered around me, creating a giant vortex of light.

Amidst the expectant gazes of the aspiring residents…

The chant began.

“Fangs, blades to sever breath.”
“Wings, whips to sever ankles.”
“It appears on a starlit night,”
“Walking with the shadows.”

“But blades dull, rust, break, and chip.”
“Whips fray, wear, loosen, and snap.”
“Stars guide lost travelers,”
“Shadows shelter those lost in the scorching heat.”

“I, in the name of Mage Calvin,”
“For the residents of Lunar Night, who love moonlight and festivities,”

“This is the magic of eternal celebration,”

“So that the intrusive morning may not find you,”

“May magic conceal you.”

And…

The moment the chant ended…

“Wow…!”
“The sky has changed!”
“A blue moon…?”

Upon the vampire fortress…

…Night fell.

Finally, the variety show concluded with Kinnikos biting the necks of the aspiring residents in the central plaza.

The vampires rushed to the residential area to claim their preferred homes.

Thanks to that, only Kinnikos and I were left sitting quietly by the fountain in the central plaza.

“…Thank you, Calvin. Thanks to you, the fortress has been revived.”
“It’s nothing. I enjoyed it too. I discovered new magic while working on the reconstruction.”

It wasn’t my place to say, as someone maintaining their youth with Life Restoration magic, but Kinnikos hadn’t changed at all from when I saw her hundreds of years ago.

Her unique archaic yet childlike way of speaking, her gentle voice… They remained just as I remembered them, as if untouched by time.

“You have no idea how surprised I was when I woke up to find the fortress destroyed.”
“The fortress won’t collapse even if a Sky Whale falls now. I’ve properly set up defensive magic.”

“Say—about the night sky?”
“Yeah.”

“Who would think that’s magic created by someone?”
“It wasn’t developed by me.”

Back when I was a vampire, while researching vampire bloodline magic, I also researched the veil of darkness magic.

Whoever created it, it was filled with affection for the vampire race.

Even I, with the help of all sorts of skills, had to go through countless trials and errors and pour in a lot of time to complete a single world-class Grand Magic. The mage who created this ‘veil of darkness’ magic must have put in an unimaginable amount of effort.

It was a truly intricate and beautiful magic. All I did was add some defensive magic.

“When I realized the fortress was destroyed… I was going to fall into an eternal slumber. Then I heard your radio broadcast, and I changed my mind. If it weren’t for you… I don’t know what would have become of me.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed the broadcast.”

“So, think of this as a token of my gratitude.”
“Huh?”

Suddenly, Kinnikos stood up from the bench and slowly approached me.

And…

Kinnikos’s arms gently wrapped around my neck.

I felt her breath on my ear, and…

Crunch

…Kinnikos sank her fangs into my neck.

Kinnikos stepped back.

As I pressed my hand against my tingling neck, a system message I hadn’t seen in a long time appeared before my eyes.

[The skill ‘Heart of the Swarm’ has leveled up.]
[Heart of the Swarm (LV.MAX)]

“Ah?”

The racially specific skill ‘Heart of the Swarm,’ which consumed a ridiculous amount of skill points…

…Had leveled up to MAX at once.

“I’ve given you the progenitor’s blood. You probably don’t need eternal youth… but you’ll be able to command all the nobles in my stead. It’s originally given to the one who will become the king of the vampires, but… it should be fine with you.”
“Oh…”

It had been decades since I could level up anymore.

There was no way to obtain skill points, and the remaining skills were difficult to level up through training, so I had given up, but…

To suddenly receive such a gift…

“The world must be quite boring for you, who can do anything… but there are still many things you don’t know. Trust the words of the ‘progenitor,’ who has lived since the beginning.”

It seemed she had noticed that I was bored from lack of content.

She was also a long-lived being.

She must understand my feelings.

“…Thank you, Kinnikos.”
“My pleasure, Calvin.”

“Sylvie.”
“Yes.”

“From now on, we’re going to the World Tree Forest, the elves’ homeland…!”
“…Yes?”

Now that my skill level had increased, I had to try it out.